Impeached Prime Minister Han urges Constitutional Court to expedite his case, citing 'double vacuum'

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Impeached Prime Minister Han urges Constitutional Court to expedite his case, citing 'double vacuum'

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI


Constitutional Court Justices Kim Hyung-du, center, and Kim Bok-hyeong preside over the preparatory session for suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment trial at the court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 13. [NEWS1]

Constitutional Court Justices Kim Hyung-du, center, and Kim Bok-hyeong preside over the preparatory session for suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment trial at the court in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 13. [NEWS1]

 
Legal representatives of impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday urged the Constitutional Court to prioritize reviewing his impeachment case to expedite the process, citing an “unprecedented double vacuum” in state leadership during a first preparatory session.
 
Han’s attorneys argued that the impeachment created a leadership vacuum by suspending the duties of the acting president, who is supposed to “stabilize state affairs.” The legal representatives noted that these duties have now fallen to incumbent acting President Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
 

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“The excessive concentration of duties on one individual, as is currently the case, cannot ensure democratic fairness, making it difficult to manage crises and administrative affairs effectively,” Han’s attorney argued.
 
Han served as acting president from Dec. 14 to Dec. 27 last year after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol. He did not attend the first preparatory session on Monday, as he was not required to do so.
 
The suspended prime minister’s attorney also stressed that Han’s trial should be prioritized to “establish the justification” for the impeachment trial against Yoon.
 
According to the attorney, Han had "proposed" convening a Cabinet meeting to “oppose” Yoon’s declaration of martial law and learned about the martial law command being dispatched to locations like the National Assembly and the National Election Commission through televised broadcasts.
 
Suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo leaves the government complex in central Seoul after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 27, 2024. [YONHAP]

Suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo leaves the government complex in central Seoul after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 27, 2024. [YONHAP]

 
Han’s attorneys also requested a prompt Constitutional Court decision regarding the legality of the impeachment quorum. The judiciary, however, said the issue should be addressed during the review, not the preparatory session.
 
Before the vote on Dec. 27, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said that the motion would pass if approved by a simple majority of those present, as Han was the prime minister, not the president. The parliament passed the impeachment motion with 192 votes out of 300 members present. 
 
However, the conservative People Power Party argued that the impeachment motion’s passage was invalid, claiming it required the approval of more than two-thirds of the members present — or 200 votes — since Han was serving as acting president.
 
The legal representatives of the National Assembly countered that Yoon’s impeachment trial should be resolved promptly to stabilize state affairs.
 
The attorneys further asserted that the country’s political and economic instability worsened during Han’s tenure as acting president but improved after Deputy Prime Minister Choi assumed the role, as he approved the appointment of Constitutional Court justices.
 
During Monday's preparatory session, both sides confirmed each other’s arguments and discussed additional evidence needed for the trial. The second preparatory hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
 

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
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