Impeachment verdicts that sealed South Korean presidents' fates

Past rulings suggest Yoon Suk Yeol verdict could focus on his active intention and the seriousness of his Constitutional violation by declaring martial law South Korea has seen three presidents face trial for impeachment, including current President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in a Dec. 14 National Assembly vote on charges of leading a self-coup. So far, between the other two impeached former presidents, Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye, the Constitutional Court upheld only Park's impeachment

March 12, 2025

Marriage, childbirth evoke fear, not joy among young South Koreans, study finds

Amid birth rate crisis, new support plans unveiled, including 'fast-track' airport entry for large families, affordable housing Marriage and parenthood are increasingly associated with fear and anxiety among South Korea’s younger generation, according to an analysis released Tuesday. According to an analysis of posts on Blind, an online community for young workers, two-thirds of marriage-related posts carried emotions of "sadness," "fear" or "abomination." Of these, 32.3 percent displayed feelin

March 11, 2025

Parties file charges against probe chiefs in wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's release

South Korean legislators responded to President Yoon Suk Yeol's release from custody on Saturday by asking authorities to probe the heads of investigation bodies — both for his arrest and for allowing him to be freed. Opposition parties on Monday asked the Corruption Investigation Office to investigate Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung over his decision not to appeal a court order to cancel Yoon's detention. The same day, the ruling People Power Party filed a complaint with the prosecution agains

March 10, 2025

Yoon's office, attorneys hail court ruling that revokes Yoon arrest

The presidential office on Friday welcomed the court's decision to revoke impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention, which followed a joint investigation team's execution of a court warrant and the prosecution's subsequent indictment. The Seoul Central District Court's surprise decision Friday "belatedly righted wrongs resulting from illegality in the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials' investigation," read the presidential office's note to reporters, referring to the

March 7, 2025

Seoul makes U-turn on med school expansion as Yoon ruling nears

South Korea on Friday announced it would conditionally reverse its increase in medical school admissions quotas in hopes of ending a yearlong standoff with doctors groups. The U-turn from now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision to increase admissions by 2,000 places comes amid expectations of Yoon's impeachment verdict being announced soon. The government said it would respect a request to reverse the Yoon administration's push to increase medical school admissions to address a shortage

March 7, 2025

Shin, Waltz hold talks, reaffirm NK denuclearization goal

Shin asks Waltz for 'productive communication, cooperation' on bilateral trade matters in response to Trump's speech to Congress South Korea's National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik held talks Thursday with his US counterpart Michael Waltz in Washington, where the two reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. During the hourlong talks, Shin and Waltz also agreed to work closely to devise and implement policies to counter North Korea in accordance with the Unite

March 7, 2025

Ruling party may OK reversal of Yoon Suk Yeol's med school expansion

The ruling party on Thursday hinted at abandoning President Yoon Suk Yeol's flagship policy that has aimed to increase the annual admission quota for medical students by 2,000 to tackle the country's shortage of health care professionals, on the premise that students return to the classroom. This followed a proposal from a group of teaching hospitals to reduce the medical school admission quota to 3,058 per year, reversing the Yoon administration's push to expand it to 5,058 despite strong oppos

March 6, 2025

As Yoon Suk Yeol ruling looms, constitutional reform is back in focus. But will it happen?

Since the last amendment in 1987, South Korea has struggled with constitutional reform as presidents shy away from curtailing their own power. It wasn't until she foundered amid mounting corruption scandals that Park Geun-hye proposed an amendment in 2016. The National Assembly did not spend much time wrangling over it before impeaching her instead. In confirming her removal in early 2017, the Constitutional Court recognized that modern history "gravitated toward concentrating more power to the

March 6, 2025

Yoon Suk Yeol's national security adviser reassures over trade concerns

South Korea's National Security Adviser Shin Won-shik has arrived in the United States for a four-day trip, amid the tariffs launched by US President Donald Trump, who has intensified his criticism of South Korea. Shin told reporters at Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday that he was planning to meet high-ranking officials of the Donald Trump administration, including his US counterpart, Michael Waltz. Shin's trip comes growing uncertainties posed by the US president in the wake

March 6, 2025

Acting president tight-lipped on justice appointment

Acting President Choi Sang-mok remained tight-lipped about the prospects of filling the remaining vacancy in the Constitutional Court at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The Constitutional Court made a unanimous 8-0 ruling on Thursday, determining that Choi had a constitutional duty to confirm Ma Eun-hyuk's position at the court, which is reviewing the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol. Since the ruling, Choi has yet to map out plans to approve Ma's position since he selectively appro

March 4, 2025