Opposition eyes unilateral nomination of new Constitutional Court justices

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea plans to unilaterally pass a motion to nominate three Constitutional Court justices Thursday despite fierce resistance from the ruling People Power Party and calls from acting President Han Duck-soo for a parliamentary compromise on the matter.

The plenary session of the National Assembly is slated for 2 p.m., with a consensus among the Democratic Party to vote in favor of the justices' nomination.

Confirmation hearings for the justices were held in parliament Dec. 23-24. The ruling party boycotted the hearings, saying the acting president does not have the authority to finalize their appointments before President Yoon Suk Yeol is formally impeached.

The resolution to nominate them will likely be passed without the need for votes from the ruling party, as the Democratic Party has more than half the seats in the 300-seat parliament.

The Democratic Party on Wednesday began to introduce a motion to impeach Han but halted the process two hours later, saying it will go ahead with the motion if the acting president vetoes the new justices' nominations.

The People Power Party, on the other hand, plans to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court if their nominations are passed by parliament.

Filling the three empty seats on the nine-member Constitutional Court is crucial to President Yoon's impeachment trial, as approval from at least six justices is required to uphold his impeachment. Deliberation in the case will commence Friday, with Yoon having snubbed the court's demand that he accept delivery of related legal documents and submit written answers.

As the ruling and opposition parties butt heads over the appointment of the new justices, the acting president -- who is also prime minister, appointed by Yoon -- on Wednesday called for a compromise.

The two sides are also at loggerheads over Han's potential impeachment, with the main opposition saying it requires only a simple majority according to the rules for impeaching a prime minister, one of Han's dual roles. As acting president, however, the ruling party says Han's impeachment would require a two-thirds majority, the same as for a president.

Han, as of now, has not said whether he will veto the justices' nominations. The prime minister's office immediately denied reports on Tuesday that the acting president has decided to exercise a veto.

Meanwhile, it is likely that Han will stand firm on his resolve not to approve two other bills passed earlier this month to appoint special counsels to investigate the president and first lady Kim Kun Hee, which his Cabinet declined to review in a Wednesday meeting. A high-ranking official with Han's office told local media Wednesday that the special counsel bills "still have unconstitutional elements that have not been revised at all."

Yoon is under criminal investigation for insurrection and abuse of power related to his Dec. 3-4 declaration of martial law.