Prosecutors have dismissed a complaint accusing Choi Sang-mok, who served as acting president during the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, of abuse of power for appointing Constitutional Court justices.
According to legal officials on Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office’s Criminal Division 1, led by Chief Prosecutor Shin Do-wook, dismissed the case on April 13. A dismissal means the complaint did not meet procedural requirements and was closed without reviewing the merits.
Prosecutors said appointing Constitutional Court justices is not subject to Cabinet deliberation and that Choi, as acting president, exercised lawful authority in carrying out a constitutional duty.
After then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against him on Dec. 14, suspending his duties. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became acting president. When Han held off on appointing Constitutional Court nominees, the Assembly impeached him as well, and Choi assumed the acting presidency.
Unlike Han, Choi appointed two nominees, Jeong Gye-seon and Cho Han-chang. The conservative group Jayu Daehan Hogukdan filed the complaint in January last year, arguing the appointment process was flawed.
Prosecutors also dismissed two other complaints filed alongside Choi’s case: one accusing Woo Jong-soo, former head of the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters, of disclosing facts under investigation, and another accusing Kim Myeong-seok, a former senior prosecutor at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, of defamation through publications.
Woo was reported for remarks during an emergency hearing of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee in December 2024, when he said notes in a notebook linked to former intelligence commander Noh Sang-won “match the facts.” Kim was sued by Yeo Woon-kuk, former deputy chief of the anti-corruption office, on suspicion of defamation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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