National crisis: South Korea: Interim President Han also removed from office

South Korea’s national crisis is worsening: While the Constitutional Court is reviewing the impeachment of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, Parliament has now also relieved interim President Han Duck Soo of his duties. It is the first time in the history of the East Asian country that the interim president has also been removed from office.

192 of the 300 MPs voted for the motion submitted by the opposition – significantly more than the simple majority required. Han said he accepted the decision and would await review by the Constitutional Court, according to a report by Yonhap news agency. The Constitutional Court must confirm or revoke the impeachment in the next few weeks.

Han should have led the country out of the recent political turmoil. However, the opposition accuses him of complicating the process to remove Yoon from office at the Constitutional Court, which began on Friday. Han refused to fill the three vacant judge positions in the court, which currently only has six members. Since six votes are needed to confirm Yoon’s impeachment, just one veto vote would be enough to invalidate the impeachment.

Another interim solution

Finance Minister and Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang Mok will now temporarily take over state affairs. He promised in a statement that the government would do its best to “overcome the chaos in government affairs.” He also wants to ensure that the country’s security is not damaged.

Yoon is absent from the court date

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court in Seoul began reviewing Yoon’s impeachment proceedings. Both its representatives and those of the National Assembly presented their respective arguments and named possible witnesses. Yoon didn’t show up to the appointment in person.

Over the next few weeks and possibly months, the court will examine whether the National Assembly’s removal from office was unconstitutional or unconstitutional.

If the judges approve the impeachment, new elections would have to be scheduled within 60 days at the latest. If the court considers the impeachment to be irregular, Yoon would return to the presidency.

Yoon unexpectedly imposed martial law at the beginning of December amid a budget dispute with the opposition. After massive resistance, he repealed it hours later. The opposition then submitted a motion for impeachment in the National Assembly, which, after a failed first attempt, finally received the required two-thirds majority on December 14th.

Yoon recently defended his decision by citing protection of the nation. His political opponents are “anti-state forces” that paralyze government work and disrupt the country’s constitutional order.

The national crisis is already having an economic impact. Not only did the South Korean business climate fall to its worst level since the corona pandemic. The value of the won currency also fell to its lowest level since 2009.