In a dramatic escalation of South Korea’s ongoing political turmoil, the opposition-controlled National Assembly has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo. The vote, which took place on Friday, passed with overwhelming support—192 votes in favor and none against—despite fierce protests from lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP). This impeachment follows the recent political earthquake triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial imposition of martial law, further deepening the country’s crisis.
The impeachment of Han, who had been serving as acting president after Yoon’s own impeachment earlier this month, suspends his presidential powers until the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold or annul the decision. This follows an earlier ruling by the National Assembly that impeached President Yoon, setting off a chain of events that has paralyzed the government and thrown the country into political chaos. With both the president and acting president now facing impeachment proceedings, South Korea is grappling with an unprecedented crisis.
The vote to impeach Han came after a tense session in the National Assembly, where PPP lawmakers boycotted the proceedings and surrounded the podium of Speaker Woo Won Shik, demanding his resignation. The PPP claimed that the vote was invalid, asserting that a two-thirds majority was required to impeach a sitting president or acting president, despite legal precedents suggesting a simple majority would suffice for most officials. There are no specific laws outlining the impeachment process for an acting president, further complicating the situation.
Despite the protests, the impeachment passed smoothly, and Han’s powers were officially suspended after the motion was delivered to both him and the Constitutional Court. In the interim, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok assumed Han’s duties. Choi quickly moved to bolster South Korea’s military readiness in light of the growing political uncertainty, urging caution in dealing with North Korea, which has been closely monitoring the situation. He also reassured key international allies, including the United States and Japan, that South Korea’s foreign policy would remain unchanged.
The political tension in South Korea has been mounting ever since President Yoon, a conservative, imposed martial law on December 3. The decision, which lasted only six hours, triggered protests from lawmakers and alarmed neighboring countries, sparking fears of a regression to authoritarian measures. The PPP supported Yoon’s decree, claiming it was necessary to maintain control, but opposition lawmakers saw it as an abuse of power. The situation culminated in the National Assembly overruling the decree, further intensifying the rift between Yoon’s government and the opposition.
The impeachment of Han is closely tied to the ongoing political conflict surrounding Yoon’s martial law decree. Han, who was appointed as prime minister by Yoon and became acting president following his impeachment, clashed with the opposition over a series of politically charged issues. The Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, has been demanding that Han approve nominations for three new Constitutional Court justices to restore the full nine-member bench ahead of the court’s ruling on Yoon’s impeachment. The Democratic Party sees these appointments as crucial to securing the votes needed to remove Yoon from office, while the PPP has opposed them, arguing that Han should not exercise presidential powers in the absence of a formally reinstated president.
In addition to the political infighting, South Korean investigative agencies are probing whether Yoon’s imposition of martial law amounted to rebellion and abuse of power. Yoon has been accused of ordering the deployment of troops and police officers to suppress opposition lawmakers, a move that led to multiple arrests among his senior military commanders and officials. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, a close associate of Yoon, has been indicted for his role in the rebellion plot, marking the first formal charge related to the martial law decree.
Han’s impeachment further complicates an already volatile situation. He faces accusations of collaborating with Yoon in the martial law decree and attempting to obstruct the restoration of the Constitutional Court’s full membership. Critics also point to his failure to appoint independent counsels to investigate Yoon’s actions, adding to the sense of political gridlock in the country.
As South Korea struggles to navigate this unprecedented political crisis, the country’s international image has taken a hit, and the economic uncertainty is growing. With the government paralyzed and key institutions under siege, South Koreans are left wondering what the future holds for their democracy.
