26-12-2024 (SEOUL) The opposition Democratic Party has launched impeachment proceedings against Acting President Han Duck-soo, marking a dramatic escalation in the constitutional standoff gripping the nation.
The impeachment motion, filed on Thursday, comes amid mounting tensions over Han’s refusal to appoint three Constitutional Court judges crucial to resolving the fate of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces his own impeachment battle following his controversial martial law declaration earlier this month.
The political drama began on 3 December when President Yoon declared martial law, leading to his suspension by parliament on 14 December. However, the impeachment process has reached an impasse, as Acting President Han has declined to approve three judicial appointments necessary to complete the Constitutional Court’s nine-member bench.
“Han’s deliberate obstruction of the judicial appointments demonstrates his unfitness to uphold our constitutional principles,” declared Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae. The opposition contends that Han’s stance effectively sabotages the impeachment proceedings against Yoon.
The current configuration of the Constitutional Court presents a significant hurdle. With only six sitting judges, a unanimous decision would be required to remove Yoon from office – a single dissenting vote would result in his reinstatement.
Han has defended his position, arguing that such consequential appointments require bipartisan agreement. “Our constitutional framework demands restraint in exercising significant presidential powers without consensus between ruling and opposition parties,” the veteran bureaucrat maintained.
Should the opposition secure enough votes to pass the impeachment motion against Han in Friday’s parliamentary session, it would mark the first instance of an acting president facing impeachment in South Korea’s democratic history. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would assume the role of acting president in such a scenario.
