South Korea Faces Political Crisis as Acting President is Also Impeached
South Korea’s political crisis deepened on Friday as the National Assembly voted to impeach Prime Minister and acting president Han Duck-soo, just weeks after impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol. The unprecedented turmoil has left the nation without stable leadership as it grapples with the aftermath of Yoon’s failed martial law declaration earlier this month.
The impeachment vote against Han saw 192 lawmakers support the motion, surpassing the 151 votes needed for approval. Opposition parties accused Han of obstructing the impeachment process against Yoon by refusing to fill three vacant seats in the Constitutional Court. The court must now decide on Han’s impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days.
Han assumed presidential duties after Yoon was impeached on December 9, following his brief but controversial attempt to impose martial law. The December 3 declaration, which lasted only six hours, was widely condemned as unconstitutional and sparked mass protests. Yoon’s impeachment is currently under review by the Constitutional Court, but Han’s refusal to appoint judges to the bench has been criticized as an attempt to tilt the odds in Yoon’s favor.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will serve as acting president in the interim, marking the third leadership shift in less than a month.
The impeachment vote unfolded in a chaotic session of parliament. Lawmakers from Yoon and Han’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) vocally protested after Speaker Woo Won-shik announced that a simple majority of 151 votes would suffice to impeach Han, as opposed to the two-thirds majority required to impeach Yoon.
Chanting “invalid!” and “abuse of power!” PPP lawmakers accused the opposition of undermining parliamentary rules. Most ruling party MPs boycotted the vote in protest, while others called for Woo’s resignation.
Han’s impeachment reflects the escalating battle between the opposition Democratic Party and the ruling PPP. Critics accuse both sides of exacerbating the political crisis, which has shaken public confidence and sent financial markets into turmoil.
The political uncertainty has taken a toll on South Korea’s economy. On Friday, the Korean won plummeted to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar since the 2008 global financial crisis. Both major political parties blamed each other for the economic fallout, with opposition leaders decrying the government’s “failure to prioritize national stability.”
Public support for the government has cratered, with Yoon’s approval rating plummeting to 11%, according to the latest polls.
The Constitutional Court now holds the fate of both Yoon and Han. A nine-member bench typically reviews impeachment cases, but with only six judges currently seated, any dissent would prevent Yoon’s impeachment from being upheld. The opposition had hoped to fill the vacancies to improve their chances, but Han’s refusal to appoint the judges has left the court in limbo.
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