South Korea’s opposition announced on Thursday that it had filed an impeachment motion against Acting President Han Duck-soo. This move escalates an ongoing dispute over the composition of the Constitutional Court, which is tasked with deciding whether to officially remove his predecessor from office.
The country has been in political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended, declared martial law on December 3.
Parliament stripped Yoon of his presidential duties on December 14 following the controversial declaration. However, the impeachment process requires a ruling from the Constitutional Court to finalise the decision.
The court currently lacks three judges. While it can proceed with its remaining six members, even a single dissenting vote would reinstate Yoon.
The opposition is pressuring Han to approve three new nominees to fill the vacant seats, a step he has so far resisted. This standoff has left both sides at an impasse.
As a result, the opposition Democratic Party is now pushing to impeach Han as well.
“We have filed the motion… and will report it to the plenary session today,” MP Park Sung-joon told reporters at the National Assembly. “We will put it to a vote tomorrow.”
The Democratic Party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, criticised Han’s refusal to appoint the judges, stating it demonstrates that he “does not have the will or qualification to uphold the constitution.”
Han has defended his stance, insisting that he will only certify the appointments if the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition reach an agreement on the nominees.
“The consistent principle embedded in our constitution and laws is to refrain from exercising significant exclusive presidential powers, including the appointment of constitutional institutions,” Han explained.
“A consensus between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, representing the people, must first be reached,” added Han, a 75-year-old career bureaucrat.
If the impeachment motion against Han is approved in Friday’s vote, it would mark the first time in South Korea’s democratic history that an acting president has been impeached.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would step in as acting president if Han is removed.
Accusations of Duty Violation
In the impeachment motion, the opposition accuses Han of violating his constitutional duties by refusing to appoint the judges and promulgate two special investigation bills. These bills aim to probe Yoon’s martial law declaration and alleged corruption involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Earlier this week, Han dismissed the opposition’s calls to pass the special bills, which would establish independent investigative bodies to examine the first couple’s actions. His rejection prompted renewed threats of impeachment from the Democratic Party.
The motion alleges that Han is “intentionally avoiding the special investigation to probe those involved in the insurrection” and has explicitly refused to approve the appointments of the three Constitutional Court judges.
Such behaviour, the motion argues, constitutes “a violation of a public official’s duty to uphold the law… and serve the public.”
If the motion passes, it will mark South Korea’s second impeachment of a head of state within two weeks, further intensifying the country’s political instability.
