Woo Won-sik, the Speaker of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea, has taken a hardline approach to pressure the nomination of constitutional judge candidate Ma Eun-hyuk. He submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court requesting temporary appointment of Ma as a judge, and also filed a dispute over authority against Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is delaying the appointment.
On the 28th, Speaker Woo filed both the dispute over authority and the petition for temporary position designation regarding Ma's appointment with the Constitutional Court. The Speaker's office stated, "We have determined that the current situation constitutes a serious violation of the constitutional order," adding that "the fact that the National Assembly, a party to the presidential impeachment trial, is being denied the right to a fair judgment was also considered."
He also filed an execution order against the Constitutional Court. This argues that the existing decision of the Constitutional Court, which deems the non-appointment of Ma unconstitutional, should apply equally to the Acting President.
Speaker Woo further pressured the government by sending written questions to it. He said, "An acting authority cannot discuss the rule of law while ignoring the situation of constitutional violations," emphasizing that "the appointment of Ma must be prioritized as a crucial task to restore the damaged constitutional order." He added, "We will take all necessary measures."
On that day, first-term lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea also raised their voices. They warned that if Ma's appointment does not proceed, they would initiate a 'sub-impeachment' against the ministers. The first-term lawmakers stated, "If the appointment is not made by the 30th (Sunday), we will begin the retrial procedures against the Acting President."
They also stated, "We send the same warning to all ministers," adding, "Even if the duties are succeeded by the next acting president, if Ma is not immediately appointed, we will push for impeachment without asking for any reasons."