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

North Korean commemorative stamps hint at deepening ties with Russia

SEOUL, January 10 (AJP) - As North Korea has been cozying up to Moscow, a strip of commemorative stamps for Lunar New Year's Day now includes descriptions in Russian, alongside Chinese. North Korea on Friday unveiled postal stamps, slated for release on Jan. 20, featuring young North Korean athletes who participated in last year's Under-17 and Under-20 Women's World Cup events, as well as the Asian Table Tennis Championships. "It is uncertain, but such almanac st

January 10, 2025