Latest news with #politicalCrisis
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
South Korea's former president detained again over martial law
South Korea's former president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has been arrested for a second time and returned to a solitary jail cell over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law last December. Yoon's detention on Thursday came after a court in the South Korean capital, Seoul, ordered his arrest, citing concerns the former leader could seek to destroy evidence. The 64-year-old politician, who is on trial for insurrection, is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, where he spent 52 days earlier in the year before being released four months ago on technical grounds. Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian government on December 3, sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers from voting down his declaration of martial law. He became South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after spending weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators. But he was released on procedural grounds in March. South Korea's Constitutional Court then removed Yoon from office in April, paving the way for a snap election, which was held in June. The country's new president, Lee Jae Myung, approved legislation launching sweeping special investigations into Yoon's push for martial law and various criminal accusations tied to his administration and wife. Earlier this month, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during a failed arrest attempt in January, as well as accusations that he authorised drone flights to Pyongyang to help justify declaring martial law. Yoon has defended his martial law decision as necessary to 'root out' pro-North Korean and 'antistate' forces. The latest arrest warrant against Yoon authorises his detention for up to 20 days, as prosecutors prepare to formally indict him, including on additional charges. 'Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment,' Yun Bok-nam, the president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told the AFP news agency. 'Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but in this case, the special counsel has argued that the risk of evidence destruction remains high, and that the charges are already substantially supported.' During a hearing on the arrest warrant on Wednesday, Yoon's legal team criticised the detention request as unreasonable, stressing that Yoon has been ousted and 'no longer holds any authority'. The former president also spoke at the seven-hour hearing, saying he is now 'fighting alone', according to South Korean media. 'The special counsel is now going after even my defence lawyers,' Yoon complained. 'One by one, my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone.' Meanwhile, Yoon's lawyers said that the former leader would not attend the 10th hearing of his insurrection trial on Thursday following his arrest. Citing health concerns, Yoon's lawyers submitted a written reason for his absence to the court shortly before the hearing was scheduled to begin, according to South Korea's official Yonhap news agency. His lawyers, however, attended in his place, the agency said. If convicted, Yoon could face a maximum penalty of life in prison or death.
Arab News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
S Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon detained, again, over martial law
SEOUL: South Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time Thursday over his declaration of martial law and held in a solitary cell as investigators widened their insurrection probe. Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule on December 3 last year, sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers voting down his declaration of martial law. He became South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after he spent weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators. But he was released on procedural grounds in March, even as his trial on insurrection charges continued. After Yoon's impeachment was confirmed by the court in April, he again refused multiple summons from investigators, prompting them to seek his detention once more to ensure cooperation. The latest arrest warrant was issued over concerns that Yoon would 'destroy evidence' in the case, Nam Se-jin, a senior judge at Seoul's Central District Court said. Yoon is being held in a solitary cell which has only a fan and no air-conditioning, as a heat wave grips South Korea. According to the official schedule, he was offered a regulation breakfast including steamed potatoes and milk. Investigators said Thursday that Yoon's status as former president will be 'duly considered' but otherwise he will be 'treated like any other suspect.' 'Investigations during the detention period will focus on the warrant's stated charges,' prosecutor Park Ji-young told reporters. Yoon's criminal trial also continued with a hearing Thursday, although he did not attend for the first time. The former president, 64, attended a hearing over the new warrant on Wednesday that lasted about seven hours, during which he rejected all charges, before being taken to a holding center near Seoul where he awaited the court's decision on whether to detain him again. During his warrant hearing, the former president said he is now 'fighting alone,' local media reported. 'The special counsel is now going after even my defense lawyers,' said Yoon during his hearing. 