Page 2 - Martial Law

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

S Korea president arrested over martial law decree, his supporters riot

South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, was formally arrested early Sunday, days after being apprehended at his presidential compound in Seoul, as he faces possible imprisonment over his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month. Yoon's arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody for him, lasting months or more. The Seoul Western District Court granted law enforcement's request for an arrest warrant for Yoon following an hourslong deliberation, saying he was a threat to destroy evidence. Yoon and his lawyers on Saturday appeared before the court's judge during a hearing and argued for his release. Yoon, who has been in detention since he was apprehended on Wednesday in a massive law enforcement operation at his residential compound, faces potential rebellion charges linked to his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, which set off the country's most serious political crisis since its democratization in the late 1980s. The Corruption Investigatio

South Korea's impeached Prez refuses questioning again as detention looms

In order to hold Yoon in custody for longer, investigators are expected on Friday to ask a court to approve a detention warrant for up to 20 days, legal experts said

South Korean investigators arrest impeached President Yoon, ending standoff

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound on Wednesday morning, saying he complied with the warrant after weeks of defiance over attempts to question him in the investigation over his imposition of martial law last month. In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented that the "rule of law has completely collapsed in this country". Yoon's lawyers tried to persuade investigators not to execute the detention warrant, saying the president would voluntarily appear for questioning but the agency declined. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said Yoon was brought into custody about three hours after hundreds of law enforcement officers entered the residential compound in the agency's second attempt to detain him, this time without encountering meaningful resistance. A series of black SUVs, some equipped with .

S Korean officials enter presidential compound to detain impeached Yoon

Seemingly hundreds of law enforcement officials in South Korea entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early on Wednesday in the capital Seoul. It was their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law last month. Following an hourslong standoff at the compound's gate, anti-corruption investigators and police officers were seen moving up the hilly compound. Police officers were earlier seen using ladders to climb over rows of buses placed by the presidential security service near the compound's entrance. Law enforcement officials may face more obstacles as they approach Yoon's residential building. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police are jointly investigating whether Yoon's brief martial law declaration on December 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. They pledged more forceful measures to detain him after the presidential security service blocked their initial efforts on January 3. Anti-corrupt

Top aide of Yoon Suk pleads for investigators to halt detention efforts

The top aide of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol pleaded with law enforcement on Tuesday to abandon their efforts to detain him over last month's martial law imposition, as authorities prepared a second attempt to take him into custody. In his statement, presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said Yoon could instead be questioned at a third site or at his residence and claimed that the anti-corruption agency and police were trying to drag him out like he was a member of a South American drug cartel. Yoon has not left his official residence in Seoul for weeks, and the presidential security service prevented dozens of investigators from detaining Yoon after a nearly six-hour standoff on Jan. 3. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police pledged more forceful measures to detain Yoon while they jointly investigate whether Yoon's brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. The National Police Agency has convened multiple

As South Korea's Yoon awaits fate, his party sees signs of revival

Yoon, suspended from duties after his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec.3 and under criminal investigation for possible insurrection

South Korea's Yoon to accept court decision even if it ends presidency

The suspended president has defied repeated summons in a separate criminal investigation into allegations he masterminded insurrection with his Dec. 3 martial law bid

Yoon Suk Yeol issues defiant message as authorities mull his detention

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a defiant statement to his conservative supporters gathered outside his residence in the capital of Seoul, vowing to fight to the end against what he called anti-state forces, as law enforcement prepared to detain him over last month's martial law decree. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials has a week to execute its detainment warrant against Yoon, issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday. The warrant came after Yoon defied several requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office, hindering an investigation into whether his short-lived power grab on Dec 3 amounted to rebellion. Oh Dong-woon, the anti-corruption agency's chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoon's security service resists the detention attempt, which could occur as early as Thursday. But it remains unclear whether Yoon can be compelled to submit to questioning. In a message to hundreds of

South Korea sharply trims GDP growth forecast after martial law fiasco

The Finance Ministry sees the economy now growing 1.8 per cent in 2025 after expanding 2.1 per cent last year, it said in a statement on Thursday

Yoon Suk-yeol will be arrested within deadline, says anti-corruption chief

Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly over his attempt to impose martial law in the country on December 3

South Korea's acting president Sang-mok calls for national harmony, unity

Republic of Korea is in an unprecedentedly serious situation, Choi said in a written statement, citing changes around global trade, diplomacy and security, as well as domestic political uncertainty

South Korea court issues warrant for President Yoon over martial law probe

This is the first arrest warrant issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, according to local media