Seoul: Senior aides of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, including his chief of staff, offered to resign Wednesday, a day after acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed two justices to the Constitutional Court.
Those who expressed their intents to resign include Chung Jin-suk, the presidential chief of staff; National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik; Sung Tae-yoon, chief of staff for policy; and Chang Ho-jin, foreign policy adviser to Yoon, according to the presidential office.
Choi on Tuesday appointed two justices to the Constitutional Court, partially meeting the opposition’s demand to fill three vacancies on the nine-member bench before a ruling on President Yoon’s impeachment.
The presidential office voiced regret over Choi’s appointments, saying that he has gone beyond his authority as an interim leader.
By law, at least six votes are required to uphold an impeachment motion, which means the appointment of three additional justices could improve chances of Yoon’s impeachment being upheld. The court has up to six months to decide whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.
The two appointed justices formally began their duties on Wednesday and an inauguration ceremony will be held the next day, the Constitutional Court said, Yonhap news agency reported.
Choi, who also serves as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and finance minister, has no plan to accept the resignations by Yoon’s senior aides, according to the finance ministry.
“(Choi) thinks now is the time to focus on stabilizing the livelihoods of the people and state affairs,” the ministry said in a message to reporters. “He does not have a plan to accept their resignations.”
Yoon, impeached by the National Assembly last month, is also facing a criminal investigation over his failed martial law declaration on December 3.
The resignation offers by Yoon’s top aides also come after a Seoul court issued a warrant to detain Yoon on Tuesday, making him the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest. Yoon is suspected of masterminding the martial law declaration, orchestrating an insurrection and abusing power.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-kyu, acting chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, also expressed his intention to step down in an apparent protest against the appointment of justices.
He has been acting as the leader of the communications watchdog since Chairperson Lee Jin-sook was impeached in August.
(IANS)
