In the South Korean Parliament, December 27, 2024. MPs voted for the impeachment of interim President Han Duck-soo. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP South Korean deputies voted on Friday, December 27, to dismiss the interim head of state, Han Duck-soo, accusing him of having “actively participated in the insurrection” after the his predecessor’s aborted attempt to impose martial law on December 3. “Of the 192 deputies who voted, 192 voted for impeachment,” National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said. The vote began amid loud protests from deputies of the ruling party, the PPP (People’s Power Party). They started singing and raising their fists in anger. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, the president’s coup attempt failed Read later The head of the PPP estimated that Mr. Han must “continue to direct the affairs of the state without bowing to the passage of the opposition’s impeachment motion. But the interim president reacted by announcing, in a press release, that he intended to “respect the decision of Parliament”. This is the first removal of an interim president in South Korean history. The new interim president, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, pledged Friday to overcome the political crisis. “Minimizing government turbulence is of paramount importance at this time,” Mr. Choi said in a speech shortly after his nomination. “The government will also devote all its efforts to overcoming this period of crisis,” he added. “Insurgent authority” On December 14, South Korean MPs voted in favor of the dismissal of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had imposed martial law and sent the army to Parliament at the beginning of the month, before backing down a few hours later. Mr. Yoon is suspended pending the verdict of the Constitutional Court, which must validate or invalidate the impeachment within six months. But the opposition criticized Mr. Han for refusing to fill three of the nine seats on the Court which must make a decision by a two-thirds majority. In the text of the no-confidence motion, the opposition claims that Mr. Han “intentionally obstructed the special investigation aimed at questioning those involved in the rebellion and has made clear his intention to reject the appointments of three judges of the Constitutional Court”, not filled due to the retirement of their holders. Such actions, the motion argues, “violate the duty of every public official to enforce the law (…) and serve the population.” Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol dismissed by the National Assembly Read later For the president of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, “the “interim authority” has transformed into an “authority insurrectional” Han Duck-soo, a 75-year-old career civil servant, argued that his status as interim president did not give him the power to make major appointments. He demanded that the choice of judges of the Constitutional Court first be the subject of an agreement between the PPP and the opposition groups. Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover Despite the vacancy of several seats, the Constitutional Court must hold a first hearing on Friday on the dismissal of Yoon Suk Yeol . If the three vacant seats are not filled before the end of the procedure, the six remaining judges will have to rule unanimously to permanently oust Mr. Yoon from power. A single vote against dismissal would therefore mean his automatic reinstatement in office. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The memory of the Gwangju massacre at the heart of the mobilization against martial law in South Korea Read later Le Monde with AFP
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