South Korea​n court ​reinstates impeached prime minister

Seoul, South Korea: Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea was restored to office as acting president​ on Monday, after the country’s Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment by the National Assembly.

Han had served as South Korea’s acting president after ​the Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14​, suspending Yoon from office in connection with his failed attempt to place his country under martial law. Han had served as acting president for fewer than two weeks when the Assembly impeached him as well Dec. 27, adding to the political uncertainty in South Korea, a key ally of the United States in Asia.

The Constitutional Court has yet to announce when it will rule on whether to oust or reinstall Yoon — a far more consequential decision South Koreans have been awaiting for weeks with growing anxiety. If Yoon is removed, South Korea will elect a new president within 60 days. If he is reinstated, he will return to office to face a country more fractured than ever over his presidency.

In South Korea, the Constitutional Court has a final say on whether officials impeached by the Assembly should be formally removed or reinstalled. Its ruling took effect immediately and cannot be appealed.

Since Han’s impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, the official next in line in the government hierarchy, has been doubling as acting president.

When it impeached Han, the Assembly accused him of collaborating in Yoon’s illegal declaration of martial law. It also said that Han broke his constitutional duties when he refused to appoint three Constitutional Court justices selected by parliament. Han denied the accusations.