Ruling and opposition lawmakers clashed at the National Assembly plenary session on Friday as the Democratic Party pushed ahead to vote for a motion to impeach Acting President Han Duck-soo.

As Speaker Woo Won-shik announced that a simple majority of 151 votes are sufficient to impeach Han, ruling People Power Party lawmakers staged a protest surrounding the podium while opposition lawmakers started to cast their ballots. 

The PPP claims that a motion to impeach an acting president needs the participation of two-thirds of standing lawmakers to meet the quorum, while the DP insists that a simple majority of 151 votes are sufficient since Han is serving in his capacity as prime minister.

Prime Minister Han has been acting president for nearly two weeks since the parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14 for his failed martial law attempt.


The impeachment motion accused Han, in his role as acting president, of rejecting special counsel probes targeting Yoon's December 3 martial law decree and allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon-hee, as well as refusing to appoint Constitutional Court Justices. The motion also accused Han, as prime minister, of acting as a willing or silent accomplice of insurrection in reference to the December 3 martial law attempt.