https://www.scmp.com/rss/520619/feed On December 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, accusing the opposition of anti-state activities. The swift backlash led to a unanimous vote to lift the law just hours later, prompting Yoon’s apology and resignations within his administration, as well as impeachment proceedings against him. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A South Korean appeals court reduced the sentence of former prime minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday by eight years for crimes relating to ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration. Yoon’s decree in December 2024 briefly suspended civilian rule and plunged South Korea into chaos, but only lasted around six hours as opposition lawmakers moved quickly to overturn it in a vote. A lower court had sentenced Han in January to a heavier-than-expected jail term of 23 years for engaging in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3352689/south-korean-court-cuts-former-prime-minister-han-duck-soos-jail-term-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3352689/south-korean-court-cuts-former-prime-minister-han-duck-soos-jail-term-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 02:40:52 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s jailed former president Yoon Suk-yeol had his prison sentence increased on Wednesday in a separate case linked to his failed martial law decree, in what analysts said could be a “bellwether” for the trials still unfolding from the crisis. The Seoul High Court raised Yoon’s sentence from five years to seven for obstruction of justice and other offences after finding that he used presidential security agents to block investigators trying to arrest him over the December 2024... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351820/south-koreas-yoon-given-longer-sentence-obstructing-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351820/south-koreas-yoon-given-longer-sentence-obstructing-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:18:45 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong For the first time in nine months, former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol finally saw his wife again on Tuesday. He was the defendant. She was the witness. She barely looked at him. The reunion, their first since his arrest following a failed martial law declaration that ended his presidency, lasted all of 30 minutes. The couple made eye contact only once. Yoon looked visibly thinner, his face gaunt and marked with age spots, his once-dark hair now almost entirely silver. Kim Keon-hee wore... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350122/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-ignores-yoon-frosty-courtroom-reunion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350122/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-ignores-yoon-frosty-courtroom-reunion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 04:24:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s jailed former president Yoon Suk-yeol has drawn sharp criticism for an Easter message from prison that opponents say amounted to comparing his downfall to the suffering of Jesus and showing his lack of remorse for his criminal acts. Yoon, who was removed from office a year ago after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, released the message on Sunday through his lawyer, Bae Ui-cheol, urging the public to “hold onto the hope of salvation even if times are... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349150/south-koreas-yoon-slammed-invoking-jesus-his-message-sent-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349150/south-koreas-yoon-slammed-invoking-jesus-his-message-sent-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:09:31 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee It began with a late-night declaration of martial law and has ended, for now, with a gavel. In the 443 days between those two moments, South Korea’s democracy was tested in ways most countries never experience. Citizens formed human chains to block troops from reaching the National Assembly. Lawmakers rushed through corridors in the dead of night to kill the martial law decree by vote. The Constitutional Court upheld a president’s impeachment. Millions took to the streets in protest. A new... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344617/what-yoons-life-sentence-means-south-korean-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344617/what-yoons-life-sentence-means-south-korean-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol has filed an appeal against his life sentence for insurrection stemming from his 2024 martial law declaration, his lawyers said on Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday found Yoon guilty of leading an insurrection designed to “paralyse” the National Assembly, sentencing him to life in prison. “We believe we have a responsibility to clearly place on record the problems with this ruling – not only in the court’s records, but also before... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344401/south-korean-ex-president-yoon-appeals-against-excessive-life-sentence-insurrection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344401/south-korean-ex-president-yoon-appeals-against-excessive-life-sentence-insurrection?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 03:13:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ousted South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday remained defiant in his first reaction to a life sentence for rebellion handed down by a Seoul court the previous day. In a statement released by his lawyers, Yoon maintained that his abrupt and short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024 was done “solely for the sake of the nation and our people”, and dismissed the Seoul Central District Court as biased against him. Yoon, who was removed from office amid a political crisis set... