Han Duck-soo, the acting Prime Minister of South Korea, returned to the Seoul government building to resume his duties today (March 24) after the Constitutional Court dismissed his impeachment case. The court ruled that the motion to impeach Han Duck-soo was not valid, thus reinstating him as Prime Minister and acting president.
The impeachment case originated on December 27 of last year when the South Korean National Assembly accused Han Duck-soo of assisting President Yoon Seok-youl in declaring a state of emergency during his acting presidency and refusing to appoint three Constitutional Court judges. As a result, a motion to impeach Han Duck-soo was passed, and he was suspended from office. Subsequently, the case was referred to the Constitutional Court to decide whether Han Duck-soo should be removed from office.
After reviewing the case, the Constitutional Court rejected the impeachment motion with a vote of 7 to 1. The court's statement noted that although five judges believed the impeachment motion was valid, there was not enough legal basis to support Han Duck-soo's removal because he had not violated the constitution or laws concerning martial law and rebellion. Two judges opined that the impeachment case was invalid from the start since the parliamentary resolution lacked a two-thirds majority, and only one judge voted in favor of impeachment.
Additionally, the second trial verdict of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, accused of violating the Public Officials Election Act, is scheduled to be announced on March 26. At the same time, a decision regarding Yoon Seok-youl's impeachment case may also be forthcoming.
