Ruling Party Pressures Constitutional Court with Personnel Hearing

The Uri Party announced yesterday that it has decided to actively review whether to include all nine judges of the Constitutional Court and all nine members of the National Election Commission (NEC) in the personnel hearings of the National Assembly.

The current National Assembly and personnel hearing laws state that the National Assembly`s personnel hearings may only be conducted on the three candidates of both the Constitutional Court and the NEC that the assembly selected. Those appointed by the president and the chief judge of the supreme court--three each--are not subject to the hearing.

Regarding the Uri Party`s remark, some in political and legal circles point out that the party is trying to influence the personnel of the Constitutional Court. When the Constitutional Court ruled the Special Law on New Administrative Capital Construction unconstitutional in October 2004, some of the Uri Party representatives strongly criticized the court that the decision was a "judicial coup d`etat."

In addition, there is a suspicion that the Uri Party intends to pressure the Constitutional Court as the petition against the special law on the administrative city will be tried by the court.

The GNP`s position is against subjecting Constitutional Court judges under personnel hearings.

GNP spokeswoman Jeon Yeo-ok criticized that the "Uri Party has the intention to occupy the supreme judicial institution politically."

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com