Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."

– Abraham Lincoln

“There is no national science, just as there is no national multiplication table; what is national is no science.”

– Anton Chekhov

"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

1. A Sidelined Sitting President: South Korea’s Leader Won’t Run the Country

2. ‘Come Back!’: A Surprise Boycott Saves South Korea’s President from Impeachment

3. South Korea’s First Lady Looms Over Her Husband’s Embattled Presidency

4. How Lee Jae-myung and South Korean opposition rallied in defiance of martial law

5. South Korean opposition leader thought martial law announcement was ‘a deepfake’

6. Yoon survives impeachment but Korea’s crisis far from over

7. Yoon right about pro-North Korea influences in South's parliament

8. South Korea martial law fallout deepens

9. North Korean troops so 'poorly trained that Putin army yet to throw them into fight'

10. South Korean political chaos all works to Kim Jong Un’s benefit

11. U.S. admiral: No signs of North Korean attack plans amid South’s political unrest

12. Yoon coup a gift to foes at home, bad for solidarity with Japan, US

13. A surreal drama that unfolded in 2024

14. Russia keeps North Korean soldiers away from direct combat, Ukraine's National Resistance Center claims

15. Zelensky makes bold claim about North Korean soldiers as death toll rises

1. A Sidelined Sitting President: South Korea’s Leader Won’t Run the Country

I am not sure what is worse - a president who cannot run the country or an impeachment that results in a new president who will run foreign policy in a different direction.

A Sidelined Sitting President: South Korea’s Leader Won’t Run the Country

Ruling party and prime minister will handle state affairs, not Yoon Suk Yeol after he briefly imposed martial law; opposition calls arrangement illegal

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/south-koreas-former-defense-minister-detained-over-martial-law-involvement-cb96e750?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1

By Timothy W. Martin

and Jiyoung Sohn

Updated Dec. 8, 2024 5:08 am ET

Protesters gathered Sunday in Seoul to call for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo: kim kyung-hoon/Reuters

SEOUL—South Korea’s embattled president will no longer be involved in running the country or diplomacy, according to the ruling party’s leader, who argued the move was made to stabilize state affairs after Yoon Suk Yeol briefly instituted martial law this past week.

Yoon, who just staved off impeachment after his party’s lawmakers boycotted the vote, agreed to the arrangement, said Han Dong-hoon, the head of the conservative People Power Party, in a Sunday morning address. The party, Han added, would seek an “orderly early retreat” for Yoon, whom roughly three-quarters of South Koreans want to see gone.

Before Yoon steps aside, Han said, “the president will not be involved in governance, including foreign affairs.” He called Yoon unfit to lead after the martial-law order.

In the interim, the party—in coordination with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo—would handle “livelihood issues and state affairs,” Han Dong-hoon said. He didn’t offer concrete details on how or when Yoon would be removed or other steps. South Korea’s main government ministries on Sunday didn’t offer clarity on who was ultimately in charge.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, wearing blue suit, and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon laid out their plans at a press conference Sunday. Photo: YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images

It isn’t clear what, if any, legal basis this arrangement may have. The sitting president of South Korea is effectively sidelined. The opposition Democratic Party blasted the move as illegal.

“It is clearly unconstitutional for the prime minister and the ruling party to jointly exercise the president’s authority that no one has granted them without participating in constitutional procedure,” said Woo Won-shik, the National Assembly speaker.

The apparent shake-up followed Yoon’s survival of a Saturday impeachment vote, with turnout failing to hit a quorum after ruling-party lawmakers walked out. The opposition parties said they would call a National Assembly motion to impeach Yoon every week until they are successful, with the next vote planned for Dec. 14.

Meanwhile, legal scrutiny of Yoon’s declaration of martial law started to expand. Prosecutors on Sunday arrested the country’s recently resigned defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun. Seoul’s military had said Kim had proposed the idea of martial law to Yoon.

The 65-year-old Kim had voluntarily gone in to be questioned overnight by prosecutors looking into allegations of insurrection and other charges.

Kim Yong-hyun resigned as South Korea’s defense minister following the president’s bid to impose martial law. Photo: Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Kim is the first prominent South Korean official to be detained over Yoon’s stunning move to enact emergency powers exerting military control over the country’s political activities, media and health services.

Prosecutors said Kim would cooperate with the investigation. A law firm representing him didn’t respond to a request for comment.

In South Korea, law enforcement can detain individuals under investigation without an arrest warrant if they are considered a flight risk or a threat to evidence. Prosecutors said they would seek a formal warrant within 48 hours to keep Kim behind bars longer as the investigation against him unfolds. If a judge rejects the request, Kim will be released.

In a televised briefing on Sunday afternoon, senior prosecutor Park Se-hyun said a special unit of 62 prosecutors, investigators and military prosecutors would conduct an investigation into the former defense minister for his role in Yoon’s martial-law declaration.

Park also named Yoon as an investigation target for abuse of power, as well as treason—one of the rare charges that doesn’t carry presidential immunity.

South Korea recently established two separate special investigative units, one staffed by prosecutors and the other by police, who are looking into various legal complaints filed against Yoon and others tied to the martial-law move. The special unit of prosecutors was the group that detained the former defense minister.

Soobin Kim contributed to this article.

Write to Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com and Jiyoung Sohn at jiyoung.sohn@wsj.com

2. ‘Come Back!’: A Surprise Boycott Saves South Korea’s President from Impeachment

‘Come Back!’: A Surprise Boycott Saves South Korea’s President from Impeachment

Opposition lawmakers vow to keep trying to oust Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/south-korea-impeachment-vote-president-yoon-suk-yeol-6f96063e?mod=Searchresults_pos4&page=1

By Jiyoung Sohn

, Timothy W. Martin

and Soobin Kim

Updated Dec. 7, 2024 11:55 am ET

Protesters outside the National Assembly in Seoul call for the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo: Jung Yeon-je/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

SEOUL—South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol eluded impeachment on Saturday, as allied lawmakers walked out before a vote and stalled efforts to punish him for declaring martial law earlier this week.

Impeachment required a two-thirds majority in South Korea’s 300-seat legislature, but fewer than 200 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion, which was presented by the opposition earlier this week. The measure, if successful, would have stripped the conservative Yoon of his presidential powers immediately. Opposition lawmakers vowed to try a second time on the following Saturday—and pledged to call a motion weekly until they win.

