What Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal means for South Korea's relationship with the North



Analysis What Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal means for South Korea’s relationship with the North With his ouster, the future of inter-Korean relations hangs in the balance amid political chaos and security challenges Shreyas Reddy April 4, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Yoon Suk-yeol, with Kim Jong Un and a unification flag in the background \| Images: ROK Presidential Office (Oct. 29, 2023) and Joint Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps (Sept. 18, 2018), edited by NK News After a tumultuous three years in power, Yoon Suk-yeol has been removed as president of South Korea after the country’s Constitutional Court deemed that his declaration of martial law citing “pro-North” Korea elements in the opposition was not justified. The impeached leader’s tenure was marked by an often confrontational approach to dealing with an increasingly militaristic North Korea, accelerating the deterioration of a relationship that had already stalled after Pyongyang walked away from engagement with both Seoul and Washington in 2019. After a tumultuous three years in power, Yoon Suk-yeol has been removed as president of South Korea after the country’s Constitutional Court deemed that his declaration of martial law citing “pro-North” Korea elements in the opposition was not justified. The impeached leader’s tenure was marked by an often confrontational approach to dealing with an increasingly militaristic North Korea, accelerating the deterioration of a relationship that had already stalled after Pyongyang walked away from engagement with both Seoul and Washington in 2019. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Analysis

What Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal means for South Korea’s relationship with the North

With his ouster, the future of inter-Korean relations hangs in the balance amid political chaos and security challenges

Shreyas Reddy April 4, 2025

What Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal means for South Korea’s relationship with the North

Yoon Suk-yeol, with Kim Jong Un and a unification flag in the background | Images: ROK Presidential Office (Oct. 29, 2023) and Joint Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps (Sept. 18, 2018), edited by NK News

After a tumultuous three years in power, Yoon Suk-yeol has been removed as president of South Korea after the country’s Constitutional Court deemed that his declaration of martial law citing “pro-North” Korea elements in the opposition was not justified.

The impeached leader’s tenure was marked by an often confrontational approach to dealing with an increasingly militaristic North Korea, accelerating the deterioration of a relationship that had already stalled after Pyongyang walked away from engagement with both Seoul and Washington in 2019.

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What Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal means for South Korea’s relationship with the North

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