South Korea’s court overturns impeachment, reinstates Prime Minister as acting leader

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as the country’s acting president.

Han initially assumed leadership in December after President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from office following his impeachment by parliament over a controversial attempt to declare martial law. However, Han’s tenure was short-lived—lasting just two weeks—before lawmakers also voted to impeach him. Since then, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok has been at the helm.

The political upheaval stems from Yoon’s failed bid to impose martial law, which has plunged South Korea into ongoing unrest. Han’s brief stint as acting president was further marred by his decision to block the appointment of new judges to the Constitutional Court, a move that opposition lawmakers viewed as an attempt to influence Yoon’s impeachment proceedings. In response, they swiftly moved to impeach Han.

On Monday, the Constitutional Court ruled seven to one in Han’s favor, annulling his impeachment.

Despite this ruling, South Korea remains in suspense as the Constitutional Court prepares to decide on Yoon’s impeachment. While parliament voted to remove him from office on December 14, the decision will only be finalized if the court upholds the impeachment. If overturned, Yoon will be reinstated immediately.

A date for Yoon’s ruling has not yet been set, but tensions continue to escalate. In recent weeks, mass protests have erupted across Seoul, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets—both in support of and against the embattled president.