Lawmakers had gathered to vote on two matters: a bill on establishing a special prosecutorial investigation into Yoon’s wife, followed by the impeachment motion. After taking the first vote, lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People Power Party began shuffling toward the exits.

“Traitors!” one lawmaker shouted. Another urged, “Go back!” Several opposition party members started blocking the doors at the National Assembly’s main hall.

This was the unicameral legislature’s vote to punish the conservative Yoon for declaring martial order days earlier—a stunning choice that the South Korean leader later admitted had been made out of desperation. The walkout left too few votes left in the room. The opposition, with 192 votes, needed eight from Yoon’s party to pass. Without enough votes, the motion was deemed invalid.

Yoon had earlier given a televised address in which he apologized for imposing martial law. Photo: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters

The unsuccessful attempt to impeach the president is likely to extend the political turmoil roiling South Korea. The head of Yoon’s party, Han Dong-hoon, had said the president was a risk to the country and unable to perform his duties. He demanded a suspension of powers for the South Korean leader. “An early resignation is unavoidable,” Han said.

Yoon’s fellow conservatives could be buying more time to devise a way for the president to step aside, since an impeachment would kick-start a process that could lead to a snap election by as early as next spring, said Park Sang-byeong, a political commentator based in Seoul. Given the unpopularity of both Yoon and the party, the opposition Democratic Party would be well-positioned to win the country’s presidency.

“The conservative party may have arrived at the collective conclusion that now is not the best time,” Park said.

‘A Christmas gift’

The front-runner in a snap election is Lee Jae-myung, the opposition party leader, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday. Lee lost the 2022 election to Yoon by a narrow margin.

After the vote’s dismissal, Lee called the conservatives the “criminal party” and vowed to keep trying to impeach Yoon. “We will definitely normalize this country and return it to you as a Christmas gift,” Lee said to applause inside the National Assembly’s central lobby. “We will definitely win.”

South Korea, a close U.S. ally, shed military rule in the late 1980s, and citizens take great pride in their hard-fought transition to democracy. Yoon’s abrupt decision to impose martial law, which would have allowed him to exert control over the media, health services and political realm, shocked the nation, including some senior figures inside his government. It also surprised the Biden administration, which said it hadn’t known of Yoon’s plans in advance.

The political tumult in Seoul has also complicated its relations with Washington and other allies. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called off a planned trip to Seoul, with Biden administration officials citing the political upheaval as a reason.

Protesters brought effigies of Yoon and Donald Trump to a street near the National Assembly. Photo: Anthony Wallace/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Earlier on Saturday, Yoon apologized for his actions in a brief televised address, vowing to never again declare martial law and promising to work more closely with his party to steady state affairs. He also said he would not seek to escape legal and political responsibility for his decision on Tuesday to impose martial law. During a night of chaos, the country’s legislature had promptly overturned that order.

Blocking the impeachment may be something of a Pyrrhic victory for South Korea’s ruling conservatives and Yoon, who could find himself isolated and viewed with suspicion in the international community, said Karl Friedhoff, a research fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs who focuses on South Korea.

“It is the worst of all outcomes as the People Power Party opts to honor party over country,” Friedhoff said.

‘Love for my country’

A swath of the public wants to see Yoon gone: Nearly three-quarters of South Koreans support impeaching him, according to a recent poll. In a Gallup Korea survey taken after Yoon declared martial law, approval of his job performance sank to a new low of 13%.

The backlash was apparent as tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets in central Seoul near the National Assembly building—the site of some of the most dramatic scenes of the country’s brief stint under martial law where soldiers and lawmakers confronted one another. K-pop tunes thumped in the background, as people sang along swapping in the word “impeachment” during certain refrains.

Among those standing in the frigid weather was Kim Byung-chun, a 31-year-old teacher, who waved a flag featuring the videogame character Sonic the Hedgehog, who is known for his blazing running speed. “To show off the speediest lifting of martial law in the world,” Kim said, “I made this flag.”

An anti-Yoon demonstration Friday outside the ruling People Power Party headquarters in Seoul. Photo: Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

About 5 miles northward, a few thousand protesters gathered at a city square in front of South Korea’s main royal palace during the Joseon dynasty. Horn-heavy tunes from decades ago thundered through the speakers.

Kim Sung-ryong, an 84-year-old farmer from outside Seoul, backs keeping Yoon in power, because he wants to avoid a redo of the 2016 impeachment of Park Geun-hye, a conservative and the country’s first female president. South Korea didn’t benefit at all from Park’s ouster, he believes.

“They impeached her for their political ambitions and votes,” said Kim, referring to the opposition party. “I’m here out of love for my country.”

Voting math

To impeach Yoon, South Korea’s left-leaning opposition must now solve the parliamentary math and secure the eight more votes they need to attain two-thirds of the assembly.

Some clues emerged from Saturday’s vote attempt. The first motion relating to Yoon’s wife sought to probe allegations that included stock manipulation, bribery and unlawful involvement in party-candidate nominations. It also required a two-thirds majority but failed, with 198 in favor and 102 against. That suggests at least six lawmakers from Yoon’s party crossed sides.

The ruling party shortly before voting started said it had everyone on the same page about blocking the impeachment. But as conservative lawmakers began filing out by the dozens, one remained: Ahn Cheol-soo, who earlier had publicly expressed a willingness to cross party lines and vote for impeachment. He ended up sitting alone, surrounded by 107 vacated cream-colored chairs.

Minutes after the room had nearly cleared of People Power Party members, one unexpectedly returned. Without expression, Kim Yea-ji walked down the aisle, cast her ballot and left to shouts of “thank you!” Neither Ahn nor Kim has publicly disclosed how they voted.

A third conservative lawmaker, Kim Sang-wook, also showed up to vote. Apparently believing he was prepared to support impeachment, opposition lawmakers shook his hand and patted him on the back. One gave him a hug.

Kim told reporters afterward he had cast a “no” ballot, though stressed he had done so only to follow the party’s orders to reject impeachment. But he didn’t mince his words about South Korea’s leader. “I don’t believe Yoon is fit to be president,” he said.

