South Korea opposition targets Acting President with impeachment

Heejin Kim and Seyoon Kim, Bloomberg News on Dec 24, 2024

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South Korea’s main opposition party is seeking to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo in a potentially risky move to put maximum pressure on the ruling party.

The Democratic Party intends to wait till Thursday to submit an impeachment motion, according to Yonhap News, delaying its earlier plan to submit on Tuesday. Officials were frustrated as Han indicated at a cabinet meeting he would not approve the special counsel bills the opposition 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.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly passed those bills, but Han can keep them on the back burner and ultimately veto them, much like Yoon did in the months leading up to his martial law declaration on Dec. 3. Yoon’s shock decision was rescinded within hours, but it sparked political turmoil, market volatility and a wave of protests, ultimately leading to Yoon’s impeachment.

The bid to impeach Han comes as the ruling party and opposition vie to control momentum in the DP’s bid to finalize the removal of Yoon and force a presidential election that its leader Lee Jae-myung can stand in. The opposition party faces a race against time as Lee will eventually become ineligible to stand if a corruption verdict against him is confirmed in the coming months.

The DP may encounter difficulty drumming up the same support for impeaching Han compared with Yoon. Han said previously he tried to block Yoon’s martial law declaration, and apologized for failing to do so.

“I think this is too much for the DP to impeach the acting president,” said Shin Yul, a professor for political science at Myongji University in Seoul, adding that the move might backfire. “You shouldn’t kick out the prime minister just because he’s apparently against the idea of special investigations” into Yoon and the first lady, he said.

Han 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, a process that could take six months.

After reports that the impeachment motion was postponed, the won trimmed its losses to trade 0.4% weaker against the dollar at 1,457.85, compared to earlier declines of as much as 0.6%. Thin holiday trading exaggerated the won’s moves, making the currency the worst performer in Asia on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the DP told Bloomberg News earlier that after the impeachment proposal is made, the National Assembly will hold a plenary session on Thursday that starts the clock to a vote.

Two spokespeople from Han’s office didn’t respond to a request for comments. The DP has accused Han of aiding Yoon’s martial law attempt and reported him to authorities.

Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, said the opposition is pushing for Han’s 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.

Yonhap News separately reported on Tuesday that Yoon is unlikely to appear for questioning on Dec. 25, and his focus is on explaining his position to the judges at the Constitutional Court.

Investigators warned previously that if he continues to skip the questioning, they may consider requesting an arrest warrant.

—With assistance from Hooyeon Kim.