'One by one my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone.' Once the warrant was issued early Thursday, Yoon was placed in a solitary cell at the facility, where he can be held for up to 20 days as prosecutors prepare to formally indict him including on additional charges. 'Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment,' Yun Bok-nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told AFP. 'Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but in this case, the special counsel has argued that the risk of evidence destruction remains high, and that the charges are already substantially supported.' During the hearing, Yoon's legal team criticized the detention request as unreasonable, stressing that Yoon has been ousted and 'no longer holds any authority.' Earlier this month, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during a failed arrest attempt in January, as well as accusations that he authorized drone flights to Pyongyang to help justify declaring martial law. The former president also faces charges of falsifying official documents related to the martial law bid. Yoon has defended his martial law decision as necessary to 'root out' pro-North Korean and 'anti-state' forces. But the Constitutional Court, when ousting Yoon from office on April 4 in a unanimous decision, said his acts were a 'betrayal of people's trust' and 'denial of the principles of democracy.' South Korea's current president, Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election, approved legislation launching sweeping special investigations into Yoon's push for martial law and various criminal accusations tied to his administration and wife.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
S Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon detained, again, over martial law
South Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time Thursday over his declaration of martial law and held in a solitary cell as investigators widened their insurrection probe. Yoon plunged South Korea into a political crisis when he sought to subvert civilian rule on December 3 last year, sending armed soldiers to parliament in a bid to prevent lawmakers voting down his declaration of martial law. He became South Korea's first sitting president to be taken into custody when he was detained in a dawn raid in January, after he spent weeks resisting arrest, using his presidential security detail to head off investigators. But he was released on procedural grounds in March, even as his trial on insurrection charges continued. After Yoon's impeachment was confirmed by the court in April, he again refused multiple summons from investigators, prompting them to seek his detention once more to ensure cooperation. The latest arrest warrant was issued over concerns that Yoon would "destroy evidence" in the case, Nam Se-jin, a senior judge at Seoul's Central District Court said. Yoon is being held in a solitary cell which has only a fan and no air-conditioning, as a heat wave grips South Korea. According to the official schedule, he was offered a regulation breakfast including steamed potatoes and milk. Investigators said Thursday that Yoon's status as former president will be "duly considered" but otherwise he will be "treated like any other suspect". "Investigations during the detention period will focus on the warrant's stated charges," prosecutor Park Ji-young told reporters. Yoon's criminal trial also continued with a hearing Thursday, although he did not attend for the first time. - Solitary - The former president, 64, attended a hearing over the new warrant on Wednesday that lasted about seven hours, during which he rejected all charges, before being taken to a holding centre near Seoul where he awaited the court's decision on whether to detain him again. During his warrant hearing, the former president said he is now "fighting alone", local media reported. "The special counsel is now going after even my defence lawyers," said Yoon during his hearing. "One by one my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone." Once the warrant was issued early Thursday, Yoon was placed in a solitary cell at the facility, where he can be held for up to 20 days as prosecutors prepare to formally indict him including on additional charges. "Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment," Yun Bok-nam, president of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told AFP. "Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but in this case, the special counsel has argued that the risk of evidence destruction remains high, and that the charges are already substantially supported." - Long time in detention? - During the hearing, Yoon's legal team criticised the detention request as unreasonable, stressing that Yoon has been ousted and "no longer holds any authority". Earlier this month, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during a failed arrest attempt in January, as well as accusations that he authorised drone flights to Pyongyang to help justify declaring martial law. The former president also faces charges of falsifying official documents related to the martial law bid. Yoon has defended his martial law decision as necessary to "root out" pro–North Korean and "anti-state" forces. But the Constitutional Court, when ousting Yoon from office on April 4 in a unanimous decision, said his acts were a "betrayal of people's trust" and "denial of the principles of democracy". South Korea's current president, Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election, approved legislation launching sweeping special investigations into Yoon's push for martial law and various criminal accusations tied to his administration and wife. hs/ceb/hmn
Al Arabiya
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
