South Korea’s constitutional court has ruled against the impeachment of the country’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, and to restore his position as acting president, marking the latest political twist in months of political turmoil.
Han took over as acting president after the country’s leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was himself impeached over his short-lived declaration of martial law late last year.
Han lasted less than two weeks in the post and was impeached and suspended on 27 December after clashing with the opposition-led parliament by refusing to appoint three more justices to the constitutional court.
The court’s justices ruled seven to one on Monday to strike down the impeachment.
Out of the eight justices, five said the impeachment motion against Han was valid but there were not enough grounds to impeach him as he did not violate the constitution or South Korean law concerning the martial law announcement or potential insurrection, according to a court statement.
Two justices ruled that the impeachment motion against Han, who was acting president at the time, was invalid from the start as two-thirds of lawmakers in parliament did not pass it. One justice voted to impeach Han.
Han, 75, had served in leadership positions for more than three decades under five presidents, both conservative and liberal.
In a country sharply divided by partisan rhetoric, Han had been seen as a rare example of an official whose varied career transcended party lines.
Still, the opposition-led parliament accused him of not doing enough to thwart Yoon’s decision to declare martial law, an accusation he denied.
The finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, assumed the position of acting president while the cases of Yoon and Han were considered by the constitutional court.
Parliament impeached Han over his alleged role in the martial law, as well as his refusal to appoint more justices to the constitutional court and to back special counsel bills targeting Yoon and the first lady, Kim Keon-hee.
Han attended the only hearing in the case on 19 February, where he denied any role in the martial law episode and called for the court to dismiss the impeachment.
The unexpected imposition of martial law on 3 December by Yoon and the ensuing political upheaval sent shock waves through Asia’s fourth-largest economy, and drew concerns from allies such as the US, who had seen Yoon as a key partner in efforts to counter China and North Korea.
The martial law in the end lasted only about six hours after lawmakers voted to reject the declaration, after defying efforts by police and the military to seal off parliament, hopping fences to avoid the security cordons.
