SOUTH KOREA’S Constitutional Court overturned the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck Soo today, reinstating the nation’s acting leader.

The court has yet to rule on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his shocking imposition of martial law late in December.

Many observers said that the 7-1 ruling in Mr Han’s case did not signal much about the upcoming verdict on Mr Yoon as he wasn’t a key figure in imposing martial law. 

Mr Han thanked the court for what he called “a wise decision” and called for national unity, saying: “There’s no left or right — what matters is the advancement of our nation.”

South Korea has been thrown into political turmoil since Mr Yoon declared martial law on December 3 and sent hundreds of troops to the opposition-controlled National Assembly and other places in Seoul. 

Mr Yoon’s decree lasted only six hours as enough lawmakers managed to enter an assembly hall and voted it down quickly.

The assembly impeached President Yoon on December 14, alleging that he violated the constitution by suppressing assembly activities and trying to detain politicians. 

Mr Yoon’s impeachment made Mr Han acting president until he was impeached in late December.

The largest party in parliament, the Democratic Party, said that it regretted the court’s decision to reinstate Mr Han.