South Korea Elections

South Korea's ousted President Yoon indicted on additional criminal charges

South Korea's ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted Saturday on additional criminal charges related to his ill-fated imposition of martial law, about three months after he was formally thrown out of office. Yoon's additional indictments mean he will remain in jail for up to six months as he faces a trial at the Seoul Central District Court on his Dec 3 martial law declaration that plunged South Korea into huge political turmoil. Yoon was sent back to prison last week after the Seoul court approved his arrest warrant requested by a team of investigators headed by independent counsel Cho Eun-suk. Cho's team indicted Yoon on abuse of power that obstructed the rights of some of his Cabinet members. The charge was imposed because Yoon summoned only select Cabinet members to approve his emergency martial law when South Korean law requires approval of all Cabinet members for such a measure, Park Ji-young, a senior investigator at Cho's team, told a briefing. Park said Yo

South Korea's Yoon appears in court for hearing on possible arrest warrant

Disgraced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in court Wednesday for a hearing to review a special prosecutor's request for his arrest on charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December. Yoon, who was ousted in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, was released from prison in March after the Seoul Central District Court overturned his January arrest, allowing him to stand trial for rebellion without being detained. Arriving in a black van with his lawyers, Yoon did not respond to questions before entering the court in Seoul. His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under a special prosecutor, Cho Eun-suk, who are pursuing additional charges over Yoon's authoritarian push, including abuse of power, falsifying official documents and obstructing official duties. Cho's team said they view Yoon as a potential threat to destroy evidence. They questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warr

South Korea continues to keep its chin up as Trump wields tariff threat

Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on South Korean exports to the United States starting August 1 unless the longtime American ally lowered what he believes are unfair trade barriers

South Korea passes bills calling for special probes into Yoon, his wife

South Korea's liberal-led legislature on Thursday passed bills to launch special investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law in December and criminal allegations against his wife, targeting the ousted conservative a day after his liberal successor took office. The bills were previously vetoed by Yoon and South Korea's caretaker government after his December 14 impeachment over the martial law debacle. The bills are expected to be signed by new President Lee Jae-myung, a Democrat who won Tuesday's snap election triggered by Yoon's formal removal from office in April.

Lee Jae Myung elected as South Korea's President, ending 6 months of chaos

Lee, a former labor activist, won Tuesday's election with 49.4 per cent of the vote, a comfortable win over Kim Moon-soo of the incumbent People Power Party

S Koreans vote for new president in wake of Yoon's ouster over martial law

Millions of South Koreans are voting Tuesday for a new president in a snap election triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who now faces an explosive trial on rebellion charges over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Pre-election surveys suggested Yoon's liberal archrival, Lee Jae-myung, appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon's martial law debacle. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon's actions. This election serves as another defining moment in the country's resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide worsened by Yoon is far from over and could pose a big political burden on the new president. The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying in the streets to either denounce or support Yoon, while a ...

S Korea holds snap presidential election on Tuesday; here's what to know

After months of political turmoil, South Korea will elect a new president this week to succeed conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his brief but shocking imposition of martial law. Surveys suggested liberal Lee Jae-myung is heavily favored to win Tuesday's snap election, riding on a wave of public disappointment of Yoon's martial law debacle in December. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, wants a come-from-behind victory, but observers say his refusal to directly criticise Yoon made it difficult for him to narrow the gap with Lee. The winner will be sworn in as president on Wednesday without the typical two-month transition period. The new leader faces the urgent tasks of trying to heal the deep domestic divide over Yoon's action as well as focusing on US President Donald Trump's America-first policy and North Korea's advancing nuclear programme. Who is running for the presidency? Lee, who represents the main liberal Democratic Party, is the favourite to win

Why South Koreans can't order by Presidential candidates' name at Starbucks

Starbucks' decision comes after the order callouts forced baristas into awkward, sometimes inflammatory, moments turning coffee pickups into political statements

South Korea's Kim Moon-soo open to discussing US troop cost amid tariff row

Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea as part of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea

South Korea's presidential campaigns kick off with focus on ailing economy

Asia's fourth-largest economy will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to choose Yoon Suk Yeol's successor after the conservative leader was ousted over his shock martial law order

South Korea's conservative party seeks new candidate amid election turmoil

South Korea's embattled conservative party has taken the unprecedented step of nullifying its primary and replacing presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo just one week after Kim's selection, deepening internal turmoil ahead of the June 3 presidential by-election. Saturday's move by the People Power Party's leadership, which Kim denounced as an overnight political coup, underscores the desperation and disarray within the party following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law in December. Kim, a staunch conservative and former labour minister under Yoon, was named the PPP's presidential candidate on May 3 after winning 56.3% of the primary vote, defeating a reformist rival who had criticised Yoon's martial law. But the PPP's leadership, dominated by Yoon loyalists, has spent the past week pressuring Kim to step aside and back Han, whom they believe stands a stronger chance against liberal ...