Write to Jiyoung Sohn at jiyoung.sohn@wsj.com and Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com

3. South Korea’s First Lady Looms Over Her Husband’s Embattled Presidency

This is one of the things that fuels the opposition. But what can a president do about his wife?

South Korea’s First Lady Looms Over Her Husband’s Embattled Presidency

Country’s first lady seen as driving force behind Yoon Suk Yeol declaring martial law this week

https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/who-is-kim-kun-hee-south-korea-first-lady-cfe35090?mod=Searchresults_pos6&page=1

By Jiyoung Sohn

and Timothy W. Martin

Dec. 6, 2024 11:49 am ET

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has described claims against first lady Kim Keon-hee as fabricated. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

SEOUL—As South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol fights for his political life following his decision this week to declare martial law, one person looms over the scandals that have engulfed his presidency: his wife.

Yoon is facing an impeachment vote in South Korea’s parliament Saturday for his decision to declare martial law. But it isn’t the only bill on the docket. The other one greenlights a special prosecutorial investigation into Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee.

Their intertwined fates aren’t coincidental. Yoon’s popularity sank as the first lady’s public woes rose. In a recent poll, the South Korean leader’s approval rating fell to 17%. The top factor for the dissatisfaction was Kim—whom critics have called Yoon’s “Achilles’ heel” and “Marie Antoinette” owing to her taste in luxury brands.

Opposition lawmakers, in their impeachment motion, dismissed Yoon’s own national-security rationale for seeking emergency powers. Instead, they cited Yoon’s desire to “evade investigations into criminal allegations involving President Yoon and his family.”

Dior bag

Yoon and Kim married late in life and don’t have any children. They post frequent online photos with their dogs and cats from their residence at South Korea’s presidential compound.

Though Kim, 52 years old, had controversies while Yoon was on the campaign trail, she enjoyed some positive public perception. She was hailed for her stylish wardrobe choices, her youthful looks and her successful art-exhibit business before becoming first lady.

A $160 eco-friendly tote bag made out of vegan leather sold out online after Kim was photographed holding one during Yoon’s state visit to Abu Dhabi. A separate online fan club for the first lady attracted more than 80,000 members and uploaded a “Wonder Woman” movie poster with Kim’s face.

“The enemy of the country is the Democratic Party,” the poster reads.

Critics call South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s wife Kim Keon-hee his Achilles’ heel. Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/Press Pool

The 63-year-old Yoon, a career prosecutor who never held public office before winning the presidency in 2022, was never widely popular. But his downturn picked up steam in January, when a scandal involving his wife’s acceptance of a $2,200 Dior handbag became public. Yoon refused to apologize. His image as an uncompromising prosecutor who plays by the books was damaged.

Kim became an effective vessel to attack Yoon in the areas his critics felt were his weak points, said Young-Im Lee, of California State University, Sacramento, who focuses on gender politics in South Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere.

“Opponents talk a lot about Kim because it is a way to show how noncommunicative and unaccountable Yoon is,” Prof. Lee said. “Shielding his wife from investigation confirmed what kind of leader he is.”

This year, the opposition party, which controls the National Assembly, has passed three separate bills to launch a special counsel to probe a variety of allegations involving the first lady. Yoon vetoed them each time.

The incidents the counsel seeks to probe include Kim and her mother’s involvement as a financier in the alleged stock-price manipulation of a local auto-dealer company, and Kim’s breach of antigraft laws in receiving the Dior bag—both cases where the prosecution chose not to press charges.

The counsel also seeks to investigate older allegations, such as Kim’s potential role in moving the presidential compound to a new location.

“The law must be applied fairly,” said Lee Jae-mook, a political-science professor at South Korea’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. “The public may feel it’s hypocritical for Yoon to aggressively crack down on his opponents’ wrongdoings, yet defend his wife’s scandals.”

Apology

What began to change in recent months was Yoon facing heat over his wife’s scandals from his own ranks.

The head of the ruling People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, backed the appointment of a special inspector to look into the allegations against Kim and demanded Yoon halt the first lady’s public appearances. Last month, Han called on Yoon to issue a public apology.

Days later, Yoon held a televised news conference, standing up, bowing deeply and apologizing for his wife’s “indiscreet” behavior. He promised to fully suspend the first lady’s public activities and create a new office to oversee her schedule.

A special counsel seeks to probe South Korean first lady’s potential role in moving the presidential compound from the Blue House in Seoul. Photo: Ahn Young-joon/AP

But he drew the line at a special counsel, calling it “unconstitutional” and “inappropriate.” The claims against the first lady, Yoon said, were “exaggerated and even fabricated.” He cited the past investigative efforts to find charges to prosecute his wife, which didn’t materialize. Therefore, further pursuit would no longer be judicial action, Yoon said, but rather political propaganda.

In recent days, Han challenged Yoon again, calling the move to declare martial law unconstitutional. Then, on Friday, Han said Yoon’s presidential powers should be taken away, given his failure to admit wrongdoing and the potential to do something extreme, such as declare martial law again.

Yoon has also lost popularity due to a sluggish economy, soaring housing prices and controversial personnel choices. His proposal to boost the nation’s medical ranks has led to thousands of doctors going on strike since February. Yoon cited a stalled budget proposal and frequent attempts by opposition lawmakers to impeach his top officials as motives for declaring martial law.

But Kim’s perceived ambitions and control over Yoon have fed into what is a familiar narrative for South Koreans, who recall the impeachment, then eventual ouster in 2017 of former President Park Geun-hye. Park also had a close friend exerting undue influence behind the scenes.

“People seem to perceive the first lady having similar influence on Yoon,” said Joan Cho, an East Asian studies and government professor at Wesleyan University.

Soobin Kim contributed to this article.

Write to Jiyoung Sohn at jiyoung.sohn@wsj.com and Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com

Appeared in the December 7, 2024, print edition as 'South Korea First Lady’s Scandals Help Fuel Nation’s Political Crisis'.

4. How Lee Jae-myung and South Korean opposition rallied in defiance of martial law

The foreign press needs to be careful about how it describes the South Korean opposition leader and tries to make him into some kind of hero. Here is an AI generated list of his alleged offenses. This is one of the reasons why President Yoon has made allegations about there being north Korean sympathizers in South Korea. Note that the Reuters report does not list any of the allegations linking Mr. Lee to north Korea.

