Film industry personnel call for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment

South Korean film industry professionals, including actors Gang Dong-won, Kim Go-eun and Jeon Do-yeon have called for the dismissal and arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol. A statement released Saturday morning, endorsed by 2,518 individual film professionals representing 77 industry organizations -- including the Screen Actors Guild of Korea, Directors Guild of Korea, and Producers Guild of Korea -- condemned Yoon’s sudden declaration of martial law and demanded his resignation. The stateme

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Biggest labor groups call for Yoon Suk Yeol's 'immediate' impeachment

Korea’s two largest labor unions sharply criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Saturday morning public address, demanding his immediate impeachment. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, with some 1.09 million members, released a statement following the address. It declared, “An apology cannot excuse the crime of rebellion,” and called for Yoon’s immediate impeachment and arrest. “The president must face legal consequences for treason, and the National Asse

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol put Seoul-Washington alliance to trust test, says international think tank

A researcher at the V-Dem Institute, an independent research organization that monitors trends in democracy, has slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law and warned it could strain ties with the US. Fabio Angiolillo, a researcher at the institute, based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told The Korea Herald Saturday that Yoon's declaration was “an outright attempt to curb liberal, electoral, and participatory principles of democracy.&rdquo

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's old high school suspends uniform policy to protect students

The high school President Yoon Suk Yeol and his key aides graduated from has decided to suspend its uniform requirement to protect students from possible abuse from an angry public. In a letter to students and parents on Thursday, Choongam High School said the decision aims to prevent their students from facing “unfair treatment by certain inconsiderate individuals" on the way to and from school. "We will allow them to wear casual attire (instead of school uniforms) starting Mo

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Conservative professors, ex-diplomats oppose President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment

Conservative groups of professors and former diplomats separately issued statements on Saturday to oppose the impeachment of the embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol, who came under fire after declaring martial law this week. A right-leaning group of former diplomats, comprising some 230 members, claimed the impeachment motion was illegitimate, having been written without much consideration in only half a day. “Impeachment is not a political decision but a constitutional mechanism that requir

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's address may have improved his chance of surviving impeachment vote

President Yoon Suk Yeol's first national address after the martial law declaration on Saturday morning looks to have improved his chances of surviving an opposition-led impeachment vote later in the day. In a televised address at 10 a.m., Yoon apologized vowing to never give such orders again. He also said he would entrust his powers to his party to "stabilize the political situation." It came as he faces a critical juncture on his fate, with a vote on his impeachment at the Nat

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

[Exclusive] Capital Defense Command meant to protect Seoul was strong choice to detain top lawmakers: source

The team allegedly tasked with arresting top lawmakers after Tuesday’s short-lived martial law declaration heavily weighed detaining them at the military command whose job is to protect the capital from outside attack, according to a military source. The source with direct knowledge of the matter said the military police compound at the Capital Defense Command, in Seoul’s southern Gwanak-gu, was considered to be a strong choice option for holding the detainees. Calling for Yoon&rsquo

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Early end to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s term unavoidable: ruling party chief

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, said Saturday an early end to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s term was “unavoidable,” but he did not specifically mention impeachment. Speaking to reporters immediately after Yoon’s address to the nation at 10 a.m., Han said the president was “in a situation where he is unable to perform his normal duties as a president.” “An early end to the president’s term appears unavoidable,” he said.

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Opposition leader 'disappointed' by Yoon Suk Yeol's address, presses Yoon to step down

Opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung expressed disappointment Saturday over President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised apology at 10 a.m. the same day, in which he said he would entrust power to his party. "I was extremely disappointed," said Lee, who leads the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, adding Yoon's address "did not meet the expectation of the ordinary people at all, and was rather feeding ordinary people's anger." He also said the existence of the i

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Full text of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's address to the nation

Below is a full, unofficial translation of President Yoon Suk Yeol's statement issued on Saturday, pledging to entrust his power to the ruling party and not to declare martial law again. Dear fellow citizens. I declared martial law at 11 p.m. on Dec. 3. About two hours later, around 1 a.m. on Dec. 4, in accordance with the National Assembly's resolution to nullify martial law declaration, I ordered the military forces to withdraw and lifted martial law after a late-night Cabinet meetin

