In South Korea, the court rejected the impeachment of the Prime Minister: reinstated him as acting president

The Constitutional Court of South Korea on Monday rejected the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president - a role he assumed after the president was removed for declaring martial law, UNN writes, citing AFP.

Details

The court's decision is the latest development in South Korea's complex and growing political crisis, which President Yoon Suk-yeol began with a short-lived attempt to undermine civilian rule in December, the newspaper writes.

Lawmakers in the country defied armed soldiers in parliament to vote against Yoon's declaration of martial law on December 3, and soon after impeached him, with Han taking over as acting president.

But he himself was impeached by lawmakers just weeks later over his alleged involvement in the martial law fiasco, as well as a dispute over the appointment of judges.

"The Constitutional Court has ruled to dismiss the request for impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo," the court said in a statement on Monday.

The court ruled five to one against Han's impeachment, with two judges saying the case should not have gone to court in the first place as lawmakers did not initially have a majority to impeach.

Han's actions during his tenure "cannot be considered a betrayal of the trust of the people, which was indirectly granted through the president," the court ruled.

The decision takes effect immediately and can be appealed.

Han, who immediately resumed his duties as president on Monday, thanked the Constitutional Court for its "wise decision".

"I believe that all citizens are clearly against an extremely polarized political sphere. I think there is no room for division now. Our country's priority is to move forward," he added.

The court's decision was closely watched as it preceded a long-awaited decision on the impeachment of President Yoon, the date of which has not yet been announced.

Although experts predict a verdict in the case by mid-March, the Constitutional Court has not yet made a decision, making Yoon's case the longest trial in its history.

If Yoon's impeachment is upheld, South Korea must hold new elections within 60 days of the verdict.

Addendum

Yoon was suspended by parliament in December. He was arrested in January during a raid in connection with a separate criminal investigation on charges of insurrection, which are not covered by presidential immunity.

Yoon is the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case.

He was released from custody in early March for procedural reasons - a move that apparently inspired his supporters, the newspaper notes.

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets last weekend, amid rallies for and against Yoon intensified ahead of the court ruling.