South Korean Constitutional Court rejects impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck Soo

The Constitutional Court of South Korea on March 24 rejected the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, restoring him to his position as acting president.

Prime Minister Han was immediately reinstated after 87 days of suspension pending the Constitutional Court's ruling.

The National Assembly, led by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), passed a motion to impeach Prime Minister Han on December 27, 2024.

The information said that out of the total eight judges of the Constitutional Court, six voted to reject the impeachment, one voted to partially reject it, and one voted to approve the impeachment. Of these, the six judges who voted to reject the impeachment said that there was no evidence to support the National Assembly's accusation that Prime Minister Han took proactive action to legitimize President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt on the night of December 3, 2024.

The National Assembly's impeachment motion also listed allegations that Han attempted to form a joint governing system with then-ruling People's Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong Hoon and refused to enact two special counsel bills targeting President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee.

However, the Constitutional Court rejected these allegations.

Prime Minister Han arrived at his office immediately after the verdict was announced. Speaking to reporters, Han welcomed the court's decision and said he needed to quickly focus on resolving the country's urgent matters.

The Constitutional Court's ruling on Prime Minister Han is being closely watched as the South Korean public eagerly awaits the announcement of the impeachment verdict against President Yoon.

The court has yet to announce a date for its ruling on President Yoon's impeachment. However, many sources predict that the ruling could come later this week.