The South Korean National Assembly has removed interim President Han Duck-soo from office. After Yoon Suk-yeol, this is the second president in two weeks from whom the National Assembly has withdrawn its confidence. 192 of all 300 MPs voted for the motion submitted by the opposition, significantly more than the simple majority required. Finance Minister and Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok is expected to replace Han as interim president.
Han, who is refusing to fill the three currently vacant constitutional court judge positions, is accused by opposition parties of effectively complicating the impeachment trial of Yoon Suk-yeol.
:Han Duck-soo
The prime minister of South Korea will now become interim president following the impeachment trial of Yoon Suk-yeol. He is considered independent and balancing – but he was unable to stop the coup.
Yoon imposed martial law completely unexpectedly at the beginning of December and lifted it again hours later after massive resistance. The opposition then submitted a motion for impeachment in the National Assembly, which, after a failed first attempt, finally achieved the required two-thirds majority among MPs on December 14th.
Also this Friday, the Constitutional Court began the impeachment proceedings against suspended President Yoon. During the first hearing scheduled for Friday, both Yoon’s legal representatives and those from the National Assembly will be able to present their respective arguments, call witnesses and present evidence. Over the next few weeks and possibly months, the Constitutional Court will then examine in a final trial whether the impeachment of Yoon previously decided by the South Korean National Assembly was unconstitutional or compliant.
If the judges confirm the impeachment, new elections would have to be scheduled within 60 days at the latest. However, if the Constitutional Court overturns the impeachment, Yoon would return to the presidency. At least six judges must confirm the impeachment. Since only six of nine judge positions on the Constitutional Court are currently occupied, a veto vote would be enough to declare the impeachment invalid.
#Impeachment #proceedings #interim #president #South #Korea
