Monday Briefing: South Korea’s power vacuum

December 16, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering South Korea’s power vacuum and Syria’s nascent government.

Plus, how travel benefits us.

People stand outside in winter jackets. Many hold South Korean flags. A large domed building is in the background.

Protesters outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Saturday. Jun Michael Park for The New York Times

After impeachment, South Korea is left without an elected leader

After South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, people celebrated his removal from office, even as the country was left with a political vacuum at the top that could last for months.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the No. 2 official in the government hierarchy, has stepped in as the interim leader. A new government cannot be formed until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate or formally oust Yoon, but three of its nine seats are vacant. The National Assembly is expected to name three justices, and to ask Han to formally appoint them.

The court’s deliberations could take up to six months. If Yoon is formally removed, South Korea will need another two months to elect a new president.

Yoon, who said he would “never give up” the fight to return to office, also faces investigations on charges including insurrection, which could lead to his arrest. Prosecutors said they asked Yoon to present himself yesterday for questioning, but he did not show up.

Need to catch up on the latest? Choe Sang-Hun, our Seoul bureau chief, explained Yoon’s impeachment and the troubles that may await him and the country.

Background: Before his failed attempt at imposing martial law, Yoon had alienated much of the country. Here’s a timeline of how he lost his country’s trust.

A bearded man stands on top of a car while holding a rifle. People behind him sit on top of a large arch. In the background a flock of birds fly through the sky.

A Syrian rebel fighter in the old city of Damascus. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

How will rebels rule Syria? The past offers some clues.

Since 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the rebel movement that spearheaded the overthrow of the Assad dynasty — and its affiliated organizations have governed with pragmatism in the Idlib Province in northern Syria. But the rebel group has also maintained a robust security force to confront other military factions and domestic critics, prompting protests against what were seen as authoritarian methods and harsh jail conditions.

Idlib is a poor, agrarian region with a relatively small population, and the rebels are now trying to form a national government. Our correspondents spoke with local residents, as well as experts and representatives from humanitarian organizations, to glean a portrait of the rebel group and what we might expect from its impending rule.

George Stephanopoulos, wearing dark glasses, a red tie and a black suit jacket, is seated in a television studio.

Donald J. Trump filed the lawsuit this spring concerning on-air statements made by the star ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos. Paula Lobo/ABC

ABC to pay $15 million to settle a defamation suit brought by Trump

ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump, and will donate the money to Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum.

The network and its star anchor George Stephanopoulos also published a statement saying that they “regret” remarks made about Trump during a March interview. The anchor asked a congresswoman why she had continued to support Trump after he was found “liable for rape” in a 2023 civil case, but the jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse, not rape.

More on U.S. politics

Some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful leaders hobnobbed with Trump this week, and some of its most powerful companies promised seven-figure checks to his inauguration.
Trump named Richard Grenell, his former acting director of national intelligence, as his “envoy for special missions.”
Friends and family members of Jaime Cachua voted to support mass deportation. Now he’s scrambling to stay in the country.
Here’s the latest on the next U.S. administration and a list of Trump’s cabinet picks so far.

MORE TOP NEWS

A man with a beard in a suit shaking hands with other men in suits in a parliamentary chamber.

Mikheil Kavelashvili, second from left, is a former striker for Manchester City. Associated Press

Georgia: Lawmakers handed the presidency to a former soccer star turned far-right politician, setting up a standoff with the sitting president.
Gaza: Israel’s military said it carried out strikes and raids in northern Gaza after days of deadly bombardments across the territory.
Mozambique: Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall yesterday after causing destruction in a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean, where at least 11 people died.
Burkina Faso: A strategy to bolster the military by recruiting poorly trained civilians into armed militias has brought the country to the brink of civil war.
Ukraine: Using diplomacy, flattery and the occasional shot in the dark, officials are doing everything they can to win over Trump.
Bolivia: A rupture within the long-dominant Movement for Socialism party has paralyzed the country.
Interview: Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, is wrapping up his term. He told us that his impatience helped push the country forward on key defense issues.
Business: From Nissan to Volkswagen, carmakers around the world are struggling as the industry shifts to electric vehicles and Chinese companies expand.
U.S.: Social media and viral videos are stoking cycles of violence at schools.

Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo in a match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo runs with the ball during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah this month. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Soccer: The Saudi Pro League has attracted stars on the field and in the stands. But is the game any good?
College Football: Travis Hunter, a rare star on both offense and defense, won the Heisman Trophy, the sport’s top award.
Baseball: Freddie Freeman won Game 1 of the 2024 World Series with the first walk-off grand slam in the event’s history. The home-run ball just sold for $1.56 million.

MORNING READ

Timothée Chalamet, wearing a white tee shirt and jeans, sit in a chair among people in an audience.

Timothée Chalamet at the Indiana Pacers-Los Angeles Lakers championship game in Las Vegas in 2023. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

As an era of macho politics sets in, sinewy stars like Timothée Chalamet, Dominic Sessa and Mark Eydelshteyn embody a slinky alternative image of white masculinity in American pop culture. It would be a stretch to say the hunk is dead, but there is clearly an appetite for male stars who look a little awkward and, most of all, vulnerable. Jacob Gallagher, a reporter covering fashion and style, explains why.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A shared love language: Sobhita Dhulipala and Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, two Indian movie stars, married in an “intimate” ceremony of 300.
Going in nose-blind: Would you buy a perfume you had never smelled? A half-million people are waiting to do just that with Ffern, a fragrance line based in London.
An artful prank: Googly eyes were affixed to eight public art sculptures around a city in Oregon, to the chagrin of some local officials but to the delight of many residents.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

An animated GIF of Rick Steves, with gray hair, glasses and a scarf over his shirt, tapping a pencil against a passport-size notebook.

Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times

Rick Steves refuses to be cynical

Can travel make the world a better place? Can it make us better people?

Rick Steves, the prolific guidebook writer and beloved PBS personality, sincerely believes so. His upcoming book, “On the Hippie Trail,” chronicles a journey he took from Istanbul to Kathmandu in 1978, told through a collection of journal entries that he rediscovered during the pandemic.

It’s an inspiring read full of the joy of adventure and discovery. In the latest installment of “The Interview,” he helped Lulu Garcia-Navarro figure out what she had been missing in her own travels and outlook.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Top down view of Salmon Lemon Herb Marinade

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: Simply marinate this salmon in lemon juice, soy sauce and herbs, and then broil and enjoy.

Watch: These five international movies you should stream now include an Irish drama about a pirate queen and a found-footage movie made from lost Palestinian films.

Gift: The latest edition of Wirecutter’s newsletter on gift-giving makes the case for classic gifts and discusses what to give a great gift-giver.

Ask: We’re asking readers: What song explains your 2024? Why did it resonate with you this year?

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

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