South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president, overturning his impeachment nearly three months after he was suspended from office.
Han, who took over as acting leader following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment in December, was removed from his position by the opposition-led parliament on December 27. The court’s ruling immediately restores his authority as the country’s interim leader.
“I am grateful for the wise decision made by the Constitutional Court,” Han said in a televised address, thanking cabinet members for their work in his absence. “We will work together to prepare and implement responses to global changes and ensure South Korea continues to develop well amid the current geopolitical transformation.”
The country has been gripped by political turmoil since Yoon’s controversial imposition of martial law on December 3, a move that triggered a leadership crisis and led to a series of high-profile impeachments, resignations, and criminal proceedings.
Han, 75, was initially impeached by the National Assembly for allegedly failing to prevent Yoon’s martial law declaration and for refusing to appoint three additional justices to the Constitutional Court. However, the court ruled by a 7-1 majority that there were insufficient grounds to remove him, with two justices declaring the impeachment invalid from the outset as it had not secured the required two-thirds majority in parliament.
During Han’s suspension, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok had assumed the role of acting president while both Han’s and Yoon’s cases were under judicial review.
A veteran bureaucrat who has served under five different presidents across the political spectrum, Han has been regarded as a rare figure in South Korean politics capable of bridging partisan divides. However, opposition lawmakers accused him of failing to act against Yoon’s controversial decision to impose martial law, a charge he has consistently denied.
The crisis, which momentarily placed South Korea under military rule for six hours before parliament overturned Yoon’s decree, had alarmed international allies, including the United States, which had counted on Yoon’s administration as a key partner in countering North Korea and China.
With Han’s reinstatement, focus now shifts to the pending verdict on Yoon’s impeachment, which is expected in the coming days. If the court upholds Yoon’s removal, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days. Meanwhile, Yoon is also facing a separate criminal trial on charges of insurrection over the martial law episode.
