Acting President Choi Sang-mok remained tight-lipped about the prospects of filling the remaining vacancy in the Constitutional Court at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.
The Constitutional Court made a unanimous 8-0 ruling on Thursday, determining that Choi had a constitutional duty to confirm Ma Eun-hyuk's position at the court, which is reviewing the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Since the ruling, Choi has yet to map out plans to approve Ma's position since he selectively approved two out of three justices for the Constitutional Court in January.
The court did not give a deadline for Choi to confirm Ma in its ruling.
Before the Cabinet meeting, Democratic Party Floor Leader Rep. Park Chan-dae said at a party meeting Tuesday that Choi's refusal to approve Ma "contributes to the destruction of constitutional order." Choi has vetoed six opposition-led bills since he assumed the acting president post in late December.
The Cabinet meeting also did not consider a bill that would enable a special counsel investigation into scandals involving Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker who is believed to have had personal ties with Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee.
Later Tuesday, the two main parties announced that they would exclude the government from the upcoming four-way talks on state affairs on Thursday.
The opposition party said the decision was due to Choi's "ignorance of the Constitution."
The comments came hours after the acting president at the Cabinet meeting urged the Democratic Party of Korea to return to thetalks that kicked off on Feb. 20 to discuss state affairs with the administration, the National Assembly speaker, and ruling People Power Party. Subjects for discussion include pension reform and ways to support the semiconductor industry.
The Democratic Party walked out of the talks Friday, blaming Choi for their decision and denouncing him for his failure to approve its recommendation of Ma as a Constitutional Court justice.
Choi, who doubles as the deputy prime minister, also said that the government, the parliament and the private sector should join forces to deal with the threats to trade posed by US President Donald Trump's administration.
Choi stressed the "power of unity for South Korea's survival and prosperity," explaining that tripartite collaboration could "lay the cornerstone for people's unity to find a breakthrough" in times of crisis at home and abroad.
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