South Korea: Acting Prez Han holds first phone talks with US Prez Trump since Yoon's ouster

Seoul, April 8 (IANS) Acting South Korean President Han Duck-soo spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, his office said, marking their first talks since South Korea was thrust into political turmoil triggered by former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle.

The phone talks came four days after South Korea's Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.

Han's phone talks with Trump cap political and diplomatic uncertainties for Seoul as the leadership vacuum has stoked worries over a delay in leader-to-leader engagement with its ally at a time when it faces a string of issues to address with Washington, from Trump's tariffs to North Korea's evolving military threats, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, the South Korean government formally designated June 3 as the date of the next presidential election following the ouster of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The designation was made at a Cabinet meeting four days after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.

The government also designated June 3 as a temporary public holiday.

The National Election Commission began early candidate registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon last Friday.

Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.

The law also requires a public servant running for President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the deadline.

The new President will assume office immediately after the election without a transition team, Yonhap news agency reported.

When former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was removed from office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on May 9.

Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation's second President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.

With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.

--IANS

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