Lawmakers from South Korea’s opposition party are planning to vote on Friday to impeach Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo.
The country’s National Assembly already impeached and suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this month for imposing an unpopular martial law in the country.
Now, the legislative body is justifying its second impeachment attempt on a top politician because Han refused on Thursday to appoint three judges to fill vacancies in the Constitutional Court, which will ultimately decide whether to remove Yoon.
Han has said he will hold off on doing so until his People Power Party and the opposition bloc, including the Democratic Party and other smaller parties, can agree on whether an acting president can appoint such positions.
An acting president should “refrain from exercising the president’s own significant powers, including the appointment of constitutional institutions,” he said.
Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae told reporters that Han’s words were “not those of an acting president, but of one who is admitting to insurrection.” His party has accused the acting leader of aiding Yoon’s declaration of martial law earlier this month.
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However, the two main opposing parties disagree on how many votes are needed to remove Han. The majority party says a two-thirds threshold must be met because the prime minister is acting president, while the opposition says only a majority is needed.
The opposition party likely has the votes needed for a majority but not for a two-thirds majority.
