South Korea's opposition lawmakers have submitted a motion to impeach Prime Minister and acting leader Han Duck-soo, following the recent impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The motion comes after Han declined to appoint constitutional court judges nominated by the opposition Democratic Party Korea (DPK) news agencies in South Korea report.

The opposition has accused Han of facilitating a martial law attempt by Yoon earlier in December. Han himself has apologised for not preventing the declaration, which was short-lived, but has now vetoed multiple DPK-led bills, including one seeking a special investigation into the incident.

The impeachment motion for Han is likely to be voted on in the coming days and unlike the two-thirds needed to impeach the president requires support from 151 of the 300 members of parliament to pass. The DPK currently holds 170 seats and is part of a broader opposition group which controls 192 seats in all.

Opposition lawmakers had hoped Han would adopt a neutral stance as acting president and facilitate legislative progress. Instead, his actions have escalated political tensions. On December 24, he ended a cabinet meeting without addressing two key opposition bills, including one calling for a special counsel to probe the martial law declaration and corruption allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. Somewhat bizarrely in the eyes of many Koreans, he justified the omission by citing the need for compromise between ruling and opposition parties.

Han further strained relations on December 26 by then refusing to appoint three judges nominated by the opposition-led National Assembly to the constitutional court. The court is currently deliberating Yoon's impeachment. Han defended this by insisting on consensus between rival factions before proceeding.

The ruling People Power Party continues to defend Han's actions as legitimate, while a senior official from the prime minister's office criticised the opposition’s threats as regrettable according to the BBC. If impeached, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok would replace Han as acting president.