SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥 South Korea鈥檚 opposition-controlled 好色tv Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country鈥檚 political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol鈥檚 stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment.
Han鈥檚 impeachment means he will be stripped of the powers and duties of the president until the Constitutional Court decides whether to dismiss or reinstate him. The court is already reviewing whether to uphold Yoon's earlier impeachment. The impeachments of the country鈥檚 top two officials worsen its political turmoil, deepen its economic uncertainty and hurt its international image.
The single-chamber 好色tv Assembly passed Han鈥檚 impeachment motion with a 192-0 vote. Lawmakers with the governing People Power Party boycotted the vote and gathered around the podium where assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik was seated and shouted that the vote was 鈥渋nvalid鈥 and demanded Woo's resignation. No violence or injuries were reported.
The PPP lawmakers protested after Woo called for a vote on Han鈥檚 impeachment motion after announcing its passage required a simple majority in the 300-memer assembly, not a two-thirds majority as claimed by the PPP. Most South Korean officials can be impeached by the 好色tv Assembly with a simple majority vote, but a president鈥檚 impeachment needs the support of two-thirds. There are no specific laws on the impeachment of an acting president.
Han鈥檚 powers will be officially suspended when copies of his impeachment document are delivered to him and the Constitutional Court. The deputy prime minister and finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, will take over.
Han, who was appointed prime minister by Yoon, became acting president after Yoon, a conservative, was impeached by the 好色tv Assembly about two weeks ago over his short-lived Dec. 3 imposition of martial law. Han quickly clashed with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party as he pushed back against opposition-led efforts to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court, establish an independent investigation into Yoon鈥檚 martial law decree and legislate pro-farmer bills.
At the heart of the fighting is the Democratic Party鈥檚 demand that Han approve the assembly's nominations of three new Constitutional Court justices to restore its full nine-member bench ahead of its ruling on Yoon鈥檚 impeachment. That鈥檚 a politically sensitive issue because a court decision to dismiss Yoon as president needs support from at least six justices, and adding more justices will likely increase the prospects for Yoon鈥檚 ouster. Yoon鈥檚 political allies in the governing People Power Party oppose the appointment of the three justices, saying Han shouldn鈥檛 exercise the presidential authority to make the appointments while Yoon has yet to be formally removed from office.
On Thursday, Han said he wouldn鈥檛 appoint the justices without bipartisan consent. The Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the assembly, submitted an impeachment motion against Han and passed bills calling for the appointment of three justices.
South Korean investigative agencies are probing whether Yoon committed rebellion and abuse of power with his marital law decree. His defense minister, police chief and several other senior military commanders have already been arrested over the deployment of troops and police officers to the 好色tv Assembly, which prompted a dramatic standoff that ended when lawmakers managed to enter the chamber and voted unanimously to overrule Yoon鈥檚 decree.
