Guilty verdict leaves South Korea’s top conservative ‘a wounded lame duck’ – South China Morning Post
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South Korea Watch
South Korea to Restrict Social Media for Under-14s – 조선일보
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South Korea has passed a new law that penalizes journalists for sharing “fake news.” The Journalists Association of Korea said of the law, “Even if a law’s objective is legitimate, it could erode the foundations of democracy if it’s enforced in a way that discourages the media and ordinary citizens from freely criticizing and scrutinizing those in power.”
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and his former defense minister were sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday in a case alleging Yoon ordered drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024 to heighten tensions with North Korea and justify declaring martial law at home.
The full version of the Seoul Central District Court’s ruling was not immediately available. The same court earlier sentenced Yoon to life in prison for a rebellion conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.
North Korea accused Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets three times in October 2024. South Korea’s defense minister at the time, Kim Yong Hyun, issued a vague denial before the Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations. Tensions rose sharply but did not lead to any military clashes.
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean appeals court on Wednesday sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to seven years in prison for resisting arrest and bypassing a legitimate Cabinet meeting before his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
The conviction for obstruction of justice and other charges comes on top of a life sentence he has already received on rebellion charges stemming from his baffling authoritarian push, which triggered the most serious crisis for the country’s democracy in decades.
Judge Yoon Sung-sik of the Seoul High Court said the conservative former president sidestepped a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, falsified documents to conceal the lapse and deployed security officials “like a private army” to resist law enforcement efforts to arrest him in the weeks following his impeachment. Former President Yoon stood quietly as the verdict was delivered and made no comment.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean prosecutors Friday requested a 30-year prison term for ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol over allegations he deliberately tried to escalate tensions with North Korea in 2024 by ordering drone flights over Pyongyang as he sought to create justifiable conditions for martial law at home.
Yoon is charged with benefiting an adversary and abusing his powers, which are among a long list of indictments against the conservative former leader over his short-lived imposition of martial law in South Korea in December 2024.
The request came in the closing stages of a trial at the Seoul Central District Court, where a team of investigators led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk said Yoon and his top defense officials were responsible for alleged drone infiltrations into North Korea, about two months before he imposed martial law while portraying the liberals as North Korea-sympathizing, “anti-state” forces.
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South Korean police are seeking to arrest music mogul Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of the agency behind K-pop supergroup BTS, as they expand an investment fraud investigation
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean police said Tuesday they are seeking to arrest music mogul Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of the agency behind K-pop supergroup BTS, as they expand an investigation into allegations that he illegally gained more than $100 million in an investor fraud scheme.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed that it has asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for Bang’s arrest. Representatives of Bang’s agency, HYBE, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bang has been under investigation since November over allegations that he misled investors in 2019 by telling them HYBE had no plans to go public, inducing them to sell their shares to a private equity fund before the company proceeded with an initial public offering. Police believe that the fund may have paid Bang around 200 billion won ($136 million) in a side deal that promised him 30% of post-IPO stock sale profits.
Democratic Party Adopts 102 Witnesses in Probe of Fabricated Indictments 조선일보
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Drone Warfare and the Future of Korean Armor Modern War Institute –
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GYEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA – NOVEMBER 1: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during an international press conference after the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was concluded, in Gyeongju, South Korea, on November 1, 2025.
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South Korea is opposed to the U.S. moving air defense assets out of the country, but it is not in a position to make demands, President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday.
Lee briefed the cabinet that “The USFK may dispatch some air defense systems abroad in accordance with its own military needs. While we have expressed opposition, the reality is that we cannot fully push through our position.”
The U.S.-Israel war with Iran could disrupt supplies of key semiconductor manufacturing materials, a South Korean ruling party lawmaker said on Thursday, as the conflict in the Middle East entered its sixth day.
South Korea’s chip industry, which supplies around two-thirds of global memory chips, is also concerned that a prolonged conflict in Iran will lead to higher energy costs and prices, Kim Young-bae said after meeting with executives from companies such as Samsung Electronics 005930.KS and trade groups.
A Cheongung missile launcher is displayed during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2025) at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on October 17, 2025.
South Korean defense stocks saw massive gains on Tuesday after the country’s markets returned from a public holiday, as the Iran war fuels interest in defense names globally.
Heavyweight Hanwha Aerospace, which is South Korea’s largest defense manufacturer, saw shares surge nearly 25%, before paring gains to about 13%, while Korea Aerospace Industries gained more than 12%, but cut those to 2.4%.
Shares in air defense systems maker LIG Nex1 soared 25%, while electronic warfare systems manufacturer Victek and anti-aircraft missile components’ maker Firstec saw shares rise more than 20% and 15%, respectively.
South Korea’s takeover by their Democratic Party has launched the country towards a Chinese death spiral that was confirmed when the U.S. changed its defense agreement with the now-CCP-captured country. Now, an aerial dust-up between the U.S. and China has South Korea complaining about America’s presence, not China’s
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back issued a formal complain with the USFK commander, Army General Xavier Brunson. He was complaining about an incident that saw 10 U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons entering South Korean and Chinese air defense identification zones. After it entered the space, China sent two fighter aircraft, resulting in what was only described as a “rare standoff.”
Seoul protests US-China fighter jet encounter over Yellow Sea, report says – Stars and Stripes
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South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has lodged a complaint with U.S. Forces Korea over a brief standoff between American and Chinese fighter jets, according to local media. Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back contacted the USFK commander, Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, after learning of Wednesday’s incident, the Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday. Gen. Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, also raised concerns with Brunson, said the report, which cited unnamed military sources. According to Yonhap, about 10 U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons were training over the Yellow Sea when they entered an area between the air defense identification zones of South Korea and China. Beijing dispatched its own fighter aircraft in response, resulting in what Yonhap described as a “rare standoff,” though no clash occurred.
