Page 9 - AHATA

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 26 February 2025
South Korea’s Yoon defends his martial law decree as

impeachment trial nears end

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Associ- cree.
ated Press During the hearing, Demo-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — cratic Party lawmaker Jung
In a final statement at his Chung-rai said that Yoon
impeachment trial, South must be dismissed as he un-
Korean President Yoon Suk dermined the constitution
Yeol defended his martial by trying to seal the assem-
law decree that plunged bly and suppress its author-
the country into chaos as a ity with armed troops. Jung
bid to inform the public of also said Yoon’s imposition
the danger of the opposi- of martial law disturbed
tion-controlled parliament public order because
as he vowed Tuesday to South Korea wasn’t in an
push for political reform if emergency that required
reinstated. such a drastic step.
Yoon spoke at the Constitu- “Yoon Suk Yeol is still refus-
tional Court as it wrapped ing to have self-reflection
up arguments in his im- and soul-searching and
peachment trial. The court repeating sophistry and
is expected to rule by mid- crafty remarks that say his
March on whether to re- emergency martial law
move Yoon from office or was a high-level act of
reinstate his presidential governance,” Jung said.
powers. A TV screen shows footage of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s address at the “We should dismiss him as
The liberal opposition-con- final hearing of his trial during a news program at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, soon as possible to get the
Feb. 25, 2025.
trolled National Assembly Associated Press Republic of Korea back on
impeached Yoon, a con- track.”
servative, after his short- Democratic Party, which crisis facing this country,” down Yoon’s decree unan- Massive rallies by oppo-
lived Dec. 3 martial law obstructed his agenda, Yoon said. “I tried to inform imously, forcing his Cabinet nents and supporters of
decree caused political impeached many senior the people of these anti- to lift it. Yoon have divided the
turmoil, rattled its financial officials and slashed key state acts of wickedness by Yoon reiterated Tuesday streets of Seoul and other
markets and hurt its inter- parts of the government’s the mammoth opposition that he had no intentions major South Korean cities.
national image. He has budget bill, for the politi- party and appealed to the of disrupting assembly work Whatever the Constitution-
been separately arrested cal crisis. During his marital people to stop it with in- and that deploying troops al Court decides, experts
and indicted on rebellion law announcement, Yoon tense surveillance and criti- and police was meant to say it will likely further polar-
charges in connection with called the assembly “a cism.” maintain order. But some ize the country and inten-
his decree. If convicted, he den of criminals” and “anti- After declaring martial law, commanders of military sify its conservative-liberal
would face the death pen- state forces.” Yoon sent troops and po- units sent to the assembly divide. If Yoon is formally
alty or life imprisonment. “The reason why I declared lice officers to the assem- have testified that Yoon thrown out of office, a na-
Yoon has denied any martial law was because of bly, but enough lawmakers ordered them to drag out tional election must take
wrongdoing and blamed desperation as I could no still managed to enter an lawmakers to prevent them place within two months to
the main liberal opposition longer neglect a do-or-die assembly chamber to vote from overturning his de- find his successor.q

The main ingredients in Sierra Leone’s kush are synthetic opioids

and cannabinoids, report finds

By WILSON MCMAKIN Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — often deadly synthetic abuse, promising to lead a
A new report released opioids that have spread government approach fo-
Tuesday by an anti-trans- rapidly across global retail cused on prevention and
national crime group has drug markets, including treatment involving law
identified the core chemi- European countries, par- enforcement and com-
cal components of kush, ticularly since 2022,” the munity engagement.
a synthetic drug that has report reads. “Illustratively, “We believe kush is the
swept through Sierra Le- in 2023 in Estonia and Lat- first case of nitazenes
one and the region in the via, 48% and 28% of drug penetrating West Africa’s
past few years. deaths, respectively, were drug markets. This reflects
The report by the Global attributable to nitazenes. global trends, which show
Initiative against Transna- One of the nitazenes de- nitazenes and associated
tional Organized Crime tected in kush is 25 times fatalities surging globally
conducted the first known more potent than fentan- since late 2022,” the report
testing of the most com- yl.” stated.
mon varieties of kush avail- Sierra Leone’s President When contacted by
able in Sierra Leone and Julius Maada Bio last year phone, one of the authors
A young man smokes Kush, a derivative of cannabis mixed neighboring West African declared a war on kush, of the report, Lucia Bird
with synthetic drugs like fentanyl and tramadol and chemicals countries and found that it calling it an epidemic Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, de-
like formaldehyde, at a hideout in Freetown, Sierra Leone, contained either nitazenes and a national threat. scribed the path that kush
April 29, 2024. or synthetic cannabinoids. He launched a task force is taking to arrive in West
Associated Press
“Nitazenes are potent and on drug and substance Africa.q