South Korea’s Constitutional Court has cancelled the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Dok-soo and restored his powers as acting president, Reuters reports.
The decision came after a vote of judges, with seven in favour of the cancellation and one against, Yonhap news agency reports.
Five of the eight judges found that the impeachment motion itself was reasonable, but that there were insufficient grounds for impeachment because Han Dok-soo had not violated the Constitution or the law. Another two judges held that the impeachment motion was invalid from the start because it was not supported by two-thirds of lawmakers in parliament.
Han thanked the Constitutional Court for” the wise decision “and pledged” to work together to prepare and implement measures to respond to global changes “and ensure the country’s development.
Han Dok-soo took over as acting president after impeachment was declared against the country’s leader Yoon Seok-yol – over an attempt to impose martial law in early December 2024. However, less than two weeks after his appointment, on 27 December, Han Dok-soo himself was also impeached – over his refusal to appoint three additional judges to the Constitutional Court. In addition, the opposition-led parliament accused the prime minister of not doing enough to thwart the president’s decision on martial law. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok became acting president during Hana Dok-soo’s suspension.
In January, Yoon Seok-yol was detained on a court warrant issued after the president failed to appear for questioning in the case. In early March, the court released Yoon Seok Yolal from detention after granting his defence’s motion. The Constitutional Court has not yet formally approved the impeachment of Yoon Sok Yol.