President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 in a televised address to the nation Thursday morning. The 63-year-old conservative president is facing a threat of impeachment by the opposition-controlled National Assembly since his short-lived imposition of martial law. Yoon denounced the opposition parties' abuse of power as unconstitutional, while claiming his use of executive power was within the constitutional framework. "I thought I cannot just wait and

Politics Dec. 12, 2024

Kim Hong-il, former chief of South Korea's broadcast watchdog the Korea Communications Commission, might serve as one of President Yoon Suk Yeol's attorneys should Yoon's legal troubles deepen, according to news reports Wednesday. Kim, who had reportedly quit local law firm Shin & Kim, would be joined on a team of up to six attorneys, according to news reports. This came as police accused Yoon of inciting insurrection by declaring martial law and cracking down on dissidents th

Politics Dec. 11, 2024

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he opposed President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3 and regretted he could not keep Yoon's martial law imposition at bay. "Ultimately, I could not stop (the martial law declaration)," Han told lawmakers at the National Assembly's plenary session Wednesday. "I feel regretful and remorseful." Han's remarks preceded the Cabinet members' apology. Han and most other Cabinet members bowed in unison in a sh

Politics Dec. 11, 2024

The ruling People Power Party is struggling to justify the legitimacy of transferring President Yoon Suk Yeol's role to the party and government, as calls for impeachment escalate. Amid this struggle a leadership vacuum is opening up in the ruling party. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced Monday it was seeking to expel the party's Floor Leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho -- who offered to resign following Saturday's impeachment vote -- from the National Assembly, accus

Politics Dec. 9, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating fell by 7.7 percentage points to 17.3 percent in the first week of December due to his abrupt imposition of martial law, the biggest threat to South Korea's democracy in the 21st century, a poll showed Monday. In the meantime, Yoon has not appeared in public for three days since he delivered a televised address on Saturday promising that he would entrust his executive powers to his People Power Party. The presidential office has been almost non

Politics Dec. 9, 2024

Since the impeachment motion at the National Assembly failed, President Yoon Suk Yeol's office had remained silent as of press time Sunday. Yoon's office express no opinion about the vote, which ended 9:20 p.m. Saturday after falling short of the 200 votes needed to pass. Neither did it make any public announcement concerning Yoon's decision based on his power to appoint or sack a Cabinet member under the Constitution. The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced that the Interio

Politics Dec. 8, 2024

South Korea is facing unprecedented political turmoil as the ruling People Power Party, led by its chair Han Dong-hoon, grapples with the exit strategy that would otherwise determine the fate of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Amid the opposition Democratic Party of Korea's persistent push for Yoon's impeachment following allegations of insurrection, the conservative ruling bloc has now strategically shifted toward calls for Yoon's “orderly resignation,” arguing that this pat

Politics Dec. 8, 2024

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was arrested on suspicion of insurrection by advising conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol to declare martial law, according to the prosecution on Sunday. He is the first person to be arrested in connection with the six-hour martial law crisis in South Korea. Investigative authorities in South Korea -- police and the prosecution -- are racing to look into Kim's case. The main opposition party, which has long been at loggerheads with the prosecution, exp

Politics Dec. 8, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's announcement Saturday that he would let the ruling party manage state affairs, and the subsequent failure of the impeachment motion, might have brought a sigh of relief from the ruling bloc. But widespread disruption will likely follow, as the Yoon administration and the National Assembly have already become dysfunctional. Key policy initiatives, such as Yoon's efforts to address social polarization and tackle the population crisis, now appear increasingly imp

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

The National Assembly on Saturday failed to pass a special counsel bill to investigate multiple allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, including election meddling, leakage of classified information and stock manipulation. The National Assembly voted 198-102 in favor of the bill, once again falling short of the two-thirds threshold required of all lawmakers present to approve the measure. All 300 lawmakers were present and none of them abstained from voting. The revote took place just befor

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

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

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon maintained his stance that President Yoon Suk Yeol should be "suspended from his position," he told party lawmakers after a face-to-face meeting with the embattled South Korean president on Friday afternoon. Han also said did not hear anything from Yoon to overturn his stance announced earlier in the day. "I did not hear anything from Yoon that could have changed my position," Han was quoted as saying at the party meeting Friday afternoo

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

South Korean rights group the Center for Military Human Rights Korea revealed Friday that it has obtained proof that President Yoon Suk Yeol is preparing to impose martial law again in the near future. South Korea's Army commanders were ordered to stand by for an emergency call-up as the Army imposed a temporary ban on leave until Sunday, according to the military human rights group, without disclosing the names of the commanders that it suspects had received such instructions. This indicat

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating plummeted to 13 percent after his short-lived martial law declaration, down by 6 percentage points from a week before, a poll by Gallup Korea showed Friday. Within a week, the approval rating during the period between Wednesday and Thursday fell by 3 percentage points from 16 percent as of Tuesday, according to a poll of 1,001 respondents. Some 80 percent of respondents disapproved of Yoon after his speech declaring martial law. This figure hit an a

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced Thursday that an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol will be put to a vote on Saturday. The opposition-majority National Assembly seeks to hold Yoon accountable for what they describe as an act of insurrection following his brief martial law declaration earlier this week. In the 300-member National Assembly, a motion to impeach a South Korean president requires at least 200 votes regardless of how many lawmakers are present a

Politics Dec. 5, 2024