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White House 'confident' in South Korea's resilience as Han Duck-soo returns to office
White House 'confident' in South Korea's resilience as Han Duck-soo returns to office
Acting president prioritizes government response to looming trade war The United States said it was confident about the democratic resilience of South Korea, as its expressed its commitment to working with acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday. "The US is committed to working with acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the ROK Government. We are confident in the democratic resilience of the ROK and the Korean People," read the note by the White House revealed
March 25, 2025 -
Acting president calls for protecting people's safety, national interest amid trade war
Acting president calls for protecting people's safety, national interest amid trade war
Acting President Han Duck-soo called on the government Tuesday to ensure people are safe and the national interest is secured amid the global trade war triggered by the United States. Han made the remark during a Cabinet meeting, the first since he was reinstated as acting president after the Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment the previous day. "The repercussions of the US-triggered trade war are dealing a serious blow to the world, and the difficulties of people's livelihoods, as w
March 25, 2025 -
Acting President Han calls for thorough preparations for cooperation with Trump administration
Acting President Han calls for thorough preparations for cooperation with Trump administration
Acting President Han Duck-soo has called for thorough preparations to ensure timely cooperation with US President Donald Trump's administration on key issues, including diplomacy, defense and economy, the presidential office said Tuesday. Han made the remark while presiding over an emergency National Security Council meeting Monday evening, shortly after being reinstated following the Constitutional Court's dismissal of his impeachment. During the meeting, Han also urged the officials to "implem
March 25, 2025 -
Court denies request from farmers' group to enter Seoul with tractors for rally
Court denies request from farmers' group to enter Seoul with tractors for rally
A Seoul court on Monday denied a request from a farmers' group to use tractors during a planned rally calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol's removal from office in the capital later this week, judicial sources said. The Korean Peasants League had earlier filed an injunction against a police notice that restricted the group from staging the rally with tractors and trucks in Seoul on Tuesday. The group had planned the demonstration to demand Yoon's ouster as the Constitutional Court delays its ruli
March 24, 2025 -
Han Duck-soo verdict offers little clue to legality of Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration
Han Duck-soo verdict offers little clue to legality of Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration
The Constitutional Court’s ruling on Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment case was expected to offer a glimpse into the justices’ stance on the legality of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 martial law declaration — a key issue in Yoon's impeachment trial. However, Han’s verdict provided few clues. Though legal experts had anticipated that the ruling might address the legality of the declaration itself, the court did not examine the broader events of that day. Instead, it focused s
March 24, 2025 -
Main opposition seeks damage control over failed impeachment of acting president
Main opposition seeks damage control over failed impeachment of acting president
Han's reinstatement marks ninth failed party-led impeachment bill against top Yoon official The Democratic Party of Korea's impeachment of acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo failed Monday to little surprise of Constitutional Court watchers, marking another unsuccessful impeachment push against a top Yoon Suk Yeol official by the party, according to them. After Han was reinstated as acting president, Democratic Party Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung questioned the Constitutional Court's maj
March 24, 2025 -
South Korea sets out to mend top diplomacy void
South Korea sets out to mend top diplomacy void
Amid concerns over South Korea's lull in high-level diplomacy caused by the Dec. 3 martial law debacle, Seoul is moving to reinvigorate its diplomatic outreach, using acting President Han Duck-soo’s return to office as an opportunity to reengage. Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo, who was suspended after the National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against him, returned to office Monday after a Constitutional Court decision to dismiss the motion. Following Han's reinstatemen
March 24, 2025 -
Main opposition voices regret over Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss impeachment of acting President Han
Main opposition voices regret over Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss impeachment of acting President Han
The main opposition Democratic Party expressed regret Monday over the Constitutional Court's decision to dismiss the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and reinstate him as acting president. The Democratic Party also urged Han to appoint opposition-recommended Constitutional Court Justice candidate Ma Eun-hyuk as the ninth justice at the court as it prepares to deliver a ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. "It is regrettable that the Constitutional Court dismissed the i
March 24, 2025 -
Prime minister calls for end to divided politics as he returns to office
Prime minister calls for end to divided politics as he returns to office
Returning acting president faces US tariff pressures, political turmoil Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was reinstated by the Constitutional Court on Monday after being impeached for 87 days, called for an end to political divisions in the country. The Constitutional Court reinstated him as acting president earlier in the day, dismissing an impeachment motion passed against him by the opposition-led National Assembly in December. "I believe that the people of South Korea are clearly calling for
March 24, 2025 -
Acting President Han vows to address urgent issues after reinstatement
Acting President Han vows to address urgent issues after reinstatement
Acting President Han Duck-soo said Monday he would spare no efforts to address urgent issues after he was reinstated, appreciating the Constitutional Court's ruling that dismissed his impeachment. Han made the remark as he returned to office 87 days after the National Assembly voted to impeach him over his alleged role in suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, among other reasons. "I will take the lead in preparing for and responding to global changes through part
March 24, 2025 -
Interview: Lee Jun-seok promises 'no-strings-attached' Kim Jong-un summit if elected
Interview: Lee Jun-seok promises 'no-strings-attached' Kim Jong-un summit if elected
Ex-People Power Party chair says his Harvard background makes him ideal counterpart to Trump In 2022, Rep. Lee Jun-seok was in campaign mode, heading the push to get President Yoon Suk Yeol elected. Three years later he is gearing up for another campaign, this time to replace the man he championed. Just days away from turning 40 at the time of writing, Lee would be one of the youngest in South Korean history to launch a presidential bid — if Yoon is removed from office by the Constitutional Cour
March 23, 2025 -
Bipartisan group of young lawmakers bashes pension reform plan
Bipartisan group of young lawmakers bashes pension reform plan
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in their 30s and 40s on Sunday voiced disagreement with the National Assembly’s approval of a reform to the national pension scheme, saying that the plan will increase the financial burden on future generations. The group of eight lawmakers, who claimed they voted against the pension reform proposal passed in a plenary vote held Thursday, also highlighted that the plan merely focuses on adjusting the rates of the pension scheme. The eight lawmakers were: People Po
March 23, 2025 -
Rival parties spin looming prime minister impeachment verdict in their favor
Rival parties spin looming prime minister impeachment verdict in their favor
South Korea's main rival parties are each spinning the scheduled impeachment verdict of suspended Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Constitutional Court in their favor, as the court justices continue to deliberate over the fate of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol. The ruling party sees the ruling on Han preceding that on Yoon as a precursor to the court's decision to overturn or dismiss Yoon's impeachment case, should the parliamentary motion to impeach Han get overturned. On the other hand, t
March 21, 2025 -
Opposition parties float motion to impeach acting President Choi Sang-mok
Opposition parties float motion to impeach acting President Choi Sang-mok
Lawmakers of five opposition parties filed a motion to impeach acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday, citing his failure to appoint a ninth Constitutional Court justice. The parties, led by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, hold a combined 190 seats out of 300 at the National Assembly, which is enough to carry Choi's impeachment without additional votes. The motion stated that Choi had defied the parliament's request to appoint a Constitutional Court justice and a Supreme Court j
March 21, 2025 -
51% support change in administration led by opposition party: poll
51% support change in administration led by opposition party: poll
More than half of South Koreans support a change in administration from the current ruling People Power Party in case of an early presidential election, a poll showed Friday. According to the survey conducted by Gallup on 1,003 adults aged over 18 from Tuesday to Thursday, 39 percent said they would support a ruling party candidate to maintain the current conservative rule, while 51 percent favored an opposition party candidate for a change in administration. In the same survey, the approval rat
March 21, 2025