South Korean lawmakers impeach acting president Han Duck-soo

Assembly approves motion days after parliament stripped President Yoon Suk Yeol of his powers over martial law order

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach the acting president, Han Duck-soo, plunging the country deeper into a political crisis that has caused policy deadlock and damaged its international reputation.

On Friday, the national assembly approved an impeachment motion introduced on Thursday by the main opposition party by a 192-0 vote. The chamber has 300 MPs, but members of the ruling People Power party (PPP) boycotted Friday’s vote.

Han took over as president after his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law on 3 December. The move triggered six hours of chaos that, for many older South Koreans, brought back memories of the country’s bloody transition from military rule to democracy in the 1980s.

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Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment: court hearings to begin in South Korea over president’s martial law crisis

Yoon’s legal team will attend the first hearing in impeachment review on Friday, the same day that the acting president also faces an impeachment vote

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team are set to attend court on Friday as the constitutional court begins hearings into his impeachment by parliament over his short-lived imposition of martial law,

The court has 180 days to decide whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him. In the latter scenario, a new presidential election would be held within 60 days.

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Ceremonies held across Asia to mark 20 years since Boxing Day tsunami

Waves towering up to 30 metres killed more than 220,000 people in 15 countries in deadliest tsunami in history

Ceremonies have been held in countries across Asia to remember the more than 220,000 people who were killed two decades ago in the Indian Ocean tsunami, the most deadly tsunami in history.

On 26 December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island, triggering huge waves that slammed into coastal communities across the Indian Ocean. The waves, which towered as high as 30 metres, killed 227,899 people across 15 countries.

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South Korea opposition moves to impeach acting president in new political twist

If motion is successful, it would be country’s second impeachment of a head of state in less than two weeks

South Korea’s opposition has said it has filed an impeachment motion against the acting president, Han Duck-soo, in an escalating row over the composition of the constitutional court which will decide whether to remove his predecessor from office.

South Korea fell into a political crisis when President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently suspended, declared martial law on 3 December.

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Cambodian opposition leader jailed after conviction for inciting disorder

Sun Chanthy also barred from running for office, in latest case to target critics of government

The leader of a Cambodian opposition party has been sentenced to two years in jail and banned from running for office after he was found guilty of inciting social disorder, in the latest legal case to target government critics.

Sun Chanthy, the president of the Nation Power party, was found guilty of the charge at a court in Phnom Penh. He also faces a fine of 4m riel (£800) and has been stripped of his right to vote or stand for election.

AFP contributed to this report

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Hong Kong police issue bounties for six more overseas activists

HK$1m rewards target people accused of national security crimes who fled after pro-democracy protests

Hong Kong police have announced bounties of HK$1m (about £105,000) for information leading to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas and accused of national security crimes.

Authorities also said they would cancel the passports of seven others for whom bounties had already been issued, including the former lawmakers Ted Hui and Dennis Kwok, local media said.

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Tonga government elects ’Aisake Valu Eke as new prime minister

The new leader was chosen by secret ballot two weeks after the previous premier resigned abruptly amid a power struggle with the Pacific nation’s royal family

Tonga’s government elected a new leader on Tuesday, two weeks after the previous premier resigned abruptly after a power struggle with the Pacific nation’s royal family.

Veteran politician ’Aisake Valu Eke was voted prime minister by secret ballot in parliament, securing 16 votes to his opponent Viliami Latu’s eight.

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South Korean woman who grabbed soldier’s gun says ‘I just needed to stop them’

Video of party spokesperson grappling with rifle-wielding soldier has gone viral as symbol of defiance against martial law

A South Korean party spokesperson seen grappling with a rifle-wielding soldier in a video that went viral as a symbol of defiance against martial law has insisted that she was not especially brave.

President Yoon Suk Yeol was forced to abandon his declaration of martial law this week after 190 lawmakers defied a contingent of soldiers in helmets and body armour and voted unanimously to reject it.

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Sake: Japan’s ‘divine gift’ given special status by Unesco

Rice wine enshrined as part of ‘cultural heritage of humanity’

Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-famous sushi. It’s brewed in centuries-old mountaintop warehouses, savoured in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts.

Now, the smooth rice wine that plays a crucial role in Japan’s culinary traditions - and is a favoured tipple of celebrities such as Cate Blanchett – has been enshrined by Unesco, which has put it on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”.

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Thursday briefing: What the martial law attempt means for South Korea’s future

In today’s newsletter: Yoon Suk Yeol’s shock declaration – and subsequent reversal – has sent South Korea into political chaos, and left their president facing impeachment

Good morning. South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is facing impeachment after he sent heavily armed forces into Seoul’s streets with his baffling and sudden declaration of martial law on Tuesday. The move stirred memories of past dictatorships in the country, moving thousands to come out on to the streets and protest, with the military powerless, or unwilling, to do anything about it.

Opposition parties submitted an impeachment motion hours after parliament unanimously voted to cancel Yoon’s declaration, forcing him to lift martial law just six hours after it began. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of two-thirds of the national assembly and at least six of the nine constitutional court justices. The liberal opposition Democratic party holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament and has called for Yoon’s resignation. A vote on his impeachment could come as early as tomorrow. Today we’ll look at what happened and why.

