Challenges to stability of acting system with leaders subject to investigation

[Anchor]

Meanwhile, acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is under investigation as a suspect in an insurrection case, where there have been mentions of impeachment.

The Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety are being led by acting deputy ministers, and many Cabinet members who attended the emergency martial law cabinet meeting need to be investigated.

Given this situation, even if the acting system is launched, it seems that managing state affairs will not be easy.

Kim Kyung-jin reports.

[Report]

Acting President Han Duck-soo has been reported to the police as a suspect for insurrection charges.

He is also on the Special Investigation Team for Treason's list of investigation subjects.

Some members of the Democratic Party are even considering impeachment proceedings against acting President Han Duck-soo.

[Cho Jung-sik/Democratic Party Member/Yesterday: "Being a suspect means that he could be an accomplice to the rebellion and martial law. What do you think?"]

[Han Duck-soo/Acting Prime Minister/Yesterday: "I believe that I will actively cooperate with the investigation so that the investigative authorities can make a decision."]

If the acting president also becomes unable to perform his duties, the next in line according to the Government Organization Act is Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok.

Deputy Prime Minister Choi is also a target of investigation as he attended the cabinet meeting just before the declaration of martial law.

Next in line after that is Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho, but this minister did not attend the cabinet meeting.

Even if the acting system is launched, it is expected that normal performance of duties will not be easy, as many cabinet members are tied to the martial law situation.

About half of the 20 cabinet members are under investigation, and the positions of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who has been arrested, former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who has been suspended due to impeachment, and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who has been dismissed, are being managed by acting deputy ministers.

In particular, the simultaneous acting system of the President and the Defense Minister is unprecedented.

To maintain defense readiness, appointing a successor to the arrested former Minister Kim Yong-hyun is urgent, but it seems that appointing a successor in the current acting system will not be easy.

Uncertainty increasing due to the inauguration of the second Trump administration in the U.S. early next year, and there is an urgent need for economic recovery.
The acting president system has been tasked with minimizing the vacuum and confusion in state affairs, but there are analyses that there will be limitations in the current deficient system.

KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.