Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.
The South Korean president's approval rating has hit another new low as he faces the biggest battle of his political career.
Lawmakers are set to vote Saturday on a motion to impeach Yoon Suk-yeol, and support for that is only growing.
The leader of the largest opposition group calls on ruling People Power Party lawmakers to support the motion.
Impeaching the president is the quickest and surest way to stop this confusion.
Yoon addressed the nation in a televised speech that aired on Thursday. He claimed he had no choice but to declare martial law last week because opposition parties had paralyzed national politics. He said the declaration is not subject to judicial review. A survey conducted this week puts Yoon's approval rating at 11 percent, the lowest it's ever stood, and 75 percent of the respondents say they support his impeachment. The motion needs the backing of at least eight ruling party members to pass. Multiple South Korean media outlets report seven have indicated they may support it.
Earlier, I spoke with NHK World's Kim Chan-ju, who's been covering this story for us from Seoul.
So, Chan-ju, on Thursday, we heard Yoon speak again, sounding defiant despite the immense pressure against him.
How have South Koreans reacted to his remarks?
I think it only poured fuel on the flames. We are seeing people are getting more intense in their calls for Yoon to step down. For many, there have been a lot of sleepless nights in the 10 days since the martial law declaration.
They're glued to their screens watching the news. Lawmakers and the military say they won't allow martial law to happen again. But that hasn't calmed things down. It's actually led people who previously were not interested in politics to get engaged.
You go to cafes or restaurants, and the topic of conversation at most tables is Yoon and impeachment.
People are leaving work and school to protest. Media are obviously doing round-the-clock coverage.
But what's interesting is that South Korea's right-wing outlets are turning on Yoon. The Tonga Ilbo, a conservative paper, reads Yoon's absurd claim that an illegal martial law is an act of governance.
Not a headline you would expect from them two weeks ago.
Right. We also know some South Koreans are standing by Yoon. What can you tell us about them?
Even though Yun's popularity has plummeted, there are signs his party still sees him as somewhat valuable. He has a base of support among conservatives.
PPP lawmakers may worry whether they'll lose that support if they oust him.
Your party is dead, as long as you stand by Yoon.
Umm So what can we expect from Saturday's vote?
I would say expect the unexpected. So far, reportedly seven PPP members have publicly indicated they may vote to impeach, but we don't know how many feel that way privately. We should note Saturday's vote will be anonymous, so there's a chance more ruling party lawmakers have decided Yoon is too much of a liability to keep in power, but they're keeping quiet to avoid internal backlash. The opposition expects a better turnout than last time. The Democratic Party's leader says Saturday will be a national day of victory.
And we are expecting massive protests even bigger than the almost 300,000 who came out last week.
So many students are expected. Seoul's Office of Education is deploying staff to ensure their safety. Streets around the National Assembly will be shut down, so police are taking steps to prevent crowds coming in. It's going to be a day full of drama, no matter the result.
That was Kim Chan-joo from Seoul.
Moving on, Japan has organized a UN Security Council meeting calling for more action to deal with landmines around the world.
In the meeting on Thursday, UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said there is a surging demand for mine action services. He pointed to Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, and other places.
I think it's important to emphasize that mine action, mine clearance, is very often a prerequisite for any action on peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, and laying the foundation for development.
He also stressed that, despite a shortage of funds, mine action efforts need to be strengthened. The Cambodian ambassador to the UN said his country destroyed over one million anti-personnel landmines left after its civil war. He said it is possible to pave the way for a safer and more prosperous future. Japan serves as a non-permanent member of the council. Its ambassador to the UN, Yamazaki Kazuyuki, told reporters Japan advocates the concept of human security to shield people from suffering the consequences of war. He said Japan can take a leadership role in the field of mine action. More than 160 countries and regions have already signed an international treaty prohibiting the use and production of anti-personnel landmines. But permanent UN Security Council members, the United States,Russia and China have not.
U.S. President Joe Biden has pardoned 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted nearly 1,500 sentences. The White House says this represents the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.
Biden said his administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to give people meaningful second chances.
That suggests there may be more pardons to come before his term ends in January. Biden announced a pardon on December 1st for his son Hunter, who had been found guilty of charges related to the illegal purchase of a handgun.
That drew fire from his political opponents and others. Human rights groups have called for clemency for more people serving out their sentences.
U.S. media are reporting that President-elect Donald Trump could take steps against high-ranking officials in the Biden administration and other opponents after taking office next month.
Reports say Biden is considering granting pardons to such people before he leaves office.
People in the Norwegian capital of Oslo are learning how to make paper cranes. It's part of events surrounding the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Japanese atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo.
The instructor is Kamata Makoto. He gives talks about the atomic bombing as part of efforts to promote peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons. He passes on the experiences of a man who lost his parents in the 1945 attack on Hiroshima. Local residents and tourists were among those who turned out to learn paper crane folding.
Kamata also talked about Sasaki Sadako, who died of leukemia at the age of 12 after being exposed to radiation from the blast in Hiroshima. She folded paper cranes while hospitalized as she hoped for her own recovery.
Small steps, but I think if we do more and more, one day we will achieve world peace.
I hope paper cranes as a symbol of peace will take off. I will be happy if people who have learned how to fold paper cranes will teach others, so that the practice will spread.
The Nobel Peace Center says it plans to give local elementary school students the opportunity to make paper cranes.
Priests at a shrine north of Tokyo have cleared away a year's worth of dust from a symbolic bridge.
Shinkyo Bridge crosses the Daya River in Tochi Prefecture. It serves as an entryway to the shrines and temples of Mikko, which are collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The staff of Putarasan Shrine used bamboo poles to clean the bridge.
I pray in the coming year we can spend our days in good health and safety without natural disasters.
I feel that my heart has been cleaned.
We need to clear our dust at home, too. It's already the end of the year.
Other sites in the area will also hold cleanings in the coming weeks to prepare for the new year period.
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Now, let's check out the world weather. People in the Great Lakes region across the U.S. and Canada are dealing with snowstorms. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the latest. Yumi.
The strongest cold snap of the season is coupling the region. Together with the warm lake surface temperatures, it has brought heavy snowfall. We have some video.
Heavy lake-effect snow hit upstate New York as brigid weather returned to the upper Midwest Thursday. Parts of the state received more than 100 centimeters of snow in 24 hours. Some schools and rivalries were forced to close early because of blizzard-like conditions.
The governor declared a state of emergency in many counties on Wednesday. The lake effect snow is expected to continue but is likely to ease after Friday morning. Another system is approaching the western United States and Canada. It will bring heavy rain in low-lying areas across southern Oregon and northern California from Friday morning, with risks of floods and landslides.
Showers are also possible in Seattle and Vancouver, but sunny skies are expected in LA with a high of 18.
The high in Winnipeg will jump up, but still be -14.
Moving to Japan, there are two low pressure systems. One is expected to move away from the Pacific side, while the other will bring severe weather along the Japan seaside, especially from Hokuriku to Kyushu. There are risks of thundershowers, gusty winds, and even tornadoes. Heavy snow is an issue in higher elevations. Snow is also likely in Sapporo and Niigata.
Osaka has a chance of the first snow of the season Saturday morning. Sunny skies are coming back to Tokyo, but the temperatures will stay in low with a high of 12. That's all for me. Have a nice weekend.
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That concludes this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo.
Please stay tuned for more on NHK World Japan.
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