#south korea president

[rodspurethoughts]

VP Harris, South Korea President Visit NASA Goddard

VP Harris & South Korea President Yoon visited NASA Goddard to observe climate change missions, TEMPO & GEMS, and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. #NASA #climatechange #spaceexploration #TEMPO #GEMS #NancyGraceRomanSpaceTelescope

[head-post]

South Korea’s Yoon faces final court hearing

Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will get one last chance to defend himself before judges who are wrapping up a trial to decide whether he should be permanently removed from office for his ill-fated declaration of martial law.

Yoon is due to make his final arguments at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday afternoon, wrapping up a six-week trial over whether he violated the constitution by declaring martial law. The judges will then have to decide whether to uphold parliament’s decision to impeach him, made in December.

“The president is preparing his final testimony,” one of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kab-keun, told reporters in a text message on Sunday. If the court upholds the parliament’s motion, Yoon will be immediately removed from power, triggering a presidential election within 60 days. If the motion is rejected, however, Yoon will be reinstated as president, but his legal travails are far from over as the president faces a separate criminal case on sedition charges.

In past cases of presidential impeachment, the court has delivered its verdict within two weeks of the conclusion of hearings.

Yoon’s power crisis

South Korea is in the midst of its biggest political crisis in decades after President Yoon abruptly declared martial law. He delivered a televised address on December 3, saying the move was necessary to protect the country from threats from North Korea and “anti-state forces.” The president also accused the opposition of paralysing the work of the state through impeachment initiatives and budget revisions.

In South Korea, the imposition of martial law includes banning political parties, censoring the media and handing control of all government functions to a military command. The military immediately occupied key government buildings, including the National Assembly.

Yoon, who became president in 2022, has long faced low popularity (around 20 per cent). His electoral victory was minimal, with a margin of only a few per cent, and the April 2024 parliamentary elections resulted in the defeat of his People Power party. The opposition thus captured almost two-thirds of the seats in parliament, which significantly limited the head of state’s opportunities: due to insufficient support, he cannot promote his bills.

The situation has been aggravated by public discontent due to growing social inequality, economic instability and accusations of lack of competence in foreign policy, especially in relations with North Korea. In addition, a recent scandal involving his wife, who has been accused of corruption and stock manipulation, has also erupted.

With the opposition-controlled parliament blocking Yoon’s bills and Yoon himself in turn vetoing parliamentary initiatives, tensions have reached a peak.

The tipping point was the opposition’s recent blocking of the government’s budget bill, which derailed important Yoon initiatives. In addition, the opposition has since initiated impeachment proceedings against several members of his cabinet, including the head of the audit body who refused to investigate his wife’s corruption case.

Read more HERE

[byyourdesignsblog]

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[hajamfxsblog]

South Korean president is impeached over martial law declaration

https://urlhub.pro/a80879

[saywhat-politics]

LONDON -- South Korean prosecutors formally indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday, charging him with insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law in December, according to opposition lawmakers and South Korean media.

"The prosecution has decided to indict Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of being a ringleader of insurrection," Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo told a press conference, Reuters reported. "The punishment of the ringleader of insurrection now begins finally."

[sunatsubu]

updates from Sarah Jeong on bluesky about the martial law in S. Korea that came and went within 3 hrs lol.

[obaewankenope]

[without-ado]

more at CNN

more at The Economist

more at REUTERS

---

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an unannounced late-night TV address Tuesday, accusing the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and anti-state activities. But soon after, South Korean lawmakers voted to block the martial law decree.

The president is obligated to comply with the vote under South Korean law. However, it is unclear whether that will happen. The martial law decree published shortly before lawmakers assembled in parliament declared all political and parliamentary activities to be prohibited.

Regardless, the president’s cabinet must “deliberate” and review the decision to lift martial law, according to the constitution. more at CNN

......

No words to describe what we Koreans feel like now. But we know what we should do next and we will do it.

[uharuz]

[davidaugust]

South Korea is in crisis. Their president declared martial law, their parliament called that off, what happens next remains to be seen.

Violence is never a good answer. And while it is _an_ answer, I hope for peaceful solutions to prevail, both there and in every country, including ours.