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol says will entrust state affairs to ruling party

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday apologized to the South Korean people for the public concern he caused by declaring martial law. In a televised address to the nation, he said he would entrust the running of the country to the ruling party and the government. Yoon also promised that there would not be another declaration of martial law. "I imposed martial law at 11 p.m. on Dec. 3 and ordered troops to leave and lifted it in a Cabinet meeting at around 1 a.m. Wednesday after the parliamen

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

[Breaking] Yoon to deliver address to nation

President Yoon Suk Yeol will deliver an address to the nation at 10 a.m. Saturday, four days after he declared martial law Tuesday.

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Impeachment vote set at 5 p.m. Saturday: Democratic Party

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Friday announced the motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol will be put to a vote at 5 p.m. on Saturday, two hours before the original timeline. Rep. Park Seong-jun of the main opposition pointed out the decision was made in regards to the possible People Power Party’s strategy to postpone the voting procedures, according to local news reports on Friday night. South Korea’s six opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of K

PoliticsDec. 6, 2024

Natl. archives agency requests preservation of martial law documents

The state-run archives agency on Friday requested the presidential office and the defense ministry to preserve all documents related to this week's botched martial law declaration. The National Archives of Korea (NAK) said it has also sent the notice to the interior ministry, the police agency and other related organizations. In the notice, the NAK, responsible for preserving government documents, called for the thorough preservation of all materials, including Cabinet meeting minutes, inst

Social AffairsDec. 6, 2024

Girls’ Generation 2007 song resurfaces as protest anthem

Who could have imagined that a K-pop debut track from 2007 would evolve into a rallying cry for political change? “Into the New World,” the debut single by Girls’ Generation, has reemerged as a protest anthem amid South Korea’s growing discontent with President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared the ill-fated martial law earlier this week. On Thursday, the song was sung across candlelit rallies on the steps of the National Assembly in Seoul, where demonstrators waved flags a

PoliticsDec. 6, 2024

Impeachment history offers clues to Yoon’s political fate, future course

South Korea's 20th president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has become the country's third leader to face impeachment proceedings in the National Assembly, following former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Roh Moo-hyun. As Yoon's political future hangs in the balance, the contrasting outcomes of Park and Roh's cases provide a framework for understanding how things might pan out. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and its allied parties plan to bring the impeachment motion against Yoo

PoliticsDec. 6, 2024

South Korea, US, Japan to hold talks on North Korea nuclear provocation next week

South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a high-level meeting in Tokyo next week to discuss North Korea's nuclear provocations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence Cho Koo-rae will meet US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Hiroyuki Namazu, Japan's assistant minister for Asian and Oceanian Affairs, on Monday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the m

Foreign AffairsDec. 6, 2024

Why did martial law troops go to National Election Commission?

The rapid deployment of troops to the National Election Commission in the chaotic first minutes of martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night has raised suspicions in South Korea. On Thursday, firsthand accounts -- including from individuals directly involved -- emerged, suggesting the deployment had been tied to a conspiracy theory that the April 10 general election had been rigged. The main opposition party had won a landslide victory, securing the majority in the par

PoliticsDec. 6, 2024

[Photo News] Suneung scores are out. These reactions say it all

Two third-year students at Sajik Girls’ High School in Busan celebrate their Suneung results with an enthusiastic double high-five on Friday morning. The state-administered College Scholastic Ability Test, held on Nov. 14 this year, had 522,670 participants, including high school seniors and graduates -- up 18,082 from last year. Two third-year students at Sajik Girls’ High School in Busan pump their fists in joy after checking their scores. A third-year student at Daegu Girls&rsq

Social AffairsDec. 6, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol's rumored visit to National Assembly causes commotion

The presidential office confirmed Friday afternoon that President Yoon Suk Yeol did not have plans to visit the National Assembly, but the rumors about him visiting the legislature had caused a commotion among the opposition lawmakers gathered there. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik held an emergency press conference and said that he had not been told of Yoon's visit that was rumored to be at around 3 p.m., and asked him to "postpone the visit, if he does intend to do so."

PoliticsDec. 6, 2024