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Court set to hold 9th hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial
Court set to hold 9th hearing of Yoon's impeachment trial
The Constitutional Court is set to hold the ninth hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial Tuesday as deliberations have entered their final phase. During the hearing at 2 p.m., the legal representatives of Yoon and the National Assembly are each set to present a summary of their arguments so far. The court has said it will also examine evidence that has been adopted but not yet reviewed. No witnesses are scheduled to testify. The hearing will leave only one additional hearing Thur
Feb. 18, 2025 -
Presidential office files complaint against YouTubers over deep fake video of Yoon, first lady
Presidential office files complaint against YouTubers over deep fake video of Yoon, first lady
The presidential office said Monday it has requested police to investigate YouTubers who uploaded and aired a deep fake video of President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee. The office said it filed a complaint against two YouTube channel operators behind the video for allegedly violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. One of the individuals is accused of broadcasting the video during a rally calling for Yoon's ouster in Gwangju, about 300 kilometers
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Preparations for US-North Korea talks 'well underway' in Washington: lawmaker
Preparations for US-North Korea talks 'well underway' in Washington: lawmaker
'Trump may be open to South Korea pursuing own nuclear capabilities' Preparations for the US and North Korea are "well underway" in Washington, according to Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Chung Dong-young on Monday. Chung, who was minister of unification in 2004-5 for late President Roh Moo-hyun, told The Korea Herald that after a series of meetings with mainly Republican figures, he was under the impression that talks between the US and North Korea "may materialize over this year." Chung, as pa
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung claims stock recovery under his leadership
Lee Jae-myung claims stock recovery under his leadership
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea asserted Monday that the nation's main stock index would surge if his party takes power amid growing criticism of his recent rightward shift. "If the Democratic Party assumes power, the Kospi index will reach the 3,000 level without any special changes," Lee said during a party leadership meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. The Kospi, the country's main stock bourse, ended Monday's trading at 2,610. The i
Feb. 17, 2025 -
How Yoon Suk Yeol carries out politics from behind bars
How Yoon Suk Yeol carries out politics from behind bars
Detained president mobilizes ruling party from jail to keep supporters unified, but expert warns it could backfire In South Korean history, five of the country's 13 presidents have been arrested and jailed either during their time in office or afterwards. Being behind bars has limited their ability to communicate with the public as freely as they did when in office. Still, most of them choose to send messages through visitors and their legal representatives, signaling that they still hold influe
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Conservative YouTubers cash in over W600m following Yoon's martial law fallout
Conservative YouTubers cash in over W600m following Yoon's martial law fallout
Several conservative YouTube channels in South Korea have reportedly seen a surge in revenue through audience donations following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3. According to Rep. Chung Il-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Monday, the top 10 conservative-leaning YouTube channels that earned the most from Super Chat donations in the two months following the Dec. 3 incident collectively made 605.76 million won (420,000ドル). No specific names of th
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Lee Jae-myung leads polls for early presidential election
Lee Jae-myung leads polls for early presidential election
A recent poll showed that opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, has maintained his lead in the projection for a potential early presidential election. The same poll suggested that more than half of South Koreans favored the transition of power to a liberal leader, should a snap election take place in the case of a verdict that confirms the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, the conservative president accused of leading an insurrection. Acco
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Yoon Suk Yeol resigning ahead of impeachment verdict 'not appropriate'
Yoon Suk Yeol resigning ahead of impeachment verdict 'not appropriate'
Rep. Kwon Young-se, the interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, said Monday that suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol resigning while his impeachment trial is ongoing would not be appropriate. Yoon resigning "cannot be realistically considered," Kwon said, upon being asked during a conference if he thought the president might step down before the Constitutional Court rules on his impeachment. "Regardless of whether the president resigning before the verdict is due is legally or constitutio
Feb. 17, 2025 -
Estranged former ruling party leader hints at return to politics
Estranged former ruling party leader hints at return to politics
Han Dong-hoon, former ruling party leader who resigned after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached last December, resumed social media activities for the first time this year in an apparent show of interest in returning to politics. "Reflecting on people's advice in the past two months, I had opportunities for soul-searching," Han said on his Facebook account Sunday. "I will see you in the near future," he told some 29,000 followers, adding that he was authoring a book -- a customary practice am
Feb. 16, 2025 -
Historic site of Democratic Uprising divided over Yoon’s impeachment
Historic site of Democratic Uprising divided over Yoon’s impeachment
A longtime symbol of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, Geumnam-ro Street in Gwangju became the staging ground for intensifying political divisions on Saturday, with protesters supporting and opposing President Yoon Suk Yeol gathering at the same time. The two rallies, held separately along a 680-meter course from May 18 Democracy Square -- commemorating the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising -- to Geumnam-ro, saw the biggest crowd in Gwangju since Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2
Feb. 16, 2025 -
Troops cut off power at National Assembly during martial law, lawmakers say
Troops cut off power at National Assembly during martial law, lawmakers say
Lawmakers of the main opposition party suggested that armed troops who infiltrated the National Assembly building late in the night after martial law was declared on Dec. 3, 2024, managed to cut off its power for over five minutes, in the latest indication that President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to employ military power to block the parliament from annulling the declaration. Rep. Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday revealed seven minutes of surveillance footage in which seven
Feb. 16, 2025 -
Star history lecturers take podium at Gwangju rallies
Star history lecturers take podium at Gwangju rallies
As Geunnam-ro, a historic street in Gwangju symbolizing South Korea’s democracy movement, filled with rival protesters Saturday -- one side supporting and the other opposing suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol -- two star history lecturers took the podium, each offering contrasting views on the current state of South Korean politics. They were Hwang Hyun-pil for the anti-Yoon faction and Jeon Han-hil for the pro-Yoon side. While clashing over the incumbent leader who faces impeachment over his Dec
Feb. 16, 2025 -
Speculations mount of Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation
Speculations mount of Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation
Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing growing speculation over the likelihood that he may voluntarily resign from his position before the Constitutional Court's verdict officially determines whether he is to be ousted. Such speculations do not appear to be dying down, even as Yoon's lawyers ruled out any possibility of his resignation and South Korean law indicates that resignation is not a viable option for an incumbent president who is accused of leading a self-coup and faces both a crim
Feb. 16, 2025 -
National Assembly adopts resolution calling for appointment of 9th Constitutional Justice
National Assembly adopts resolution calling for appointment of 9th Constitutional Justice
The opposition-led National Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution calling for the appointment of an additional justice to the Constitutional Court by acting President Choi Sang-mok. The move came as the court had postponed its ruling on the constitutionality of acting President Choi's decision to withhold the appointment of the ninth justice to the bench. Choi appointed two justices to the court in December but held off on the appointment of opposition-recommended Justice Ma Eun-hyuk, citing t
Feb. 14, 2025 -
Opposition calls for investigation of Yoon's wife over texts with spy chief
Opposition calls for investigation of Yoon's wife over texts with spy chief
The Democratic Party of Korea on Friday pressed for President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife Kim Keon Hee to be investigated over her possible role in the president's martial law declaration. The calls for Kim's investigation came after the National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong on Thursday admitted to having received text messages from the first lady the day before martial law was declared. Cho said he does not remember what the first lady said in the messages. "No matter how you put it, the
Feb. 14, 2025