Agencies SEOUL

South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly on Friday voted to impeach the country's acting leader, Han Duck-soo, plunging the country deeper into a political crisis that has caused policy deadlock and damaged its international reputation.

The national assembly approved an impeachment motion introduced on Thursday by the main opposition party by a 192-0 vote. The chamber has 300 MPs, but members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted Friday’s vote.

Han took over as president after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law on  December 3. The move triggered six hours of chaos that, for many older South Koreans, brought back memories of the country’s bloody transition from military rule to democracy in the 1980s.

The main opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the national assembly,  targeted Han after accusing him of participating in Yoon’s botched imposition of martial law, which ended when MPs forced their way into the parliament building to overturn Yoon’s decree.

Han angered opposition MPs this week when he refused to immediately appoint three justices to fill vacancies at the constitutional court, which will decide whether or not to approve the impeachment vote against Yoon. Han said appointing justices would exceed his powers as acting president.

In response, Democrat  Party leader Lee Jae-myung accused Han of “acting for insurrection”. “The only way to normalise the country is to swiftly root out all the insurrection forces,” Lee said, adding that his party was acting on behalf of the public to “eradicate” politicians who had put South Korea,  Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, at risk.