South Korean acting president impeached

"I declare that the motion to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has been passed. A total of 192 lawmakers participated in the vote, all of whom supported the motion," South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced after the vote in the National Assembly today.

This is the first time a South Korean prime minister who also serves as acting president has been impeached. The move comes nearly two weeks after President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached and suspended from office.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will become acting President of South Korea and acting Prime Minister, replacing Han Duck-soo.

The opposition currently controls 191 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly, with the Democratic Party (DP) holding 170. The PPP holds 108 seats, with one remaining seat held by an independent. Impeachment of the President of South Korea requires a minimum of two-thirds of lawmakers, while other officials only need a simple majority.

None of the 108 lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) took part in the vote. PPP lawmakers chanted slogans and raised their fists in protest before the vote took place. Some even rushed toward National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik after he said that only a simple majority of votes, or 151 in favor, would be needed to impeach Han.

DP lawmakers voted to impeach Mr Han at the request of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who warned that "the country's economy and international reputation must not be destabilized again".

After becoming acting president, Prime Minister Han faced repeated warnings from the DP that he could be impeached if he did not cooperate with the National Assembly. However, his cabinet has repeatedly rejected or refused to consider several DP-backed bills.

On December 26, the Democratic Party filed a motion to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on five grounds, including suspicions that he "assisted" President Yoon Suk-yeol in declaring martial law on the night of December 3 and refused to appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court. President Yoon was impeached by the South Korean National Assembly and suspended from power since December 14.

The National Assembly of South Korea approved three candidates for the Constitutional Court on December 26. However, Mr. Han announced that he would only approve the appointment if the DP and the PPP reached an agreement on the three candidates.

"Not appointing a Constitutional Court judge shows that Mr. Han lacks the will and ability to protect the constitution," said DP leader in the National Assembly Park Chan-dae.

The appointment of the three justices will fill nine seats on the Constitutional Court, starting the impeachment process for Mr. Yoon, which could take up to 180 days. Under South Korean law, a president can be removed from office if at least six Constitutional Court justices support impeachment.