South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly voted on Friday to remove acting President Han Duck-soo despite violent protests from ruling party lawmakers, further deepening the country's political crisis sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol's imposition of martial law and subsequent impeachment.
Han's impeachment means he will be stripped of his powers and duties as president until the Constitutional Court decides to dismiss or reinstate him.
The court is already considering whether to uphold Yoon's earlier impeachment. The impeachments of the country's two top officials have worsened political turmoil, deepened economic uncertainty and damaged its international image.
The unicameral National Assembly passed the motion to impeach Han by a majority of 192 to 0.
Lawmakers from the ruling People's Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote and gathered around the podium where Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik sat, shouted that the vote was “invalid” and demanded Woo's resignation.
PPP lawmakers protested after Woo called for a vote on Han's impeachment motion after announcing that its adoption required a simple majority in the 300-seat assembly, not a two-thirds majority as the PPP claimed. Most South Korean officials can be impeached by the National Assembly with a simple majority, but presidential impeachment requires two-thirds support. There are no specific provisions for impeaching an acting president.
In a statement, Han called his impeachment “regrettable” but said he respected the assembly's decision and would suspend his duties so as “not to create additional confusion and uncertainty.” He announced that he would wait for a “quick and wise decision” of the Constitutional Tribunal.
Han's powers were officially suspended after a copy of the impeachment document was delivered to him and the Constitutional Court. Choi Sang-mok, deputy prime minister and minister of finance, took power.
Later on Friday, Choi's office said he had instructed the military to increase its readiness to prevent North Korea from misjudging the situation and launching a provocation. He also directed the foreign minister to inform the US, Japan and other major partners that South Korea's foreign policy remains unchanged.
Han, who was appointed prime minister by Yoon, became acting president after the National Assembly impeached the conservative Yoon about two weeks ago over the short-lived declaration of martial law on December 3.
Han quickly clashed with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, opposing opposition-led efforts to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, launch an independent investigation into Yoon's martial law decree and pass pro-agriculture laws.
At the heart of the fighting is the Democratic Party's demand that Han approve the Assembly's nominations of three new Constitutional Court judges in order to restore the full nine-member bench ahead of Yoon's impeachment ruling. It's a politically sensitive issue because a court's decision to remove Yoon as president requires the support of at least six judges, and adding more judges will likely increase the chances of Yoon's ouster.
Yoon's political allies in the ruling People's Power Party oppose the appointment of the three judges, arguing that Han should not exercise presidential authority to make appointments while Yoon has not yet been formally removed from office.
South Korea's parliament voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree. It was a historic rebuke that was welcomed by jubilant crowds who described the result as another defiant moment in the nation's path to a vibrant democracy.
On Thursday, Han said he would not appoint judges without consent from both sides. The Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the Assembly, filed an impeachment motion against Han and passed bills calling for the appointment of three judges.
South Korean investigative agencies are investigating whether Yoon committed sedition and abuse of power by issuing the marriage law decree. Yoon repeatedly ignored authorities' requests to appear for direct questioning.
His defense minister, police chief, and several other senior military commanders had already been arrested in connection with the deployment of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly, causing a dramatic conflict that ended when lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and voted unanimously to repeal Yoon's decree.