The South Korean opposition threatens impeachment against the acting president, who is calling for a compromise.

This is reported by Yonhap.

Han Duck-soo took charge of the country after President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached for declaring a state of emergency without apparent necessity.

The Democratic Party threatened to impeach Han as well if he did not approve their nominations for Constitutional Court judges. Currently, 6 out of 9 judge positions are filled, which is the minimum required for making decisions, such as on Yoon's impeachment. The opposition is calling for the full composition of judges to be completed.

Han Duck-soo stated that he would not proceed with this until politicians from all sides agree on whether he has the authority to make such decisions.

“The consistent spirit of our Constitution and laws is that the acting president refrains from exercising the exclusive powers of the president, including appointments to constitutional institutions. In the event that such powers must be exercised, I believe it has been an unshakable custom in our constitutional history that the ruling and opposition parties first reach an agreement in the National Assembly,” said Han.

The Democratic Party plans to put forward a motion for Han's impeachment for a vote during the plenary session on December 27.

What happened in South Korea?

On December 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol unexpectedly announced in an evening address that a state of emergency was being declared in the country. He cited "anti-state activities" by the opposition, which he accused of supporting North Korea.

This statement came after several weeks of political disputes over a new state budget bill, which the opposition Democratic Party refused to approve. Instead, the opposition submitted a reduced budget proposal to the parliamentary budget committee, along with a motion for the impeachment of the state auditor and the attorney general.

The declaration of a state of emergency allowed the president to gain strict control over political activities and the media. Yoon's decision shocked even his own party, with the leader of the "People Power Party," Han Dong-hoon, calling it "incorrect."

Following the announcement of the state of emergency, military forces blocked access to the parliament building. They denied entry to opposition lawmakers who had come to overturn Yoon's decision.

Eventually, around midnight local time, 190 out of 300 members of the National Assembly voted to repeal the state of emergency. Additionally, thousands of people gathered outside the building, demanding the president's resignation.

Six opposition parties in South Korea filed a petition for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. All senior aides to President Yoon Suk-yeol, including his chief of staff, expressed their desire to resign.