South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo, marking the second impeachment of a top leader in two weeks. The National Assembly secured 192 votes for Han’s impeachment, surpassing the required 151-vote threshold.
Han assumed leadership after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment following a controversial martial law proposal on December 3. Opposition legislators pursued Han’s impeachment, claiming he obstructed Yoon’s impeachment process.
The parliamentary session erupted in discord when Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the 151-vote requirement for Han’s impeachment, lower than the 200 votes needed for Yoon’s removal. Members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) protested this decision, with many boycotting the vote while denouncing it as an “abuse of power.”
Han will be suspended upon official parliamentary notification. Like Yoon’s case, the Constitutional Court must review the impeachment within 180 days. “I respect the National Assembly’s decision and will await the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” Han stated Friday.
The opposition initiated the impeachment motion after Han blocked three parliamentary-nominated judges for Yoon’s case. The Constitutional Court, typically comprising nine judges, currently has six members. Yoon’s removal requires at least six judges’ approval, making each vote crucial. Opposition members had hoped the additional nominees would increase the likelihood of Yoon’s impeachment being upheld.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will succeed Han as acting president. The political uncertainty has affected South Korea’s economy, with the won falling to its lowest dollar value since the 2008 financial crisis, prompting mutual accusations between political parties.
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