The South Korean opposition has announced that it will vote to impeach incumbent President Han

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s main opposition party said it would introduce a bill to impeach incumbent President Han Duck-soo on Thursday and vote on it on Friday, a move that deepens the country’s constitutional crisis sparked by a short-lived martial law could .

The opposition Democratic Party had threatened to impeach Han if he did not immediately appoint three judges to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted for three candidates on Thursday, but they have not yet been officially appointed by Han.

The court is considering the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law on December 3.

“It has become clear that Prime Minister and incumbent President Han Duck-soo does not have the qualifications or will to protect the Constitution,” Democratic Party Chairman Park Chan-dae said in a statement.

The motion was presented to Parliament on Thursday and must be voted on within 24 to 72 hours. A number of Han’s actions were cited as reasons for his removal from office, including his veto of a special prosecutor’s bill to investigate alleged misconduct by the first lady.

If Han is indicted, the finance minister will assume the acting presidency. The Democratic Party has a majority in the House, but there is disagreement between the parties and some constitutional scholars over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds majority is needed to impeach the sitting president.

Han said earlier Thursday that he would not appoint the judges until political parties reach an agreement on the appointments, saying it would harm the constitutional order if he did so without political consensus.

Two of the proposed candidates for the Constitutional Court approved Thursday were nominated by the Democratic Party and one by Han’s ruling People Power Party. The ruling party objected to this division of candidates on the grounds that it did not agree to it.

Han has been under pressure to make the appointments, but political parties have disagreed over whether he has the authority to do so as sitting president.

The court is expected to hold its first hearing in the case on Friday to decide whether to fire or reinstate Yoon.

Under the Constitution, six justices must vote to remove an impeached president, meaning the current justices must vote unanimously to remove Yoon. The court said it could deliberate without the full nine-judge bench.

Yoon, who was impeached by parliament on Dec. 14 in a vote that included some members of his center-right party, did not submit legal documents required by the court until Thursday, court spokesman Lee Jean said at a media briefing.

On Wednesday he did not respond to the latest summons for questioning in a separate criminal case. Investigators sent another summons Thursday for him to appear on Dec. 29.

Yoon’s repeated defiance sparked criticism from the opposition and calls for his arrest.

Earlier Thursday, lawyers for Yoon’s former defense minister, who is being investigated on insurrection charges over the declaration of martial law, said it was intended to raise alarm about abuses of the democratic process by opposition parties.

Kim Yong-hyun was the first in a series of officials to be arrested and is likely to be the first to face charges over allegations of being a central figure in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s surprise declaration of martial law on December 3.

(Reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park, Joyce Lee; Editing by Jamie Freed, Alexandra Hudson)