Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head."

– Euripides

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."

– John F. Kennedy

"The less you talk, the more you're listened to."

– Pauline Phillips

1. Voice of America: [Washington Talk] “Impeachment, a clash of democratic visions... The alliance is firm ”

2. 7 Soldiers From Korean, Vietnam Wars Receive Medals of Honor

3. In defense of Yoon in South Korea

4. 1st Korean American senator stresses commitment to being 'bridge' between S. Korea, U.S.

5. Jimmy Carter and the confession of sins

6. Massive rallies for, against Yoon's impeachment cause tension, traffic chaos

7. Presidential security officials snub police request for questioning

8. Trump has a once-in a-century opportunity for change

9. South Korea's political crisis: What could happen next after president resists arrest

10. US Expert: “That’s Democracy” on North Korea’s “Chaos in Korea” Claim

11. “Military messages at North Korea’s plenary meeting are reduced… Evidence of poor economy”

12. North Korean troops deployed to Russia, brainwashing on battlefield, “revolutionary mission”

13. The land of the North, filled with the scent of coffee… I visited a cafe on the border between North and South Korea

1. Voice of America: [Washington Talk] “Impeachment, a clash of democratic visions... The alliance is firm ”

VOA Journalist Eunjung Cho hosted Ambassador Joe DeTrani and me for the weekly Washington Talk. The primary target audience is the elite in Pyongyang but the secondary is in South Korea (and I think we also included comments relevant for the incoming Trump Administration). Ambassador DeTrani and I emphasized the importance and strength of the ROK/US alliance. I was able to conclude this with a strong commentary emphasizing that the path to denuclearization is through unification. While President Yoon was impeached, the 8.15 Unification Doctrine has not been impeached. The broadcast is in English with Korean subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMyKxXyGxc&t=267s

[Washington Talk] “Impeachment, a clash of democratic visions... The alliance is firm ”

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMyKxXyGxc&t=267s

VOA Web https://www.voakorea.com/a/7924144.html

21,193 views3 hours ago Premiered 3 hours ago #Washington Talk #VOA #Korea

Experts on the Korean Peninsula in the United States have diagnosed that the impeachment of the Korean president shows a confrontation between different visions of democracy, and that Korean society is carefully evaluating both sides of the situation. Experts have predicted that this political turmoil could be a variable in policy coordination between the United States, but the United States is ready to cooperate with any government in Korea, and that the alliance will remain strong. Progress: Tide: Joseph DeTrani (Former Director of the National Non-Proliferation Center), David Maxwell (Attachments Center Unit)

2. 7 Soldiers From Korean, Vietnam Wars Receive Medals of Honor

Amazing, great Americans. It is gratifying to see these heroes finally properly honored.

7 Soldiers From Korean, Vietnam Wars Receive Medals of Honor

defense.gov · by C. Todd Lopez

Valor Handshake

President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to former Army Pfc. Kenneth J. David during a ceremony at the White House, Jan. 3, 2025. David – the only living recipient among the seven soldiers from the Korean and Vietnam Wars to receive the Medal of Honor during the ceremony – was recognized and honored for his acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a radio operator with Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during combat operations on May 7, 1970 near Fire Support Base Maureen, Thua Thien province, Vietnam.

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At a White House ceremony today, President Joe Biden presented Medals of Honor to seven soldiers who served in either the Korean War or the Vietnam War.

Among the soldiers honored were Pvt. Bruno R. Orig, Pfc. Wataru Nakamura, Cpl. Fred B. McGee, Pfc. Charles R. Johnson, and Gen. Richard E. Cavazos. All served in the Korean War and received the medal posthumously. Family members accepted the decoration on their behalf.

From the Vietnam War, both Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. and Pfc. Kenneth J. David were decorated. Nelson received the medal posthumously, while David, the only living recipient, accepted the medal in person.

33:38

"I'm deeply privileged to honor seven American heroes," Biden said. "That's not hyperbole. These are genuine, to their core, heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions, and even different generations. But heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty. Heroes who all deserve our nation's highest and oldest military recognition, the Medal of Honor."

Bruno Orig

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Pvt. Bruno R. Orig was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions Feb. 15, 1951, during the Korean War.

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Pvt. Bruno R. Orig

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1930, Orig enlisted in the Army in 1950. On February 15, 1951, while serving with Company G, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division in the vicinity of Chipyong-ni, Korea, Orig returned from a mission to find many of his fellow soldiers wounded in an ongoing enemy attack.

Orig administered first aid to his fellow soldiers and remained exposed to enemy fire. With the assistance of other soldiers, Orig removed the wounded to a place of safety.

When Orig noticed that all but one of a machine-gun crew had been wounded, he volunteered to man the weapon. Orig was so effective on the machine gun that a withdrawing friendly platoon was able to move back without a single casualty.

Orig continued to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy until the company positions were overrun. Later, when the lost ground was recaptured, Orig was found dead beside his weapon, though the area in front of his gun was littered with enemy dead. He was 20 years old at the time.

"Bruno saw his fellow soldiers were wounded and stranded under enemy fire," Biden said. "Without hesitation, he ran out to rescue them, giving his own life to save the lives of his brothers in arms. That's valor. That's the definition of valor.

Combat Actions

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Pfc. Wataru Nakamura was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions May 18, 1951, during the Korean War.

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Pfc. Wataru Nakamura

Nakamura was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1921.

"After an attack on Pearl Harbor, he was forced to live in an internment camp, like so many other Japanese Americans," Biden said. "But still, he signed up to serve our nation during World War II and the Korean War. During his last mission in May of 1951, single handedly he defended his unit from enemy attack, fighting until he was killed by a grenade."

While serving with Company I, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division in the vicinity of P'ungch'on-ni, Korea on May 18, 1951, Nakamura volunteered to check and repair a communications line between his platoon and the command post. During that mission, he came under fire by an enemy force which had surrounded friendly positions and were threatening to break the company defense lines.

Without waiting for help, Nakamura rushed the enemy with his bayonet engaged. He singlehandedly attacked and destroyed a hostile machine-gun nest and drove the enemy from several of the bunkers they had captured. When his ammunition was depleted, he withdrew while under enemy fire.

Nakamura then met an ammunition party ascending the hill. After briefing the officer in charge, Nakamura rearmed himself and, covered by the fire of the officer and two fellow soldiers, returned to the attack. He killed three of the enemy in one bunker and killed and seriously wounded another in the last enemy-held bunker. Continuing to press the attack, he fell mortally wounded by an enemy grenade. He was 29 years old at the time.

Fred McGee

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Cpl. Fred c. McGee was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions June 16, 1952, during the Korean War.

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Cpl. Fred B. McGee

McGee was born in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1930. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 and served in Korea from January to November 1952.

"[He was] a Midwesterner, a steel worker and a gunner in one of the first integrated army units of the Korean War," Biden said. "Fred embodied the very best of our country. In June 1952, his unit was attacked. They took casualties. They were ordered to fall back. But Fred refused to leave until he helped every wounded soldier evacuate."

While serving near Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea on June 16, 1952, as a gunner on a light machine gun in a weapons squad, McGee delivered a heavy volume of supporting fire from an exposed position despite intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire directly on his location.

Though forced to move his gun several times, McGee continued to support the assault and give covering fire to the assault elements of his platoon. When his squad leader was wounded, together with several other members of his squad, McGee assumed command and moved the squad even farther forward to a more exposed position in order to deliver fire on an enemy machine gun. When his own machine gunner was mortally wounded, McGee again took over the gun. He directed his squad to withdraw and voluntarily remained behind to help evacuate the wounded and dead.

Though wounded in the face, McGee exposed himself to danger by standing straight up in enemy machine-gun and mortar fire while attempting to evacuate the body of the company runner. Forced to abandon the body, he aided a wounded man to be moved to the rear and safety through a huge volume of enemy mortar and artillery fire.

At the time of his combat action, McGee was 22 years old. After the Korean War, McGee worked in the steel industry for more than four decades. He died in 2020, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Charles Johnson

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Pfc. Charles R. Johnson was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions June 12, 1952, during the Korean War.

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Pfc. Charles R. Johnson

Johnson was born in Sharon, Connecticut, in 1932, and enlisted in the Army in 1952.

"Growing up, in the words of Charlie's high school classmates, he was a heck of a football player," Biden said. "Well back in 1952, Charlie signed up to serve in Korea, trading his jersey for a uniform. During one battle, he gave his life to defend a bunker full of his wounded soldiers. His valor saved 10 men, including an old high school classmate."

When Chinese forces attacked his unit at Outpost Harry in Korea, June 11-12, 1953, Johnson was serving as a rifleman with Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. During the battle, an overwhelming number of Chinese troops assaulted the trenches and bunkers that were defended by Johnson and his squad.

