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South Korea’s Acting Prime Minister and President Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference after lawmakers passed a motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea on December 14 of 2024.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
South Korean lawmakers voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, in the second impeachment of a head of state this month after a short-lived martial law on Dec. 3. according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is next in line to assume the mantle of acting president, according to South Korean law.
Han’s predecessor, President Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted just two weeks beforeafter imposing martial law for six hours earlier this month for the first time since the 1979 military coup, citing the need to “protect the constitutional order based on freedom and eradicate shameful pro-Korea anti-state groups of the North, that we are stealing the freedom and happiness of our people”, according to NBC News.
Opposition lawmakers filed the motion against Han on Thursday over the acting president’s reluctance to immediately appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court, which is preparing to begin deliberations on whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment or reinstate him. Han’s ruling People’s Power Party has argued that filling the Constitutional Court vacancies exceeds Han’s term as acting president. The Constitutional Court held a first hearing on Yoon’s case on Friday and has 180 days to reach its conclusion.
A simple majority of 151, rather than two-thirds of parliamentary support, was required to pass Friday’s vote. The assembly passed Han’s impeachment motion 192-0, while ruling party lawmakers boycotted the poll. according to a Yonhap update translated by Google. The agency reports that Han has said he will respect Friday’s decision.
Han’s impeachment plunges South Korea into renewed political turmoil, shaking the foundations of its democratic success story and sending the Korean won down 0.40 percent to 1,472.22 after Friday’s news. That of South Korea Kospi drop 1.02% during the Friday session. Earlier on Friday, Finance Ministry Choi warned of the economic and security impact of Han’s impeachment vote on Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
“In an era of global trade wars and national emergencies, the absence of a watchtower for state affairs would cause serious damage to our country’s credibility, economy, national security and continuity of governance,” Choi said. according to Yonhap.
The International Monetary Fund forecasts 2.5% growth in South Korea’s gross domestic product by 2024, and also 2.5% inflation over the period.