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344132/south-koreas-yoon-calls-court-biased-after-life-sentence-rebellion-fight-not-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344132/south-koreas-yoon-calls-court-biased-after-life-sentence-rebellion-fight-not-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:47:39 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A South Korean court on Thursday found former president Yoon Suk-yeol guilty of insurrection and sentenced him to life in prison over his short-lived martial law decree that plunged the country into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades. The verdict, delivered by a three-judge panel of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 25, was the harshest and most consequential ruling yet stemming from Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law on December 3, 2024, and the events... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343989/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-found-guilty-insurrection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343989/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-found-guilty-insurrection?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:58:05 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Two recent convictions tied to Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived 2024 martial law decree have effectively sealed his fate, some legal observers say, as judges prepare to rule on the insurrection charge against the former South Korean president. On Thursday, a three-judge panel at the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 25 is set to deliver its verdict and sentence on the 65-year-old, weighing the prosecution’s request for the death penalty and any mitigating factors. The ruling will test... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343837/south-koreas-yoon-awaits-verdict-insurrection-rulings-mount-game-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343837/south-koreas-yoon-awaits-verdict-insurrection-rulings-mount-game-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo’s conviction and unexpectedly harsh prison sentence have sent shock waves through the political establishment and darkened the outlook for impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, who faces his own insurrection verdict next month. Analysts say the ruling dismantles Yoon’s legal narrative that his short-lived martial law decree was a legitimate exercise of presidential authority and signals that the courts are prepared to impose heavy penalties for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340769/fate-south-koreas-yoon-almost-foregone-conclusion-after-hans-shock-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340769/fate-south-koreas-yoon-almost-foregone-conclusion-after-hans-shock-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 04:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A South Korean court sentenced former prime minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison on Wednesday for aiding and abetting a declaration of martial law that briefly suspended civilian rule. The defendant “disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end”, said Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court. “We sentence the defendant to 23 years in prison.” The sentence is eight years longer than prosecutors’ demand. The 76-year-old career technocrat was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340661/south-koreas-ex-pm-han-gets-23-years-prison-insurrection-tied-martial-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340661/south-koreas-ex-pm-han-gets-23-years-prison-insurrection-tied-martial-law?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:26:49 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Impeached former South Korean president Yoon Seok-yeol was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of resisting arrest and other offences linked to his attempted imposition of martial law in 2024. The verdict marks Yoon’s first conviction among eight ongoing criminal trials, in one of which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for his alleged role as the “ringleader” of an attempted insurrection. The 2024 decree unleashed a wave of political unrest, triggering... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340120/south-koreas-yoon-gets-5-years-prison-obstructing-justice-during-martial-law-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340120/south-koreas-yoon-gets-5-years-prison-obstructing-justice-during-martial-law-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 06:08:56 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong When prosecutors in South Korea demanded the death penalty for ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, he shook his head in disbelief and let out a contemptuous laugh – a moment that encapsulated his defiant posture throughout nine months of hearings. Yoon stands accused of being the “ringleader” of an insurrection stemming from his failed martial law bid in 2024 that plunged the country into political chaos. The public gallery, packed with Yoon’s supporters, erupted into protests, forcing the presiding... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339807/south-koreas-yoon-could-become-martyr-if-given-death-penalty-observers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339807/south-koreas-yoon-could-become-martyr-if-given-death-penalty-observers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 02:58:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An independent counsel on Tuesday demanded the death sentence for former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on rebellion charges in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024. Yoon, who was removed from office last April and is in jail, faces eight trials over various criminal charges related to his martial law debacle and other scandals related to his time in office. Charges that he directed a rebellion are the most significant ones. Independent counsel Cho... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3339781/south-korean-prosecutors-demand-death-penalty-yoon-suk-yeol-over-martial-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3339781/south-korean-prosecutors-demand-death-penalty-yoon-suk-yeol-over-martial-law?