Johnson was wounded from a direct artillery hit on his bunker and subsequently from a hand grenade thrown inside the bunker. Even though he was injured, he administered first aid to those more seriously injured than himself. Johnson dragged a wounded soldier to the safety of a secure bunker while stopping intermittently to aid injured soldiers and kill several enemy troops in hand-to-hand combat.

After departing the safety of the second bunker, he conducted a search for weapons and ammunition then returned to rearm everyone. After acknowledging the untenable situation, he and his fellow soldiers found themselves in, Johnson exited the bunker and placed himself between the enemy and his injured comrades. He told them he'd hold off the enemy forces as best as he could. He was killed by enemy forces while fighting to defend his position and to protect his wounded comrades.

At the time of his combat action, Johnson was 19 years old.

Richard Cavazos

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Gen. Richard E. Cavazos was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions June 14, 1953, during the Korean War.

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Gen. Richard E. Cavazos

Born in Kingsville, Texas, in 1929, Cavazos earned his commission in 1951, after having served in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas Tech University.

"Richard led his men through a difficult and deadly mission in enemy territory," Biden said. "Eventually, he was ordered to retreat, but he stayed. He stayed rescuing wounded soldiers one by one, until every one of them was evacuated. Richard went on to serve for three decades in the army, becoming ... the country's first Hispanic four star general."

At the time of the combat action which earned him the Medal of Honor, Cavazos was a first lieutenant serving as the company commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in the vicinity of Sagimak, Korea.

On the night of June 14, 1953, Cavazos led his company in a raid on an entrenched enemy outpost with the mission of destroying the personnel and installation there. During the initial attack, he led his men through enemy mortar and artillery fire. Upon entering the trenches, close combat ensued during which Cavazos directed heavy fire on the enemy and their positions.

When an enemy mortar and artillery barrage hit his position, Cavazos withdrew the company and regrouped his men. Twice more he led his men through intense enemy fire in assaults on the enemy position, destroying vital enemy fortifications and personnel.

When ordered to withdraw his company, Cavazos complied but remained alone on the enemy outpost to search for missing men. Although exposed to enemy fire, he located five battle casualties and evacuated each, one by one, to a point on the reverse slope of a nearby hill where they could be safely recovered by friendly forces.

After, he returned to the battlefield where he found a small group of men who had become separated from the main assaulting force and personally led them to safety. When informed that there were still men missing, Cavazos again returned to the scene of the battle. There, he located and led another small group of men to safety. He then made two more unassisted trips to the battlefield searching for missing soldiers.

It wasn't until he was satisfied that the battlefield was cleared on the morning of June 15, that he allowed treatment of his own combat wounds.

Cavazos retired from the Army in 1984, after attaining the rank of general. At the time of his combat action, he was 24 years old. He died in 2017, in San Antonio, Texas.

Hugh Nelson

During a ceremony, Jan. 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. was given the Medal of Honor posthumously for combat actions June 5, 1966, during the Vietnam War.

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Capt. Hugh R. Nelson, Jr.

Born in 1937, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Nelson entered the Army in 1963.

"He was just 28 years old when he and his crew were shot down in Vietnam," Biden said. "Hugh freed his men who were trapped in the wreckage. Then as the enemy began to attack, he used his body as a shield to protect them. It cost him dearly. It cost him his life. Hugh's commanding officer called it the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, which it was."

While serving with the 114th Aviation Company (Airmobile Light) on June 5, 1966 near Moc Hoa, Republic of Vietnam, Nelson was the acting aircraft commander of an armed UH-1 Iroquois helicopter on a search and destroy reconnaissance mission when it was struck by enemy fire that rendered the aircraft virtually uncontrollable.

The pilot and Nelson were able to crash land the aircraft without lateral controls. At some point after the crash, Nelson exited the aircraft and went to the aid of his wounded comrades.

Proceeding to the other side of the aircraft, Nelson found his dazed and wounded crew chief still trapped inside. After removing the specialist and placing him on the ground, he climbed into the severely damaged helicopter to assist the door gunner who was still strapped inside and unable to move.

While Nelson tried to free his comrade, the insurgents engaged the aircraft with automatic rifle and small arms fire. Despite the enemy fire and being hit, he was able to free the trapped door gunner. Upon removing the wounded door gunner from the aircraft, he forced the specialist to the ground and used his own body as a shield to cover his comrade from the enemy fire.

While shielding the door gunner, Nelson was hit several times by enemy fire and was killed in action while saving the life of his comrade. His sacrifice allowed the wounded door gunner to use a smoke grenade to signal for supporting aircraft. When those aircraft responded, they were able to prevent the insurgents from advancing on the downed aircraft. They also were able to rescue the three wounded crew members.

At the time of his combat action, Nelson was 28 years old.

Kenneth David

During a ceremony, January 3, 2025, at the White House, Army Spec. 4 Kenneth J. David earned the Medal of Honor for combat actions May 7, 1970, during the Vietnam War.

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Pfc. Kenneth J. David

Born in 1950, David entered the Army in 1969.

On May 7, 1970, David was serving as a radio-telephone operator with Company D, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, near Fire Support Base Maureen, Thua Thien Province, Republic of Vietnam.

At that time, David's company came under an intense attack from a large hostile force. The enemy's initial assault mortally wounded the company's platoon leader and resulted in numerous other casualties. Upon the initial assault, David handed his radio to his platoon sergeant and moved forward to the defensive perimeter, where he unleashed a barrage of automatic weapons fire on the enemy.

From this location, David resisted all enemy efforts to overrun his position. Realizing the impact of the enemy assault on the wounded who were being brought to the center ofthe perimeter, he moved to a position outside of the perimeter while continuing to engage the enemy.

Each time the enemy attempted to concentrate its fire on the wounded inside the perimeter, David would jump from his position and yell to draw the enemy fire away from his injured comrades and back to himself.

Refusing to withdraw in the face of the concentrated enemy fire now directed toward him, David continued to engage the enemy. Although wounded by an exploding satchel charge and running low on ammunition, he tossed hand grenades toward the attackers to counter their fire.

The unit's medic, realizing that David had been injured, moved to his position to provide aid, but David assured him that he was okay and continued to fight on.

David's actions continued to draw the enemy fire away from the incoming medevac helicopters, which allowed the wounded to be safely evacuated. After allied reinforcements fought their way to his company's position, David carried a wounded comrade to a sheltered position. He then returned to the contact area and continued to engage the enemy and provide covering fire for the wounded until the enemy broke contact and fled, at which point he too was medically evacuated.

At the time of his combat actions, David was 20 years old.

"[Ken] couldn't and wouldn't give up," Biden said. "Instead, he shouted and fired his weapon to attract attention to him, away from others and away from the wounded men. Imagine that courage. 'Come get me. Come get me. Don't get those folks.' That's selflessness. Ken, I want to say to you, and I wish I could say to every man we're honoring today: you're a hero, a genuine hero, a flat out, straight-up American hero. And we owe you. The families owe you."

Medal of Honor

President Joe Biden presents Medals of Honor to Pfc. Kenneth J. David at the White House, Jan. 3, 2025.

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Medal of Honor

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Since concluding his service in Vietnam, David has spent 39 years working for Disabled American Veterans in Ohio, where he now serves as the adjutant treasurer.

"[At] our chapter back here, we just spent $3,000 in food for homeless veterans and veterans in need for the Christmas holidays," David said. "We get used scooters and wheelchairs .... donated to us, and we, in turn, give them out, no charge, [to] whoever needs them. We do what we have to do to help the veterans in our community ... because we have to help our brothers."

David said he frequently remembers the men he knew who didn't come home alive from Vietnam, saying he thinks of them as friends. He said he keeps biographies of those men in a book in his truck.

"That's my way of coping with my stress," he said. "They were my friends, a lot of times I call them kids, because we were all kids at that time. But we knew the way they walked, we knew the way they talked, their heartbeat, and we would do anything for each other in any situation."

David is already the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, which he received in 1971, for his service in Vietnam. But he said the Medal of Honor will help him be a better advocate for the needs of veterans like himself.

"With the cross I was able to use the award to help more veterans, because people listen to me," he said. "Now that I'm receiving the Medal of Honor, I will have more power to help more veterans, in my opinion, because I think people will listen to me more because of the award."

Serving veterans, he said, continues to be his duty.

"I will never forget my friends and my veterans in my county up here," he said. "That's my goal for the rest of my life now."

As Biden closes out his term as commander in chief, he said it's been the greatest honor of his life to lead the world's greatest military.

"They're the finest military in the history of the world," he said. "Today we award these individuals a Medal of Honor. We can't stop here. Together as a nation, it's up to us to give this medal meaning, to keep fighting, to keep fighting for one another, for each other, to keep defending everything these heroes fought for and many of them died for: the ideals of America, the freedom we cherish, the democracy that has made our progress possible."

