Kwon Seong-dong, the acting representative and floor leader of the People Power Party, argued that the impeachment cases of Lee Jin-sook, Choi Jae-hae, and Lee Chang-soo should be prioritized over that of President Yoon. Kwon’s statements were made during an emergency meeting held at the National Assembly. He emphasized that it is legally unfair for the National Assembly, which approved the impeachment motion, to appoint constitutional judges who will handle impeachment trials, likening it to a prosecutor appointing a judge for a case they are involved in.
Kwon pointed to President Yoon’s 2020 appeal court case to illustrate his point, where a disciplinary action issued by then-Minister Choo Mi-ae was overturned because the composition of the disciplinary committee was found to be unlawful. He stressed that allowing the National Assembly to recommend a constitutional judge after passing the impeachment motion would violate the constitutional principles of fair trial and due process.
Kwon further argued that minimizing governance vacancies is critical and proposed that the impeachment cases of Lee Jin-sook, Choi Jae-hae, and Lee Chang-soo be heard before that of the President. The People Power Party has refused to participate in the confirmation hearings for three constitutional judge candidates recommended by the National Assembly, asserting that acting President Han cannot appoint them during President Yoon’s suspension.
Critics from the opposition parties suggest that the People Power Party’s actions are a tactic to delay the trial. However, when speaking to reporters, Kwon denied any intent to delay, stating that cases are typically considered in the order they are submitted, and if urgency is acknowledged in the President’s case, it would be possible to suspend the other proceedings.
There are also discussions within the party about adjusting the process so that the ruling and opposition parties equally recommend constitutional judge candidates. Currently, two candidates (Jung Gye-seon, Ma Eun-hyuk) are recommended by the opposition and one (Cho Han-chang) by the ruling party. Concerns have been raised within the ruling party that this composition could unfavorably impact decisions related to the impeachment verdict for President Yoon.