The acting president of South Korea was impeached by the parliament

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South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament impeached the acting president, plunging the country into its worst political crisis.

Lawmakers on Friday tabled a motion to impeach Han Dak-soo as prime minister, resisting pressure to appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court.

It is the first time that an acting president has been impeached. South Korea And it comes less than two weeks after President Yoon Suk-yeol was suspended from office in a failed coup.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will now take over as acting president.

Friday’s vote comes as the country’s Constitutional Court opens hearings on Yoon’s impeachment against him. A brief attempt to impose martial law This month.

The court must decide whether or not to uphold Yoon’s suspended prosecution.

With exports slowing and the country at a time of growing political turmoil, the economy is threatening. Relief for high rates Donald Trump will be the US President next month, say analysts.

South Korea lost 0.5 percent against the dollar to its weakest level since 2009. The Kospi stock index fell 1 percent on heavy foreign selling.

“There is some legal uncertainty about the conditions for impeaching a sitting president, but regardless of that, the prosecution of Han could raise concerns about the external credibility of the economy,” said Shin Yul, a politics professor at Seoul’s Myeonggi University.

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, accused Han of a “terrorist move.”

Impeaching the prime minister requires a simple majority vote in parliament, but the ruling party said the election results were invalid, and said a two-thirds vote was needed to impeach the acting president, as was the case when Yun was impeached.

Han said he would respect the parliament’s decision and await a ruling by the Constitutional Court on whether to uphold the impeachment.

In principle, seven judges are required to impeach the court and at least 6 votes are needed to impeach a president.

But since the court currently has only six members and the term of the two justices expires in April, the opposition parties want to speed up the process.

The Democratic Party has warned that it may file lawsuits against cabinet members until the court’s three vacancies are filled to secure Yeon’s ouster.

The Constitutional Court said it can deliberate without full benches. Although the deadline is not binding, the judges are expected to issue a verdict by June.

Yun said. We do not give up hope And they denied any wrongdoing. He is being summoned for the third time by the country’s anti-corruption agency to charge him with treason and abuse of power.

Prosecutors on Friday charged former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun with leading Yoon’s brief attempt to impose martial law.

Despite the controversy over Han’s accusation.

The move came as Yeon’s lawyers attended the Constitutional Court’s first hearing on Yeon’s impeachment.

“Han’s prosecution will cause serious damage The economy. The Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, is only too busy holding power, even destroying the country.

Before the impeachment vote against Han, Choi warned of lower economic growth next year, a move that would damage the country’s economic credibility. He also said his role as acting president would be “limited”.

“With the national emergency, the economy and the livelihood of the people are walking on ice,” he said. Another acting president cannot deal with the greater political instability that comes with assuming the role of acting president.