In this episode, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha break down two major developments shaking South Korea’s political and diplomatic landscape.

First, they analyze former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s Thursday testimony in President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial, where he contradicted Yoon’s claims that the Dec. 3 martial law declaration was meant to last only a few hours. Han’s statements suggest Yoon expected the emergency decree to last at least two days, raising further questions about the legality of the move.

On the foreign policy front, the team discusses Jeongmin’s participation in last week’s Munich Security Conference. The trio delves into the growing rift between the U.S. and its European allies following U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech at the event. With Washington shifting away from values-based diplomacy and embracing a more transactional approach, the team ponders how South Korea must rethink its own foreign policy strategy going forward.

About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.

This episode was recorded on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.

Audio edited by Gaby Magnuson