Explainer: South Korea's Constitutional Court to Consider Presidents' Ouster
2025-01-07
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1The impeachment late last month of South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo has deepened political division in the country.
2He had replaced President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached earlier in December.
3Two impeachments suspending the country's top two officials in a short period of time has never happened before in South Korea.
4Now, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is the new temporary leader.
5When he took power, Choi quickly ordered the military to increase readiness in the event of an act of aggression by North Korea.
6Diplomats communicated with important partners including the United States and Japan.
7Duyeon Kim is an expert with the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C. Kim said: "(Han's) impeachment now creates an opportunity for external threats."
8Before Yoon declared martial law on December 3, Han Duck-soo was the prime minister and the second highest official in South Korea.
9Lawmakers impeached Yoon on December 14 over his martial law order.
10Han tried to ease the concerns of South Korea's major diplomatic partners and to calm its financial markets.
11However, he became involved in a political dispute with the opposition Democratic Party, or DP.
12DP lawmakers demanded that Han immediately appoint three justices to seats on the Constitutional Court to rule on Yoon's impeachment.
13The court normally has nine justices.
14Currently three seats remain open.
15Han refused to fill the open seats.
16He said he would not appoint justices without the approval of both the DP and the governing People Power Party, or PPP.
17Choi Jin is director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership based in Seoul.
18He said Han lacked a good reason not to appoint the justices.
19But Choi said the DP should not have moved to impeach Han so quickly.
20Han's impeachment came as South Korean officials told international partners that the situation was returning to normal.
21Officials in Japan, Europe and the United States had been surprised by Yoon's declaration of martial law.
22Duyeon Kim said: "South Korea is now in a far more serious crisis of leadership and governance," adding that, "Han had the experience and credentials to deal with both security and financial crises...."
23Kim expressed concern that the leadership situation would harm the economy, culture and industry.
24The governing party argues that Han's impeachment is "invalid" because it is based on a simple majority of the 300-member National Assembly.
25The PPP says a two-thirds majority is necessary. It has brought a case before the Constitutional Court to consider the impeachment vote of Yoon.
26The Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide on the legality of both impeachments.
27Han called his impeachment "regrettable," but said he respects the assembly's decision.
28If Yoon is ousted, then a national election must take place within 60 days.
29Yoon faces several separate investigations into possible wrongdoing linked to his martial law declaration.
30DP leader Lee Jae-myung is favored to win a possible presidential election.
31However, Lee faces legal cases as well.
32He was found guilty of election law violations in November.
33He is appealing the ruling.
34If Lee becomes president, his trials would be suspended because South Korean law does not permit a sitting president to face legal action for most crimes.
35I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
1The impeachment late last month of South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo has deepened political division in the country. He had replaced President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached earlier in December. 2Two impeachments suspending the country's top two officials in a short period of time has never happened before in South Korea. Now, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, is the new temporary leader. 3When he took power, Choi quickly ordered the military to increase readiness in the event of an act of aggression by North Korea. Diplomats communicated with important partners including the United States and Japan. 4Duyeon Kim is an expert with the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C. Kim said: "(Han's) impeachment now creates an opportunity for external threats." 5How Han was impeached 6Before Yoon declared martial law on December 3, Han Duck-soo was the prime minister and the second highest official in South Korea. Lawmakers impeached Yoon on December 14 over his martial law order. 7Han tried to ease the concerns of South Korea's major diplomatic partners and to calm its financial markets. However, he became involved in a political dispute with the opposition Democratic Party, or DP. 8DP lawmakers demanded that Han immediately appoint three justices to seats on the Constitutional Court to rule on Yoon's impeachment. The court normally has nine justices. Currently three seats remain open. Han refused to fill the open seats. He said he would not appoint justices without the approval of both the DP and the governing People Power Party, or PPP. 9Choi Jin is director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership based in Seoul. He said Han lacked a good reason not to appoint the justices. But Choi said the DP should not have moved to impeach Han so quickly. 10International surprise 11Han's impeachment came as South Korean officials told international partners that the situation was returning to normal. Officials in Japan, Europe and the United States had been surprised by Yoon's declaration of martial law. 12Duyeon Kim said: "South Korea is now in a far more serious crisis of leadership and governance," adding that, "Han had the experience and credentials to deal with both security and financial crises...." 13Kim expressed concern that the leadership situation would harm the economy, culture and industry. 14What might happen? 15The governing party argues that Han's impeachment is "invalid" because it is based on a simple majority of the 300-member National Assembly. The PPP says a two-thirds majority is necessary. It has brought a case before the Constitutional Court to consider the impeachment vote of Yoon. 16The Constitutional Court has 180 days to decide on the legality of both impeachments. 17Han called his impeachment "regrettable," but said he respects the assembly's decision. If Yoon is ousted, then a national election must take place within 60 days. 18Yoon faces several separate investigations into possible wrongdoing linked to his martial law declaration. DP leader Lee Jae-myung is favored to win a possible presidential election. 19However, Lee faces legal cases as well. He was found guilty of election law violations in November. He is appealing the ruling. 20If Lee becomes president, his trials would be suspended because South Korean law does not permit a sitting president to face legal action for most crimes. 21I'm Mario Ritter Jr. 22Hyung-Jin Kim reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23__________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25impeachment -n. (political) an action that is defined in a country's constitution that is part of a process for removing the executive officer from power for a crime or wrongdoing 26opportunity -n. a good chance for advancement or progress 27external -adj. not inside something but outside of it 28invalid -adj. being without foundation or force in fact, truth, or law 29credentials -n. (usually pl.) qualities or abilities that make someone able to do something; documents that state a person is permitted to do a certain job 30We want to hear from you.