North Korean state media reported on the ongoing state of emergency in South Korea on Monday, including investigations by the military and police. Two days earlier, on Friday, the media also covered the National Assembly’s passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the vote, stating, “In puppet South Korea, the impeachment motion against puppet Yoon Suk Yeol was passed on Monday,” and added, “Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential powers have been suspended.” The report offered no additional commentary or details.
KCNA further explained that a previous vote on the impeachment motion had taken place on December 7 but was blocked when lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party staged a walkout.
According to KCNA, the South Korean government under Yoon staged a fraudulent performance on Thursday in response to the political crisis. The agency criticized Yoon’s speech as fabricated and coerced and accused him of attempting to shift the blame for the emergency measures onto the opposition. They also claimed that Yoon had insulted the widespread public support for impeachment by turning it into a frenzied spectacle, which led to even more backlash and anger from both political and social sectors in South Korea.
Additionally, KCNA reported on the escalating investigations into the South Korean government’s crisis handling. Following the arrests of key officials—including South Korea’s Minister of Defense, the Chief of the National Police Agency, and the Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police—several senior military figures had their duties suspended. This includes the Army Chief of Staff, the appointed martial law commander, and the heads of South Korea’s Defense Security Command, Special Warfare Command, and Intelligence Command. KCNA labeled Yoon as the ringleader of the insurrection and claimed that investigations into him and his alleged co-conspirators were intensifying.
The passage of the impeachment motion was also covered in Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official newspaper, which serves as the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers’ Party. The impeachment report was placed on page 6, the section dedicated to international news.
In comparison, North Korea reported the impeachment of former South Korean President Park Geun Hye on the same day the motion was approved by South Korea’s National Assembly in December 2016.