The Constitutional Court’s decision on Monday to reinstate Han Duck-soo as prime minister and acting president has highlighted its reluctance to remove senior officials who have not clearly violated the constitution, raising broader questions about President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment and executive accountability.

In its ruling, the court indicated that Han violated the constitution by refusing to appoint three Constitutional Court justices, but it rejected the Democratic Party’s (DP) argument that this constituted a constitutional crisis warranting his removal.