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:18:58 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) has issued a belated apology for Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law – more than a year after it sparked a constitutional crisis that toppled his government. Yet analysts described the gesture as a tactical retreat by the ex-president’s former party, aimed at salvaging electoral fortunes rather than confronting its role in the fiasco. Delivered on Wednesday by PPP chairman Jang Dong-hyuk, the apology laid bare the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339055/south-koreas-conservatives-attempt-break-yoon-martial-law-apology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339055/south-koreas-conservatives-attempt-break-yoon-martial-law-apology?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Long-rumoured allegations surrounding South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, were laid out in unprecedented detail after a special prosecutor concluded a six-month investigation into her conduct, offering official clarity but leaving key questions unresolved. The findings, presented to the public on Monday, offered the clearest official account yet of claims that Kim, the wife of ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol, abused her proximity to power – from accepting luxury gifts to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338064/probe-south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-ends-unresolved-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338064/probe-south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-ends-unresolved-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:20 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Prosecutors on Friday demanded a 10-year prison sentence for former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in the first of four trials linked to his failed attempt to impose martial law, as a potential ruling against Yoon next month could keep him behind bars even before his most serious case is concluded. This first case focuses on Yoon’s actions before and after the martial law decree was issued on December 3 last year, including obstructing his arrest, bypassing Cabinet procedures and forging... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337790/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-faces-10-year-jail-over-first-4-failed-coup-trials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337790/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-faces-10-year-jail-over-first-4-failed-coup-trials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 07:08:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Two former senior aides to South Korea’s ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol have testified in court that Yoon pressed ahead with a plan to impose martial law despite objections from cabinet members and top officials, with their statements offering a rare insight into the events that led to the short-lived decree. Testimony by former National Security Office chief Shin Won-sik and former presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk on Monday shed new light on Yoon’s thinking behind his martial law... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337524/yoons-ex-aides-disbelief-over-south-korean-martial-law-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337524/yoons-ex-aides-disbelief-over-south-korean-martial-law-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong More than a year after former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law, the country’s top court has announced changes to how politically explosive cases are handled, as public anger over delays and alleged bias continues to mount. The Supreme Court said it would revamp procedures for high-stakes national security trials, including cases stemming from Yoon’s December 2024 martial law bid, in what it described as an effort to ensure swift and fair proceedings and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336964/south-koreas-top-court-overhauls-handling-martial-law-trials-regain-public-trust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336964/south-koreas-top-court-overhauls-handling-martial-law-trials-regain-public-trust?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Thursday formally removed the country’s impeached police chief for deploying hundreds of officers to support ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. The court said Cho Ji-ho “actively disrupted” legislative activities by deploying hundreds of police officers to the National Assembly and trying to block lawmakers from reaching the main chamber to vote to lift Yoon’s decree. Cho also infringed upon the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336937/south-koreas-police-chief-removed-supporting-yoon-suk-yeols-martial-law-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336937/south-koreas-police-chief-removed-supporting-yoon-suk-yeols-martial-law-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 10:19:00 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Once South Korea’s top prosecutor and head of state, Yoon Suk-yeol now faces the courtroom reckoning of a lifetime, as successive rulings brand his failed attempt to impose martial law “unconstitutional and unlawful”, setting the stage for a verdict that could carry the death penalty. In one of the most consequential legal findings since the country’s return to democracy in 1987, the 21st Criminal Court of Seoul Central District Court on Monday declared that the 2024 martial law decree... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336740/south-korean-court-rules-yoons-martial-law-illegal-walls-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336740/south-korean-court-rules-yoons-martial-law-illegal-walls-close?