Korea Times Politics & City Reporter
Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon stressed Friday the urgent need to swiftly suspend President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers and duties in order to protect Korea and its people, virtually supporting impeachment of the president following Yoon's bungled martial law declaration.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, who briefly assumed the role of martial law commander, said Thursday that he learned of the martial law declaration through President Yoon Seok Yeol's public announcement on Tuesday night.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief declaration of martial law has plunged him into the most severe leadership crisis of his tenure, as the opposition bloc pushes for his impeachment, accusing him of treason.
President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted martial law, Wednesday, about six hours after he declared it, responding to the National Assembly's unanimous resolution to revoke the law.
The National Assembly passed a resolution at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, calling for the repeal of martial law. Lawmakers approved the resolution approximately two and a half hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration.
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an emergency press briefing late Tuesday night, claiming the urgent need to eradicate what he called "anti-state forces." The announcement stunned the nation, as many were taken by surprise by the sudden and drastic measure.
A debate on plastic pollution, held in Busan by United Nations members, ended without significant progress, as participating nations failed to reach an agreement on the highly contentious issue of reducing plastic output.
Political tensions in parliament are expected to intensify this week, as rival parties clashed over the weekend following the Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) unilateral passage of next year’s government budget proposal on Friday.
Low wages, rigid work culture and ineffective systems in Korea's public service sector are driving away young public servants, encompassing millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Zers, born between 1997 and 2012 — leading an increasing number of them to ditch their jobs.
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), pledged Thursday that his party would ensure the passage of a proposed revision to the Commercial Act. His remarks came as he joined a task force meeting held at the Korea Exchange (KRX) in Seoul, discussing ways to further boost the sluggish local stock markets.