TOPIC

/ people

Yoon Suk-yeol

Latest news and updates on Yoon Suk-yeol who was sworn in as president of South Korea on May 10, 2022.

Born

18 Dec 1960

Industry

Politics

Job Title

President of Republic of Korea

last updated:

7 October, 2024

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol has told China’s Wang Yi that having an acting leader will not change his government’s position on developing a South Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

China-South Korea relations

Chinese, South Korean foreign ministers in first call since martial law crisis

Foreign ministry says China won’t interfere because ‘South Korean people have the wisdom and ability to properly handle domestic issues’.

25 Dec 2024 - 4:50PMvideocam

South Korea martial law 2024

Yoon’s lawyer denies first lady visited cosmetic clinic before martial law bid

24 Dec 2024 - 1:56PMvideocam

North Korea

Revolution, elections and a baby hippo, this was the year in Asia

24 Dec 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

South Korea martial law 2024

Did South Korea’s Yoon use fortune-telling to plan his failed martial law bid?

Noh Sang-won, an ex-intelligence chief, has allegedly advised Yoon Suk-yeol on his martial law decree’s timing based on fortune-telling.

24 Dec 2024 - 8:00AMvideocam

People watch a televised address by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul on December 12. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Opinion | China can win Japan and South Korea over from a US under Trump

Amid political changes in the three countries, China can carve out a new strategic landscape in East Asia by offering trade and cooperation.

20 Dec 2024 - 10:34AMvideocam

South Korea martial law 2024

Arrest of South Korea’s former spy chief sheds light on martial law conspiracy

Noh Sang-won, former head of the Defence Intelligence Command, allegedly planned the coercive measures meant to enforce the decree.

19 Dec 2024 - 3:00PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | China should seize the moment to promote peace on Korean peninsula

The weakening of the Russia-North Korea alliance, political change in South Korea and Trump’s return create a conducive environment for denuclearisation talks.

19 Dec 2024 - 6:00AMvideocam

South Korea martial law 2024

In South Korea’s ‘power vacuum’, foreign policy uncertainty abounds

The impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol leaves an interim leader with a ‘tainted cabinet’ to grapple with rising diplomatic challenges.

18 Dec 2024 - 9:46AMvideocam

South Korea martial law 2024

Despite Yoon’s impeachment, it may not be over for the embattled leader

While analysts believe the odds are stacked against Yoon, the court’s decision remains uncertain – and some suggest it may not be clear-cut.

17 Dec 2024 - 9:19AMvideocam

Asian cinema: Korean films

Will these films draw Koreans back to cinema after protests over Yoon?

Cinema-going fell in South Korea amid mass protests after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration. Distributors hope for a rebound.

16 Dec 2024 - 2:15PMvideocam

Lee Hee-joon (left) and Song Joong-ki in a still from Bogota: City of the Lost, one of two big domestic productions distributors hope will draw South Koreans back to cinemas. Photo: Plus M Entertainment and Watermelon Pictures

North Korea

North Korean state media relishes ‘foolish’ Yoon’s downfall

Pyongyang’s state-run media gleefully eviscerated South Korea’s impeached president on Monday over his failed martial law decree.

16 Dec 2024 - 12:51PMvideocam

A composite image shows North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo: AFP/Reuters

South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s central bank vows to stabilise markets amid political turmoil

The Bank of Korea aims to avoid any escalation in volatility of foreign exchange markets following Yoon’s failed martial law decree.

15 Dec 2024 - 5:01PM

South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after impeachment

South Korea’s acting president has reassured allies, investors, and markets that the country remains stable and a reliable partner.

15 Dec 2024 - 6:18PM

South Korea martial law 2024

South Korea’s opposition chief urges top court to act swiftly on impeachment

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has spearheaded efforts to remove President Yoon from power over his martial law decision.

15 Dec 2024 - 1:13PM

South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press conference on the removal of President from office. Photo: AP

South Korea martial law 2024

The fall of Yoon Suk-yeol: from South Korea’s rising star to impeachment

Once hailed as a reformer and anti-corruption crusader, Yoon’s presidency spiralled into chaos amid scandal and short-lived martial law.

14 Dec 2024 - 6:52PMvideocam

South Korea

‘Victory of the people’: South Korea’s Yoon impeached over martial law fiasco

Yoon Suk-yeol has been suspended from office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court deliberates on his future.

14 Dec 2024 - 6:55PMvideocam

South Korea

‘Hungover’ Yoon allegedly used decoys for work, South Korea police chief says

New details surface at opposition inquiry as the beleaguered president braces for a second impeachment bid.

14 Dec 2024 - 10:50AMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea’s first lady filmed praising man for sexual ‘power’ after palm-read

Reporter behind the video featuring Kim Keon-hee says he released the clip to show the Yoon administration’s ‘irrationality and recklessness’.

13 Dec 2024 - 3:23PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korean opposition chief says impeaching Yoon ‘fastest way’ to end crisis

Lee Jae-myung urged ruling party lawmakers to back the impeachment, saying ‘history will remember and record your decision’.

13 Dec 2024 - 8:55PMvideocam

China-South Korea relations

Beijing decries South Korean leader Yoon’s ‘Chinese spy’ defence of martial law

China responds to Yoon Suk-yeol’s remarks about alleged espionage targeting military facilities, calling the comments ‘deeply unsettling’.

13 Dec 2024 - 2:59AMvideocam

War and conflict

Opinion | Seoul must stop using North Korea threat as an excuse to suppress democracy

Conservative forces have a long, bloody history of using the danger posed by the North to justify quashing dissent and removing checks on the president.

12 Dec 2024 - 4:30PMvideocam

South Korea

Yoon’s ‘impossible’ martial law move premeditated, South Korean commander claims

Yoon Suk-yeol, frustrated by his party’s electoral defeat, repeatedly discussed martial law with aides, despite their warnings, Yeo In-hyung said.

12 Dec 2024 - 3:15PMvideocam

South Korea

Explainer | South Korea’s first lady Kim: from Dior bag scandal to martial law fallout

Her husband, President Yoon Suk-yeol, has been accused of using martial law to protect her from investigations, further fuelling public discontent.

12 Dec 2024 - 12:32PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon-hee sparks memes amid martial law controversy

Public suspicion about Kim Keon-hee’s influence on Yoon has grown, with many seeing the martial law decree as a desperate effort to shield her from scrutiny.

12 Dec 2024 - 12:05PMvideocam

South Korea

Defiant Yoon vows to fight ‘until the last minute’ as new impeachment looms

The president also defended his martial law declaration as multiple ruling party lawmakers backed Yoon’s impeachment.

12 Dec 2024 - 5:20PMvideocam

South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol delivers an address at the presidential office in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: South Korean presidential office via Reuters

Japan

Will ties between Japan and South Korea worsen if Yoon Suk-yeol is ousted?

Japan is concerned that South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung might take over Yoon given his stance against Tokyo, analysts say.

12 Dec 2024 - 8:00AMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea’s K-pop stars face pressure to speak up on Yoon’s martial law saga

While some K-pop idols have slammed President Yoon Suk-yeol, other stars face criticism for being indifferent to the political turmoil.

11 Dec 2024 - 7:37PM

South Korea

‘Paralysed’: South Korea’s diplomacy in limbo after Yoon’s martial law bid

Seoul’s global reputation has been dented as analysts warn of the adverse impact on multiple fronts after Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law saga.

12 Dec 2024 - 1:19PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW