SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo contempt vehement protests by governing statement lawmakers, further deepening nan country’s governmental situation group disconnected by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial rule and ensuing impeachment.
Han’s impeachment intends he will beryllium stripped of nan powers and duties of nan president until nan Constitutional Court decides whether to disregard aliases reinstate him. The tribunal is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon’s earlier impeachment. The impeachments of nan country’s apical 2 officials worsen its governmental turmoil, deepen its economical uncertainty and wounded its world image.
The single-chamber National Assembly passed Han’s impeachment mobility pinch a 192-0 vote. Lawmakers pinch nan governing People Power Party boycotted nan ballot and gathered astir nan podium wherever assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik was seated and shouted that nan ballot was “invalid” and demanded Woo’s resignation. No unit aliases injuries were reported.
The PPP lawmakers protested aft Woo called for a ballot connected Han’s impeachment mobility aft announcing its transition required a elemental mostly successful nan 300-memer assembly, not a two-thirds mostly arsenic claimed by nan PPP. Most South Korean officials tin beryllium impeached by nan National Assembly pinch a elemental mostly vote, but a president’s impeachment needs nan support of two-thirds. There are nary circumstantial laws connected nan impeachment of an acting president.
Han’s powers will beryllium officially suspended erstwhile copies of his impeachment archive are delivered to him and nan Constitutional Court. The lawman premier curate and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, will return over.
Han, who was appointed premier curate by Yoon, became acting president aft Yoon, a conservative, was impeached by nan National Assembly astir 2 weeks agone complete his short-lived Dec. 3 imposition of martial law. Han quickly fought pinch nan main wide guidance Democratic Party arsenic he pushed backmost against opposition-led efforts to capable 3 vacant seats connected nan Constitutional Court, found an independent investigation into Yoon’s martial rule decree and legislate pro-farmer bills.
At nan bosom of nan fighting is nan Democratic Party’s request that Han o.k. nan assembly’s nominations of 3 caller Constitutional Court justices to reconstruct its afloat nine-member chair up of its ruling connected Yoon’s impeachment. That’s a politically delicate rumor because a tribunal determination to disregard Yoon arsenic president needs support from astatine slightest six justices, and adding much justices will apt summation nan prospects for Yoon’s ouster. Yoon’s governmental friends successful nan governing People Power Party reason nan assignment of nan 3 justices, saying Han shouldn’t workout nan statesmanlike authority to make nan appointments while Yoon has yet to beryllium formally removed from office.
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On Thursday, Han said he wouldn’t name nan justices without bipartisan consent. The Democratic Party, which holds a mostly successful nan assembly, submitted an impeachment mobility against Han and passed bills calling for nan assignment of 3 justices.
South Korean investigative agencies are probing whether Yoon committed rebellion and maltreatment of powerfulness pinch his marital rule decree. His defense minister, constabulary main and respective different elder subject commanders person already been arrested complete nan deployment of troops and constabulary officers to nan National Assembly, which prompted a melodramatic standoff that ended erstwhile lawmakers managed to participate nan enclosure and voted unanimously to overrule Yoon’s decree.