South Korea's Constitutional Court has overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, reinstating him as the country's acting leader. However, a decision has yet to be made on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol for his abrupt declaration of martial law in December.
Many experts noted that the court's 7-1 ruling in Mr. Han's case should not be taken as a clear signal of an imminent verdict in Mr. Yoon's case, since Mr. Han did not play a significant role in imposing martial law.
However, the decision could embolden Mr. Yun's loyal supporters and increase their political activism against the opposition.
After being reinstated, Mr. Khan thanked the court for what he called its “wise decision” and vowed to focus on “pressing issues,” including the rapidly changing global trading environment, apparently a reference to the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policies.
He also called for national unity, noting: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s left or right – the main thing is the development of our nation.”
South Korea has been in political turmoil since conservative Mr Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3 and sent hundreds of troops into the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly and other sites in Seoul.
Mr. Yun's order lasted only six hours because enough lawmakers had made it into the chamber to quickly vote against it.
– Arguments for impeachment
On Dec. 14, the assembly passed a resolution to impeach Mr. Yun, arguing that he had violated the Constitution and other laws by suppressing the assembly's work and attempting to detain politicians.
As a result of Mr. Yoon's impeachment, Mr. Han became acting president until his impeachment in late December.
The unprecedented and back-to-back impeachments, which have ousted the country's two top officials, have deepened internal divisions and raised concerns about South Korea's diplomatic and economic performance.
The main reason for the opposition's attempts to impeach Mr Khan was his reluctance to fill three vacant positions on the nine-member Constitutional Court.
It was a highly sensitive issue because the court needed the support of at least six justices to approve Mr. Yun's impeachment, and filling the vacancies could increase the likelihood of such a decision.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
