What happened
The head of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's People Power Party threw his support Friday behind suspending Yoon's powers following his week's six-hour imposition of martial law this week. The "bombshell reversal" by Han Dong-hun "makes Yoon's impeachment more likely," The Associated Press said.
Who said what
Han said Thursday he would oppose impeachment. But at a PPP leadership meeting today Friday he said new "credible evidence" that Yoon had ordered the arrest of key politicians during the brief martial law convinced him "immediate suspension of office" was "necessary to protect" Koreans from "grave danger." If Yoon "continues to hold the presidency," Han added, "there is a significant risk that extreme actions like this martial law declaration could be repeated."
PPP official Jehua Ryu told CNN that Han wasn't calling for impeachment, just suspension. More than 70% of South Koreans back impeaching Yoon, pollster Realmeter found, according to the BBC, while Gallup Korea said Friday that the president's approval rating had plunged to 13%.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The National Assembly is scheduled to vote Saturday on whether to impeach Yoon. Eight PPP members would have to join the 192 opposition lawmakers to reach the required 200-vote threshold. Successful impeachment would immediately strip the president of power, putting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in charge while the Constitutional Court considers whether to remove or reinstate Yoon.
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Is the UAE fuelling the slaughter in Sudan?Today’s Big Question Gulf state is accused of supplying money and advanced Chinese weaponry to RSF militia behind massacres of civilians
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
