Deja vu all over again? Is Korea reliving 2016?

The US saw Donald Trump elected president in 2016 and again 2024. South Korea is seeing its president, though not same person, facing impeachment in both 2016 and this year. Is history repeating itself? An intriguing online theory is gaining attention, claiming that South Korea is caught in a historical loop, eerily mirroring the events of 2016. A viral post, along with numerous others sharing similar content, titled “foretold future” lays out a “parallel theory” linkin

Dec. 5, 2024

7 in 10 Koreans want Yoon Suk Yeol impeached: survey

More than 70 percent of South Koreans want President Yook Suk Yeol removed from office over the martial law fiasco, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, 73.6 percent of 504 Koreans aged 18 and older nationwide supported the president's impeachment, while 24 percent opposed the idea, and 2.4 percent said they were unsure. Yoon, in a move that plunged the nation into turmoil, declared emergency martial law late Tuesday

Dec. 5, 2024

Health minister denounces martial law amid uproar in medical community

President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration spilled over into the health care sector on Thursday, facing harsh criticism from the medical community and the nation's top health and welfare official. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, who attended the Cabinet Meeting just before the martial law announcement was made late Tuesday, said during the National Assembly's health and welfare committee meeting on Thursday that he "does not agree with the martial law decl

Dec. 5, 2024

Hyundai Motor's union to hold partial strike this week in protest of Yoon

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor Co. will stage a partial strike this week in solidarity with an umbrella labor union's walkout against President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration, according to the company's union Thursday. Hyundai's 43,000-strong union will hold a four-hour strike each on Thursday and Friday under the guidelines of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, a union spokesperson said over the phone. The KMWU is part of the militant Korean Confe

Dec. 5, 2024

Some train, subway lines disrupted amid railway workers' strike

Some train and subway lines experienced delays and cancellations Thursday after unionized workers of the national railway operator launched an indefinite general strike. Subway Lines 1, 3 and 4 in the capital area, as well as high-speed KTX trains and regular trains, were being delayed or canceled as workers of the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) began a strike to demand better pay and additional hiring, the first such walkout since September 2023. At Seoul Station, a public announcement informed

Dec. 5, 2024

[Exclusive] End threatening press freedom: Reporters Without Borders

International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called on the South Korean government to stop trying to control the media, as the Korean president now faces impeachment vote over imposing a short-lived martial law rule. “The attempt to control the media shows that press freedom is still at risk, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the South Korean authorities to put a definitive end to this worrying trend,” the watchdog told The Korea Herald, citing the martial law de

Dec. 5, 2024

'Martial law' becomes most-searched word on Google in South Korea

The Korean term for "martial law" was the most-searched word on Google in South Korea on Wednesday following President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived declaration of martial law. The word topped Google's trends chart with the search volume over the past 24 hours surpassing the 2 million mark, up more than a thousand percent from a day ago. "Currency exchange rate" and "Kim Yong-hyun," the name of the South Korean defense minister who reportedly proposed decl

Dec. 4, 2024

Unionized railway workers to go on strike from Thursday

Unionized workers of Korea Railroad Corp., the national railway operator, said Wednesday they will go on an indefinite general strike this week, demanding higher pay and a bigger workforce, as wage negotiations broke down. The protest will began from Thursday, they added. KORAIL and the union started last-minute negotiations earlier in the day but failed to reach an agreement. It will be the first strike by the railway union since September last year. The walkout, if implemented, is expected t

Dec. 4, 2024

Parents of soldiers spend sleepless night worrying about sons

The declaration of martial law late Tuesday placed all military forces on emergency stand-by, with some special units mobilized to enforce the decree. Korean parents with sons serving on active military duty endured a sleepless night too, overwhelmed with worry about what their children might be experiencing amid the chaos. In an online community of Korean soldiers' parents on Naver, which has around 150,000 members, parents voiced their worries throughout the night, uncertain about what

Dec. 4, 2024

Teachers across country field martial law questions from kids

As political turmoil unraveled from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, local teachers prepared for their students' questions at school. "My knowledge of martial law is limited, from some books and films. I felt I didn’t know it well enough to teach students about it. I did some quick research on the internet before going to work,” said Kang, 31, an elementary school teacher in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province

