Anchor: The opposition-dominated National Assembly has moved to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo after he announced his decision to defer the appointment of three Constitutional Court justices until a bipartisan agreement is reached. The main opposition Democratic Party(DP) followed through on its threat to impeach Han, claiming that he is only seeking to stall the Constitutional Court's deliberations on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial.
Koo Heejin has the details.

Report: The National Assembly introduced a motion to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo immediately following his announcement to delay the appointment of Constitutional Court justices.

In an emergency televised address, Han stated that he would defer the appointments until rival parties reach a consensus, noting that no Constitutional Court justice has ever been appointed without bipartisan agreement.

Shortly after Han’s remarks, the opposition-led National Assembly introduced the impeachment motion.

The bill accuses Han of rejecting a special probe bill targeting First Lady Kim Keon-hee, acting as a willing or silent accomplice of insurrection regarding the December 3 martial law decree, avoiding the approval of special probe on the December 3 incident and refusing to appoint Constitutional Court Justices.

The main opposition Democratic Party(DP) floor leader Park Chan-dae said Han's decision clearly indicates that he has no intention of appointing Justices for the Constitutional Court.

The court, which is tasked with deliberating on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol following his December 3 martial law decree, requires three additional justices to complete its nine-member bench.

The DP separately passed a bill appointing Ma Eun-hyuk, Jeong Gye-seon, and Cho Han-chang as the new justices. Ma and Jeong are DP-backed candidates, while Cho is supported by the ruling People Power Party(PPP).

The National Assembly will now have to vote on Han's impeachment within 72 hours, by Sunday afternoon. 

However, the procedure for impeaching Han remains contentious. The PPP have claimed that a motion to impeach an Acting President will need the participation of two-thirds of standing lawmakers to meet the quorum, while the DP insists that a simple majority is sufficient since Han is serving in his capacity as Prime Minister.
Koo Heejin, KBS World Radio News.