The main Democratic Party's bid to suspend party leader Han Duck-soo has thrown the country into uncertainty.
South Korea's parliament is set to vote on the impeachment of its president as the ongoing turmoil in Asia's fourth-largest economy saw the number of winners rise to the highest since the 2007-2009 global financial crisis.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is pushing to oust Han Duck-soo, the prime minister, in a vote in the National Assembly on Friday after accusing the incumbent president of involvement in the coup that led to suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The DP, which has 170 seats in the 300-member parliament, made the decision on Thursday after Han refused to fill three judgeships on the court that is set to try Yoon's impeachment case following his short-term announcement.
Han's People Power Party (PPP) said that only the elected president has the power to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court.
At least six judges on the court must approve Yoon's removal from office.
The court currently has only 6 judges after the retirement of three judges earlier this year, meaning the bench must issue a unanimous decision to remove Yoon from the post of President.
The court is due to hold its first hearing on Yoon's impeachment on Friday and could take up to six months to issue its decision.
Yoon, who has defended his declaration of martial law as legitimate and aimed at combating “wars against the government”, is also under investigation for suspected treason and abuse of power.
The move to impeach Han, less than two weeks after he took office after Yoon's impeachment, has thrown South Korea into political uncertainty as the country is still reeling from Yoon's Dec. 4 martial law.
Although one-third of the National Assembly must vote against the incumbent president, there is no consensus on whether the same leader is in office.
The PPP has said that two-thirds of lawmakers must approve Han's removal.
The DP said that he could be suspended if 151 MPs return the case because the constitution allows the removal of cabinet members by a majority vote.
With the DP, smaller opposition parties and independents holding 192 seats, at least eight PPP MPs will need to cross the threshold to reach the two-thirds majority.
If Han is removed, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will assume the role of president.
Choi on Friday warned that impeachment against Han would cause serious damage to the country's economy and urged the opposition to reconsider its proposals.
“The economy and people's lives are running on ice because of the emergency, and they can't handle the political uncertainty that will come from another president taking over the presidency,” Choi said.
The South Korean won fell sharply against the US dollar on Friday, falling below 1,480 for the first time since March 2009.