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 07:02:56 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol began plotting to impose martial law barely a year after taking office, aiming to cling to power by provoking a military confrontation with North Korea, special investigators have found. Announcing the results of a 180-day investigation on Monday, special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk said Yoon and his closest aides had devised a scheme to form a military junta, suspend democratic institutions, seize control of the legislature and judiciary and eliminate all... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336443/martial-law-plot-was-yoons-plan-all-along-south-korean-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336443/martial-law-plot-was-yoons-plan-all-along-south-korean-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 05:44:52 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s decision to return its presidential office to the Blue House, undoing Yoon Suk-yeol’s costly relocation, has reopened old questions over the superstitions said to have driven the impeached ex-president’s decision. The move is widely viewed as rolling back a legacy tarnished by the former leader’s failed attempt to impose martial law last year. Yoon had insisted on moving his office despite the high costs to taxpayers and security concerns. “The presidential office will leave behind... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335717/shaman-rumours-resurface-south-korea-returns-blue-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335717/shaman-rumours-resurface-south-korea-returns-blue-house?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s special prosecutors have sought a 15-year jail term for former first lady Kim Keon-hee, describing her as someone who has long been “beyond the reach of law enforcement”. Kim, the wife of impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, faces multiple corruption allegations, including stock manipulation, bribery and illegal electioneering. The court’s verdict is set for January 28. The demand on Wednesday came about three months after Kim was indicted – just a year following Yoon’s botched... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335142/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-feels-wronged-many-ways-prosecutors-seek-15-year-jail-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335142/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-feels-wronged-many-ways-prosecutors-seek-15-year-jail-term?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:50:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched attempt to impose martial law last year plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, providing fertile ground for disinformation to grow. A common refrain, posted on right-wing forums, amplified by YouTubers and echoed by lawmakers: China was to blame. Yoon supporters claimed Beijing had infiltrated protests, funded his impeachment campaign and manipulated online opinion ahead of the June snap election that brought opposition leader Lee Jae-myung to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335047/how-south-koreas-political-crisis-was-fuelled-anti-china-disinformation-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335047/how-south-koreas-political-crisis-was-fuelled-anti-china-disinformation-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:18:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday praised the citizens who confronted martial law troops a year ago, saying their collective defence of democracy made them worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking at a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the attempt by impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol to impose military rule, Lee described the incident as an unprecedented test of South Korea’s democracy that the public overcame peacefully. “I am convinced that we, the people of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335000/south-koreans-deserve-nobel-peace-prize-stopping-martial-law-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335000/south-koreans-deserve-nobel-peace-prize-stopping-martial-law-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 04:44:33 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A year after former president Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is pushing ahead with a bill to create a separate court dedicated to handling cases linked to the decree, in response to widespread public distrust of what critics describe as a “biased” judiciary. President Lee Jae-myung warned on social media ahead of the December 3 anniversary of the decree: “If we leave hidden acts of insurrection as they are, insurrection will certainly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334859/south-korea-proposes-separate-court-tackle-martial-law-decree-cases-after-cries-bias?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334859/south-korea-proposes-separate-court-tackle-martial-law-decree-cases-after-cries-bias?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse When South Korea’s leader declared martial law a year ago, one young woman blocked a tank, a civil servant resigned in protest and a lawmaker switched sides to remove him from office. They are among the many South Koreans whose lives were transformed on December 3, 2024. That wintry night, then president Yoon Suk-yeol interrupted national television broadcasts to suspend civilian rule for the first time in more than four decades. Soldiers and tanks deployed in central Seoul. Troops landed by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334845/year-south-koreas-martial-law-upheaval-some-lives-are-changed-forever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334845/year-south-koreas-martial-law-upheaval-some-lives-are-changed-forever?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 03:34:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The leader of one of South Korea’s largest cultlike churches stood trial on Monday accused of bribing the country’s former first lady with gifts including a designer handbag and a diamond necklace. The arrest of leader Han Hak-ja in September rocked the Unification Church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide and controls a sprawling business empire. The 82-year-old defendant, known to her followers as “holy mother”, also faces corruption charges over cash payments to a lawmaker... