Polarized parliament fails to hold Yoon Suk Yeol responsible

South Korea’s parliament failed to vote on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment on Saturday, with rival political parties sharply divided over what to do with the besieged president. The ruling People Power Party boycotted the opposition-led impeachment motion, choosing to keep the president in office for now. The collective walkout by almost all of the conservative party’s 108 lawmakers contrasted with its participation in another parliamentary vote hours earlier, which eff

PoliticsDec. 8, 2024

[Breaking] Police raid ex-defense minister’s official residence, office

The Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation initiated a search and seizure operation at the home and office of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Sunday, as part of an investigation into the declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday. Kim was also put under emergency arrest, and his phone was confiscated by the prosecution on Sunday, as he is suspected of abusing his authority and using violence to exercise power after the

Social AffairsDec. 8, 2024

[Breaking] Prime minister, ruling party leader to release joint public statement

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon will release a joint public statement after holding a second meeting in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's decree of martial law late Tuesday, the prime minister's office said Sunday. Though the agenda of the meeting has yet to be announced, observers say that various scenarios that could lessen Yoon's grip on his constitutional power will be discussed. The prime minister will convene an extraordinary

PoliticsDec. 8, 2024

Ex-Defense Minister arrested for insurrection, abuse of authority

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

PoliticsDec. 8, 2024

Singing K-pop, chanting slogans, masses fill Seoul streets for and against impeachment

The lyrics of "Into the New World," Girls' Generation's 2007 debut single, echoed through the streets of Yeouido on Saturday evening: "Our rough road is before our eyes. Unknown future and walls. I won't change, I'm not giving up." What could have been a scene from a K-pop concert was, in fact, a massive demonstration being held in response to an unthinkable development in South Korean democracy: a president's shock declaration of martial law. The str

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Fury and frustration at failed impeachment spread overseas

The motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol failed in the National Assembly on Saturday, as all but three of the 108 members of the ruling People’s Power Party, abstained from voting. The decision sparked widespread fury and frustration among overseas Koreans, who have directed their anger at the ruling party. “I feel profound sadness,” Sun-ju Bully-Noh, who teaches Korean at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. "I cannot understand why opinions are so divided in

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Ruling Party floor leader offers to resign

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho announced Saturday to step down from his position as the party's floor leader. The announcement came, during a general meeting of ruling party lawmakers, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was scrapped following its failure to pass the Assembly. The impeachment motion required the backing of at least two-thirds of the 300-member Assembly to pass. Choo was among 105 People Power Party lawmakers who boycotted the vote by e

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

[From the Scene] How Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment bill failed

The National Assembly vote on whether to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol was left open for hours on Saturday, as 300 members of the parliament gathered for a rare weekend plenary session. The bill to impeach Yoon was put to vote four days after South Korea watched in shock as armed soldiers broke into the Assembly grounds late Tuesday, about an hour after the president declared martial law. In order to pass, the Democratic Party of Korea-led bill needed just eight votes from the ruling People Po

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Chronology of events leading to scrapped impeachment vote

The National Assembly on Saturday failed to vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol as all but three People Power Party legislators boycotted the vote. Voting came to a close at 9:20 p.m. with the motion automatically rejected, as the number of lawmakers who cast ballots did not reach the quorum of 200. Passing a presidential impeachment motion requires the approval of at least two-thirds of all sitting lawmakers, equivalent to 200 votes. The failed attempt to impeach Yoon came four d

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Uncertainty looms over Yoon's plans to delegate power to party

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

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Impeachments, coups and deaths: Dark side of Korean presidency

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday narrowly survived impeachment as his ruling People Power Party, united in the National Assembly to thwart the opposition's effort to oust him from office. This offers Yoon only momentary relief, however, as the opposition parties threaten to push for his impeachment again over his declaration of martial law earlier this week. The short-lived martial law decree, along with an array of controversies, including legal risks related to his spouse, have alr

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Protesters offered prepaid coffees, snacks as support pours in from faraway

Participants at the anti-President Yoon Suk Yeol rallies near the National Assembly in Yeouido on Saturday were provided with coffee, snacks and meals paid for by supporters. Some restaurants and cafes near the protest sites were flooded with preorders from citizens who paid in advance for food and drinks for unknown protesters. Pictures showing proof of prepayments made at restaurants, cafes and bakeries near the parliament building, as well as Gwanghwamun Square, where tens of thousands

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Who are the ruling party lawmakers who voted on Yoon's impeachment?

In a dramatic turn of events during the Dec. 7 National Assembly vote on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment motion, all but one member of the ruling People Power Party vacated the chamber in a boycott. The motion is likely to fail to pass due to a lack of quorum. Only Ahn Cheol-soo remained among the ruling party members to cast a vote. However, two more lawmakers from the ruling party -- Kim Yea-ji, and Kim Sang-wook -- chose to return and cast their votes. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a three-

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Motion to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol scrapped

The motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his declaration of martial law earlier this week was scrapped Saturday, after his ruling party defended the embattled leader by refusing to vote. Even if Yoon has officially avoided impeachment, political turmoil is projected to continue, with the main opposition pledging to repeatedly submit impeachment motions until Yoon is suspended. The motion was defeated in Saturday's plenary session, after failing to secure the required two-thirds maj

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Ruling party floor leader expected to announce resignation

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho announced Saturday to step down from his position as the party's floor leader. The announcement came, during a general meeting of ruling party lawmakers, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was scrapped following its failure to pass the Assembly. The impeachment motion requires at least two-thirds of the 300-member Assembly to vote in favor to pass. Choo was among 105 People Power Party lawmakers who boycotted the vote b

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Ex-No. 2 at NIS accuses chief of condoning martial law

Hong Jang-won, the former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, claims he was snubbed when he informed Cho Tae-yong, the NIS director, that President Yoon Suk Yeol asked for the spy agency to cooperate with the military in arresting political leaders on the night of martial law. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Sun-won on Saturday shared with reporters the text of a KakaoTalk messenger conversation he had with Hong earlier the same day, in which the former NIS deputy dir

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Bill to investigate Kim Keon Hee fails to pass

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

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

[Breaking] Majority of ruling party lawmakers exit after vote on first lady probe

A majority of ruling People Power Party lawmakers have left the main chamber of the National Assembly after voting on the bill for a special counsel probe into the first lady, in line with the party’s position of boycotting the vote on the motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. Despite the ruling party’s stance, some lawmakers, including Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, remained in their seats in the main chamber. More news to follow.

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024

Main opposition files impeachment motion against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Saturday filed an impeachment motion against Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, accusing him of involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law this week. The liberal party said in a statement that it submitted the impeachment motion to the National Assembly at 10:30 a.m. The party plans to report the motion during Saturday’s plenary session, where the vote on President Yoon’s impeachment

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2024

Ahn Cheol-soo says will back impeachment unless Yoon outlines resignation plan

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a three-time presidential candidate and member of the ruling People Power Party, announced his support for a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, breaking from his party's official stance. As the party reportedly leans toward going against the vote set to be held Saturday afternoon, Ahn urged President Yoon and the party to set a timeline for his resignation and propose a plan for forming a neutral national unity cabinet. "Now that President Yoon has entrusted

PoliticsDec. 7, 2024