By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) – Top aides to ousted South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol tendered their resignations en masse on Wednesday, a day after his office expressed regret over acting president Choi Sang-mok's appointment of two new judges to the court that will decide Yoon's future. .
Yoon's chief of staff, policy chief, national security adviser and special adviser on foreign affairs and security, along with all other senior secretaries, have resigned, his office said in a statement without elaborating.
Choi said he would not accept their resignation as the priority now is to focus on improving the economy and stabilizing the state's affairs, his office said.
Aides have repeatedly expressed their intention to resign after Yoon's failed attempt to declare martial law on Dec. 3, but their resignation was not accepted, said a presidential official, who declined to be identified due to political sensitivity.
The official said senior secretaries have been assisting Choi since he took over as acting president. Two other officials said the aides do not participate in day-to-day government operations, but must report to Choi and attend meetings when necessary.
The latest handover of aides came a day after Choi received surprise approval to fill two vacancies on the Constitutional Court handling the impeachment case against Yoon.
It introduced the full number of judges on the nine-member court. Any decision in Yoon's case would require the consensus of at least six judges.
Yoon's ruling party, the People Power Party, criticized Choi's decision as “dogmatic” and lacking sufficient consultation.
Finance Minister Choi assumed the role of acting president on Friday following the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting president since Dec. 14 when Yoon was suspended from power.
Yoon is under investigation for allegedly leading the rebellion, and a Seoul district court on Tuesday authorized his arrest, the first for a sitting president.