South Korea elected a leftist president this week with minimal foreign policy experience and a predisposition to seek dialogue with the country’s communist enemies – a prime opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party to improve relations with Seoul, potentially at the expense of the United States.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office on Wednesday vowing to heal the deep political rift in the country caused by his predecessor’s attempt to impose military rule – and to attempt “dialogue” with the rogue North Korean regime.
Millions of South Koreans are expected to go to the polls on Tuesday to choose a president in a special election necessitated by one of the most chaotic periods of political turmoil in the modern history of the country.
Over 15 million South Koreans cast their ballots as of Friday during early voting session in anticipation of the June 3 special presidential election to replace ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Lee Jae-myung, the left-wing presidential candidate leading in South Korea, suggests amending the constitution to make imposing martial law harder.
South Korea’s presidential election will be held on June 3. The last round of polls taken before polling is suspended under South Korean election law showed Lee Jae-myung, candidate of the left-wing Democratic Party (DP), with a solid but shrinking lead over Kim Moon-soo of the incumbent People Power Party (PPP).
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho became the fourth president of South Korea since December on Friday after a turbulent 2025 that began with protests for and against the arrest of ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Lee Jae-myung, the front-running candidate in South Korea’s special presidential election, may have been disqualified by a ruling from the Supreme Court on Thursday.
South Korea has scheduled a snap election for June 3 to replace President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached in December for attempting to impose martial law, then formally removed from office last Friday by the South Korean Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court of South Korea voted to remove impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday, ending a four-month-long drama that began with Yoon abruptly attempting, and failing, to impose martial law on the country.
South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday dismissed the impeachment of interim Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who took over after President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached.
South Korea announced the indictment of a man for allegedly attempting to attack the Chinese Embassy in Seoul while wearing a Captain America costume.
South Korea’s birth rate rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, as a steep demographic decline was halted by a surge in new marriages. Meanwhile, Japan hit its lowest birth rate ever, continuing nine straight years of population decline.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was indicted on charges of insurrection on Sunday, the first sitting South Korean president face a criminal indictment.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol made his first public appearance on Tuesday since he was arrested over the weekend in connection with his decree of martial law on December 3.
President Donald Trump referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un — and, by extension, his country — as a “nuclear power” in remarks to reporters from the Oval Office on Monday.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was formally placed under arrest on Sunday, sparking a riot among his supporters gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court.
In the past month, protests supporting impeached and arrested President Yoon Suk-yeol in South Korea have increasingly featured American flags and a host of other U.S.-inspired iconography, such as “stop the steal” signs, red “MAGA”-style hats, and crowds dancing to the Village People hit “YMCA.”
South Korean law enforcement officials arrested impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday, executing a warrant Yoon and his attorneys condemned as illegal.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol did not attend his first impeachment hearing on Tuesday, reportedly out of fear for his security, making it impossible for the Constitutional Court to address most of the issues presented before it today.
Tens of thousands of South Koreans braved frigid temperatures and snow this weekend for days-long rallies both in favor and against impeaching President Yoon Suk-yeol, facing constitutional ouster following his failed attempt to impose martial law on the country in December.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol avoided arrest on Friday when his security detail refused to allow investigators into his residence, where he has been sequestered since December 12.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol over his failed attempt to impose martial law.
South Korean lawmakers impeached Acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday on the grounds that he was not moving quickly enough to complete the impeachment and trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol after the latter’s disastrous attempt to impose martial law on December 3. Han’s tenure as acting president ended up lasting only 13 days.
North Korean state propaganda outlets rapidly disseminated information inside the country about the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol this weekend, announcing to their captive audiences this weekend the details of the legislative vote that marks the first step toward Yoon’s ouster.
The leftist Democratic Party of South Korea formally filed an impeachment motion against conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday, the second of its kind after a first one failed this weekend.
North Korean state media mentioned South Korea’s martial law drama from December 3 for the first time on Wednesday, describing the actions of President Yoon Suk-yeol as “shocking.”
Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun reportedly attempted to kill himself on Tuesday night while in police detention.
The South Korean Justice Ministry banned President Yoon Suk-yeol from leaving the country on Monday, a result of a criminal investigation against him on charges of treason in response to his alarming and bizarre decision to declare martial law last week.
Multiple wings of the South Korean military apparatus assured the public on Friday that President Yoon Suk-yeol would not attempt to impose martial law for a second time this week, responding to spreading rumors that Yoon may attempt to exercise that power before an impeachment vote scheduled for Saturday.
The leader of South Korea’s ruling conservative party, the People Power Party (PPP), reiterated on Friday that he supports the ouster of President Yoon Suk-yeol after his bizarre and alarming decision to impose martial law on the country on Tuesday night.
Police in South Korea formally began an investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol after receiving two complaints accusing him of treason.
South Korean President Yoon Sook-yeol on Thursday accepted the resignation of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, even as critics demanded Yoon step down over his aborted attempt to impose martial law on Tuesday.
North Korean state media outlets published multiple articles on Wednesday amplifying calls for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to resign – but notably omitting the fact that most calls for his ouster are in response to his failed attempt to impose martial law on the country.
The administration of outgoing President Joe Biden appeared to be caught by surprise at the shock declaration of martial law in Seoul.
South Korea awoke on Wednesday to a flurry of resignations of senior presidential staff, a united opposition filing an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, and a confused ruling party demanding answers from Yoon after his failed attempt to impose martial law on Tuesday night.
Lawmakers from South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party (DP) managed to defy a lockdown on parliamentary headquarters to table a motion that would invalidate President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law at roughly 1:00 a.m. local time – even as armed soldiers smashed through the windows of the building and moved to clear the assembly floor.
South Korean Yoon Suk-yeol stunned the world on Tuesday morning by declaring a state of “emergency martial law” because “subversive, anti-state elements” among the opposition are blocking his agenda.
The office of the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, confirmed to reporters on Monday that Yoon has begun practicing his golf game.
South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that he held a phone call with American President-elect Donald Trump that day to discuss, among other issues, North Korea’s growing belligerence against its neighbor and its involvement in the Ukraine war.
