Seoul, Feb 06, 2025, IANS

Seoul, Feb 6 (IANS) South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok was grilled on Thursday at a special parliamentary committee investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid, with Opposition lawmakers questioning him about a memo Yoon allegedly gave Choi ordering a budget for an emergency legislative body. The main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) mainly questioned Choi, who was the finance minister on December 3, when Yoon imposed an emergency martial law, about the memo that Yoon allegedly handed to him on the night of the martial law declaration. "During a parliamentary enquiry session, you said the President handed out documents at the time of the martial law declaration and that you did not take a look at them but shouldn't you have done so," Rep. Choo Mi-ae questioned Choi. Choi replied someone had handed him a "folded note" but that he was too overwhelmed at the moment to read it. The memo reportedly outlined measures to cut off operational expenses for the National Assembly and to form a budget for the emergency legislature under martial law. During the hearing, the DP also criticised Choi's decision to hold off the appointment of Opposition-recommended Justice Ma Eun-hyuk as the ninth justice to the Constitutional Court. The issue of appointments to the nine-member Bench, which is currently one member short, has been controversial as its composition could affect the impeachment trial of Yoon. Thursday's session was also attended by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other officials, Yonhap news agency reported. The National Assembly had voted to impeach Yoon over his shocking, albeit short-lived, imposition of martial law on December 3. Yoon had been indicted on charges of leading an insurrection and had been under arrest. Yoon is also alleged to have sent military troops to the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting down the martial law declaration and to have planned to arrest key political figures.