What is fueling South Korea’s political drama?
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 748 Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2025
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Impeachment proceedings against suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are in full swing. Authorities have made a second attempt to detain him over his brief martial law declaration, but he remains holed up in his fortified residence, backed by supporters waving US flags and “Stop the Steal” banners. So, what lies ahead for South Korea?
In this episode:
- Se-Woong Koo, managing editor of Korea Exposé
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Sonia Bhagat, and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Hagir Saleh, and our host, Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Today, the aftermath of South Korea's failed coup. |
| 0:15.0 | Thousands of South Koreans are gathering in Seoul for rival demonstrations |
| 0:20.0 | as investigators prepare another |
| 0:22.2 | attempt to arrest Yun over his short-lived martial law decree. |
| 0:27.6 | As President Yun Suk Yule's trial kicked off, the leader was holed up at his residence. |
| 0:33.0 | What's behind the showdown? |
| 0:37.0 | I'm Kevin Hurtin, and this is The Take. |
| 0:46.1 | While we were putting this episode together, things suddenly took a sharp turn in South Korea. |
| 0:52.0 | We start in Seoul, where the suspended president, South Korean president, Yun Song Yol, has finally |
| 0:56.8 | been arrested over his short-lived martial law declaration in December. |
| 1:01.6 | So, how did we end up here? |
| 1:04.2 | I chatted with my guest just hours before it all unfolded. |
| 1:08.8 | My name is Seun Kuh. |
| 1:09.8 | I am journalist and founder of Korea Exppoise, joining you from Germany. |
| 1:15.2 | So, Sewung, welcome to the take. |
| 1:18.7 | Somehow, the drama in South Korea has actually increased since we last had you on the show |
| 1:24.5 | last month. So let's just do a quick recap. |
| 1:27.5 | Late in the evening of December 3rd, the conservative president, Yun, shocked everyone by declaring |
| 1:33.1 | martial law, basically suspending democracy on national security grounds. |
| 1:40.1 | Dear citizens, I hereby declare an emergency meeting to protect the Republic of Korea from the threat of the North Korean Communist forces, and to protect the freedom and happiness of our people. |
| 1:55.5 | The outrage was immediate and it was fierce, and within hours he was forced to walk it back. So since then, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Al Jazeera, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Al Jazeera and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.