문형배•이미선 임명...한국당, 내일 대규모 장외집회

President Moon Jae-in has appointed two new justices to the Constitutional Court,... despite strong protests from the opposition parties.
Although the president can appoint them without parliament's consent,... the move is expected to intensify tensions at the National Assembly.
Kim Min-ji reports.
A prolonged stalemate is expected at the National Assembly after President Moon Jae-in went ahead with his appointment of Lee Mi-sun and Moon Hyung-bae as Constitutional Court justices,... despite objections from the opposition bloc.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party warned that it would mobilize all possible means of resistance,... both in and outside of parliament.
"Six of the nine constitutional justice seats have now been filled by those with the ideological inclinations of the Moon Jae-in government. There will be no need for the administration to fight for law revisions in parliament now."
The opposition was strongly against the appointment of Lee Mi-sun, in particular,... over her controversial stock trading activities.
She and her husband reportedly traded stocks some 55-hundred times,... but Lee has denied any involvement.
The opposition parties have accused her of using insider information to make money from stocks,... while she was also criticized for presiding over trials involving a company in which she holds stocks in.
The latest appointment looks as though it will put the brakes on a stack of pending bills related to the economy -- including ones related to work hours and the minimum wage system.
It may also delay deliberations of the government's supplementary budget bill which it plans to submit next week.
The ruling Democratic Party has defended Lee saying there was no illegal act involved,... and blamed the main opposition party for not getting any work done in parliament.
"What proof does the Liberty Korea Party have? The party is spreading fake news and stepping up attacks. They are putting people's livelihoods aside and just holding back state affairs. They should return to the National Assembly and get some work done."
The president has suggested to convene a meeting between the rival parties and the government to try to break the impasse,... but whether that will be enough remains to be seen,... as the appointment was something both conservative and liberal opposition parties were against.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.