Lee Jae-myung, a prominent South Korean opposition leader, has been accused of and indicted for several crimes. Here's a list of the alleged offenses:

1. Violation of Election Law:

- Found guilty of making false statements during the 2022 presidential campaign

- Received a one-year suspended prison sentence for this offense

2. Misuse of Public Funds:

- Indicted for allegedly using a corporate credit card linked to Gyeonggi Province's public funds for personal expenses while serving as governor

3. Bribery:

- Charged with asking Ssangbangwool Group to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020

4. Corruption:

- Facing allegations related to real estate development projects in Seongnam's Daejang and Baekhyeon neighborhoods

5. Illegal Money Transfers:

- Accused of exchanging money transfers with North Korea

6. Breach of Trust:

- Charged with occupational breach of trust related to the misuse of public funds

7. Violation of Foreign Exchange Transactions Act:

- Indicted for alleged violations related to foreign currency transactions

8. Subornation of Perjury:

- Awaiting verdict on charges of allegedly inducing a witness to commit perjury

It's important to note that Lee Jae-myung has denied all wrongdoing and claims that the charges are politically motivated. He has also announced his intention to appeal the election law violation conviction. Many of these cases are still ongoing, and final verdicts have not been reached for most of the charges.

Citations:

[1] https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1168181.html

[2] https://apnews.com/article/south-korean-opposition-leader-lee-jae-myung-suspended-prison-sentence-321aa7e383e409edff4bd5924ad73776

[3] https://www.newsweek.com/south-korea-opposition-leader-convicted-violating-election-law-lee-jae-myung-1986256

[4] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/15/south-korean-opposition-leader-convicted-for-violating-election-law

How Lee Jae-myung and South Korean opposition rallied in defiance of martial law

By Josh Smith

December 6, 20246:17 AM ESTUpdated 2 days ago

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-lee-jae-myung-south-korean-opposition-rallied-defiance-martial-law-2024-12-05/

Item 1 of 4 South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during an interview with Reuters at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

[1/4]South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks during an interview with Reuters at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary

Opposition lawmakers raced soldiers to hold a votePoliticians scaled compound walls to get into parliamentNow president faces impeachment motion brought by opposition

SEOUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) - When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, lawmakers from the main opposition party raced special forces soldiers to the parliament building to hold a vote against the measures.

Now the same politicians who climbed the compound's walls on Tuesday to avoid security cordons are spearheading an effort to impeach and investigate Yoon and his top ministers over the martial law bid.

Lee Jae-myung, 60, head of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), narrowly lost the 2022 presidential vote to Yoon and has since gone on to have an acrimonious relationship with the president.

On Tuesday Lee and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, 67, were among lawmakers who scaled fences after masked soldiers tried to block entry to parliament following a defence ministry decree banning activity by parliament and political parties.

Lee livestreamed his exploit, urging viewers to come to the parliament building and demonstrate to prevent the arrest of lawmakers.

"It’s up to our citizens to protect this country," he said. "We will also risk our lives to protect the democracy of this country."

Shortly before midnight Woo, a former DP member who is technically independent under the rules governing the speaker's role, convened a session with 190 members of the 300-strong parliament who had gathered.

Ten minutes later they voted unanimously to oppose the martial law declaration, and at 4:30 a.m. Yoon relented and said he would lift the state of martial law.

On Saturday Lee's party plans to hold a vote on a motion to impeach Yoon, and has asked prosecutors to investigate the president and key ministers for their role in the matter.

If Yoon is forced from office, Lee is seen as a top contender in the snap election that would be called.

A populist outsider and former governor of the most populous province in South Korea, Lee has been beset by his own legal troubles and scandals.

On November 15, a court convicted Lee of violating the election law, handing him a one-year prison term suspended for two years, a penalty that if upheld could jeopardise his bid to run for president. Lee said he would appeal.

Ten days later he was cleared of another charge of having forced a witness to commit perjury, but still faces several other trials on matters ranging from bribery to charges mostly tied to a $1-billion property development scandal.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

5. South Korean opposition leader thought martial law announcement was ‘a deepfake’

I kind of agree with Mr. Lee. My first thought might have been that the martial law declaration was a deep fake. I did not believe it when I first received the alert while sitting in the hospital at Fort Belvoir while my wife had her cataract surgery.

Note that CNN also does not list the north Korea linked allegations Mr. Lee.

South Korean opposition leader thought martial law announcement was ‘a deepfake’ | CNN

CNN · by Ivan Watson, Bex Wright, Yoonjung Seo, Jessie Yeung · December 5, 2024

'It has to be a deepfake': South Korean opposition leader on martial law announcement

00:26 - Source: CNN

Seoul, South Korea CNN —

The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party thought the president’s late night martial law announcement was a deepfake when he first saw it, he told CNN on Thursday as his party now seeks to impeach the country’s leader.

President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the decree – which only lasted a few hours before being struck down by lawmakers who forced their way past soldiers into parliament – in an extraordinary late-night television address late Tuesday night.

“That night, after I got off work, I was lying in bed with my wife in our home … when my wife suddenly showed me a YouTube video and said, ‘The president is declaring martial law,’” Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party (DP), told CNN.

“I replied, ‘That’s a deepfake. It has to be a deepfake. There’s no way that’s real,’” he said, referring to the term for fake audio and video created with artificial intelligence.

“But when I watched the video, the president was indeed declaring martial law – yet I thought to myself, ‘This is fabricated, it’s fake.’”

Lee was Yoon’s main rival in the 2022 presidential election, and is himself embroiled in multiple legal difficulties after being indicted on criminal charges.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - DECEMBER 04: Protesters demonstrate against the country's president on December 04, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korean lawmakers voted to lift the declaration of emergency martial law announced earlier by President Yoon Suk Yeol in a televised speech. Since taking office two years ago, Mr Yoon has struggled to push his agendas against an opposition-controlled parliament. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

The news was especially stunning given South Korea has spent the last four decades shaping itself into a vibrant democracy with frequent protests and protected freedoms – a hard-won victory after a long history of bloody authoritarian rule.

Within an hour of Yoon announcing martial law, Lee rushed to the parliament in Seoul, urging other party members in their Telegram group “to gather at the National Assembly as quickly as possible, emphasizing that we must pass the resolution to lift martial law,” he said.