[head-post]

Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment: Final phase begins

The 11th hearing of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial is set for 25th February. Both the National Assembly and President Yoon’s defence team are preparing their final arguments. They will address the charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

On 22nd February, the National Assembly’s legal team met to plan for the hearing. Their main focus will be on President Yoon’s martial law declaration on 3rd December. They argue it was illegal and unconstitutional. They will also discuss the orders he allegedly gave during this period.

Yoon defence: A response to allegations

President Yoon’s defence team argues that the martial law declaration was within his rights. They claim it was issued as a “warning” to the opposition. They also argue that the opposition’s impeachment attempts and budget manipulation pushed the country to a national emergency. Therefore, the defence will argue that his actions were necessary to protect the country.

The main issue in the trial is whether President Yoon’s actions on 3rd December were legitimate. Another key point is whether he ordered the arrest of lawmakers and political opponents. The National Assembly claims he did, while President Yoon denies it.

Testimonies regarding the arrest orders

On 20th February, the Constitutional Court heard testimony about the alleged arrest orders. Mr Hong Jang-won, the former first deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), claimed he received these orders and documented them. He returned to court to clarify his earlier testimony, especially about the timing and details of his notes.

President Yoon’s lawyers challenged Mr Hong’s testimony. They questioned why he hadn’t submitted the original memo to prosecutors. They also suggested that Mr Hong tried to give the document to the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Additionally, lawyer Yun Gap-geun asked whether the aide who helped write the memo had personal ties to Han Dong-hoon. Mr Hong responded that he did not know the aide’s connections.

The alleged order to break into Parliament

Former Capital Defence Commander Lee Jin-woo testified that President Yoon told him to “break down the door to Parliament” and “drag the lawmakers out.” However, Mr Lee later testified that he could not remember making this statement. As a result, the credibility of his testimony is questioned.

President Yoon denies issuing such orders. He has stated that “nothing happened” and compared the trial to “chasing the shadow of the moon floating on a lake.”

Yoon military mobilisation and the martial law decree

During the martial law period, approximately 1,500 South Korean troops surrounded the National Assembly. President Yoon claims that their deployment was to maintain order, not to block Parliament. He insists that the military was not used to restrict the legislative body.

The martial law decree prohibited political activities, including those of the National Assembly. However, the decree did not give the President authority to limit Parliament’s functions. This will be a key point in the trial.

President Yoon argues that the martial law was meant to last no more than half a day. He claims the decree was a formality and that Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun mistakenly added a problematic clause about Parliament. Yoon denies any intent to use deadly force.

Live ammunition was provided to the mobilised troops, but it was not distributed to individual soldiers. The martial law was lifted about six hours after its declaration. The National Assembly requested the removal of martial law at 1am on 3rd December. President Yoon agreed to lift it at 4:20am, over three hours later.

The final hearing and what comes next

The 11th hearing will begin at 2pm on 25th February. Acting Chief Judge Moon Hyung-bae has confirmed that there will be no time limits for final arguments. Afterward, the eight justices will deliberate on whether to uphold President Yoon’s impeachment.

The court is expected to reach a decision within two weeks. In past cases, the Constitutional Court took 14 and 11 days to reach a final decision after the last hearing.

Public reaction and potential outcomes

Supporters of President Yoon and the ruling party have criticised Chief Justice Moon. Protesters have held demonstrations outside his home, and some lawmakers accuse him of bias in favour of the opposition.

If the court upholds the impeachment, South Korea will hold a presidential election within 60 days. If the court rejects the impeachment, President Yoon will continue in office until his term ends on 9th May 2027.

Read more HERE

[jasminewilson143]

South Korean President Declares Emergency Martial Law Amid Political Crisis

South Korean President Declares Emergency Martial Law Amid Political Crisis South Korea has plunged into an unprecedented political crisis following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s dramatic declaration of emergency martial law. In a televised address on Tuesday, Yoon accused opposition parties of crippling the government, sympathizing with North Korea, and obstructing the nation’s legislative…

[hamletsleftball]

die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die die

[saywhat-politics]

A first attempt this month ended in a dramatic standoff at the residence where President Yoon Suk Yeol had been holed up since he was impeached.

[relaxedstyles]