On Monday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president after the president was suspended for imposing martial law.
The court verdict is the latest stage in South Korea’s massive political crisis, which began with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s December effort to overthrow civilian authority.
With Han acting president, lawmakers overpowered armed soldiers at parliament to vote down Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration and impeach him.
However, lawmakers impeached him weeks later for his alleged role in the martial law catastrophe and judicial appointment disputes.
“The Constitutional Court has rejected the impeachment trial request against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo,” the court announced Monday.
The court voted five-to-one against Han’s impeachment, with two judges saying that parliament didn’t have a super majority to impeach him.
The court concluded that Han’s behavior “cannot be seen as constituting a betrayal of the people’s trust indirectly granted through the President.” The original decision is not open for appeals.
Han hailed the Constitutional Court for its “wise decision” after resuming acting presidency Monday.
I believe all folks are protesting the highly polarized political sphere. I think division is obsolete. Our country’s priority is progress, he said.
Impeachment of Yoon
It was keenly observed as the court prepared to rule on suspended President Yoon’s impeachment, whose date has not been set.
Experts predicted a ruling by mid-March, but the Constitutional Court has yet to declare, giving Yoon’s case its longest deliberation.
Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader, said Han’s verdict should not be “disrespected” but urged the Constitutional Court to handle Yoon’s case faster.
“The whole nation is losing sleep over Yoon Suk Yeol’s illegal military rule,” saying it’s “hard to comprehend why the Constitutional Court chooses to delay the ruling date.”
He said, “Every day, every hour, every minute, every second, the international trust in the Republic of Korea is being broken, the economic damage is mounting.”
If Yoon’s impeachment is upheld, South Korea must hold new elections within 60 days.
Attorney and political pundit Yoo Jung-hoon told AFP that Monday’s finding “does not have a direct legal correlation with the pending decision on Yoon’s impeachment.”
“The judges debated Han’s involvement in the case, not martial law’s legality,” he stated.
Parliament suspended Yoon in December. In January, a dawn raid was used to arrest him for insurrection charges, which are not covered by presidential immunity.
Yoon is South Korea’s first sitting president to face criminal charges. His followers were energized by his procedural release from imprisonment in early March.
Over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans rallied for and against Yoon before the court ruling.
Lawmakers Kweon Seong-dong of Yoon’s People Power Party greeted Han’s come back to National Assembly reporters.
Political opposition should “express regret to the people for crippling state affairs for 87 days with a premature impeachment offer,” Kweon stated.
