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Martial Law
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 ..
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
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 ..
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
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 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 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 .
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
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
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 Korean anti-corruption agency said on Tuesday that a court has issued warrants to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and search his office. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said in a statement that the Seoul Western District Court issued warrants to detain Yoon over his stunning yet short-lived martial law decree earlier this month and to search the presidential office in central Seoul. The agency said it is investigating whether his declaration of martial law amounted to rebellion. Yoon's powers have been suspended since the opposition-controlled National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14. The Constitutional Court is to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him. But he has since ignored repeated requests by investigative authorities to appear for questioning and allow them to search his office. Yoon has the presidential privilege of immunity from criminal prosecution, but it does not extend to allegations