Seoul: South Korea’s special committee of the main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) said on Tuesday that it will file a complaint against acting President Choi Sang-mok for alleged dereliction of duty.
Choi has been criticised by opposition lawmakers for not ordering the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to cooperate with attempts by investigators to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
During a press conference at the National Assembly, the committee slammed Choi for eventually allowing the PSS to block the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a warrant to detain Yoon.
“According to reports, acting President Choi remained mum even when the CIO requested cooperation regarding the arrest of President Yoon,” the committee said.
Choi also did not take any action against Park Chong-jun, chief of the PSS, despite his involvement in blocking the CIO’s attempt to detain Yoon, according to the committee.
The committee then criticised Choi for not requesting the recommendation for a special prosecutor though the Assembly passed a bill mandating a permanent special counsel to investigate insurrection charges against Yoon.
“Acting President Choi has also indefinitely delayed the appointments of Ma Eun-hyuk, a candidate for Constitutional Court justice recommended by the National Assembly, and Ma Yong-ju, a Supreme Court judge candidate,” it said.
The committee urged Choi to take a “firm stance” in addressing Yoon’s insurrection case, including the arrest of Yoon, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier on January 3, Acting President Choi Sang-mok met with the top US envoy to South Korea and the chief of the US Forces Korea, underscoring the strong South Korea-US alliance despite the ongoing political turmoil in the country.
Choi’s meeting with Ambassador Philip Goldberg and General Xavier Brunson came less than a week after he had assumed the interim leadership role.
“Despite the challenging situation, we unwaveringly upheld diplomatic and security policies based on the strong alliance between South Korea and the United States,” Choi had said during the meeting, according to his ministry. Choi also served as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and finance minister.
“We asked for proactive mutual efforts to maintain our diplomatic achievements, including cooperation between South Korea and the United States, as well as ties among Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo,” Choi had added.
(IANS)
