South Korea’s leadership crisis deepened on Friday after lawmakers voted to oust a second head of state, the acting president, in less than two weeks.
The move prolonged the political vacuum that has gripped South Korea since President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the country this month by briefly declaring martial law for the first time in decades.
Lawmakers impeached and suspended Yoon on December 14th over the martial law declaration, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stepped in as acting president. However, Han’s tenure would also prove short-lived, as opposition lawmakers voted on Friday to impeach him as well.
This marked the first time South Korea had impeached an interim leader. It raised fresh questions about who was in charge of the government and military in one of Washington’s most important allies, at a time when the country is grappling with North Korea’s nuclear threats and economic challenges at home. The political uncertainty has eroded business and consumer confidence and caused the won, the South Korean currency, to plummet.
“The latest impeachment suggests to the world the possibility that Korea’s political unrest could be prolonged and worsen,” stated Jeong Hoiok, a professor of political science at Myoungji University in Seoul, in an email. “This would cause significant harm to the diplomacy and economic status that Korea has built so far.”
Han’s impeachment meant that the finance minister and deputy prime minister, Choi Sang-mok, would be next in line to be named acting president. However, like Han, Choi has no electoral mandate.
