0326 South Korea's Han Duck-soo Reinstated as Acting President

South Korea's Han Duck-soo Reinstated as Acting President

South Korea's Constitutional Court has overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as the country's acting leader. But the court has not yet ruled on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for his imposition of martial law in December.

South Korea was thrown into huge political turmoil when President Yoon declared martial law on December 3 and sent hundreds of troops to the National Assembly. Yoon's decree lasted only six hours though, as enough lawmakers managed to force their way past soldiers to vote it down.

The National Assembly then impeached Yoon on December 14, alleging he had violated the constitution and other laws by suppressing assembly activities and trying to detain politicians. Yoon's impeachment made Han acting president — until he in turn was impeached on December 27.

Han had refused to fill three vacant seats in the Constitutional Court, and was also accused of abetting Yoon's martial law declaration and of obstructing the investigation into Yoon's alleged rebellion.

On March 24, seven of the Constitutional Court's eight justices ruled to overturn or dismiss Han's impeachment, saying the actions he was accused of either weren't against the law or weren't serious enough to remove him from office.

Following his reinstatement, Han thanked the court and promised to focus on tackling "urgent matters."

Duyeon Kim, from the Center for a New American Security in Washington, said Han's reinstatement will bring more stability to South Korea. But he noted it's "too soon to predict the court's verdict on Yoon because the specific details of both cases and allegations are different."

Massive rival rallies either backing or denouncing Yoon have divided the streets of Seoul and other cities in South Korea. Earlier in the political crisis, surveys showed that a majority of South Koreans were critical of Yoon's martial law enactment, but more recently those supporting Yoon have gained strength.

If the court upholds Yoon's impeachment, South Korea must hold a presidential election to choose his successor. Yoon has also been charged with rebellion in connection with his martial law decree, a charge that carries a life sentence or the death penalty if he is convicted.