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South Korea’s top court on Monday invalidated the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president after he temporarily took charge when the president was sidelined over martial law declarations.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court issued a ruling on Monday, March 24, 2025, reinstating Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president, adding a fresh layer to the nation’s ongoing political upheaval.
The turmoil began when President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law on December 3, 2024, aiming to suppress civilian authority—a move lawmakers quickly quashed by voting it down amid a military cordon around parliament, followed by Yoon’s impeachment on December 14. Han assumed the interim presidency, only to face his own impeachment on December 27 over alleged ties to Yoon’s decree and a standoff over judicial nominations.
The crisis traces back to Yoon’s fleeting martial law order, which unraveled within hours but ignited fierce resistance. Lawmakers’ swift rejection and Yoon’s ousting thrust Han into power, though his brief tenure ended with his own suspension by parliament.
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The court’s decision today lifts Han’s impeachment, restoring him as acting leader while Yoon, currently detained and facing insurrection charges, awaits a separate ruling on his fate. This judicial pivot keeps South Korea’s leadership in flux, spotlighting a rare clash between democratic institutions and executive overreach.
“The Constitutional Court has rendered a decision to reject the impeachment trial request against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo,” the court said Monday in a statement.
The court ruled five-to-one against Han’s impeachment, with two judges arguing the case should not have made it to court as lawmakers did not have a super majority to impeach him in the first place.
Han’s actions while in office “cannot be seen as constituting a betrayal of the people’s trust indirectly granted through the President,” the court ruled.
The decision is effective immediately and cannot be appealed.
On Monday, March 24, 2025, Han Duck-soo promptly reclaimed his role as acting president following the Constitutional Court’s ruling in his favor, expressing gratitude for what he called a “wise decision.” He remarked that the public’s voice resounds against the stark divisions plaguing South Korea’s political landscape, stressing that unity must now take precedence. “Our nation’s focus should be on progress, not discord,” he stated.
The ruling drew intense scrutiny, arriving as the country awaits a critical verdict on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, with no set date yet disclosed. Though analysts anticipated a decision by mid-March, the Constitutional Court’s ongoing silence has rendered Yoon’s case its lengthiest deliberation ever.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung acknowledged the court’s judgment on Han, insisting it warrants respect, but pressed the justices to hasten their review of Yoon’s fate, underscoring the urgency of resolving the broader leadership crisis gripping South Korea
