South Korea crisis deepens as MPs vote to impeach acting president

The scenes inside the national assembly have been a reminder of how thin the line can be between democracy and rule by force

- Justin McCurry

South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach the acting president, Han Duck-soo, plunging the country deeper into a political crisis that has caused policy deadlock and damaged its international reputation.

The national assembly yesterday approved an impeachment motion introduced on Thursday by the main opposition party by a 192-0 vote. The chamber has 300 MPs, but members of the ruling People Power party (PPP) boycotted the vote.

Han took over as president after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached over his imposition of martial law on 3 December. The move triggered six hours of chaos that, for many older South Koreans, brought back memories of the country's bloody transition from military rule to democracy in the 1980s.

The main opposition Democratic party - which has a majority in the national assembly - targeted Han after accusing him of participating in Yoon's botched imposition of martial law, which ended when MPs forced their way into the parliament building to overturn Yoon's decree.