The United States, Biden said, was built on an idea, rather than on geography, ethnicity or religion.

"We are the only nation based on an idea," he said. "The idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident, all men and women are created equal [and] deserve to be treated equally throughout their entire lives. We haven't always lived up to it, but we've never, ever, ever walked away from it. Today we must say clearly, we never, ever, ever will."

defense.gov · by C. Todd Lopez

3. In defense of Yoon in South Korea

Excerpts:

The pro-Yoon rally is growing larger by the day. Why?

One key factor is that factions within the conservative camp have put aside their differences to ensure President Yoon doesn’t meet the same fate as Park Geun-hye. Many are resolute and will not back down without putting up a fierce fight.

Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon’s role, of course, is central to forming a unified front in the streets. In the same vein, conservative pundits and YouTubers have momentarily set aside their competition to unite in pursuit of a greater cause.

Last weekend, for instance, over 500,000 rallygoers gathered in Gwanghwamun Square to show their backing for Yoon. The ruling People Power Party has taken note of this swelling movement, with lawmakers like Yoon Sang-hyun and Kim Min-jeon stepping onto the stage.

In defense of Yoon in South Korea - Asia Times

Prominent right-wing commentator Kang Yong-seok tells Asia Times why impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol should survive

asiatimes.com · by Kenji Yoshida · January 4, 2025

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is at a pivotal crossroads. Impeached by parliament on December 14, his fate now lies in the hands of the Constitutional Court. Should six of the current eight-member panel vote to uphold the motion, Yoon will be removed from office.

Yoon also faces growing investigations into insurrection charges — a crime punishable by life imprisonment or death under local law. In a dramatic turn of events on New Year’s Eve, a court issued an arrest warrant for a sitting president for the first time in the nation’s history.

Amid looming uncertainties, however, pro-Yoon conservatives in South Korea stand firm. They contend that the president’s martial law declaration was both justified and within presidential purview. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Yoon’s supporters have gathered in Seoul, denouncing the impeachment as illegitimate.

In an interview with Asia Times, Kang Yong-seok, an attorney and prominent right-wing commentator, offered his perspective on the latest developments. A former parliamentarian, Kang has been instrumental in shaping and solidifying the pro-Yoon camp from the sidelines. His two YouTube channels boast over 900,000 subscribers.

A court approved an arrest warrant against Yoon on December 31. What are your thoughts?

The warrant is clearly unlawful. Under the South Korean constitution, sitting presidents are immune from criminal investigation except in cases of insurrection or inciting foreign aggression. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), the investigative agency that sought the warrant, doesn’t hold jurisdiction over this case.

What the CIO did, therefore, was extend its investigation into Yoon’s abuse of power charge by framing the insurrection allegation as a natural progression of the case. Such jurisdictional overreach, if permitted, would place virtually no limits on the CIO’s authority. Any investigation or evidence gathered under an illegal warrant would ultimately be rendered inadmissible.

Another critical point is the CIO’s “judge shopping” to ensure a favorable ruling. In South Korea, prosecutors often have prior knowledge of which warrant judges will preside on specific dates. The CIO is supposed to request a warrant from the Seoul Central District Court, but upon learning that a judge there was hesitant to approve their jurisdictional expansion, they shifted to the Western District Court with a more accommodating judge.

To many’s surprise, the judge there reinterpreted existing criminal codes to grant a warrant against President Yoon. Those involved in issuing and approving this illegal warrant will face accountability in due course.

Was Yoon’s December 3 martial law decree justified?

Issuing martial law falls squarely within the president’s authority, and the proper procedures have been followed in its implementation. What is truly undermining the functioning of parliament, however, is the majority-opposition Democratic Party’s actions—cutting essential government funding while increasing their own salaries, filing 22 impeachment motions against state officials, prosecutors, and Yoon’s allies, and passing bills unilaterally with minimal oversight. Such antics seem less like governance and more like a prolonged tantrum over Lee Jae-myung’s defeat in the presidential election.

Does Yoon’s action amount to insurrection?

The main legal contention will be whether President Yoon declared martial law to neutralize, through force, state organs–in this case, the National Assembly or parliament.

To convict President Yoon of spearheading an insurrection, investigators must demonstrate that he had the “purpose” of overthrowing the National Assembly and that a “riot” occurred in the process. So far, there is no indication of either. The president also rescinded his decree immediately after the parliament voted to strike it down, further underscoring a lack of intent.

Securing a conviction for insurrection is an exceptionally tall order. Even Lee Seok-ki, a former leftist lawmaker convicted of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government during a potential war with North Korea, was not found guilty of insurrection.

There are testimonies that Yoon ordered the military to neutralize the National Assembly.

Yes, but those claims are merely testimonies collected during the investigation. The media once speculated about the president using a secure phone—touted as “smoking gun” evidence—to communicate with military officials during the decree. No such phone has surfaced, and the media has quietly dropped that narrative. It’s also highly implausible that no single individual recorded their conversation while speaking directly with the president.

If you remember, in early December, Hong Jang-won, the first director of the National Intelligence Service, claimed that the president personally called him with a list of arrests during martial law. Yet, those claims have mysteriously vanished.

Similarly, the special warfare commander who made a series of revelations on the opposition Democratic Party’s YouTube channel has now fallen silent. Once the official investigation took off and arrests were made, those who had been so vocal before suddenly became tight-lipped.

The media appears now to be latching onto another supposed smoking gun–a pocketbook allegedly belonging to former defense intelligence commander Noh Sang-won. But what is a diary, if not a collection of personal musings, unverified and limited to one’s perspective?

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A similar situation arose during former president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment when a diary kept by senior Blue House official Ahn Jong-bum was presented as critical evidence of a civilian illicitly meddling in state affairs. The courts later dismissed the diary, deeming it circumstantial at best. Frankly, I’d argue diaries don’t even qualify as credible circumstantial evidence.

Will the Constitutional Court uphold the impeachment?

I highly doubt it. As much as we’d like to believe that courts operate independently of politics and public sentiment, they don’t—and the Constitutional Court is no exception. Yoon’s approval ratings have rebounded in recent weeks, with a growing conservative push to invalidate his impeachment, a movement the judges are undoubtedly aware of.

More importantly, the charge of insurrection is far-fetched, and Yoon’s martial law declaration does not constitute an egregious violation of the Constitution–in other words, an impeachable offense.

The pro-Yoon rally is growing larger by the day. Why?

One key factor is that factions within the conservative camp have put aside their differences to ensure President Yoon doesn’t meet the same fate as Park Geun-hye. Many are resolute and will not back down without putting up a fierce fight.

Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon’s role, of course, is central to forming a unified front in the streets. In the same vein, conservative pundits and YouTubers have momentarily set aside their competition to unite in pursuit of a greater cause.

Last weekend, for instance, over 500,000 rallygoers gathered in Gwanghwamun Square to show their backing for Yoon. The ruling People Power Party has taken note of this swelling movement, with lawmakers like Yoon Sang-hyun and Kim Min-jeon stepping onto the stage.

I expect this momentum will continue to build.

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asiatimes.com · by Kenji Yoshida · January 4, 2025

4. 1st Korean American senator stresses commitment to being 'bridge' between S. Korea, U.S.

(LEAD) 1st Korean American senator stresses commitment to being 'bridge' between S. Korea, U.S. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 4, 2025

(ATTN: ADDS photos; RECASTS headline; RECONSTRUCTS)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- Andy Kim, the first-ever Korean American senator, reaffirmed his commitment Friday to being a "bridge" between South Korea and the United States and to promoting the two countries' prosperity and security as he stressed a "strong U.S. requires strong partnerships and alliances."

Kim made the remarks as the 119th Congress kicked off amid expectations that the new senator will play a key role in cementing the Seoul-Washington alliance in the midst of shared challenges, including North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

In November, Kim won the Senate seat for New Jersey that was up for grabs as former Sen. Bob Menendez resigned in August following his conviction on bribery charges. Kim took office last month, succeeding George Helmy who was appointed in August to succeed Menendez.

Sen. Andy Kim is ceremonially sworn into office by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2025 in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

"A strong United States requires strong partnerships and alliances, and I remain committed to being a bridge between the United States and South Korea, and to advancing our shared prosperity and security," Kim said in a statement provided to Yonhap News Agency.

He also highlighted his commitment to working for American people, while showing his sense of honor to serve in the upper chamber of Congress.

"I'm humbled to take the oath of office to serve the state that raised me in the United States Senate. The son of Korean immigrants, growing up I could not have imagined this honor," he said.

"We have critical work ahead in the 119th Congress to bring needed change to make our democracy work for the people and give everyone a chance at the American dream."

Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey (L) attends a swearing-in ceremony with Vice President Kamala Harris (R) at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2025 in this photo provided by Kim's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The new senator is to sit on four Senate committees: Commerce, Science and Transportation; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Kim was born in Boston in 1982 to a family of South Korean immigrants -- his father being a medical researcher and his mother a nurse.

The senator boasts a prominent foreign policy portfolio, having served at the White House National Security Council, the Pentagon, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and as a civilian adviser to Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen in Afghanistan.

Sen. Andy Kim (2nd from L) introduces his father to Vice President Kamala Harris (R) after being ceremonially sworn into office by Harris at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2025 in this photo released by Reuters. (Yonhap)

Kim earned a political science degree from the University of Chicago in 2004. He was awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship and a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which led him to earn a master's degree and a doctorate in international relations from the University of Oxford.

As the new Congress began, the House voted to reelect Republican Rep. Mike Johnson -- a figure endorsed by incoming President Donald Trump -- as its speaker. The vote was seen as the first test of Trump's grip on the GOP that has a thin majority in the House.

In Congress, the Republican Party controls 53 of 100 seats in the Senate and 219 of 435 seats in the House as a result of the November election.

The fragile majority in both chambers has raised questions over whether the legislature will help smoothly enact his "America First" policy agenda, including border security, or keep him in check.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 4, 2025

5. Jimmy Carter and the confession of sins

Memo to the new POTUS: do not be like Jimmy Carter.

Korea and the Deep State

Today and Trump

Jimmy Carter and the confession of sins - Asia Times

asiatimes.com · by Bradley K. Martin · January 1, 2025

Former US President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, was famous for his 1976 confession in a Playboy interview that he had sinned when he “looked on many women with lust” and, thus, “committed adultery many times in my heart.”

Having, like him, grown up immersed in the sin-soaked theology of the Southern Baptists – as a teenager, earnestly vowing in my prayers to abstain from that very sin – I understand where he was coming from. It would be hard not to respect his ambition (he was a hugely ambitious man) to be a good person, in the eyes of God and man, and to be frank about his shortcomings.

But an accurate account of history requires noting that Carter, as a grown man in the era of the sexual revolution, was talking about the sin that Pope Gregory in 580 CE had authoritatively ranked as the least serious of the “seven deadly sins.”

However, regarding what I for one consider a couple of much more serious sins that Carter committed in the course of his political career (neither of them, admittedly, on the traditional theologians’ lists; they’re sins by my defiinition), he offered little in the way of public acknowledgment – much less confession.

One such sin, unknown to most people alive today, was the uncharacteristically racist campaign that he ran in 1970 to become governor of Georgia.

The other was his stubborn attempt for three years as presidential candidate and White House occupant to remove US troops from South Korea – despite near universal opposition from knowledgeable advisors, who told him truthfully that it could mean handing over the South to North Korea’s Kim Il Sung.

Georgia politics

I know about the first case because of my own youthful involvement in Georgia politics. While studying at Emory Law School, I was introduced to Carter in the fall of 1964 at a meeting of a few Democrats in suburban Atlanta’s Dekalb County. We were campaigning on behalf of a young lawyer who was running what would prove a losing first race for the Georgia House of Representatives.

Former naval officer Carter, who had returned to hometown Plains to take over the family peanut farm and gone on to become a pro-Kennedy, pro-civil rights state senator, was preparing to run for the governorship in 1966. He was busy building support by offering encouragement to other candidates such as ours.

You stole our haircut! President Jimmy Carter with Senator Edward Kennedy, who ran against him in the 1980 Democratic presidential primary. Photo: CBS News

I had just returned to my home state after doing my undergraduate studies elsewhere, and his name didn’t ring a bell with me. What struck me immediately when he appeared among us was his barbering, and I said so to the person standing next to me: “Who ever heard of a Georgia politician with a Kennedy haircut?”

He did run for governor in 1966 but failed. I had left Georgia again by then and lost track of him.

The next time I paid attention, in 1970, he was running again for governor. When I visited Atlanta during the campaign I heard from friends that Carter had undergone a partial makeover: While still seeking urban and black votes, he was injecting racist dog-whistle elements into his campaign to appeal to rural admirers of Alabama’s segregationist George Wallace. Without presenting evidence, he also vaguely accused his opponent, the likewise pro-Kennedy, pro-civil rights former Governor Carl Sanders, of corruption.

My friends and I were revolted, having expected much better from Carter. But he won the election.

Confessions? He did apologize privately in a phone call to Sanders for the personal character slurs. “He is not proud of that election,” Sanders said, “and he shouldn’t be proud of it.”

As for the racism, Carter didn’t apologize – but he did immediately resume his former pro-civil rights persona. “The time for racial discrimination is over,” he proclaimed in his inaugural speech.

A black politician forgave him. “I understand why he ran that kind of ultra-conservative campaign,” said state Senator Leroy Johnson. “I don’t believe you can win this state without being a racist.”

Korea and the Deep State

During an otherwise routine presidential campaign appearance in June 1976, Carter criticized the human rights record of South Korea’s president and pledged, if elected, to bring all American troops home from South Korea.

Park Chung-hee’s military dictatorship had achieved impressive economic development but many South Koreans had been left behind, for the time being. Park’s government kept a very tight rein on protest and was growing increasingly unpopular both at home and among human-rights advocates in the United States.

Carter’s plan, especially after he began withdrawing some units, was music to the ears of North Korean ruler Kim Il Sung.

In the then-current atmosphere characterized by “post-Vietnam syndrome,” Kim could calculate that, unless American troops were among the first casualties, the American public might very well veto any proposal to go to war to defend dictator-ruled South Korea from a second attack by dictator-ruled North Korea. The huge differences between the merely authoritarian Seoul regime and the quite totalitarian Pyongyang regime modeled on Stalin’s were lost on many Americans.

Soon congressional and other American critics forced Carter to water down his plan for unilateral withdrawal – but he refused to abandon it.

New intelligence figures ranked the North’s Korean People’s Army as the fifth largest military in the world, in a country whose population was only 17 million. The timing of the news, right when critics in the Pentagon needed ammunition to counter Carter’s proposal, aroused some suspicions. But it was that finding that finally sank unilateral troop withdrawal.

Here’s the way the New York Times recounted it in a 2002 obituary for William H. Gleysteen, Jr., Carter-appointed ambassador to South Korea and the official who, in February 1979, finally talked Carter out of proceeding immediately with the withdrawal plan:

Richard Holbrooke, then assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, recalled in an interview how after a difficult meeting with the South Korean leadership, President Carter drove back to the ambassador’s residence accompanied by Mr. Gleysteen, Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance, who also opposed troop withdrawal, and the national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who favored it.

”The limousine drew up at the front door and nobody got out,” said Mr. Holbrooke. ”So we looked in through the window and saw Bill Gleysteen talking, talking, talking.”

The upshot of that prolonged argument in the presidential limousine was that President Carter reluctantly agreed to reconsider his withdrawal pledge.

Hearing the news of Carter’s death on Sunday, I messaged independent historian Aaron Savage Brown to ask if I was correct in believing that no Carter regrets over the bad call he’d made earlier on that issue had been forthcoming during the nearly half-century since that meeting with Gleysteen and a subsequent press conference where he announced the change.

“I don’t think Carter ever really acknowledged the futility of his Korea troop withdrawal plan,” replied Brown, the author of a 2011 thesis entitled “The Pains of Withdrawal: Carter and Korea, 1976-1980.”

“Upon perusing his White House Diary (in which he commented throughout on subsequent changes of opinion), it doesn’t appear that he ever believed he was doing anything other than looking out for America’s interests when he proposed the withdrawals,” Brown told me.

The diary kept during Carter’s presidential term was published in 2010 when he was in his mid-80s and included italicized updates on his thinking about selected issues.

Today and Trump

Interestingly, these two lapses on Carter’s part correspond to stances taken by Donald Trump.

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Having essentially begun his political career by espousing birtherism against Barack Obama, in 2024 Trump campaigned against immigration to what many observers considered a racist extreme. He won, and he has now publicly changed his position even before being sworn in again – siding with his tech bro buddy Elon Musk, a big fan of the H-1B visa for highly skilled workers.

As for South Korea, regardless of the views of the Deep State Trump has already resurrected the troop withdrawal policy he pushed during his own first term. This is likely to be a huge issue during his second term even though the arguments against the policy remain as compelling as they were during his first.

And South Korea isn’t the only American ally affected by Trump’s transactional approach, as Brown notes: “This is the kind of tactic Trump is fond of when dealing with our NATO partners.”

But of course, unlike his Oval Office predecessor who worked so hard at being an upright man but sometimes failed to meet his own standard, Trump cares nothing for consistency, acknowledging errors or – especially – apologizing when he’s in the wrong.

Bradley K. Martin, who covered the Carter administration’s Korea policy for the Baltimore Sun, is the author of Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty.

