South Korea’s Acting Leader Impeached Following President Being Ousted

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South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attends a plenary session, where a question-and-answer session was held relating to the martial law declaration, at the National Assembly in Seoul on December 11, 2024. South Korean police raided President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office on December 11 as the investigation into his declaration of martial law gathered pace. (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
8:16 AM – Friday, December 27, 2024

South Korea has voted to impeach their acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo just less than two weeks after ousting the country’s previous leader.

The impeachment comes after South Korea’s previous President Yoon Suk Yeol made an unpopular declaration of martial law, which led to his impeachment on December 14^th.

Han’s impeachment is the first time-ever an interim leader had been impeached in the country’s history. He was only in office for 13 days, making him the shortest-serving leader in South Korean history, a record previously held by his predecessor.

Lawmakers voted 192-108 in favor of impeaching Han, surpassing the 151 votes that were required.

“In order not to add to the confusion and uncertainty, I will suspend my duties in line with relevant laws, and wait for the swift and wise decision of the Constitutional Court,” Han said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok took over the presidency.

“The most important thing right now is to minimize the confusion in state affairs,” he said after becoming interim president. “The government will do its best to stabilize them.”

Legislators claimed that the second impeachment in recent days was justified by claiming that Han refused on Thursday to appoint three judges to fill vacancies in the Constitutional Court, which those judges will decide whether to remove Yoon.

Han stated that he held off on doing so until his People Power Party, the Democratic Party and other smaller parties, can come to an agreement on whether an acting president can appoint such positions.

An acting president should “refrain from exercising the president’s own significant powers, including the appointment of constitutional institutions,” he said.

Additionally, Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae told reporters that Han’s words were “not those of an acting president, but of one who is admitting to insurrection.” His party has accused the acting leader of aiding Yoon’s declaration of martial law earlier this month.

The two main opposing parties disagreed on how many votes were needed to remove Han. The majority party claimed a two-thirds vote must be met because the prime minister is the acting president, as the opposition says only a majority is required.

The opposition party likely has the votes needed for a majority but not for a two-thirds majority.

On December 4^th, Yoon declared martial law for the first time in South Korea since 1980 and for the first time since the country became a democracy. At the time, Yoon claimed that pro-North Korean interests were taking over the country’s parliament and other “anti-state” forces.

As a result, opposition lawmakers immediately ran to the National Assembly, jumping over barricades and locking out special forces soldiers. However, before the soldiers could enter the chamber, parliament unanimously voted to overturn martial law, leading to its end six hours later.

The turmoil has shaken South Korea’s international image, jeopardizing its alliance with the United States.

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