Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea was restored to office as acting president? on Monday, after the country’s Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment by the National Assembly. But the ruling did little to herald any political stability in the country, which has lurched from crisis to crisis.
Mr. Han briefly served as South Korea’s acting president after ?the Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14?, suspending Mr. Yoon from office in connection with his failed attempt to place the country under martial law. Mr. Han had been in the role for less than two weeks when the Assembly impeached him as well, adding to the turmoil engulfing South Korea, a key Asian ally of the United States.
The Constitutional Court has yet to announce when it will rule on whether to oust or reinstall Mr. Yoon — a far more consequential decision that South Koreans have been awaiting for weeks with growing anxiety. If Mr. Yoon is removed, South Korea will elect a new president within 60 days. If he is returned to office, he will face a country more fractured than ever over his presidency.
The Constitutional Court has the final say on whether officials impeached by the Assembly are formally removed or reinstalled. Its ruling Monday took effect immediately and cannot be appealed.
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Mr. Han immediately returned to his duties, replacing Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, the official next in line in the government hierarchy, who had been doubling as acting president. But the country still has no elected leader as it faces North Korea’s nuclear threats and the global tariffs that President Trump has said he will impose in the coming weeks.
When the Assembly impeached Mr. Han, it accused him of collaborating in what it called Mr. Yoon’s illegal declaration of martial law. It also said Mr. Han had violated his constitutional duties by refusing to appoint three Constitutional Court justices nominated by the Assembly. Mr. Han denied the accusations.
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