Opposition threatens impeachment over acting president's inaction on court appointment
The ruling and opposition parties are trading accusations of insurrection as a monthslong political crisis drags on, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea threatening to impeach the recently reinstated acting president, and potentially, the rest of the Cabinet.
The Democratic Party on Sunday warned of a “grave decision” against acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo if he fails to appoint progressive nominee Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice by Tuesday, hinting at the possibility of a second impeachment. Han was first impeached on Dec. 27, 2024, then reinstated by the Constitutional Court on March 24.
Rep. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that Han’s refusal to fill the vacant seat on the bench of the Constitutional Court — which is still reviewing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment — is part of the ruling bloc's broader conspiracy to reinstate Yoon and enable him to declare martial law a second time, following his failed attempt in December.
"We hereby send a stern warning to Han. We urge Han to halt the project for Yoon's reinstatement and appoint Ma by Tuesday," Park said in a press conference Sunday.
Park also suspected that Han could be seeking to use his power to appoint replacements for two outgoing left-leaning justices on the court who are set to retire on April 18, which could in turn increase the chance of the conservative president's impeachment being overturned.
"If Han fails to deliver on his constitutional duty by then, the Democratic Party will take a grave decision. The Democratic Party will use all available means to fulfill the National Assembly's duty to safeguard the constitutional order," the floor leader said.
Han had not commented on Ma's pending appointment as of press time Sunday.
Asked about the ruling People Power Party's pledge on Saturday to level accusations at 71 Democratic Party lawmakers, including opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, of instigating an insurrection, Park assessed that the ruling party "was contemplating an insurrection and a second martial law imposition" under the Yoon administration.
Park's comments partially echoed the main opposition's earlier warning that Han could face impeachment again, and that other Cabinet ministers would meet the same fate.
Seventy first-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea warned in a joint statement Friday that Han's failure to appoint Ma by Sunday would lead to a motion of impeachment against him. Just a week earlier, the Constitutional Court overturned the previous opposition-led impeachment motion against Han.
The statement also warned that any Cabinet minister who assumed Han's role in South Korea's line of presidential succession would meet the same fate, even if that means vacating the entire Cabinet.
The main opposition holds 170 parliamentary seats out of 300, so its lawmakers can unilaterally impeach any member of the Cabinet.
At a press conference on Saturday, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling party, described the opposition's threats as "a coup d'etat led by the parliament and an attempt to overthrow South Korea's government," as he pledged to file criminal suits on Monday against scores of main opposition lawmakers for conspiring and instigating insurrection. The first-term Democratic Party lawmakers said Sunday they would respond by accusing Kweon of false accusations.
Also on Sunday, 44 first-term lawmakers of the ruling party claimed Han should "seriously consider dissolving the Democratic Party, which is an 'insurrectionist party,' before the Cabinet becomes paralyzed and the functioning of the administration comes to a halt," during a joint news conference at the Assembly.
However, Floor Leader Park said the party has yet to consider impeaching the entire Cabinet using legislative powers, when asked whether such a plan had been discussed among the party's top decision-makers.
The conservative administration's refusal to appoint Ma to the Constitutional Court is considered one of the major factors behind recent clashes between the rival parties, while political crisis drags on in Korea with a delay in the Yoon impeachment ruling. In a Facebook post on Sunday, opposition leader Lee asked the court to swiftly remove Yoon from his post, saying the ongoing delay has caused anxiety among the people.
In February, the Constitutional Court found that then-acting President Choi Sang-mok had a duty to name a ninth judge to the court, and that failing to do so would constitute a violation of the legislature's rights. But the same ruling indicated that the court has no authority to force the acting president into taking action.
Choi, the deputy prime minister who served as acting president while Prime Minister Han was suspended, is already facing an impeachment threat himself, with an impeachment motion filed on March 21. Choi in January selectively appointed two out of three Constitutional Court justice nominees, excluding Ma.
Han, in December, said bipartisan compromise is a prerequisite for Ma's appointment, which prompted the impeachment motion by parliament that led to his suspension from office in late December.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
