South Korea’s acting President impeached amid rising political turmoil
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South Korea’s parliament voted on Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, intensifying political uncertainty in the nation and sending the South Korean won to its lowest level since the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.
The impeachment motion passed with 192 votes in the 300-member parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party (DP) holds a commanding majority. Members of the governing People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote. Han had stepped in as acting president following the December 14 impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who faced criticism over his controversial martial law declaration earlier in the month.
With Han now suspended, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is expected to take on the role of acting president, as outlined by South Korean law. The impeachment adds to the ongoing constitutional crisis, which began with President Yoon’s suspension and continues as his impeachment awaits a ruling by the constitutional court.
The DP initiated Han’s impeachment after he delayed appointing three justices to fill vacancies on the constitutional court, citing the need for bipartisan consensus. The delay fueled tensions between the ruling and opposition parties, with disagreement over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote was required to impeach an acting president.
Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik, a DP member, upheld the simple majority requirement, enabling the motion to pass.
The impeachment prompted an outcry from the PPP, with party members denouncing the move as illegitimate. “Remarkable scenes” unfolded in parliament, with PPP lawmakers urging Han to disregard the decision, reported Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride from Seoul.
Han, in a statement after the vote, announced he would step aside to avoid further chaos and await the constitutional court’s decision on his impeachment.
The constitutional court now faces the task of ruling on Han’s impeachment, which could further complicate President Yoon’s ongoing case. The court currently has only six justices, meaning a unanimous decision would be required to remove Yoon from office.
Yoon, under investigation for alleged insurrection and abuse of power, has defended his martial law declaration as a necessary measure against “anti-state forces.”
The political instability is taking a toll on South Korea’s economy. The won dropped sharply against the US dollar on Friday, slipping below 1,480 for the first time since March 2009. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok warned that the impeachment would exacerbate the country’s economic challenges, stating, “The economy and people’s livelihoods are walking on thin ice.”