This article was originally published on his Substack blog, A Foreign Correspondent at Home and Abroad. It is republished with permission.

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asiatimes.com · by Bradley K. Martin · January 1, 2025

6. Massive rallies for, against Yoon's impeachment cause tension, traffic chaos

Hard to tell from the photos at the link (https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250104003200320) but from what I'm hearing from people in Korea is that the pro-Yoon, anti-impeachment demonstrations are growing larger than the anti-Yoon ones.

It may be that the Korean people are seeing that the threat from outside influence from the north and China is a greater threat to the republic than was previously thought. As counterintuitive as it seems, perhaps President Yoon's action may be the wakeup call for democracy that Korea needs. And the irony is that the only way to improve President Yoon's approval rating was to make the strategic mistake of imposing martial law. What is the popular support goes against impeachment?

Massive rallies for, against Yoon's impeachment cause tension, traffic chaos | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · January 4, 2025

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- Tens of thousands of people gathered in Seoul on Saturday to rally for or against the detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol following his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December, escalating tensions and disrupting traffic.

Around 35,000 people staged pro-Yoon rallies near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul at 1 p.m., then suddenly moved to Hannam-dong of Yongsan district to stand against anti-Yoon protestors.

Just 400 meters away, members of the militant labor umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a rally calling for the immediate arrest of Yoon.

The KCTU members tried to march near Yoon's residence, which was blocked by police. Over the course, there were physical clashes and two were detained for allegedly assaulting police officers.

Protesters occupied roads, which caused severe traffic congestion in the area. Seoul's Hangangjin Station was also briefly closed, with trains passing it without stopping.

Separately, a large-scale protest took place near Gwanghwamun Square demanding the swift impeachment of Yoon.

Members and officials of progressive parties and groups hold a rally calling for the immediate arrest of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2025. (Yonhap)

Protesters from conservative groups attend a rally supporting suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Jan. 4, 2025. (Yonhap)

On Friday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) made a botched attempt to detain Yoon after a six-hour deadlock with Yoon's security team at the presidential residence compound.

Yoon's shocking, albeit short-lived, martial law declaration was followed by the National Assembly's impeachment vote pending a final ruling by the Constitutional Court.

Investigation is under way into the incident, but Yoon has refused to appear for questioning, leading to a court's issuance of a warrant for his detention.

Members of the militant labor umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other anti-President Yoon Suk Yeol protesters are blocked by police as they try to march near Yoon's residence in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2025. (Yonhap)

Protesters hold a rally in Seoul on Jan. 4, 2025, calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol's immediate arrest and impeachment. (Yonhap)

graceoh@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · January 4, 2025

7. Presidential security officials snub police request for questioning

(2nd LD) Presidential security officials snub police request for questioning | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · January 4, 2025

(ATTN: ADDS CIO's call in paras 6-7, additional photo)

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- The top two officials of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) snubbed a police request to appear for questioning Saturday, a day after foiling the state anti-corruption agency's attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In a message to media, the PSS said neither its Chief Park Chong-jun nor Deputy Kim Seong-hoon could leave their positions "even for a moment," citing the gravity of the situation in providing security for Yoon.

The PSS added they were in talks with police to reschedule the questioning session.

On Friday, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) sought to execute its warrant to arrest Yoon over his failed martial law bid from December. However, the CIO halted its attempt after a standoff with PSS officials and soldiers for some six hours, saying some 200 people had formed a human wall that blocked entry to the presidential residence.

The PSS, in turn, threatened to take legal action against "unauthorized trespassing."

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and police officers leave the premises of President Yoon Suk Yeol's official residence in Seoul on Jan. 3, 2025, after failing to execute a warrant to arrest Yoon over his failed bid to impose martial law in December. (Yonhap)

The CIO is expected to make another attempt to detain Yoon as early as Sunday, as it has until Monday to execute the detention warrant on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

The agency once again called on acting President Choi Sang-mok to instruct the presidential security team to cooperate on its execution of the detention warrant.

The six opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, demanded punishment for Park over his role in Friday's standoff.

In a joint press conference at the National Assembly, the floor leaders of the six parties said Park should be immediately removed from his position and be arrested on charges of obstruction of official duties, concealment of an offender and abuse of power.

The parties also accused Park and the rest of the PSS of being accomplices to insurrection. They charged that acting President Choi Sang-mok is also responsible for the standoff and that he must get the PSS to cooperate with the CIO.

The opposition parties called on the CIO to execute the arrest warrant "quickly," adding, "There must never be another retreat."

Members of labor umbrella group Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a rally against suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Jan. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · January 4, 2025

8.Trump has a once-in a-century opportunity for change

Conclusion:

The challenge of regime change in communist China, while more of a long-term project than Iran’s, may well be abbreviated by the trade and economic measures Trump is already contemplating, an activist policy he began to implement in his first term. U.S. and international support for much-needed governance reform in Russia and North Korea is warranted by their joint international aggression in Ukraine. It will need to be initiated by the populations of those countries and will require different forms of international support attuned to their own particular circumstances, especially in the area of strategic communications. The Iran precedent can help show the way.

Trump has a once-in a-century opportunity for change

by Joseph Bosco, opinion contributor - 01/01/25 9:00 AM ET

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5060414-trump-person-of-the-century/?utm

Last month, Donald Trump was selected as Time magazine’s Person of the Year — “the individual who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months.” The designation proclaims no judgment on whether the nominee’s historic role is for good or ill, just that it is “consequential.”

Adolf Hitler was named Man of the Year in 1938. By 1999, Time recognized that women could also be consequential, and the award was changed to Person of the Year. Trump will soon begin his second four-year term as commander in chief, and will have the potential in that compressed time frame to earn the title of Person of the Century (at least, of the first quarter of the century).

That his term will be significant is a virtual certainty, given the need for a response to the international challenges pressing in on the United States today from the new Axis of Evil: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Whether Trump’s tenure will be for America’s and the world’s benefit or detriment will depend on how he responds to those external forces.

Trump will either grasp the opportunity history has thrust upon him to change the world for the better, or he will let it pass by and watch the downward slide into chaos continue. His historical reputation will be set by the strategic choices he makes now. If one or more of the four tyrannical regimes long plaguing the world has not been either removed from power or dramatically changed in its behavior, war and chaos will beckon and will forever stain his legacy. Or, his presidency can be honored by an appreciative global public and embellished with a Nobel Peace Prize.

The prospects for reform vary substantially among the four regimes and none of the possible outcomes is foreseeable with any degree of certainty. But each can be affected by courageous and prudent U.S. policy combining rewards with punishment, and can be nudged along the path of significant reform.

Some observers feared that America’s unsteady foreign policy, especially on Afghanistan and Ukraine, projected an image of confusion and weakness that invites even further overreaching by our adversaries. As history has shown, strategic miscalculation can lead to major conflict. The specter of World War III was already bruited about by both of America’s initial 2024 presidential candidates, though with differing rationales.

President Biden had warned in February 2022 that Vladimir Putin, having successfully seized Eastern Ukraine and Crimea in 2014 during the Obama-Biden administration, was planning to launch the next phase of his Ukraine invasion. When asked if the U.S. would intervene militarily even with a minimal no-fly zone over Ukraine, he quickly rejected the possibility, declaring, “That’s World War III.” He repeated his horrified reaction over the next three years of the war whenever asked about a more vigorous U.S. response to Russia’s aggression.

Trump, for his part, criticized Biden more than once for even the moderate level of weapons support he has provided Ukraine, accusing him of “leading us into World War III.”

In announcing its selection of Trump as the world’s most significant person for this period, Time described his foreign policy approach: “Trump promises to attack the sources abroad that he blames for the country’s malaise: economic interdependence, transnational criminals, traditional allies he sees as free riders on America’s long-running global beneficence. … Willing to upend the nation’s postwar role as a bulwark against authoritarianism, he promises to usher in a foreign policy rooted in ‘America First’ transactionalism.” Nothing in that litany of international challenges or Trump’s likely response would deter further aggressive behavior by America’s proclaimed enemies.

With the right U.S. approach in support of the Iranian people, the regime in Teheran is the most likely to undergo change, from clerical authoritarianism to political tolerance and democratic reform. The Iranian population demonstrated its commitment to political change during the widespread demonstrations in 2009, when the mostly young Iranian protestors fervently appealed for American support. The Obama-Biden administration spurned U.S. involvement — but the incoming Trump team may be more inclined to help.

Trump vigorously opposed the Obama-Biden nuclear deal and terminated it in his first term. Biden’s faltering efforts to revive it still allow time for its demise on behalf of the international community before the final screw is turned on its nuclear weapons program. As administration spokesman John Kirby stated, “President Biden has made clear that Iran will not have that capability. We had tried to do this through diplomacy. Obviously, that didn’t work, because the Iranians were not willing to negotiate in good faith. All other options remain available to the President.”

