Latest Martial Law News & Updates

Seoul, Feb 13 (IANS) South Korea’s defence ministry said Friday it has excluded Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Kang Dong-gil from duty over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid in late 2024. The move came a day after the ministry took a similar action against Ground Operations Commander General Joo Sung-un over suspicions of martial law involvement, marking the second such suspension of a four-star general appointed under South Korean President L…

Seoul, Feb 12 (IANS) South Korea’s defence ministry has identified around 180 military personnel as having been involved in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law bid in late 2024 and plans to take measures against them, including disciplinary actions, officials said on Thursday.The ministry released the figure following a month-long investigation into about 860 officers from 24 military commands and units alleged to have been involved in the martial law imposition in December …

Seoul, Jan 21 (IANS) South Korea’s former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison Wednesday for playing a key role in an insurrection by abetting former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence in the first ruling that confirmed the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, constituted an insurrection, Yonhap News Agency reported.The punishment was heavier than the 15 years sought by special…

Seoul, Jan 16 (IANS) The South Korea’s National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), passed a bill on Friday to launch a new special counsel probe into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law imposition and its aftermath, as well as allegations surrounding his wife.Lawmakers voted 172 for and two against, at a plenary session as the opposition’s filibuster to block the bill ended after reaching its 24-hour limit.The bill for the second round of the comprehensive special counse…

Seoul, Jan 12 (IANS) A Seoul court on Monday held the first hearing of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial on charges of benefiting the enemy over allegations of dispatching military drones to Pyongyang in 2024. The hearing took place at the Seoul Central District Court behind closed doors, with Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defence Counterintelligence Command, in attendance.Yoon and the two others have been indicted on charges of aiding the …

Seoul, Jan 9 (IANS) The final hearing of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection trial was held Friday amid keen interest in the level of punishment he will face, including the possibility of the death penalty.The trial, which kicked off in February after Yoon was indicted on charges of leading an insurrection through his December 3, 2024, declaration of martial law, will conclude after the hearing that began at the Seoul Central District Court at 9:20 a.m.The session will als…

Seoul, Jan 8 (IANS) South Korea’s defence ministry will seek to disband the Defence Counterintelligence Command embroiled in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2024 botched martial law bid, officials said on Thursday, in what would mark the command’s dissolution after 49 years upon completion. The command is suspected of having played a key role in Yoon’s short-lived martial law imposition in December 2024, with its former commander standing trial for allegedly deploying troops to the National Ass…

Seoul, Jan 7 (IANS) The leader of the South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party (PPP) apologised Wednesday for the failed attempt to impose martial law by ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol.Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok made the apology during a press conference at the party’s headquarters, signaling that the conservative party would distance itself from Yoon, who is standing criminal trial on insurrection charges.”The declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024, was a wrong and inappropriat…

Seoul, Jan 6 (IANS) Police in South Korea on Tuesday raided a special counsel office, as part of their investigation into allegations that the Ministry of Justice attempted to secure detention space within correctional facilities following the martial law declaration in December 2024. A special investigation team from the Korean National Police Agency sent investigators to the office of special counsel Cho Eun-suk in southern Seoul in the morning to secure the detention space-related data from d…

Seoul, Jan 5 (IANS) South Korean former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s trial on charges of leading an insurrection through his short-lived imposition of martial law is set to conclude this week amid keen interest in the level of punishment he will face, including the possibility of the death penalty.The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold four hearings this week — on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday — in the insurrection trial of Yoon, former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, forme…