• South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to local media.
• It comes after Yoon's attempt to impose martial law in South Korea in early December.
• Yoon survived a first impeachment vote last week.

South Korea's National Assembly has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his decision to impose a short-lived martial law on December 3, according to the country's Yonhap news agency.

South Korea's parliament reportedly passed the motion by 204 votes to 85, with three lawmakers abstaining and eight votes nullified.

Yoon's decision to implement martial law earlier this month led to widespread protests in Seoul and calls for his resignation.

He later apologized and survived a first impeachment vote last weekend, which members of his People Power Party boycotted.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

• North Korea has called South Korea a 'fascistic dictatorship' after its short-lived martial law.
• South Korea has democratic elections, while Kim Jong Un exerts near-total control over North Korea.
• An article in North Korean state media also referred to South Korea's president as a "puppet."

North Korea has called South Korea a dictatorship after the latter's short-lived attempt at martial law.

Last week, South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, declared martial law in the country in a surprise announcement, citing the need to eliminate "anti-state" forces.

The unexpected decision was met with widespread protests, and hours later South Korea's parliament voted down the measure. Yoon's government quickly rescinded it.

In an article published by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency on Wednesday, the situation in South Korea was characterized as "pandemonium."

It referred to Yoon as a "puppet" who proclaimed martial law "in a bid to escape from the worst ruling crisis."

Kim Jong Un exerts near-total control over North Korea's population, using extensive surveillance, state-run media, suppressing dissent, and offering no real choice in elections.

The article also criticized South Korea as a "fascist dictatorship," which it said was under the watch of the international community.

In reality, North Korea is widely regarded as a global pariah due to Kim's authoritarian governance, whereas South Korea is recognized as a democratic nation.

According to Freedom House's Freedom in the World rankings, South Korea scores 83 out of 100. In contrast, North Korea scores just 3 out of 100 and is designated "not free."

Martial law is no longer in place in South Korea, and Yoon is now under investigation for treason, with a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country.

But over the weekend an attempt to impeach Yoon narrowly failed after many lawmakers from his ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote. The main opposition party is expected to continue its impeachment efforts.

During the political chaos that rocked South Korea last week, there were concerns that North Korea might exploit the turmoil, using a moment of weakness to its advantage.

Business Insider reported that this could take the form of propaganda designed to erode trust in democracy in South Korea.

• South Korea's president is facing calls from his own party for his impeachment.
• He declared martial law on Tuesday evening, only to backpedal six hours later.
• Yoon tried to arrest top lawmakers during that period, his party's leader said on Friday.

South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is facing calls from his own party for his immediate removal after his short-lived declaration of martial law.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the conservative People Power Party, told local media on Friday in Seoul that Yoon had ordered the arrest of top lawmakers after he announced martial law.

"Given the newly revealed facts, I believe it is necessary to promptly suspend President Yoon Suk Yeol from his duties to protect the Republic of Korea and its people," Han said, per a translation by the Yonhap news agency.

Han added that he was concerned Yoon would take more "radical" action if he remained in power.

He told local media that leaders had learned on Thursday that Yoon instructed the country's intelligence commander to detain politicians during martial law.

According to Han, Yoon had called them "anti-state" forces.

Yoon had used the same term to describe his political rivals when he made his shock announcement on Tuesday evening, accusing South Korea's opposition of being affiliated with North Korea as justification for martial law.

His declaration, made at around 10:27 p.m. Seoul time, was instantly denounced by Han and the leader of the opposition party, Lee Jae-myung.

They summoned their party members to the National Assembly, where they voted to lift martial law before troops could enter the main hall.

Of the 300-seat National Assembly, 190 members were present that night. They voted unanimously against Yoon's decision. Yoon lifted martial law at about 4:30 a.m. local time.

Impeachment for Yoon looms

Lee's main opposition party, the Democratic Party, has held a majority through 170 seats since the legislative elections in April and has stymied Yoon's parliamentary moves since.

The ruling People Power Party, of which Yoon is a member, holds 108 seats.

Yoon now faces impeachment through a motion filed by the Democratic Party, which must pass a vote in the National Assembly.

Han's ruling party initially stayed out of proceedings and was expected to oppose impeachment. But with support from smaller opposition parties, the Democratic Party only needs eight members of the ruling party to meet the required 200-vote threshhold.

With Han now calling for Yoon's removal, it's more likely those eight votes will come through.

If successful, the motion will suspend the president as a trial against him proceeds in the constitutional court.

Should two-thirds of the court's nine-member council see fit to impeach him, Yoon will be removed, and a replacement must be elected within 60 days.

The South Korean won weakened immediately after Yoon declared martial law to about 1,440 against the US dollar but recovered to 1,420 on Wednesday, a difference of 1.4% from the day before.

• South Korean and Japanese arms dealers are growing almost on pace with Russia's top defense firms.
• New data found that South Korea's and Japan's arms revenues jumped by 39% and 35% respectively.
• The data underscores an aggressive push by Asian firms to fill recent gaps in arms manufacturing.

The top defense manufacturing firms in both South Korea and Japan saw growth rates of nearly 40% in 2023, nearly on pace with that of the top arms dealers in Russia, per a new report.

Data published on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that the top four South Korea-based firms recorded a combined 39% increase in revenue over the year, while the top five Japanese defense firms saw a combined 35% increase.

In comparison, the two top Russian defense enterprises saw a combined 40% revenue increase from 2022 to 2023 and higher revenues. SIPRI attributed the production spike to the huge expenditures required by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The institute analyzed public data on the world's top 100 defense firms by revenue and found that arms revenues across all regions increased by 4.2% in 2023.

Its findings show how rapidly defense industries in Japan and South Korea — two key US allies — have stepped in to fill demand for arms and equipment since the outbreak of recent conflicts like the Ukraine war. The five largest US arms makers top SIPRI's list, but saw slower rates of growth.

Still, Xiao Liang, a researcher at SIPRI, told Business Insider the data doesn't directly translate into military might.

"The true scale of Russia's arms industry is likely a lot larger, so the data presented provides only a general overview and not a detailed representation of the current state of the Russian arms industry," he wrote in an email.

Arms sales take off in South Korea and Japan

South Korean firms, in particular, have caught attention in the last two years for selling billions of dollars worth of artillery in Europe, where it's been in short supply due to Ukraine's dire need for ammo to counter Russia's firepower advantage.

Among the four South Korean companies on the list are industrial heavyweights such as the Hanwha Group and Hyundai Rotem.

"South Korean firms specialize in tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles, with both domestic and international export deals boosting revenue," Liang wrote.

These companies are typically known for producing weapons systems like the K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery system and the K9 howitzer. Poland, for example, purchased 72 K239 Chunmoo systems in April for $1.6 billion; these truck-mounted launchers can fire guided or unguided rockets.

Hanwha Group rose from 42nd place in the world in 2022 to 24th in 2023. It brought in $5.71 billion in arms revenue in 2023, up 52.7% from $3.74 billion in 2022, per SIPRI.

