Says defense minister ordered him to have lawmakers dragged from Assembly; says troops were not given live ammunition

The South Korea-US alliance "transcends any particular president," a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, as the National Assembly is moving to vote on an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law imposition. Principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks, voicing expectation that the impeachment process will proceed in line with South Korea's Constitution. "This relationship, this alliance, this partnership that

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has "no plans" to visit South Korea "at this time," an official said Thursday, following a report that he scrapped a plan to travel to the Asian country in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition. The move came amid concerns that despite Washington's renewed commitment to the "rock-solid" alliance, a period of uncertainty in South Korea could affect coordination between the allies over

South Korea sends diplomatic notes to assure embassies of its political, economic, security stability

Key Biden administration officials voiced bewilderment and sharp criticism over President Yoon Suk Yeol's sudden martial law declaration late Tuesday night, which they learned about only via television, raising serious concerns about democratic backsliding by Yoon, who was once praised as a host of the US-initiated Summit for Democracy. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell issued an uncharacteristically sharp rebuke of Yoon, condemning his declaration of martial law as "badly mis

Yoon’s misstep could jeopardize South Korea’s global ambitions to become 'global pivotal state,' say experts

The sudden declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night sent shock waves through the country's foreign community. President Yoon has defended the move, citing alleged threats from opposition lawmakers, and saying the National Assembly had "become a den of criminals, paralyzed the country's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship, and attempted to overthrow the liberal democratic system." Although the order

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has canceled his trip to Seoul this week, his office said Wednesday. The prime minister had planned to make an official two-day visit to Seoul starting Thursday. Below are the statements from the prime minister's office. ”We have closely followed developments during the night of December 3rd. With recent developments we have concluded that it is better to travel to the Republic of Korea in the future. As in all democracies, political difference

Seoul's Foreign Ministry issues directives for all foreign missions to uphold responsibilities with diligence

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday postponed his plan to attend a meeting to review drug control measures, according to the presidential office, hours after he agreed to the parliament's request to revoke martial law. "The meeting to assess the current status of drug control measures, originally set to take place at the presidential office, has been rescheduled," an official said.

Below is a full, unofficial translation of President Yoon Suk Yeol's statement issued on Wednesday, announcing that the declaration of emergency martial law is lifted. Last night at 11 p.m., I declared a state of emergency martial law with a determined will to save the nation, in response to anti-state forces that were paralyzing the essential functions of the state and undermining the liberal democratic constitutional order. However, just a moment ago, the National Assembly requested t

In the hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared in South Korea at around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, chaos ensued west of Yeouido in central Seoul as lawmakers, aides and reporters rushed to get to the National Assembly. Soon after Yoon announced he would impose martial law, police squads began surrounding the gates of the legislature. At this point, people could enter at checkpoints if they presented their passes. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-kee, running up flights of stairs, could be

The US and South Korea are communicating over Seoul’s emergency martial law declaration Tuesday night. “The Administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” the White House National Security Council told Voice of America in a statement, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law late Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has convened a senior officials' meeting concerning the declaration of martial law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul. The announcement follows President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law during a surprise late-night TV address Tuesday. The emergency senior officials' meeting chaired by Cho commenced at 11:43 p.m. on Tuesday. A Foreign Ministry official in Seoul, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the min

Amid talk of paying foreign caregivers less than minimum wage here, Filipina domestic worker in Hong Kong warns of cycles of insecurity and poverty, conflicts created by policy