Dec. 4, 2024

Foreign residents shocked by martial law declaration

The sudden declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night sent shock waves through the country's foreign community. President Yoon has defended the move, citing alleged threats from opposition lawmakers, and saying the National Assembly had "become a den of criminals, paralyzed the country's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship, and attempted to overthrow the liberal democratic system." Although the order

Dec. 4, 2024

Dream job for students? Pro athletes, teachers, doctors

The most preferred career for elementary school students is professional athlete while middle and high school students picked teaching as their dream job, according to a government report Wednesday. The Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training and the Ministry of Education surveyed 38,481 students, parents and faculty members at 1,200 schools across the country from May 23 to June 31 to ask about their future plans. Some 12.9 percent of the elementary school students said t

Dec. 4, 2024

Obesity, risky drinking on the rise among women in 20s and 30s

Obesity rates among women in their 20s and 30s in South Korea surged significantly last year, while risky drinking behaviors also climbed among women despite a drop among men, government data showed on Tuesday. The overall obesity rate in Korea was about 37.2 percent last year, according to a survey of approximately 10,000 people conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The agency's annual health examination survey revealed men had an obesity rate of 45.6 percent in 2

Dec. 4, 2024

Convenience stores see uptick in sales following martial law declaration

South Korea’s 24-hour convenience stores saw an uptick in sales of essential items during the initial hours of shock following the martial law declaration Tuesday night, local reports said. According to Yonhap News Agency, citing local industry sources, during the one-hour period from 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, when martial law took effect, sales of daily necessities skyrocketed compared to regular days. One convenience store chain, whose name was not disclosed, reported the highest uptick in c

Dec. 4, 2024

Defense minister, Yoon high school alumnus, named as mastermind of martial law plot

Who planted the ill-advised idea of martial law in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mind? As of noon Wednesday, roughly 8 hours after military rule was officially dropped following a parliamentary motion to revoke it, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun appears to have been the key figure. The Defense Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Kim, who assumed his role in September this year, had proposed the declaration of emergency martial law to the president through the prime minister. By law, either the

Dec. 4, 2024

'I'm sorry': Soldier mobilized by martial law seen apologizing to citizens

One of the soldiers mobilized during the martial law declared on Tuesday was seen apologizing to citizens, in a YouTube video posted by a local journalist early Wednesday. Heo Jae-hyeon, an investigative reporter, posted a video of the South Korean troops leaving the National Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday. One of the soldiers who crossed paths with Heo and others gathered at the building -- most of whom were there to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law -- bowed his he

Dec. 4, 2024

Soldiers rumored to have been given live ammunition during martial law

A photo of soldiers mobilized during martial law suggests that the military armed them with live ammunition, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. Kyunghang Shinmun revealed a photo, which it received from one of its readers, that showed Army soldiers sitting next to what appear to be boxes of live bullets at the National Assembly sometime between late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Another photo showed a soldier carrying what is believed to be a box of ammunition while entering the legislature

Dec. 4, 2024

South Korean journalists condemn Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law

"This is no mere criticism -- we're waging war against President Yoon Suk Yeol." These words rang out outside the Korea Press Center in central Seoul Wednesday morning, where media representatives had gathered to decry Yoon's overnight attempt to place press operations under military control as part of his extraordinary emergency martial law decree. The press conference reaffirmed the South Korean media's unequivocal opposition to the martial law decree that, though sh

Dec. 4, 2024

Religious leaders demand Yoon Suk Yeol be held accountable for martial law disarray

Religious groups in South Korea condemned the short-lived martial law order that lasted about three hours through early Wednesday, demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol explain his decision that led to unrest. “There had been no conspicuous signs of aggression or threat of war. Still, martial law was declared. We have to ask if this was the right course of action by the commander-in-chief,” said the Rev. Matthias Ri Long-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.

Dec. 4, 2024

Police chief ordered to be on standby 4 hours before martial law declaration

The Korean National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho reportedly received an order from the South Korean Presidential Office to “be on standby” four hours before the emergency martial law was declared late Tuesday. According to local media reports, Cho reportedly received an order from the Presidential Office around 6:20 p.m., Tuesday, to “be on standby until further notice.” At 10:20 p.m., South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, to go into

Dec. 4, 2024