Nation braces for post-impeachment election, or Yoon's reinstatement

Home > National > Politics

Nation braces for post-impeachment election, or Yoon's reinstatement

Published: 02 Apr. 2025, 19:02

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a public safety meeting at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 2. [YONHAP]

Acting President Han Duck-soo on Wednesday urged political leaders on both sides of Korea’s political divide to accept the the Constitutional Court’s forthcoming verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, as political tensions continue to rise.

“Regardless of the decision, we must accept the outcome calmly and adhere to the rule of law,” Han said during a meeting of ministers to discuss public safety preparations ahead of Friday’s ruling.

The acting president further called on politicians to avoid “inflammatory remarks that could incite protests or violence” and to approach the ruling with restraint and “a sense of responsibility.”

Han warned the government will adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward any protesters engaging in vandalism, violence or arson.

The Constitutional Court’s decision, which is yet unknown, will determine whether the country needs to hold a presidential election in the coming months.

If six or more justices vote to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, the president will be removed from office, triggering an election to select his successor within 60 days.

Should this occur, the liberal Democratic Party (DP) is expected to quickly hold primaries to choose its presidential candidate, with party leader Lee Jae-myung widely viewed as the likely victor.

Most in the DP believe that the risk of Lee’s disqualification has been all but eliminated by the Seoul High Court’s decision last month to acquit him on charges of violating election law.

According to local media reports, DP officials anticipate their party’s primaries to be brief, lasting just over two weeks, given the short turnaround between the court’s ruling and the potential election.

Meanwhile, should the court rule to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) is likely to focus on consolidating its base.

Cho Jin-man, a professor of political science at Duksung Women’s University, speculated that a faction of pro-Yoon lawmakers might even splinter off to form a new party if internal divisions within the PPP are not properly addressed.

Others believe the PPP may attempt to nominate a candidate who could draw moderate voters away from Lee.

However, should the Constitutional Court reject Yoon’s impeachment, the DP would likely stage rallies even larger than its current protests.

One two-term DP lawmaker anonymously told the JoongAng Ilbo, “It’s hard to rule out the possibility of protests approaching the intensity of civil war.”

Another DP lawmaker said a narrow ruling that results in Yoon’s reinstatement, such as a 5-3 decision, represents the worst-case scenario for his party.

“Such an outcome would likely result in extreme outbursts of anger over the fact that Ma Eun-hyuk was not appointed as the court’s ninth justice,” the lawmaker added.

Democratic Party deputy floor leader Rep. Park Seong-jun, left, points his finger during an argument with People Power Party Rep. Park Choong-kwon at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on April 2. The conservative lawmaker's reference to Constitutional Court nominee Ma Eun-hyuk as a ″communist″ sparked a heated spat at the legislature. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Both Han and later Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who served as the country’s leader during Han’s own impeachment, refused to appoint Ma to the court, citing a lack of bipartisan consensus over his nomination.

As the clock ticks down to Friday’s ruling, observers believe the justices are deep in the process of drafting their opinions.

While the court’s decisions on the impeachments of former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye were unanimous, its ruling on Yoon may well not be, given the extended nature of the justices’ deliberations after his trial.

The 38-day wait between Yoon’s final impeachment hearing and the upcoming verdict is seen by many as indicative of deep disagreements among the justices.

The court’s split decision on Han Duck-soo’s impeachment in March also highlighted ideological differences between the justices.

While five justices voted to dismiss the charges against Han, two others argued that the motion should have been rejected on procedural grounds, echoing the PPP’s stance that an acting president should only be impeached with the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]