South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo, just two weeks after lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA-EFE
Dec. 27 (UPI) — South Korea’s National Assembly impeached the country’s acting president Han Duck-soo on Friday, marking the second time in December that it has chosen to remove the country’s leader in a tumultuous political climate.
Legislators voted 192-0 to remove Han after he refused to appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court approved by the body. The assembly needed 151 votes in the 300-member assembly to impeach.
Han, who had been prime minister, became president after the National Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol following his declaration of martial law.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok will serve as acting president and acting prime minister in the interim. He also is finance minister.
The ruling People Power Party called the vote invalid and is expected to file for an injunction to have it thrown out. The main opposition Democratic Party filed the impeachment legislation the day before and has maintained its ability to build a voting coalition in the assembly.
The impeachment Friday brought concerns from the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea Enterprises Federation, which worried aloud how the political turmoil affects the economy locally and globally.
“Economic uncertainties have grown bigger [for the country] in the wake of the unprecedented impeachment of an acting president despite stabilizing macroeconomic indicators and external trust in the Korean economy’s resilience [amid the current political turmoil],” a chamber official told Yonhap News.
Choi said he would move to bring normalcy back to the South Korean government in quick order.
“The government will do its best to ensure national stability,” he said in a written statement after Han’s impeachment.