According to SIPRI, much of the Seoul-based conglomerate's arms revenue was driven by its 2023 acquisition of one of South Korea's three biggest shipbuilders, DSME.

Five Japanese firms were listed among the world's top 100 defense firms. They include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which saw a 23.9% increase in arms revenue to $3.89 billion in 2023, and Fujitsu, which saw a 16.4% increase to $1.85 billion that year.

Liang said Japan's defense industry has benefited from a major increase in Tokyo's military spending policy. "Domestic orders for advanced systems have soared, further driving revenue growth," he said.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, for example, builds submarines and aircraft for Japan's forces, and saw new orders triple in 2023, Liang added.

Russia still leads in absolute figures

Still, the combined arms revenues of all nine Asian firms — about $21 billion — are eclipsed by the $25 billion in 2023 earnings reported by the Russian arms makers that SIPRI analyzed.

The institute didn't account for seven of the Russian enterprises that it listed in the Top 100 for 2022, saying that at this time, their "individual revenue data could not be obtained."

Liang wrote that the Russian defense industry has become increasingly opaque and that two major state-controlled firms — antiaircraft system maker Almaz-Antey and the Tactical Missiles Corporation — were no longer sharing their revenue data.

"Both companies probably have seen a significant rise in their revenue as they produce equipment categories in high demand due to the war such as air defense systems, artillery and missiles," Liang wrote.

SIPRI did cover two Russian state-owned firms: United Shipbuilding Corp and Rostec, a giant defense conglomerate that ranked seventh worldwide and oversees many arms producers.

SIPRI analysts said they normally wouldn't include data from Rostec, but listed it this time because it controls many of the arms manufacturers they could no longer gather data on.

The state-owned entity controls manufacturing for aircraft, electronic warfare systems, helicopters, and battle tanks.

Rostec's arms revenue grew 49.3% in 2023 to $21.7 billion, up from $14.5 billion in 2022, per SIPRI.

Meanwhile, United Shipbuilding Corp, which owns about two dozen shipyards and plants across Russia, paced behind the global revenue growth rate. It earned $3.7 billion in arms revenue in 2023, just 1.9% up from 2022.

• South Korea's President Yoon faces likely impeachment after a "botched coup" attempt, TS Lombard said.
• The firm predicts a new election could boost South Korea's economy and lead to friendlier relations with China.
• A Democratic People's Party win may also increase fiscal spending and improve GDP growth, TS Lombard said.

A knock-on effect of South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol's "botched coup" attempt earlier this week could be a stronger economy, according to GlobalData TS Lombard.

In a Wednesday note, research analyst Rory Green said the martial law episode that unraveled earlier this week suggests President Yoon will be impeached and replaced soon.

"We think Yoon's position is untenable: impeachment (if not this week then soon) followed by fresh presidential elections is highly likely," Green said

President Yoon is on track to be the least popular president in Korean history, according to data from Gallup, cited by Green.

If Green's prediction proves accurate, the center-left Democratic People's Party (DPP) will likely field a presidential candidate who would win an imminent election.

And that could usher in a new wave of economic growth for South Korea, in part driven by the potential for friendlier relations between South Korea and China.

"A DPP president would increase fiscal expenditure boosting H2/25 activity and likely tilt foreign policy towards closer ties with Beijing and Pyongyang," Green explained.

Green said there is headroom for South Korea's economy to grow from its current GDP rate of an estimated 2.2%, which is below its average post-pandemic growth rate of 2.75%.

"A relatively quick political resolution would enable an emergency budget. More expansive fiscal spending in conjunction with another 50bps of policy rate cuts in H1/25 nudges up our GDP forecast to 2.1%," Green said.

Alternatively, Green said South Korea's economic growth rate would nudge lower if a presidential election is delayed past April.

According to the note, South Korea's parliament needs just nine more votes to secure the president's impeachment, assuming all 192 members of President Yoon's opposition party vote for impeachment.

• South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law in a televised address on Tuesday.
• Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party told CNN he thought it was a digital fake.
• Lee went viral after livestreaming himself climbing a fence to get to the National Assembly.

Lee Jae-myung, South Korea's main opposition leader, initially thought the president's martial law declaration was a deepfake.

"I was lying in bed with my wife in our home … when my wife suddenly showed me a YouTube video and said, 'The president is declaring martial law,'" Lee Jae-myung told CNN.

Lee said he was convinced it was a digitally manipulated video.

"I replied, 'That's a deepfake. It has to be a deepfake. There's no way that's real,'" he added.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the world on Tuesday when he announced he was imposing martial law during a late-night address.

The decree, which enabled temporary military control and the suspension of civilian government activities and civil liberties, was the first since the country's democratization in 1987.

Yoon said the declaration was necessary to prevent subversion by North Korea, South Korea's longtime enemy, but it's likely he was seeking to quash domestic opposition and bolster his power.

He backpedaled six hours later, after the streets were filled with protesters. The decree was voted against by MPs who had to cross barricades and climb walls to make it into the National Assembly.

Lee went viral on social media for livestreaming himself climbing over a fence to the National Assembly building so he could vote against the decree. He described Yoon's move as unconstitutional.

Calls for the president's resignation are growing. According to the Yonhap news agency, all six opposition parties filed an impeachment motion on Wednesday, with a vote set for Friday or Saturday.

Yoon came to power in 2022, narrowly defeating Lee in the most closely contested presidential election in South Korean history.

Since then, his presidency has been riddled with controversy and low approval ratings.

Several senior government figures, including the defense minister, have resigned from their posts.

In the immediate aftermath, the South Korean won plunged as much as 3% relative to the US dollar.

• South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, declared martial law late on Tuesday in a surprise announcement.
• It sparked a night of urgency in Seoul as lawmakers, troops, and protesters raced to parliament.
• Here's what unfolded over the crucial six hours that squashed Yoon's move.

South Korea's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, shocked the nation on Tuesday evening by declaring martial law.

The measure, voted down unanimously by parliament hours later, plunged Seoul into a night of confusion.

The National Assembly building became the epicenter of the early morning's dramatic events, as lawmakers raced to reverse Yoon's decision, military forces tried to enforce martial law, and thousands of residents arrived in protest.

Just before dawn, Yoon rescinded his declaration of martial law, returning rule to the civilian government.

Here's how Yoon's night of short-lived martial law transpired.

10:27 p.m. — Yoon declares martial law

Yoon, a conservative leader who narrowly won the 2022 election, announced his decision in an unannounced broadcast on live TV.

He accused opposition parties of trying to take parliament hostage, saying he was removing pro-North Korean forces in the country.

"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order," he said.

Yoon has been struggling to pass laws because his party's main rival, the Democratic Party, secured a majority in parliament during the legislative elections in April.

South Koreans react with confusion

In the entertainment district of Hongdae, 29-year-old Kim Hongmin was watching the news with his friends.

"It felt unreal. Martial law was something I had only studied as part of Korea's historical events, I never imagined I would actually experience it myself," Kim, a freelance English translator, told Business Insider.

