The country is plunged into further uncertainty after the main opposition Democratic Party called for the suspension of acting representative Han Deok-soo.
South Korea’s parliament is set to vote on impeaching the acting president as turmoil continues in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and the won has fallen to levels not seen since the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.
The Democratic Party, the main opposition party, is pushing for the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Do-soo in a vote in the National Assembly on Friday, accusing him of being complicit in an attempted rebellion by suspended President Yun Seok-yong.
The Democratic Progressive Party, which holds 170 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, on Thursday refused to fill three vacancies in the court scheduled to hear Yun’s impeachment trial following the brief declaration of martial law. filed an impeachment motion.
Han’s People Power Party (PPP) argued that only the elected president had the power to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court.
In order for Yoon to be removed from office, at least six judges on the court must support his impeachment.
The court now has six judges after three justices resigned earlier this year, meaning the court would have to issue a unanimous decision to strip Yun of the presidency. It will be.
The court is scheduled to hold the first impeachment trial against Yun on Friday, and it could take up to six months to reach a decision.
Yun has defended his declaration of martial law as legal and aimed at countering “anti-national forces,” but he is also under criminal investigation for rioting and abuse of power.
The move to impeach Han, less than two weeks after he took office following Yun’s impeachment, comes as South Korea is still reeling from Yun’s Dec. 4 martial law declaration. We are mired in political uncertainty.
A two-thirds majority of Congress is required to impeach a sitting president, but there is no consensus on whether the same standard applies to interim leaders.
The People’s Party has insisted that two-thirds of the members must vote in favor of Han’s impeachment.
The Democratic Progressive Party argues that since the Constitution stipulates that a minister can be removed from office by a simple majority vote, it can be removed if 151 members vote in favor of impeachment.
With the Democratic Progressive Party, minority opposition parties, and independents holding 192 seats, at least eight PPP members would need to cross the aisle to reach the two-thirds threshold.
If Han is impeached, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Choi Sang-mok will assume the presidential position.
Mr. Choi warned on Friday that impeaching Mr. Han would seriously damage South Korea’s economic position and urged opposition forces to reconsider impeachment.
Choi said, “The economy and people’s lives are walking on thin ice under the declaration of a national emergency, and we are unable to cope with the increased political uncertainty that would arise if another acting president takes over as acting president.” .
The South Korean won plummeted against the US dollar on Friday, dropping below 1,480 won for the first time since March 2009.