S.Korean Prime Minister Duck-soo reinstated as acting president after impeachment overturned
World
On Monday, seven of the court’s eight justices overturned or dismissed Han’s impeachment
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating the nation’s No. 2 official as acting leader Monday while not yet ruling on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his shocking imposition of martial law late last year.
Many observers said the 7-1 ruling in Han’s case did not signal much about the upcoming verdict on Yoon, as Han wasn’t a key figure in the imposing martial law. But the ruling could still embolden Yoon’s staunch supporters and ramp up their political offensive on the opposition.
Following his reinstatement, Han thanked the court for what he called a “wise” decision and told reporters he would focus on the “most urgent matters,” including a fast-changing global trade environment, in an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariffs policy. He also called for national unity, saying: “There’s no left or right — what matters is the advancement of our nation.”
Han became acting president after Yoon, a conservative, was impeached by the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly over his imposition of martial law. But Han was impeached by the assembly as well in late December following political strife with opposition lawmakers.
The unprecedented, successive impeachments that suspended the country’s top two officials intensified a domestic division and deepened worries about the country’s diplomatic and economic activities. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, had since been serving as acting president.
On Monday, seven of the court’s eight justices overturned or dismissed Han’s impeachment. They ruled the accusations against him weren’t against the law or weren’t serious enough to remove him from office or his impeachment motion didn’t even met a required quorum when it passed thorough the assembly.
One justice upheld Han’s impeachment.
