Nearly 60 percent support Yoon's impeachment over martial law debacle, survey shows

SEOUL, February 28 (AJP) - Nearly 60 percent of South Koreans favor impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle last year, a poll suggests. According to the survey of 1,000 adults conducted by Pollster Gallup Korea earlier this week, about 50 percent of respondents supported impeachment and 35 percent were against it. The rest were undecided. By political inclination, nearly all or 97 percent of supporters of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) w

February 28, 2025

South Korea slips in global democracy rankings amid political turmoil

SEOUL, February 28 (AJP) - South Korea's democracy has been mired in political turmoil caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle last year. In the latest report released on Thursday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a think tank affiliated with the U.K. magazine, the country's democracy index ranked 39th among 167 countries in the world, down ten spots from a year ago. Since 2006, the EIU has evaluated countries in five categories

February 28, 2025

Constitutional Court rules Acting President's refusal to appoint justice unconstitutional

SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea ruled on Thursday that Acting President Choi Sang-mok's refusal to appoint one of nominees for a court justice last year was unconstitutional. In its ruling, the court said that Choi's decision infringed on the National Assembly's legislative power by not appointing Ma Eun-hyuk, a nominee recommended by the main opposition Democratic Party, but it dismissed a request to assign him the post, deem

February 27, 2025

South Korea, US and Japan condemn North Korea's nuclear program at disarmament conference in Geneva

SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons program at the annual UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva which wrapped up this week. The three countries warned in a joint statement on Wednesday that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are "in clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions." "It is deeply regrettable that persists in distorting real

February 27, 2025

Former PPP leader releases book for political comeback

SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon released a new book on Wednesday, reflecting on his brief political career while hinting at his presidential ambitions. The prosecutor-turned-politician is set to embark on a nationwide tour to promote his book, with the first stop in Seoul scheduled for next Tuesday. It will be his first public appearance in about three months since stepping down as party leader, shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol's De

February 26, 2025

Nominee for Pentagon deputy secretary call for enhanced missile defense to counter North Korean threat

SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Stephen Feinberg, a nominee for U.S. deputy secretary of defense, stressed the need to counter North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, which poses a "clear threat to stability on the Korean Peninsula, in the Indo-Pacific region, and across the globe." In a written response submitted to the Senate Committee on Armed Services for his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Feinberg said, North Korea "remains intensely focused on expanding its illi

February 26, 2025

Yoon makes lengthy final statement as impeachment trial concludes

SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Tuesday held the final hearing in President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial, wrapping up weeks of arguments over his botched martial law debacle last December. The session, which began at 2 p.m., included closing statements from both sides. Lawmakers leading the case accused Yoon of ordering military forces "to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly and arrest them," presenting an alleged me

February 25, 2025

Hybrid vehicle registrations top 2 million in South Korea

SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - With rising demand for eco-friendly cars, the cumulative number of hybrid vehicles registered in South Korea has surpassed 2 million for the first time last year. According to the statistics consolidated and released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on Tuesday, the total number of hybrid vehicles stood at 2.02 million by the end of last year with a whopping 482,349 units newly registered in 2024 alone. First introduced to the domes

February 25, 2025

UK imposes over 100 new sanctions on Russia and North Korea

SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - The U.K. on Monday imposed over 100 new sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Russia and North Korea, targeting their roles in Moscow's war in Ukraine. It said that the sanctions focus on "funds going into Putin's war chest and propping up Russia's kleptocratic system," adding that they "will also target Russia's military machine, entities in third countries who support it and the fragile supply networks that it rel

February 25, 2025

4 dead, 6 injured as bridge collapses at construction site in Anseong

SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - A bridge at a construction site in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, collapsed on Tuesday, leaving four workers dead and six others injured, according to government authorities. The incident occurred at around 9:50 a.m. when a steel reinforcement structure fell from a bridge under construction on a highway between Anseong and Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, connecting Seoul to the administrative city of Sejong. Ten workers who were working at the time fe

February 25, 2025