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US expressed serious concerns over Yoon's actions: Blinken
US secretary of state warns of Russia sharing space, satellite technology with North Korea During his farewell trip to Seoul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday voiced a dual message to politically turbulent South Korea: "tremendous confidence" in its democratic resilience and "serious concerns" over suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration and related actions. Blinken’s final trip as secretary of state including a visit to South Korea came at a pivotal mome
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Shamans and presidents: A history of strange intermixing in South Korean politics
For nearly two years leading up to suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's sudden martial law declaration on Dec. 3, a former military intelligence chief reportedly visited a fortuneteller in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. Throughout the course of over 20 visits, he asked about the fate of different military officials, including now-detained ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and several others who would later be accused of playing key roles in the botched imposition of military rule that night. That
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Confusion in joint probe ahead of 2nd attempt to detain Yoon Suk Yeol
CIO reverses decision, police vow to arrest bodyguards if they obstruct them Confusion persisted Monday within the joint investigative body probing President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged insurrection and abuse of power, as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials reversed its earlier decision to order police to detain the president. The abrupt reversal came seven hours after police resisted the directive, citing potential legal flaws. Concerns also emerged over the CIO, the lead
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Former high-flying police officer Yoon's last resort against detention
PSS chief at center of controversy for derailing court-approved attempt to arrest Yoon, allegedly with armed human barricade Between his legal obligation to comply with a court-issued arrest warrant and his duty to protect the president, Park Jong-joon, chief of the Presidential Security Service appears to have chosen the latter. "For the Presidential Security Service, whose very purpose is to guarantee the president's absolute safety, complying with an arrest warrant carried out amid legal cont
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Yoon's lawyers file complaints against CIO chief, 10 others over attempt to detain impeached president
President Yoon Suk Yeol's legal defense team on Monday filed complaints with the prosecution against the head of the state anti-corruption agency and 10 others over last week's attempt to execute a warrant to detain the impeached president. An attempt by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials to carry out the warrant for Yoon's detention failed last Friday after an hourslong standoff with security staff at the presidential residence in central Seoul. Yoon's lawyers submit
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Constitutional Court to hold first pretrial hearing on PM Han's impeachment on Jan. 13
The Constitutional Court plans to hold its first pretrial hearing on the impeachment trial of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Jan. 13, judicial officials said Monday. The court has informed the legal representatives of the National Assembly and the prime minister that it would hold the first preparatory hearing on Han's impeachment at 4 p.m. next Monday, according to the officials. The opposition-dominated National Assembly voted to impeach Han on Dec. 27, less than two weeks after he took over a
Jan. 6, 2025 -
CIO hands over execution of Yoon's arrest to police; requests extension for warrant
The investigative body leading the criminal investigation of President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday it has asked police to take over matters related to the arrest of the president, as it works to request an extension of the arrest warrant from the court. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said it made the request Sunday via an official letter to the National Office of Investigation, an affiliate of the National Police Agency. It stressed that the agency would not relinqu
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Acting president calls for close cooperation with incoming US administration
Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday emphasized the need for close communication and cooperation with the incoming US administration by mobilizing all available resources. Choi made the remarks while presiding over a meeting attended by the ministers of economy, diplomacy and industry to assess the government's preparedness ahead of the launch of the second Donald Trump administration later in the month. "We will fully utilize all available resources to engage in close communication and cons
Jan. 6, 2025 -
Rallies for, against Yoon's impeachment take place for 3rd day near presidential residence
Tens of thousands of people gathered near the presidential residence Sunday to rally for or against the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol for a third consecutive day, with just a day left for investigators to execute a warrant to formally detain Yoon. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, handling the probe on Yoon's short-lived martial law imposition, has only until the end of Monday to execute the warrant, based on which it can either decide to file a court warrant
Jan. 5, 2025 -
Parties clash insurrection charge dropped from Yoon impeachment
Rival parties clashed after the National Assembly’s impeachment investigation committee effectively withdrew the insurrection charge from the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol. The People Power Party claimed that the move necessitates a new vote for the impeachment motion against Yoon, as the insurrection charge was initially the primary provision. The opposition has argued the adjustment was a procedural step to streamline the case. The Assembly's impeachment investigation comm
Jan. 5, 2025 -
Presidential security service under fire for using military to block Yoon's arrest
The Presidential Security Service is facing additional criticism over its move to block the enforcement of an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, after it was revealed that its use of military personnel to do so came in the face of explicit opposition from the acting defense minister. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Friday said that personnel from the 55th Security Brigade of the Capital Defense Command were mobilized to block the exe
Jan. 5, 2025 -
Investigative body weighs options as deadline on Yoon Suk Yeol warrant looms
Law enforcement, Yoon's representatives accuse each other of obstructing public officials; Opposition claims presidential security gave orders to shoot if overpowered Faced with a literal roadblock in attempting to detain embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol on suspicion of insurrection, South Korea's joint investigative body of prosecutors weighed its options as the warrant neared expiration. A detention warrant for Yoon on allegations related to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration is set to expire
Jan. 5, 2025 -
Right wing consolidating? A poll shows uptick in Yoon's approval rating
Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has seen an uptick in his approval ratings, a poll showed Sunday. A survey conducted by the local polling agency Gongjung found that 34.3 percent of 1,020 respondents supported Yoon while 64.4 percent did not. The poll done on Thursday was commissioned jointly by online news outlets The Public and Finance Today. Yoon’s approval rating rose by about four percentage points compared to a previous poll conducted Dec. 23-24 by the same agency on behalf of Dailian. Th
Jan. 5, 2025 -
Presidential security officials snub police request for questioning
The top two officials of the Presidential Security Service snubbed a police request to appear for questioning Saturday, a day after foiling the state anti-corruption agency's attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. In a message to media, the PSS said neither its Chief Park Chong-jun nor Deputy Kim Seong-hoon could leave their positions "even for a moment," citing the gravity of the situation in providing security for Yoon. The PSS added they were in talks with police to reschedule t
Jan. 4, 2025 -
1st Korean American senator stresses commitment to being 'bridge' between S. Korea, US
WASHINGTON -- Andy Kim, the first-ever Korean American senator, reaffirmed his commitment Friday to being a "bridge" between South Korea and the United States and to promoting the two countries' prosperity and security as he stressed a "strong US. requires strong partnerships and alliances." Kim made the remarks as the 119th Congress kicked off amid expectations that the new senator will play a key role in cementing the Seoul-Washington alliance in the midst of shared challenges, including North
Jan. 4, 2025