South Korea’s interim president Han Duck-Soo resigned on Thursday before running the country’s early presidential elections on June 3.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-Mok must take office in an interim way, following Korean law.
Han was in his second term as chief of staff when he became interim president on December 14, after President Yoon Suk Yeol suffered impeachment for parliament for his decision to impose martial law on the country.
Two weeks later, Han suffered impeachment after being accused of assisting Yoon in the statement of martial law. His impeachment was annulled by the Constitutional Court on March 24, with him returning to office and remaining as an interim leader until the early elections.
By assuming as interim president, he faced the challenge of keeping the government working during one of the largest political crises in decades, while facing North Korea threats and the slowdown of the internal economy.
Han also had to lead efforts to deal with the threat of tariffs for exports to the United States imposed by Donald Trump.
The interim president expressed the willingness to reach an agreement, stating that the country will not react against Washington, as he owes his recovery from the 1950-1953 Korean war.
South Korea and the United States have recently agreed to develop a commercial package to remove American tariffs before the break in reciprocal tariffs is suspended in July.
Still, he faced resistance from the main liberal party, the Democratic Party, whose candidate Lee Jae-Myung is the favorite to win the election, amid charges that negotiations are being hurried by conservatives for political gain.
Han’s positions ranged from Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of Commerce to the Presidential Secretary for Policy Coordination, as well as Ambassador in the United States and OECD and Think Tanks and organizations.
Han has working experience with the United States, the main ally of South Korea, having been deeply involved in the signing process of the US-South Corea Free Trade Agreement.
This content was originally published in South Korea: Interim President resigns to office before the elections on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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