Martial Law

South Korean President mulls apology to North over allegations of drone use

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he's weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December 2024. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated power grab, Lee a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon's removal from office in April stressed his desire to repair ties with North Korea. But asked about North Korea's yearslong detentions of several South Korean nationals, Lee said he wasn't aware of the issue, drawing criticism from relatives who call for their safe return. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top defense officials over allegations that he ordered drone flights over North Korea to stoke tensions. South Korean media also reported Monday that South Korea's military under Yoon'

Yoon indicted for manipulating probe into South Korean marine's drowning

South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on Friday on allegations he and others tried to manipulate the investigation into a marine's drowning, in another criminal case against the ex-leader. Yoon was removed from office earlier this year after being indicted on a rebellion charge related to his Dec. 3 martial law decree that plunged the country into political turmoil. After taking office in June, new President Lee Jae Myung appointed three independent counsels to investigate Yoon's martial law imposition and other allegations involving him, his wife and associates. On Friday, one of the independent councils charged Yoon, his former defence minister and 10 other figures with abuse of power, alleging they tried to alter an investigation report on the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who died during a search-and-rescue operation for flood victims in 2023. The Marine Corps' early investigation report held one of the corps' division commanders and seven other people ...

South Korea's former first lady, ex-PM indicted by special prosecutors

South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee and former prime minister Han Duck-soo were indicted Friday in special investigations that followed the ousting of the former president for imposing martial law. The wife of jailed ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was charged with violating financial market and political funding laws and receiving bribes, about two weeks after a court ordered her arrest. Han was charged with abetting Yoon's imposition of martial law imposition, which investigators say amount to a rebellion, and also falsifying and destroying official documents and lying under oath. Three special prosecutor investigations were launched under the government of liberal President Lee Jae Myung that targeted Yoon's presidency and the actions taken to impose martial law last December. Yoon's defence minister, military commanders and police officers have been arrested for their involvement in imposing martial law. Yoon was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over

South Korea's ousted President Yoon indicted on additional criminal charges

South Korea's ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted Saturday on additional criminal charges related to his ill-fated imposition of martial law, about three months after he was formally thrown out of office. Yoon's additional indictments mean he will remain in jail for up to six months as he faces a trial at the Seoul Central District Court on his Dec 3 martial law declaration that plunged South Korea into huge political turmoil. Yoon was sent back to prison last week after the Seoul court approved his arrest warrant requested by a team of investigators headed by independent counsel Cho Eun-suk. Cho's team indicted Yoon on abuse of power that obstructed the rights of some of his Cabinet members. The charge was imposed because Yoon summoned only select Cabinet members to approve his emergency martial law when South Korean law requires approval of all Cabinet members for such a measure, Park Ji-young, a senior investigator at Cho's team, told a briefing. Park said Yo

S Korean court approves new arrest of former Prez Yoon over martial law

A South Korean court early Thursday approved the new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December, accepting a special prosecutor's claim that he poses a risk of destroying evidence. The arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court sent Yoon back to a detention centre near the capital, four months after his release in March, when the same court overturned his January arrest and allowed him to stand trial for rebellion without being held in custody. His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk who are pursuing additional charges over Yoon's authoritarian push, including obstructing official duties, abuse of power and falsifying official documents. Cho's team questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warrant to the court on Sunday. Yoon's lawyers had described the arrest request as excessive and unsubstantiated. They didn't ...

South Korea's Yoon appears in court for hearing on possible arrest warrant

Disgraced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in court Wednesday for a hearing to review a special prosecutor's request for his arrest on charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December. Yoon, who was ousted in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, was released from prison in March after the Seoul Central District Court overturned his January arrest, allowing him to stand trial for rebellion without being detained. Arriving in a black van with his lawyers, Yoon did not respond to questions before entering the court in Seoul. His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under a special prosecutor, Cho Eun-suk, who are pursuing additional charges over Yoon's authoritarian push, including abuse of power, falsifying official documents and obstructing official duties. Cho's team said they view Yoon as a potential threat to destroy evidence. They questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warr

