South Korea trouble is not subsiding after 192 lawmakers voted on Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo two weeks after the Parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. It has become the second impeachment of a head of state in less than two weeks, destabilizing the country’s political landscape even more. In addition, this is the first time that South Korea impeached an acting president.
After the parliament suspended Yoon with a vote following his failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo took over as acting president. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said in a statement on Friday, “I announce that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment motion has passed. Out of the 192 lawmakers who voted, 192 voted to impeach.
In the 300-member South Korean Parliament, more than 151 votes were needed for impeachment to succeed. Under South Korean law, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok becomes next in line to serve as acting president.
The demand for Han’s impeachment arose after Yoon’s suspension and Han’s appointment as acting president to steer the country through its political crisis. Opposition lawmakers called for Han’s removal, accusing him of refusing to complete the impeachment process of Yoon and bring him to justice. The impeachment motion stated that Han had “intentionally avoided the special investigation to probe those involved in the insurrection” and had “clearly stated his intention to reject the appointments of three Constitutional Court judges.” These actions, the motion argued, “are in violation of a public official’s duty to uphold the law… and serve the public.”
The impeachment motion was filed after Han blocked the appointment of three judges chosen by Parliament to oversee Yoon’s case. Currently, the Constitutional Court has only six members, and the opposition hoped the three additional nominees would strengthen the case for Yoon’s impeachment. If the three nominees were blocked, Yoon could potentially avoid removal.
Parliamentary representatives from the ruling People Power Party (PPP), who are also followers of Yoon and Han, expressed outrage against the news that it takes 151 votes to remove the democratically elected Han and 200 votes for his master, Yoon, in an impeachment proceeding. On that occasion, PPP MPs protested loudly by chanting, “invalid!” and “abuse of power!” inside the voting chamber, calling upon the Speaker to step down while several other MPs boycotted the voting.
