South Korean lawmakers voted on Friday (Dec 27) to impeach the acting president, intensifying a political crisis in the country.
Han Duck-soo took over as acting president after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec 14 following his martial law move.
Shortly before the vote was taken, parliamentary Speaker Woo Won-shik said a simple majority – 151 votes – would be required to impeach Han.
There had been confusion before the parliamentary session as to the number of votes needed, as 200 votes are needed to impeach a president.
The opposition, which has majority control of parliament, had submitted a motion on Thursday to remove Han, accusing him of “acting for insurrection”.
The main opposition Democratic Party unveiled the move to impeach Han after he declined to immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies at the Constitutional Court, saying it would exceed his role.
With Han suspended, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is set to assume the acting presidency by law.