Those options have widened thanks to the serious undermining of Iran’s security situation over the past year. Israel’s major diminishment of Teheran’s allies and proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah, and lately the Houthis — punctuated by its devastating response to Iran’s missile attacks on Israel — have left Iran exposed and vulnerable to a coup de grace by a joint Israel-U.S. strike. With minimal external involvement beyond destruction of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the Iranian people can take care of the domestic governance problem.

The challenge of regime change in communist China, while more of a long-term project than Iran’s, may well be abbreviated by the trade and economic measures Trump is already contemplating, an activist policy he began to implement in his first term. U.S. and international support for much-needed governance reform in Russia and North Korea is warranted by their joint international aggression in Ukraine. It will need to be initiated by the populations of those countries and will require different forms of international support attuned to their own particular circumstances, especially in the area of strategic communications. The Iran precedent can help show the way.

Joseph Bosco served as China country director for the secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006 and as Asia-Pacific director of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief from 2009 to 2010. He is a nonresident fellow at the Institute for Corean-American Studies, a member of the advisory board of the Global Taiwan Institute and member of the advisory board of The Vandenberg Coalition.

9. South Korea's political crisis: What could happen next after president resists arrest

South Korea's political crisis: What could happen next after president resists arrest04 Jan 2025 02:16PM

channelnewsasia.com

SEOUL: South Korea's political leadership was in uncharted territory on Saturday (Jan 4) after the sitting president resisted arrest over a failed martial law decree days before the warrant expires.

In scenes of high drama on Friday, Yoon Suk Yeol's presidential guards and military troops shielded the former star prosecutor from investigators, who then called off their arrest attempt citing safety concerns.

The South Korean president was impeached and suspended last month after the bungled martial law declaration - a political move swiftly overturned by parliament - with a separate warrant later issued for his arrest.

"There was a stand-off. While we estimated the personnel blocking us to be around 200, there could have been more," an official from the investigation team said Friday on condition of anonymity.

"It was a dangerous situation."

Yoon faces criminal charges of insurrection, one of a few crimes not subject to presidential immunity, meaning he could be sentenced to prison or, at worst, the death penalty.

If the warrant is carried out, Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.

ARREST SHOWDOWN

Since his impeachment, Yoon has holed up in his presidential residence in the capital Seoul, where he has refused to emerge for questioning three times.

The unprecedented showdown - which reportedly included clashes but no shots fired - left the arrest attempt by investigators in limbo with the court-ordered warrant set to expire on Monday.

Officials from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO), probing Yoon over his martial law decree, could make another bid to arrest him before then.

But if the warrant lapses, they may apply for another.

The Constitutional Court slated Jan 14 for the start of Yoon's impeachment trial, which if he does not attend would continue in his absence.

Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye never appeared for their impeachment trials.

Yoon's lawyers decried Friday's arrest attempt as "unlawful and invalid", and vowed to take legal action.

Two top officials from Yoon's presidential security service also refused a police request to appear for questioning on Saturday, citing the "serious nature" of protecting him, the service said in a statement sent to AFP.

Experts said investigators could wait for greater legal justification before attempting to arrest the suspended president again.

"It may be challenging to carry out the arrest until the Constitutional Court rules on the impeachment motion and strips him of the presidential title," Chae Jin-won of Humanitas College at Kyung Hee University told AFP.

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally against his impeachment in Seoul, South Korea on Jan 4, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (Photo: AP/Ahn Young-joon)

"STABLE PATH"

South Korean media reported that CIO officials had wanted to arrest Yoon and take him to their office in Gwacheon near Seoul for questioning.

After that, he could have been held for up to 48 hours on the existing warrant. Investigators would have needed to apply for another arrest warrant to keep him in custody.

If Yoon is arrested before that date, the CIO will have 48 hours to either request a new warrant for his formal arrest or release him.

Even if Jan 6 comes and goes, the CIO can reapply for the same seven-day detention warrant.

If they fail to detain Yoon before the Jan 6 deadline, investigators could seek a new, stronger arrest warrant that would allow them to detain him longer than the 48 hours allowed under the current court order.

Experts say the likelihood of a court approving it is not low, given that Yoon has already refused to appear for questioning three times and has not complied with the existing warrant.

The stronger warrant is typically issued when "a suspect refuses to cooperate with the investigation", political commentator Park Sang-byung told AFP.

Yoon has also "incited and encouraged extreme (right-wing) supporters, which could be seen as effectively admitting to the criminal charges in the eyes of the court," he added.

But executing this type of warrant, even if issued by the court, may not be feasible if Yoon again refuses to leave his residence with the assistance of his security forces, which include a military unit.

Yoon has remained defiant and told his right-wing supporters this week he would fight "to the very end" for his political survival.

By the time investigators arrived to arrest Yoon, he had layered his presidential compound with hundreds of security forces to prevent it.

Around 20 investigators and 80 police officers were heavily outnumbered by around 200 soldiers and security personnel linking arms to block their way.

A tense six-hour stand-off ensued until Friday afternoon when the investigators were forced to U-turn.

The investigators said in a statement on Friday they would ask Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who was installed as acting president a week ago, to back the warrant.

Choi, a member of Yoon's ruling People Power Party who also serves as deputy prime minister and finance minister, is yet to comment on the issue.

Experts suggest that if Choi orders the security service to cooperate, the chances of Yoon being arrested before the Jan 6 deadline will increase.

But the acting president has already faced severe backlash from his party for appointing two new justices to fill three vacancies on the Constitutional Court.

That decision has increased the likelihood of the court upholding Yoon's impeachment - with at least six out of eight needed to back the decision.

Given the situation, "it is unlikely that Choi would cooperate with the CIO's request," Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told AFP.

Choi's short-lived predecessor in the role of acting president and prime minister, Han Duck-soo, was impeached by lawmakers who argued he refused a key opposition demand to install three extra judges at the Constitutional Court, viewed as impeding Yoon's potential removal from office.

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and police officers walk from the presidential residence in Seoul on Jan 3, 2025. (Photo: Yonhap via AFP)

"WAIT" FOR COURT

South Korea's Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers.

Until then, while suspended, Yoon holds the title of president.

Experts suggest the process for investigators to prosecute or formally arrest Yoon would be much easier were he to be stripped of the presidential title.

But the 180-day timeframe is considerable and could potentially delay proceedings significantly.

The Constitutional Court has said it will expedite the impeachment trial due to the seriousness of the case.

But Yoon's lawyers argued on Friday that the court must utilise the full 180 days to conduct the hearings, especially to examine "the circumstances that led to the declaration of martial law".

The weeks of political turmoil have threatened the country's stability.

South Korea's key security ally, the United States, called for the political elite to work towards a "stable path" forward.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Friday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to maintaining bilateral ties.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to hold talks in Seoul on Monday, with one eye on US-South Korea relations and another on nuclear-armed North Korea.

channelnewsasia.com

10. US Expert: “That’s Democracy” on North Korea’s “Chaos in Korea” Claim

This is a Google translation of an RFA report. That is important (to me :-) ) because I used "messy democracy". I am not sure how that got translated to "democracy is a pain in the ass." But I do not think I have ever used that phrase until I just typed it here. (this is like the old telephone game. It went from my English to Korean. And then Google translated the Korean back into English.

And of course I do not consider myself an expert. I am simply a former practitioner who is a student of the Korea problem.

US Expert: “That’s Democracy” on North Korea’s “Chaos in Korea” Claim

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/north-korea-reacts-to-south-political-crisis-democracy-vs-dictatorship-01032025161708.html

WASHINGTON-Kim Ji-soo kimjis@rfa.org

2025.01.03

Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol hold a rally in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 3rd to block the execution of an arrest warrant by the Senior Civil Servants' Corruption Investigation Office.

/ Yonhap News

00:00 /03:27

Anchor : North Korea reported on the situation after the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol through the media . The media highlighted the chaotic political situation, saying, “ South Korea’s political functions have been paralyzed . ” This is reporter Kim Ji-soo reporting .

North Korea's state-run media outlet, Korean Central News Agency, reported on the 3rd that social and political chaos is spreading in South Korea due to the consecutive impeachments .

The media reported that, “ Since the 12/3 martial law incident in puppet South Korea, unprecedented impeachment incidents have occurred one after another and an arrest warrant has been issued for the president, paralyzing state affairs and further expanding socio-political chaos, ” and explained in detail that , “ Following the passage of the impeachment bill against Yoon Seok-yeol, even puppet Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was acting president, was impeached on the 27th . ”

He then claimed , “ Foreign media outlets criticized Korea for falling deeper into the abyss of political turmoil , and for chanting the liberal democratic system like a mantra, but saying that it is in a state of collapse . ”

This is the first report in about three weeks since North Korea relayed the related information on the 16th , two days after the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol , and given the timing of the report, it appears to be taking a relatively cautious response to the martial law situation in South Korea .

