Special Warfare Commander says no more martial law, vows to refuse such order

Kwak Jong-geun, the Special Warfare Commander who led special forces into the Assembly on Tuesday evening, said Friday that there would be no additional martial law and that he will refuse any such orders in the future. Speaking at a YouTube live show hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Sun-won and Kim Byung-joo, members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, Kwak said he received orders from Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to drag lawmakers out of the Assembly, 20 minu

Dec. 6, 2024

State Dept. says S. Korea-US alliance 'transcends any particular president'

The South Korea-US alliance "transcends any particular president," a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, as the National Assembly is moving to vote on an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition. Principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks, voicing expectation that the impeachment process will proceed in line with South Korea's Constitution. "This relationship, this alliance, this partnership that

Dec. 6, 2024

Austin has 'no plans' to travel to S. Korea after martial law episode: US official

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has "no plans" to visit South Korea "at this time," an official said Thursday, following a report that he scrapped a plan to travel to the Asian country in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition. The move came amid concerns that despite Washington's renewed commitment to the "rock-solid" alliance, a period of uncertainty in South Korea could affect coordination between the allies over

Dec. 6, 2024

Seoul’s diplomacy, security rocked by political turmoil

South Korea's diplomatic and security activities have been thrown into disarray following President Yoon Suk Yeol's abrupt and fleeting declaration of martial law, which has prompted the cancellation of visits by foreign delegations. The paralysis in South Korea's foreign and defense affairs is poised to intensify with the resignation of now-former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Wednesday, formally accepted by Yoon the following day, and the voluntary departure of Foreign Minis

Dec. 5, 2024

In rare move, US directly criticizes Yoon for his martial law declaration

Key Biden administration officials voiced bewilderment and sharp criticism over President Yoon Suk Yeol's sudden martial law declaration late Tuesday night, which they learned about only via television, raising serious concerns about democratic backsliding by Yoon, who was once praised as a host of the US-initiated Summit for Democracy. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell issued an uncharacteristically sharp rebuke of Yoon, condemning his declaration of martial law as "badly mis

Dec. 5, 2024

[News Analysis] Political crisis: What it means for Korea-US alliance and beyond

The political upheaval sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s abrupt declaration of martial law -- issued without prior notice to the United States and rescinded just six hours later -- has heightened uncertainties in the South Korea-US alliance, already strained by Donald Trump's return to power. Leadership transitions in both Seoul and Washington amplify the turbulence. Even if Yoon survives the political storm, his foreign policy achievements -- outshining his domestic track record -

Dec. 4, 2024

Foreign residents shocked by martial law declaration

The sudden declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night sent shock waves through the country's foreign community. President Yoon has defended the move, citing alleged threats from opposition lawmakers, and saying the National Assembly had "become a den of criminals, paralyzed the country's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship, and attempted to overthrow the liberal democratic system." Although the order

Dec. 4, 2024

Swedish Prime Minister cancels Seoul visit

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has canceled his trip to Seoul this week, his office said Wednesday. The prime minister had planned to make an official two-day visit to Seoul starting Thursday. Below are the statements from the prime minister's office. ”We have closely followed developments during the night of December 3rd. With recent developments we have concluded that it is better to travel to the Republic of Korea in the future. As in all democracies, political difference

Dec. 4, 2024

Embassies in Seoul urge citizens to stay vigilant, avoid mass rallies

Foreign missions in South Korea have swiftly reacted to President Yoon Suk Yeol's announcement lifting the emergency martial law declaration, advising their citizens to remain cautious and avoid participating in mass rallies as developments surrounding the situation continue to unfold. Only a few countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, have issued official government responses to Yoon's declaration of martial law, delivered during a late-night televised ad

Dec. 4, 2024

Yoon Suk Yeol postpones meeting on drug control

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday postponed his plan to attend a meeting to review drug control measures, according to the presidential office, hours after he agreed to the parliament's request to revoke martial law. "The meeting to assess the current status of drug control measures, originally set to take place at the presidential office, has been rescheduled," an official said.

