South Korea’s parliament impeached acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday, less than two weeks after suspending President Yoon Suk Yeol’s powers over his brief declaration of martial law, plunging the country deeper into political turmoil.The impeachment of Han, South Korea’s interim president since Yoon was impeached on December 14 for imposing martial law on December 3, has pushed the country’s once-vibrant democratic success story into unknown terrain. In a statement issued following the vote, Han expressed sadness about what the developing events meant for the future generation, but accepted the decision.He stated that he would wait for the Constitutional Court’s decision to evaluate the impeachment motion. The governing People’s Power Party, which has protested to the opposition-led impeachment of Han, claimed it has filed
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok currently serves as acting president, since he is the next in line under the legislation. He will talk with the military chief and discuss with the foreign and acting defense ministers, according to a spokeswoman. The motion spearheaded by opposition parties passed with 192 of the 300 votes, amidst raucous scenes by People Power Party supporters who surrounded the speaker’s podium, yelling that the vote was illegal and that parliament had participated in “tyranny”.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, which controls parliament, accused Han of “acting for insurrection” before of the session. Following Yoon’s martial law effort, opinion polls revealed that the public was overwhelmingly supportive of his dismissal.
Until soon before voting started, it was unknown how many votes were required to impeach Han. A prime minister can be elected with a simple majority, but a president requires a two-thirds majority. Speaker Woo Won-shik indicated that parliamentary approval would require only a simple majority. Earlier, the new acting President Choi urged with lawmakers to abandon the impeachment plan against Han, claiming that it would cause significant economic damage. The South Korean won fell to 1,475.4 per dollar at 0707 GMT, down 0.53% ahead of the parliamentary vote.
“Impeaching Han would only mean prolonged political uncertainties,” said Huh Jae-hwan, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities.
“In terms of financial markets, (Choi) taking charge can only be bad news, as it only goes to show that political turmoil is ongoing.”
There was a chance the country would plunge into economic troubles comparable to its devastating financial crisis of the late 1990s, said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.
The vote to determine Han’s fate comes on the same day as the Constitutional Court convened its first hearing to decide whether to overturn Yoon’s impeachment and restore him or remove him permanently from office. It has 180 days to make a decision. Speaking at a preparation hearing, Justice Cheong Hyung-sik stated that the court will act quickly in the case given its seriousness, rejecting Yoon’s attorneys’ plea for a suspension of proceedings to properly prepare. The next hearing is on January 3. One lawyer for Yoon later told reporters that the impeached president intended to appear in person in the future.
Since the proclamation of martial law on December 3, South Korea has seen its worst political crisis since 1987, when huge protests compelled the ruling party of former military generals to agree a constitutional change requiring a direct, popular vote to pick the president. Yoon stunned the country and the globe on December 3 with a late-night declaration that he was declaring martial law to break the political gridlock and ferret out “anti-state forces”. Within hours, however, 190 MPs disregarded the military and police cordons and voted against Yoon’s directive. Yoon revoked his first ruling almost six hours later. According to Yonhap news, prosecutors prosecuted former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Friday, marking the first time an official suspected of insurgency has been tried.
Image from : ANI