However, as he arrived at the National Assembly, he saw members being prevented from entering as troops began blockading the main building and military helicopters circled overhead. So he climbed over a fence to enter the building – live-streaming the whole time, in a viral video that has since been viewed tens of millions of times on the social platform X.

A total of 180 lawmakers – mostly opposition, but including multiple members of Yoon’s own party – ultimately made it inside parliament to vote down the decree, pushing Yoon to lift martial law early Wednesday.

Yoon has not issued any public statements since then.

Protesters taking part in a march against South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol head toward the Presidential Office in Seoul on December 4, 2024.

Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images

Pressure builds on Yoon

Pressure on the president has mounted in the days since, with protesters and opposition figures demanding his impeachment – and support wavering even within Yoon’s own party and military.

National police have launched an investigation into Yoon and other top officials on treason allegations. Meanwhile, Lee’s Democratic Party said it had filed charges against Yoon and other officials for insurrection.

The opposition also introduced impeachment measures in Parliament, which could vote on the issue as soon as Saturday. If it reaches the two-thirds majority to pass, it will then go to one of the country’s highest courts for further approval.

However, Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is working to block the move.

But party leader Han Dong-hoon said in a briefing Thursday he would oppose the impeachment because it could cause “unprepared chaos,” though he emphasized he was “not defending President Yoon’s unconstitutional martial law.”

A number of government figures have resigned — including the defense minister, who came under heavy criticism for helping spearhead the martial law. Meanwhile senior figures within the military have either distanced themselves from the martial law decree or indicated they were themselves caught unaware.

The vice defense minister Kim Seon-ho, stepping into the role in the interim, said he didn’t know about the martial law order until he read media reports. He apologized to the public on Thursday, saying the former defense minister had ordered the deployment of troops into parliament without warning —though they were not given live rounds.

The head of the country’s martial law command, Park An-su, told lawmakers that he did not write the decree announced by Yoon and was not aware of troop movements during those eventful six hours.

He said the former defense minister had directly delivered the decree and claimed it had been legally reviewed, and did not know if it was the minister of Yoon who wrote the proclamation.

People and lawmakers attend a rally to condemn South Korean President’s surprise declarations of the martial law, at the national assembly in Seoul, South Korea, December 4, 2024.

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Sleeping in parliament

Meanwhile, many lawmakers haven’t dared leave the parliament building – including opposition member Kang Sun-woo, who has been there since Tuesday night.

“We are concerned and afraid that President Yoon might make another declaration of martial law at any time … since the last martial law failed,” she told CNN on Thursday. “That’s why we are staying here and we’re not going home … We are sleeping, eating, and some colleagues are washing here at the National Assembly.”

Questions now swirl around the future of Yoon’s presidency, his party’s position in government, and how this could reshape the country’s political landscape of a major Asian economy and key US regional ally.

Lee, a human rights lawyer turned former provincial governor, only lost the 2022 election by a razor-thin margin – but neither candidate was particularly popular. Both men were mired in scandal, and have been dogged by legal cases and allegations in the years since.

Lee now faces several trials including for bribery and charges related to a $1 billion property development scandal, Reuters reported. In November, he was indicted for personal misuse of public funds, and separately convicted and sentenced for violating election law.

Lee has denied the charges and said he would appeal – claiming to CNN on Thursday he had been arrested “without any evidence or basis” in an act of “political revenge.”

CNN’s Hanna Park contributed reporting.

CNN · by Ivan Watson, Bex Wright, Yoonjung Seo, Jessie Yeung · December 5, 2024

6. Yoon survives impeachment but Korea’s crisis far from over

Yes. Unfortunately far from over.

Yoon survives impeachment but Korea’s crisis far from over - Asia Times

Opposition fails to topple embattled president but more impeachment motions coming while anti-Yoon protestors take to the streets

asiatimes.com · by Lee Seung-ku · December 7, 2024

SEOUL – South Korea’s National Assembly failed to gain the 200 votes needed to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after his ruling party boycotted Saturday’s (December 7) vote. But the country’s sudden political crisis is far from over as opposition lawmakers have vowed to launch another impeachment bid in the days ahead.

Ruling People’s Power Party representatives walked out of the legislative chamber ahead of today’s impeachment vote, ending speculation party members might turn against Yoon over his shock decision to impose martial law this week, which he retracted after about six hours.

Yoon declared in a televised address on December 3 that he was imposing martial law to crush “pro-North Korean and anti-government forces.” Yoon then banned all National Assembly activities and deployed armed troops to arrest key opposition politicians and seize control of the legislature.

However, lawmakers defied the order and eventually convened to vote down the martial law order unanimously. Six opposition parties later submitted an impeachment motion against the president, calling the decree an illegal self-coup attempt.

The People’s Power Party officially decided to oppose impeachment, though at least two of its lawmakers had declared they would vote against the party’s line as of December 6.

Yoon’s second unexpected national address, delivered a few hours before the impeachment ballot, consolidated the party’s rank and file. In a short speech, Yoon said, “I am deeply regretful and I apologize to all South Koreans who were surprised by the martial law.”

“I will entrust my party with the rest of my term, and all the methods to stabilize the country. Going forward, our party and the government will take responsibility to advance together,” Yoon added, implying that he would delegate some of his presidential duties to the party.

A protester holds up a poster calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol against the National Assembly’s main gate on December 7. Photo: Kim Jung-yeop

Yoon is now expected to let his party play a larger role in governing the country, which may or may not shore up the People’s Power Party’s sagging legitimacy to rule as a minority party in the legislature. His apology also gave the ruling party a pretext to act against popular opinion.

Ruling party chief Han Dong-hoon held a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo soon after Yoon’s speech, at which they were expected to have sketched out how the government would operate following the vote.

Meanwhile, over one million South Koreans gathered in front of the National Assembly in freezing temperatures to demand Yoon’s impeachment. Most were hopeful and enthusiastic Yoon would fall at the vote.

“I think there will be lawmakers who vote against party lines,” a 43-year-old protester Kim Young-ae told Asia Times. “Yoon is being stubborn when he needs to step down. I hope the ruling party gets a conscience.”

Another demonstrator, Kim Dong-yoon, said, “people are already walking on the road to victory. We are making history to place judgment on the traitor Yoon Suk Yeol and his followers.”

