South Korea’s Constitutional Court has dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Deok-soo and ordered him to be reinstated as acting president.
The court ruling is the latest development in South Korea’s complex political crisis over President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived attempt to overthrow civilian rule in December. Han was appointed acting president after South Korean lawmakers defied armed soldiers in parliament and rejected Yun’s declaration of military rule on December 3, impeaching him.
A few weeks later, he was also impeached, citing his involvement in the defeat of the military regime and the judicial appointment controversy. “The Constitutional Court has decided to reject the impeachment petition against Prime Minister Han Deok-soo,” the court said in a statement issued on Monday.
In the court’s hearing on Han’s impeachment, only one of the five judges voted in favor of impeachment, while two judges argued that the case should not come to court because lawmakers did not have a majority to impeach Han. “Han’s actions while in office cannot be considered ‘a betrayal of the public trust indirectly conferred by the President,’” the court ruling said.
This decision will take effect immediately and cannot be appealed. Han, who took over as acting president on Monday, thanked the Constitutional Court for its “wise decision.” “I believe all citizens are speaking out clearly against a highly polarized political landscape. I believe there is no room for division right now. Our country’s priority is to move forward.”
The court’s decision, which came ahead of the much-awaited ruling on the impeachment of suspended President Yun, has been closely watched. A date for the ruling on Yun’s impeachment has not yet been announced. Although experts predict a ruling on the case by mid-March, the Constitutional Court has yet to rule, making Yun’s case one of the longest-discussed in history.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has urged the Constitutional Court to move more quickly on Yoon’s case, saying the ruling on Han should not be “disrespected.”
