Impeached president leaves official residence

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol left his official residence in Hannam-dong in Seoul's tony district of Yongsan on Friday, about a week after the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling to impeach him over his botched martial law debacle late last year. "As I leave the official residence, I am deeply grateful for everything," Yoon said in a written message upon his departure. "I will now return to life as an ordinary citizen and

April 11, 2025

Military battles unidentified wildfire in DMZ near Goseong

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - A wildfire has started in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the front-line area of Goseong, Gangwon Province, prompting South Korea's military to engage in a firefighting operation. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Friday, the fire was first detected around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in the DMZ area of Goseong. Two firefighting helicopters from the Korea Forest Service were dispatched to extinguish the blaze at about 6:30 a.m. on Friday. &q

April 11, 2025

Jeju 4·3 Archives inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World program

SEOUL, April 11 (AJP) - The Jeju 4·3 Archives have been officially inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World program, marking global recognition of the historical tragedy and the island’s long journey toward truth, reconciliation, and remembrance. The decision was adopted during the 221st session of UNESCO’s Executive Board, held in Paris on Apr. 10 (local time). The listing, under the title “Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives,” acknowledg

April 11, 2025

Constitutional Court rejects Justice Minister's impeachment over alleged martial law involvement

SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - The Constitutional Court of Korea on Thursday unanimously dismissed the impeachment of Justice Minister Park Sung-jae over his alleged involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle late last year. The court said it found "no evidence or other objective records" showing that Park aided Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law or tacitly supported it. With the ruling, Park was immediately reinstated,

April 10, 2025

Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon declares presidential bid

SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), declared his bid for the upcoming presidential election in front of the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday. The snap election, scheduled for June 3, follows the Constitutional Court of Korea's unanimous decision last week to impeach disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle late last year. Taking a jab at Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the main

April 10, 2025

Trump suggests broader 'package' deal for defense cost-sharing along with trade issues

SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - President Donald Trump apparently intends to leverage his sweeping tariff policy to address a broader range of issues, including trade and security concerns, with U.S. allies and other countries as part of a "package" deal, which he previously described as his "one-stop shopping" approach. When asked if Washington has any plans to withdraw or reduce its troops from Europe, Trump told journalists in the Oval Office on Wednesday, "It de

April 10, 2025

[UPDATE] Lee Jae-myung confirms presidential run, pledging to lead a 'real Korea' with K-Initiative vision

SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Lee Jae-myung, former leader of South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, officially declared his candidacy for president on Thursday, becoming the first prominent figure to launch a bid following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. In a video message, Lee vowed to build a “real Korea” that leads the world under a new K-Initiative vision focused on economic growth, life-centered values, and diplomacy based on national interes

April 10, 2025

Presidential race heats up as key candidates declare bids

SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - Political heavyweights and key figures are rushing into the upcoming presidential race to fill the power vacuum left by the ouster of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The snap election, scheduled for June 3, follows the Constitutional Court of Korea's unanimous decision last week to impeach Yoon over his botched martial law debacle late last year. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), resigned from his post on Wedn

April 9, 2025

US may seek renegotiation of USFK upkeep deal

SEOUL, April 9 (AJP) - There are growing speculations that the U.S. may seek to renegotiate its defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea for the upkeep of maintaining U.S. troops here. Shortly after his first telephone conversation with Acting President Han Duck-soo on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform that the two had discussed "payment for the big-time Military Protection provides to South Korea," among other

April 9, 2025

Acting President's appointment of Constitutional Court justices stirs controversy

SEOUL, April 08 (AJP) - South Korea’s main opposition party vowed Tuesday to seek legal action to block acting President Han Duck-soo’s appointment of two Constitutional Court justices. Earlier on Tuesday, Han announced that he would nominate Lee Wan-kyu, the current minister of government legislation, and Ham Sang-hun, a judge on the Seoul High Court, to fill the upcoming vacancies, with two sitting justices, Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-son, scheduled to retire on April

April 8, 2025