Opposition moves to impeach S. Korean Acting President Han after Yoon’s removal process held up

SEOUL – South Korea’s opposition said on Dec 26 that it filed an impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo, after he refused to appoint Constitutional Court judges to complete the process of removing his predecessor from office.

South Korea suffered a political crisis when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently suspended,

made a short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3.

Mr Yoon was stripped of his duties by Parliament on Dec 14 over the action,

but a Constitutional Court ruling upholding the decision by lawmakers is necessary to complete the impeachment process.

The court is, however, currently short of three judges. While it can go ahead with its six members on the bench, a single dissenting vote would reinstate Mr Yoon.

The opposition wants Mr Han to approve three more nominees to fill the bench, something that he has so far refused to do, essentially leaving both sides in a deadlock.

The opposition Democratic Party therefore

wants the South Korean Acting President impeached too

.

“We have filed the motion... and will report it to the plenary session today,” MP Park Sung-joon told reporters at the National Assembly of the action against Mr Han.

“We will put it to a vote tomorrow.”

Mr Han’s refusal to formally appoint the three judges proves that he “does not have the will or qualification to uphold the Constitution”, the Democratic Party’s floor leader Park Chan-dae told reporters.

Mr Han has said that he would certify the judges’ appointments only if his ruling People Power Party and the opposition reach a compromise on the nominees.

“The consistent principle embedded in our Constitution and laws is to refrain from exercising significant exclusive presidential powers, including the appointment of constitutional institutions,” Mr Han argued.

“A consensus between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, representing the people, must first be reached,” added the 75-year-old career bureaucrat.

If the opposition passes the impeachment motion against Mr Han in the vote on Dec 27, it would mark the first time that democratic South Korea has impeached an acting president.

In Mr Han’s place, South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok

would step in as acting president.

Accused of violating duty

In the impeachment motion, the opposition accuses Mr Han of violating his duty as the South Korean acting president, citing his refusal to formally appoint the judges and promulgate two special probe Bills to investigate Mr Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law and graft allegations involving his wife Kim Keon Hee.

Earlier this week, Mr Han rejected the opposition’s demand for the special Bills that would establish two independent investigative bodies to probe the first couple, prompting warnings of impeachment from the Democratic Party.

Mr Han is “intentionally avoiding the special investigation to probe those involved in the insurrection and has clearly stated his intention to reject the appointments of three Constitutional Court judges”, the motion reads.

Such actions, it adds, are “in violation of a public official’s duty to uphold the law... and serve the public”.

If the opposition succeeds in its bid on Dec 27, South Korea will see its second impeachment of a head of state in less than two weeks, further destabilising its vibrant political scene.

Separately, Mr Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection over his martial law declaration, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

Mr Yoon was ordered on Dec 26 for a third time to appear for questioning on the morning of Dec 29, days after he refused a summons to do so on Christmas Day. AFP