SEOUL: National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik has urged acting President Choi Sang-mok to address the vacancy at the Constitutional Court by appointing the remaining judge. This call comes after Choi appointed two justices, partially satisfying the opposition's demand to fill three vacancies prior to a decision on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

According to Yonhap News Agency, earlier in the week, Choi withheld the appointment of Ma Eun-hyuk, a justice recommended by the opposition, until an agreement is reached between the rival parties. In a Facebook post, Speaker Woo emphasized that the judges were recommended through agreements between the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DP). Woo presented documents and statements from both party leaders to confirm the consensus on the recommendations, urging Choi to promptly appoint Ma as a judge at the Constitutional Court.

The Democratic Party had previously insisted that former acting President Han Duck-soo appoint the three justices immediately following the approval of their nominations by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. However, after Han's refusal last week, the DP proceeded to pass the motions and impeach Han, thereby suspending him from duty and elevating Choi as the interim leader.

The law mandates that at least six votes are necessary to uphold an impeachment motion. Therefore, appointing three additional justices could potentially increase the likelihood of sustaining President Yoon's impeachment. Meanwhile, the People Power Party expressed strong disapproval of Choi's recent appointments, accusing him of yielding to the opposition's pressure and threatening to impeach Choi should he refuse to move forward with the appointments.