South Korea’s main opposition party announced on Tuesday its intention to push for the impeachment of Acting President Han Duck-soo, who has been serving as interim leader after the parliamentary removal of President Yoon Suk-youl on December 14. The opposition accuses Han of refusing to approve two crucial bills aimed at investigating allegations against the ousted president.
The proposed laws would establish two independent commissions—one to investigate Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law and disrupt parliament by deploying the military on December 3, and another to address corruption allegations involving Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee.
Han rejected the opposition’s demands during a Cabinet meeting, stating that the bills should be subject to bipartisan agreement. The opposition, holding 192 of 300 seats in the National Assembly, claims it only requires a simple majority to remove Han, while the ruling People Power Party argues that a two-thirds majority is necessary.
If the impeachment succeeds, it would mark the first time in South Korean history that an acting president is ousted after the removal of a sitting president. Meanwhile, Yoon remains the official president pending a ruling from the Constitutional Court.
