The Constitutional Court requires six out of nine justices to remove Yoon, but three seats remain vacant.
ADVERTISEMENTSouth Korea’s main opposition party submitted a motion on Thursday to impeach Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo over his unwillingness to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies.
The appointments are critical as the court prepares to review rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol stemming from his brief martial law decree on 3 December.
The dispute over court appointments has deepened the country’s political paralysis, halting high-level diplomacy and unsettling financial markets.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly also passed motions calling for appointing the three justices.
In response, Han reiterated in a televised statement that he would not make the appointments without bipartisan consent.
National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik criticised Han’s reluctance, saying it “infringes on the National Assembly’s right to select Constitutional Court justices.”
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, whose members largely boycotted the vote, argued that Han should not exercise presidential authority to appoint justices while Yoon remains formally in office.
The Democratic Party has accused conservatives of stalling the court process to save Yoon’s presidency.
The Democratic Party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, criticised Han, saying, “He lacks both the qualifications to serve as the acting leader and the will to uphold the Constitution.”
A floor vote on Han’s impeachment could occur as early as Friday.
‘Focus on maintaining stability’
President Yoon’s powers were suspended on 14 December after the National Assembly voted to impeach him over an attempted power grab.
The Constitutional Court, currently short three justices, requires six out of nine members to uphold Yoon’s impeachment to formally end his presidency.
Han has defended his stance, stating, “an acting president should focus on maintaining stability in governance to help the country overcome crisis while refraining from exercising significant powers … including appointments to constitutional institutions.”
“I will withhold the appointment of Constitutional Court justices until the ruling and opposition parties submit an agreed-upon proposal,” Han added.
In addition to the court standoff, Han has faced opposition backlash over his vetoes of agricultural bills and refusal to approve investigations into Yoon and corruption allegations involving Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee.
ADVERTISEMENTIf impeached, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok would assume Han’s duties.
The legal threshold for impeaching an acting president remains ambiguous. While most officials can be impeached with a simple majority in the National Assembly, removing a president requires a two-thirds vote.
The Democratic Party, holding 170 of the 300 seats, would need additional support from other parties to reach that majority.
Yoon, meanwhile, has avoided law enforcement summonses regarding rebellion charges, including a Christmas Day request, and blocked searches of his office.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials has summoned Yoon for questioning on Sunday over allegations of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion.
Authorities have already arrested several high-ranking officials, including Yoon’s defence minister and police chief, involved in the attempted implementation of martial law.
Yoon’s lawyer, Yoo Seung-soo, defended his client’s actions, stating that the martial law decree was intended to “sound alarm against … political abuse” and did not constitute rebellion.
Additional sources • AP
