South Korea’s Acting President Han Duck-soo impeached in deepening political crisis

SEOUL – South Korea has impeached a second leader in less than two weeks, plunging the country into an even deeper political crisis. 

Needing a simple majority, the opposition bloc of 192 lawmakers, which dominates the 300-seat National Assembly, voted unanimously in favour of impeaching Acting President Han Duck-soo, who took over after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec 14.

Mr Han, who was formerly prime minister, had earned their ire for being slow to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court, which will decide if Mr Yoon’s impeachment stands.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will take over as the acting president and acting prime minister.

South Korean politics has been in disarray since Mr Yoon’s abrupt declaration of martial law on Dec 3, which was reversed by National Assembly lawmakers six hours later. The debacle has rattled financial markets and seen the South Korean won sliding to historic lows.

The first attempt to impeach Mr Yoon on Dec 7 failed to meet the two-thirds quorum of the National Assembly when the 108 lawmakers of his ruling People Power Party’s (PPP) closed ranks behind him and blocked the vote, but a second attempt on Dec 14 succeeded.

However, the quorum for Mr Han’s impeachment has become a bone of contention between the PPP and the leading opposition Democratic Party (DP).

PPP argues that to impeach Mr Han as acting president, a two-thirds majority vote should be required, like Mr Yoon’s, while DP maintains that Mr Han’s position as prime minister means impeachment needs only a simple majority of 151 votes out of 300.

When Speaker Woo Won-shik announced that the vote would be subject to a simple majority, given Mr Han’s position as PM, PPP members gathered in front of him, angrily accusing him of abusing his power and chanting for his resignation.

The PPP swiftly submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court demanding judgment on the quorum and the impeachment motion to be nullified. 

In a public statement released within minutes of the voting, Mr Han, who has served both conservative and liberal governments throughout his career as a technocrat, said he respected the National Assembly’s decision and accepted his suspension “in order not to fuel confusion or uncertainties” while waiting for the Constitutional Court’s decision on the impeachment motion against him.

Analysts told The Straits Times that the PPP’s case was unlikely to hold ground, and the Constitutional Court should come to a quick decision that only a simple majority was needed for Mr Han’s impeachment.

“Mr Han is not an elected president, he was appointed as the prime minister. An acting president is only acting, not president. So is the simple majority the correct quorum? Yes, that’s my opinion,” said Professor Hahm Sung-deuk from Kyonggi University’s faculty of political science and law.

Yonsei University’s Dr Bong Young-shik said the PPP and Mr Han had behaved irresponsibly in escalating matters to the court.

He said: “Politicians are supposed to settle political issues, but they are so mired in partisan interest that they are just passing the ball to the court. Even though it is very clear to legal scholars and South Korean citizens, even to me, based upon common sense, what the quorum should be – a simple majority.”

The impeachment motion against Mr Han was filed by DP after the acting president refused to act on an opposition-led Bill to appoint three new Constitutional Court judges to fill the nine-seat bench.

Filling the bench is key to the court’s final decision on whether to uphold or reject Mr Yoon’s impeachment, which must be made within 180 days of when the vote was taken. If his impeachment is upheld, a snap presidential election must be held within 60 days.

The opposition is also in a hurry, as opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who is leading the polls as the favoured presidential candidate, faces possible disqualification from the race after being found guilty on Nov 15 by the Seoul Central District Court of lying about corruption allegations during his 2022 presidential campaign.

His appeal is due to be heard at the Supreme Court within the next six months. If the guilty ruling is upheld, Mr Lee will not be able to run for president. 

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is leading the polls as the favoured presidential candidate.PHOTO: AFP

Under South Korea’s Constitution, at least six judges must approve Mr Yoon’s impeachment to finalise it. With only six judges on the bench now, the decision would have to be unanimous.

Despite the vacancies, the court has moved swiftly with proceedings, holding the impeachment trial’s first hearing on Dec 14, an hour before the vote against Mr Yoon.

The first hearing was to allow both Mr Yoon’s and the National Assembly’s legal teams to lay out their cases, present their list of witnesses and evidence, and coordinate the dates for future proceedings. Mr Yoon’s attendance was not mandated. 

The next hearing has been scheduled for Jan 3. 

In a national address on Dec 26, Mr Han maintained that appointing the justices without bipartisan agreement was a violation of constitutional norms. 

In his post-impeachment statement on Dec 27, Mr Han said: “Instead of engaging in rational debate, the opposition responded to my call for bipartisan agreement with what marks the 29th impeachment motion under this administration. I find this regrettable, not for my personal circumstances, but for the future generations of this nation.”

But Prof Hahm argued that Mr Han’s refusal to appoint the judges was a move of bad faith.

He told ST: “Mr Han was acting president, which means that he has to carry out duties passively, not actively. By ignoring the National Assembly’s decision to appoint the judges, that is him exercising presidential powers actively, which is the main reason why he has been impeached.”

South Koreans were divided about the worsening state of political strife.

Ms Seo Min-ji, an office worker in her mid-30s and an opposition supporter, thought DP could be taking things too far. She is also concerned about the widening political vacuum.

But homemaker Kim Sun-joo, 52, who identifies as a moderate leaning towards the opposition, felt the impeachment of Mr Han was for the best, with his refusal to appoint the judges a sign of his loyalty to Mr Yoon. She also blamed Mr Han for driving the country into deeper economic woe.

“We need to revive the economy for our country to survive. If we let Prime Minister Han stay on, the chaos will never end. Our country will regress, and we will no longer be a democratic Republic of Korea. We need another leader,” said Madam Kim.

The South Korean won tumbled to historic lows against the US dollar on Dec 27, registering at 1,475.40 won per US dollar at 3pm Singapore time.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shed 24.09 points, or 1.02 per cent, to close at 2,404.77 on Dec 27 after dipping to an intraday low of 2,388.33.

In a public statement after Mr Han’s suspension, Mr Choi said stabilising state affairs was the most urgent task on hand, adding that even though the country is once again in turmoil, he was confident that South Korea would overcome the crisis with the “mature civic consciousness of the citizens and the responsible response of the government”.

“Minimising the chaos in state affairs is the most urgent task right now. The government will put all of its efforts into maintaining robust security, a stable economy, and law and order, so that the safety of the nation and people’s daily lives are not disrupted,” Mr Choi said in a public address, following Mr Han’s suspension of duty.

Earlier in the day, before the parliamentary vote, Mr Choi had asked the opposition to reconsider the impeachment motion, expressing concerns that ousting the acting president would deal a further blow to the nation’s economy.

“The absence of a control tower for state affairs will deal a severe blow to Korea’s credibility, security, the economy and continuity of governance, as already evident in the sharp weakening of the won against the dollar,” Mr Choi said during a press briefing on the morning of Dec 27.

As for whether Mr Choi will face the same pressure as Mr Han did – to sign off on the appointment of the three judges or risk impeachment himself – Dr Bong thinks that the opposition will give Mr Choi more time. 

“It will be politically risky for the DP to pressure Mr Choi into making a decision on the Bill before the Constitutional Court issues judgment on the quorum needed for Mr Han’s impeachment. Once that is cleared, Mr Choi, unlike Mr Han, would be able to justify his decision to support the appointments, because of how strong public opinion is on that matter,” said Dr Bong.

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