South Korea Impeachment, Israel Attacks Houthis, Georgia's Political Crisis

0:02South 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.

0:20Israel 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.

0:55This message comes from NPR sponsor Odoo. Some describe Odoo like a magic beanstalk because it scales with you and is magically affordable. Odoo. Exactly what a business needs. Sign up at odoo.com. That's O-D-O-O dot com. This message comes from Dell Technologies. The new Dell PC with Intel Core Ultra helps you fast forward through busy work, leaving more time for U-Time. Get a new Dell PC at dell.com slash AI dash PC. Support for this podcast and the following message come from strawberry.me. Be honest. Are you happy with your job? Are you stuck in a job you've outgrown or never wanted in the first place?

1:39Are your reasons for staying really just excuses for not leaving? Let a career coach from strawberry.me help you get unstuck. Discover the benefits of having a dedicated career coach in your corner and claim a special offer at strawberry.me slash NPR. It's been less than a month since South Korea's parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Sung-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. NPR international correspondent Anthony Kuhn joins us now from Seoul.

2:19Hi there, Anthony. Hey, Sarah. So tell us about the acting president and why parliament wants him out. Han Dook-su is prime minister, and he was made acting president when Yoon Song-yeol was impeached. Now, in South Korea, the president appoints the prime minister. So he's like a vice president, and he's in line to succeed the president. Now, the opposition party, which controls the parliament, says that Han refused to appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the constitutional court, and that's the court which will rule on President Yoon's impeachment. Han says he didn't appoint them because that's up to the president to do, and he's the acting president.

2:59Which raises the question, who is running the country now? Good question. So the finance minister, Chae Song-mok, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, is now the acting president. Earlier today, before the impeachment vote, Chae argued that if they impeach acting president Han, it would leave the country, as he put it, without a control tower. And he pointed to the problems, the instability going on right now. The currency, the yuan, has slumped to its lowest level against the dollar in 16 years. Business confidence is at its lowest since the pandemic. And the government has been trying to stabilize the situation and reassure people, and their job just got a lot bigger.

3:42OK, so back to former President Yoon, the president who declared martial law and kicked all of this off. What's the latest with him? Well, the Constitutional Court had its first hearing today to prepare for the trial. They have 180 days to decide whether they're going to remove Yoon or reinstate him. But they say this impeachment trial is their top priority and they're going to move quickly on it. Now, besides the impeachment, Yoon is also facing charges of insurrection. And investigators have summoned him two times to appear for questioning, and he has ignored them both times. Meanwhile, the police are trying to gather evidence, and they raided a presidential safe house today to try to find out who Yoon was meeting with and talking to before he declared martial law.

4:23They even tried to raid Yoon's presidential security detail office, but the security did not let the police in. 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.

4:59There 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.

5:21Israel 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 Kahn in Tel Aviv. Hi, Carrie. Hi, Sarah. So catch us up here. Tell us about these attacks on Yemen's capital Sana 'a. What were the targets? Israel says it hit military targets.

5:57It sent 25 fighter jets. They traveled more than 1 ,200 miles to Yemen. They are saying the airport was hit because it is used by Iranians who back the Houthi rebels to smuggle weapons into the country and used by senior Iranian officials to get into Yemen. Israel also targeted major power stations. The head of the World Health Organization was actually in the airport waiting to board a flight at the time of the attack and says he was just meters away from where the strike hit. Right after the attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said such strikes will continue to, quote, cut off the terror arm of the Iranian axis of evil and continue until we complete the job, which he added, quote, we are only just starting.

6:43Now, Israel says this attack was in retaliation for missiles being fired from Yemen. When did this all start? It's been going on for months since the war in Gaza began. The Houthis say they won't stop until Israel withdraws from Gaza, where it is fighting Hamas. They also have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea. That's important. It's a large conduit for international commerce. This week, though, we just saw an escalation of missiles fired from Yemen. Air sirens went off just this morning at 3.30 a.m. That missile was intercepted by Israel's air defense system. But one last Saturday actually made it through and landed in Tel Aviv, not far from where I am, injuring dozens.

7:22Netanyahu has been threatening to take decisive action against the Houthis for days, and here he is on Wednesday. He says here the Houthis too will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and the Assad regime and others have learned, he listed off, the recent military actions, he says, that have brought down these Iranian back groups. He says that the Houthis will also be taken down and, quote, Even if it takes time, he says, this lesson will be understood across the Middle East, and that's concerning many of an escalation of hostilities here in the region. Well, as Netanyahu alluded to, Israel has been weakening its enemies on multiple fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, both also supported by Iran.