The last time martial law was declared in South Korea was in 1980, when a military dictatorship took over.

10:45 p.m. — Parliament leaders denounce the decision

In an early blow to Yoon's declaration, the leader of his own party, Han Dong-hoon, quickly told local media that the move was "wrong."

"We will block it together with the people," Han said, per the Yonhap news agency.

Yonhap also reported that the opposition leader, Lee Jae-Myung, said Yoon had declared martial law "illegally and unconstitutionally against the people."

10:50 p.m. — Parliament mobilizes to stop Yoon

Both parties issued summons to their members, telling them to convene for an emergency vote.

Lee, who runs the Democratic Party, live-streamed himself on the way to the National Assembly, urging people to protest outside the building.

"Tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers with guns and swords will rule this country," he said.

In Hongdae, Kim and his friends decided to heed the call to protest, driving to Yeouido, where the National Assembly is located.

"I didn't know what I could do, but I just felt that I had to be there," he told BI. Thousands of others would also make their way to the complex.

11 p.m. — Martial law takes effect

The race was on. Lawmakers were trying to vote quickly against Yoon's decision.

With martial law in action, troops would move to seize control of all political mechanisms.

Photos show that police began to set up a perimeter at the National Assembly building. Protesters started arriving.

The speaker of parliament, Woo Won-shik, said lawmakers would open a session as soon as enough of them were present to hold a vote — 150 assembly members.

11:15 p.m. — Lawmakers jump fences and walls to get inside

The politicians, including Woo, rushed to the National Assembly building. Some had to navigate barricades as protesters shouted for officers to let them through.

Kim, the translator, said that when he arrived, he filmed aides and journalists climbing over fences.

"It turned out that all entrances to the National Assembly were blocked by the police," he said.

Lee, the opposition leader who had been live-streaming his journey to the complex, ended his broadcast after hopping a fence and arriving at his office.

At about 11:40 p.m., veteran lawmaker Park Jie-won wrote on social media that over 100 opposition members had already gathered.

11:45 p.m. — Crowds assemble outside parliament premises

Protesters started to throng the streets outside the National Assembly complex.

"I began shouting: 'Abolish martial law!' It was the only thing I could do," Kim said. "Others joined in and were chanting the same."

Park Minjun, a 27-year-old graduate student who was present, told BI that there seemed to be no central leadership among the crowds.

Those who arrived first were party members and unionists, he said. Other civilians and families would join them in the cold, but only about an hour later.

Before midnight — News emerges that Yoon appointed his martial law commander

Meanwhile, South Korean media broke the news that Yoon had appointed Park An-soo, the army's chief of staff and a four-star general, as the commander overseeing martial law.

Park laid out a series of rules, including full state control of the press, the banning of worker strikes, and the prohibition of rallies.

Notably, he declared that any activities of the National Assembly would have to cease.

12 a.m. — Martial law forces reach the complex

As the National Assembly started to meet its quorum requirement, the first of the martial law forces arrived outside. Three helicopters unloaded armed teams with tactical gear.

Watching the troops pour out of their choppers, Kim recalled the last time martial law had been declared, when soldiers massacred protesters in the Gwangju uprising four decades ago.

"Would the tragic history of soldiers shooting civilians repeat itself?" he said.

A small crowd of protesters and aides had pushed into the complex and stationed themselves at the main entrance of the parliament building.

Scuffling with the arriving military teams, they stalled these forces from entering the main hall for some time.

12:30 a.m. — Troops clash inside the building

Eventually, the troops broke into the building via glass windows. But they were soon met by parliamentary aides, who had blocked corridors to the main voting hall with chairs and desks.

In one tense encounter, a civilian tried to drive back military forces by spraying a fire extinguisher.

Within the voting hall, politicians called for the count to start immediately, but Woo insisted they would follow procedure.

12:45 a.m. — Korean currency dives to its lowest in years

The Korean won began to plunge as soon as Yoon declared martial law and now had reached its weakest, at about 1,442 against the US dollar.

12:48 a.m. — Lawmakers vote to lift martial law

Led by Woo, the National Assembly officially began the vote on reversing martial law. At that time, 190 of the assembly's 300 members were present.

In less than a minute, every single person voted to rescind Yoon's declaration.

From the count, it's clear that those who voted to strike down Yoon's decision included more than just the opposition — which has 175 seats.

1 a.m. — Troops leave the building

Heckled by aides and protesters, the troops departed the building almost immediately after the measure passed.

Almost immediately after the vote, the won recovered to about 1,420 against the dollar, or about 1.4% weaker than Tuesday.

1:10 a.m. — Protesters linger

Kim said that as news of the successful vote reached the protesters, cheers broke out among the crowd.

"I was conflicted, but I saw hope," he said. He and some 4,000 other protesters, including Park, stayed outside out of fear martial law would still continue.

4:26 a.m. — Yoon relents

Six hours after his shock announcement, Yoon acceded to the National Assembly's vote and declared an end to martial law.

4:40 a.m. — Martial law is lifted and troops withdraw

Yoon's martial law was officially rescinded by an emergency Cabinet meeting, and dispatched forces returned to their bases.

With the threat of martial law receding, protesters like Kim and Park decided to return home.

8 a.m. — South Koreans wake up to an uncertain future

For many Seoul residents like Lee Tae-hoon, news of martial law — declared and then rescinded — arrived only in the morning.

Lee, a 28-year-old researcher at a university, said he relies on his friends to get his news and he woke up to texts about what transpired the night before.

"After today, I'll probably take voting more seriously," Lee told BI. He did not vote in the last election, which Yoon won.

Despite the reckoning the country just faced, Lee said life had moved on quickly. He received a text from his boss not to show up to work, but said he was on deadline for a project and clocked in anyway.

"It looks like everyone came to work as normal, seeing that the carpark was full," Lee said.

What happens next?

"It is not clear what Yoon was trying to achieve," said Ellen Kim, a senior fellow at the Korea Chair for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, with regard to Yoon's decision to implement martial law.

"He may have thought he did not have much choice to break the political paralysis of his government created by the opposition parties that hold a majority in the National Assembly," she told BI.

The president now faces motions of impeachment filed by the opposition. His party leader, Han, urged that the defense minister also be removed over reports that the latter suggested the idea of martial law to Yoon.

Several senior aides to the president have also offered to resign, per South Korean media.

Kim, the CSIS fellow, said Seoul is already in a tense position internationally, with North Korea engaging in the Ukraine war and with Donald Trump soon taking the US presidency.

"The political vacuum created by Yoon's departure will create a huge political instability in South Korea," she said of the possibility that Yoon steps down.

Meanwhile, protesters like Kim, the translator, say they're not done. Kim is joining a protest at Gwanghwamun on Wednesday evening and Saturday to call for Yoon's impeachment. Counter-protesters have also taken to the streets to defend Yoon.

Seoul's younger generation, Kim said, has lived through tragedies like the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, which sent Yoon's popularity plummeting.

"We share a collective sense of grief and urgency," he said.

