South Korea's National Assembly, dominated by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, passed an impeachment motion against acting president Han Duck-soo on Dec. 27, 2024. / Newsis

The Democratic Party of Korea passed an impeachment motion against acting president Han Duck-soo on Dec. 27, an obstinate move given the legal framework regarding the quorum for impeaching an acting president has not been clearly defined. The impeachment motion against Han is troubling because it is not based on constitutional violations but driven by political motivations, namely the desire to clear obstacles for an early presidential election favorable to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. Considering the nature of the impeachment, there is a high possibility that it will be dismissed by the Constitutional Court.

Since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, the Democratic Party has proposed 29 impeachment motions. The frequency is unusually high, even by global standards. The National Assembly, dominated by the Democratic Party, unilaterally passed 13 of these bills. The Democratic Party has impeached the auditor general, attempted to impeach Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min twice, and proposed to impeach the acting chairman of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC). Even prosecutors investigating Lee Jae-myung have also been targeted.

The reasons cited for these impeachments often failed to meet legal requirements under constitutional law. For instance, the impeachment motion against former KCC Chairman Lee Dong-kwan lacked concrete evidence of legal violations and was a near-copy of the prosecutors’ indictment. Former KCC Chairperson Lee Jin-sook was impeached immediately after taking office, which was absurd, given she did not have time to commit any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors investigating Lee Jae-myung were impeached based on unverified rumors, one-sided claims by defendants, and cases that had already concluded in acquittal. Even basic factual details, such as dates and names, were riddled with errors. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly rejected such poorly drafted impeachment motions. Among the 29 impeachment motions, it is no exaggeration to say that the only one that met the minimum legal requirements was the one against President Yoon Suk-yeol. The rest were thinly veiled attempts to shield Lee Jae-myung from legal accountability.

The Democratic Party has threatened to pass more impeachment motions if the government fails to appoint Constitutional Court judges. “All cabinet members involved in the emergency meeting before the martial law declaration are subject to impeachment.” The party has made it clear that if current acting president Choi Sang-mok does not comply with their demands, he will also face impeachment.

If every acting president is impeached one after another in such a manner, the cabinet risks losing its quorum of 11 members, paralyzing the government. This would pave the way for an unchecked one-party rule, with laws passed unilaterally and enforced without oversight. The consequences would be grave. Government operations would halt, economic uncertainty would deepen, and national security risks could spiral out of control. The Democratic Party, seemingly afflicted by a “serial impeachment disease,” cannot evade accountability for the resulting chaos in state affairs.