‘CCP out’ chants echo through Seoul as anti-China protests grow Taipei Times
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South Korea’s ‘fake news’ law tests press autonomy Yahoo News UK
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The U.S. Defense Department has revealed in a National Defense Strategy release that it is shifting its policy in South Korea, now calling on the state to protect itself from conventional threats to the North. As this was revealed, the CCP-captured government amended their law to prohibit “fake news” publishing. They did so over numerous protestations, including the U.S., who may recognize South Korea is now becoming a liability, a problem, perhaps, for Japan.
US Defense Strategy Signals Shift in Korea Defense, Pushing Seoul to Lead The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine
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On January 23, the U.S. Defense Department released the unclassified National Defense Strategy (NDS), which marks a definitive shift in the South Korea-U.S. alliance. It explicitly states that Seoul must now take primary responsibility for countering North Korean conventional threats.
The document outlines a strategic pivot where the United States intends to focus its regional resources on deterring China, effectively limiting its role on the Korean Peninsula to “extended deterrence” – the nuclear umbrella meant to prevent an atomic strike. According to the NDS, while Washington has historically provided a wide safety net for South Korea’s defense, future support will move toward a more limited scope. The Pentagon’s assessment justifies this drawdown by asserting that South Korea possesses the capability to lead the deterrence of North Korean aggression, a move that pushes Seoul toward military self-reliance for its own conventional defense.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach includes a broader effort to husband American military assets for high-end conflicts with near-peer competitors like China and Russia, rather than maintaining the decades-old status quo of the armistice. For a sovereign nation like South Korea, which currently lacks wartime operational control (OPCON) and its own nuclear arsenal, this transition carries profound implications.
South Korea’s ‘fake news’ law tests press autonomy Yahoo News UK
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Trump Hikes South Korea Tariffs, Praises U.S.-Japan Alliance 조선일보
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A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former president Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on charges that included obstructing attempts by authorities to arrest him following his failed bid to impose martial law in December 2024.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of mobilizing the presidential security service to block authorities from executing an arrest warrant that had been legally issued by a court to investigate him for his martial law declaration.
President Lee Jae-myung Advocates Korea-Japan Middle Power Solidarity Post-Summits 조선일보
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South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he seeks to reset frayed ties with his country’s biggest trading partner.
Regional security and Beijing’s unofficial ban on Korean pop culture are also on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, which is their second summit since November, when Xi visited South Korea.
Given what a vital economic partner China is, experts say Lee is looking for assurances that it would not weaponise that relationship in the face of political tensions in the region.
Anti-China Protests Rock South Korea as Ex-President Sounds Alarm Vision Times
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China’s South Korean espionage campaign is growing bolder The Spectator
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China urges joint efforts with Japan, South Korea, ASEAN in science and tech The Straits Times
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Democratic Party Pushes Emergency Hearing Against Chief Justice – 조선일보
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The National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, led by the Democratic Party, decided on the 30th to hold an emergency hearing on allegations of Chief Justice Jo Hee-de’s intervention in the presidential election. The Democratic Party previously raised the same allegations in May when it was the opposition party and held a hearing, but found no evidence that Chief Justice Jo intervened in the election. At that time, Chief Justice Jo and all justices who were summoned as witnesses did not attend. Now, the party is pushing for another hearing based on the conspiracy theory of a “secret meeting involving Jo Hee-de, Han Duck-soo, and two others.” This marks the first time a ruling party has held a hearing targeting the head of the judiciary. The People Power Party (PPP) condemned it as a “violation of the separation of powers and a clear act of destroying the judiciary.”
The committee passed a resolution on the 22nd during a plenary session to implement the hearing plan and summon witnesses and references. The session was originally intended for a legislative hearing on prosecutorial reform, but Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party chair of the committee, unexpectedly added the hearing plan for Chief Justice Jo to the agenda. As PPP members protested and walked out, the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party proceeded with the decision. In the hearing plan, the Democratic Party claimed, “Chief Justice Jo violated procedural and legal regulations by issuing an unreasonable ruling related to the trial of a specific candidate (President Lee Jae-myung) ahead of the presidential election, and suspicions have arisen that he undermined the independence and political neutrality of the judiciary by allegedly conspiring in advance through a ‘four-person meeting’ with Han Duck-soo and others.”
‘Standing Strong’: South Korean Megachurch Pastor Who Defied COVID Lockdowns and Woke Laws Arrested and Jailed | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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He’s endured more than 20 lawsuits, a police raid on his church and home, and finally an arrest. Today, Pastor Hyun-bo Son resides in a prison cell.
If it happened in North Korea it would hardly be newsworthy. But this story takes place south of the 38th parallel.
Since 1993 Pastor Son has preached at Segero Church in Busan, South Korea.
“When my father started serving at Segero Church, there were only around 20 people. And now, weekly, there are over 4,000 people,” Chance Son told The Western Journal in a phone interview.
Pastor Son’s faith in God and his charismatic leadership drove his success as a pastor.
Those same qualities, however, also made him a threat to South Korea’s Democratic Party.
His persecution began during the COVID lockdowns in December 2020.
Only 20 members could gather at a church, no matter the congregation size, Son said.
“My father’s church is built to have 6,000 people. However, allowing just five people or 20 people, however the government wants — he rejected,” Son said.