South Korean opposition moves to impeach acting president

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South Korea’s main opposition party is seeking to impeach the acting president, deepening the country’s political crisis after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed power grab and impeachment this month.

The Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday submitted a bill to parliament to impeach Han Duck-soo, who is also prime minister, after he resisted pressure to appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the country’s constitutional court.

The opposition-controlled parliament had passed motions earlier in the day to approve the appointments. Yoon’s conservative ruling People Power party boycotted those votes.

The court is set to begin hearings on Friday on Yoon’s impeachment over his shortlived attempt to impose martial law, which raised fears about the strength of democracy in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

Yoon has been suspended from his duties until the court rules on whether to dismiss or reinstate him.

In principle, seven justices are needed for the court to convene to consider an impeachment, and a minimum of six votes are required to remove a president from office.

However, there are presently only six justices on the court because of political gridlock over the nomination process.

Han, a Yoon appointee, said he would appoint the justices only after an agreement was reached between the parties, arguing that doing otherwise violated the constitution.

“There has been no single justice of the constitutional court who was appointed without agreements of the ruling and opposition parties. The opposition party is pressuring me to exercise the presidential power without an agreement with the ruling party,” Han said in a televised address on Thursday.

But there is also controversy over whether he has the authority to appoint the justices as acting president, with the PPP claiming that he does not.

“It has become clear that prime minister Han does not have the will to safeguard the constitution,” DPK floor leader Park Chan-Dae said in a statement.

Parliament may vote as early as Friday on the bill to impeach Han. If it is passed, finance minister Choi Sang-mok will assume the acting presidency. Impeaching the prime minister requires a simple majority in parliament, but Yoon’s PPP has claimed that a two-thirds majority is needed to impeach the acting president.

The constitutional court has said that it can deliberate without the full bench. They are supposed to deliver a verdict within 180 days of the parliamentary impeachment vote, but that time limit is not binding. If Yoon is removed from office, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Yoon, who has vowed to “never give up” and denied any wrongdoing, has not submitted legal documents required by the court. On Wednesday he rejected a second summons by the country’s anti-corruption agency for questioning on charges of treason and abuse of power.