South Korea The opposition-controlled National Assembly voted on Friday to impeach acting President Han Dak-soo despite intense protests by ruling party lawmakers, further deepening the country's political crisis caused by President Yoon Suk-yul's stunning imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment. .
Han's impeachment means that he will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss him or return him to office. The court is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon's previous impeachment. The removal of the country's two top officials has exacerbated political unrest, deepened economic uncertainty and damaged its international image.
The unicameral National Assembly approved Han's impeachment motion by 192 votes to 0. Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote and surrounded the podium on which Speaker Woo Won-shik was sitting, chanting that the vote was “invalid” and demanding Wu's resignation. No violence or injuries were reported.
PPP lawmakers protested after Wu called a vote on Han's impeachment motion after declaring that its passage would require a simple majority in the 300-member chamber, not a two-thirds majority as the PPP claimed. Most South Korean officials can be removed by the National Assembly simple majority vote, But impeaching the president requires two-thirds support. There are no specific laws regarding the impeachment of an acting president.
South Korean lawmakers vote to impeach the president over the declaration of martial law
South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach President Han Dak-soo. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)
In a statement, Hahn described his dismissal as “unfortunate” but said he respected the association's decision and would suspend his duties “so as not to increase confusion and uncertainty.” He said he would wait for a “quick and wise decision” from the Constitutional Court.
Han's powers were officially suspended after copies of his impeachment document were handed over to him and the Constitutional Court. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mook took power.
Later on Friday, Choe's office said it had instructed the military to step up its readiness to help prevent this from happening north korea From misjudging the situation and launching provocations. He also asked the State Department to inform the United States, Japan and other key partners that South Korea's foreign policies have not changed.
Han, who was appointed prime minister by Yoon, became acting president after Yoon, a conservative, was removed by the National Assembly two weeks ago for imposing martial law on December 3. Han quickly clashed with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party while opposing opposition-led efforts to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, conduct an independent investigation into Yoon's martial law decree, and enact pro-farmer bills.
At the heart of the fight is Democratic Party Asking Han to approve the Assembly's nominations for three new judges to the Constitutional Court to restore its full nine-member bench before its ruling on Yoon's impeachment. This is a politically sensitive issue because the court's decision to remove Yoon as president needs the support of at least six justices, and adding more justices is likely to increase the odds of Yoon's ouster. Yoon's political allies in the ruling party oppose the appointment of the three judges, saying Han should not exercise presidential authority to make appointments while Yoon has not yet been formally removed from office.
Hahn said Thursday he would not appoint judges without bipartisan approval. Later in the day, the Democratic Party, which has a majority in the Assembly, submitted a motion to impeach Han and passed bills calling for the appointment of three judges.
South Korean investigative agencies are investigating whether Yoon committed rebellion and abuse of power through his marriage law decree. Yoon has repeatedly ignored authorities' requests to appear for face-to-face questioning.
His defense minister, police chief and several other senior military leaders had already been arrested over the deployment of troops and police officers to the National Assembly, leading to a dramatic standoff that ended when lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and voted unanimously to repeal Yoon's decree. .
North Korea condemns South Korea as a “fascist dictatorship” after fears of martial law
Lawmakers protested in front of South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Joon)
South Korean media It was reported that prosecutors charged former Defense Minister Kim Young-hyun with allegedly playing a key role in the Yoon Rebellion plot and committing abuse of power and obstruction. Kim, a close confidant of Yoon, reportedly became the first person to be formally charged over the martial law decree. Calls to the Seoul Prosecutor's Office were not answered.
The motion to impeach Han accuses him of collaborating and inciting Yoon's declaration of martial law. It also accuses Han of trying to obstruct the restoration of full membership of the Constructive Court and delaying investigations into Yoon's alleged rebellion by not appointing independent lawyers.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The enactment of martial law, the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, lasted only six hours, but it caused political unrest in South Korea, raising alarms in its neighbors and shaking the markets. Yoon defended his decree as an act of governance, saying it was a warning to the Democratic Party, which he said was using its parliamentary majority to obstruct its agenda.
