At least 100 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia to fight against Ukraine have been killed, and more than 1,000 wounded, according to the National Intelligence Service in Seoul. Rep. Lee Seong-kweun, the ruling People Power Party's deputy chair of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, told reporters Thursday that among some 11,000 North Korean soldiers believed to have been deployed in Kursk near Russia’s border with Ukraine, “at least 100 have been killed, and m

Politics Dec. 19, 2024

A Democratic Party lawmaker refuted claims Wednesday that the martial law decree of Dec. 3 involved plans to assassinate Han Dong-hoon, who was the ruling People Power Party leader two days ago. Kim Ou-joon, a controversial broadcaster who is best known for his Democratic Party of Korea-leaning political commentary, claimed last week a squad comprising agents from an elite Army intelligence unit on North Korean missions intended to arrest Han and then assassinate him. Democratic Party Rep. Huh Y

Politics Dec. 18, 2024

The chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, has requested the judges be changed in one of his criminal trials, as an early presidential election appears likely with impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol awaiting the final verdict on his removal from office by the Constitutional Court. Currently a defendant in four separate trials, Lee has regularly been absent at the National Assembly as his court schedules often collide with plenary sessions and other regular parliamentary dutie

Politics Dec. 17, 2024

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

Politics Dec. 16, 2024

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

Politics Dec. 15, 2024

The Democratic Party of Korea is hitting pause on its continuous push to impeach members of the Cabinet and other heads of government agencies. Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday his party would not impeach acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, despite accusing him of being complicit in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock martial law imposition. Lee, the leader of the Democratic Party, whose chances of another presidential run appear greater than ever, was speaking at a press conferenc

Politics Dec. 15, 2024

Conflict within the ruling People Power Party reached new heights after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, with the resignations of five of the party's six supreme council members. The PPP, at a meeting convened after the plenary session Saturday, voted to remove the current party leadership to take accountability for the events that led to the president's impeachment. "It really hurts to see the country repeating a painful history. Since t

Politics Dec. 14, 2024

The bill for impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol, which passed in the National Assembly on Saturday, left out parts problematizing his “anti-Russia, pro-Japan” policies following criticism. In the first bill, which failed to pass last week, the Democratic Party of Korea and liberal third parties cited Yoon’s diplomacy policies “antagonizing North Korea, China and Russia, and instead focusing on Japan” as one of the reasons for impeaching him. “The administratio

Politics Dec. 14, 2024

The National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, after the first motion had failed a week prior when it was denied a quorum in a mass boycott by the ruling party. The Assembly's turnaround was driven by a rising minority within the People Power Party that chose to turn against Yoon over the past week. In the past week, more clues into the night of martial law emerged one by one. Key commanders, testifying before the Assembly, said they received orders to arrest po

Politics Dec. 14, 2024

After President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his declaration of martial law in another shocking address to the nation Thursday, his onetime “wingman” and the leader of the ruling party, Han Dong-hoon, called for the president to be impeached and expelled from the party. Following Yoon’s televised announcement at 10:23 p.m. on Dec. 3, Han immediately came out and said he and his party would block the enactment of martial law. He also said the president needed to be stopped from wieldi

Politics Dec. 12, 2024

The National Assembly has launched an investigation of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law enactment on Dec. 3, after a commander testified he received direct orders from the president to detain lawmakers. Speaker Woo Won-shik told reporters Wednesday that the commander’s testimony given at the Assembly national defense committee a day prior suggested Yoon tried to block lawmakers from gathering to prevent them from exercising their constitutional duties. “If the testimony is

Politics Dec. 11, 2024

Dozens of generals and military leaders attended a questioning session by the Assembly national defense committee on Tuesday, a week after troops stormed the parliament grounds overnight on Dec. 3-4. One by one, key commanders testified against Yoon on his aborted bid to impose martial law. In a shocking revelation, Special Warfare Commander Lt. Gen. Kwak Jong-geun claimed to have received a call from Yoon, who told him to “break open the door, and drag the lawmakers out.” “The

Politics Dec. 10, 2024

Senior officers of the military were ordered to be on standby for a North Korea-related situation in the days leading up to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law, in another sign that the events that unfolded on Dec. 3 were plotted in advance. Colonel-level commanders were called to be on guard for an imminent provocation by North Korea on Dec. 1, two days before Yoon declared martial law, according to Maj. Gen. Lee Kyung-min. Speaking before the National Assembly on Tuesday

Politics Dec. 10, 2024

The leader of the 707th special mission group said his commandos are victims of Kim Yong-hyun, the ex-minister who was arrested Sunday. The group’s commandos were tasked with entering the National Assembly after martial law was declared. Col. Kim Hyun-tae, who leads the Special Warfare Command’s elite 707th special mission group, told reporters Monday that he was responsible for making the commandos follow the ex-minister’s orders to break into the parliament’s main build

Politics Dec. 9, 2024

The prime minister and the leader of the ruling conservative party on Sunday jointly announced their plans to fill in for President Yoon Suk Yeol, claiming he will no longer be involved in handling state affairs, in a move denounced by the main opposition as unconstitutional. In a public address given by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon, the two said they would cooperate in operational matters related to "national governance." They did a

Politics Dec. 8, 2024