Yoon declared martial law in December, sending armed soldiers to parliament before reversing course. He was quickly impeached by lawmakers but resisted arrest for weeks in a criminal probe. After a lengthy standoff, in which his security detail played a key role, he became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in […]
The measures come in response to calls on the government to expand support at a time of growing policy uncertainty under the current U.S. administration and rising competition from Chinese rivals, the government said in a statement. Seoul will also ramp up a financial assistance programme for the chips industry to 20 trillion won, versus […]
The anxiety has sparked a rush into safe havens, sending the Swiss franc soaring to a decade high against the dollar, and gold to a new peak after a brief but massive relief rally following U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to temporarily lower tariffs on many countries. The selloff in U.S. Treasuries picked up pace […]
The ruling caps months of political turmoil that have overshadowed efforts to deal with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump at a time of slowing growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. With Yoon’s ouster, a presidential election is required to take place within 60 days, according to the country’s constitution. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo […]
More than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) have been charred or are still burning in the largest of the fires that began in the central Uiseong county, making it the biggest single forest fire in South Korea’s history. The previous record was 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) in a March 2000 fire “We are nationally in a […]
The deadly wildfires have spread rapidly and forced more than 27,000 residents to flee their homes, the government said. The blazes, fuelled by strong winds and dry weather, have razed entire neighbourhoods, closed schools, and forced authorities to transfer hundreds of inmates from prisons. “We are deploying all available personnel and equipment in response to […]
Han took over as acting leader from President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was himself impeached over his short-lived declaration of martial law in December. Following the ruling, Han returns to his acting president position immediately. “I am grateful for the wise decision made by the Constitutional Court,” Han said after the ruling, thanking members of […]
The Constitutional Court is expected to announce its decision on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol this month over his declaration of martial law, with both supporters and opponents of the disgraced leader set to gather in Seoul’s streets. Yoon’s short-lived suspension of civilian rule plunged democratic South Korea into political turmoil and he […]
An official with Gyeonggi-do Bukbu Fire Services said out of the eight people wounded, two were seriously hurt. Pocheon is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarized border with North Korea. South Korea’s Air Force said eight 500-pound (225kg) Mk82 bombs from a KF-16 jet fell outside the shooting range […]
Births declined 5% from a year earlier, while the number of deaths hit a record high of 1.62 million, meaning more than two people died for every new baby born. Earlier, South Korea’s fertility rate rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, supported by an increase in marriages, preliminary data showed on […]
