Han Duck-soo, South Korea’s prime minister and acting president, speaks during a news conference after lawmakers passed a motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 14, 2024.
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South Korea’s lawmakers on Friday unexpectedly voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, in the second head-of-state ousting this month after a short-lived martial decree on Dec. 3, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Han’s predecessor, President Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached a mere two weeks prior, after imposing martial law for six hours at the start of the month for the first time since the military coup of 1979, citing the need to “protect the constitutional order based on freedom and eradicate shameful pro-North Korea anti-state groups, that are stealing freedom and happiness of our people,” according to NBC News.
Opposition lawmakers brought the motion against Han on Thursday over the acting president’s reluctance to immediately appoint three justices in the Constitutional Court, which is preparing to kick off deliberations on upholding Yoon’s impeachment or reinstating him.
Han’s own impeachment plunges South Korea into renewed political turbulence, shaking the foundations of its democratic success story and driving the Korean won down 0.40% to 1,472.22 after the Friday news.
This breaking news story is being updated.