This news was also published in the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North Korean Workers' Party, and is interpreted as an attempt to inform North Korean citizens of the chaotic situation in South Korea and to promote the stability of the North Korean regime .

David Maxwell, deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center, explained to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 3rd regarding the current situation in South Korea that true democracy is a democracy that continues to fight, and that it is the opposite of North Korea, which is a dictatorship .

[ Vice President Maxwell ] I think the true democracy is one that upholds and protects the constitution and the system and the people continue to fight to make democracy work . That's why democracy is inherently a pain in the ass . And I would rather live in a pain in the ass democracy ( as seen in the chaotic situation ) of South Korea or any democracy than be a slave under the rule of a dictator like Kim Jong-un of North Korea .

Deputy Maxwell also assessed the current situation in Korea and said that following the rule of law is the essence of democracy .

[ Vice President Maxwell ] I would say that a strong democracy will follow the Constitution. And we have seen that even though there is tremendous political turmoil , all the institutions, the National Assembly , the military , the intelligence agencies , the police, etc., continue to support the Constitution and the rule of law . The decision to impose martial law was controversial and can be considered a strategic error by President Yoon . However, he ultimately followed the rule of law by respecting the decision of the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence .

On the 3rd, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the chaotic political situation in Korea. Source/Korean Central News Agency

“ North Korea , South Korea martial law chaos, ‘ relief’ and ‘ anxiety’ mixed”

North Korea reports first martial law situation in South Korea

North Korea has released its first report in eight days since the December 3 martial law declaration, and has been reporting the news indirectly, citing South Korean and foreign media outlets, without commenting further .

Previously, North Korea experts analyzed through state-run media that there was a high possibility that North Korea would use martial law to its advantage.

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 4th of last month that North Korea may selectively report on the content and actively inform people about the problems of the South Korean system and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration , as attempts to oust the president could send unwanted political implications to the North Korean people .

Editor Park Jeong-woo , Web Editor Lee Gyeong-ha

11. “Military messages at North Korea’s plenary meeting are reduced… Evidence of poor economy”

We must not take our eye off of what is happening inside north Korea even as we focus on the political turmoil in South Korea or north Korea's support to Putin's War in Ukraine. We must be observant for the indicators of international instability (of which there are many) and be prepared for continuities across the spectrum.

This is a google translation of an RFA report.

“Military messages at North Korea’s plenary meeting are reduced… Evidence of poor economy”

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/north-korea-plenary-meeting-economy-deterioration-kim-jong-un-intention-01022025085054.html

Seoul-Hando hando@rfa.org

2025.01.02

Park Won-gon, director of the Institute for Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University, speaks at a discussion on “Analysis of North Korea’s New Year’s Message and Outlook for the Situation in 2025” on the 2nd.

/ RFA PHOTO

00:00 / 00:00

Anchor : Experts are analyzing that the recent reports on the results of North Korea's year-end plenary session have shown a significant decrease in military-related messages and a large proportion of economic-related messages, indicating that North Korea's worsening economic situation is to blame. Reporter Han Do-hyung reports from Seoul .

A discussion on ' Analysis of North Korea's New Year's Message in 2025 and Outlook for the Situation ' jointly hosted by the Institute for Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University and the Our Nation's Mutual Aid Movement in Seoul on the 2nd .

Park Won-gon, director of the Institute for Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University, analyzed at the event that the amount of information North Korea disclosed about the results of its year-end party plenary session last month was quite short, and that the economic sector accounted for a large portion of the disclosed content, saying , “ This is evidence that North Korea’s economic situation is very bad . ”

In particular, since this year is the final year of the Five -Year Plan for National Defense Development and the Five- Year Plan for Economic Development presented by General Secretary Kim Jong-un at the 2021 Party Congress , it is highly likely that they were all discussed at this plenary session , and there is an explanation that there must be an intention behind minimizing the message in the defense sector . These are the words of Director Park Won-gon .

[ Park Won-gon, Director of the Institute for Unification Studies at Ewha Womans University ] There are still key issues in the defense development sector . There must have been discussions about those areas, but they were not announced . I think we can find one or two meanings . First of all, I think it proves that the economic situation is very bad .

Kim Mi-yeon, a senior researcher at the KDB Future Strategy Institute, also analyzed that “ Considering that North Korea did not even mention economic growth performance at this plenary meeting , there is a possibility that it failed to continue last year’s growth and instead achieved sluggish growth . ”

Senior Researcher Kim also predicted that North Korea's expansion of the ' Local Development 20X10 Policy ' discussed at this plenary session would be difficult as it is already difficult to achieve existing goals .

There is also analysis that the absence of a military message in North Korea's year-end plenary session announcement may have been due to issues with North Korea's endurance.

Lee Ho-ryeong, another presenter that day and a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, analyzed, “The omission of the content on the advancement of nuclear missile capabilities, which has been emphasized every year, may be due to the deterioration of the North Korean regime’s endurance and the narrowing of the North Korean people’s acceptance . ”

The senior research fellow interpreted the fact that General Secretary Kim Jong-un's public political activities last year reached a record 65 times since he came to power , as a result of the regime reaching its limit in maintaining its durability through military messages alone .

[ Lee Ho-ryeong, Senior Researcher, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses ] Nuclear training exercises and such were heavily emphasized, but this time they have been completely eliminated . It is highly likely that the internal situation of the North Korean regime is not good, or that the North Korean people have become tired of such things, and their range of acceptance has become very narrow . I think we need to pay attention to the last part .

A discussion on 'Analysis of North Korea's New Year's Message and Outlook for the Situation in 2025' held in Seoul on the 2nd. / RFA PHOTO

[ Hot Topic ] North Korea in 2025 as seen through the year-end plenary session

“North Korea takes cautious stance ahead of Trump’s second term at plenary meeting ”

Meanwhile, the debate that day presented conflicting analyses regarding the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war and its conclusion on North Korea .

Lee Sang-hyun, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, said , “ If North Korea’s role becomes more important to Russia, there may come a time when we have to worry about the possibility of long-term consolidation of North Korea-Russia military cooperation . ”

The senior researcher also predicted that if Russia and Ukraine agree to a ceasefire under pressure from the second Trump administration , which will be launched on the 20th, it will be inevitable that North Korea-Russia relations will ease .

[ Lee Sang-hyun , Senior Researcher, Sejong Institute ] Given the current situation, there is a possibility that a confrontation between the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the North Korea-Russia alliance will emerge on the Korean Peninsula in the future . I think we need to prepare for this as well .

On the other hand, Senior Researcher Lee Ho-ryeong analyzed that the dispatch of troops to Russia is more likely to be a burden to the Kim Jong-un regime rather than a visible achievement.

The senior research fellow also said that the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine since the inauguration of the second Trump administration is a situation in which North Korea's burden and anxiety are growing .

This is Han Do-hyung from RFA Free Asia Broadcasting in Seoul .

Editor Yang Seong-won, Web Editor Kim Sang-il

12. North Korean troops deployed to Russia, brainwashing on battlefield, “revolutionary mission”

We must keep in mind that ideological training is the top priority for all soldiers in the nKPA.

North Korean troops deployed to Russia, brainwashing on battlefield, “revolutionary mission”

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/north-korean-troops-in-ukraine-war-ideological-education-01032025153933.html

WASHINGTON-Park Jae-woo parkja@rfa.org

2025.01.03

The identification card of the deceased North Korean soldier Jeong Kyung-hong released by Ukrainian special forces.

/Ukrainian Special Forces Special Operations Forces (SSO)

00:00 /04:21

Anchor : Ukrainian special forces are releasing diaries containing the activities of North Korean soldiers deployed to the Ukrainian war . The newly released diaries contain information on North Korean soldiers receiving ideological education. Reporter Park Jae-woo reports .

A North Korean soldier's diary released by the Ukrainian Special Forces (SSO) on the social networking service Telegram on the 3rd.

The diary that was recently made public is written by a North Korean soldier named Jeong Kyung-hong who died in the Kursk War, and is the third to be made public following the previous entries on the 24th and 26th of last month.

The diary contains the following entries :

“The most important front among them is the anti-imperialist class front and the most important task is preparation for battle. The most important and vital task for our armed forces is war and preparation for war. This is the inherent mission and duty of the revolutionary armed forces. (All-out efforts to complete preparation for war) This is the mission and demand of the revolution. This is the demand of the present situation and the fighting slogan that all levels of our armed forces must hold high. To prepare a battalion that knows how to act and fight immediately when ordered, an all-round battalion that can perfectly carry out any mission given to it. This is the goal that all battalions of our armed forces must achieve, and the spirit of this conference.”

Ukrainian special forces have not released the middle part, calling it "classified."