South Korea's disgraced ex-president Yoon detained again over martial law bid
South Korea's disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol was detained for a second time Thursday over his declaration of martial law, and is being held in a solitary cell pending investigations into charges of insurrection. Yoon sparked a political crisis on December 3 when he attempted to subvert civilian rule by sending armed soldiers to parliament in a failed effort to stop lawmakers from voting down his martial law order. He became the first sitting South Korean president to be detained when he was arrested in a January dawn raid after weeks of resisting investigators, using his presidential security detail to delay his arrest. Though released on procedural grounds in March, Yoon's trial on insurrection charges continued. After his impeachment was upheld by the court in April, he repeatedly ignored summonses from investigators, prompting them to seek his re-arrest to ensure cooperation. Seoul Central District Court Judge Nam Se-jin said the latest warrant was issued due to fears Yoon could 'destroy evidence.' Solitary The 64-year-old former president appeared in court Wednesday for a nearly seven-hour hearing in which he denied all charges. He was then transferred to a detention center near Seoul to await the court's decision. Once the warrant was approved early Thursday, Yoon was placed in solitary confinement, where he can be held for up to 20 days while prosecutors prepare formal charges, which could include additional indictments. 'Once Yoon is indicted, he could remain detained for up to six months following indictment,' Yun Bok-nam, head of Lawyers for a Democratic Society, told AFP. 'Theoretically, immediate release is possible, but the special counsel has argued the risk of evidence destruction remains high and that the charges are already substantially supported.' During his hearing, Yoon claimed, 'I'm fighting alone. One by one my lawyers are stepping away, and I may soon have to fight this alone.' His legal team criticized the renewed detention as unnecessary, noting that Yoon had been removed from office and no longer held authority. Earlier this month, the special counsel questioned Yoon about his resistance during the failed January arrest and allegations that he approved drone flights over Pyongyang to justify declaring martial law. He also faces charges of falsifying official documents tied to the plot. Yoon has defended his decision, claiming it was necessary to 'root out' pro–North Korean and 'anti-state' forces. But in a unanimous April 4 ruling, South Korea's Constitutional Court called Yoon's actions a 'betrayal of people's trust' and a 'denial of the principles of democracy.' His successor, President Lee Jae Myung — elected in a June snap election — has since approved legislation launching wide-ranging special investigations into Yoon's martial law attempt and various criminal allegations involving his administration and wife.
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Starmer vows to reflect on welfare bill fiasco after ‘tough last few days'
Update: Date: 2025-07-03T07:58:55.000Z Title: Keir Starmer Content: Good morning. Tomorrow it will be a year since the general election, and on Saturday it will be one from the day when started forming a government. It has not been a good week to celebrate the anniversary. In a long interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson last night, only some of which has now been broadcast (the rest is coming later), Starmer defended Rachel Reeves, his chancellor, saying that she would be in office 'for a very long time to come' and that an undisclosed personal matter, not politics, was the reason why she was in tears at PMQs yesterday. As Graeme Wearden reports on his business live blog, UK government borrowing costs are down a bit this morning. Yesterday they rose after PMQs as bond traders responded to speculation that Reeves might be sacked, and replaced by a chancellor less committed to fiscal discipline. But that does not mean the political crisis for the government is over. In his BBC interview, Starmer said he needed to 'reflect' on what went wrong this week, when the government had to abandon the main thrust of its welfare bill about 90 minutes before MPs were due to vote on it. He said: I'm not going to pretend the last few days have been easy, they've been tough. I'm the sort of person that then wants to reflect on that, to ask myself what do we need to ensure we don't get into a situation like that again, and we will go through that process. But I also know what we will do and that's we will come through it stronger. Labour MPs would love to see the government 'come through it stronger' but with some tough decisions just postponed, and autumn tax rises all but inevitable, that won't be easy. This morning Starmer wants to focus on something else – his 10-year health plan. Here is Denis Campbell's preview story. Starmer will be speaking about this at a press conference this morning. Here is the agenda for the day: 9.30am: Angela Rayner, the deputy PM and housing secretary, gives a speech at a Local Government Association conference. 10.30am: and Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announce the 10-year NHS plan at an event in London. After 11.30am: Streeting is expected to make a statement to MPs about the 10-year NHS plan. 3.45pm: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. (The usual morning one is not happening because of the PM's event.) Afternoon: Peers vote on the order banning Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @ The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
