Han Tok-su became acting president after the dismissal of Jun Sok-yol.
President Joe Biden emphasized the strength of the U.S. relationship with South Korea during a phone call with the South Korean prime minister on Saturday. Han Tok-su became acting president after Jun Sok Jol was ousted from the post in parliament. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
“President Biden expressed his belief that the relationship (of the two countries) will remain a fundamental pillar of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region during the term of the current President Han,” the White House said.
“President Biden expressed appreciation for the resilience of democracy and the rule of law in the Republic of Korea and reaffirmed the strong commitment of the United States to the people of the Republic of Korea,” the White House said in a statement.
Parliament voted to impeach President Jun
South Korea’s parliament on Saturday voted by a two-thirds majority to constitutionally impeach President Jun for his declaration of martial law last week. Although parliament lifted martial law a few hours later, it sparked the country’s worst political unrest in decades.
Premier Han will serve as interim president until the Constitutional Court rules on Jun’s permanent removal. The court has six months to do so, and the appeal must be confirmed by six of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court. After such a decision, the election of a new president must take place within 60 days.
Under South Korea’s constitution, the president can serve only one five-year term, which prevents Jun from running again if he is officially deposed.
