South Korea's main opposition party has submitted a motion to impeach the country's acting leader due to his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies. This delay comes as the court is set to review rebellion charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol stemming from a brief martial law decree on Dec. 3.
The dispute between the liberal opposition and Yoon's conservative party has stalled the court appointments, leading to a political deadlock that could impact high-level diplomacy and financial markets.
The National Assembly passed motions calling for the appointment of three Constitutional Court justices, but acting leader Han Duck-soo stated he wouldn't appoint them without bipartisan consent.
The opposition accuses the conservatives of undermining the court process to protect Yoon's presidency. The potential impeachment of Han could exacerbate the political crisis.
Yoon's presidential powers were suspended after a vote to impeach him on Dec. 14 over an attempted power grab. To formally end his presidency, at least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor.
The court is set to hold a pretrial hearing in Yoon's case and believes the acting president can appoint justices. However, Han has refrained from making the appointments until bipartisan agreement is reached.
If Han is impeached, the deputy prime minister and finance minister would be next in line. The impeachment process may face legal ambiguities as the parties differ on the required majority for an acting president.
Yoon has avoided law enforcement requests to appear for questioning over rebellion charges and has blocked searches of his office. Several officials involved in the martial law attempt have been arrested.
In a news conference, a lawyer for former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun reiterated Yoon's claim that the martial law decree was a response to political abuse by the opposition.
