Friday17 January 2025
nbn.in.ua

South Korea's parliament backed the impeachment of the new president less than two weeks after their appointment.

The National Assembly of South Korea has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo. This decision came less than two weeks after he took office.
Парламент Южной Кореи одобрил импичмент нового президента всего через две недели после его назначения.
Хан Дак Су.

This is reported by Yonhap.

The impeachment proposal against Han was adopted unanimously: 192 votes in favor and 0 against.

The impeachment motion was initiated by the largest opposition political force, the Democratic Party, which holds 170 out of 300 seats in parliament.

Recall that Han Duck-soo took the helm of the country after President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached for declaring a state of emergency without apparent necessity.

The Democratic Party has threatened to impeach Han as well if he does not approve their judicial appointments to the Constitutional Court. Currently, 6 out of 9 judge positions are occupied, which is the minimum required for making decisions, such as the impeachment ruling against Yoon. The opposition is calling for the court to be fully staffed.

Han Duck-soo stated that he would not do this until politicians from all sides agree on whether he has the authority to make such decisions.

What happened in South Korea?

On December 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol unexpectedly announced in an evening address that a state of emergency was being declared in the country. He cited "anti-state activities" by the opposition, which he accused of supporting North Korea.

This statement came after several weeks of political disputes regarding a new state budget bill, which the opposition Democratic Party refused to approve. Instead, the opposition submitted a reduced budget proposal to the parliamentary budget committee, along with an impeachment motion against the state auditor and the attorney general.

The declaration of a state of emergency allowed the president to gain strict control over political activities and the media. Yoon's decision shocked even his own party, with the leader of the "People Power Party," Han Dong-hoon, calling it "incorrect."

After the announcement of the emergency, military personnel blocked the parliament building. They did not allow opposition lawmakers inside who had come to reverse Yoon's decision.

Eventually, around midnight local time, 190 out of 300 members of the National Assembly voted to lift the state of emergency. Additionally, thousands of people gathered outside the building demanding the president's resignation.

Six opposition parties in South Korea filed a petition for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. All senior aides to President Yoon Suk-yeol, including his chief of staff, expressed their desire to resign.