What happened
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in televised remarks Wednesday he would not step down, despite urging from his party, and defended his six-hour imposition of martial law on Dec. 3. The brief attempt at military rule led to the arrest of Yoon's former defense minister and embroiled the president in criminal investigations and possible impeachment. Yoon has been barred from leaving the country.
Who said what
"I will fight to the end" to protect Korea from the "anti-state forces" and "criminal groups" responsible for "paralyzing" the government, Yoon said. He had apologized for his martial law decree on Saturday. But Wednesday Yoon said he had intended only to "borrow the format of martial law" to send a "warning" to the opposition Democratic Party to stop obstructing his agenda.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly tried to impeach Yoon on Saturday, but his People Power Party party boycotted the vote. PPP chair Han Dong-hoon Wednesday urged his party to support the next impeachment vote, scheduled for this Saturday. But the PPP's newly elected floor leader, Yoon ally Kwon Seong-dong, reiterated the party's stance against impeachment.
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?
Seven PPP lawmakers have said they will vote to impeach Yoon, leaving the opposition just one vote short of the 200 needed.
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Crossword: October 5, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsionSpeed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deploymentSpeed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
