Up First from NPR
South Korea Impeachment, Israel Attacks Houthis, Georgia's Political Crisis
Fri, 27 Dec 2024
South Korea's parliament has voted to impeach the country's acting president. Israel launched its largest and most aggressive attack so far against the Houthis in Yemen. And, the country Georgia is set to swear in a new president while the incumbent has refused to stand down. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrew Sussman, Nick Spicer, Peter Granitz, Lisa Thomson and Alice Woefle. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Milton Guevara. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What led to the impeachment of South Korea's acting president?
South Korea has voted to impeach its acting president. The vote comes just two weeks after the former president was impeached following a failed attempt to impose martial law. What's behind the country's political upheaval? I'm Sarah McCammon. This is Up First from NPR News.
Israel has struck Houthi targets in Yemen, including an international airport in the country's capital, power stations and ports. What comes next as fighting between the Iran-supported group and Israel escalates? And the country of Georgia is set to swear in a new president this weekend, but the incumbent president refuses to stand down following a disputed election.
A look at the brewing showdown between the country's opposition and the government. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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It's been less than a month since South Korea's parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Sang-yeol for imposing martial law. Now, parliament has voted to impeach his replacement. It's the first time South Korea has impeached an acting president, and it illustrates the seriousness of the political crisis gripping one of Asia's key democracies.
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of Israel's attacks on Houthi targets?
Chapter 3: What is the current political situation in Georgia?
Lots of twists and turns here, Anthony. Any idea how long this gridlock might last?
So if the constitutional court decides to remove Yoon, then the country will need to hold a new presidential election, and that could all take months. I think the longer-term question which is being debated here in South Korea is, does the country's political system need to be overhauled? And those who argue that it does say that the president just has too much power.
He gets to appoint the prime minister and the justices. There aren't enough checks and balances. And the result we're seeing now is a showdown between the executive and legislative branches that is just consuming all the government's bandwidth.
That's NPR international correspondent Anthony Kuhn. Thanks so much, Anthony.
You're welcome, Sarah.
Israel launched its largest and most aggressive attack so far against the Iran-supported Houthis in Yemen on Thursday. The Israeli airstrikes hit the rebel-controlled capital's international airport, damaging the runway and control tower. At least six people died and dozens were injured in multiple strikes, according to Yemen's state-run news agency.
For more on the escalation of fighting, we go now to NPR international correspondent Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv. Hi, Carrie.
Hi, Sarah.
So catch us up here. Tell us about these attacks on Yemen's capital, Sanaa. What were the targets?
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