South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic Party, has introduced a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, citing his failure to safeguard the Constitution. The move comes after Han refused to immediately appoint three justices to the Constitutional Court, despite parliament voting in favor of the nominees. The opposition party had threatened to impeach Han if he didn’t make the appointments.
The Constitutional Court is currently trying the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law on December 3. The court will hold its first hearing on Friday, and six justices must agree to remove Yoon from office. Yoon has not submitted legal papers as requested by the court and has ignored summons for questioning in a separate criminal investigation.
The impeachment bill against Han cites several grounds, including his veto of a special prosecutor bill to investigate alleged wrongdoing by the first lady. If Han is impeached, the finance minister will take over as acting president. However, there is disagreement over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is needed to impeach the acting president.
Han has said he will not appoint the justices until political parties reach an agreement, citing concerns about harming constitutional order. The Democratic Party has majority control of parliament, but the ruling People Power Party has objected to the breakdown of candidates for the Constitutional Court.
The situation has sparked criticism and calls for Yoon’s arrest, with investigators sending another summons for him to appear on December 29. The crisis has deepened concerns about South Korea’s constitutional order and the rule of law.
