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Lee says Dec. 3 will be desginated as 'people's sovereignty day' to commemorate renewed democracy
President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that he would work to designate Dec. 3 as “People’s Sovereignty Day” to commemorate the role of the people in stopping the martial law declared last year by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Expressing gratitude to South Korean citizens who demonstrated courage and solidarity in the face of a military threat, Lee stated in a televised public address that his government "will designate Dec. 3 as 'People’s Sovereignty Day' to honor the great courage and actions
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Court denies arrest warrant for PPP lawmaker over alleged martial law role
A court on Wednesday denied a warrant to arrest People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho over allegations that he was involved in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed attempt to impose martial law. The Seoul Central District Court denied the warrant, saying there remains room for dispute regarding the facts of the case and the applicable legal principles. The court also cited insufficient grounds for the need for his arrest, such as the risk he would flee or destroy evidence. The charge centers
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Assembly passes budget for 2026 before legal deadline
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed next year's budget of 727.9 trillion won ($498 billion) that calls for more spending to prop up the economy and on national defense, as rival parties reached a last-minute agreement to maintain the government's proposed total spending. The Assembly approved the 2026 budget plan during a plenary session, just minutes before the legal deadline. The breakthrough came earlier in the day when the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Part
Dec. 3, 2025 -
Martial law’s animosity has outlived decree — and now defines political identity
The martial law declaration by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 3 lasted only six hours, but a year later, the animosity it unleashed lives on. Those six short hours fundamentally rewired South Korean politics, seeping into the very bones of the party system and the identities of partisans. The mass rallies have ebbed, but the mutual hostility that once powered the protests has migrated to the heart of politics and society. Lawmakers and party loyalists are locked into a confrontational mo
Dec. 2, 2025 -
Journalists recall fear, confusion 1 year after martial law debacle
Reporters who were on the front lines of last year’s martial law declaration gathered Monday for a live discussion hosted by the presidential office, recounting in stark detail the fear, chaos and disbelief they experienced within the presidential office in Yongsan-gu and the National Assembly in Yeouido on Dec. 3, 2024. The livestreamed session, titled “Marking One Year Since the Revolution of Light: Remembering and Recording the Day of Martial Law,” brought together correspondents from major n
Dec. 2, 2025 -
Lee warns ‘unrealistic’ nuclear armament debate hinders Seoul’s push for fuel-cycle rights
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday criticized "unrealistic claims" that South Korea intends to pursue its own nuclear arsenal, warning that such mischaracterizations are obstructing Seoul’s efforts to secure its uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing rights. Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, Lee said discussions with Washington have been hindered due to concerns that expanded fuel-cycle capabilities could be diverted for nuclear weapon
Dec. 2, 2025 -
Assembly passes 2026 budget on time after rare bipartisan deal
The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a budget for 2026 — the first under the Lee Jae Myung administration — after the rival parties reached a last-minute agreement on the final day of the statutory review period. Tuesday’s vote marks the first on-schedule passage of a national budget in five years, since 2020. The 727.9 trillion won ($495 billion) budget, passed during a plenary session Tuesday night just minutes before the legal deadline, is about 1 trillion won smaller than the government
Dec. 2, 2025 -
Court set to hold arrest warrant hearing for PPP lawmaker over alleged martial law role
A Seoul court is set to hold an arrest warrant hearing Tuesday for People Power Party Rep. Choo Kyung-ho over his alleged role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law. The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Seoul Central District Court at 3 p.m. to determine whether Choo's arrest is warranted on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection. The charge is related to allegations Choo, then floor leader of the PPP, obstructed his party's lawmakers from taking
Dec. 2, 2025 -
Yoon trial begins over Pyongyang drone allegations
Another trial began Monday for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, this time over his alleged involvement in South Korean military drones being flown over Pyongyang last year. The drone deployment, the investigators argue, was aimed at goading North Korea into retaliatory actions that could be used to justify declaring emergency martial law. The Seoul Central District Court kicked off its first preparatory hearing at 2:10 p.m. for Yoon and three former senior defense officials — former Defense Minis
Dec. 1, 2025 -
PPP split over apology ahead of 1-year martial law anniversary
South Korea's main opposition People Power Party remains divided over whether to issue an official apology for former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration, as the one-year anniversary of the Dec. 3 incident approaches. The internal rift is deepening ahead of next year’s local elections, with party leadership under pressure to attract centrist voters while maintaining support from its traditional conservative base. The dilemma is further complicated by concerns that an apology could
Dec. 1, 2025 -
Lee's approval rating inches down to 54.8%: poll
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating edged down to 54.8 percent last week after a brief rebound amid negative public sentiment over recent political developments, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey by Realmeter commissioned by a local news outlet, the positive assessment of Lee's performance fell 1.1 percentage points from the previous week, while his negative assessment inched up 0.2 percentage points to 40.7 percent. Lee's approval rating reached 56.7 percent in the first wee
Dec. 1, 2025 -
Lee to mark anniversary of martial law declaration with national address
President Lee Jae Myung will deliver a special address on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of last year’s Dec. 3 martial law crisis, the presidential office said Sunday, saying that the administration plans to use the occasion to underscore what it describes as the restoration of democracy and the public’s role in overcoming the political turmoil. Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential secretary for communication and public relations, told reporters during a briefing the presidential office in Yo
Nov. 30, 2025 -
Ruling party lawmaker denies sexual harassment as police probe launched
Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jang Kyung-tae on Sunday denied allegations that he sexually harassed a female National Assembly aide last year, saying he would file a criminal complaint against the alleged victim for false accusation. The accusation surfaced Thursday after TV Chosun broadcast video footage submitted by the alleged victim’s boyfriend. The clip, filmed at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in October 2024, shows Jang seated closely beside the woman, who appears heavily intoxicated an
Nov. 30, 2025 -
Ruling party faces leadership shakeup as several eye local election bids
Several members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Supreme Council are poised to step down in the coming days to launch bids in next year’s June 3 local elections, party officials said. Despite the expected departures, the party is not anticipated to shift into an emergency leadership system, as the number of vacancies falls short of the threshold required under party rules. The party’s senior spokesperson Park Soo-hyun told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting Friday that several me
Nov. 30, 2025 -
State data center chief relieved of duty over massive outage after fire
The head of the state data center has been relieved of duty over the massive service outage caused by a fire at the facility in September, officials said Saturday. The fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) broke out on Sept. 26, damaging servers and crippling key online administrative systems, such as government websites and local community center systems, across the country. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety relieved Lee Jae-yong, the NIRS chief, of his position in its
Nov. 29, 2025