On Monday, South Korea's Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, allowing him to resume his role as acting president. Han had stepped into the position after President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended for imposing martial law last year. However, lawmakers impeached Han in December, just weeks after he took over from Yoon, who himself faced impeachment for briefly halting civilian legal proceedings.

The court ruled against Han’s impeachment in a 7-1 decision by the eight justices of the court, with two justices opposing the motion, according to Yonhap news agency.

Prime Minister Han was impeached and suspended on December 27, less than two weeks after taking office. His removal came after a conflict with the opposition-controlled parliament, which accused him of refusing to appoint three additional justices to the Constitutional Court. Lawmakers also impeached him over his alleged involvement in martial law and his opposition to special counsel bills to investigate President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok took over as acting president while the Constitutional Court reviewed the cases of Mr. Yoon and Mr. Han.

At 75, Han had spent over three decades in leadership roles under five different presidents from both conservative and liberal parties. He was considered a rare figure in a politically divided country whose career bridged party lines. However, the opposition-led parliament accused him of failing to prevent President Yoon’s move to declare martial law, an allegation he firmly denied. On February 19, Han attended the sole hearing in his impeachment case, where he reiterated his innocence regarding the martial law controversy and urged the court to dismiss the charges against him.

President Yoon’s sudden declaration of martial law on December 3 triggered political turmoil, shaking Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The move also raised concerns among allies like the United States, which viewed Yoon as an integral partner in countering China and North Korea. In the end, martial law lasted only about six hours. Lawmakers voted to overturn the declaration after successfully resisting attempts by the police and military to block access to parliament, even climbing over fences to bypass security barriers.