Correction: December 4, 2024 — This story was updated to clarify the status of several senior aides to South Korea's president. The aides were widely reported to have offered to resign; it's unclear whether those resignations were approved or whether they have left their roles.

• South Korea was in chaos on Tuesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.
• Yoon reversed course hours after invoking the law and now faces being impeached.
• South Korea's foe, North Korea, could seek to exploit the turmoil.

Kim Jong Un, North Korea's emboldened leader, is likely watching the events in South Korea closely and may use the turmoil to his benefit.

"We know that North Korea likes to lampoon South Korea's democratic system whenever there is tumult in Seoul," Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford to CNN.

"We should not be surprised if Pyongyang exploits the domestic crisis in South Korea to its advantage, either rhetorically or otherwise," he added.

It comes after South Korea, long one of the US' most important Asian allies, was tipped into political chaos on Tuesday when its president, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law.

Yoon reversed course six hours later after lawmakers blocked the declaration. Calls for the president's resignation are now growing.

All six opposition parties filed an impeachment motion on Wednesday, with a vote set for Friday or Saturday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Yoon said the declaration was necessary to prevent subversion by North Korea, South Korea's longtime enemy, but it's likely he was seeking to quash domestic opposition and bolster his power.

How North Korea may respond

North Korea may decide it's "a great time to take advantage of this weakness to deal another blow to him through some type of provocation," Sydney Seiler, who until last year was the national intelligence officer for North Korea on the US National Intelligence Council, told VOA.

The unrest comes at a time of heightened tensions in East Asia.

South Korea has long been backed by the US, which has 30,000 troops stationed in the republic, in its decadeslong frozen war with North Korea.

But North Korea, fuelled by Russian money and goods after backing the Kremlin's Ukraine invasion, is becoming more assertive and more aggressive.

It's escalating its threats toward South Korea, while ally China menaces US ally Taiwan with invasion.

Meanwhile, the US is seeking to bolster its democratic allies in the region to deter aggression by the axis of authoritarian states. It was reportedly caught off guard by Yoon's declaration on Tuesday but sought to project unwavering support for South Korean security as the turmoil unfolded.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on Tuesday said the US commitment to South Korean security remained "ironclad."

"We're watching the recent developments in the ROK [Republic of Korea] with grave concern," Campbell said. "We're seeking to engage our ROK counterparts at every level both here and in Seoul."

Kim could use the crisis to intimidate and undermine its neighbor, and drive a wedge between South Korea and the US, say analysts.

Seiler told VOA that Kim "may see President [Yoon]'s actions as straining that relationship."

It could also take the form of propaganda designed to erode trust in democracy and government stability in South Korea.

US support may act as a deterrent

Not everyone agrees that there will be much action from North Korea, however. For one thing, US support for South Korea may act as a significant deterrent.

"North Korea is very likely to seek to capitalize politically. But the South Korea-US alliance is robust, with the two main political parties and 90% of South Koreans supporting it," Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Head of Department of European and International Studies at SOAS, told Business Insider.

David Welch, University Research Chair and Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo, told Newsweek that Kim is likely "rubbing his hands with glee" but said he was not in a good position to respond.

"I would expect some rhetorical gloating about the superiority of North Korea's political system, but not much else," he said.

• South Korea's largest labor union has issued an indefinite general strike.
• The call went out to its 1.1M members after South Korea's president declared martial law.
• It said the strike would last until the president stepped down.

South Korea's largest labor union launched an indefinite general strike late on Tuesday, calling for the country's embattled president to resign after he declared martial law.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions issued the call in a Facebook post to its 1.1 million members, saying the strike would start Wednesday at 9 a.m. local time and would last until the president's "regime" abolished martial law and the president stepped down.

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, only to rescind the decree six hours later. It was a stunning move that threw the Asian country into political and economic disarray.

The decree, which suspended civilian government functions and established temporary military control, was South Korea's first declaration of martial law since the country's democratization in 1987.

Yoon justified the move in a televised address on Tuesday, saying it was necessary to counter North Korea and "anti-state forces," while also criticizing the country's opposition politicians.

In the aftermath, the South Korean won dropped to its lowest level since October 2022, but trimmed losses in Asian hours.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Korean Confederation of Trade Union described Yoon's declaration of martial law as "anti-democratic" and one that South Korea's "people will not forgive."

Andrew Minjun Park, a 27-year-old graduate student at Seoul National University, who joined protests on Tuesday night, told BI that the president had "crossed the line" when he involved the military.

Meanwhile, South Korea's former foreign minister, Kang Kyung-hwa, told CNN that the president's move and the way it was handled was "completely unacceptable" and an "aberration."

According to the Yonhap news agency, 10 senior aides working for Yoon, including his chief of staff, offered to resign on Wednesday.

Calls for the president's resignation have been growing. All six opposition parties filed a motion to impeach Yoon on Wednesday, with plans to put it to a vote on Friday or Saturday.

To remove him from office, a two-thirds majority in Parliament and at least six justices of the nine-member Constitutional Court would be required, per the Associated Press.

Yoon has been dubbed a "lame-duck president" because he holds the nation's highest position without a majority in the legislature.

Robert E. Kelly, a professor of political science at Pusan National University, told India's WION news on Wednesday that Yoon's "approval rating is under 20%, so he has no strong public backing to help keep him in office to overcome this."

"If he decides to stay, he'll almost certainly face impeachment," Kelly added.

• Mercer's Quality of Living City Ranking 2024 looks at factors such as political stability and healthcare.
• There were 12 Asian cities that made it into the top 100 in the rankings this year.
• Singapore was the only Asian city to make the top 50.

If you're considering moving to Asia, a new report can help determine which city would be the top choice.

Mercer, a human resource consulting service, recently released its yearly Quality of Living City Ranking, which ranks 241 cities across five continents. The ranking process considers factors such as political stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and socio-cultural environment.

In an era of remote work, the ranking also considered the cost of living in different cities.

Mercer said that the most "successful destinations" were those that "blend flexible governance around mobile talent with a high quality of life and an affordable cost of living."

Although many European cities were featured high on the list, with Zurich maintaining its top spot, 12 Asian cities made the top 100 this year. Singapore was the only city in Asia to make the top 50, at 30th position.

Take a look at the top 10 cities in Asia:

10. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (85th)

Abu Dhabi recently ranked second, with Dubai taking first place, among the most popular locations for executive nomads, according to the Executive Nomad Index by real estate firm Savills.

The capital of the UAE is known for its modern skyline and shopping megacenters. Expats make up more than 80% of its population, per InterNations, a Munich-based expat network.

9. Taipei, Taiwan (85th)

Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is tied with Abu Dhabi at 85th. Between 2019 and 2021, Taiwan was ranked first out of 59 destinations in the InterNations Expat Insider survey for the job security expats enjoy and the state of the local economy.

Alex Teachey, a New Yorker who moved to Taipei in 2020, previously told BI that he enjoys the city for its affordability.

"I live a 20-minute bike ride from my office — I never could have afforded anything remotely similar if I'd stayed in New York City," he said.

