Acting President Han vows to begin implementing 2025 budget on Jan. 1

Acting President Han Duck-soo said Tuesday the government will work to implement the 2025 budget on the first day of next year to help stabilize the economy amid rising uncertainties at home and abroad. Han called for the swift allocation of the budget during the first Cabinet meeting since he assumed the interim leadership following President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment last Saturday. "I urge fiscal authorities to finalize the allocation of next year's budget so that it can be ex

PoliticsDec. 17, 2024

Police seek arrest warrant for ex-top military intelligence commander in martial law probe

Police filed for a court warrant Tuesday to arrest a former chief of the Defense Intelligence Command as part of their widening investigation into the martial law imposition. Maj. Gen. Noh Sang-won is suspected of drafting the martial law decree that was released after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared the martial law order on Dec. 3 over what he called "anti-state" activities by his political opponents. Noh was taken into police custody Monday, along with Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, the cu

PoliticsDec. 17, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol requested to give statements on impeachment trial; summoned again by prosecution

A Constitutional Court justice said Tuesday that the court has requested President Yoon Suk Yeol provide his written answers for his impeachment trial by next week, while the prosecution once again requested his presence for the ongoing investigation into insurrection and abuse of power charges. Kim Hyung-du, one of the six justices currently serving on the Constitutional Court's bench, told reporters that the court on Monday notified Yoon that it has received the National Assembly's i

PoliticsDec. 17, 2024

US approves possible sale of S. Korea's Navy destroyer improvement program, related elements

The United States has authorized a potential sale to South Korea of a Navy destroyer improvement program and related elements, a government agency said Monday, noting that the proposed sale will help enhance the Asian ally's defense capabilities. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency under the Department of Defense announced that the State Department has made the decision on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale estimated to cost $300 million. South Korea has made a

Foreign AffairsDec. 17, 2024

US confirms N. Korea suffered 'significant losses' in combat against Ukraine

The United States believes North Korea has suffered some "significant" troop losses during combat alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, a White House official confirmed Monday, noting the troops were seen moving from the second lines on the battlefield to the front lines. National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby made the remarks as Kyiv's intelligence authorities have said that some 200 Russian and North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed while fight

Foreign AffairsDec. 17, 2024

S. Korea-US alliance is not just between presidents, but between governments, people: State Dept.

The South Korea-US alliance is not just between the two countries' presidents, but one between their governments and between their people, a State Department spokesperson said Monday, stressing that there is no "diminution" in the bilateral partnership in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, made the remarks amid lingering concerns that Yoon's impeachment could affect policy coordination between Seoul and Washington at a ti

Foreign AffairsDec. 17, 2024

US sanctions NK generals accompanying NK troops dispatched to Russia

The United States on Monday sanctioned two North Korean generals known to be accompanying thousands of North Korean troops dispatched to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, as well as other people and entities linked to Pyongyang's military programs and other activities. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned nine individuals and seven entities that have provided financial and military support to the North, while the State Department sanctioned thr

Foreign AffairsDec. 17, 2024

[Graphic News] 9 in 10 small merchants impacted by martial law crisis

A recent survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 small merchants in South Korea saw a decrease in their sales following the martial law crisis initiated by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises released the results of an online survey conducted over three days starting Dec. 10. The survey sampled 1,630 mom-and-pop merchants across the nation in the food, lodging, retail and personal service industries. According to the findings, 88.4 percent of respondents said their

Social AffairsDec. 17, 2024

President impeached. What happens to all the perks?

In South Korea, former presidents are entitled to various retirement privileges, including a pension equivalent to 95 percent of their annual presidential salary, a staff of up to four people, lifetime health care benefits as well as logistical support. However, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended from his duties following his impeachment by the National Assembly on Saturday, will lose most of these benefits should the Constitutional Court confirm his removal from office. Under the Former

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

[Reporter's Notebook] Rethinking leadership after Yoon Suk Yeol

Much of Yoon Suk Yeol’s rise to presidency, despite his limited political experience, is owed to his image as a steadfast prosecutor who refused to compromise on his principles in the pursuit of justice. In 2013, under the Park Geun-hye administration, then-prosecutor Yoon blew the whistle on external pressures from higher-ups attempting to prevent him from delving deeper into the National Intelligence Service’s alleged interference in local elections. “I am loyal to the law, n

