South Korea’s parliament declared impeachment of acting president Han Duck-soo less than two weeks after suspending President Yoon Suk Yeol, Reuters reported.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law on 3 December plunged the country into political chaos, leading to his impeachment on 14 December. In a statement after the vote, Han said he was saddened by what the events meant for the next generation.
I respect parliament’s decision and in order to avoid further chaos and uncertainty, I will suspend my duties in accordance with relevant laws.
The ruling People Power Party, which had opposed Han’s impeachment, said it filed a constitutional petition. The impeachment motion put forward by opposition parties was passed by 192 out of 300 votes. The plan to impeach Han came after he refused to immediately appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court, arguing it would exceed his authority.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would now assume the position of the acting president. Ahead of the parliamentary election, the South Korean won fell to 1,475.4 per dollar, down 0.53 per cent by 07:07 GMT.
The vote to determine Han’s fate comes on the day the Constitutional Court held its first hearing to decide whether to overturn Yoon’s impeachment or permanently remove him from office. The court has 180 days to make a decision.
The next hearing will be held on 3 January.
The hearing follows weeks of defiance by Yoon, who has ignored court requests for documents as well as subpoenas from investigators in a separate criminal case over his declaration of martial law. If he is suspended, a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.
Yoon stunned the country and the world by announcing martial law late on the evening of 3 December to break the political deadlock and root out “anti-state forces.” Within hours, however, 190 lawmakers voted against Yoon’s order despite police efforts.
On Friday, prosecutors also indicted former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun. It marked the first time an official accused of insurrection was brought to trial.