8. Dubai, UAE (83rd)

Known for its glitzy skyscrapers and modern architecture, Dubai is also an expat hotspot. According to the Dubai Statistics Center, 92% of its 3,655,000-person population are non-Emirati.

Expats in Dubai previously told BI that they liked the city for its convenience and ease of making friends. "There are so many interesting and new people to meet here with different perspectives than we're used to," said Kiran Ali, who relocated to the city with her family earlier this year.

7. Seoul, South Korea (81st)

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, clearly has more to offer than just K-pop. With a population of 9.4 million, the city is popular for expats seeking affordability and a rich culture.

Besides Seoul, Busan was the second city in South Korea to make the top 100, ranking 100th.

6. Hong Kong (76th)

Hong Kong is known for being a global financial center with a thriving food scene. It is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with an overall density of around 17,311 people per square mile.

Kaitlyn Cheung, who moved from California to Hong Kong, previously told BI that she was impressed by the country's efficient public transport system and found the city to be diverse. "I routinely made friends from all over the world, which allowed me to broaden my horizons and learn about different cultures," she said.

5. Nagoya, Japan (74th)

Located in the center of Japan, Nagoya is the capital of Japan's Aichi Prefecture with a population of 2.3 million people.

LaJuan, a content creator, moved to a shoebox apartment in the city and pays $230 a month in rent. He appreciates the city's slow and simple pace of life.

"Nagoya, to me, is a perfect balance of both city life and just having some space for yourself," he told BI.

4. Osaka-Kobe, Japan (68th)

Osaka is a port city known for its nightlife and history. It's Japan's second-largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. Kobe, a city known for beef, is 22 miles from Osaka, or just 12 minutes away by the Shinkansen bullet train.

Grace Cheng, who visited Japan 11 times, said Osaka is ideal for foodies. "Whenever I go there, my sole mission is to eat," she told BI, adding that she recommends the city's tonkatsu and takoyaki.

3. Yokohama, Japan (58th)

Located less than 20 miles south of Tokyo, Yokohama is a port city with skyscrapers and is home to Japan's biggest Chinatown.

The district around Yokohama Station earned the top spot for livability in the Greater Tokyo rankings by Recruit Co., a Toyko-based human resource service, for seven consecutive years, per local reports. The same survey found that reasons for wanting to live in the area include the availability of cultural facilities and large-scale shopping complexes.

"Yokohama was so safe that I took public buses by myself at 8 to meet friends in different parts of the city," Alicia Erickson, who moved to the city as a kid, told BI.

2. Tokyo, Japan (56th)

The capital of Japan is home to over 14 million residents and is easily recognized for its neon-lit skyscrapers and busy streets.

David McElhinney, who moved to Tokyo in 2018, was surprised by cultural differences. He added that knowing how to speak a little Japanese goes a long way in the city. "Big cities — especially ones as dynamic, complex, and multifaceted as the Japanese capital — always bring new surprises," he said.

1. Singapore (30th)

Singapore, a small island nation in Southeast Asia, was ranked the highest among Asian cities on the list. Widely hailed as the "most expensive city," Singapore's foreign workforce makes up around 30% of its population of 6 million.

Nick Burns, who transferred from San Francisco to Singapore, said he appreciates the city for its affordable healthcare, safety, and hawker food. "I can't see us leaving anytime soon," he said.

• Andrew Minjun Park, 27, is a graduate student at Seoul National University.
• Park joined the protests in Seoul after South Korea's president abruptly declared martial law.
• He arrived at the National Assembly at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and stayed until the next morning.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Minjun Park, 27, a graduate student at Seoul National University. Park participated in the protests against martial law outside South Korea's National Assembly building on Tuesday night. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was preparing for my political science Ph.D. applications on Tuesday when I heard the news about South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring martial law.

At first, I thought it was fake news. Putting the country under martial law is something that's often associated with the authoritarian governments South Korea had in the '70s and '80s.

But after watching the president's address on YouTube, I realized he was dead serious.

To me, this was a critical moment in Korea's modern history

Initially, I didn't want to join the protests that were forming outside the National Assembly building.

There was a possibility the protests could turn violent. You could also get arrested since protests are illegal under martial law.

But as more and more photos of security forces descending on the building came in, it began to dawn on me that this situation couldn't be taken lightly.

The president had crossed the line when he got the military involved. What he had done posed a risk to democracy.

To me, this was a critical moment in Korea's modern history.

I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't head down to the National Assembly.

The protests were scattered at first

I took the subway to the National Assembly. Unlike most nights, the train was packed. I think a few hundred people got off with me at the station when we arrived.

By the time I got to the building, it was around 11:45 p.m.

There was a police bus parked in front of the building's gate to prevent protesters from entering the National Assembly. I also saw helicopters flying over the building.

At first, the protests were scattered. Some groups were near the gate, while others were lingering behind. There didn't seem to be any central leadership.

I noticed that many of the people who were already there seemed to be party members or unionists. The unionists were wearing uniforms and waving their unions' flags.

But at around 12:30 a.m. or so, I started to see families and students arriving in larger numbers. Some parents brought their children along.

This was my first protest, and I wasn't prepared for the physical aspects of it.

It was really cold, and my hands hurt from trying to hold up a banner I had made. And because it was so crowded, I kept bumping into people.

When the National Assembly voted unanimously to block the president's decree, the protests' agenda began to shift toward calling for the arrest and impeachment of President Yoon.

The protests took place in a peaceful manner.

At around 4:30 a.m. or so, the president announced he would lift martial law and withdraw the troops. Cheers broke out among the protesters. That was when I decided to take a cab back home.

The situation is not over yet

After getting home, I called my parents to tell them I had gone to the protests. I had originally told them that I wasn't going to participate in the protests because I could tell they were worried.

They told me I had made the right decision in going. Both of my parents lived through martial law when they were young.

I am wary of what could happen next. There have been calls for President Yoon to resign and for him to be impeached or indicted.

If there are more protests calling for Yoon's removal, I think I will definitely be there, too.

• South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law in a shock address on Tuesday.
• He expressed frustration with paralyzing opposition forces within the government.
• After hours of civil unrest, Yoon rescinded the order, but many are calling for his resignation.

In a stunning move that threw the nation into turmoil, South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, invoked martial law on Tuesday, only to reverse course six hours later.

The decree, which brought temporary military control and the suspension of civilian government activities and civil liberties, marked South Korea's first declaration of martial law since the country's democratization in 1987.

The last time that a South Korean leader declared martial law was in 1979, in the aftermath of the assassination of the president.

The resulting turmoil in this instance could be felt for some time.

Calls are growing for the president's resignation. All six opposition parties filed an impeachment motion on Wednesday, with a vote set for Friday or Saturday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

After Yoon ordered martial law, South Korea's parliament voted unanimously to block the decree, declaring the move invalid, but martial law remained in effect.

Yoon announced he would lift martial law and withdraw troops the following day. The Joint Chiefs of Staff then said that the deployed troops had returned to their original units. In the aftermath, Yoon's cabinet approved the reversal.

