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Yoon Suk Yeol impeached, fate of Kim Keon Hee remains unclear
After the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, attention turns to potential criminal proceedings against not just Yoon but also his wife. The now former first lady Kim Keon Hee has faced a numerous allegations in connection with a slew of scandals, including the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case and her acceptance of a luxury gift from a pastor. Though opposition lawmakers have made multiple attempts to mandate a special probe into K
April 4, 2025 -
S. Korea's four-month political saga: Twists and turns in photos
A photo recap of four months of political chaos in South Korea, from martial law to today's verdict of Yoon's impeachment and his removal South Korea just removed its president in a historic, sometimes chaotic impeachment saga. After months of turmoil, protests and a high-stakes trial, the Constitutional Court ruled today to oust President Yoon Suk Yeol. Here’s what happened over the past 122 days — from Dec. 3, 2024 to April 4, 2025 — in photos. Dec. 3-14: Martial law, political meltdown, impea
April 4, 2025 -
Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office
-Historic ruling ends Yoon’s teetering presidency, but political chaos is likely to continue -Presidential election must be held by June 3 -Yoon, now a civilian, faces criminal trial on insurrection charges The Constitutional Court of Korea ruled Friday to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, citing a grave violation of democratic norms and the rule of law. This brings an end to controversies over his abrupt declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, which triggered arguably the most significa
April 4, 2025 -
About 7,000 police personnel deployed near Constitutional Court on day of Yoon's impeachment ruling
Police have deployed around 7,000 personnel near the Constitutional Court and surrounding Jongno ward on Friday, as authorities sternly warned against any illegal activities with the court set to rule on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Police also dispatched some 2,000 personnel in Seoul's Hannam-dong, where the presidential residence is located, and around 1,300 officers in Yeouido, southern Seoul. The Gapho alert, or the highest alert level for police, took effect earlier in the da
April 4, 2025 -
South Korea holds breath as historic ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment looms
Legal final touches, tight security prepared as Korea awaits historic, potentially divisive moment A day before the Constitutional Court delivers its historic ruling on whether it will uphold suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, South Korea braces for an intense and unprecedented moment in its modern political history. Final preparations are underway at the highest levels of government, law enforcement and society as a whole ahead of what is expected to be an emotionally charged and
April 3, 2025 -
Yoon Suk Yeol won’t appear at Friday’s ruling: legal team
President Yoon Suk Yeol won’t appear during the Constitutional Court’s ruling on his impeachment on Friday 11 a.m., his legal representatives told reporters Thursday, citing security concerns. They said the decision was made after considering worries about safety, crowd control and congestion in the vicinity of the courthouse. Instead, they said they were considering sending out a message to the public following the ruling. The suspended president was last seen on March 8 when he was released fr
April 3, 2025 -
Police officer accused of hiding evidence in guilty verdict
A police officer is facing criminal charges of falsifying public documents, allegedly to help secure a conviction against a man suspected of a sex offense, according to a local media outlet on Thursday. According to News1, the police lieutenant based in South Gyeongsang Province is suspected of falsely writing an investigative report on a 2023 sexual harassment case by excluding details about surveillance footage that would have cleared the suspect of a sexual harassment charge. The problematic
April 3, 2025 -
S. Korea's medical tourism is booming, and this treatment is the top contributor. (It's not plastic surgery)
South Korea's medical tourism industry reached unprecedented heights in 2024, with the number of foreign patients nearly doubling on-year, according to government data released Wednesday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s data puts the number of foreign patients at 1.17 million, dramatically increasing from the 605,768 recorded in 2023. It also marks the highest number since 2009, when South Korea first allowed medical institutions to promote their services to foreign patients not covered by
April 3, 2025 -
Mother, daughter fall to death from 18th-floor home
A woman in her 50s and her 20-something-year-old daughter were found dead Wednesday morning on the pavement near their home. The bodies were found near the 18-story mixed-use building in Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province at 7:42 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Suwon Nambu Police Station. Police investigation revealed that the women fell from the rooftop of the building. Investigators have not found a suicide note. They plan to conduct forensic analysis on phones of the deceased, along with
April 3, 2025 -
Police beef up security alert as verdict on Yoon's impeachment nears
Police have placed their forces on the second-highest alert Thursday, a day before the Constitutional Court delivers its verdict on impeachment case of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid. The "Eulho" alert put half of all available police forces on emergency standby, while the highest alert, "Gapho," will be issued on Friday and assigns the entire force to the situation. Already, police completed the "vacuum zone" operation near the Constitutional Court by sealing off the ar
April 3, 2025 -
S. Korea seizes record 2-ton cocaine transport on foreign ship on east coast
South Korea's customs authorities and Coast Guard has seized approximately 2 tons of smuggled cocaine on a foreign vessel docked on the country's east coast, officials said Thursday. At around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Donghae regional office of the Coast Guard and the Seoul Regional Customs deployed around 90 personnel to search the ship docked at a port in Gangneung after receiving a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI had warned that a 32,000-ton carrier suspected of c
April 3, 2025 -
Toddler in diaper found crossing the road alone, taken to police
A Yeosu resident found a young child still in a diaper wandering alone in the early hours of the morning, and took the toddler to the police who tracked down the parent. The Korean National Police Agency's official YouTube channel recently posted the story of the rescue, which occurred on March 25 in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The person who found the child said he found the boy crossing the road by himself, wearing nothing but his underwear. He took the child to the Mipyeong Police Station i
April 2, 2025 -
Petition to amend statutory rape law follows Kim Soo-hyun press conference
Following actor Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful press conference on Monday addressing his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron, a petition to address statutory rape laws submitted to the National Assembly had gathered over 30,000 signatures in less than two days. Calling the amendment to be coined the “Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act,” the petitioner urged lawmakers to make an amendment to statutory rape laws to include ages 13 to 19. Currently, statutory rape laws in South Korea only protect those aged 13
April 2, 2025 -
Police to secure 150-meter radius around court on ruling day
With two days left before the delivery of the historic verdict on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, authorities expanded the police bus barricade surrounding the Constitutional Court on Wednesday afternoon, as part of their “vacuum state” approach to responding to any violence or challenges to public authority. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 200 police buses had been deployed near the Constitutional Court as of 2 p.m., Wednesday, to secure a 150-meter radius ar
April 2, 2025 -
Seoul suspends cultural activities ahead of impeachment ruling
Major palaces, museums, destinations near Constitutional Court to close on Friday Yeongdeungpo-gu, a district in western Seoul, announced Wednesday that it will postpone the start of the annual Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival from Friday to Tuesday, due to safety concerns surrounding the Constitutional Court’s upcoming ruling on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. According to the district office, the decision was made to prioritize visitor safety and convenience, as well as to prev
April 2, 2025