Acting Pres. Choi attends third parliamentary hearing on insurrection allegations

Meanwhile at the National Assembly today.

Acting president Choi Sang-mok attended a hearing led by lawmakers into charges of insurrection against the Yoon administration.

Our political correspondent Shin Ha-young reports.

During a third Assembly hearing on Thursday into allegations of insurrection by the president and some of his ministers, lawmakers directed their questions to Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

The spotlight was on a controversial note Choi received on December 3rd, ordering the preparation of a budget for an emergency legislative body, presumably to replace the elected National Assembly.

President Yoon previously said in his third impeachment hearing at the Constitutional Court that he learned about the note through media reports.

Opposition party lawmakers on the special committee sought to determine whether President Yoon issued instructions to certain Cabinet members through written notes at the time.

Choi reaffirmed that he received the note but did not review it immediately.

"If the emergency legislative body, as mentioned in the note, forcibly dissolved the National Assembly and replaced it, wouldn't that be an unconstitutional body?"

"I'm not aware of that matter."

Meanwhile, ruling party lawmakers claimed that appointing Ma Eun-hyuk to the Constitutional Court would be unfair, due to the lack of a bipartisan consensus.

"I believe there was no bipartisan agreement on nominee Ma Eun-hyuk. What do you think?"

"I would say that there was no agreement between the parties at that time."

Thursday's session was also attended by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other officials.

Han expressed concern that if the Constitutional Court doesn't make a decision the public can accept, it could cause national division.

Ahead of Thursday's hearing, the committee called 25 witnesses including President Yoon, Acting President Choi, and former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, to testify.

However, nine of them, including Yoon and Kim, submitted excuses to not appear.

At the beginning of the hearings, the opposition-led committee issued orders for Kim and three others involved in Yoon's martial law declaration to appear as witnesses.

The committee's investigation is scheduled to end on February 13th, but the opposition is considering pushing for an extension, citing the absence of key witnesses at previous hearings.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.