South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo (Photo: Reuters)

The motion passed with 192 of the 300 votes in favour of impeaching Han, who took over from Yoon on December 14 and is now the first South Korean acting President to be impeached. 

On Thursday, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) introduced a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on 5 charges, including not immediately appoint three justices to fill the vacancies at the Constitutional Court and "acting for insurrection".

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok now assumes the role of acting president as the person next in line under the law. However, Choi himself warned that impeaching Han would deal a serious blow to the country’s economic standing and urged the opposition to reconsider its bid.

"Impeaching acting President Han Duck-soo is the same as impeaching the entire cabinet. If the bill passes, the government’s administrative capabilities will be weakened by the risks of continuous impeachment, and the purpose of cabinet members’ existence will disappear," he said.