Prime Minister's Secretariat "No Separate Manual or Team Formation"
Experience Supporting Acting President After Impeachment Resolution Passed
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is arriving at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News
The Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Office for Government Policy Coordination are on high alert ahead of the vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, scheduled for 4 p.m. on the 14th. If the impeachment motion passes, President Yoon's duties will be suspended, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will act as the president.
Some executives and staff from the Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Office for Government Policy Coordination reportedly came to work at the Government Seoul Office Building this morning to prepare for the possibility of the impeachment motion being approved.
The Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Office for Government Policy Coordination maintain the position that even if President Yoon is impeached, they will proceed as in past precedents. Prime Minister Han has experience working as the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination during the acting presidency of Goh Kun when the impeachment motion against President Roh Moo-hyun was pursued in 2004.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, no team has been formed nor manual created to prepare for the approval of the impeachment motion. The Prime Minister's Office has experience assisting Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn when the impeachment motions against President Roh in March 2004 and President Park Geun-hye in December 2016 were approved.
An official from the Office for Government Policy Coordination stated, "If Prime Minister Han assumes the role of acting president, he will carry out duties at the Government Seoul Office Building as per precedent, rather than at the Yongsan Presidential Office."
Prime Minister Han is known to be staying at the Prime Minister's official residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and plans to observe the parliamentary vote from his office at the Seoul Government Office in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, unlike on the 7th when the impeachment motion failed due to insufficient quorum, the likelihood of its approval is now increasing. If the acting presidency system is established, Prime Minister Han plans to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting and issue a public address as per precedent.
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