The interim head of state in South Korea, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, was in turn dismissed on Friday December 27 by deputies, a new episode in the political crisis which has shaken the country since the failed attempt at ousted president to impose martial law. The vote took place amid loud protests from ruling party MPs who began chanting and raising their fists in anger. “Of the 192 deputies who voted, 192 voted for impeachment,” announced the president of the National Assembly, Woo Won-shik. This is the first impeachment of an interim president after that of the president holder in the history of South Korea. It is the Minister of Finance, Choi Sang-mok, who now falls to the role of interim head of state. “Active participation in the insurrection” The deputies accused Han Duck-soo of having “actively participated in the insurrection”. ‘insurrection’ after his predecessor’s failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3. They had already voted on December 14 in favor of the dismissal of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol who had imposed martial law and sent the army in Parliament at the beginning of the month, before backing down a few hours later. The Constitutional Court must validate or invalidate the dismissal of Yoon Suk-yeol within six months. However, the opposition criticized Han Duck-soo for refusing to fill three of the nine seats on the Court, which is supposed to make a decision by a two-thirds majority regarding this dismissal. In the text of the motion for dismissal of the interim president “ intentionally obstructs the special investigation aimed at questioning those involved in the rebellion and has made clear its intention to reject the appointments of three judges of the Constitutional Court, unfilled due to the retirement of their incumbents. such actions, supports the motion, “violate the duty of every public official to enforce the law” and “serve the population”. For the president of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, “the interim authority has transformed into an insurrectional authority.” A sign of investors’ concerns about Asia’s fourth largest economy: Friday morning, even before the announcement of impeachment, the South Korean won plunged to its lowest level in nearly 16 years against the dollar. Constitutional Court hearing 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 important appointments. He demanded that the choice of judges of the Constitutional Court first be the subject of an agreement between the People’s Power Party (PPP, in power) and the opposition groups. Despite the vacancy of several seats, the Constitutional Court is scheduled to hold a first hearing on Yoon Suk-Yeol’s impeachment on Friday. If the three vacant seats are not filled before the end of the proceedings, the remaining six judges will have to rule unanimously to oust them permanently. Yoon Suk-Yeol of power. A single vote against dismissal would therefore mean his automatic reinstatement in his functions. Han Duck-soo’s refusal to appoint new judges proves “that he has neither the will nor the skills to respect the Constitution”, lamented the leader of the Democratic Party deputies in the Assembly, Park Chan-dae. Ousted President Yoon Suk-yeol, 64, is also under investigation for “rebellion”, a crime punishable by of death.The Office of inquiry into corruption, which centralizes investigations, has already summoned the deposed president twice to question him about the events of the night of December 3 to 4, which stunned the country. But Yoon Suk-yeol did not appear for any of these summons. Investigators sent him a third summons on Thursday for an interview on Sunday morning.
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