Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo returned to work on the 24th, allowing Choi Sang-mok, the Acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, who had been overseeing state affairs during the acting period, to also return to his original role. However, with the opposition party indicating a plan to push for Choi's impeachment, it seems the economic command is facing instability.
According to government-related departments, Acting Prime Minister Han will return to work from the moment the constitutional court's ruling is delivered. It has been 87 days since the National Assembly approved the impeachment motion against him on Dec. 27 last year. With Han's return, Choi Sang-mok has also resumed his original position as 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.'
Acting Prime Minister Han and Deputy Prime Minister Choi reportedly held a separate tea time at the Government Seoul Building around 11:10 a.m. that day to hand over major tasks pursued during Han's absence, as well as current state affairs.
The 'Acting Support Team' established to assist Deputy Prime Minister Choi in his acting duties is also expected to be dissolved as of that day. Employees dispatched from other departments and agencies will return to their original posts, while bureaucrats who received concurrent appointments within the Ministry of Economy and Finance will go through the steps to have their concurrent positions rescinded.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi, who oversaw state affairs on behalf of Han, chaired the cabinet meetings, meetings on state affairs with the relevant ministers, external economic issue discussions, and macroeconomic and financial issue meetings as 'the deputy of the deputy.' He took charge of a broad range of state affairs beyond economic issues, including diplomacy, security, and social matters.
When Acting Prime Minister Han rejected the appointment of three constitutional court judges and was impeached, he appointed two people—one recommended by each party—while deciding to delay the appointment of the candidate Ma Eun-hyeong by stating that 'a consensus between the parties is necessary.'
During his term as acting deputy prime minister, Choi led the handling of the Jeju Air passenger plane accident that occurred at Muan International Airport. Last month, he personally visited the funeral home of Kim Ha-neul, who was murdered by a 40-year-old teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, to pay his respects.
Within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, there is anticipation that Choi will assess the increasingly uncertain economic situation and focus on resolving crises as he returns to his original position. He is expected to participate in next month's annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) and engage in 'Korea sales.' A Ministry of Economy and Finance official noted, 'From now on, he will be able to focus on the fundamental duties of the Deputy Prime Minister overseeing the government's economic policies.'
However, there are also factors of instability. The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, are pushing for the impeachment of Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok. Despite the constitutional court concluding that it cannot be determined that Han breached the trust of the public, which justifies his dismissal (5-member opinion for dismissal), the opposition maintains that they will continue with the impeachment of Choi.
In this regard, Chief Spokesperson Jo Seung-rae met with reporters at the National Assembly that morning and said, 'We have always taken an impeachment stance regarding Choi Sang-mok,' adding, 'We will proceed according to the National Assembly's procedures.'
Within the ruling party, there were criticisms of the impeachment push as an excessive measure amid the economic crisis. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, stated during the party's emergency measures meeting that 'the impeachment of Acting Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok is an impeachment of the Korean economy,' describing it as 'the worst behavior that undermines the people's economy.'
There is keen attention to whether the opposition will push forward with an impeachment motion against Deputy Prime Minister Choi, which has almost identical reasons to that of Acting Prime Minister Han, including ▲ failure to appoint constitutional court judges ▲ allegations of complicity in insurrection ▲ failure to appoint Supreme Court justices ▲ failure to nominate candidates for the special prosecutor.
A senior government official stated, 'Since the impeachment trial against Acting Prime Minister Han was dismissed, we expect a similar decision will be reached if impeachment proceedings against Choi take place.' The official added, 'If the opposition proceeds with the impeachment despite knowing that the likelihood of acceptance is low, they will have difficulty avoiding criticism for causing a lack of an economic control tower during an economic crisis.'
Kang Young-kyu, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, remarked, 'If the Deputy Prime Minister is absent due to a suspension of duties from impeachment, the Vice Minister will assume the duties.' He continued, 'The meetings that the Deputy Prime Minister had chaired will be presided over by the Vice Minister; can the Vice Minister preside over meetings that the Deputy Prime Minister was conducting?' Kang added, 'If ministerial meetings are downgraded to vice ministerial level, it raises questions about whether decisions can be made swiftly.'