Will criminal charges buy impeached president time?

Following President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment by the National Assembly on Saturday, attention is now focused on whether Yoon's potential criminal charges could delay his impeachment trial. Under Article 51 of the Constitutional Court Act, the Constitutional Court can cease the review of an impeachment prosecution if the defendant is under investigation for the same charge. The Constitutional Court said Monday that suspending impeachment proceedings under Article 51 is "entirely

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Eyes on whether acting president will exercise veto power

South Korea's acting president, Han Duck-soo, is expected to test the waters by exercising the presidential veto powers delegated to him after President Yoon Suk Yeol's suspension on Saturday evening, despite repeated calls from the main opposition Democratic Party to abstain. A Cabinet meeting to be held before Saturday would allow the ruling conservative bloc to send six opposition-sponsored bills back to the National Assembly for a revote. Han, as acting president, is the person who

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Court's online forum becomes battleground for public opinions on Yoon Suk Yeol

With President Yoon Suk Yeol suspended from official duties and facing an impeachment trial, a wave of public debate has sparked online, flooding the Constitutional Court of Korea’s website. By Monday morning, 31,354 posts featuring the term “impeachment” had been submitted to the court’s online forum — an extraordinary leap from the typical one to three posts per day. The activity surged almost immediately after Saturday’s parliamentary vote on Yoon’s i

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

From pride of clan to black sheep: Yoon's hometown turns against disgraced president

South Chungcheong Province, home to the populous Yoon family clan, was once an ardent base of support for President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon, of the Papyeong Yoon clan, was celebrated as the first of his clan to be elected president of South Korea. But since his impeachment by the National Assembly on Saturday, banners have been hanging in support of his ouster in the same places that once boasted of the "son of Chungcheong." A substantial portion of the residents in Yoon’s “h

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

N. Korean media outlets report 2 days after Yoon’s impeachment

North Korean media outlets reported on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment Monday, two days after the National Assembly voted to suspend him from office Saturday. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely circulated newspaper, and the Korean Central News Agency, which targets international audiences, both reported that the South's National Assembly passed the motion to impeach Yoon with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. The report was featured on the sixth page

North KoreaDec. 16, 2024

Ex-minor party leader stresses regime change before entering prison

Former minor party leader Cho Kuk on Monday called for an all-out effort for regime change before being imprisoned at the Seoul Detention Center to begin his two-year prison sentence. Cho, who led the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, has lost his parliamentary seat after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction last Thursday on charges of academic fraud involving his children and unlawful interference in a government inspection. He told reporters and supporters in front of the detention c

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Defense technology security, urban planning reform

Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act Proposed by Rep. Yoon Han-hong (People Power Party) ● This amendment requires boards of directors to take steps to safeguard shareholders' interests when planning significant capital transactions, such as mergers, splits or comprehensive stock swaps and transfers. These steps include preparing and disclosing a written opinion that outlines the purpose, anticipated benefits and rationale behind such

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Han Dong-hoon steps down as ruling party leader

People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon on Monday announced his resignation from his post as chief of the ruling party, saying that he does not regret calling for PPP 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 held at the National Assembly. "The collapse of the party's Supreme Council has made it impossible to carry out my duties. President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeac

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Maeil Dairies apologizes over accidental mixing of cleaning solution in milk product

Maeil Dairies Co., a major dairy product manufacturer, on Monday issued an apology over an accident involving the mixing of cleaning solution in one of its sterilized milk products during production. Maeil Dairies CEO Kim Seon-hee said in a statement posted on the company website that a valve operation error momentarily caused cleaning solution to mix with the 200 milliliter sterilized milk product at the company's manufacturing plant in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sept

Social AffairsDec. 16, 2024

Ukrainian military releases image of NK troops allegedly killed in Kursk: report

The Ukrainian military has released photos and footage of what appear to be dozens of North Korean soldiers killed along with Russian troops in Russia's western Kursk border region, a Ukrainian media outlet has said. Ukrainska Pravda reported Sunday, citing information from a drone unit, that the soldiers whose bodies were shown covered in snow were killed during assaults in the Russian region bordering Ukraine on Saturday. "The Madiar channel emphasized that this is a collaborative ef

