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S. Korean President Yoon arrested, moved to investigative unit for questioning.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on Dec 3, only to repeal it the very next day after the parliament voted against its implementation.
SEOUL -- South Korea's National Office of Investigation (NOI) said Tuesday that five key police and military officials, including the police chief, have been banned from leaving the country amid an ongoing investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law declaration.
The NOI said its special investigation team imposed an overseas travel ban on Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, Kim Bong-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Mok Hyun-tae, head of the National Assembly Police Guards.
The travel ban was enforced by the Ministry of Justice at 8 pm local time Monday, the NOI added, noting that the three were allegedly involved in controlling access to the National Assembly during the martial law enforcement on Dec 3.
Meanwhile, Lee Jin-woo, chief of the Capital Defense Command, and Kwak Jong-geun, former chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, have also been placed under a travel ban in connection with the same investigation.
The NOI said it has asked the defense ministry and several military commands to submit data on the deployment of troops related to the martial law decree.
SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors on Monday requested for an arrest warrant against former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun.
The prosecutors are seeking the arrest warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.
The prosecutors said Kim was suspected of conspiring with President Yoon Suk-yeol to provoke civil unrest and sabotage constitutionalism.
SEOUL - South Korea's Ministry of Justice placed an order to ban President Yoon Suk-yeol from leaving the country, Yonhap news agency reported Monday.
The decision came within an hour after the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials requested the travel ban.
SEOUL -- South Korean Defense Ministry said Monday the control of the country's military forces currently lies with President Yoon Suk-yeol, Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, now facing possible charges of treason, will step down early "in an orderly manner", the ruling party said after the parliament's failure to pass an impeachment motion against Yoon.
"Even before he leaves the post, the president will not take part in state affairs, including diplomacy," said Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, on Sunday, noting that the majority of the people believe that Yoon should step down because he cannot run state affairs normally for the remainder of his term originally set to last until May 2027.
At a joint public address with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the ruling party leader and the prime minister pledged all-out efforts to stabilize the political situation in the country.
However, soon afterward, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said it is "unconstitutional" if the prime minister and the ruling party jointly exercise presidential power.
In a televised address, Woo also said impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president over his breach of the constitution by declaring martial law on Tuesday night.
The motion to impeach Yoon requires support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 out of its 300 members. Though 192 lawmakers of the opposition coalition cast their ballots on Saturday afternoon, all but three of the 108 members of the People Power Party left the National Assembly ahead of the vote, making the impeachment vote invalid due to the lack of quorum.
Woo had waited about three hours for the ruling party lawmakers to return before announcing the scrapping of the impeachment motion due to lack of quorum. Outside, and also in other cities, hundreds of thousands of citizens held a candlelight rally to demand that Yoon step down.
Before the vote, Yoon apologized for his martial law declaration and said he will let the ruling party decide on his term. Yoon accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min on Sunday.
PM Han Duck-soo said the government will put the people first and avoid any vacuum in state affairs.
The main opposition Democratic Party, or DP, called for the immediate arrest and investigation of Yoon over the martial law declaration and rejected the ruling party's plan to have the prime minister lead state affairs.
DP leader Lee Jae-myung said on Sunday that they will try again to impeach Yoon on Dec 14.
Treason charges
South Korean prosecutors said Yoon has been booked as a suspect on charges of treason, Yonhap News Agency reported on Sunday. DP will submit bills on Monday for investigating charges of Yoon's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, multiple media outlets said.
While the opposition party wants impeachment as quickly as possible, the ruling party's primary goal seems to be to prevent Lee from coming into the presidency, said Benjamin A. Engel, a visiting professor at the Dankook University in South Korea.
According to the law, a presidential election will take place within 60 days of Yoon's impeachment, which would give Lee a chance to participate in it as it will take time for the top court to hand down the ruling over cases related to Lee.
