South Korea Impeaches Acting Pres. Han Duck-soo

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Above: Han Duck-soo leaves a news conference after lawmakers voted to impeach South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Dec. 14, 2024. Image copyright: SeongJoon Cho/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Facts

  • South Korea's parliament voted to impeach acting Pres. Han Duck-soo on Friday, with 192 lawmakers supporting the motion in the 300-member assembly.

  • This comes just weeks after Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for declaring martial law on Dec. 3.

  • The Constitutional Court must decide within 180 days of the motions whether to uphold the impeachments of both Han and Yoon. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has become the acting president.

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The Spin

Narrative A

The impeachment was necessary to root out insurrection forces and protect democracy. Han actively participated in the crisis by refusing to appoint court justices and complete Yoon's impeachment process, revealing his true colors as an obstacle to justice.

HANKYOREHFirstpost

Narrative B

The impeachment represents an abuse of power by the opposition-controlled parliament. The process violated constitutional principles, and Han was right to seek bipartisan consensus on court appointments rather than exercising significant presidential powers during an interim period.

The Korea TimesNew York Times

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