South Korea’s opposition files motion to impeach acting president

Opposition seeks to impeach Han Duck-soo for not appointing judges to the constitutional court.

South Korea’s main opposition party has filed a motion to impeach the acting president, deepening the political turmoil in the East Asian nation.

The Democratic Party said it submitted the motion on Thursday over acting leader Han Duck-soo’s reluctance to fill three constitutional court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol.

“We have filed the motion … and will report it to the plenary session today,” MP Park Sung-joon told reporters at the National Assembly of the action against Han. “We will put it to a vote tomorrow.”

South Korea was plunged into a political crisis after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on December 3.

Yoon was stripped of his duties by parliament on December 14 over the dramatic declaration, but a constitutional court ruling upholding the decision by lawmakers is necessary to complete the impeachment process.

The court is however, currently short of three judges. While it can go ahead with its six members on the bench, a single dissenting vote would reinstate Yoon.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly passed motions calling for the appointment of the three judges as the court prepares to start deliberations on whether to dismiss or reinstate Yoon.

The vote came shortly after Han reiterated in a televised statement that he wouldn’t appoint the justices without bipartisan consent – leaving the parties in a deadlock.

The opposition Democratic Party therefore wants the acting president impeached, too.

Han’s refusal to formally appoint the three judges proves that he “does not have the will or qualification to uphold the constitution,” the Democratic Party’s floor leader Park Chan-dae told reporters.

Han insisted he would certify the judges’ appointments only if his ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition reach a compromise on the nominees.

“The consistent spirit reflected in our Constitution and laws is that an acting president should focus on maintaining stability in governance to help the country overcome crisis while refraining from exercising significant powers exclusive to the president, including appointments to constitutional institutions,” Han argued.

Escalating crisis

If the opposition passes the impeachment motion against Han in Friday’s vote, it would mark the first time democratic South Korea has impeached an acting president. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would step in as acting president.

Earlier this week, Han rejected the opposition’s demand for the special bills that would establish two independent investigative bodies to probe Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law and corruption allegations involving his wife, Kim Keon-hee, prompting warnings of impeachment from the Democratic Party.

The impeachment motion says Han is “intentionally avoiding the special investigation to probe those involved in the insurrection and has clearly stated his intention to reject the appointments of three Constitutional Court judges”.

Such actions, it adds, are “in violation of a public official’s duty to uphold the law … and serve the public.”

Yoon has repeatedly avoided law enforcement requests to appear for questioning regarding rebellion charges and has also obstructed attempts to search his office.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, spearheading a joint investigation alongside police and military authorities, has summoned Yoon for questioning this Sunday after he failed to comply with a previous request to appear on Christmas Day.