192 lawmakers vote to suspend Han Duck-soo, who was serving in top role after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec. 14
- Vote held after Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik said only a simple majority of 151 votes needed to sack Han
- Now Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok will be taking over as both acting president and premier
- Separately, prosecutors indict ex-Defense Chief Kim Yong-hyun, first official indicted over playing integral role in runup to short-lived martial law declaration
In an unprecedented move, South Korean lawmakers on Friday passed a motion to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo.The vote was held after Parliament Speaker Woo Won-shik said a simple majority of 151 votes was needed to sack Han, who is also prime minister.
Almost all 192 lawmakers of the opposition bloc, led by the Democratic Party, voted in favor of the impeachment motion, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.
It is the first time in South Korean history that an acting president has been sacked.
Han had been serving as acting president since parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14 over his failed bid to impose martial law.
Yoon's People Power Party had demanded the parliament speaker consider a quorum of 200 votes, out of a total of 300 lawmakers, to impeach Han, since he was "acting president," a demand turned down by the top lawmaker.
The motion to impeach Han was filed after he refused to appoint three judges to the Constitutional Court.
Since Han has been sacked, Choi Sang-mok, currently deputy prime minister and minister of strategy and finance, will be taking over as both prime minister and acting president.
Separately, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is under arrest on charges of insurrection and his role in the failed martial law bid, was formally indicted by prosecutors on Friday.
He is the first official of the Yoon administration to be indicted over abuse of power and playing an "integral" role in the runup to Dec. 3, when Yoon announced martial law.
- First hearing by top court
The vote to impeach Han was held after South Korea's Constitutional Court early Friday held the first preparatory hearing on the validity of Yeol's impeachment by parliament over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
Yoon's lawyers Bae Bo-yoon, Yun Gap-geun, and Bae Jin-han appeared before the top court.
The court will again hear the two sides on Jan. 3.
Lawmakers voted to impeach Yoon, 63, on Dec. 14 over his failed bid to impose martial law in the country.
He faces charges of treason and insurrection, among others.
Representatives from parliament also appeared before the court and sought the appearance of 15 witnesses in the case.
The lawmakers are represented by former Constitutional Court Justice Kim Yi-su and former National Human Rights Commission Chairman Song Doo-hwan.
Justices Lee Mi-son and Cheong Hyung-sik presided over the hearing.
After shocking the nation with the announcement of martial law on Dec. 3, Yoon was forced to rescind the order within hours when parliament passed a motion against it.
The top court has six months, as. of Dec. 14, to decide whether to uphold or dismiss the impeachment.
Ahead of the first hearing by the top court, Yoon had refused to entertain notices from the Constitutional Court, but the court said it would proceed with the trial beginning Friday.
Yoon was impeached in a second parliamentary vote held on Dec. 14 when at least 12 lawmakers from his People Power Party joined the opposition bloc of 192 parliamentarians, led by the Democratic Party, to suspend the president.
In the 300-seat parliament, at least 200 lawmakers are needed to vote to suspend a sitting South Korean president.
If the top court upholds the impeachment motion, Yoon will be removed from office and a fresh presidential election is due within two months from that date.