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:44:23 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A court ruling on the case of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged over impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law decree, observers say. On Wednesday, the special counsel team investigating insurrection charges related to Yoon’s December 3 decree demanded a 15-year prison term for Han, the 77-year-old political veteran accused of helping “mastermind” the attempted self-coup. Senior Judge Lee... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334320/fate-south-koreas-han-duck-soo-set-tone-yoon-others-martial-law-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334320/fate-south-koreas-han-duck-soo-set-tone-yoon-others-martial-law-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A mounting series of corruption and influence-peddling allegations against South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, is fuelling accusations that an unelected figure exerted unlawful control over state affairs. Investigators and analysts alike now question whether Kim leveraged her proximity to the presidency to meddle in personnel appointments and criminal investigations – including one targeting herself – and may even have influenced her husband Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated martial law... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334233/was-kim-keon-hee-catalyst-south-koreas-martial-law-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334233/was-kim-keon-hee-catalyst-south-koreas-martial-law-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:16 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol may have begun laying the ideological groundwork for a self-coup long before his failed attempt to impose martial law last December, according to newly disclosed legal documents. Political analysts say the revelations suggest Yoon’s push for emergency rule was not a sudden response to security tensions, but part of a long-standing pattern of authoritarian inclinations dating back to his early political career and even his years as a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333548/south-koreas-yoon-had-dictatorial-mindset-well-martial-law-decree-leaked-papers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333548/south-koreas-yoon-had-dictatorial-mindset-well-martial-law-decree-leaked-papers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Yoon Suk-yeol’s former spy chief was arrested on Wednesday on charges of concealing evidence, intensifying the fallout from the ex-president’s failed martial law decree. Cho Tae-yong, who led South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) until Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office earlier this year, was taken into custody after the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant citing the risk of evidence destruction. His arrest marks a major milestone in prosecutors’ efforts to hold... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332424/martial-law-fallout-spreads-south-koreas-spy-service-ex-chief-detained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332424/martial-law-fallout-spreads-south-koreas-spy-service-ex-chief-detained?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:26:05 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol, removed from office and arrested earlier this year for attempting to impose martial law, is facing new charges alleging he sought to provoke North Korea to justify his failed power grab. Prosecutors say Yoon and senior aides orchestrated risky military operations near the border to draw a retaliation from Pyongyang, which they hoped would legitimise the emergency decree Yoon signed on December 3 while still in office. Those operations allegedly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332243/south-koreas-yoon-tried-goad-north-attacking-justify-martial-law-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332243/south-koreas-yoon-tried-goad-north-attacking-justify-martial-law-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:17 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s most dramatic political trial in decades took an extraordinary turn on Monday when a former special forces commander testified that Yoon Suk-yeol had directed the capture of political opponents so the ex-president could “shoot and kill them all” himself. The claim, delivered under oath at the Seoul Central District Court, stunned the chamber – marking a pivotal moment in a case testing the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions against the re-emergence of authoritarian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331422/south-koreas-yoon-planned-capture-kill-political-rivals-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331422/south-koreas-yoon-planned-capture-kill-political-rivals-court?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 04:22:19 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong For the first time in a quarter-century of independent prosecutions, a sitting South Korean lawmaker has been arrested amid a corruption scandal that has shaken the nation’s political and religious establishments to their core. Kweon Seong-dong – a towering figure in the conservative People Power Party and a close confidant of impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol – has been detained on charges of accepting illicit funds from the Unification Church. Kweon, a five-term lawmaker and former... