In South Korea, an unprecedented situation occurs when the acting president's ”acting president” takes charge of national affairs.

In South Korea, an unusual situation has occurred in which an "acting president" has temporarily taken over the reins of state affairs. Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who has been acting as the president, will be running the presidential election on the 3rd of next month.
As a result of Choi's announcement of his candidacy, it was expected that Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok would act as the "acting president" under the provisions of the Constitution. However, Choi said in the National Assembly that the opposition parties had filed a lawsuit against him.
Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, will act as "acting acting president" until the winner of the presidential election on the 3rd of next month is confirmed.
South Korea has been in political turmoil since President Yoon Seok-yeol declared "emergency martial law" in December last year. Emergency martial law is a type of martial law defined by the South Korean Constitution.
The state of emergency is issued by the president in times of war, civil unrest, and other emergencies, when it is necessary for military purposes or to maintain public order. Although the state of emergency was lifted early, it caused confusion in Korean society and
Politics became unstable. The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that Yoon had violated the constitution by "attempting to suspend the constitutional order and committing an internal rebellion with a view to seizing permanent power," and filed an impeachment suit against him.
The bill was submitted to the National Assembly and passed by 204 votes in favor and 85 against in December last year. As a result, Yoon was suspended from his duties.
With Yoon suspended from his duties, the powers of the presidency were assumed by Prime Minister Han Deok-soo.
Han was subsequently impeached for aiding and abetting the declaration of emergency martial law, and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok was appointed as the acting prime minister.
In March, the impeachment charges against Han were dismissed, and Han returned to his role as acting president. Meanwhile, on the 4th of last month, the Constitutional Court unanimously decided to uphold the removal of Yoon from office. Han was then the head of the National Assembly.
In a statement to the public, he said, "I take seriously the unfortunate situation of the second sitting president in constitutional history being impeached," and added, "As acting president, a vacuum has been created in national security and diplomacy.
"We will maintain a robust security system so that a situation like this does not occur again," he said. He also called on the political world and the National Assembly to "gather their strength and wisdom for the future of the Republic of Korea."
With Yoon's impeachment, the presidential election will be held on June 3. On the 2nd of this month, Han announced his candidacy.
"Political infighting that pursues the interests of individuals and camps, rather than the future of the country and its people, has reached dangerous waters," he said at the press conference. "We cannot allow the country we worked so hard to build to crumble from its foundations due to irresponsible political infighting."
The day before, he announced his resignation as prime minister, saying in a speech to the nation, "I will do what I can and must do to overcome the crisis we are facing.
Following Han's resignation as prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance Choi Sang-mok was scheduled to act as the "acting president" of the country, but Choi
Following the submission of an impeachment motion to the National Diet, he announced his intention to resign on the night of the 1st. "In the current severe economic situation both at home and abroad, I am no longer able to carry out my duties. I am sorry to the people," he said.
The shocking resignation came less than two hours before he was to be sworn in as the "acting prime minister." Following Choi's resignation, Lee Juho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, was appointed as the "acting acting president" to carry out the duties of the president.
Lee will be in charge of running the country until the presidential election on the 3rd of next month determines who will win. Lee is 64 and a former member of the South Korean city of Daegu. He served as a member of the National Assembly before taking over as president from Lee Myung-bak.
He served as Minister of Education, Science and Technology (later Minister of Education) in the administration of President Moon Jae-in. In November 2022, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education under the Yoon administration. On the 2nd, Lee told reporters, "I have been given a heavy responsibility."
He then stated that with the presidential election approaching, "the focus will be on fair election management." Regarding the unusual situation in which the "acting acting president" of the president is in charge of running the country, he said, "
"I will do my best to ensure that national affairs are run stably," he said.