8:07What are you hearing about the Houthis' capabilities, Carrie? Interestingly, I was listening to a former intelligence officer, and he was saying that Israel's behind in its intelligence on the Houthis in Yemen. Yemen just wasn't their main focus for the last 20 years. Iran and Hezbollah were. And Yemen and the Houthis are a different enemy for Israel. Yemen is far away. And it will require the assistance of other militaries, primarily the U.S., to fight the Houthis. The U.S. does have a major battle group in the Red Sea at this time, actually. And Israel is fighting wars on multiple fronts now.

8:43It's in Gaza. It's in Lebanon. It's in Syria. Continuing raids in the occupied territories. It is stretched. And Hezbollah said it wouldn't stop attacking Israel until the Gaza war ends, the same as the Houthis are saying, but it actually did. There's a ceasefire now between Israel and Lebanon. The Houthis said the same exact thing, but for now, they are not backing down. That's NPR international correspondent Carrie Kahn. Thanks, Carrie. You're welcome.

9:18Georgia straddles Europe and Asia, and it has an important and complicated relationship with neighboring Russia. This weekend, the country is set to swear in a new president, and he is a vocal critic of the West. This follows protests that broke out in the capital Tbilisi last month after the government decided to suspend talks to join the European Union.

9:43Meanwhile, Georgia's incumbent president has refused to stand down following October's disputed election. Joining me now is reporter Robin Forrest-Deer-Walker, who's been following the protests. Thanks for joining us. Thank you. So who is the newly elected president? And why is this looking like a potential showdown between Georgia's opposition and the government? So Mikhail Kavilashvili is 53 years old. He's a former soccer player turned politician for the Georgian Dream Party, that's the governing party. And he's played an important role in the government's shift away from the West. He's set to be inaugurated on Sunday.

10:19But the demonstrators who've been protesting after the government's U-turn on the EU really dislike Kavilashvili. He's known for criticizing the West, in particular US support for Georgian democracy. The incumbent president, Salome Zurabishvili, refuses to step down. She's positioned herself as the last defender of Georgian democracy because she believes the government is taking Georgia off its constitutionally mandated pro-European path. So tensions are rising with two presidents claiming legitimacy and with the prime minister threatening to arrest Zorabishvili, there's a real risk of confrontation.

10:56How did Georgia get to where it is now and what is Russia's role here? Well, there was this simmering anger over parliamentary elections in October. observers questioned their fairness, but the nationwide protests really ignited when the government announced it was suspending talks on EU membership at the end of November. Polls consistently show strong public support for Georgia joining the EU, and the demonstrators want new elections. And over the last month, they've become more organized, and overall, they've been largely peaceful. But police have arrested more than 500 people, and there's been clear evidence of police brutality, which has led the US and some European states to sanction senior officials.

11:38President Zurbishvili has openly accused the Kremlin of undermining Georgian sovereignty. She points to Russia's opposition to Georgia's EU and NATO aspirations. The Kremlin has openly praised the Georgian government for introducing controversial legislation that curtail civil liberties and crucially, the governing party, Georgian Dream, is led by a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia. Critics say that means President Vladimir Putin has significant leverage over him. Now, the Georgian Dream Party, this is Georgia's governing party, they say they're pro-European still, though, right? I mean, what happens next here?

12:13So the government claims it's going to revisit the question of European membership in 2028. And meanwhile, officials are hoping for a reset in relations with the U.S. under the Trump administration. They say they share his values, but we don't know Trump's stance on Georgia yet. Last month in Paris, President Zurbishvili made a point of introducing herself to Trump, highlighting Georgia's role in the broader Russian conflict and Georgia's European aspirations. And many Georgians take heart that a number of Republicans are strong advocates for Georgian democracy. Some of them have warned that a Trump administration could respond harshly to any potential crackdown after December 29th.

12:53That's reporter Robin Forrester-Walker, who's been following the protests in Tbilisi, Georgia. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you.

13:28I'm Nisha Hines, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Kelly Dickens. Join us again tomorrow.

13:48This message comes from Mint Mobile. From the gas pump to the grocery store, inflation is everywhere. So Mint Mobile is offering premium wireless starting at just$15 a month. To get your new phone plan for just$15, go to mintmobile.com slash switch. Support for NPR and the following message come from Rosetta Stone, the perfect app to achieve your language learning goals no matter how busy your schedule gets. It's designed to maximize study time with immersive 10-minute lessons and audio practice for your commute. Plus, tailor your learning plan for specific objectives like travel. Get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50 % off and unlimited access to 25 language courses.

14:29Learn more at rosettastone.com slash NPR. This message comes from NPR sponsor, Oracle. In business, they say you can have better, cheaper, or faster, but you only get to pick two. What if you could have all three at the same time? Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is the blazing fast platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. With OCI, you can run any workload in a high-availability, consistently high-performance environment and spend less than you would with other clouds. To try OCI for free with zero commitment, go to oracle.com slash NPR.