SEOUL — South Korea’s parliament voted Friday to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo, escalating a constitutional crisis that has plunged one of Asia’s leading democracies into political uncertainty.
The impeachment motion, led by opposition parties, passed with 192 votes in the 300-member assembly. It followed Mr. Han’s controversial decision not to appoint three justices to the Constitutional Court, which is currently reviewing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment case.
Mr. Han, who has served as acting president since President Yoon’s impeachment on December 14 over his martial law declaration, now joins a growing list of officials ensnared in the nation’s political turmoil.
Chaotic scenes in parliament
The vote came amid chaotic scenes in the National Assembly, with ruling People Power Party members surrounding the speaker’s podium and chanting accusations of “tyranny.” Despite the uproar, Speaker Woo Won-shik declared that the motion had passed with a simple majority.
“I declare that the impeachment motion of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was passed with 192 votes out of 192 votes cast,” Mr. Woo announced.
The decision to proceed with a simple majority vote rather than the two-thirds threshold required for a presidential impeachment added to the confusion and controversy surrounding the proceedings.
President Yoon’s impeachment trial
The impeachment of Mr. Han coincided with the opening session of President Yoon’s impeachment trial in the Constitutional Court. Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on December 3, plans to appear in court personally for future hearings, his lawyer Yoon Kap-keun said on Friday.
“[President Yoon] will attend the impeachment trial by himself and speak,” Mr. Yoon Kap-keun told reporters, adding that the legal team representing the suspended leader is being finalized.
The next hearing in President Yoon’s case is scheduled for January 3. If the court upholds his impeachment, South Korea would hold a new presidential election within 60 days.
Protests and public sentiment
Outside the Constitutional Court, pro- and anti-Yoon demonstrators gathered, underscoring the deep political divisions in the country.
South Korea’s current political crisis has raised questions about the stability of its democratic institutions, with the simultaneous impeachment of both the president and acting president marking an unprecedented challenge to the country’s governance.
