March 24, 2025
Seoul – South Korea's Constitutional Court on Monday dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was suspended in the case, immediately restored him to the position of acting president in a ruling ruling.
The court's ruling – ultimately and unchallenged – was not unanimous, with five justices voting to dismiss each motion and voting to maintain it. The remaining two judges voted to reject the motion altogether.
South Korea's congress led by the main opposition Democratic Party (170 out of 300 seats) was impulsive, accusing him of being a “affiliated” by President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 3.
A motion for improvisation was unanimously passed in a 192-0 vote, marking the first time the acting president was improvised by parliament. It requires more than 151 votes to succeed.
In Monday's verdict, Justices Moon Hyung-Bae, Lee Mi-Son, Kim Hyung-Du, Jung Jung-Mi and Kim Bok-Hyeong dismissed Han's imprisonment, finding that these arguments were not enough to guarantee imprisonment each.
Justices Cheong Hyung-Sik and Cho Han-chang rejected the imprisonment, believing that the acting president's imprisonment needs to support two-thirds of the entire National Assembly, rather than a simple majority used to pass it.
Justice Chung Kye-Sun is the only one who upheld Han impeachment.
Although many expect the court to resolve the constitutionality of the December 3 Martial Law Declaration, the judgment does not include any of the eight justices on the matter.
Expectations are high, as Han strongly denied any prior knowledge of the President's martial arts plan during the improper trial and asserted that he had tried his best to convince the President to reconsider.
Shortly after the court announced the verdict at around 10:20 a.m., Han returned to his office and resumed his role as acting president. According to the Prime Minister's Office, he started work, including answering press questions at the Seoul Government Comprehensive Conference, an emergency security meeting and tea time with Finance Minister Choi Sang-Mok, who served as acting president when Han was suspended.
The South Korean Civil Council passed a motion to impeachment on December 27, and the court ruled all lawsuits at its first hearing on February 19.
However, it is unlikely that Han's return to its original state would calm the storm.
The standoff in which Ma Eun-Hyuk, one of three Constitutional Court judges not appointed last year – appointed first by Han and then by Choi – is expected to continue.
The issue played a decisive role in the passage of last year’s impeachment motion against Han, which is pressure from the opposition to appoint Massachusetts.
Five opposition parties have filed a motion against Choi Sang-Mok's failure to appoint a horse.
