The opposition-led National Assembly on Thursday passed two bills calling for separate special counsel investigations into insurrection charges against President Yoon Suk Yeol and multiple scandals involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. The bill calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into insurrection charges against Yoon for his botched martial law decree on Dec. 3 passed in a 195-86 vote, with two abstentions, during a parliamentary plenary meeting. Though the ruling People Po

Politics Dec. 12, 2024

A pro-Yoon Suk Yeol figure, Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, was elected as the new floor leader of the People Power Party on Thursday. Assuming the role, the five-term lawmaker said he plans to convene a general meeting of party lawmakers to "collect opinions" following President Yoon's latest address Thursday morning, where he defended his decision to declare martial law last week. The party's stance at the time of Rep. Kweon's election was to go against the impeachment bill. &q

Politics Dec. 12, 2024

Ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said Thursday that it "has been confirmed" that President Yoon Suk Yeol is not willing to participate in the party's plan for his orderly resignation, and stressed that impeachment is the "only valid way" to stop him from exercising his powers as president. Han's remarks, made at a press briefing, follow Yoon's public address on Saturday, in which he said he would hand over the rest of his term and the fate of his p

Politics Dec. 12, 2024

The opposition-led National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to downsize next year's government budget by 4.1 trillion won ($2.9 billion) to 673.3 trillion won, marking the first time in constitutional history that the annual budget plan was passed without bipartisan agreement. The bill, introduced by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, passed in a 183-94 vote with one abstention during Tuesday's session. The downsized plan slashes next year's budget by 4.1 trillion wo

Politics Dec. 10, 2024

The ruling People Power Party is reviewing two scenarios to bring about "political stabilization," both involving the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol by end-April next year, reports said Tuesday. People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon received a draft proposal from an intra-party task force launched Monday intending to achieve "political stabilization," that called for the president to step down in either March or April, according to Yonhap New Agency. The next preside

Politics Dec. 10, 2024

A National Assembly committee approved a motion that would mandate the appointment of a permanent special counsel to investigate whether President Yoon Suk Yeol committed insurrection by issuing his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3. The approval allows the proposal to be put to a parliamentary vote scheduled Tuesday. The motion was introduced Friday by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. All eleven opposition lawmakers on the parliamentary Legislation and Judiciary Committee v

Politics Dec. 9, 2024

The next impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk Yeol will take place on Saturday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday. The main opposition has accused Yoon of insurrection for his surprise martial law decree late Tuesday. They called the decree "an attempt to paralyze the functions of the Assembly." The Democratic Party has previously said they plan to float the impeachment motion and hold the vote every Saturday, until it passes thr

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

President Yoon Suk Yeol will step back from state affairs, including diplomacy, as the ruling party and the Cabinet pursue his "early resignation," ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon said Sunday. "President Yoon will not be involved in handling state affairs, including diplomacy, even before his resignation," Han said in a public statement jointly released with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The statement was released in connection with the second meeting between the

Politics Dec. 8, 2024

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon will release a joint public statement after holding a second meeting in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's decree of martial law late Tuesday, the prime minister's office said Sunday. Though the agenda of the meeting has yet to be announced, observers say that various scenarios that could lessen Yoon's grip on his constitutional power will be discussed. The prime minister will convene an extraordinary

Politics Dec. 8, 2024

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho announced Saturday to step down from his position as the party's floor leader. The announcement came, during a general meeting of ruling party lawmakers, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was scrapped following its failure to pass the Assembly. The impeachment motion required the backing of at least two-thirds of the 300-member Assembly to pass. Choo was among 105 People Power Party lawmakers who boycotted the vote by e

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

The motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his declaration of martial law earlier this week was scrapped Saturday, after his ruling party defended the embattled leader by refusing to vote. Even if Yoon has officially avoided impeachment, political turmoil is projected to continue, with the main opposition pledging to repeatedly submit impeachment motions until Yoon is suspended. The motion was defeated in Saturday's plenary session, after failing to secure the required two-thirds maj

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho announced Saturday to step down from his position as the party's floor leader. The announcement came, during a general meeting of ruling party lawmakers, after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was scrapped following its failure to pass the Assembly. The impeachment motion requires at least two-thirds of the 300-member Assembly to vote in favor to pass. Choo was among 105 People Power Party lawmakers who boycotted the vote b

Politics Dec. 7, 2024

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday urged all Cabinet members and public servants to remain at their posts, as the conservative bloc has been grappling with chaos from the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law decree early this week. "I ask all Cabinet members and public officials of ministries to fulfill their assigned duties at all times to ensure the nation's safety and that people can carry on with their everyday lives without (concerns)," Han said in a wri

Politics Dec. 6, 2024

Acting Constitutional Court President Moon Hyung-bae said the current "six-member system" is sufficient to begin an impeachment trial on President Yoon Suk Yeol over his controversial martial law decree, but would need "further discussions" to hand down a final verdict. "I do not believe that three more judges (need to be appointed) for the trial to kickoff," Moon told reporters as he entered the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Thursday. His comments, h

Politics Dec. 5, 2024