Han Duck-SOO, South Prime Minister and acting president from South Korea, speaks for a press conference after the legislators adopted a request for the accusation of the South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, in South Korea, on December 14, 2024.
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The Constitutional Court of South Korea canceled the dismissal of Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo on Monday, Local media reportedreinstateing him as an acting president.
He will resume the post of Choi Sang-Mok, current president and Minister of Finance.
Han was dismissed by the Democratic Party of the opposition in December, After refusing to appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court who examined the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol after having briefly imposed martial law.
Choi appointed two of the three judges after taking the position of acting president.
Han’s dismissal was rejected during a 5-1 vote by the eight court judges, while two judges completely rejected the request, according to the domestic media Yonhap.
The Presidential Office of South Korea praised Han’s reinstatement, adding that the court decision has proven that the parliament of the country had abused its power to dismiss the civil servants, local media reported.
The verdict on Han had advanced on a decision of the Court of Appeal due on Wednesday on the leader of the opposition party Lee Jae Jae-Myung, who was found guilty of having violated electoral laws Last November. Lee ran against Yoon during the 2022 presidential election.
If he is found guilty by the court of appeal, he could lose his parliamentary seat and be disqualified to run during the next presidential race.
The court did not reveal a date of decision on the dismissal of Yoon. He has 180 days from December 14 to make a verdict.
South Korea has been in political troubles since Yoon imposed martial law on December 3, only to revoke it in a few hours while parliamentarians rushed to the country’s National Assembly to vote on the decree.
He was dismissed on December 14, with all the opposition legislators and at least 12 members of the Power Party of Yoon joining the hands to adopt the indictment motion. The country has seen several events organized by the opponents of Yoon and its supporters.
If the dismissal of Yoon is maintained, South Korea must call an election within 60 days of the president’s dismissal. If the indictment is canceled, Yoon will be restored to the office.