South Korea's conservative party names Kim Moon Soo as presidential pick

Former Labour Minister Kim Moon Soo won the presidential nomination of South Korea's main conservative party, facing an uphill battle against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung for the June 3 election. Observers say Kim will likely try to align with other conservative forces, such as former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, to prevent a split in conservative votes in a bid to boost prospects for a conservative win against Lee. In a party primary that ended Saturday, Kim won 56.5 per cent of the votes cast, beating his sole competitor, Han Dong-hun, the party said in a televised announcement. Other contenders have been eliminated in earlier rounds. I'll form a strong alliance with anyone to prevent a rule by Lee Jae-myung and his Democratic Party forces. I'll push for that in a procedure and method that our people and members accept, and I'll ultimately win, Kim said in his victory speech. Kim, 73, served as a governor of South Korea's most populous Gyeonggi province and a member of the

Here is why South Korea's ex-President Yoon could face death penalty

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed by the Constitutional Court following his declaration of martial law. He appeared at his criminal trial on Monday facing rebellion charges

Ousted South Korea President Yoon embraces supporters as he leaves office

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol left the presidential residence in Seoul on Friday for his private home, a week after the Constitutional Court removed him from office over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. In recent days, moving trucks were seen driving in and out of the walled presidential compound in the Hannam-dong district, the site of a massive law enforcement operation in January that led to Yoon's detainment. Yoon, who is facing a criminal trial on rebellion charges, was released from custody in March after a Seoul court canceled his arrest. Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, along with their 11 dogs and cats, are returning to their private apartment in affluent southern Seoul. As his black van arrived at the gate of the presidential compound, Yoon stepped out, smiling and waving to his supporters, shaking hands and embracing dozens of them, before getting back into the vehicle and leaving the site. Ahead of his arrival, dozens of both supporters

South Korea to hold snap elections on June 3 after ousting president

Leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung is the front-runner in the elections. Lee lost to Yoon with a margin of less than 1% votes in 2022

A look at turbulent life of S Korean leader Yoon ousted over martial law

Yoon Suk Yeol's political rise was fast: the former star prosecutor clinched South Korea's presidency only a year after he entered politics. But his downfall was even faster: The Constitutional Court removed him from office on Friday, about four months after he made a deeply baffling decision to declare martial law and send troops to Seoul's streets. Yoon's style highly assertive and strong-willed, but often uncompromising and inflexible worked for a prosecutor standing up to higher-ups, but not for a president forced to work with an opposition-dominated legislature on an array of contentious issues. Yoon, 64, a conservative, said his martial law decree was a desperate attempt to call on public support for his fight against anti-state liberal rivals who used their parliamentary majority to obstruct his agenda and impeach top officials. But many observers say the stunt was political suicide, as the liberal opposition-controlled parliament quickly struck down Yoon's decree before ..

South Korea's political turmoil deepens as impeachment verdict looms

South Korea faces political and geopolitical uncertainty as President Yoon's impeachment trial drags on, raising concerns over domestic stability, foreign alliances, and growing security threats

What to expect as South Korea's court rules on President Yoon's impeachment

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 ..

South Korea suspends some military drills after accidental bombing

South Korea suspended the training flights of air force aircraft and all live-fire drills following its fighter jets' accidental bombing of a civilian area, officials said Friday, posing a potential setback to its upcoming annual military training with the United States. On Thursday, two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly released four MK-82 bombs each on a civilian area in Pocheon, a city near the tense border with North Korea. The bombing, which injured nearly 30 people, two of them seriously, occurred when South Korean and US forces were engaging in a live-fire drill in connection with their broader Freedom Shield command post exercise set to begin Monday. This year's Freedom Shield exercise is the allies' first major joint training since President Donald Trump returned to office in January and comes amid concerns about North Korea's booming military cooperation with Russia. South Korea and the US announced details of the exercises on Thursday, but it was overshadowed by

Court orders South Korean President Yoon's release for martial law trial

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