Here is why South Korea's ex-President Yoon could face death penalty

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed by the Constitutional Court following his declaration of martial law. He appeared at his criminal trial on Monday facing rebellion charges

Ousted South Korea President Yoon embraces supporters as he leaves office

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol left the presidential residence in Seoul on Friday for his private home, a week after the Constitutional Court removed him from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. In recent days, moving trucks were seen driving in and out of the walled presidential compound in the Hannam-dong district, the site of a massive law enforcement operation in January that led to Yoon's detainment. Yoon, who is facing a criminal trial on rebellion charges, was released from custody in March after a Seoul court canceled his arrest. Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, along with their 11 dogs and cats, are returning to their private apartment in affluent southern Seoul. As his black van arrived at the gate of the presidential compound, Yoon stepped out, smiling and waving to his supporters, shaking hands and embracing dozens of them, before getting back into the vehicle and leaving the site. Ahead of his arrival, dozens of both supporters

South Korea to hold election on June 3 to replace ousted President Yoon

South Korea will hold a snap presidential election June 3 to replace recently ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, the country's acting leader Han Duck-soo announced Tuesday. The announcement came days after the Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. Deep political polarisation will likely shape the June 3 election, expected to be a two-way showdown between the two major political parties: Yoon's conservative People Power Party and its chief liberal rival, the Democratic Party. The focus of attention is on whether conservatives can regroup and field a strong candidate to compete against the likely Democratic candidate, Lee Jae-myung. It will be an uphill battle for the governing People's Power Party to hold on to power it struggles to restore public confidence and heal a severe internal division triggered by Yoon's martial law stunt.

A look at turbulent life of S Korean leader Yoon ousted over martial law

Yoon Suk Yeol's political rise was fast: the former star prosecutor clinched South Korea's presidency only a year after he entered politics. But his downfall was even faster: The Constitutional Court removed him from office on Friday, about four months after he made a deeply baffling decision to declare martial law and send troops to Seoul's streets. Yoon's style highly assertive and strong-willed, but often uncompromising and inflexible worked for a prosecutor standing up to higher-ups, but not for a president forced to work with an opposition-dominated legislature on an array of contentious issues. Yoon, 64, a conservative, said his martial law decree was a desperate attempt to call on public support for his fight against anti-state liberal rivals who used their parliamentary majority to obstruct his agenda and impeach top officials. But many observers say the stunt was political suicide, as the liberal opposition-controlled parliament quickly struck down Yoon's decree before ..

South Korean court ousts President Yoon Suk Yeol after martial law debacle

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed by the Constitutional Court following his declaration of martial law, triggering fresh elections within 60 days

S Korea's court to rule Friday on dismissal of impeached President Yoon

South Korea's Constitutional Court said it will rule on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol this Friday. It has been deliberating on Yoon's political fate over his ill-fated imposition of martial law that triggered a massive political crisis. Whatever decision is, it will likely deepen domestic divisions. Millions of people have rallied in Seoul and elsewhere to support or denounce Yoon in the past few months. Police said they'll mobilize all available personnel to preserve order and respond to acts of vandalism, arson and assault. The Constitutional Court said in a statement Tuesday that it would issue the ruling Friday. The opposition-controlled liberal National Assembly in December voted to impeach Yoon, a conservative, leaving his political fate in the hands of the Constitutional Court. Yoon is facing a separate criminal trial after he was arrested and indicted by prosecutors in January on rebellion charges in connection with his Dec. 3 ...

What to know about reinstatement of South Korea's PM Han Duck-soo

In the latest twist in South Korea's ongoing political crisis, the country's Constitutional Court reinstated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting leader, overturning his impeachment by opposition lawmakers three months ago. The court's ruling on Monday marks just one front in the deepening turmoil as it simultaneously weighs the far more consequential case of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose December impeachment over his brief but stunning martial law decree has left the country's leadership in limbo for months. Here's a look at the court's decision and what's ahead: How did Han get reinstated? The prime minister typically holds limited authority as the country's second-highest official. But Han, a career bureaucrat who has held various government roles since the 1970s, was elevated as the government's caretaker after South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly impeached Yoon on Dec. 14. Yoon's impeachment, triggered by his short-lived imposition of martial l

