South Korea restores PM Han Duck-soo after impeachment overturned

South Korea's Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday, reinstating his authority after more than two months of suspension amid deep political upheaval.

The court ruled 7-1 against the impeachment, which followed Han’s brief tenure as acting president when President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached last December over a controversial martial law declaration.

Han, 75, faced parliamentary impeachment on December 27 for refusing to appoint additional Constitutional Court justices and allegedly failing to oppose Yoon's declaration of martial law, charges he has consistently denied.

In his testimony during the court hearing on February 19, Han insisted on his innocence and called for the dismissal of the impeachment proceedings.

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok temporarily assumed the presidency during the court's review of Han and Yoon’s cases.

The political crisis, sparked by President Yoon’s short-lived martial law decree on December 3, caused widespread concern domestically and internationally. The decree, intended to last longer, was swiftly overturned after six hours when lawmakers defied military and police blockades to reject it.

Han’s career spans more than three decades, serving under both conservative and liberal presidents, earning a reputation as a nonpartisan figure in South Korea's sharply divided political landscape.

The crisis has rattled South Korea, a key regional ally of the United States, particularly as it seeks stability amidst tensions with North Korea and China.

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