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Army's special warfare chief arrested in martial law probe

A military court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for the head of the Army Special Warfare Command over his alleged role in the short-lived imposition of martial law this month, prosecutors said. The court issued the warrant for Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, who is accused of playing an "integral" role in an insurrection and abusing his powers in connection with President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. With the court's decision, Kwak is the second military

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Police summon former interior minister in martial law probe

Police summoned former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on Monday as a suspect in connection with President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, where he faces allegations of insurrection. The special investigation team for police said Lee and his lawyers arrived at the National Office of Investigation for investigation into his role in Yoon's botched martial law declaration at 2 p.m. Monday. Lee, a close confidant to Yoon, is accused of conspiring with the president to plan and endo

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Operator of infamous K-drama, webtoon pirate sites indicted

The person behind the operation of Noonoo TV, a recently shut down online video streaming network that distributed pirated K-dramas, has been indicted on charges of large-scale copyright violations, the government said Monday. According to the Culture Ministry's Copyright Bureau, the unnamed Korean national is currently in custody, with the first court hearing scheduled for Jan. 6. The suspect was caught on Nov. 9, in an anti-piracy crackdown which saw collaborations between domestic and

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

After 24 years behind bars, convicted father-killer seeks to clear her name

A 47-year-old woman claiming to have been wrongly jailed for patricide for over two decades is seeking to clear her name in a retrial, with a verdict expected to be reached on Wednesday. The Haenam branch of the Gwangju District Court will hold a sentencing hearing on the case in which Kim Shin-hye is challenging the Supreme Court ruling that sentenced her to life in prison for the murder of her father and the disposal of his body in 2000. In the retrial, the prosecution has requested the cour

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Opposition lawmakers keep up claims refuted by US embassy in Seoul

South Korean opposition lawmakers continued to claim Monday that US Amb. Philip Goldberg in Seoul complained to Washington about the Yoon Suk Yeol administration following the short-lived martial law decree. Rep. Kim Joon-hyung, who was chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy from 2019 to 2021, claimed he heard from “highly credible sources” that the US ambassador recently communicated his criticism of the Yoon administration to Washington. “I would like to make it

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Momentum for education, medical reforms slows upon Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s suspension from office by the National Assembly has thrown his administration’s ambitious, flagship education and medical reforms, such as expanding medical school enrollment quotas and introducing AI-powered digital textbooks, into uncertainty amid the political upheaval. The government had positioned education reform as one of its four major policy pillars, but the political fallout from the impeachment may weaken the momentum for these initiatives, acco

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Han Dong-hoon steps down as ruling party reels from Yoon impeachment

Han Dong-hoon announced his resignation as leader of the People Power Party on Monday, saying he does not regret asking ruling party lawmakers to vote in favor of Yoon's impeachment. "I will step down from my position as the chief of the ruling party," Han said in a press briefing at the National Assembly. He was elected to lead the People Power Party at its national convention held on July 23. "The collapse of the party's Supreme Council has made it impossible to carry

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Constitutional Court to hold Yoon’s first preparatory hearing on Dec. 27

The Constitutional Court of Korea announced Monday that it would prioritize President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial, setting the first preparatory hearing for Dec. 27 at 2 p.m. Lee Jin, director general for the Constitutional Court's Public Information Office, said in a press briefing Monday that justices Lee Mi-sun and Jeong Hyung-sik have been chosen as the two lead justices to oversee the evidence examination and arguments. The chief justice, who leads the ruling by drafting th

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Military suffers unprecedented leadership void

South Korea’s military leadership crisis is deepening as key unit commanders come under scrutiny in the investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Three three-star generals under investigation have been dismissed from their posts while the Army Chief of Staff has been suspended from duty. The military court on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-geun, former chief of the Special Warfare Command and Lt. Gen. Lee Jin-woo, former he

DefenseDec. 16, 2024

Yoon hit with dual summons for questioning over martial law turmoil

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces mounting pressure to appear for questioning as the interagency investigation unit probing the Dec. 3 martial law declaration attempted to summon him on Monday, the same day prosecutors also issued a second summons. The joint investigative unit, consisting of the Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the Criminal Investigation Command of the Defense Minis

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024