What to expect as South Korea's court rules on President Yoon's impeachment

South Korea's Constitutional Court could soon rule on whether to dismiss or reinstate impeached conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol. That doesn't mean the political crisis caused by Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law is over. South Korea's already-severe political divide between conservatives and liberals will likely intensify as Seoul grapples with major foreign policy challenges like U.S. President Donald Trump's America First foreign policy platform and North Korea's increasing military cooperation with Russia. Here's what to expect about the court's likely impending verdict on Yoon's Dec. 3 martial law decree that is testing South Korea's democracy. What might the court do? The Constitutional Court has been deliberating whether to formally end Yoon's presidency since the liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly in December voted to suspend him. Yoon is also facing a separate criminal trial after his arrest and indictment by prosecutors in January for alleged ..

Court orders South Korean President Yoon's release for martial law trial

A South Korean court on Friday ordered impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to be released from jail, more than a month after he was arrested and indicted over his short-lived imposition of martial law. The decision by the Seoul Central District Court would allow Yoon stand trial while not being physically detained. The hearings in his separate impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court concluded in late February and the court is expected to rule soon on whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him. The Seoul Central District Court said it accepted Yoon's request to be released from jail because the legal period of his formal arrest expired before he was indicted in late January. The court said the investigative agency that detained Yoon before his formal arrest didn't have legal rights to investigate the criminal rebellion charges. Yoon's defence team welcomed the court's decision and urged prosecutors to release him immediately. The presidential office also welcomed

Yoon appears in 2 S Korean courts while defending his martial law decree

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Thursday for a hearing where his lawyers contested his arrest on a criminal charge alleging he was orchestrating a rebellion when he briefly imposed martial law in December. Security was heightened as the motorcade transporting Yoon arrived at the Seoul Central District Court and dozens of his supporters rallied nearby. The preliminary hearing will involve discussions of witnesses and other preparations for his criminal trial, and the court was also to review the request by Yoon's lawyers to cancel his arrest and release him from custody. Such challenges are rarely successful. Yoon was indicted January 26 on the rebellion charge carrying a potential punishment of death or life in prison. In South Korea, presidents have immunity from most criminal prosecutions but not on charges of rebellion or treason. The indictment alleges his imposition of martial law was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest ..

Here's why South Korea's growth is a casualty of its political impasse

Politics is getting in the way, a reminder that big economies don't just run themselves

Here's what to expect after S Korean prez's indictment on rebellion charges

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has become the country's first leader to be indicted, less than two weeks after he was the first to be detained. The impeached, jailed president, who had been holed up in his presidential compound for weeks after issuing a shocking martial law decree last month, now faces rebellion charges that are punishable by the death penalty or life in prison. It's part of a tortuous saga that has plunged South Korea into political turmoil and further riven an already divided society. And it's not the only legal headache Yoon faces. A separate proceeding will determine whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him. As Seoul prepares for double court hearings, continuing chaotic protests and increasingly harsh rhetoric from pro-and anti-Yoon forces, here's what to expect next: What happens now? Yoon will stay in jail. He will be brought from a detention facility to a Seoul court for hearings in the rebellion trial, which is expected to la

S Korea's Yoon defends martial law in first public appearance since arrest

South Korea's impeached president denied Tuesday that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers out of the National Assembly to prevent them from voting to reject his martial law decree last month, as he appeared for the first time before the Constitutional Court that will determine his fate. Yoon Suk Yeol's presence at the court was his first public appearance since becoming South Korea's first sitting president to be detained over his short-lived declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into political turmoil. After abruptly imposing martial law on Dec 3, Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but enough lawmakers managed to enter to vote unanimously to reject his decree, forcing Yoon's Cabinet to lift the measure early the following morning. Yoon, a conservative, has since argued that his dispatch of troops was not meant to block the assembly but instead was a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has used its

South Korea's Yoon shuns questioning as security raised after court rampage

Authorities said security was being beefed up at the Seoul Detention Centre where Yoon is being held as a pre-trial inmate and at the Constitutional Court which is holding an impeachment trial