On Monday, South Korea’s Constitutional Court threw out an impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. This ruling now leaves the door open for him to assume office permanently and even acting president. The court's decision, reported by Yonhap news agency, arrives amidst scrutiny of President Yoon Suk Yeol's own impeachment proceedings. The dismissal reinstates the previous prime minister Han Duck-soo and takes Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok out of the role of acting president.
The eight justices of the Constitutional Court voted unanimously to accept the impeachment. The court upheld the impeachment’s dismissal in a 5-1 decision, with two justices completely throwing out the motion.
It followed the successful impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo last December by the new, opposition, Democratic Party. After the impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok took over as acting president.
Choi Sang-mok had appointed two of the three justices who were looking into the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Constitutional Court reviewed the impeachment of former conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law for one weekend. The ongoing impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol was said to be under deliberation by the Constitutional Court.
