President Yoon Suk Yeol

December 19, 2024 3:02 PM

South Korea’s allies cheered Yoon’s foreign policy, ignored domestic discord

As South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's relations with the opposition broke down this year, Western diplomats hoped the internal tensions would not affect his tough stance on China and North Korea that had won praise from Washington. It didn't work. A focus on a foreign policy seen as favourable to the West, limited attention on the political discord in South Korea, and a hesitation to be seen interfering in domestic matters, left its partners blindsided when Yoon briefly imposed martial law...

December 17, 2024 5:42 PM

South Korean authorities fail to raid presidential office again, Yonhap says

South Korean investigators probing President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration failed to gain entry to his office to seek evidence on Tuesday after presidential office security staff denied them entry, Yonhap news agency reported. Yoon was impeached on Saturday over his martial law decree and suspended from his presidential duties. Yonhap said that investigators looking for evidence about the legality of Yoon's martial law decision waited for about seven hours to be let in, bu...

December 16, 2024 12:57 PM

South Korea court begins review of Yoon impeachment over martial law attempt

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Monday began reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law attempt, starting a process to decide if he will be removed from office, while investigators plan to question him this week. The court will hold the first public hearing on Dec. 27, spokesperson Lee Jean told a news conference, after the court's six justices met to discuss plans for reviewing the impeachment by the opposition-controlled parliament on Saturday. The...

December 11, 2024 10:08 AM

South Korea police raid Yoon office over failed martial law as impeachment vote looms

South Korean police raided the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol, a presidential security official said on Wednesday, in a widening investigation into the embattled leader's failed attempt to impose martial law. Separately, Kim Yong-hyun, former defence minister and a close confidant of Yoon, attempted suicide at a detention centre where he is held after being arrested, a Justice Ministry official told a parliament hearing. A presidential security service official confirmed to Reuters that pol...

December 4, 2024 12:32 PM

South Korean lawmakers call to impeach President Yoon after back-track on martial law

South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul. A coalition of lawmakers ...

December 3, 2024 11:03 PM

South Korea parliament rejects president’s martial law declaration

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night in a move that stunned South Koreans and triggered a short-lived attempt by troops to enter parliament, as lawmakers and protesters quickly voiced opposition to the most serious challenge to the country's democracy since the 1980s. The speaker of parliament declared the martial law announcement invalid and lawmakers early on Wednesday voted to reject it. Yoon's move, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was vocally opposed ...

December 3, 2024 10:42 PM

South Korea President Yoon declares martial law

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late night address broadcast live on YTN television, claiming he would eradicate "shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces". It is the first time since 1980 that martial law was declared in South Korea. Yonhap news agency cited the military as saying activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command. Yoon d...

May 30, 2024 6:49 PM

South Korea plans Mars landing in 2045 as it launches first space agency

South Korea plans to make a Mars landing by 2045 and spend 100 trillion won ($72.6 billion) until then on space exploration, President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Thursday at the launch of the country's first space agency. The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) will lead the country's "space economy," with hundreds of businesses and enterprises working to catapult South Korea into the ranks of the world's top five space powers, Yoon said. "KASA will usher in a new space era by cultivating experts...