President Yoon Suk Yeol's office silent after impeachment scrapped

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

Dec. 8, 2024

Can Yoon be suspended without impeachment?

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

Dec. 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

Dec. 8, 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

Dec. 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

Dec. 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

Dec. 7, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment vote looms large

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

Dec. 5, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol accepts Defense Minister's resignation

President Yoon Suk Yeol has accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is believed to have advised Yoon to declare martial law, according to presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk on Thursday. At a briefing Thursday morning, Chung said Yoon has approved Kim's dismissal from the post, without clarifying when his approval was made. Yoon tapped Choi Byung-hyuk, a retired four-star Army general who is currently the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, as the new Defense Minister

Dec. 5, 2024

Ruling party to vote against President Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment bill; Leader demands Yoon quit party

The ruling People Power Party announced Thursday plans to vote against the motion filed to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law Tuesday in a surprise move. The decision was made at an emergency party meeting held at 10 p.m. Wednesday. Rep. Kwak Kyu-taek, senior spokesperson of the ruling party, said the party's decision implies that the impeachment motion as it is is "not acceptable." If all 108 ruling party lawmakers vote against the impeachment motion, it wo

Dec. 5, 2024

Yoon aides, Cabinet members offer to resign

President Yoon Suk Yeol's entire Cabinet and all of his aides offered to step down from their posts in the aftermath of the six-hour fiasco triggered by Yoon's surprise declaration of martial law Tuesday night. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo discussed the matter with leaders of the ruling People Power Party and Yoon's aides at an emergency meeting held at 2 p.m. at the Prime Minister's office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The closed-door meeting lasted for approximately an hour and a hal

Dec. 4, 2024