Radio Free Asia (RFA) has not independently verified the authenticity of the diary.

The content is consistent with part of the speech made by General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong-un at the 4th Conference of Battalion Commanders and Political Guidance Officers of the Korean People's Army held in Pyongyang on November 14 and 15.

Part of a North Korean soldier's diary and an image of the Rodong Sinmun released by Ukrainian special forces. /Ukrainian special forces Special Operations Forces (SSO)

The full text of this speech was published on November 18 in North Korea's state-run media, Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central Television.

[Anchor Lee Chun-hee] Comrade Kim Jong-un said that preparing a battalion that knows how to act and fight immediately upon receiving an order and an all-round battalion that can perfectly carry out any mission given to it is a goal that all battalions of our armed forces must achieve, and the spirit of this conference…

'1 bait, 2 shoot'… North Korean military's three-way drone shooting method

War memorials for bereaved families of North Korean soldiers dispatched...secret oath

North Korean authorities appear to be continuing to provide thorough ideological education to soldiers deployed to the battlefield .

Lee Hyun-seung, a defector who worked in the 4th Corps Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion and the 15th Martial Arts Research Institute under the General Staff Department in the 2000s, explained that this kind of mental education, that is, North Korean-style life summaries and ideological lectures, is mandatory for all North Koreans inside and outside of North Korea.

[Mr. Lee Hyun-seung] The North Korean regime emphasizes to its soldiers that they should not give up their loyalty to the supreme leader or the country even if it costs them their lives. The goal is to unconditionally observe the party’s policies even if it means sacrificing their lives. This ideological learning continues everywhere among North Korean citizens and soldiers… . They will probably have to continue this even if people die.

But despite this brainwashing , reports have it that the deployed North Korean soldiers are losing their morale as they are helpless against Ukrainian drone attacks.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's General Information Directorate (HUR) announced on the 3rd that "the morale of the North Korean troops deployed to Kursk is falling," and "there are frequent cases of excessive drinking or intoxication among the North Korean troops, including those who participated in the battle on the 31st of last month and the 1st of this month."

It is reported that North Korean troops currently involved in the Kursk recapture operation are attempting a large-scale attack together with the Russian military , but are suffering serious casualties.

The U.S. government has assessed that there were about 1,000 North Korean casualties during the week of mid-December, while the Ukrainian government has claimed that the number is more than 3,000.

Meanwhile , Ukrainian media outlet 'Evocation Info' reported on the 2nd that a high-ranking North Korean People's Army officer visited a Russian military base in Kursk Oblast, Russia, on the 27th of last month to investigate mass casualties among North Korean soldiers.

Editor Park Jeong-woo , Web Editor Kim Sang-il

13. The land of the North, filled with the scent of coffee… I visited a cafe on the border between North and South Korea

I visited this OP last year before Starbucks. I will have to return.

There is video at the link.

The land of the North, filled with the scent of coffee… I visited a cafe on the border between North and South Korea

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/nk_nuclear_talks/coffee-cafes-near-border-viewing-north-korea-01032025152856.html

Gyeonggi-do (Gimpo, Paju) - Jamin Anderson andersonj@rfa.org

2025.01.03

Starbucks located in Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do. Many tourists visit to see the observatory that offers a view of North Korea.

/ RFA Photo

“ It feels strange to see North Korea while drinking American coffee .”

Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Gimpo in mid-December .

Tourists, holding coffee cups in their hands, stand in front of a row of telescopes and screens, observing something.

[ On-site audio ] It looks like a school, right ? There are people walking around . They seem like adults , not kids .

This is Starbucks, a new coffee shop that opened on November 28th .

The first Starbucks in the civilian control zone, located on an observation deck overlooking North Korea .

Aegibong, once one of the main battlegrounds during the Korean War, has become a tourist attraction symbolizing peace since the Peace Ecological Park was created in 2021 .

It is located at the confluence of the Han River, the Imjin River , and the Yesong River in North Korea , and faces Kaepung County in North Korea, 1.4 km across the river .

The park entrance fee is 3,000 won . You can enter after presenting your ID at the checkpoint and going through the Marine Corps verification process .

Although it has only been open for two weeks, it is still crowded with tourists even on weekdays .

Tourists who arrive at the second floor of the observatory after walking through the cloud bridge and the long uphill road look for the telescope before coffee .

[ On-site audio ] Is this a school? A conference room ? People are coming down here too !

North Korea seen through the telescope at the Jo-gang Observatory at Gimpo Aegibong Peace Ecological Park. / RFA Photo

Mr. Kim ( 70s ) , a tourist from Uijeongbu, went on a tour of Gimpo with his friends and unexpectedly got a glimpse into the lives of North Korean residents .

[ Mr. Kim ] It feels like we're in the 60s . It looks like an old house , like an abandoned house . There's something written in red praising Kim Il-sung on it . It's just like when we lived in the 50s and 60s , no, it seems even worse than then . We had freedom back then, at least .

Even after all his friends had entered the cafe, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen that showed North Korea in real time.

[ Mr. Kim ] It's a shame. ( If it weren't divided ) we would have gone back and forth countless times, but it's a shame to just look at it like this .

There are also many tourists who come as families. Children observe North Korea with a curious look on their faces, saying , “ Mom , come here !”

Da-hye Jeong, a college student from Daegu, takes photos of North Korea and sends them to her friends via messenger.

[ Jung Da-hye ] I never thought it would be this close. I didn't know that I could see North Korea with my naked eyes . Just like the Han River flows through the middle of Seoul , there's a river there too, but it feels like a different neighborhood .

(Left) Tourists look out onto North Korea while drinking coffee inside a Starbucks. (Right) Tourists look out onto a North Korean village through a telescope screen at the Jo Gang Observatory. / RFA Photo

North Korea seems so close. However, the distance in each person's heart seems different .

A Gimpo resident expresses his complicated feelings while holding a cup of coffee.

[ Reporter ] What did you order ?

[ Gimpo resident ] Latte. It feels strange to drink American coffee while looking at North Korea .

Although he feels sorry for the backward facilities and lives of the people of North Korea seen across the river, he takes a step back .

[ Gimpo resident ] The facilities are old. But since it is their life, I don't think I can say anything about that . Even if unification happens, I don't know if ( the people in the North and South ) will get used to each other , not yet .

Border residents say, “I wish I was deaf…” due to North Korea’s noise

I went to the North Korea leaflet distribution workshop... Up to 1,500 leaflets were distributed

Starbucks opens in Aegibong, border between South and North Korea… “2030 visitors increase rapidly ”

North Korean scenery seen from the rooftop of Cafe 'Seo' in Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si. / RFA Photo

“ But life goes on ”

Two days later, at a cafe in the southern border area of Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si.

When you climb up to the rooftop of the cafe, you can see the Imjin River flowing beyond the cars speeding across Jayuro, and the scenery of North Korea unfolding behind it .

I saw a few old apartment buildings and houses, but perhaps because of the quiet atmosphere, it didn't feel like anyone lived there.

A cafe decorated in bright colors with Christmas decorations. It is deserted because it is a weekday. North Korea is visible outside the window. / RFA Photo

Meanwhile, the interior of the cafe was filled with a year-end atmosphere with colorful Christmas trees and Santa dolls .

Although the sound is not as loud as in Daeseong-dong Village or Ganghwa Island, this is also a place where North Korea's loudspeaker noise reaches the South.

When I asked the owner of the cafe, who was serving me warm black tea, about the noise, he answered without hesitation , “ It’s the worst . ”

He shook his head, saying that he was sick and tired of the noise that had been going on for months.

At that time, Mr. Kim Young-min and his staff, who run the glamping site ( camping ground ) next to the cafe , were hanging twinkling lights on the Christmas tree at the entrance .

[ Mr. Kim Young-min ] It's less noticeable when you're inside the room, but guests who go for a walk or go camping outside say, " I hear some kind of noise . " Some people say they're scared because they hear ghost sounds or laughter coming from so close .

With the mountains of North Korea in the distance behind them, cafe staff have completed decorating with Christmas lights and Rudolph figurines. / RFA Photo

And yet, the people here live their daily lives silently.

[ Mr. Kim Young-min ] I don't worry that much because I've been living here all this time. I don't worry about war . There's a possibility that someone from any country might invade , but people don't live every day worrying about that .

Behind the barbed wire, the gray land of North Korea was visible, and ahead, workers were busy setting up Santa and Rudolph decorations and preparing a barbecue grill for guests .

While the reporter was traveling around Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, and Gimpo-si, names symbolizing peace and unification such as ‘ Peace Road ,’ ‘ Jayu-ro ,’ and ‘ Peace Observatory ’ were visible everywhere .

For residents of border areas, the seasons continue to flow.

Editor Park Jeong-woo, Web Editor Lee Gyeong-ha

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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