But the reversal of the order wasn't enough to stymie economic anxieties that arose out of the unrest. On Wednesday, South Korea's Kospi Index closed 1.4% lower. The won fell to its lowest level since October 2022 but trimmed losses in Asian hours.

Companies in the country, including South Korea's SK Group, a conglomerate of semiconductor and energy businesses, and Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai, were hosting emergency executive meetings in the early morning hours on Wednesday, per Bloomberg.

"We are concerned that these events could impact South Korea's sovereign credit rating, although this is uncertain at this stage," wrote Min Joo Kan, ING Economics' senior economist in Seoul, in a research note.

The leader of Yoon's party said that the ruling party feels "deeply sorry to the public," adding that "the president must directly and thoroughly explain this tragic situation" and that those who called for martial law should be held accountable.

Yoon's entire cabinet and all of his aides have offered to resign, according to local reports.

Meanwhile, the country's largest labor union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is on indefinite strike, demanding Yoon's resignation, which could hurt production.

On Wednesday, thousands gathered for protest rallies across the country, including outside South Korea's national assembly.

Why did Yoon declare martial law?

Yoon indicated the move was necessary to counter North Korea, but the move appears to be at least partly political.

In a televised address, he spoke of "anti-state forces," saying martial law was necessary to eliminate them quickly and "normalize the country." He also criticized the country's opposition politicians, responding to a series of political setbacks that have frustrated his agenda.

Yoon has suffered from low approval ratings this year and has been described by critics as a "lame-duck president," as he holds the nation's highest office without having a majority in its legislature.

Yoon's conservative People Power Party lost a general election in April, in which the rival Democratic Party of Korea took 175 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly.

The opposition majority in parliament last week voted to cut almost $3 billion from Yoon's 2025 budget, undermining his plans. They have also tried to impeach three top prosecutors, The Associated Press reported.

Even as he reversed his martial law decision, Yoon continued to criticize those he saw as frustrating his agenda, requesting in a later address that the National Assembly "immediately stop its reckless actions that paralyze the functions of the state through repeated impeachment, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation."

The decision to invoke martial law led to parliamentary activity being prohibited, according to the country's government-funded Yonhap news agency. Anyone who violated the rules could have been arrested without a warrant.

The outlet also said that media and publishers fell under the control of South Korea's military.

The provisions of martial law also allowed for the suspension of certain civil liberties.

What has been the political reaction?

Yoon's late-night announcement prompted protests outside parliament, with some trying to climb its walls. There was also intense criticism of Yoon for short-circuiting the country's democracy.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, said imposing martial law was "wrong" and that he would "stop it with the people."

South Korea's main opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, described the move as unconstitutional.

Yoon was already an unpopular leader in Korea. Gallup's latest poll, released last week, showed his approval rating falling to 19%, per a poll of 1,000 adults.

The unexpected declaration of martial law was also said to have caught the Biden administration by surprise.

South Korea is a key US ally in the Indo-Pacific region and is a base for roughly 28,500 American service members, as well as numerous civilian workers and dependents.

"We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement after the martial law was rescinded.

How has the economy been affected?

Markets reacted immediately to South Korea's political crisis, with US-listed Korean stocks and the South Korean won taking a hit in overnight trade.

While shares of Samsung Electronics, the country's largest company, dropped 3% before paring losses, South Korea's Kospi Index fell 2.2% and closed 1.4% lower on Wednesday.

South Korean authorities have rushed to reassure investors.

The country's finance ministry said on Wednesday it was standing ready to deploy all necessary measures to stabilize the financial markets.

"We will inject unlimited liquidity into stocks, bonds, short-term money market as well as forex market for the time being until they are fully normalised," the ministry said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Kim Byung-hwan, the chairman of South Korea's Financial Services Commission, said the government was ready to activate a $35.4 billion stock market stabilization fund immediately and take other measures to address market concerns if needed.

But Rhee Chang-yong, governor of the Bank of Korea, told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday evening local time that South Korea's financial markets were stabilizing quickly and that the impact on markets was short-lived.

He added that he believed South Korea's economic dynamics can be separated from its political dynamics.

Even so, a few hours later, the OECD lowered South Korea's 2025 growth economic outlook to 2.1%, from 2.2%.

One notable stock surge amid all the turmoil: Kakao, and subsidiaries Kakaopay and KakaoBank, were up on Wednesday. Billionaire founder Brian Kim was arrested in July on charges of manipulating a major K-pop agency deal last year.

• Seoul city authorities want to tackle the loneliness epidemic with a $322 million plan.
• Lonely individuals can call a 24/7 counseling hotline and win rewards for attending local events.
• While the plan is a step in the right direction, experts say it will not address the problem's roots.

Seoul's loneliness epidemic is eating the city from within.

The city glitters, but there's a reason the locals call South Korea "Hell Joseon." Locals contend with crippling debt and pressure-cooker academic and work lives. Loneliness and isolation stem from and compound those problems. It's a scourge that manifests in different ways across the metropolis's sprawling cityscape, and a pressing issue the government is keen to address.

According to a 2021 study from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, about 3.1% of those aged 19 to 39, or around 340,000 people, are considered to be lonely and reclusive.

At the extreme end is "godoksa," or lonely death, where someone dies by suicide or illness after living in social isolation.

Lonely deaths in South Korea increased from 3,378 in 2021 to 3,661 in 2023, per the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare's data.

The South Korean government plans to spend over $322 million on measures that attempt to fix loneliness. However, experts told Business Insider this initiative fails to address the root causes of the problem — and might not have the effect the government is hoping to achieve.

A 'Seoul Without Loneliness'

Titled "Seoul Without Loneliness," the five-year initiative takes a multi-pronged approach to address the problem.

City authorities said in an October statement that people experiencing loneliness can tap a 24/7 counseling hotline. They can also eat together in community spaces and collect perks and activity points for participating in sporting activities and attending local events.

"We will mobilize our resources to create a happy city where no one is isolated, implement the Seoul Without Loneliness initiative, and thoroughly manage the issue from prevention to healing, reintegration into society, and the prevention of re-isolation," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in the statement.

When contacted by Business Insider, a representative for the Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the plan will involve all departments in the city's government collaborating to "establish a systematic support framework tailored to specific fields and life stages."

"'Seoul Without Loneliness' is a bold challenge for the city and not an easy path to take," the representative said. "While numerous trials and errors are expected, and not all issues can be resolved at once, Seoul is confident that continuous efforts and various innovative attempts will eventually lead to achieving its goals."

"Seoul will continue to do its utmost to create a city where all citizens can live happily," the representative added.

Last year, the country's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it would pay socially isolated youth around $500 a month to encourage them to mingle with society.

Prevention is better than cure when it comes to tackling loneliness

Psychologists and sociologists that Business Insider spoke to said that while October's initiative is a step in the right direction, it's not a silver bullet.

