SEOUL, South Korea — 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.
A total of 192 lawmakers supported Han’s impeachment, surpassing the 151 votes required for it to succeed.
Han, the country’s prime minister, assumed the role of acting president after Yoon’s impeachment on December 3, following his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Initially tasked with leading the nation out of its political crisis, Han became the target of opposition lawmakers who accused him of obstructing the impeachment process for Yoon.
The parliamentary session on Friday was marked by chaos, with members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) protesting the vote.
They were angered by National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik’s announcement that only 151 votes were needed to pass Han’s impeachment bill, as opposed to the 200 votes required for Yoon’s impeachment.
This meant that no votes from ruling party lawmakers were needed for Han’s impeachment.
In response, PPP lawmakers gathered in the center of the chamber chanting, “invalid!” and “abuse of power,” and called for Woo’s resignation.
The majority of them subsequently boycotted the vote.
Han will be suspended from office once parliament officially notifies him. His impeachment, like Yoon’s, still requires confirmation by the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to rule on whether to uphold it.
“I respect the decision of the National Assembly,” Han stated after the vote, adding that he “will wait for the Constitutional Court’s decision.”
The impeachment motion against Han was filed by the opposition on Thursday, after he blocked the appointment of three judges selected by parliament to oversee Yoon’s impeachment case.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court, traditionally made up of nine judges, requires at least six judges to uphold the impeachment for it to stand.
Currently, only six judges are seated on the bench, meaning that even one rejection could save Yoon from removal.
The opposition had hoped the additional three nominees would tilt the odds in favor of upholding Yoon’s impeachment.
In the meantime, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is expected to replace Han as acting president. Han’s removal is expected to further deepen the political deadlock and uncertainty currently plaguing the country.
On the same day as the vote, South Korea’s currency, the won, fell to its lowest value against the dollar since the global financial crisis of 2008.
Both political parties have been blaming each other for the resulting chaos.
