On Friday, South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Education, Lee Joo-ho, stepped into the role of acting president, succeeding Han Duck-soo in this capacity.
Initially, it was expected that Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok would take over from Han as president; however, he resigned late Thursday after the opposition Democratic Party initiated a motion to impeach him.
On the same day, Lee instructed the military to elevate its readiness to the “highest level,” as reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
According to Yonhap, Lee emphasized, “The government must exert every effort to ensure the continuation of good governance without any gaps or confusion in state affairs.”
Han had served as Prime Minister since 2022 until his resignation yesterday. He had also assumed the role of acting president following the suspension of Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidency, which was triggered by his sudden declaration of martial law on December 3, citing vague threats from political opponents.