News Analysis: What's next after impeachment of acting president in S. Korea-Xinhua

News Analysis: What's next after impeachment of acting president in S. Korea

Source: Xinhua| 2024-12-27 21:51:45|Editor: huaxia

SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament voted Friday to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo who had been serving as acting president following President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment.

The motion to impeach Han was passed with 192 votes in favor in the 300-member unicameral parliament, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said in a televised plenary session.

Han has already received the National Assembly's impeachment resolution and was suspended from his duties as prime minister and acting president at 5:16 p.m. local time. This occurred just over 10 days after he began acting as president.

It was the first time in the country's modern history that an impeachment motion against an acting president was put to a vote and passed in the National Assembly.

Han said that he respects the National Assembly's decision and will cease performing his duties in accordance with relevant laws, awaiting the final ruling from the constitutional court.

According to the procedure, the impeachment motion against Han will now be submitted to the constitutional court for review, which should be completed within 180 days.

However, South Korea's ruling People Power Party said it will file for a jurisdictional dispute trial and a request to suspend the motion's effect with the constitutional court.

After Han's impeachment, Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok, who doubles as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, will assume an acting presidency.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, said on Friday that Choi should appoint constitutional court justices to mitigate uncertainties during his acting tenure.

Han's impeachment came after he officially refused to approve the appointment of three constitutional court justices who will fill vacancies on the nine-member bench for Yoon's impeachment trial.

The constitutional court typically comprises nine justices, but currently, there are only six. According to the law, at least six out of the nine justices must vote in favor of impeachment to remove a president from office. Therefore, all six existing justices must unanimously agree to impeach the president and even one dissenting vote would dismiss the motion.

Against this backdrop, the National Assembly held a plenary session on Thursday and approved the appointment of three new constitutional court justices. Han, as the acting president at that time, was supposed to formally appoint the justices, but he said that the appointment should first achieve consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, otherwise, he would postpone the appointments.

The Democratic Party therefore expressed dissatisfaction with Han's stance, spearheaded the impeachment motion against him, and pushed for the National Assembly's vote on Friday.

Now, the responsibility of appointing the constitutional court justices falls on Choi.

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