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South Korea has voted to impeach its acting president, Han Dak-soo, two weeks after parliament voted to impeach its president, Yoon Suk-yeol.
192 lawmakers voted to impeach him, more than the 151 votes needed for him to succeed.
Prime Minister Han took over after President Yoon was impeached by parliament following his failed attempt to impose martial law on December 3.
Khan was supposed to lead the country out of political turmoil, but opposition lawmakers claimed he was abandoning demands to complete the impeachment process against Yun.
It was a scene of chaos in Parliament as the vote took place on Friday.
Lawmakers from the ruling Yun and Han Party of Power (PPP) protested after National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik announced that only 151 votes would be needed to pass the impeachment bill.
This meant that, unlike the 200 votes needed to impeach Yun, no votes from ruling lawmakers would be needed to impeach Khan in parliament this time.
Deputies from the ruling party gathered in the middle of the voting hall and chanted “invalid!” and “abuse of power!” in response and called on the speaker to resign. Most of them boycotted the vote.
Khan will be removed from his duties once he is formally notified by Parliament.
Like Yun, Khan’s impeachment will have to be confirmed by the constitutional court, which has 180 days to decide whether the impeachment should be upheld.
“I respect the decision of the National Assembly,” Khan said on Friday, adding that he would “wait for the decision of the Constitutional Court.”
The opposition first filed an impeachment motion against Khan on Thursday after he blocked the appointment of three judges chosen by parliament to oversee Yun’s case.
The Constitutional Court of Korea normally consists of nine members. At least six justices must uphold Yun’s impeachment for the decision to stand.
Currently, there are only six judges on the bench, meaning that one recusal would save Yoon from removal.
The opposition hoped that the three additional nominations would help increase Yun’s chances of impeachment.
Finance Minister Choi Sang Mok is set to replace Khan as acting president.
Khan’s removal is likely to add to the political gridlock and uncertainty the country is currently grappling with.
On Friday, the Korean won also fell to its lowest level against the dollar since the global financial crisis 16 years ago, with both sides blaming each other for the chaos.
