The National Assembly on Thursday passed a motion recommending Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s dismissal on claims of incompetence in his role as the chief of the Cabinet.
The motion passed 175 to 116 votes in the opposition-controlled National Assembly, with four abstentions.
While President Yoon Suk Yeol is highly likely to disregard the motion, it marks the first time that a dismissal recommendation against a prime minister has passed in parliament.
The main-opposition Democratic Party(DP) blamed Han for what it characterized as the Yoon administration’s “failures,” including its response to Japan’s release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and the mismanagement of last month’s World Scout Jamboree.
The DP has passed two dismissal motions since the start of the Yoon administration: first against foreign minister Park Jin and the other against interior minister Lee Sang-min, both of which were disregarded by President Yoon.