The opposition Democratic Party said it would introduce a bill to impeach South Korean acting president Han Duck-soo, Reuters reported.
Friday’s vote could worsen the country’s constitutional crisis caused by the brief martial law imposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol on 3 December.
The opposition also threatened to impeach Han unless he immediately appointed three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted in favour of the three nominees on Thursday, but Han had yet to formally appoint them. Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae stated:
It has become clear that Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo does not have the qualification or the will to safeguard the Constitution.
If Han is impeached, the finance minister would take over his position. The Democratic Party enjoys control of parliament, but there is disagreement among the parties and some constitutional law experts over whether a simple majority or two-thirds vote is required to impeach the acting president.
Earlier on Thursday, Han said he would not appoint judges until the political parties reached an agreement on the appointments. Two of the proposed candidates for the Constitutional Court nominated for Thursday’s vote were proposed by the Democratic Party and one by Han’s ruling People Power Party.
The court is due to hold its first hearing on Friday to decide whether to suspend Yoon or reinstate him. Under the constitution, six justices must agree to remove an impeached president. This means the current justices must unanimously vote in favour of ousting Yoon.
Yoon, who was impeached by parliament in a 14 December vote, had not submitted legal documents requested by the court as of Thursday, court spokesman Lee Jean said at a news conference.
The president also failed to respond to another summons for questioning in a separate criminal investigation on Wednesday. Yoon’s repeated defiance sparked criticism and opposition calls for his arrest.
