SEOUL (Reuters) – When Acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the scene of the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil on Sunday, he had been in office for less than 48 hours. Choi, the country’s finance minister, became acting leader on Friday night after the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had been acting president since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from power on December 14.
The political upheaval in South Korea was sparked when Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law on December 3, only to rescind the order within hours after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against Yoon. The opposition-led parliament accused him of insurrection and abuse of power and impeached him, and later Han.
Choi visited the site of the crash and declared it a special disaster zone, offering his condolences to the bereaved families and vowing to do his best to recover from the accident and prevent a recurrence. However, behind the scenes, government offices were still figuring out the chain of command and how press statements would be released.
Government officials said that each ministry involved in foreign policy, administrative issues or safety has teams reporting to Choi, but Yoon’s presidential staff does not, and Choi is operating from a government complex in Seoul rather than any official residence. It is still undecided who, if anyone, from Yoon’s and Han’s offices would report to Choi.
Choi is leading a centralized disaster control team instead of the prime minister, who would typically be in charge based on a manual prepared after the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol and the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush in 2022. Choi will serve as acting president while the Constitutional Court determines the fates of Yoon and Han.
