Political chaos continues to plague South Korea. Following the dismissal two weeks ago of President Yoon Suk-yeol, the man who on December 3 enacted martial law in the country for six hours and unleashed the largest institutional crisis of the democratic era, the National Assembly (Parliament) has voted this Friday a motion against the acting president, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had replaced him in office. The opposition, which controls the chamber, accuses Han of “complicity” and “insurrection” for refusing to approve the appointments of new judges for the Constitutional Court, the body on which the decision now falls on whether to reinstate or definitively depose Yoon. . It is the first time that the Asian nation has approved the initiation of a political trial against an interim leader. He will be replaced by Choi Sang-mok, current Minister of Finance and next Cabinet member in the presidential line of succession.
Since December 14, Han, of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), has acted as both head of state and government. Since South Korea had never removed a sitting president from office, there was no precedent as to whether such a vote had to be approved by two-thirds of Parliament (necessary in the case of attempting to remove a president) or whether a majority was sufficient. simple (as happens when it comes to dismissing a prime minister). The last word went to the president of the Assembly, Woo Won-shik, of the opposition Democratic Party (PD), who decided that half of the 300 parliamentary seats was enough. His announcement has provoked a protest from conservative legislators, who surrounded the platform from which Woo presides for several minutes and loudly denounced that Parliament was about to become a “tyranny.” Without the participation of PPP members, the motion has passed with 192 votes from the opposition.
“I respect the decision of the National Assembly and, in order not to increase confusion and uncertainty, I will suspend my duties in accordance with the relevant laws and await the prompt and wise decision of the Constitutional Court,” Han said in a statement collected by the agency. South Korean news outlet Yonhap.
The PD, which holds the parliamentary majority, had threatened since Tuesday to present a motion for impeachment against Han if he did not ratify the appointments of the three magistrates who must occupy the vacant seats of the Constitutional Court. On Thursday, Han announced that he would not do so until the PPP and the PD reached an agreement on the three profiles, insisting that it was fair for each party to present one candidate and agree on a third. South Korea’s highest court must conclude before June whether or not Yoon violated the Constitution by declaring a state of emergency and whether it makes his dismissal definitive. If the three vacancies are not filled, the six lawyers who currently occupy seats in the institution must unanimously approve the dismissal for it to be final.
“In times of global trade wars and national emergencies, the absence of a control tower for state affairs would cause serious damage to the credibility of our country, the economy, national security and the continuity of governance,” he warned. Choi, the new interim president, before Parliament voted in favor of Han’s dismissal. His warnings have not served to reverse the plan of the opposition majority. “The only way to return normality to the country is to quickly eradicate all insurrectionary forces,” PD leader Lee Jae-myung had counterattacked. The South Korean won plummeted this Friday to its lowest value in 16 years against the US dollar.
The declaration of martial law for the first time since 1980 has caused an earthquake in Seoul that is further straining relations between the two main political parties, the liberal PD and the conservative PPP, which are immersed in a new and intense battle. The opposition is trying to guarantee Yoon’s permanent dismissal as soon as possible so that early presidential elections can be called, in which polls show the PD as the clear favorite. The PPP, for its part, is trying to delay the process in time, given the possibility that the Supreme Court could soon ratify a sentence for violating the electoral law that weighs on the leader of the liberals.
Uncertainty
South Korea has been mired in uncertainty since, on the night of December 3, Yoon Suk-yeol surprised the world by declaring martial law. The announcement revived in many the memory of a dark military past that weighs on what is today considered one of the most solid democracies in Asia. The president justified the decision by accusing the opposition of controlling Parliament, engaging in anti-state activities and sympathizing with North Korea. The extreme measure was immediately met with the majority rejection of opposition politicians and his own party. The Assembly managed to put an end to it in the following hours thanks to an extraordinary vote held at dawn while the military, who were carrying out orders from the head of state, tried to access the chamber and interrupt the session.
In the following days, citizens took to the streets with numerous protests and pilgrimages to the seats of South Korean power, while the opposition tried to force Yoon’s fall and the Government tried to control the storm. The initiative to overthrow the head of state went ahead on the second attempt, after his party boycotted the first vote.
The Constitutional Court held, also this Friday, the first preparatory hearing for the impeachment trial against Yoon. The accused has so far refused to appoint a legal team for his defense. The South Korean politician, former attorney general of his country, has rejected the charges of insurrection that have been brought against him and has defended his actions as an “act of government” in the face of what he considers an abuse of legislative power by the opposition. . If the Constitutional Court finally approves his dismissal, new elections must be called within 60 days.
