Major Foreign Media Including US and Japan Urgently Report 'Prime Minister Han's Impeachment Motion Dismissal'

Constitutional Court's Decision on the 24th Covered as Major News
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As of 1:09 PM on the 24th, a report regarding the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is featured at the top of the Asahi Shimbun website. Photo by Asahi Shimbun website

On the 24th, the Constitutional Court dismissed the National Assembly's impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and as Prime Minister Han returned to the position of acting president after nearly three months, foreign media urgently reported this as major news.

AFP cited Yonhap News Agency's related report, stating, "In the vote by the eight justices of the Constitutional Court, Prime Minister Han's impeachment was dismissed by 5 to 1. Two justices voted to entirely dismiss the impeachment motion."

AP also broke the news with the headline "South Korea's Constitutional Court overturns Prime Minister Han's impeachment," reporting that Prime Minister Han was impeached after political conflicts with the opposition-majority National Assembly while serving as acting president in place of President Yoon Seok-youl, who was impeached last December following the declaration of martial law. The report added that the Constitutional Court has not yet reached a conclusion regarding President Yoon's impeachment trial, and depending on the ruling, an early presidential election may be held or President Yoon may return to office.

Reuters reported, "South Korea's Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment against Prime Minister Han and restored his authority, marking a new turning point in the political turmoil that lasted over two months due to the acting president's impeachment." The outlet introduced Han as "a rare case who has served in leadership positions under five presidents spanning both conservative and progressive administrations over more than 30 years, gaining diverse experience beyond partisan lines in a country sharply divided by partisan rhetoric." It added, "The opposition-led National Assembly alleged that he did not make sufficient efforts to prevent President Yoon's decision to declare martial law, but Han has denied these accusations."

The American daily The Washington Post (WP) noted, "The South Korean prime minister has returned to duty, but there is still silence regarding the president," pointing out that the date for President Yoon's ruling has not yet been set. WP also remarked, "Both sides have urged the court to make a decision to end the prolonged political crisis. However, in this deeply polarized country, such an outcome seems unlikely."

Japanese media also treated the news as important, posting it prominently on their websites. Kyodo News reported, "Prime Minister Han temporarily acted as president when President Yoon Seok-youl's duties were suspended last December due to the declaration of 'emergency martial law.' With the dismissal decision, he immediately returns to duty and resumes his role as acting president."

Asahi Shimbun also reported the dismissal of the impeachment motion against Prime Minister Han, noting that Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, ended the unusual system of 'acting on behalf of the acting president.' The newspaper stated, "The key points of the impeachment trial against Prime Minister Han overlapped in part with the issues concerning the expected dismissal of President Yoon, which is drawing attention," adding that the Constitutional Court has not yet announced the ruling date for President Yoon's impeachment trial.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported, "The opposition pushed for impeachment on grounds such as Prime Minister Han's failure to block President Yoon's declaration of martial law, but the Constitutional Court did not recognize this as unconstitutional," and added, "The abnormal situation where both the president and prime minister, the heads of the executive branch, were unable to perform their duties due to impeachment motions has been resolved." Regarding President Yoon's impeachment trial, it explained, "In opinion polls, there was a trend around January where opposition support declined and opposition to dismissal increased, but since February, support for impeachment has remained around 60%, opposition around 30%, with no significant changes observed."