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325801/south-koreas-church-state-corruption-scandal-ensnares-yoon-ally-kweon-seong-dong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325801/south-koreas-church-state-corruption-scandal-ensnares-yoon-ally-kweon-seong-dong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 03:21:34 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The indictment of former first lady Kim Keon-hee on corruption charges has thrown a spotlight on the collapse of institutional checks during her husband’s presidency, prompting fresh calls to strengthen oversight and transparency measures. The wife of former president Yoon Suk-yeol was charged on Friday with stock manipulation, bribery and the receipt of illicit political funds by a team of investigators led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki. This is the first time in South Korea’s history that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323650/south-koreas-cronyism-culture-trial-kim-keon-hees-corruption-charge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323650/south-koreas-cronyism-culture-trial-kim-keon-hees-corruption-charge?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Aug 2025 02:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kim Keon-hee, the wife of South Korea’s ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol, has been indicted for bribery and other charges, a special prosecution team said on Friday, amid a widening probe into the country’s martial law crisis and scandals involving the once-powerful couple. Both Yoon and Kim have been arrested and are in jail, with Yoon already undergoing trial on charges that include insurrection following his exit in April over a botched bid to impose martial law in December. The couple... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3323575/south-koreas-former-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-indicted-bribery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3323575/south-koreas-former-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-indicted-bribery?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 03:23:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The rejection of an arrest warrant for impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol’s top official by a court in South Korea has delivered a major setback to prosecutors investigating his martial law fiasco, according to observers. Former prime minister Han Duck-soo avoided pre-trial detention after the Seoul Central District Court late on Wednesday dismissed a request from Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok’s team to place him in custody. Cho’s team, which is investigating Yoon’s short-lived martial law... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323443/south-korean-court-rejects-arrest-ex-pm-han-duck-soo-blow-martial-law-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323443/south-korean-court-rejects-arrest-ex-pm-han-duck-soo-blow-martial-law-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 04:57:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s jailed former first lady Kim Keon-hee is casting herself as a victim of political persecution to rally sympathy and blunt the impact of mounting corruption charges, analysts say. Since August 12, the 52-year-old has been held at the Seoul Nambu Detention Centre, awaiting trial on charges including bribery, stock manipulation and accepting illicit political funds. Her husband, the impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol, is already behind bars over his botched December 3 martial... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322610/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-appeals-sympathy-jail-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3322610/south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-appeals-sympathy-jail-will-it-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 04:53:35 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As jailed South Korean ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol continues to defy prosecutors’ attempts to question him over his martial law debacle, his wife Kim Keon-hee – who has also been detained – faces fresh bribery accusations amid a growing list of scandals involving luxury brands and political favours. After meeting her for more than two hours on Wednesday, one of her lawyers said Kim had “not eaten a single meal” since being detained the previous afternoon, adding “her health condition is currently... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321761/jailing-south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-reveals-fresh-bribery-claims-over-us40000-watch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321761/jailing-south-koreas-kim-keon-hee-reveals-fresh-bribery-claims-over-us40000-watch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A diamond pendant worth tens of thousands of dollars, once worn by former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee on an official trip, has become the unlikely catalyst for her fall from grace. The luxury item, and its meticulously crafted fake, are now at the centre of a criminal case that saw Kim detained late on Tuesday pending trial, accused of deception, obstruction and a decade-long pattern of alleged wrongdoing. Investigators say Kim lied about the pendant’s origin, staged a cover-up and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321667/kim-keon-hees-arrest-how-lie-about-diamond-pendant-put-her-behind-bars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321667/kim-keon-hees-arrest-how-lie-about-diamond-pendant-put-her-behind-bars?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 04:25:26 +0000 Agencies Agencies South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee was arrested late on Tuesday after a court issued a warrant following accusations of corruption that she denies, a special prosecutor leading a wide-reaching probe said. Kim is South Korea’s only former first lady to be arrested, joining her husband, ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, in jail as he faces trial following his ousting in April over a botched bid to impose martial law in December. In granting a special prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321632/south-korean-court-approves-arrest-ex-president-yoon-suk-yeols-wife-amid-bribery-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321632/south-korean-court-approves-arrest-ex-president-yoon-suk-yeols-wife-amid-bribery-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:40:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s scandal-plagued former first lady Kim Keon-hee walked into court on Tuesday, head bowed and looking visibly tense, for a hearing that could make her the first ex-presidential spouse in the country’s history to be jailed on criminal charges. Wearing a dark jacket and skirt with a white blouse, her hair pulled back, Kim brushed past pool reporters without a word as she climbed the stairs to the courtroom. A ruling on whether to remand her for questioning or allow her to remain free... