The acting president of South Korea, Choi Sang-mok, faces his first major test as he deals with the aftermath of a plane crash. Mr. Choi, who took over after the implementation of martial law and the impeachment of the previous leaders, is now in charge of mobilizing government agencies to aid in the rescue operations. He arrived at the crash site, located about 190 miles from Seoul, on Sunday.
South Korea has been experiencing a constitutional crisis since the recent impeachment of the prime minister, Han Duck-soo, who briefly served as acting president before being impeached as well. This ongoing crisis has left the country without a strong elected leader during a critical time when it is facing challenges from North Korea's nuclear threats and economic difficulties.
Mr. Choi, a career bureaucrat with no electoral mandate, previously held positions in the finance ministry. He served as a deputy finance minister when former President Park Geun-hye was impeached in 2017. After leaving government, he was appointed as the presidential secretary for economic affairs in 2022 and later became the finance minister.
The absence of a stable government has negatively affected business and consumer confidence, leading to a decline in the country's currency, the won. Furthermore, the formation of a new government is on hold until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or formally remove Mr. Yoon from office. The court's decision-making process could take up to six months.
