South Korea martial law

The Constitutional Court’s overturning of Prime Minister Han’s impeachment helps us make some inferences about Yoon’s case – but not the obvious one.

As Yoon Suk-yeol embraces the rhetoric of far-right extremists, South Korea has become deeply polarized and political violence is on the rise.

The six-week trial has ended. Now, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to uphold Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. 

The martial law episode – and all that followed – “reflects a broader global pattern of democratic erosion but also showcases Korea’s unique strengths.”

Despite his refusal to appear for questioning in the CIO's investigation, Yoon Suk-yeol attended the impeachment trial held by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

During this sensitive time of Seoul’s political turmoil, Blinken’s much-awaited visit to South Korea is the last gift that the Biden administration wants to offer its ally. 

More than a reaction to Yoon’s autocratic and anti-feminist tendencies, the massive participation of women is the culmination of long-standing struggles for gender equality, and unmet demands for justice.

A day after Han Duck-soo vowed not to appoint three judges for the Constitutional Court, the main opposition party impeached the acting president.

Despite his vow not to avoid legal and political responsibility, President Yoon has repeatedly refused to receive documents from the Constitutional Court that are related to his impeachment trial.

The central role of Yoon's defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, in the recent martial law declaration highlights concerns about military influence in South Korean politics.

Democracies around the world are increasingly under attack from autocratic forces seeking to rule by fiat. In South Korea, ordinary people rose up to defend the systems that protect their human rights.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol is suspended from his duties after the National Assembly passed an impeachment bill on the second try.

Professor Jang Young-soo discusses the legal aspects of the impeachment process and the insurrection charges facing President Yoon after his declaration of martial law.

Reversing his decision to defer to the ruling party, Yoon implied that the main opposition Democratic Party was the “anti-state forces” he referred to in his declaration of martial law.

By invoking North Korean infiltration as a justification for his political moves, Yoon revived one of Washington’s great fears: entrapment in a conflict triggered by an ally’s recklessness.

It’s not just South Korea; all the U.S. allies along the first island chain are in a period of political turmoil. And China is hoping to benefit.

Amid the political chaos in South Korea, Pyongyang is maintaining a strategic silence.

Already, concerned investors are withdrawing from South Korea’s stock markets. Prolonged instability will exacerbate the economic damage.

Kim, a retired four-star Army general and Democratic Party lawmaker, says that “impeachment alone is insufficient” to address Yoon’s shocking declaration of martial law.

With the ruling party holding a meeting to avoid the vote, the National Assembly was short of a quorum.

South Korea’s democracy has evolved to resist authoritarianism – a sharp contrast to the weaker historical response of its institutions during previous martial law impositions.

The political chaos in Seoul is casting dark clouds over not only Japan-South Korea relations but also Japan-South Korea-U.S. trilateral security cooperation.

After the revelation, the leader of the ruling People Power Party called for Yoon's presidential authority to be suspended immediately.

Despite the South Korean President’s illegal declaration of martial law, the ruling People Power Party leadership vowed to impede the opposition’s impeachment vote.