Amidst a state of paralysis caused by the sudden imposition of martial law, political drama in South Korea shows no signs of abating. In an unprecedented move, South Korea’s acting president Han Duck-soo has now been impeached.
This comes just two weeks after President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached by lawmakers in the National Assembly.
British news outlet BBC reported this development on Friday, December 27.
Han Duck-soo has been serving as South Korea’s Prime Minister since May 2022. Following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, he recently assumed the role of acting president. This latest step against him is expected to further deepen the ongoing constitutional crisis in the East Asian nation.
The BBC states that South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo just two weeks after voting for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
During Friday’s vote, 192 lawmakers voted in favor of Han’s impeachment, exceeding the 151 votes required to pass the motion.
Earlier this month, on December 3, following a failed attempt to impose martial law, President Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly, leading to Prime Minister Han assuming the responsibilities of acting president.
Han was expected to lead the country out of the ongoing political turmoil. However, opposition MPs accused him of rejecting demands to finalize Yoon’s impeachment process. The vote was conducted amid chaos in parliament on Friday.