The China Story
at your Fingertips
OPEN
Lee Jae-myung of South Korea's liberal Democratic Party was elected president on June 4.
President Yoon Suk-yeol was removed from office on April 4 after the country's Constitutional Court, in a unanimous decision, upheld a parliamentary vote to impeach him over the Dec 3 martial law decree.
SEOUL -- South Korea's Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) chief said Wednesday that the CIO will attempt to arrest President Yoon Suk-yeol with and without an arrest warrant if conditions are met, according to multiple media outlets.
Oh Dong-woon made the remark during a parliamentary hearing, saying the CIO will do everything it can.
When asked by a lawmaker whether the investigative agency could arrest Yoon without an arrest warrant, Oh said yes.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3, but it was repealed by the National Assembly hours later.
The country's police, prosecution and the CIO have been investigating rebellion charges against Yoon, cabinet members and military commanders.
SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors Wednesday raided the headquarters of the Army Special Warfare Command as part of their probe into President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration last week.
SEOUL -- South Korean police raided the office of the embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol over his martial law declaration last week, multiple media outlets said Wednesday.
Those subject to the raid were the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police and the National Assembly Police Guards as well as the presidential office.
A group of investigators entered the presidential compound to seize documents on an emergency martial law declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3 that was rescinded by the National Assembly hours later.
President Yoon reportedly was not staying in the presidential office building.
Embattled South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is facing bleak prospects after the parliament passed a bill on Tuesday mandating a permanent special counsel to probe treason charges over his failed bid to impose martial law.
The National Assembly approved the legislation 210-63 with 14 abstentions, Yonhap reported.
The opposition Democratic Party bloc holds 192 seats in the 300-strong parliament, while Yoon's ruling People Power Party has 108.The result indicated about 20 assenting votes from the PPP.
The bill's passage will mark the first time in South Korea's constitutional history that public prosecutors, police, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, and a special prosecutor launch simultaneous investigations into the same case.
Besides Yoon, the bill calls for investigations into several other officials involved in imposing martial law, including former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, former interior minister Lee Sang-min and army chief Park An-su, who was named martial law commander.
Yoon declared emergency martial law late on Dec 3 but it was reversed in the National Assembly in 155 minutes.
As the president cannot exercise his veto right on a bill about a permanent special counsel, the bill's passage is expected to have a prolonged influence on South Korea's political situation.
In addition, the National Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the swift arrest of eight key figures involved in the martial law incident, including Yoon.
The president and several top officials, including the Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Cho Ji-ho, have been banned from leaving the country while under investigation.
Yoon avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him on Saturday. However, the opposition parties have vowed to submit a new impeachment motion on Wednesday, with a vote set for Saturday.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the ruling PPP is discussing a road map that could see Yoon's "early exit" in February or March followed by fresh elections.
Democratic Party floor spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung dismissed the PPP plan, saying that the immediate impeachment of Yoon is the only answer.
"Who gives the PPP the power to settle the political situation?" Kang said.
"The PPP, which refused to vote for the impeachment of Yoon, is the one that caused political turmoil.
"What the people want is immediate suspension of Yoon's duty either by resignation or impeachment."
Apologizing to the public, Culture Minister Yu In-chon called for restraint in the opposition party's continued submission of impeachment motions against high-ranking officials, as it could pose a great danger to the public if all ministers responsible for security become vacant.
"I sincerely urge the majority party to demonstrate wisdom and restraint, ensuring that legal and political procedures proceed in alignment with the rule of law so that the government can focus on stable governance," said Yu.
Stability urged
Fang Kun, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in South Korea, said China hopes to see continued stability in South Korea's economy and society as the two countries are important partners and close neighbors.
In a meeting with South Korean Deputy Finance Minister Choi Ji-young in Seoul on Tuesday, Fang also emphasized the need to continue bilateral cooperation through exchanges in various fields, such as the economy and tourism.
Choi said the government will proactively address financial and foreign exchange market volatility and prevent foreign companies from shirking investment and economic activities.
Uncertainties surrounding South Korea's economy have increased following Yoon's martial law declaration, with analysts worrying that the prolonged political crisis may even affect the country's credit rating.
S. Korean parliament speaker invokes authority to conduct probe into president's martial law decree
SEOUL -- Police arrested early Wednesday South Korea's police commissioner and the Seoul police chief in connection with a probe into President Yoon Suk-yeol's short-lived martial law imposition, Yonhap news agency reported.
Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and Kim Bong-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were arrested on insurrection charges, according to a special investigation team under the national police.
The two police chiefs were suspected of instructing police officers to cordon off the National Assembly compound to block lawmakers from attending a plenary session for a vote against the imposition of the emergency martial law.
Police made the arrest in consideration of seriousness of the charges and the possibility of destruction of evidence by the two officers, Yonhap said, citing police sources.
Authorities had previously confiscated the two officers' cellphones and placed travel bans on them.
