Who is Choi Sang-mok, S. Korea's second acting president in weeks?

Finance Minister is a veteran technocrat taking on an unprecedented role

SEOUL - Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Dec 27 became South Korea's second acting president in two weeks, as lawmakers voted to impeach the current acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, fuelling political uncertainty in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Mr Han was replaced amid disagreements with the opposition on appointing justices to the Constitutional Court, which started deliberating an impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk Yeol after the opposition-led Parliament impeached him on Dec 14 for his short-lived declaration of martial law on Dec 3.

Mr Choi, 61, a veteran economic technocrat who has served for more than 30 years at the Finance Ministry, takes on an unprecedented role as successor to an impeached acting leader.

Before succeeding to the position, Mr Choi said on Dec 27 that impeaching Mr Han would seriously damage the country's economic credibility and asked political parties to withdraw the plan.