"It may be helpful for those who feel they're isolated and who are willing to get out of their loneliness. But for those who do not want outside help, then these policies are probably irrelevant to them," Joonmo Son, a sociology professor at the National University of Singapore, told BI.

"The other issue we need to think of is that the policy itself does not prevent loneliness. Rather, it's to prevent the lonely deaths of those who are isolated," Son added.

Eva Chen, a psychology professor at Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University, told BI that South Korea should address the country's competitive culture, which starts young.

Last year, nearly 80% of children participated in private education programs like "hagwons" or cram schools, according to data from South Korea's National Statistics Office. Families also splashed out $19.4 billion on private education — which can span all manner of supplementary drilling on schoolwork, from after-school "hagwon" sessions to tutoring.

"It's an incredibly competitive society, and you can see these issues start to appear when children start their formal schooling. You will notice that suicide rates among Korean students are fairly high when compared to neighboring countries," Chen said.

In 2023, South Korea recorded a suicide rate of 27.3 out of 100,000 people, the highest rate among OECD countries like the US, UK, and Japan.

Navigating such a competitive environment, Chen said, can result in people becoming more withdrawn and isolated.

"It sort of breaks down that willingness to be helpful. In young children, the natural tendency is toward empathy and valuing moral goodness over more superficial factors like your salary and your education," she continued.

Kee Hong Choi, a psychology professor at Korea University, said that his country's education system needs to be "changed dramatically" to become less competitive.

"People become individualistic because they are emotionally hardened from social pressure and judgment," Choi said.

"Many people get traumatized by these kinds of social comparisons in an education system and start to develop depressive, or social anxiety symptoms," he added.

Stakes are high for solving the problem of loneliness

South Korea's ongoing struggle with the loneliness epidemic poses both social and economic implications.

Sohyun Kim, a psychology professor at Korea University, told BI that "the problem of loneliness is one of the most urgent social and economic problems" the country faces.

"Many of these individuals are also financially struggling, which is not surprising as all of these issues can affect various areas of our lives, including our productivity, and also those who are financially more limited have been found to be at higher risk of isolation," Kim said.

Korea University's Choi said social isolation among youths could exacerbate the country's existing socio-economic problems, such as its birth rate.

South Korea's fertility rate was 0.72 in 2023, the lowest in the world. It's even lower in Seoul, which recorded a fertility rate of 0.55 in the same year.

Based on its current trajectory, the country's population of 51 million is expected to halve by 2100. That's another problem Seoul's government is trying to solve with its "birth encouragement" program to raise fertility rates. Nearly a fifth of South Korea's population lives in Seoul.

"Lonely individuals are, of course, less likely to form families. That's a huge problem for Korea right now, to produce the next generation of children, and more practically, the next generation of the workforce," National Tsing Hua University's Chen said.

• Rosé opened up about how she copes with anxiety.
• The Blackpink member said she only noticed her anxiety recently and uses stress balls to help.
• This is not the first time she has discussed mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in the K-pop industry.

K-pop megastar Rosé is speaking up about how she copes with anxiety.

On Wednesday's episode of "Therapuss with Jake Shane," the Blackpink member said she only started to notice her anxiety recently.

"I think it's gone really bad over these past few years," said Rosé, 27. She added that her friends who have worked with her 3 or 4 years ago have told her she's been "a little different" this year.

"And I was like, 'Am I?' I think that's probably the anxiety," she said.

The "APT" singer said she had never needed things like stress balls before. "I'm like, 'I don't understand stress balls, like why would you ever need them?' is what I thought, until I came across one during a meeting once. I was like, 'Ew, what is that?' I touched it and thought it was disgusting. And then I touched it again and was like, 'Oh, it's kind of a cool texture,'" she recalled.

From then on, she started using stress balls at "every single meeting," she said. "I ended up doing this serious meeting with somebody, and I got through it so well," she said. She realized it was the stress ball. "It just helps," she continued.

That's when she diagnosed herself with "bad anxiety," she said.

Rosé said that having a stress ball helps her to cope with anxious feelings. "If I'm going for it, I'm like, 'I know I have anxiety.' So I know how to articulate it," she said, adding that she can tell the people around her when she needs a 5-minute break.

"You know how people go for smoke breaks? I need a squishy break," she said.

This is not the first time the K-pop star has opened up about mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in South Korea.

"The blame lies with South Korean society in general," Ryu Sang-ho, a neurologist from Busan, previously told The Guardian following the suicides of K-pop stars. "Many people with mental health issues are reluctant to take medication for fear of being seen as weak-minded," Ryu said.

Last November, Rosé spoke at a mental health event hosted by First Lady Jill Biden about the importance of taking care of mental health.

"In order for me to create and share positivity through my music, my mental health needs to be taken care of as a matter of priority," she said, adding, "Just as we train ourselves for better health and fitness, mental health can only be maintained with equally, if not more attention, as our physical well-being."

A representative for Rosé did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Managing anxiety at work

Anxiety is a growing issue in the workplace. A March report by mental health service provider ComPsych found that the No. 1 presenting issue reported by US workers was anxiety, based on their sample analysis of more than 300,000 US cases.

Marla Deibler, licensed clinical psychologist, previously told BI that anxiety is a normal response to stress.

"Let it in when it shows up. Practice acceptance. Rather than trying to push it away (which tends to be futile, resulting in feeling more overwhelmed and less in control), make room for anxiety," she said.

She added that not every thought is necessarily true and can sometimes be unhelpful. "Notice the thoughts. Note that they are not objective truths. You get to decide whether the thoughts are worthy of your attention."

Beyond tips like practicing deep breathing, consuming less caffeine, and staying connected with friends, people who live with anxiety can consider seeking professional help.

• North Korean troops sent to aid Russia will likely be deployed to the most dangerous fighting spots.
• That's according to South Korea's defense minister, who said they'd likely be used as "cannon fodder."
• North Korean forces have already taken casualties, per reports.

North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces will likely be sent to some of the most dangerous spots in the war, Kim Yong-Hyun, South Korea's defense minister, said on Thursday.

Speaking during a parliamentary defense committee session, Kim said that "the war is led by Russia, and from the stance of unit heads of the Russian military, they are likely to send the North Korean platoons to the most dangerous and difficult areas."

He added that North Korean troops will likely be used as "cannon fodder," according to Yonhap News Agency, echoing comments made by Joonkook Hwang, South Korea's ambassador to the UN.

North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia in its war efforts, according to officials from South Korea, Ukraine, and the US.

On Tuesday, the Financial Times, citing a Ukrainian official, reported that a North Korean general had been injured and several officers killed last week by UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles that Ukraine launched against a Russian command center in Kursk.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the general's injury, citing Western officials.

In the attack, Ukraine fired a volley of at least 10 Storm Shadow missiles, the Journal reported, citing Ukrainian and Western officials.

Earlier this month, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, told BI that North Korean troops were being given just "a few weeks" of training, including in using reconnaissance and strike drones, before being sent to live combat positions.

Around the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that North Korean soldiers had suffered their first losses in the war.