SEOUL -- South Korea's former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun was formally arrested Wednesday on insurrection charges related to President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Seoul Central District Court issued a formal arrest warrant for Kim, who had already been detained since Sunday, after prosecutors accused him of engaging in "essential" activities in insurrection and abusing his power to obstruct the exercising of rights when martial law was in place for six hours between Tuesday and Wednesday last week, the report said.
The court granted the prosecution's request to arrest Kim, saying it was worried that he would destroy evidence, it added.
The former defense chief waived Tuesday's court hearing to review the arrest warrant.
President Yoon Suk-yeol has already been booked as a suspect and barred from traveling overseas.
Under the law, while the president mostly has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
SEOUL -- A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who allegedly proposed last week's martial law declaration to President Yoon Suk-yeol, for a treason charge, multiple media outlets said early Wednesday.
The Seoul Central District Court granted the prosecution's request to arrest Kim, saying it was worried that he would destroy evidence.
Kim was charged with engaging in an important mission during the insurrection, triggered by Yoon's declaration of an emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 that was rescinded by the National Assembly hours later.
The former defense chief waived a court hearing to review the arrest warrant, in which prosecutors reportedly called Yoon a "ringleader" of the "rebellion".
If convicted of treason, Kim would face life imprisonment or death penalty.
South Korean parliament passes resolution on immediate arrest of President Yoon.
SEOUL -- South Korea's parliament passed a bill Tuesday to appoint a standing special prosecutor and investigate President Yoon Suk-yeol's treason charge, TV footage showed Tuesday.
Among 287 National Assembly lawmakers attending the plenary session, 210 voted in favor and 63 against, with 14 abstentions.
The bill was submitted to the 300-member unicameral parliament last week to get to the bottom of Yoon's rebellion charge caused by his "unconstitutional" martial law declaration.
Subject to the independent counsel investigation will be the embattled president, prime minister, former floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, former defense minister and other military commanders.
Under the standing independent counsel bill that cannot be vetoed by the president, the opposition has the right to recommend a special prosecutor, but the president can delay the appointment of the prosecutor.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3, but it was repealed by the National Assembly hours later.
SEOUL -- South Korean police said Tuesday that they have requested the presence of cabinet members and the spy agency chief for questioning over the botched martial law declaration last week.
The list of 11 officials includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and a few other ministers, as well as National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong.
They are believed to have attended cabinet meetings held in the lead-up to and after President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration on Dec 3.
The National Office of Investigation handling the case said they are not ruling out taking legal action to compel them to appear for questioning if they refuse to cooperate.
SEOUL -- South Korea's National Office of Investigation (NOI) said Tuesday that five key police and military officials, including the police chief, have been banned from leaving the country amid an ongoing investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration.
The NOI said its special investigation team imposed an overseas travel ban on Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, Kim Bong-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Mok Hyun-tae, head of the National Assembly Police Guards.
The travel ban was enforced by the Ministry of Justice at 8 pm local time Monday, the NOI added, noting that the three were allegedly involved in controlling access to the National Assembly during the martial law enforcement on Dec 3.
Meanwhile, Lee Jin-woo, chief of the Capital Defense Command, and Kwak Jong-geun, former chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, have also been placed under a travel ban in connection with the same investigation.
The NOI said it has asked the defense ministry and several military commands to submit data on the deployment of troops related to the martial law decree.
SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors on Monday requested for an arrest warrant against former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun.
The prosecutors are seeking the arrest warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
The prosecutors said Kim was suspected of conspiring with President Yoon Suk-yeol to provoke civil unrest and sabotage constitutionalism.
SEOUL - South Korea's Ministry of Justice placed an order to ban President Yoon Suk-yeol from leaving the country, Yonhap news agency reported Monday.
The decision came within an hour after the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials requested the travel ban.
SEOUL -- South Korean Defense Ministry said Monday the control of the country's military forces currently lies with President Yoon Suk-yeol, Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, now facing possible charges of treason, will step down early "in an orderly manner", the ruling party said after the parliament's failure to pass an impeachment motion against Yoon.
"Even before he leaves the post, the president will not take part in state affairs, including diplomacy," said Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, on Sunday, noting that the majority of the people believe that Yoon should step down because he cannot run state affairs normally for the remainder of his term originally set to last until May 2027.
At a joint public address with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the ruling party leader and the prime minister pledged all-out efforts to stabilize the political situation in the country.
However, soon afterward, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said it is "unconstitutional" if the prime minister and the ruling party jointly exercise presidential power.
In a televised address, Woo also said impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president over his breach of the constitution by declaring martial law on Tuesday night.
The motion to impeach Yoon requires support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 out of its 300 members. Though 192 lawmakers of the opposition coalition cast their ballots on Saturday afternoon, all but three of the 108 members of the People Power Party left the National Assembly ahead of the vote, making the impeachment vote invalid due to the lack of quorum.
Woo had waited about three hours for the ruling party lawmakers to return before announcing the scrapping of the impeachment motion due to lack of quorum. Outside, and also in other cities, hundreds of thousands of citizens held a candlelight rally to demand that Yoon step down.