Because Lee faces trials over corruption and other criminal charges, it is possible he will be ineligible to contest a presidential election within six months from now, so the ruling party is delaying impeachment long enough and keeping Yoon in office but with no real authority, so that they can delay the next presidential election, said Engel.
Ryu Yong-wook, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said it is important to keep a close eye on how South Korea's foreign policy will change in the medium and longer term as the political leverage is now firmly with the progressive opposition.
"Under Yoon, Seoul has sided with the US in the great power rivalry, which helped other regional security initiatives such as the US-Japan-ROK trilateral to develop," said Ryu. "All this could change if we have a new president from the progressives in the future."
Xinhua contributed to this story.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submitted bills Monday to investigate charges of President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, Yonhap news agency reported.
Although the ROK parliament didn't pass the motion on Sunday to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol for what is widely regarded as his self-serving imposition of martial law, his authority has been eroded "to the point of no return", for all intents and purposes, some observers say.
Yoon vowed to run an open government when he won the presidency in March 2022 with a margin of just 0.7 percent. But he has only paid attention to strengthening the Republic of Korea's alliances with the United States and Japan, at the cost of the ROK's relations with other neighbors, and has failed to connect with the ROK people.
Despite the image he has tried to present to the world that he is a pro-democracy and open-minded leader, Yoon seems to have little time or patience to listen to different points of view, even within his own party, and his abiding political mindset is "my way or the highway".
That the former prosecutor twice vetoed a bill seeking a special counsel inquiry into allegations against his wife's suspected graft has seen his approval rating drop to a dismal 19 percent last month, a historical low since the restoration of "democracy" in the ROK in 1987.
Although the Yoon government has done a good job controlling inflation and unemployment after taking power, the ROK's year-on-year economic growth rate plummeted from 2.6 percent in 2022 to 1.4 percent last year, though it is projected to rebound to 2.3 percent this year. The lackluster economy has weakened public confidence in the Yoon government, and also aggravated the political polarization in the ROK, not only between Yoon's People Power Party and the Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, but also within the PPP itself.
Although the PPP blocked Yoon's impeachment, the ruling party's internal divisions are becoming more pronounced after Yoon's imposition of martial law and swift about-face, and some key figures within the party including party leader Han Dong-hoon, who has urged that Yoon's presidency be suspended, and Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, will be ready to jockey for power within the party in case of Yoon's increasingly possible step-down before the next presidential election that is scheduled to be held in March 2027.
The calls for Yoon's resignation are going to increase across the political spectrum in the country. The chaos shows a troubling lack of political leadership and deep political polarization entrenched within the country's "democracy", and a confluence of these elements poses a significant risk to the country's future stability and governance.
It is clear that the vicious cycle of retributions, an unfortunate hallmark of ROK politics, is not likely to stop when this current crisis ebbs and a new president takes office, as some ROK analysts point out.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party will submit bills on Monday to investigate charges of President Yoon Suk-yeol's alleged insurrection and scandal involving his wife, multiple media outlets said Sunday.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main opposition party said Sunday it will push for another vote to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol over his declaration of martial law.
"Yoon ... must either resign immediately or be impeached without delay," Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a televised speech.
"On Dec 14, our Democratic Party will impeach Yoon in the name of the people," he added.
The remarks came a day after President Yoon survived an impeachment motion in parliament as most members of his ruling party boycotted the vote.
Following Lee's announcement, ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon said "orderly resignation" is better than impeachment which carries uncertainties.
Earlier in the day, Han and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo issued a joint statement, affirming that the ruling party would seek an orderly and early end to Yoon's presidential term and that Yoon would not be involved in the internal and foreign affairs of the country before he steps down.
But National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, also from the main opposition party, denounced the arrangement as being "unconstitutional" and "arrogant."
Woo said it would be a "blatant violation of the Constitution" should the prime minister and ruling party jointly exercise presidential power, noting "Impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president from carrying out his duties."
SEOUL -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Sunday accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min.
SEOUL -- South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said Sunday it would be a "blatant violation of the Constitution" should the prime minister and ruling party jointly exercise presidential power.
