South Korea: Main Opposition submits bill to impeach acting President Han, vote up for tomorrow

Seoul, Dec 26 (IANS) South Korea’s main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) submitted an impeachment motion against acting President Han Duck-soo and reported it to a parliamentary plenary session on Thursday.

The decision came shortly after Han said he would not appoint justices to the Constitutional Court until the rival parties reached a compromise.

The DP has vowed to impeach Han unless he approves their appointments, as the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed a motion granting parliamentary consent to three justice nominees.

A majority of lawmakers associated with the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote.

If appointed, the three nominees will fill vacancies on the court’s nine-member bench, where six justices are currently seated, to deliberate President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial. By law, at least six votes are required to uphold an impeachment motion.

The DP plans to put the motion up for a vote during a plenary session on Friday.

By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after it is reported to a plenary session.

The DP cited five reasons for seeking Han’s impeachment, including his suspected collusion with and abetting of Yoon’s botched martial law imposition, and refusing to appoint Constitutional Court justices.

In a public address earlier in the day, Han said he would defer the appointment until rival parties reach an agreed-upon measure.

“It is the consistent spirit of our Constitution and laws that the acting President refrain from exercising the vital and exclusive authority of the President, including appointments to constitutional institutions,” Han said in a public address given at the government complex in Seoul.

“Once the ruling and opposition parties submit an agreed-upon measure, I will immediately appoint the Constitutional Court justices,” he said.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the DP, denounced Han’s address, accusing him of aiding Yoon’s martial law declaration, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Prime Minister Han is a key figure who carried out major tasks in the December 3 martial law turmoil,” Park said, citing former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun’s attorney’s remarks that the ousted minister reported on martial law operations to Han before proposing the plan to Yoon.

“It has become clear that he has neither the qualifications to carry out the role of acting president nor the will to defend the Constitution,” Park said.

In response to the claim by the former Defence Minister’s lawyer, the Prime Minister’s office said Han was not briefed on the plan through any means until he heard about it from Yoon on the night of the declaration and vowed to seek all possible measures against false claims.

–IANS

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