Seoul: The government has called for the National Assembly to reconsider a recently passed bill that seeks to limit the powers of an acting president in appointing justices to the Constitutional Court. This decision emerged from a Cabinet meeting chaired by acting President Han Duck-soo.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the bill, which is a revision to the Constitutional Court Act, successfully passed through the National Assembly on April 17. It was introduced by the liberal Democratic Party with the intention of preventing acting President Han from appointing two nominees to the Constitutional Court. The court comprises nine justices, with appointments divided equally among the president, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court chief justice.
The revision specifically aims to restrict an acting president from naming or appointing the three justices that are traditionally the president's prerogative. However, it still allows the acting president to appoint the three justices chosen by the National Assembly and the three selected by the Supreme Court chief justice. Han's nominees were part of the president's allocation, prompting the government's demand for a reconsideration of the bill.