Dmytro Ponomarenko, Ukraine's ambassador to South Korea, told Voice of America earlier this month that the number of North Korean soldiers deployed to help Russia could rise to 15,000, which would mean about 100,000 soldiers serving in rotation within a year, he said.

Sources familiar with the assessments of several G20 countries also cited the 100,000 figure when speaking to Bloomberg.

During a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Kim Song, North Korea's permanent representative to the UN, avoided answering a direct question from his US counterpart about whether North Korea had sent troops to Russia.

Instead, he said the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia "fully conforms to international law and the UN Charter" and that his country would "remain faithful" to its treaty obligations.

• A snowstorm blanketed South Korea's capital on Wednesday and Thursday, photos show.
• The snowstorm was the heaviest in the month of November since records began in 1907.
• The severe weather resulted in at least five deaths and led to transportation chaos.

Heavy snow continued to blanket South Korea's capital for a second day running on Thursday, following a record-breaking snowstorm in Seoul the previous day.

Photos of the snowfall show South Koreans enjoying the unusual winter wonderland, the first snow of the season.

However, the severe weather also resulted in a number of deaths and led to travel chaos.

According to Reuters, at least five people died as a result of the adverse weather, with four fatalities due to structures collapsing under the weight of the snow, and one person dying in a traffic accident due to icy roads.

On Wednesday, 11 people were injured after 53 cars were involved in a pile-up in the city of Wonju, about 70 miles east of Seoul, amid the snowy conditions, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The news agency said the snow caused trees and branches to buckle and collapse across Seoul and the surrounding regions, which led to authorities blocking entry to some roads, power lines snapping, and delays on some subway lines.

Yonhap also reported that more than 140 flights, the majority of them international, were canceled due to the weather.

Wednesday's snowfall in Seoul brought about 6.5 inches of snow to the city and surrounding areas, making it the heaviest snowfall in November since records began in 1907, per the Yonhap News Agency.

The previous record, set in 1966, saw considerably less snowfall, at about 3.7 inches, per CNN.

Data from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) showed 11.3 inches of snow in Seoul at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, close to the overall record of 12.2 inches recorded at a Seoul weather station in March 1922.

According to the KMA, Suwon, a city about 25 miles from Seoul, received almost 17 inches of snow on Thursday morning.

The snow is expected to lessen over Thursday.

• A South Korean man was given a one-year suspended sentence for evading military service.
• He was found guilty of intentionally putting on weight to get out of a combat role.
• This is just the latest example of South Korean men going to extreme lengths to try to avoid serving.

A South Korean man was found guilty of evading military service by deliberately putting on weight.

A court in Seoul sentenced the 26-year-old man, whose name was not publicly disclosed, to a year in prison, suspended for two years, according to The Korea Herald.

He was convicted of violating the country's Military Service Act, which requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 35 to serve at least 18 months.

While most South Korean men are expected to serve for at least a year and a half, shortly after finishing high school, the conscription law has a number of exceptions.

Certain K-Pop stars with governmental medals can defer their service under the so-called "BTS Law," named after the popular band.

Additionally, exemptions may be granted to individuals who are deemed incapable of serving because of illness, or mental or physical inabilities, which can include those who are obese.

The Korea Herald reported that the defendant gained substantial weight by doubling his daily food intake and drinking large amounts of water immediately before his physical.

According to the newspaper, the man received a Grade 2 assessment at his initial physical examination in October 2017, which is the second-highest grade and would have qualified him to serve in combat.

But he received a Grade 4 assessment on his examination in June 2023, which disqualified him from a combat role, instead allowing him to serve in a non-combat position.

The Korea Herald said he weighed more than 16 stone in that examination. At about five feet and five inches tall, this made his BMI 35.8, making him clinically obese.

The incident is not an isolated one.

In a 2017 Military Service Statistics report published by the Military Manpower Administration, a South Korean government agency that facilitates conscription, 37% of the 59 draft-dodging cases detected that year involved the deliberate gaining or loss of weight.

This was the most common method in attempting to evade military service, with the second most common being faking a mental illness, with others falsely registering as disabled, and one internationally breaking a bone.

Last year, prosecutors sought a one-year prison sentence for a professional volleyball player on a charge of colluding with a military broker in an attempt to evade conscription by faking an epilepsy diagnosis.

That same year, South Korean prosecutors said they had indicted 137 people on charges of evading conscription or aiding such offenses, accusing them of working with local military brokers to fake disabilities.

In 2008, 10 young South Koreans were sentenced to six months in prison for paying a military broker to learn how to raise their blood pressure to flunk the physical assessment for conscription.

This involved not sleeping for several days before the exam, drinking lots of coffee, and chain smoking.

Meanwhile, earlier this year a former South Korean professional gamer was sentenced to a year in prison for pretending to have an IQ of 53, after prosecutors accused him of flunking a psychological test in order to be diagnosed with a mental disorder.

In this latest incident, a friend — who was sentenced to six months in prison for aiding and abetting — provided the man with specific plans on how to put on weight, according to The Korea Herald.

The friend denied the charges, saying he didn't think the defendant would go through with it.

• South Korea closed a case on workplace bullying involving a member of K-pop group NewJeans.
• It said that member Hanni was not legally classified as a worker under her contract.
• Hanni is believed to have been paid $3.7 million in 2023.

South Korea's government on Wednesday dismissed a workplace harassment case involving K-pop star Hanni, saying the singer was not legally classified as a worker.

Hanni, a member of NewJeans, recently testified in South Korea's National Assembly as part of a larger hearing on workplace harassment in the industry.

It came after she posted a YouTube livestream accusing a senior member of her record label, Hybe, of ignoring her and her bandmates.

Hybe denied the claim, but Hanni's fans filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The government agency this week closed the investigation.

In a statement to Billboard, it said: "Given the content and nature of the management contract HANNI signed, it is difficult to regard her as a worker under the Labor Standards Act, which involves working in a subordinate relationship for wages."

It added that "each party fulfills their contractual obligations as equal contracting parties, making it difficult to consider there was supervision or direction from the company."

The push and pull between what counts as work in South Korea's entertainment industry has stretched on for years.

In a multi-authored discussion in the Korea Herald as early as 2011, contributor Cho Dae Won pointed out the loopholes in a proposed bill banning the sexualization and overwork of teen idols.

"If entertainers' working week is based on a 40-hour week as with general workers, we have two questions; should we count the time spent during appearances on TV, or commuting time to appear in the studio too?" said Dae Won.

In the two years since their debut, NewJeans members have been global representatives for brands like Nike, Calvin Klein, and Levi's. In April this year, Forbes Korea estimated the group brought in $27 million from advertising revenue.

Members of the group were paid $3.7 million each in 2023, according to documents cited by NME in April.

The Ministry's ruling on South Korea's musician rights is similar to the situation in the US.

According to an LA Times report, pop singers and songwriters are viewed as independent contractors under labor law unless they are in part of a union recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.

Unlike artists and actors in Hollywood's film and TV industry, the Western music industry is largely without unions.

Representatives for HYBE and the South Korean Labor Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.