New Crisis in South Korea; Parliament Votes to Impeach Interim President

The South Korean Parliament, shortly after the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, also impeached and removed the Prime Minister and interim President. As the Constitutional Court of South Korea began its session to determine the political fate of Yoon Suk-yeol, who was ousted two weeks ago following a failed declaration of 'martial law', the Parliament voted to impeach and remove his successor, who had been appointed to manage affairs temporarily. On Friday, December 28, 192 members of the 300-member South Korean Parliament voted to impeach Mr. Han Duck-soo and remove him from the position of interim presidency. No representatives opposed this proposal, as members of the ruling party, who are in the minority, boycotted the vote. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition faction whose Democratic Party holds the majority in Parliament, had presented the impeachment proposal against Mr. Han Duck-soo just a day earlier. Lee Jae-myung accused Mr. Han Duck-soo of 'acting for rebellion' and stated plainly: 'The only way to normalize the country's situation is to swiftly eradicate all rebellious elements.' After the impeachment, Han Duck-soo stated in a message that he would step down to prevent further chaos and would await the Constitutional Court's ruling on his impeachment. According to the law, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will temporarily oversee the country. Mr. Mok had urged Parliament to withdraw the impeachment of Han Duck-soo to prevent further damage to the economy from ongoing turmoil. With the majority vote of Parliament ('National Assembly') for the impeachment and removal of Han Duck-soo, the political crisis in South Korea deepened. There has been no precedent in the country's history for the removal of an interim president. Yoon Suk-yeol declared 'martial law' on November 30 in response to escalating protests and a more aggressive opposition stance in this democratic system, but Parliament invalidated this decision the next day, stripping Mr. Yoon of his powers and referring him to the Constitutional Court. Yoon Suk-yeol retains the title of presidency due to political immunity, but his powers have been taken away. He will use this immunity to defend himself against many accusations, but it will not protect him against charges related to public protests and treason. The first session of the Constitutional Court regarding Mr. Yoon's fate began on Friday in Seoul and is required to decide within six months whether to remove him from office or restore his powers. The potential removal of Mr. Yoon would lead to elections within 60 days after the court's final decision. According to Reuters, Mr. Yoon, a former prosecutor, may use a team of former colleagues to defend himself. Under the constitution, the removal of a president requires the approval of six judges out of nine in this court, but currently, the court only has six judges as three positions are vacant. Therefore, the current six judges must unanimously vote to either retain or remove Mr. Yoon. Polls indicate majority public support for the removal of Yoon Suk-yeol.