Today, Tuesday, the main opposition party in South Korea announced its intention to push the parliament to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is serving as the acting president, due to his refusal to approve two laws aimed at investigating the ousted President Yoon Suk-ol.
The Democratic Party had given Prime Minister Han until Tuesday to enact the two laws designed to form two independent investigative committees: one to examine Yoon’s failed attempt to undermine customary judicial rulings and paralyze the parliament by deploying the military on December 3rd, and the other to address corruption charges against his wife, Ki Kyun-hee.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Han Duck-soo, who has been acting as president following the impeachment of Yoon by the parliament on December 14th, declared his refusal to comply with the opposition’s request, considering that these two laws should be subject to consensus among the parties.
Opposition leader Park Sang-dae stated during a press conference, “We have no choice but to interpret this as an intention to continue rebellion through delaying maneuvers.” He added, “We will immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against Han.”
If successful, this would be the first time an acting president is ousted following the impeachment of the original president in South Korean history.
The South Korean Constitution stipulates that the National Assembly can impeach the president with a two-thirds majority and the prime minister and government members with a simple majority.
The opposition, holding 192 out of 300 seats in the National Assembly, asserts that they only need a simple majority to impeach Han since he is solely the prime minister. In contrast, the ruling People’s Party maintains that impeaching Han requires a two-thirds majority because he serves as the acting president.
Yoon Suk-ol remains the official president of the country pending a Constitutional Court decision to confirm the parliament’s impeachment of him and to assess the support he has. He is the subject of a joint investigation by the police, the Ministry of Defense, and the Anti-Corruption Agency on charges of “rebellion,” a crime that carries the potential for the death penalty.
