The South Korean parliament has voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo.
Prime Minister Han has been serving as acting president since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on December 14 for his brief imposition of martial law on December 3, which led to the suspension of his presidential powers.
Following Mr. Han’s impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is next in line to assume the role of acting president, as dictated by South Korean law.
Out of the 300-member parliament, approximately 192 lawmakers voted in favor of Mr. Han’s impeachment.
The South Korean parliament voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo
The parliament supported three nominations yesterday; however, Mr. Han indicated that he would not formally appoint them without bipartisan agreement on the selections.
There has been contention between the ruling and opposition parties, along with some constitutional experts, about whether a simple majority or a two-thirds majority is required to impeach the acting president.
Nonetheless, parliament speaker Woo Won-shik from the Democratic Party stated that only a simple majority was necessary to impeach Mr. Han.
Before the parliamentary session, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung accused Mr. Han of “acting for insurrection.”
“The only way to normalize the country is to rapidly eliminate all insurrection forces,” Mr. Lee declared in a passionate speech, asserting that the party was acting on the public’s demand to eradicate those who jeopardize the nation’s stability.
Public opinion polls conducted after Mr. Yoon’s martial law attempt indicated overwhelming support for his removal.
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The South Korean won fell to a new low of 1,486.7 per dollar, marking its weakest level since March 2009, as analysts noted that political uncertainty has created a negative sentiment that appears difficult to reverse.
The vote on Mr. Han’s future coincided with the Constitutional Court’s first hearing regarding whether to overturn his impeachment and reinstate Mr. Yoon or remove him from office permanently. The court has 180 days to make its decision.
During a preparatory hearing, Justice Cheong Hyung-sik stated that the court would act swiftly due to the case’s seriousness, denying a request from Mr. Yoon’s lawyers for a delay in the proceedings to prepare better.
The hearing concluded in under an hour, with the next session scheduled for January 3.
This hearing comes after weeks of defiance from Mr. Yoon, who has ignored the court’s requests to submit documents and has been summoned by investigators in a separate criminal case related to his martial law declaration.
Worst political crisis in decades
The aftermath of the December 3 martial law declaration has plunged the country into its most severe political crisis since 1987, when widespread protests compelled the ruling military generals to accept a constitutional amendment that established direct, popular voting for the presidency.
Mr. Yoon shocked the nation and the world with his late-night announcement on December 3, declaring martial law to resolve the political impasse and eliminate “anti-state forces.”
The military deployed special forces to the National Assembly, the Election Commission, and the office of a liberal YouTube commentator.
Additionally, orders were issued prohibiting parliamentary and political party activities, along with calls for government control over the media.
However, within hours, 190 lawmakers defied the military’s presence and voted against Mr. Yoon’s order. About six hours after his initial announcement, the martial law order was rescinded.
Mr. Yoon and senior officials from his administration are also facing criminal investigations for insurrection.
