South Korean Lawmakers Impeach Acting President as Political Turmoil Grows

Acting South Korean President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers an address to the nation at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, December 14, 2024. Yonhap via REUTERS/File Photo

The acting President of South Korea, Han Duck-soo, has been impeached in the National Assembly amid chaotic scenes, with politicians from the ruling party protesting the parliamentary speaker’s handling of the vote.

The single-chamber National Assembly passed the impeachment motion on Dec. 27 with a 192-0 vote.

It was the latest act in a political drama that began in South Korea on Dec. 3 when President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law, only to reverse his decision six hours later. He was impeached on Dec. 14.

Han, 75, who is from the same conservative People Power Party (PPP) as Yoon, was drafted in to act as the country’s leader but he enraged the liberal opposition Democratic Party (DP) in the National Assembly, leading to calls to impeach him.

There are no laws on the impeachment of an acting president, so when Speaker Woo Won Shik announced the vote would only require a simple majority in the 300-member assembly, there was uproar with the PPP claiming it should be by a two-thirds majority.

When the outcome of the vote was announced and fell eight votes short of a two-thirds majority, many PPP delegates shouted that the vote was “Invalid!” and demanded Woo’s resignation.

No violence or injuries were reported.

Han’s impeachment means he will be stripped of his powers as president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him.

The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is now set to take over as the new acting president.

When Yoon imposed martial law he said it was to overcome political deadlock and root out “anti-state forces.”

Under his command, the military deployed special forces to the national assembly, the election commission, and the office of a liberal YouTube commentator.

At least 12 National Assembly members from Yoon’s party joined the opposition to support his impeachment on Dec. 14.

The Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him. If they choose to remove him a new presidential election would need to be held within 60 days.

Yoon and several members of his administration also face criminal investigations for insurrection over their decision to impose martial law.

The reasons for Han’s removal are complex but he had resisted the DP’s attempts to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, sought to establish an independent investigation into Yoon’s martial law decree, and tried to bring in pro-farmer legislation.

The Constitutional Court, like the Supreme Court in the United States, is the country’s top legal court.

Constitutional Court Judge Shortage

Normally the Constitutional Court has nine judges but before the martial law crisis, it only had six, triggering the DP’s calls to swear in three new justices.

Judges chosen by the DP were more likely to be liberal than conservative, and hence more likely to vote to uphold Yoon’s impeachment.

On Thursday, Han said it was beyond his remit as acting president to appoint the three new justices and he refused to do so without bipartisan consent.

A DP spokesman said Han’s refusal amounted to an abuse of power.

Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party protest during a plenary session for the impeachment motion against South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 27, 2024. Ahn Young-joon/AP

Before the vote, the PPP leader Kwon Young-se told reporters if Han was impeached it could trigger a new financial crisis, the Yonhap news agency reported.

On Thursday, the South Korean won, the country’s currency, weakened to its lowest point since March 2009, partly due to the rallying dollar.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Dec. 23 that Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell met South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun on Dec. 23 and reiterated that the U.S. commitment to South Korea is “ironclad.”

“The United States looks forward to working with Acting President Han on the full range of our shared interests,” Miller said at the time.

South Korea’s presidential residence was, up until 2022, a palace known as the Blue House. After he was elected president in 2022, Yoon chose to turn it into a public park and based himself in a government building.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.