North KoreaDec. 16, 2024

Joint investigation unit to ask Yoon to appear for questioning Wednesday in martial law probe

The joint investigation unit into the martial law turmoil said Monday it will ask President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning this week over his failed attempt to impose the decree earlier this month. The joint team between the police, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the defense ministry's investigation unit said it would ask for Yoon's presence before it on Wednesday on charges of insurrection and abuse of power. In the joint unit's reques

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Constitutional Court to hold 1st meeting of justices over Yoon's impeachment

The Constitutional Court is set to hold its first meeting of its justices Monday to review the parliamentary impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, kicking off preparations for his impeachment trial. On Saturday, the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, suspending his presidential powers and handing the decision over his fate to the Constitutional Court. The court will convene a meeting of its justices later in the

PoliticsDec. 16, 2024

Police arrest current, former chiefs of Defense Intelligence Command in martial law probe

Police on Sunday arrested the current and former chiefs of the Defense Intelligence Command in their ongoing martial law probe. The special investigation team for police said they detained both Maj. Gen. Moon Sang-ho, the current commander, and Noh Sang-won, former leader of the command. Moon is suspected of sending troops in his command to the National Election Commission's office in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, on Dec. 3 after President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law. Becau

PoliticsDec. 15, 2024

Prosecution says Yoon defied summons, plans 2nd order

Prosecutors said President Yoon Suk Yeol did not comply with their summons for Sunday and added they will soon issue another order. The special prosecution team handling an investigation into Yoon's botched martial law imposition said it had sent a summons to Yoon last Wednesday, asking him to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for questioning at 10 a.m. Sunday. Yoon did not show up. Prosecutors plan to send their second summons to Yoon on Monday. He is the first presid

PoliticsDec. 15, 2024

Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for ex-martial law commander

Prosecutors on Sunday sought an arrest warrant for suspended Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, who served as the chief martial law commander during President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of the order earlier this month. Shortly after the martial law announcement on Dec. 3, a military decree barring all political activities was issued under Park's name. Prosecutors have looked into circumstances surrounding the release of the military decree and details of a discussion betw

PoliticsDec. 15, 2024

1,500 troops deployed for martial law: police

The National Investigation Headquarters' special task force revealed Sunday that over 1,500 military personnel from key units were mobilized for the Dec. 3 martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The troops included members of the Ministry of National Defense, Army Headquarters, Capital Defense Command, Special Warfare Command, Defense Counterintelligence Command, and Korea Defence Intelligence Command. The police also reported that it has questioned 43 military officials, includ

PoliticsDec. 15, 2024

Lawmakers backing Yoon's impeachment face party backlash

Divisions within the People Power Party deepened significantly following the vote to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, with senior lawmakers criticizing party Chair Hang Dong-hoon and lawmakers who disobeyed the party line. Rep. Yoo Young-ha, who previously served as legal counsel for former President Park Geun-hye, criticized fellow party members who cast votes in favor of the impeachment motion. "Heaven will take away your political lives," he wrote on his Facebook accoun

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2024

Will presidential office prove impenetrable again?

With President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached by the National Assembly on Saturday, questions are mounting over whether the presidential compound -- long considered impenetrable to investigators -- might finally face a full-scale raid. A team of detectives from the National Office of Investigation, tasked with investigating Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law, attempted to raid the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on Wednesday. However, the NOI special unit, consisting of 60 personn

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2024

Doha Forum urges action, innovation imperative for peacebuilding

Korea Herald correspondent DOHA, Qatar -- Heads of state, United Nations officials, diplomats, and global experts urged for peacebuilding through collective action and innovation at the 22nd Doha Forum from Dec. 7-8. “In an era of major transformations, innovation is no longer a choice; it has become an existential necessity for survival and progress,” underscored Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs during his keynote address

Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol, commanders give conflicting accounts of night of martial law

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was suspended from his duties following a National Assembly vote on Saturday, said in his last address to the nation that he ordered troops to retreat from parliament on the night he imposed martial law. Yoon’s account contrasts with what military commanders have said about the events of Dec. 3-4. “I said only a small number of troops would be brought in (to the National Assembly) to maintain order, and they won’t be armed with live ammunition, and

PoliticsDec. 15, 2024