Yonhap reported that the decision was made in the context of prolonged political instability due to President Yoon Suk Yeol's suspension after a short declaration of martial law.
With a ratio of 5 votes in favor and 1 against, the Constitutional Court declared the impeachmentmentmentment to be rejected, including 2 judges who voted completely against this decision.
The verdict came three months after the National Assembly approved a proposal to impeach Mr. Han on charges related to his role in President Yoon's December 3 martial law decision, among other grounds.
4 out of 5 judges voted to reject the impeachment, admitting that Mr. Han violated the Constitution and the law by delaying the appointment of additional judges to the Constitutional Court, but determined that this was not enough to remove him from office.
The six judges - including those who voted against and approved the impeachment - all said that there was no evidence to prove that Mr. Han had proactively legalized Mr. Yoon's martial law declaration, such as calling a cabinet meeting before the warrant was issued.
Except for the two judges, the majority of members of the Constitutional Court agreed with the National Assembly's argument that the minimum number of votes to impeach the Prime Minister was 151/300 members of parliament, instead of 200 as for impeaching the President.
Immediately after the verdict was announced, Prime Minister Han returned to the office and told the press: "I thank the Constitutional Court for their wise decision. I will prioritize solving urgent problems immediately".
