South Korea's leadership in turmoil: Rapid-fire impeachments
South Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang Mok has assumed the responsibilities of the head of state. This change follows the parliament's decision to impeach the acting president Han Duk Su, who served for just two weeks. There are also preparations underway for the impeachment of Jun Suk Jeol, who declared martial law for a few hours.
Political crisis in South Korea. Within two weeks, three individuals have served as head of state. On December 14, the motion to impeach the former president, 64-year-old Jun Suk Jeol, was passed. On December 3, he declared martial law in the country. Although the law was lifted after a few hours, Jeol was suspended from office.
South Korea: Impeachment and a new head of state
Prime Minister Han Duk Su took over his responsibilities, and in just two weeks, he encountered political turmoil. The main opposition Democratic Party, which controls the parliament, indicted Han because he did not promptly appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court vacancies.
According to Yonhap news agency, the vote occurred amid loud protests from members of the ruling People Power Party (PWP), who began chanting that the vote was invalid and accused the parliament of "tyranny."
Han, who leads the government, announced that he would resign as acting president to avoid further political chaos. Starting December 14, Prime Minister Han served as head of state. A total of 192 members of the 300-member parliament voted for his dismissal. According to the law, Finance Minister Choi Sang Mok assumed the duties of head of state.
The former president faces the death penalty
Media reports suggest that Han's dismissal will exacerbate the serious political crisis that has been ongoing in South Korea since early December. On Friday morning, even before the parliamentary vote was announced, South Korea's win fell to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly 16 years (1 dollar was worth 1,474 won).
On Friday, the Constitutional Court held its first preparatory hearing on the suspended president's impeachment case. During the proceedings, the court will decide within 180 days of lawmakers' acceptance of the impeachment motion on December 14 whether to approve his dismissal or reinstate him as head of state. The 64-year-old Jun is under investigation for political rebellion, a crime punishable by death. The politician is ignoring calls to appear for questioning.
