• 
  Pentagon chief nominee refers to North Korea as 'nuclear power' SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - U.S. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth has referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power." In a written response submitted to the Senate Committee on Armed Services for his confirmation hearing, Hegseth said, "status as a nuclear power, its intense focus on increasing the range of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads and its growing cyber capabilities all pose a threat to stability on the Korean peninsula, i January 15, 2025
• 
  Yoon arrested over martial law debacle SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - Investigators arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol after a six-hour confrontation at his official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Wednesday. This marks the first time in the country's turbulent political history that an incumbent president has been taken into custody. Accompanied by over 1,000 police officers, hundreds of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) arrived at the residence around 5:00 a.m. and January 15, 2025
• 
  Investigators negotiate with Yoon's legal team over arrest warrant execution SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) announced during a press briefing at around 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday that it is negotiating with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team regarding the execution of an arrest warrant. At approximately 5:00 a.m., about 500 investigators — including CIO officers, police, and detectives — arrived at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, near central Seoul, to execute arrest w January 15, 2025
• 
  Constitutional Court rejects Yoon's request to exclude justice amid alleged bias concerns SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Tuesday unanimously rejected President Yoon Suk Yeol's request to exclude Justice Jeong Gye-seon from the bench overseeing his impeachment trial. Jeong, a newly appointed justice who joined the bench earlier this month after being nominated by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), is part of the panel handling the trial over Yoon's botched martial law debacle last month. The court said that Yoon's req January 14, 2025
• 
  Concerns grow over potential clashes as another attempt to arrest Yoon looms SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - The arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol appears imminent, as investigators are expected to make another try this week after the failure of their initial attempt earlier this month. Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials reportedly plans to mobilize about 1,000 police officials in cooperation with the National Office of Investigation (NOI) for their upcoming attempt to arrest Yoon over his botched martial law debacle January 14, 2025
• 
  South Korea remains 5th in global military power ranking SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - South Korea remained the world's fifth-strongest military power, unchanged from last year, according to a ranking compiled by Global Firepower (GFP) and released on Tuesday. In its annual report for this year, the U.S.-based think tank evaluated 145 countries to assess their "potential war-making capability across land, sea, and air, fought by conventional means." South Korea maintained fifth place in the ranking with a power index score of January 14, 2025
• 
  Trump may soften stance on North Korea's denuclearization, spy agency speculates SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to pursue dialogue with North Korea and may opt for a "small deal" with its leader Kim Jong-un over the renegade country's nuclear weapons program, South Korea's spy agency said on Monday. The assessment was made during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), just a week before Trump is set to take the oath of office in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20. January 13, 2025
• 
  Foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan hold talks ahead of Trump's inauguration SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan held talks in Seoul on Monday and agreed to maintain stable diplomatic relations between the two countries amid political uncertainty after President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle last month. It was South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul's first meeting with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya, after the two talked over the phone in October last year when Iwaya was appointed as January 13, 2025
• 
  Yoon's first formal hearing in impeachment trial to be held in absentia SEOUL, January 12 (AJP) - President Yoon Suk-yeol will skip the first formal hearing of his impeachment trial scheduled for this week by the Constitutional Court of Korea. Yoon's legal representatives said on Sunday that the president cannot attend such hearings unless "issues related to safety and security" are properly handled. "The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) in cooperation with police authorities continues to try to ille January 12, 2025
• 
  Ruling party recovers support after hitting dismal low SEOUL, January 10 (AJP) - The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has recovered support after hitting rock bottom, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle last month. According to a survey of over 1,000 adults conducted by pollster Gallup Korea early this week and released on Friday, some 34 percent expressed support for the PPP, while around 36 percent backed the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). The PPP has narrowed the gap with the DP by about 10 p January 10, 2025