https://www.scmp.com/rss/522220/feed The latest news and top stories on People Power Party. The People Power Party (PPP) is a prominent conservative and right-wing political party in South Korea, headquartered in Seoul. As one of the nation’s two largest political forces, it champions traditional values, market-oriented policies and national security. The PPP actively participates in elections, shapes legislation and develops policies, including strengthening alliances and promoting global cooperation. Currently led by interim... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 The Korea Times The Korea Times South Korean president Lee Jae-myung has withdrawn his nomination of Lee Jin-sook for education minister, the presidential office said on Sunday, amid allegations of thesis plagiarism and mounting concerns over her fitness to lead the country’s public education system. In contrast, the presidential office signalled that gender equality minister nominee Kang Sun-woo, who has also faced public scrutiny over a series of workplace abuse allegations, would be appointed as planned. “After... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318939/south-koreas-lee-retracts-education-minister-nomination-over-plagiarism-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318939/south-koreas-lee-retracts-education-minister-nomination-over-plagiarism-row?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:47:13 +0000