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South Korea police investigate President Yoon as ruling party vows to block impeachment

People Power party says it will vote against impeachment bill brought by opposition amid outrage over Yoon’s attempt to declare martial law

South Korea’s ruling party says it will block a move by the opposition to impeach the beleaguered president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as police said they were investigating Yoon for alleged insurrection over his botched attempt to impose martial law.

The floor leader of the People Power party vowed on Thursday that its lawmakers would “unite” to defeat the opposition-led motion to impeach the deeply unpopular leader.

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Many Americans’ cellphone data being hacked by China, official says

Cyber-espionage group ‘Salt Typhoon’ targeting ‘at least’ eight US telecom and telecom infrastructure firms

A large number of Americans’ metadata has been stolen in the sweeping cyber-espionage campaign carried out by a Chinese hacking group dubbed “Salt Typhoon”, a senior US official told journalists on Wednesday.

The official declined to provide specific figures but noted that China’s access to America’s telecommunications infrastructure was broad and that the hacking was ongoing.

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GM to write down value of China business by more than $5bn

Automaker is restructuring in China after losing about $350m in the region in the first three quarters of this year

General Motors told shareholders on Wednesday that it would write down the value of its China business by more than $5bn.

The company’s board of directors determined that the non-cash charges were necessary “in light of the finalization of a new business forecast and certain restructuring actions” with the joint venture, according to a company filing.

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South Korea crisis live: motion to impeach President Yoon submitted, say opposition parties

Opposition Democratic party lawmakers have called on Yoon Suk Yeol to resign immediately or they would seek his impeachment

South Korea’s finance ministry has said it stood ready to deploy “unlimited” liquidity into financial markets after President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted a martial law declaration he imposed overnight that pushed the won to multi-year lows, Reuters reports.

The announcement came after finance minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea governor Rhee Chang-yong held emergency talks overnight, and as the central bank board abruptly met to approve rescue measures for the local credit market.

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Donna Nelson, who claims she was love scam victim, jailed for smuggling drugs into Japan

Donna Nelson sentenced to six years in prison after court finds her guilty of bringing methamphetamine into country

The jailing of an Australian woman in Japan is “really distressing” for her family, the federal government has acknowledged as it committed to doing all it could to help her.

The Australian federal health minister, Mark Butler, made the promise a day after Donna Nelson was sentenced to six years for smuggling methamphetamine into Tokyo in January 2023, despite her claims she had been the victim of an online romance scam.

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Cathay Pacific apologises over inflight Family Guy episode with Tiananmen Square scene

Hong Kong carrier removes episode from entertainment system after social media complaint that it might breach national security laws

Hong Kong’s flagship airline, Cathay Pacific, has apologised over the inclusion of a Family Guy episode in its inflight entertainment system that features a scene depicting Tiananmen Square.

The airline told the South China Morning Post it had apologised to customers after a complaint was raised on social media that the episode might breach Hong Kong’s national security laws.

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South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, facing impeachment after martial law shock

Opposition parties submit motion to impeach Yoon after his shock bid to put South Korea under martial law for first time in over four decades

South Korean opposition parties have formally submitted a motion to impeach the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his short-lived declaration of martial law.

Early on Thursday, lawmakers presented to parliament an impeachment motion alleging that Yoon “gravely and extensively violated the constitution and the law” and accuses him of imposing martial law “with the unconstitutional and illegal intent to evade imminent investigations... into alleged illegal acts involving himself and his family”.

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Three climbers from the US and Canada missing on New Zealand’s highest mountain

Several climbing-related items which police believe belonged to the trio found, as bad weather will likely delay search efforts until Thursday

Rescue teams looking for three climbers who went missing on New Zealand’s highest mountain have expressed “grave concerns” over the party’s welfare in the rugged terrain, as bad weather hampers search efforts for the second day in a row.

US nationals Kurt Blair, 56, and Carlos Romero, 50, and a Canadian man flew by helicopter on Saturday to a camp on Aoraki Mount Cook with plans to summit the 3,724 metre (12,218 ft) mountain.

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South Korea’s president lifts martial law in the face of united opposition

Rightwing president backs down after most serious challenge to country’s democracy since 1980s

South Korea’s rightwing president has been forced to back down after he unexpectedly declared martial law only to face unanimous opposition from the national assembly, in the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since the 1980s.

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday amid a dispute with opposition parties he accused of pro-North Korean sympathies and anti-state activities.

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South Korea president’s aides offer to resign en masse – as it happened

This blog is closed – you can follow live coverage on our new liveblog

The White House has said it is “closely” monitoring the situation in South Korea.

“The administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesperson for the national security council said, using the official acronym for the Republic of Korea, where thousands of US troops are based as parts of efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea.

All political activities are banned in South Korea following the imposition of martial law on Tuesday and all media will be subject to government monitoring.

All political activities, including those of the national assembly, local councils, political parties, and political associations, as well as assemblies and demonstrations, are strictly prohibited.

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