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321513/south-koreas-former-first-lady-battles-jail-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321513/south-koreas-former-first-lady-battles-jail-time?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 02:28:35 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol is framing himself as a victim of political persecution as he continues to defy investigators seeking to question him over his corruption allegations and aborted martial law bid, according to analysts. Prosecutors failed to bring Yoon out from his detention cell for questioning for a second time on Thursday, with one analyst saying he is aiming to rally public sympathy and galvanise his conservative support base through his unyielding resistance. “By... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321124/south-koreas-yoon-claims-human-rights-abuse-over-failed-attempt-question-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3321124/south-koreas-yoon-claims-human-rights-abuse-over-failed-attempt-question-him?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:10 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A second attempt by prosecutors to remove former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol from his cell ended in failure on Thursday morning, after he again refused to cooperate with authorities at the Seoul Detention Centre, forcing them to call off the operation once again. The special counsel team investigating allegations involving Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, arrived at the facility at around 8.25am to enforce an arrest warrant issued last month. However, after encountering what officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321041/south-koreas-yoon-puts-strong-resistance-second-arrest-bid-fails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321041/south-koreas-yoon-puts-strong-resistance-second-arrest-bid-fails?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 04:35:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Clad in sombre attire and flanked by flashing cameras, Kim Keon-hee offered a rare apology on Wednesday as she became the first of South Korea’s first ladies to face public questioning – a symbolic reckoning in a country where political scandal rarely fades away quietly. The wife of ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol is being investigated by special prosecutors scrutinising her putative role in a web of alleged corruption, stock manipulation and political interference. As Kim, 52, arrived at the Seoul... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320896/kim-keon-hees-reckoning-public-grilling-south-koreas-scandal-plagued-ex-first-lady?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3320896/kim-keon-hees-reckoning-public-grilling-south-koreas-scandal-plagued-ex-first-lady?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 03:44:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Wearing only an undershirt and boxer shorts, former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol lay on the floor of his prison cell and refused to comply with a fresh arrest warrant on Friday – the latest twist in a deepening investigation into his alleged abuse of power. Although Yoon is already in custody on separate charges related to his attempt to impose martial law in December, prosecutors were required to obtain and serve a new warrant to formally begin questioning him in a separate case... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320352/south-korea-arrests-yoon-suk-yeols-key-aide-martial-law-inquiry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320352/south-korea-arrests-yoon-suk-yeols-key-aide-martial-law-inquiry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:57:51 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon-hee has been formally summoned for questioning by a team of special prosecutors, marking a significant step forward in an expanding investigation into a raft of scandals tied to her and her husband, ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol. Both Kim and Yoon were called in for separate questioning as “suspects” under a parliament-mandated investigation, special prosecutors said on Monday. Yoon is set to appear next Tuesday, while Kim will face scrutiny on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319105/former-south-korean-first-lady-now-suspect-bribery-scandal-summoned-questioning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319105/former-south-korean-first-lady-now-suspect-bribery-scandal-summoned-questioning?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 06:40:26 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Once South Korea’s chief prosecutor and president, now its most high-profile prisoner, Yoon Suk-yeol has refused for days to leave his cell for questioning, as the investigation deepens into his martial law plot and alleged drone provocations of Pyongyang. Since his rearrest on Thursday last week, Yoon has repeatedly declined to comply with a summons from special prosecutors, citing chronic health issues, including diabetes. Three separate attempts have been made this week to transfer him to the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318427/south-koreas-ex-president-above-law-yoons-refusal-cooperate-raises-alarms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318427/south-koreas-ex-president-above-law-yoons-refusal-cooperate-raises-alarms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 08:30:01 +0000