S Korea's oppn moves to impeach acting president

SEOUL: South Korea's opposition said on Thursday it filed an impeachment motion against acting president Han Duck-soo, in an escalating row over the composition of the Constitutional Court which would decide whether to remove his predecessor from office. The opposition wants Han to approve three more nominees to fill the 9-member bench, something that he has so far refused to do, essentially leaving both sides in a deadlock.

The opposition Democratic Party therefore says the acting president should be impeached too. "We have filed the motion... and will report it to the plenary session today," MP Park Sung-joon said in a statement to reporters at the National Assembly of the action against Han. "We will put it to a vote tomorrow." Han's refusal to formally appoint the three judges proves that he "does not have the will or qualification to uphold the constitution," the Democratic Party's floor leader Park Chan-dae told reporters. Han has said that he would certify the judges' appointments only if his ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition reach a compromise on the nominees.