Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been arrested for the first time in the nation's history, marking a significant development in the country's ongoing political crisis. Meanwhile, North Korea condemned joint military drills conducted by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, vowing a stronger response to perceived threats.
Supporters of impeached South Korea n president Yoon Suk Yeol chanted slogans during a rally outside the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday during a review for the legality of Yoon’s arrest the day before. Yoon made history this week as the first sitting South Korea n president to be arrested, ending a weeks-long standoff. But analysts say the country’s political crisis is far from over.
North Korea condemned on Friday joint military drills between South Korea, Japan and the United States held this week, threatening to respond by exercising its right to self-defense “more intensively.” The trilateral exercise was held after Pyongyang launched in recent weeks what it claimed was a new hypersonic missile system and short-range ballistic missiles, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office on Monday.Pyongyang’s remarks came after the allies staged joint air drills, involving two US B-1B heavy bombers over the Korean peninsula on Wednesday. North Korea’s foreign ministry expressed “serious concern over the provocations” by South Korea, Japan and the United States, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Friday. The joint drills “clarifies once again” the North’s need to exercise its sovereign rights and security interests “more intensively,” it added. North Korea “will strongly deter any military provocation planned by the hostile forces and firmly defend the security interests of the state”, the ministry added, according to KCNA. In other developments in the Korean peninsula, impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday again refused investigators’ efforts to question him over his failed martial law bid, as the deadline on his detention neared. Yoon threw the nation into chaos on Dec. 3 when he attempted to impose martial law, citing the need to combat threats from “anti-state elements”. But his bid lasted just six hours, as the soldiers he directed to storm parliament failed to stop lawmakers from voting to reject martial law. In the following weeks, Yoon was impeached by parliament and resisted arrest while holed up at his guarded residence, before becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be detained.The arrest warrant executed in Wednesday’s dawn raid on Yoon’s residence allowed investigators to hold Yoon for just 48 hours. But they are expected to seek a new warrant Friday that will likely extend his detention by 20 days, allowing prosecutors time to formalize an indictment against him. The Corruption Investigation Office is investigating him on possible charges of insurrection, which if found guilty could see him jailed for life or executed. The new warrant, if filed Friday, would keep Yoon in detention until at least a court hearing and ruling for its approval over the weekend. If the court rejects it after the hearing, he would be released. The CIO had called Yoon for questioning at 10 am local time Friday, Yonhap news agency reported, but his lawyer Yoon Kab-keun told AFP he had refused to appear for the second day in a row.Another lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon, told reporters Friday Yoon had already explained his position to investigators and had no reason to answer their questions. “The president will not appear at the CIO today. He has sufficiently expressed his basic stance to the investigators on the first day,” he said. Yoon was questioned for hours on Wednesday but exercised his right to silence before refusing to appear for interrogation the next day.Yoon’s supporters gathered outside the court Friday where investigators were expected to file for the new warrant, linking arms in an apparent attempt to block them, the Yonhap news agency reported. Yoon had evaded arrest for weeks by remaining in his residential compound, protected by loyal members of the Presidential Security Service. Hundreds of CIO investigators and police surrounded his compound on Wednesday in a second, and ultimately successful, effort to arrest him. When he was detained, Yoon said he had agreed to leave his compound to avoid “bloodshed”, but that he did not accept the legality of the investigation. The opposition Democratic Party celebrated Yoon’s arrest, with a top official calling it “the first step” to restoring constitutional and legal order. In a Facebook post on Wednesday after his detention, Yoon repeated unfounded election fraud claims and referred to “hostile” nations threatening the country, alluding to North Korea. Although Yoon won presidential elections in 2022, the Democratic Party won parliamentary elections in April last year by a landslide.If that happens, Yoon would lose the presidency and fresh elections would have to be held within 60 days.The trial is continuing in Yoon’s absence and proceedings could last for months
South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol Impeachment Martial Law North Korea Military Drills Donald Trump Election Fraud
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Top aide of impeached South Korean president pleads for investigators to halt detention effortsSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The top aide of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol pleaded with law enforcement on Tuesday to abandon their efforts to detain him over last month's martial law imposition, as authorities prepared a second attempt to take him into custody.
Read more »
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Detained in Major Law Enforcement OperationSouth Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound. He surrendered after weeks of defiance against attempts to question him in an investigation into his imposition of martial law last month.
Read more »
South Korean investigators arrest impeached President YoonLatest Philippine news from GMA News and 24 Oras. News, weather updates and livestreaming on Philippine politics, regions, showbiz, lifestyle, science and tech.
Read more »
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ArrestedSouth Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday, January 15, over insurrection accusations related to his December 3 martial law declaration. Yoon's arrest follows a standoff with police who surrounded his residence, culminating in a statement from Yoon saying he surrendered to questioning to prevent bloodshed.
Read more »
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Arrested Over Martial Law BidSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over his failed attempt to impose martial law, marking the first time a sitting president in the nation's history has been arrested. Hundreds of investigators and police raided his residence after a weeks-long standoff, ending Yoon's resistance to questioning. Yoon's arrest stems from his impeachment and charge of insurrection for his short-lived effort to implement martial law last month.
Read more »
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ArrestedIn a historic development, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested for the first time in the country's history. The arrest follows his impeachment and removal from office after a controversial declaration of martial law. Authorities are questioning Yoon on charges related to a criminal insurrection investigation.
Read more »