Before the vote, Yoon apologized for his martial law declaration and said he will let the ruling party decide on his term. Yoon accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min on Sunday.
PM Han Duck-soo said the government will put the people first and avoid any vacuum in state affairs.
The main opposition Democratic Party, or DP, called for the immediate arrest and investigation of Yoon over the martial law declaration and rejected the ruling party's plan to have the prime minister lead state affairs.
DP leader Lee Jae-myung said on Sunday that they will try again to impeach Yoon on Dec 14.
Treason charges
South Korean prosecutors said Yoon has been booked as a suspect on charges of treason, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday. DP will submit bills on Monday for investigating charges of Yoon's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, multiple media outlets said.
While the opposition party wants impeachment as quickly as possible, the ruling party's primary goal seems to be to prevent Lee from coming into the presidency, said Benjamin A. Engel, a visiting professor at the Dankook University in South Korea.
According to the law, a presidential election will take place within 60 days of Yoon's impeachment, which would give Lee a chance to participate in it as it will take time for the top court to hand down the ruling over cases related to Lee.
Because Lee faces trials over corruption and other criminal charges, it is possible he will be ineligible to contest a presidential election within six months from now, so the ruling party is delaying impeachment long enough and keeping Yoon in office but with no real authority, so that they can delay the next presidential election, said Engel.
Ryu Yong-wook, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said it is important to keep a close eye on how South Korea's foreign policy will change in the medium and longer term as the political leverage is now firmly with the progressive opposition.
"Under Yoon, Seoul has sided with the US in the great power rivalry, which helped other regional security initiatives such as the US-Japan-ROK trilateral to develop," said Ryu. "All this could change if we have a new president from the progressives in the future."
Xinhua contributed to this story.
kelly@chinadailyapac.com
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submitted bills Monday to investigate charges of President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, Yonhap news agency reported.
Although the ROK parliament didn't pass the motion on Sunday to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol for what is widely regarded as his self-serving imposition of martial law, his authority has been eroded "to the point of no return", for all intents and purposes, some observers say.
Yoon vowed to run an open government when he won the presidency in March 2022 with a margin of just 0.7 percent. But he has only paid attention to strengthening the Republic of Korea's alliances with the United States and Japan, at the cost of the ROK's relations with other neighbors, and has failed to connect with the ROK people.
Despite the image he has tried to present to the world that he is a pro-democracy and open-minded leader, Yoon seems to have little time or patience to listen to different points of view, even within his own party, and his abiding political mindset is "my way or the highway".
That the former prosecutor twice vetoed a bill seeking a special counsel inquiry into allegations against his wife's suspected graft has seen his approval rating drop to a dismal 19 percent last month, a historical low since the restoration of "democracy" in the ROK in 1987.
Although the Yoon government has done a good job controlling inflation and unemployment after taking power, the ROK's year-on-year economic growth rate plummeted from 2.6 percent in 2022 to 1.4 percent last year, though it is projected to rebound to 2.3 percent this year. The lackluster economy has weakened public confidence in the Yoon government, and also aggravated the political polarization in the ROK, not only between Yoon's People Power Party and the Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, but also within the PPP itself.
Although the PPP blocked Yoon's impeachment, the ruling party's internal divisions are becoming more pronounced after Yoon's imposition of martial law and swift about-face, and some key figures within the party including party leader Han Dong-hoon, who has urged that Yoon's presidency be suspended, and Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, will be ready to jockey for power within the party in case of Yoon's increasingly possible step-down before the next presidential election that is scheduled to be held in March 2027.
The calls for Yoon's resignation are going to increase across the political spectrum in the country. The chaos shows a troubling lack of political leadership and deep political polarization entrenched within the country's "democracy", and a confluence of these elements poses a significant risk to the country's future stability and governance.
It is clear that the vicious cycle of retributions, an unfortunate hallmark of ROK politics, is not likely to stop when this current crisis ebbs and a new president takes office, as some ROK analysts point out.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party will submit bills on Monday to investigate charges of President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, multiple media outlets said Sunday.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition party said Sunday it will push for another vote to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol over his declaration of martial law.
"Yoon ... must either resign immediately or be impeached without delay," Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a televised speech.
"On Dec 14, our Democratic Party will impeach Yoon in the name of the people," he added.
The remarks came a day after President Yoon survived an impeachment motion in parliament as most members of his ruling party boycotted the vote.
Following Lee's announcement, ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon said "orderly resignation" is better than impeachment which carries uncertainties.
Earlier in the day, Han and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo issued a joint statement, affirming that the ruling party would seek an orderly and early end to Yoon's presidential term and that Yoon would not be involved in the internal and foreign affairs of the country before he steps down.
But National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, also from the main opposition party, denounced the arrangement as being "unconstitutional" and "arrogant."
Woo said it would be a "blatant violation of the Constitution" should the prime minister and ruling party jointly exercise presidential power, noting "Impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president from carrying out his duties."
