Will Yoon face criminal prosecution following impeachment bill?

After the motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol passed at the National Assembly on Saturday, questions linger as to how criminal investigations targeting Yoon will go forward, with the president currently booked on charges of insurrection, mutiny and abuse of power for his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. During Saturday’s plenary session, the motion to impeach Yoon passed with 204 lawmakers voting in favor of the motion, 85 voting against, three abstentions and eight

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

[From the Scene] Young Yoon supporter cries ‘foul’ over impeachment vote

A shrill voice from a bullhorn that pledged unwavering support for President Yoon Suk Yeol, not far from his residence in Hannam-dong, appeared to portend a rocky path ahead for the country as it awaits the Constitutional Court’s decision on Yoon’s impeachment. Shortly after the National Assembly vote that impeached Yoon, his supporters gathered around Hangangjin Station. They felt that they had to protest the “unfair vote” and protect Yoon from “anti-state forces&r

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Seoul meets with envoys from US, Japan, China shortly after Yoon's impeachment

South Korea's top senior diplomats held high-level talks with envoys from the United States, Japan and China on Saturday evening, shortly after the National Assembly's passing of a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. The meetings were intended to explain domestic political developments, including the passage of the impeachment motion against Yoon, and highlight Seoul's resolve to sustain diplomatic momentum and strengthen ties with key partners under acting President and Pr

Foreign AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Full Text of President Yoon Suk Yeol's national address following impeachment

Below is the full, unofficial translation of President Yoon Suk Yeol's national address delivered on Saturday after he was impeached in a second vote at the National Assembly. My fellow Koreans, As I witnessed the passage of the impeachment motion in the National Assembly today, I was reminded of June 29, 2021, the day I first declared my participation in politics. The rule of law and liberal democracy of this country were in ruins. The despair of small business owners and the frustration

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

[From the Scene] Cheers erupt as parliament votes to impeach Yoon

As National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik read out the results of the impeachment vote Saturday, the crowds filling Seoul's Yeouido district erupted in celebration. Car horns blared through the streets as tens of thousands of protesters, who had gathered throughout the day, broke into jubilant cheers and singing. "I declare that the impeachment motion has passed – 204 in favor, 85 against, 8 abstentions, three null votes," Woo said, confirming the passage of the motion to imp

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Who could be South Korea's next leader?

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s term is set to end on May 9, 2027, but with the prospect of his early departure from office, that timeline is likely to be moved up significantly. This scenario became more likely after the National Assembly on Saturday voted to impeach him, suspending him from his duties while the Constitutional Court reviews whether to uphold or dismiss his removal from office. While there is a chance, theoretically, that Yoon is reinstated through the trial, South Korea’s

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

PM issues emergency directive, raises military alert level

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo issued emergency directives to Cabinet members and raised the nationwide military alert levels on Saturday, soon after the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and suspended him from power. Han, now acting president, was scheduled to preside over a Cabinet meeting to review pressing issues across the economy, national security and public safety later in the evening. The meeting was reportedly set to discuss the direction of state affair

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

The rocky road ahead for post-Yoon ruling party

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

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Ex-DCC chief arrested over role in martial law plot

The prosecution's special investigation team on Saturday arrested three-star Army Gen. Yeo In-hyung, the former chief of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, over his alleged involvement in impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Yeo is accused of playing a key role in the martial law plan, including participating in discussions to plan the declaration. His charges include deploying DCC personnel to the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul and the Nationa

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

[From the Scene] Yoon supporters at Gwanghwamun call impeachment vote ‘invalid’

When a speaker holding the microphone said, "This is invalid! President Yoon Suk Yeol, stay strong. We will surely protect you, Mr. President!" the crowd of some 40,000 Yoon supporters gathered at Gwanghwamun erupted in cheers. They shouted that they would gather next week as well. This came moments after the impeachment motion against Yoon passed with a vote of 204 in favor, 85 against, 3 abstentions and 8 invalid votes. The country’s Constitutional Court will now deliberate on

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol says he will never succumb to impeachment

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Saturday that he would never succumb to the threat of impeachment, after the National Assembly voted 204-85 in favor of a motion that could eventually dethrone the incumbent president. "I will never surrender," he said in his fifth address to the nation in the past two weeks since his imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. "I will cherish any reprimand, encouragement and support you show to me, and I will do my best for the country until the end," h

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Ball now in Constitutional Court for Yoon's impeachment

Acting Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said Saturday that the Constitutional Court will "conduct a swift and fair trial" after a motion for the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol was passed by the National Assembly the same day. A meeting of the court's justices will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, he said. Attention now turns to the proceedings, which could face difficulties in part because it is short of a full complement of justices. Only six of its nine positions are currently filled.

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

At least 12 ruling party lawmakers back impeachment bill

The second parliamentary attempt to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol passed Saturday, with at least 12 lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party supporting the motion. Before the vote, seven People Power Party members had announced they would back the impeachment, despite fierce opposition from the party's mainstream. The vote took place amid escalating divisions within the party, with conflicts between the pro-Han Dong-hoon, the party chairman, and pro-Yoon Suk Yeol factions. The result

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

The 12-day political turmoil that rocked South Korea: A timeline

South Korea experienced a series of tumultuous political events after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, resulting in two impeachment votes to remove the president from his seat of power. From the political parties’ stances after the first impeachment vote, to the multiple arrests of key individuals accused of involvement in the martial law declaration, the political upheaval appeared to be slowly but surely gaining momentum towards Yoon’

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Prime Minister Han to receive full presidential privileges

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has stepped into the role of acting president following the National Assembly’s impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Han now carries not only the powers of the presidency, but also its full security measures and ceremonial protocols. Under South Korean law, acting presidents are granted the same protections and privileges as elected presidents. As a result, Han will now be accompanied by a full security detail managed by the Presidential Security Service. A s

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024

Young women lead anti-Yoon Suk Yeol protests

Over the last two weeks, women in their 20s and 30s, who had been regarded as apolitical, emerged at the forefront of protests demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment escalated. The protests began immediately after Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. After the National Assembly rejected the first impeachment motion on Dec. 7, public anger intensified. That day, protests peaked with an estimated 325,000 people gathered near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, based

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2024

Yoon impeachment not an endorsement of the opposition: observers

  In a historic vote on Dec. 14, South Korea's National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol, marking a seismic moment in the country's political history. While the passage indicates that some ruling People Power Party members joined the opposition, the decision is widely seen as a condemnation of Yoon's controversial actions surrounding the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, not an endorsement of the opposition, according to experts and observers. To meet the

PoliticsDec. 14, 2024