Woo made the remarks during a press conference at the National Assembly, just hours after Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon issued a joint statement, affirming President Yoon Suk-yeol would not be involved in the country's internal and foreign affairs before he steps down.
Woo said that presenting the joint statement is an act of misleading the public as it makes an unconstitutional act look legitimate, calling it "arrogant."
"The transfer of presidential power comes from the people, and such a process should abide by the Constitution and the principle of popular sovereignty," Woo said, adding "Impeachment is the only legal procedure to suspend the president from carrying out his duties."
The parliament speaker also proposed talks between the ruling party and the main opposition to discuss the immediate suspension of Yoon's duties and resolve the political turmoil following Yoon's short-lived declaration of martial law Tuesday.
In a further development Sunday, President Yoon accepted the resignation of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min.
"I believe stepping down is necessary to prevent further disruptions and confusion in governance," Lee said in a statement.
Lee's resignation followed an impeachment motion filed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Saturday, which accused him of complicity in the declaration of martial law and mobilizing police to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.
SEOUL - South Korean prosecutors Sunday booked President Yoon Suk-yeol as a suspect on charges of treason, Yonhap news agency reported.
Park Se-hyun, who leads a special investigation headquarters into Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration, said the prosecution is investigating charges of treason and abuse of power against the president, according to the report.
"Numerous complaints have been submitted, and an investigation is underway in accordance with the process," Park said.
While the president mostly has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors arrested former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who allegedly recommended Tuesday's brief martial law imposition to Yoon, making him the first figure detained over the case.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Sunday called for the immediate arrest and investigation of Yoon over his martial law decree.
SEOUL - South Korean ruling party leader said Sunday that President Yoon Suk-yeol would not be involved in the country's internal and foreign affairs before he steps down, the latest sign of convergence of views within the party towards the political fate of the embattled president.
The People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon made the remarks in a joint statement after a talk with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Han affirmed that the ruling party will seek an orderly and early end to Yoon's presidential term.
Yoon vowed in a live televised address to the nation a day earlier that he would leave all decisions, including his presidential term, to the People Power Party in order to stabilize the political situation.
SEOUL - South Korea's former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun has been arrested and his mobile phone has been confiscated, the country's Yonhap news agency reported Sunday morning.
Kim reportedly proposed the idea of declaring an emergency martial law to President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon imposed martial law Tuesday night but repealed it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it.
The former defense minister said Wednesday that he had tendered his resignation to the president to take all responsibilities for the emergency martial law, apologizing to people for causing concerns and confusion.
Yoon accepted Kim's resignation, and named Choi Byung-hyuk, ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to head the defense ministry as Kim's successor, the presidential office said Thursday.
SEOUL -- South Korea's main liberal opposition Democratic Party Saturday vowed to keep pursuing a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol after the first one was scrapped on lack of quorum earlier in the day.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said the ruling People Power Party objected to bringing to account those who destroyed constitutional order and actively participated in military rebellion and insurrection.
Lee said his party will never give up on holding them responsible, pledging to impeach Yoon at all costs.
Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said Friday that if the impeachment motion failed to be passed, the party would propose another motion on Dec 11.
The first impeachment motion against Yoon was scrapped as most of the 108 governing party lawmakers boycotted it.
The Democratic Party and five other minor parties submitted the impeachment motion over the president's martial law declaration Wednesday.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law Tuesday night before repealing it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it. The revocation was approved at a cabinet meeting.
SEOUL - South Korea's parliament on Saturday failed to pass President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment motion as most of ruling People Power Party lawmakers refused to vote on it.
After voting against a bill to investigate scandals involving Yoon's wife, most of the 108 ruling party lawmakers left the parliament hall.
One ruling party lawmaker remained at the hall and two came back after leaving.
Of 300 National Assembly lawmakers, 198 voted for the bill on the special prosecutor investigation of the first lady, with 102 against it. At least two-thirds of the lawmakers need to vote yes to pass the bill in revote.
