SEOUL: South Korean lawmakers impeached the acting president on Friday, as the country struggles to end a political crisis sparked by his predecessor’s declaration of martial law that shocked the world as the constitutional The court said it would speed up the trial of suspended President Yoon Seok-yul.
Han Duk-soo took over as acting president from President Yoon Seok-yul, who was suspended on December 3 following a parliamentary vote on a move to impose martial law.
However, opposition MPs also called for the removal of Han, who is also prime minister, arguing that he has refused demands to complete the impeachment process against Yun and bring him to justice. had done
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said, “I announce that the motion to impeach Prime Minister Han Deok-soo has been passed. Out of 192 lawmakers who voted, 192 voted in favor of impeachment.”
The impeachment count was delayed as lawmakers from the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) protested in parliament after Wu said only a simple majority in the 300-member parliament was needed to go ahead with impeachment.
The PPP lawmakers started chanting angry slogans and many rushed towards Wu and demanded his resignation. He did not participate in the voting.
It became the second impeachment of a South Korean head of state in just two weeks, adding to the turmoil in the country’s volatile political landscape.
It was also South Korea’s first impeachment of an acting president.
PPP leader Kweon Seong-dong said after the vote that Han “should continue to lead state affairs without the approval of an impeachment motion by the opposition”.
However, Han said in a statement after the vote that he “respected the parliament’s decision” and would await a later decision by the Constitutional Court on whether to uphold it.
In its impeachment motion, the opposition said Han was “deliberately avoiding a special investigation to investigate those involved in the coup and has made clear his intention to reject the appointments of three Constitutional Court judges.” “What is it?”
It said such actions “are a violation of the public official’s duty to uphold the law and serve the public”.
Han will be replaced by Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok as Acting President.
Choi had pleaded with opposition lawmakers not to push the motion.
“An impeachment motion against the incumbent authority is no different from an impeachment motion against the entire cabinet,” he said at a news conference with other cabinet members on Friday.
“Our economy and people’s livelihoods, which are running on ice in a national emergency, cannot afford the extension of political uncertainty around the acting authority,” he said.