South Korea: Major Opposition Party Files Impeachment Motion Against Acting President Han, Vote Scheduled for Tomorrow
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Seoul, Dec 26 (NationPress) The Democratic Party (DP), South Korea's leading opposition force, has filed an impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo, which was presented during a parliamentary plenary session on Thursday.
This action came swiftly after Han announced that he would not be appointing justices to the Constitutional Court until a consensus was reached between the opposing parties.
The DP has pledged to impeach Han unless he consents to their appointments, as the opposition-dominated National Assembly approved a motion granting parliamentary consent to three judicial nominees.
A significant number of legislators from the ruling People Power Party chose to boycott the voting process.
Should the three nominees be appointed, they will occupy the vacant spots on the court's nine-member panel, which currently has six justices in place, to oversee President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial. According to the law, a minimum of six votes is necessary to affirm an impeachment motion.
The DP intends to bring the motion to a vote during a plenary session scheduled for Friday.
Legally, an impeachment motion must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours after being reported to a plenary session.
The DP has outlined five reasons for pursuing Han's impeachment, which include allegations of his complicity in Yoon's failed martial law enforcement and his refusal to appoint justices to the Constitutional Court.
Earlier in the day, during a public address, Han stated he would postpone the appointment until the rival parties reached a mutually accepted measure.
"It is the consistent spirit of our Constitution and laws that the acting President refrain from exercising the vital and exclusive authority of the President, including appointments to constitutional institutions," Han remarked in a public address at the government complex in Seoul.
"Once both ruling and opposition parties present an agreed-upon measure, I will promptly appoint the Constitutional Court justices," he added.
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the DP, criticized Han's address, alleging that he facilitated Yoon's martial law declaration, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
"Prime Minister Han is a crucial individual who played a significant role during the December 3 martial law crisis," Park stated, referencing comments from former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun's attorney, who claimed that the ousted minister had briefed Han on the martial law operations before proposing the plan to Yoon.
"It has become evident that he lacks both the qualifications to fulfill the duties of acting president and the commitment to uphold the Constitution," Park expressed.
In reaction to the allegations made by the former Defence Minister's lawyer, the Prime Minister's office stated that Han was not informed of the plan through any channels until he learned about it from Yoon on the evening of the declaration, and he pledged to explore all possible recourse against these false assertions.