However, as the ruling party members walked out, making the vote moot, hope and enthusiasm turned to dismay. Some protesters fell to the ground sobbing and cursing, while others shouted out in anger. Most looked dumbfounded and dazed.

“Is the ruling party really a party for the people?” asked 28-year-old Park Seo-yeon. “They pay no attention to the people and illegally boycotted the vote to satisfy their interests.”

Others took issue with the People’s Power Party’s method of opposing impeachment.

“So many people are gathered here. They should show some respect and at least vote. They are disrespecting the people and the legislative branch,” said 33-year-old Song Yoo-min.

After the ruling party lawmakers left the chambers, angry protesters surrounded the 1.4 square-kilometer National Assembly, effectively blocking them in. Some demonstrators stormed the People’s Power Party’s main office, where they locked horns with local law enforcement.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, the nation’s largest opposition party, called the People’s Power Party a “treacherous and unconstitutional party” and vowed to introduce the impeachment motion again on December 11.

In a press conference, Lee confirmed his party would “continuously introduce the impeachment motion each week” in the hopes that the ruling party would feel more pressure each time it votes against it.

The ruling party said it blocked the impeachment because it would have “paralyzed government operations and suspended a constitutional government.” Instead, it floated other methods of holding the president accountable for his martial law decree, including a possible constitutional amendment to shorten the presidential term.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han’s role in government is projected to increase significantly. In a press release, Han said he would do his best as prime minister to ensure that “this situation is sorted out as soon as possible, and that people’s lives are kept stable.”

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Ruling party leader Han also said: “I will work with the prime minister to take care of public welfare.” Under the country’s constitution, the prime minister’s role is to assist the president and direct the ministries following orders from the president.

However, experts raised concerns that a perpetual impeachment process will further polarize South Korea’s already deeply divided society.

“The impeachment process can further drive South Korean society into polarization,” said Seoul National University’s political science professor Ahn Doo-hwan during a symposium held on December 6.

“Korea’s conservative [ruling] party cannot settle on a new ideology to rally around. That is why they bring in outside celebrities [like Yoon] to garner the public’s support. And sometimes that backfires,” Ahn added.

Protesters hold up posters and wave a flag calling for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment on December 7 in front of the National Assembly. Photo: Kim Jung-yeop

Another SNU professor, Kang Won-taek, said, “Yoon is no longer in a position to lead the government.”

All seven political experts participating in the symposium agreed that Yoon’s martial law was illegal and unconstitutional. But, no one could agree on how South Korea could emerge as a resilient democracy from this political turmoil.

The only thing that looks clear at the moment is that the streets of Seoul will be filled with protesters while South Korea’s political crisis continues to unfold.

Lee Seung-ku is a Seoul-based freelance journalist.

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asiatimes.com · by Lee Seung-ku · December 7, 2024

7. Yoon right about pro-North Korea influences in South's parliament

Excerpt:

But with no public evidence of an emergency, martial law looks like a destructive example of shoot first, aim later

There are lots of allegations for any journalists and researchers to pursue.

In South Korea, various individuals and organizations have been identified as having pro-North Korean affiliations or sympathies, often leading to legal scrutiny and political controversy. Notable examples include:

1. Rep. Youn Mee-hyang: In October 2024, Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, formerly associated with the Democratic Party of Korea, faced criticism for attending an event organized by a North Korea-affiliated group in Japan. Her participation led to an inquiry by the National Assembly's ethics committee and an investigation by the Ministry of Unification for potential violations of inter-Korean exchange laws. The ruling People Power Party called for her resignation, accusing her of failing to serve South Korea's best interests.

Asia News Network

2. Southern Headquarters of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR): Established in August 1990, the Southern Headquarters of PKAR was a civic group in South Korea dedicated to reunification, with counterparts in North Korea and overseas. The organization was reportedly directed by North Korea's United Front Department, responsible for propaganda and espionage. In February 2024, following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's decision to abandon unification efforts and designate South Korea as a hostile state, the Southern Headquarters dissolved itself, citing the collapse of inter-Korean relations and the disbandment of its northern counterpart.

NK Insider

3. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU): The KCTU has been involved in pro-North Korean and anti-American activities. In August 2022, during the "August 15 National Workers’ Mass Protest" in Seoul, the KCTU called for the dissolution of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The organization read solidarity remarks from North Korea's General Federation of Trade Unions, condemning U.S. actions without addressing North Korea's nuclear developments. Such activities raised concerns about potential violations of South Korea's National Security Act.

One Korea Network

4. Underground Organizations and Espionage Cases: South Korean authorities have uncovered clandestine groups allegedly operating under North Korean directives:

HGH (HanGilHoe or One Way Committee): Formed in Jeju Province, HGH was reportedly established after meetings between South Korean individuals and North Korean agents in Cambodia since 2017. Members pledged loyalty to the North Korean regime and received espionage training. The group engaged in activities opposing U.S.-South Korea military exercises and the deployment of advanced U.S. weaponry.

East Asia Research

People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification: In November 2022, multiple activists across South Korea were investigated for allegedly forming this underground organization under North Korean orders. They were accused of meeting North Korean agents abroad, receiving funds, and orchestrating anti-state activities, including protests against U.S. military presence and intelligence operations within South Korea.

Journal Neo

These instances highlight the complex and sensitive nature of pro-North Korean elements within South Korea, involving a mix of political figures, civic organizations, and clandestine groups. Their activities often lead to legal actions and intensify political tensions, reflecting the intricate dynamics of inter-Korean relations.

1. Hanchongnyon (South Korean Federation of University Students Councils): Established in 1993, Hanchongnyon is a leftist student organization known for its pro-North Korean stance. The group condemns the presence of U.S. forces in South Korea and advocates for Korean reunification under terms favorable to North Korea. In 1998, South Korea's Supreme Court designated Hanchongnyon as an "enemy-benefiting organization" under the National Security Act, leading to its criminalization due to alleged pro-North Korean activities.

Wikipedia

2. Progressive Party: Formed in 2017, the Progressive Party has faced criticism for its perceived pro-North Korean stance. The party advocates for the dissolution of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and supports policies of reconciliation with North Korea, such as the Sunshine Policy. It opposes sanctions on North Korea and calls for an official end to the Korean War. The Progressive Party has also engaged in dialogue with North Korean political entities, including a 2018 meeting with the North Korean Social Democratic Party in China, which was not authorized by South Korea's Ministry of Unification.

