South Korean opposition seeks to impeach Acting President Han

Seyoon Kim and Heejin Kim, Bloomberg News on Dec 23, 2024

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South Korea’s main opposition party said it will start impeachment proceedings against Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo.

Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, made the comments at a meeting that was broadcast live on Tuesday. The opposition party said Han has indicated at the cabinet meeting that he won’t promulgate the special counsel bills that the DP has been pushing for.

The bills seek to investigate insurrection charges against embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol and multiple allegations against First Lady Kim Keon Hee. On Dec. 3, Yoon declared martial law to address “anti-state forces,” but rescinded it six hours later after parliament voted it down. The move triggered a constitutional crisis and public outrage, resulting in Yoon’s impeachment.

Han has assumed duties as acting president on Dec. 14 after Yoon’s impeachment, which is now under review by the Constitutional Court to determine whether he will be permanently removed from office.

The exact timing of DP’s impeachment proposal against Han will be decided after an internal party review, according to a Yonhap News report.

Two spokespeople from Han’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for comments. The DP has previously accused Han of aiding Yoon’s martial law attempt and reported him to authorities. Han has said he tried to block Yoon’s martial law declaration, and apologized for failing to do so.

Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, said the opposition is pushing for impeachment because their demands have not been met. “This is no different from a gangster threatening to retaliate,” he said at a party meeting.

Kweon added that the DP is pressuring the acting president in an attempt to push for an early presidential election “before DP leader Lee Jae-myung’s judicial risk becomes more serious.”

Lee has emerged in recent polls as the most likely replacement for Yoon, but his legal challenges make his path to the presidency uncertain. An appellate court is reviewing Lee’s November conviction for making false claims during his 2021 presidential campaign. The court is set to rule on his appeal by February. If the verdict stands, Lee would be barred from running for office for 10 years.

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