South Korea
South Korean president faces impeachment after martial law attempt
Opposition lawmakers are pushing to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, who triggered South Korea’s biggest political crisis in decades late Tuesday night when he abruptly declared martial law, only to backtrack six hours later in the face of protests and a parliamentary veto. Members of the country’s largest labor unions added to the calls for Yoon to leave office, protesting in central Seoul on Wednesday morning and threatening to strike until he resigns. Yoon’s decision took the United States by surprise, with Biden administration officials saying they did not know of the move in advance. But they reaffirmed the strength of U.S.-South Korea alliance. The United States has almost 30,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea.
Nuclear deterrence talks between Washington and Seoul, plus a related exercise, have been postponed, a defense official said on the condition of anonymity. The official said there was no date set for when the fourth session of the Nuclear Consultative Group would be rescheduled. The session was set to be held in Washington on Wednesday, Yonhap News reported.
The NCG is a bilateral body to boost deterrence efforts between the two countries in the face of threats posed by North Korea, reports The Washington Post.
Hundreds of protesters crowded Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square on Wednesday morning, many waving the South Korean flag and calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s resignation after he tried to impose martial law in a move that rattled the nation.