South Korea's acting president Han is facing an impeachment vote by the opposition
South Korea's main opposition party said it would introduce a bill to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo on Thursday and hold a vote on Friday, a move that could deepen the country's constitutional crisis caused by interim martial law.
The opposition Democratic Party has threatened to impeach Han if he does not immediately appoint three judges to fill the vacancies in the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted on three nominees on Thursday, but they have not yet been officially appointed by Han.
The court is trying to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his December 3 declaration of martial law.
“It has become clear that the prime minister and acting president Han Duck-soo do not have the qualifications or desire to protect the Constitution,” said Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae in a statement.
The proposal was presented to parliament on Thursday and must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours. It cited a number of Han's actions as reasons for his impeachment, including his vote for a special prosecutor bill to investigate the first lady's alleged crimes.
If Han is impeached, the finance minister will take over as acting president. The Democratic Party holds a majority in parliament, but there is disagreement between the parties and some constitutional scholars about whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is needed to impeach an acting president.
Yoon's first court hearing is on Friday
On Thursday, Han said that he will not appoint judges until the political parties reach an agreement on his appointment, because doing so without political consensus will disturb the order of the constitution.
Two of the nominees for the Constitutional Court approved on Thursday were nominated by the Democratic Party and one was nominated by Han's ruling People Power Party. The ruling party opposes the dispersal of candidates, saying it does not agree with it.
South Korea's parliament voted on Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his temporary declaration of martial law, a historic impeachment that was cheered by jubilant crowds who described the result as another bad moment in the nation's robust democratic journey.
Han was under pressure to be elected but the political parties debated whether he has the authority to do so as acting president.
The court will hold its first hearing on Friday in the case to decide whether to remove Yoon or reinstate him.
Under the constitution, six justices must agree to remove an impeached president, meaning that the existing justices must vote unanimously to remove Yoon. The court said it can deliberate without a nine-member bench.
Repeated contempt
Yoon, who was impeached in parliament on December 14 in a vote by members of his centrist party, has not submitted legal documents as requested by the court since Thursday, said court spokesperson Lee Jean in a press conference.
On Wednesday, he did not respond to recent subpoenas for questioning in a separate criminal investigation. Investigators issued additional summonses on Thursday to appear on December 29.
Yoon's repeated defiant behavior has sparked criticism and calls from opposition groups for his arrest.
As It Happened6:10Martial law is over, but South Koreans are not done protesting
Earlier on Thursday, lawyers for former defense minister Yoon, who is being investigated for treason following the declaration of martial law, said it was intended to warn people about the opposition's abuse of the democratic process.
Kim Yong-hyun became the first in a series of officials to be arrested and may be the first to face trial for allegedly being the middleman in President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law on December 3.
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