South Korea's parliament on Friday impeached interim President Han Duck-soo under short-lived martial law, plunging the country into further political chaos, while the Constitutional Court said it would quickly try suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The ouster of Han, who has been acting president since Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14 for declaring martial law on Dec. 3, has thrown South Korea's once-vibrant democratic success story into uncharted territory.
The motion led by opposition parties passed with 192 of 300 votes amid noisy scenes involving members of the ruling People Power Party who surrounded the speaker's podium shouting that the vote was invalid and that parliament had committed “tyranny.” “.
Ahead of the parliamentary session, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said his Democratic Party, which has majority control of parliament, will press ahead with the plan to remove the sitting president, accusing Han of “acting for insurrection.” “.
“The only way to normalize the country is to quickly eradicate all insurrection forces,” Lee said in a fiery speech, adding that the party was acting on public order to eradicate those who have put the country at risk.
There has been overwhelming public support for Yoon's ouster, according to opinion polls conducted after his attempt to implement martial law.
The plan to vote to remove Han was revealed on Thursday by the main opposition Democratic Party after it refused to immediately appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court, saying it would exceed their acting role.
Until just before voting began, it was unclear how many votes were needed to remove Han as interim leader. The threshold for a prime minister is a simple majority, while a two-thirds majority is needed for a president.
Speaker Woo Won-shik declared that a simple majority would constitute parliamentary approval.
Han said in a statement after the vote that he would step aside to avoid further chaos and await a Constitutional Court ruling on his impeachment.
By law, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will take over as interim president.
Earlier, Choi pleaded with parliament to withdraw the plan to remove Han, saying it would cause serious damage to the country's economy.
The vote to determine Han's fate comes on the same day the Constitutional Court held its first hearing in a case reviewing whether to overturn the impeachment and reinstate Yoon or permanently remove him from office. You have 180 days to make a decision.
