Over the decades, South Korea has evolved from a brutal military dictatorship to a pro-business democracy. But the journey was also fraught with controversy, fraught with corruption, abuse of power, and political vendettas. The impeachment of acting President Han Deok-soo, who took office a few days ago following the vote to impeach President Yoon Seok-yeol, illustrates the fragility of the political system. Since Yun took office as president in 2022, governance has been paralyzed. Although Yoon won by a narrow margin, the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, took control of the National Assembly. Since then, a series of controversies and scandals have caused his approval rating to drop below 20%. In the parliamentary elections held in April this year, the Democratic Party won again, extending its lead in Congress. Amid widening rifts between the presidency and the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Yun declared martial law earlier this month, sparking immediate protests from political circles and the public. His move was seen as an extreme measure aimed at subverting democracy in a country that still has dark memories of a not-so-distant military dictatorship. He was impeached and Prime Minister Han was installed as interim leader. However, his tenure also proved to be short-lived.
This is the first time South Korea has impeached an interim leader. At the heart of the controversy was Mr. Han’s refusal to appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the nine-member Constitutional Court. According to South Korea’s constitution, a president is immediately stripped of his powers if impeached by Congress, but at least six Constitutional Court judges must rule in favor of impeachment before a president can be removed from office. Opposition parties accuse Mr. Han of delaying the constitution-making process, while Mr. Han and the ruling People’s Power Party argue that only the elected president has the power to approve appointments to the Constitutional Court. did. This will mean that the political and constitutional crisis is expected to continue for some time as South Korea faces economic hardship and security challenges from North Korea. A prolonged crisis and paralyzed governance could weaken the political system and empower anti-democratic forces that held power until the late 1980s. This is perhaps the most serious crisis South Korea has faced since it became a democracy. Its finicky political class should prioritize constitutional stability over narrow political interests. The new acting president will need to reach an agreement with the major political parties regarding appointments to the Constitutional Court and expedite the impeachment process against Yoon.
issued – December 30, 2024 12:10 AM IST
