While the Constitutional Court announced a preliminary hearing, the government and the opposition are unable to agree on the veto power the prime minister can use as acting president. Several important bills are thus stuck in Parliament. South Korean bishops have issued a new appeal to politicians to work together respectful of the democratic process.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – Despite the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s political system remains gridlocked as the government continues to clash with the opposition over the bills in Parliament that triggered the 3 February coup attempt, which is still under investigation.

In the meantime, the Constitutional Court, which has started procedures to impeach the sitting president, is expected to rule within six months whether to remove or reinstate him. However, all six sitting justices must vote in favour of impeachment to remove the president, followed by elections within 60 days.

Yesterday the Court said that it would proceed with a preliminary hearing on 27 December even if it is not at full strength since the three justices who retired in October had not been replaced before the proclamation of martial law that led to Yoon’s downfall.

It is not clear whether the three missing justices will be appointed in the coming weeks, because Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), and the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which controls the National Assembly since April, are at odds over the issue.

The DPK wants the three justices appointed before the end of the year, while for the PPP, this is not possible before Yoon's case is decided. The two parties are also at loggerheads over all other political issues that are within the president’s prerogatives.

Although Prime Minister Han Duck-so is acting president, there is no agreement as to what his functions and powers should be, in particular, there is no agreement on the president’s veto power on bills that have stalled in Parliament, including the establishment of two special prosecutors: one to investigate Yoon's proclamation of martial law, and the other, to investigate the first lady, Kim Keon-hee, who is at the centre of several scandals.

After the PPP asked Han to reject the bills, the DPK threatened to open a new impeachment motion against the prime minister as well.

The two parties are also quarrelling over all the other laws proposed by the DPK , including bills to stabilise agricultural prices, approve the budget, and corporate reports.

The PPP has so far opposed all of them. If Han Duck-so were to veto one of these bills as acting president, it would set an important precedent.

The government today announced that it will hold a special cabinet meeting in the coming days to decide how to use the veto power.

Han Duck-so did not address the matter, but announced that, to encourage stock market recovery, the budget for approved 2025 will be implemented starting on 1 January.

The ongoing political stalemate began with the opposition victory in April’s National Assembly elections.

Recent events are symptomatic of a increasingly polarised society with protesters taking to the streets, with divisions emerging within the PPP itself, which had initially proposed an "orderly exit" for Yoon Suk-yeol.

As the days passed, several party members shifted their positions, including PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who resigned yesterday under pressure from the pro-Yoon faction.

“I sincerely apologize to all the people who suffered due to the emergency martial law incident,” he said during a televised press conference.

Even the bishops of South Korea issued a new statement right after parliament voted to impeach the president. In it, they called on political leaders to work together.

“It is time to put aside partisan differences and work together for the well-being of the country and its people,” said Bishop Mathias Ri Iong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea.

The prelate, who is also bishop of Suwon, stressed the need to remain united and create a country in which everyone is equal before the law and in which "no one can impose his or her will on the people", ignoring the democratic process.

• south korea
• impeachment
• constitutional court
• yoon suk-yeol
• han duck-so
• han dong-hoon
• veto power