Wikipedia

3. Allegations Against the Democratic Party: In December 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, accusing the main opposition Democratic Party of controlling the parliament and sympathizing with North Korea, thereby paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. This move led to significant political turmoil, with opposition leaders condemning the declaration as illegal and urging public resistance. The situation escalated tensions within South Korea's political landscape, highlighting deep-seated divisions over policies toward North Korea.

The Scottish Sun

These instances illustrate the complex and contentious nature of pro-North Korean elements within South Korea's political sphere. While some individuals and groups advocate for closer ties or reconciliation with the North, such positions often lead to legal challenges and significant political controversy, reflecting the sensitive dynamics of inter-Korean relations.

Yoon right about pro-North Korea influences in South's parliament - Asia Times

But with no public evidence of an emergency, martial law looks like a destructive example of shoot first, aim later

asiatimes.com · by Grant Newsham · December 6, 2024

One almost understands South Korean President Yoon Sook-yeol‘s frustration. The leftist opposition in South Korea, the Democratic Party, holds a commanding majority in the National Assembly. Since day one, they have been trying to obstruct and undermine him.

They have blocked his policies at every turn and tried to impeach him 22 times since he took office in May 2022. They are impeaching his key officials and are also targeting his wife on corruption charges.

So much for “the loyal opposition.” This seems well beyond sharp-elbowed politics. Yoon described it as a “legislative dictatorship.”

But Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 4 was a “shoot, ready, aim” sort of thing. It did not appear to be based on any specific intelligence of an immediate threat that might warrant or evoke popular support for such a drastic move in a well-established democracy.

The fallout

Some reporting indicates the defense minister and perhaps the head of the Army encouraged Yoon to declare martial law as the best way of beating back the opposition that had made South Korea ungovernable.

However, Yoon’s own party’s leaders came out against the move. There was no groundswell of public support, and even the military support fizzled out.

A few hours after declaring martial law, Yoon rescinded the decree. Nonetheless, the damage was done. Besides the harm to South Korean civil society, it is a huge headache for the Americans when a key ally in Northeast Asia is in such straits.

The Chinese do not mind at all.

People callng for the resignation of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Seoul, December 4, 2024. Photo: ©Kyodo.

Yoon crying wolf?

Here is something else to consider: President Yoon in his statement announcing and justifying martial law warned of North Korea supporters in the opposition.

He is actually right. There is a sizable chunk of South Korea’s Democratic Party and leftist political world that is pro-North Korea and also pro-China – as hard as that is to imagine. They are also anti-American.

President Moon Jae In, Yoon’s predecessor, was preternaturally sympathetic to both North Korea and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

He also had no love for the US. In his autobiography, he tells of his euphoria on hearing the Americans were defeated in Vietnam.

The radical National Assembly

Moon also had hard-core radicals working in his administration and in high positions. Imagine if unreformed 1960s-era radicals in the United States took power in the US. (Some might say they did a couple of times in recent decades, but that is another story.)

In South Korea the unreformed student radicals are from the 1980s – and are known as Jusapa.

Take Lee In-young, the Unification Minister appointed in July 2020. Read the transcript of his confirmation hearing in the National Assembly.

Lee was biting his tongue but did not seem to have changed much since his days as the #2 person in the Anti-American Youth Association, which was the underground organization providing leadership to Jeondaehyup. a violent, radical 1980s student organization, Jeondaehyup was based upon North Korea’s Juche ideology.

The Democratic Party has not changed its stripes over the last four years.

Its current leader, Lee Jae Myung, has called American forces in South Korea “occupying forces.” Furthermore, he is accommodating towards the PRC, including its position on bringing Taiwan under its grip.

Tara O of East Asia Research continues to do excellent work on this topic. Her research is invaluable for anyone interested in understanding the backgrounds, ideologies, and political objectives of South Korea’s leftists.

Leftist dominance

South Korean leftists have long wanted a one-party state that they can control. They have sought to dominate the levers of power even beyond the government – to include labor unions, academia and the media.

But it was Moon Jae In’s election in 2017 and the subsequent National Assembly elections in 2020 and 2024 that put this goal in reach. That is what gave the leftists solid control of the National Assembly.

Moreover, the National Assembly is arguably a more attractive target than even the presidency in South Korea.

In the early hours of December 5, 2024, the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol was reported during a plenary session of the South Korean National Assembly in Seoul. Photo: ©Yonhap / Kyodo.

In the South Korean system, the National Assembly can make life nearly impossible for a president. Conversely, in the United States, a president has considerable power even if the opposition holds both houses of Congress.

It is this author’s opinion that there is credible evidence of widespread electoral manipulation in the 2020 and 2024 National Assembly elections. This deserves far more assessment than it has received to date.

Ironically, most South Korean citizens have no desire to be ruled by North Korea or a North Korean-like system. Furthermore, they also support the US-ROK alliance.

But that does not matter so much when a coterie of hardcore radicals (Marxist or otherwise) is able to take over a government and move a country where most people do not want it to go. We have seen it before.

The end game

Whatever happens from now on, Yoon’s move for martial law discredits the South Korean conservatives for a long while. South Korean conservatives are generally pro-American, supporting American-style freedoms and pro-free markets.

This works to the Democratic Party’s advantage. It also roils the ROK-US alliance – at a time when the PRC is on the move along with its erstwhile allies, North Korea and Russia.

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On top of that, President Yoon’s foreign policy achievements may be lost. Yoon boldly improved relations with Japan, and South Korea is supplying the US with ordnance to replace what it has sent to Ukraine.

South Korea is also a major arms exporter in Asia and beyond – with the political influence and standing that comes with that.

Who benefits from the degradation and tearing apart – “entropic warfare” – that has been happening to South Korea for at least the last seven years and that exploded the other day?

Anwer: The PRC.

One fairly thinks they encouraged it, given the PRC’s track record of employing entropic warfare and political warfare from Washington to the Solomon Islands and beyond.

The US-South Korea alliance has held up remarkably well for over 70 years. And it is still able to repel an attack from North Korea – for now.

However, perhaps entropic warfare might do to the alliance what kinetic warfare could not do.

This is one more mess for the Trump Administration to deal with. As if it needed any more.

