South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (center) speaks to the media as he arrives at the Government Complex in Seoul on March 24, 2025, after the Constitutional Court dismissed his impeachment. Photo: VCG

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Monday dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president amid the ongoing turmoil, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday. 

Han's impeachment was dismissed in a 5-1 vote by the court's eight justices. Two justices voted to reject the impeachment motion entirely. The ruling came three months after the National Assembly impeached the prime minister and then acting president over his alleged role in Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law, among other reasons, according to Yonhap.

Yonhap later updated that Han expressed thankfulness for the court's dismissal of his impeachment. The prime minister arrived at his office minutes after the verdict was announced. "I thank the Constitutional Court for its wise decision," Han told reporters. "I will start by dealing with urgent issues first."

The six justices who voted to either dismiss or uphold the impeachment said there was no evidence to back the National Assembly's accusations that Han took proactive action to give legitimacy to Yoon's martial law bid, such as by convening a Cabinet meeting ahead of its declaration, Yonhap reported.

All but two justices sided with the National Assembly in ruling that the quorum to impeach Han was a minimum 151 out of 300 lawmakers, which is applied to a prime minister, not 200, as applied to a president, the report said. 

The court has yet to announce the date of its ruling on Yoon's case, though many observers anticipate it could come later in the week, Yonhap reported.

South Korea has briefed the US, Japan and China on Monday on the Constitutional Court's ruling to dismiss the impeachment of acting President Han Duck-soo, Yonhap reported, citing the South Korean foreign ministry. The foreign ministry said that First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun held a phone call with acting US Ambassador to South Korea, Joseph Yun. Deputy Foreign Minister Chung Byung-won also held separate phone calls with Taisuke Mibae, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing, agreeing to cooperate closely to steadily advance bilateral ties with both neighbors.

Tens of thousands of protesters — both supporters and opponents of Yoon — filled the streets of Seoul at the weekend as both sides urge the court to make a decision and, one way or another, bring about an end to the prolonged political crisis, the Washington Post reported.

South Korea's local media such as the Hankook Ilbo are also calling this week a "super week" of landmark rulings because the Supreme Court is due to decide Wednesday on an appeal by Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party and front-runner to win a presidential election if Yoon is removed from office, against his conviction for an election law violation.

This judiciary "super week" in South Korea which is set to determine the fate of impeached President Yoon, opposition Democratic Party leader Lee, and others, is of great significance to the country's political landscape, Lü Chao, an expert on East Asian studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

Lü noted that the Constitutional Court's decision on Monday to dismiss Han's impeachment injects new uncertainty into the situation. He said such ruling could serve as a barometer, potentially signaling a shift in sentiment toward favoring impeached President Yoon.

The expert noted that the court's upcoming ruling on Lee Jae-myung will be the next key moment for South Korea's political future, as recent decisions suggest growing divisions within the judiciary.

Also, Monday's court decision to reinstate Han to the office of acting president came just hours before a deadline for the National Assembly to vote on an opposition move to impeach Choi Sang-mok, the deputy finance minister who took over the role of acting president after Han was impeached. 

South Korea's opposition parties on Friday submitted an impeachment motion against Choi, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

The main liberal opposition Democratic Party and four other minor parties submitted the impeachment motion for four reasons, including Choi's alleged involvement in the impeached president Yoon botched martial law imposition and his refusal to appoint a constitutional court justice for over three weeks. Because of Choi's appointment refusal, the nine-member constitutional court currently has eight justices, according to Xinhua.

Zhang Huizhi, vice dean of the Northeast Asian Studies College at Jilin University, told the Global Times on Monday that Han Duck-soo resuming his role as acting president, along with the expected rulings this week, suggests that South Korea's political turmoil is approaching a conclusive phase.

Yonhap reported that in late December, Choi appointed two justices to the court but held off on the appointment of opposition-recommended Justice candidate Ma Eun-hyuk, citing the need for a bipartisan consensus.

The Democratic Party has strongly criticized Choi, noting the Constitutional Court's decision that Choi's non-appointment of the candidate is an "unconstitutional" act that infringes upon the right of the National Assembly, per the Yonhap.

Zhang said Han's return as acting president stems largely from the Democratic Party's dissatisfaction with Choi's repeated delays in appointing Constitutional Court justices, which led to his ousting. 

Zhang noted that the consensus across the country is to end the political turmoil as soon as possible and return to normalcy.