Dec. 4, 2024

Full text of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreeing to lift martial law

Below is a full, unofficial translation of President Yoon Suk Yeol's statement issued on Wednesday, announcing that the declaration of emergency martial law is lifted. Last night at 11 p.m., I declared a state of emergency martial law with a determined will to save the nation, in response to anti-state forces that were paralyzing the essential functions of the state and undermining the liberal democratic constitutional order. However, just a moment ago, the National Assembly requested t

Dec. 4, 2024

[From the Scene] Rush to get to National Assembly in first hours of martial law

In the hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared in South Korea at around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, chaos ensued west of Yeouido in central Seoul as lawmakers, aides and reporters rushed to get to the National Assembly. Soon after Yoon announced he would impose martial law, police squads began surrounding the gates of the legislature. At this point, people could enter at checkpoints if they presented their passes. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-kee, running up flights of stairs, could be

Dec. 4, 2024

US, South Korea in contact over martial law declaration

The US and South Korea are communicating over Seoul’s emergency martial law declaration Tuesday night. “The Administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” the White House National Security Council told Voice of America in a statement, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law late Tuesday.

Dec. 4, 2024

Foreign minister convenes senior meeting on martial law

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has convened a senior officials' meeting concerning the declaration of martial law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul. The announcement follows President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law during a surprise late-night TV address Tuesday. The emergency senior officials' meeting chaired by Cho commenced at 11:43 p.m. on Tuesday. A Foreign Ministry official in Seoul, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the min

Dec. 3, 2024

[Herald Interview] Why Hong Kong's foreign domestic worker policy shouldn't be model for Korea

While the 98 Filipina caregivers in Seoul city’s pilot program are protected under South Korea’s Labor Standards Act, Act on the Employment Improvement of Domestic Workers and statutory minimum wage, some government officials have been talking about making the project more like Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helper scheme. Some have said Korea should follow Hong Kong’s model and exclude foreign domestic workers from the minimum wage. Foreign caregivers here could be hired t

Dec. 3, 2024

Ruling party slams main opposition’s delay in anti-spy law revision

The ruling People Power Party on Tuesday denounced the main opposition’s delay in passing the revision to the country’s espionage law, which aims to broaden the scope of activities that are punishable. The revision to Article 98 of the Criminal Act, floated by the ruling party earlier this year, seeks to change the wording of the legislation defining subjects punishable by law, from “a person who acts as a spy for an enemy country” to those from “a foreign nation.&r

Dec. 3, 2024

Russia used some 60 N. Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine war: report

Russia is believed to have used some 60 ballistic missiles provided by North Korea in the war against Ukraine, a Ukrainian media outlet has reported, citing its intelligence authorities. Andrii Chernyak, the representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine's defense ministry, shared the analysis in an interview with Radio Svoboda, according to a report by local media outlet RBC on Monday. Chernyak confirmed that the Russian army had launched about 60 KN-23 ballistic missiles at Ukraine

Dec. 3, 2024

US unveils new package of chip export controls against China

The United States on Monday announced a new semiconductor export control package against China, including curbs on high-end chips for artificial intelligence that are likely to affect the South Korean industry. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security unveiled the package on the Federal Register, including restrictions on exports of high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. Two South Korean firms -- Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix -- and Micron Technology lead the global HBM

Dec. 3, 2024

S. Korea to tighten security rules for drones, undersea cables

South Korea will tighten security regulations for drones, undersea cables and offshore wind power plants to mitigate security and supply chain risks to major infrastructure, the presidential office said Monday. Wang Yun-jong, third deputy national security adviser, led an intragovernmental meeting with 13 agencies to discuss potential security threats to key infrastructure and draw up integrated responses. "Reliance on foreign imports for key drone components could lead to supply chain risk

Dec. 2, 2024

S. Korean embassy hires lobbying firm formerly led by top Trump official

The South Korean Embassy in Washington has hired Mercury Public Affairs, a lobbying firm formerly co-chaired by Donald Trump's incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, to shape Seoul's economic strategy and forge vital connections with Trump’s team ahead of his second term. The contract, finalized on Nov. 18 -- less than two weeks after the election results were confirmed -- became effective immediately and will remain in force through Dec. 31, 2024, according to the comp

Dec. 2, 2024