Impeachment of Han Duck-soo

Impeachment of Han Duck-soo
Impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, 19 February 2025
AccusedHan Duck-soo
(Prime Minister and acting President of South Korea)
Date27 December 2024 to 24 March 2025
(5 months and 3 weeks)
Cause
Impeachment motion (27 December 2024)
Votes in favor
192 / 300(64%)
Not voting
108 / 300(36%)
ResultImpeachment successful
  • Choi Sang-mok becomes both acting president and acting prime minister
Decision by Constitutional Court of Korea (24 March 2025)
Votes in favor
1 / 8(13%)
Votes against
7 / 8(88%)
(2 reject; 5 dismiss)
ResultImpeachment dismissed
  • Han Duck-soo resumes his powers and duties as both acting president and prime minister

On 27 December 2024, South Korean Prime Minister and acting president Han Duck-soo was impeached. The impeachment occurred 13 days after President Yoon Suk Yeol had been impeached as a result of his brief enactment of martial law, making Han acting president.

Opposition Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae announced plans to impeach Han on 24 December following his veto of two special counsel bills investigating Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee. On 26 December, the impeachment motion was formally introduced after Han blocked the appointment of three justices to the Constitutional Court of Korea, whose nominations had been approved by the National Assembly.

On 27 December, all 192 opposition Assembly members unanimously voted in favor of Han's impeachment, after Speaker Woo Won-shik ruled that, as a cabinet minister, Han's impeachment was subject to a simple-majority rule. The remaining 108 Assembly members, all from Yoon's People Power Party (PPP), boycotted the vote. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok assumed the roles of acting president and acting prime minister pending the Constitutional Court's decision on Han's removal from office.

On 24 March 2025, the Constitutional Court voted to overturn Han's impeachment, reinstating him as acting president and prime minister.