Lawmakers of the opposition parties, including the main liberal Democratic Party, named the ruling party lawmakers one by one in unison, calling on them to come back and cast ballots.
More than 200 lawmakers are required to vote yes to pass the impeachment motion.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik ended the voting process about three hours after waiting for the ruling party lawmakers, announcing the impeachment motion was scrapped on lack of quorum.
Outside the parliament building, hundreds of thousands of civilians held a candlelight rally to demand the vote for Yoon's impeachment.
The Democratic Party and five other minor parties submitted the impeachment motion over the president's martial law declaration Wednesday.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law Tuesday night before repealing it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it. The revocation was approved at a cabinet meeting.
According to the proposed motion, the declaration can be made only when the country faces "state of war, serious incident or other comparable national emergency" that lead to engagement with the enemy or extreme disturbance of social order.
The opposition noted that no sign of national emergency was detected at the time of Yoon's declaration, denouncing Yoon for not notifying the National Assembly the martial law imposition which violates both the constitution and the martial law.
The opposition said in the motion that Yoon committed an attempted treason to evade public calls to investigate and punish himself and his wife for criminal acts by instructing the defense minister to mobilize troops illegally and paralyze the parliament.
According to a survey of 504 voters conducted on Wednesday by the local pollster Realmeter, 73.6 percent were in favor of Yoon's impeachment, while 24.0 percent were against it.
Even in North Gyeongsang province and the city of Daegu, regraded as a traditional home turf for the conservative bloc, 66.2 percent agreed on the impeachment.
Those who termed Yoon's martial law declaration as insurrection hit 69.5 percent, while 24.9 percent disagreed with it.
Yoon has struggled with scandals involving his wife Kim Keon-hee during a presidential campaign and since he won the single five-year presidency in May 2022.
Kim was suspected of having been involved in stock price manipulation to gain illicit profits while having interfered in candidate nominations for the 2022 by-elections and the 2024 parliamentary elections and even in public opinion manipulation during the 2022 presidential election.
According to a Gallup Korea poll, Yoon's approval rating dived 3 percentage points from a week earlier to 16 percent this week, marking the lowest since Yoon took office in May 2022.
SEOUL - South Korea's parliament is expected to vote down President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment motion on lack of quorum, TV footage showed Saturday.
After voting against the bill to investigate scandals involving Yoon's wife, most of the 108 ruling People Power Party lawmakers left the parliamentary hall except three. One ruling party lawmaker remained in the hall and two came back after leaving.
Of 300 National Assembly lawmakers, 198 voted for the bill on the special prosecutor investigation of the first lady, with 102 against it. At least two-thirds of the lawmakers need to vote yes to pass the bill.
Lawmakers of the opposition parties, including the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, named the ruling party lawmakers one by one in unison, calling for them to come back and cast ballots.
More than 200 lawmakers are required to vote yes to pass the impeachment motion.
The motion will be scrapped at 00:48 am local time Sunday (1548 GMT Saturday) as it needs to be voted between 24 hours and 72 hours after being reported to the National Assembly.
The Democratic Party and five other minor parties submitted the impeachment motion over the president's martial law declaration Wednesday.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law Tuesday night before repealing it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it.
South Korea parliament starts vote on Yoon's impeachment motion
SEOUL - South Korea's parliament on Saturday failed to pass a bill to investigate scandals involving the first lady of President Yoon Suk-yeol before casting ballots on the vote on Yoon's impeachment motion.
SEOUL - A majority of South Korea's ruling People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the vote on President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment motion, TV footage showed Saturday.
The majority of legislators left the plenary session right after casting secret ballots on the bill to investigate scandals involving the first lady.
Some of the governing party members were shown sitting in the parliamentary hall, indicating their willingness to vote for the motion to remove Yoon from office.
After Yoon's declaration of an emergency martial law earlier this week, the opposition parties submitted the motion.
Yoon declared an emergency martial law Tuesday night before repealing it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it.
