South Korea in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
In South Korea in June 2026, the main development was the sentencing of former President Yoon. On 12 June a court sentenced him to 30 years in prison for ordering a drone incursion into North Korea, finding him guilty of aiding the enemy and abuse of power. Earlier in the month the government announced the dismantling of the military counterintelligence command over its role in martial law.
Local elections on 3 June were the first nationwide test for President Lee Jae-myung. Ballot shortages at Seoul polling stations disrupted voting amid record turnout, and the National Election Commission apologized. Exit polls put the Democratic Party's Chong Won-o ahead in the Seoul mayoral race, 51.4% to 46%, but Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party won a fifth term. Lee ordered a probe into the ballot shortages, and on 12 June a Seoul court ordered the commission to investigate whether a box of unmarked ballots was discarded. Oh returned to court to face charges under the Political Funding Law. Lee named former Naver chief executive Han as prime minister, which would make her the first woman in the post in two decades.
The Korean Peninsula drew the most attention abroad. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang for a summit with Kim Jong Un, the first visit by a Chinese leader in over a decade. Before it, Kim Yo-jong said North Korea's nuclear program is absolutely non-negotiable. The US denied that North Korea's nuclear status is a closed issue, and on 13 June North Korea declared denuclearisation irreversibly terminated. Lee said inter-Korean ties cannot get worse and invited Pope Leo XIV to visit North Korea. He said Trump wants to turn to the North's nuclear program after the Iran deal, and the government moved to ease civilian restrictions along the inter-Korean border. On 28 June Seoul protested to China and Russia over their military aircraft entering its air defense identification zone.
South Korea also held its first strategic dialogue with Egypt and an EU summit on trade and defense, and agreed with Japan to advance talks on defense equipment cooperation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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