In a historic move, South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament voted on Friday to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been serving as acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. This marks the first time in the country’s modern history that an impeachment motion against an acting president has been passed in the National Assembly.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced during a televised plenary session that the motion to impeach Han was approved with 192 votes in favor out of the 300-member unicameral parliament. The ruling and opposition parties had been divided over the required number of votes for the impeachment, with the People Power Party claiming that 200 votes were needed as per presidential impeachment requirements, while opposition parties argued that a simple majority of 151 votes sufficed since Han is a member of the cabinet.
Before leaving the chamber in protest, 108 lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party chanted slogans such as “Null and void” and “Resign, Speaker,” expressing their dissent over the proceedings.
With parliamentary approval, Han’s duties are suspended until the Constitutional Court completes its deliberation on the impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days. During this period, Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, will assume the role of acting president.
The impeachment of Han Duck-soo came after he officially refused to approve the appointment of three Constitutional Court justices, positions that are crucial for filling vacancies on the nine-member bench tasked with overseeing President Yoon’s impeachment trial.
Earlier, on December 14, the National Assembly had passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol and delivered it to the Constitutional Court. President Yoon, who has been named by investigative agencies as a suspect on insurrection charges, had declared emergency martial law on the night of December 3, but it was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.
To permanently remove President Yoon from office, at least six out of the nine Constitutional Court justices must uphold the impeachment motion. The political landscape in South Korea remains tense as the nation awaits the court’s decision, which will significantly shape the country’s political future.
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South Korean parliament votes to impeach acting President Han
cgtn.com
