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As new acting president, prime minister orders gov't to remain vigilant

Published: 14 Dec. 2024, 19:45 Updated: 16 Dec. 2024, 15:47

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Korea's acting president, makes his first public address from the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, Saturday, after the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Yoon Suk Yeol. [NEWS1]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became the third acting president in Korea's history on Saturday after the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law declaration.

Han assumed the role as soon as a copy of the parliamentary impeachment resolution was delivered to the Yongsan presidential office at 7:24 p.m. Saturday. Yoon’s exercise of presidential authority was immediately suspended.

In his first public address as acting president around an hour later, Han said at the government complex in Seoul, “As prime minister of the Republic of Korea, I feel a heavy responsibility for the situation our people currently face and the entire process that led to it. I would like to express my sincere apologies to the people.”

He stressed that “what is most important now is that there is not a single vacuum in state affairs,” noting the public anxiety and concerns due to the political situation and the difficult domestic and external conditions Korea is facing.

“We will establish a solid security posture and stably manage external trust,” Han said, adding that the Cabinet will do its best to maintain trust with the United States, Japan and other partners.

“We will strengthen our emergency economic response system and do our best to ensure that the financial and foreign exchange markets operate smoothly,” he added.

“As this is a serious situation, we trust that everyone will fulfill their respective responsibilities,” Han said, asking public officials to carry out their duties “without hesitation in order to ensure unwavering government operation.”

Han continued, “We will do our best to ensure stable state administration in strict accordance with the Constitution and law so that the security of the country and the daily lives of the people are not shaken. I believe that this is the last and most important mission of my long public life.”

National Assembly Secretary General Kim Min-ki, second from the right, and other parliamentary officials deliver a copy of the impeachment resolution against President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul Saturday after it passed in the parliament earlier in the day. [YONHAP]

As Han's first official duty since assuming authority, he convened a Cabinet meeting to discuss the transition to an acting president system.

He reviewed the major issues of each ministry and asked them to focus on running state affairs without faltering even under difficult political circumstances.

Han ordered all ministries and public officials to strengthen the military's readiness posture, maintain close communication channels with major countries and establish public order immediately after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion.

"The government must do its best to prevent the public from becoming anxious or disrupting social order," despite the impeachment of Yoon, Han said.

In the security realm, Han instructed the acting defense minister to "strengthen the readiness posture of the entire military to prevent any gaps in national security and public safety, and make thorough preparations to respond immediately to all crisis situations," according to his office in a statement.

To the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), he conveyed that "there is a possibility that North Korea may judge the domestic situation as a time of security vulnerability and attempt various forms of provocations," calling for Seoul's alertness posture to be strengthened to prevent Pyongyang from "miscalculating the situation and carrying out reckless provocations." He called for the military to "maintain a firm security posture based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

To the foreign minister, he said to "maintain close communication channels with major countries such as Japan and China based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance," and called on the ministry to convey that there will be "no changes in the foreign policy stance of our government" through diplomatic missions abroad.

Han likewise said that the economic team will work closely together to "continuously operate a 24-hour monitoring system to minimize the negative impact of the political situation on the economy," and if necessary come up with a "contingency plan in a timely manner."

With parliament's impeachment vote against the president following his short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Yoon has been suspended from exercising presidential powers.

Article 134 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that "the person against whom a motion for impeachment has been passed shall be suspended from exercising his or her power."

It usually takes one to three hours for the impeachment resolution to be delivered.

"I will do my best to run the government in a stable manner," Han told reporters after the parliamentary vote as he headed in the government complex in central Seoul, saying his heart was "heavy."

Han, 75, has a career in public service spanning nearly four decades, serving under four presidents transcending party lines. He has served as prime minister under the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration and ambassador to the United States under the conservative Lee Myung-bak government. He was tapped as Yoon's prime minister in April 2022 because of his reputation of being able to work across the aisle.

He graduated from Seoul National University and received his masters' and doctorate degrees in economics from Harvard University.

Han was reportedly at the prime minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong in central Seoul to watch the National Assembly vote, which resulted in 204 for and 85 against in a 300-seat parliament.

Staffers from the Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Office for Government Policy Coordination have been working at the central government complex since Saturday morning to be prepared for the impeachment vote result.

The Prime Minister's Office has prior experience assisting Goh Kun and Hwang Kyo-ahn as acting presidents. Goh became acting president when the late President Roh Moo-hyun was temporarily suspended from duties after an impeachment motion passed in March 2004 and Hwang when President Park Geun-hye was impeached in December 2016 and later ousted.

Han Duck-soo, center, Korea’s prime minister and acting president, convenes a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, Saturday, after the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Yoon Suk Yeol. [NEWS1]

However, Han also is being investigated in the martial law case, so if he is removed, the next in the line of succession is Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, followed by Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho.

This marks Korea's third acting president system in modern history, following the impeachment of a president.

Goh Kun served as acting president for 63 days, until the impeachment motion against former President Roh was dismissed by the Constitutional Court on May 14, 2004.

During this period, Roh stayed at his official residence and did not have any official activities. Hwang served as acting president until May 2017, when President Moon Jae-in took office.

Yoon has reportedly been staying at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

He likewise will not have to vacate the presidential residence immediately but will have to leave if the Constitutional Court upholds his impeachment.The Constitutional Court will deliberate whether to oust Yoon from office within the next 180 days.

Updated, Dec. 14: Added details from the prime minister's address.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]