The Constitutional Court, originally a nine-member body, has been operating with a vacancy since last year, following the retirement of three judges. According to the procedure, the National Assembly was responsible for selecting the three replacements—one nominee chosen by the opposition, one by the ruling party, and one through bipartisan consensus—before the president makes the final appointment. However, on December 31 of the previous year, Acting President Choi delayed the appointment of one of the three candidates, Ma Eun-hyuk—a firmly left-leaning judge—citing a lack of consensus between the two parties.
The Constitutional Court then put all pending cases on hold to prioritize Ma's case, aiming to determine whether Acting President Choi's decision was constitutional. But this raises a crucial question: Why would the Constitutional Court, which already has a quorum (seven justices) to hear and rule on presidential impeachments, rush to appoint a liberal judge?
There is speculation among legal circles that five justices of the Constitutional Court favor impeaching President Yoon, while three are against it. In other words, those judges eager to unseat Yoon are in desperate need of another vote to affirm the impeachment motion. Given this situation, one cannot help but assume that some left-leaning judges are already inclined to confirm Yoon's impeachment, even before the actual sentencing.
Recusal Motion Denied Despite Conflict of Interest
