Han, South Korea’s acting president, faces a recall vote from an opposition party

South Korea’s main opposition party said it will introduce a bill to impeach acting President Han Dak-soo on Thursday and hold a vote on Friday, a move that could worsen the country’s constitutional crisis caused by short-lived martial law.

The opposition Democratic Party had threatened to impeach Han if he did not immediately appoint three judges to fill vacant positions on the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted in favor of three nominees on Thursday, but they have not yet been formally appointed by Han.

The court is trying the case of the impeachment of President Yeon Suk-yeol over his declaration of martial law on December 3.

“It has become clear that Prime Minister and Acting President Han Dak-soo does not have the qualifications or the will to protect the Constitution,” Democratic Party leader Park Chan-dae said in a statement.

The proposal was submitted to Parliament on Thursday and must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours. It cited a range of Hahn’s actions as grounds for impeachment, including his veto of a special prosecutor bill to investigate the first lady’s alleged wrongdoing.

If Han is impeached, the Finance Minister will assume the acting presidency. The Democratic Party controls the majority in Parliament, but there is disagreement between the parties and some constitutional scholars over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is needed to remove the acting president.

Leon’s first court hearing is Friday

Hahn said earlier on Thursday that he would not appoint judges until political parties reached an agreement on appointments, because doing so without political consensus would harm the constitutional order.

Two of the proposed appointees to the Constitutional Court, approved on Thursday, were nominated by the Democratic Party, and Han’s ruling People Power Party nominated one. The ruling party objected to this distribution of candidates, saying that it did not agree to it.

Han is under pressure to make the appointments, but political parties disagreed over whether he has the authority to do so as acting president.

The court is scheduled to hold its first session on Friday in the trial to decide whether to remove Yoon or return him to his position.

Under the Constitution, six justices must agree to impeach an impeached president, meaning the sitting justices must vote unanimously to impeach Yoon. The court said it could deliberate without the nine-member bench.

Recurring challenge

Yoon, who was impeached by parliament on December 14 in a vote joined by some members of his center-right party, had not submitted legal papers as requested by the court as of Thursday, court spokesman Lee Jin told a news conference.

He did not respond Wednesday to the latest subpoenas for questioning in a separate criminal investigation. Investigators sent another summons on Thursday to appear on December 29.

Yoon’s repeated defiance sparked criticism and calls from the opposition for his arrest.

Earlier on Thursday, lawyers for former Defense Minister Leon, who is under investigation on rebellion charges over the declaration of martial law, said the aim was to raise concern about opposition parties’ abuse of the democratic process.

Kim Young-hyun was the first of a series of officials to be arrested, and will likely be the first to face indictment on charges of being a central figure in President Yoon Suk-yul’s sudden declaration of martial law on December 3.