South Korea in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
South Korea in January 2026 was marked by court rulings on the martial law crisis. On 13 January prosecutors and the special counsel requested the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on an insurrection charge over his alleged attempt to impose martial law. On 16 January a court sentenced him to five years in prison, the first verdict in a series of trials he faces, relating to the martial law decree and the alleged obstruction of an investigation. A court rejected his request for a constitutional review of the law mandating a special counsel to investigate allegations involving his family and the first lady. Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison on insurrection charges on 21 January, and the former first lady was sentenced to prison for bribery on 28 January. Other cases followed: an appeals court gave former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae six months in prison plus a one-year suspended term, and the military dismissed two generals over an unauthorized infiltration of the National Assembly. A Seoul city councilor was questioned a third time in a bribery investigation.
In foreign affairs, President Lee Jae-myung met Chinese President Xi Jinping and said the two capitals had laid the groundwork for restoring ties. He then held a summit in Nara with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on 13 January, where the two agreed to boost economic security cooperation and Lee stressed three-way cooperation with Tokyo and Beijing. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Lee and agreed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space. Seoul said it would step up outreach to the United States over a proposed revision to its network law.
On North Korea, Kim Jong Un pledged "unconditional" support for Vladimir Putin's policies and later wrote to him promising continued cooperation, while Pyongyang criticized a UN Security Council meeting on Russia. Lee vowed on 21 January to pursue talks with the North and to restore the suspended inter-Korean military agreement, and the Unification Ministry said there was room for communication despite a drone dispute. Kim fired a vice premier, and Pyongyang replaced three of four officials in charge of his personal security.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.