After former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for abuse of martial law, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo took control over the country on December 14, 2024. After the impeachment vote from 192 lawmakers while 151 votes needed it to succeed, Han was given the duty to lead the country out of political turmoil and instability. Han spent the next two weeks trying to reassure Korea’s diplomatic partners and stabilize the markets since South Korea is the 4th largest market in Asia. However, while attempting to stabilize the economy, Han found himself caught in a political strife with the opposing Democratic Party.
Holding a majority in the National Assembly, the Democratic Party accused Han of refusing demands to complete former president Yoon’s impeachment process and abusing power. When Han refused a DP demand to immediately appoint three justices to fill the empty seats in the Constitutional Court to ensure fairness in its ruling on Yoon’s impeachment, President Han refused. To fully complete the impeachment process, the Constitutional Court needs six out of nine members to agree. However, at that time, the court only had six when Han refused to restore it to its full size, directly creating a wedge in the impeachment process. Han’s reasoning for not appointing the justices was lack of bipartisan consent, but critics suspected that this meant he was siding with Yoon’s loyalists in the current governing People Power Party. Additionally, Choi Sang-mok, the director of the Presidential Leader think tank, stated that Han lacked a legitimate reason to refuse the appointment of court justices. The Democratic party leader Lee Jae-myung accusv ed Han of “acting for insurrection.”
Supposed involvement with the current party further angered the opposing party, and the last straw was when a majority in the national assembly accused him of participating in Yoon’s martial law and blocking MPs from the parliament building. Many citizens quickly called for a second impeachment of the President within one month. On December 27. 2024, South Korea’s Parliament voted to impeach the acting president. Han had plunged the country deeper into the political crisis and had further damaged South Korea’s international reputation. Although the chamber had 300 voters, the opposing party won by a 192-0 vote because members of People Power Party boycotted the vote.
The supposed impeachment of acting president Han created more national chaos, as People Power Party lawmakers gathered in the national assembly. Crowds from the PPP called upon opposing MP Woo Won-shik to denounce the voting as invalid and resign. In response to the impeachment, Han asserted that he would step aside to avoid further instability and await for the constitutional court’s ruling instead. Choi Sang-mok pleaded with the opposing party to revoke the impeachment, arguing that it would further impact the current economic situation. South Korea could barely handle the expansion of political uncertainty, and Choi stated that, “An impeachment motion against the acting authority is no different from an impeachment motion against the entire cabinet.” Then, Choi took control as South Korea’s new interim leader, using his power to increase military in case of potential North Korean forces taking advantage of the country’s vulnerability. After ensuring the country was safe from external threats, he reassured diplomatic partners such as the U.S. and Japan.
Although South Korea returned to levels closer to stability after President Yoon’s impeachment, the impeachment of acting President Han brought new levels of instability and havoc. Han’s impeachment came as South Korea had told international partners that they would return to normal, which caused international humiliation and worries from allied countries. Two impeachments in the mouth had shook Asia’s financial markets and put the country at serious risk of North Korean nuclear threats and vulnerabilities in the economy. Currently, the two parties argue over which side poses the biggest threat to Korea. While Yoon and Han’s supporters argue that the Democratic Party poses a threat to the country’s economic stability and international ties, Democratic Party leader Lee argues that Yoon and his followers are the biggest threat to the country’s democracy. Because the impeachment process has not been completed, there is still the possibility of Yoon returning to office if the impeachment fails in the Constitutional Court.
Written by Claire Liu