Grant Newsham, a retired US Marine colonel, is the author of When China Attacks: A Warning to America.

This article was originally published by JAPAN Forward. It is republished with permission.

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asiatimes.com · by Grant Newsham · December 6, 2024

8. South Korea martial law fallout deepens

Fallout. That is probably because the current leadership is radioactive.

South Korea martial law fallout deepens

By Hyunjoo Jin and Josh Smith

December 8, 20245:35 AM ESTUpdated 3 hours ago

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-persecutors-question-ex-defence-minister-over-botched-martial-law-2024-12-07/

Item 1 of 5 Protesters demand Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Seoul, December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

[1/5]Protesters demand Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Seoul, December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary

Yoon's party says he will be excluded from duties before eventually resigningOpposition says impeachment is only legal recourseYoon survived impeachment but faces pressure to step downArrested ex-defence minister seen as central figure in martial law debacle

SEOUL, Dec 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's leadership crisis deepened on Sunday as prosecutors named President Yoon Suk Yeol as a subject of a criminal investigation over last week's martial law attempt, a media report said, and his former defence minister was arrested.

Yoon survived an impeachment vote in the opposition-led parliament late on Saturday, prompted by his short-lived attempt to impose martial law on Tuesday, but the leader of his own party said the president would effectively be excluded from his duties before eventually stepping down.

That proposal, which appeared to win tacit approval from the Yoon-appointed prime minister on Sunday, drew condemnation from opposition lawmakers who said it was another unconstitutional power grab to delegate authority without resignation or impeachment.

Thousands of people rallied in front of the parliament in Seoul on Sunday, calling for the impeachment and arrest of Yoon and the disbandment of his ruling party.

Yoon's martial law declaration on Tuesday plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. military ally into its greatest political crisis in decades, threatening to shatter South Korea's reputation as a democratic success story.

The leader of Yoon's People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, told a press conference alongside the prime minister on Sunday that Yoon would not be involved in foreign and other state affairs before his early resignation.

But National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik said it was unconstitutional to delegate presidential authority to the prime minister and the ruling party without impeachment. Woo proposed a meeting of rival parties to discuss ways to suspend Yoon's presidential power immediately.

The main opposition Democratic Party called for the immediate suspension of Yoon’s presidential duties and for stripping him of authority to control the military. The DP called for the arrest of Yoon and related military officials implicated in the martial law fiasco.

Yoon shocked the nation on Tuesday night when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and obstructionist political opponents. He rescinded the order six hours later, after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote unanimously against the decree.

CRIMINAL PROBE

Yonhap news agency reported that prosecutors had "booked" Yoon, a process in South Korea that involves formally naming subjects of investigation.

Prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.

Three minority opposition parties filed a complaint with the prosecution against Yoon, ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and martial law commander Park An-su, accusing them of insurrection. The crime of leading an insurrection is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with or without prison labour.

Kim, who stepped down on Wednesday after Yoon rescinded martial law, was seen as a central figure in the debacle. He had proposed martial law to the president, according to a senior military official and the impeachment filings.

The prosecution's special investigative team arrested Kim on Sunday and seized his mobile phone, it said in a brief statement to reporters. Before the arrest, investigators questioned Kim, who voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday), Yonhap news agency reported.

The national police raided Kim's office on Sunday as part of an investigation into claims of treason against Yoon and top ministers, Yonhap said.

Opposition lawmakers allege Yoon mobilised military forces to block a vote by lawmakers seeking to nullify what they said was an unconstitutional martial law decree.

MILITARY CRISIS

Hours before Saturday's impeachment vote, Yoon addressed the nation in a televised speech to apologise for his martial law decree, saying he would put his fate in the hands of his party.

Han said the comments were effectively a promise to leave office early, adding that the ruling party would consult with the prime minister to manage state affairs.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Sunday the cabinet would do its best to "maintain trust with our allies", referring to the United States and Japan.

The ruling party offered few details on their plan to prevent Yoon's impeachment but have him give up power, and the proposal added more confusion to the crisis over presidential authority.

In an effort to reassure the public, multiple military leaders, including the acting defence minister, have stated they would refuse any orders to impose another round of martial law.

The defence ministry did not respond to repeated questions from foreign media on Sunday over who is now the commander-in-chief of South Korea's military, which is one of the largest in the world and operates combined commands with the United States.

"I think (military commanders) are very disappointed, some of them are feeling that they have been betrayed. It will take a lot of work to regain the trust of the military," said Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the South Korean army and former commander of the country’s special forces, who blamed politicians for the mess.

"I resent the fact they draw in the military to do their job, and it was a bad decision to try to use the military to solve a political problem," Chun said.

The leadership crisis threatens to undermine allied efforts to deter nuclear-armed North Korea, analysts said.

"North Korea will probably take a wait-and-see approach toward these events, but it cannot be ruled out that Pyongyang will attempt to exploit divisions in Seoul," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

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Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Josh Smith, Hyunsu Yim, Ju-min Park and Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Sandra Maler and William Mallard

9. North Korean troops so 'poorly trained that Putin army yet to throw them into fight'

These are still speculative reports. I have seen no credible reports on how well (or not well) the nKPA forces are fighting (if they are fighting at all yet)/

North Korean troops so 'poorly trained that Putin army yet to throw them into fight'

London Evening Standard · by Nicholas Cecil · December 6, 2024

The DPRK soldiers are expected to be used in the fight for the Kursk region of Russia

Nicholas Cecil, Political Editor @nicholascecil2 minutes ago

North Korean troops sent to Russia have not yet joined the battle against Ukrainian forces partly due to poor training, say western officials.

In a sign of close ties between Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, thousands of soldiers from the DPRK pariah state have been deployed to Russia for its war against Ukraine.

The North Korean troops are expected to be used to reinforce Putin’s military seeking to recapture a swathe of the Kursk region of Russia which was seized by Ukrainian forces in a surprise attack in the summer.

But despite reports that they were already involved in fighting, western officials believe that they are yet to have been sent into battle.

“We say due to poor training and lack of logistical support as the primary reasons why DPRK haven’t started the fight yet,” said one official.

The North Korean troops are expected to take up secondary positions currently held by Russian soldiers so more of the latter can be deployed for frontline attacks.

The western officials doubt that the DPRK soldiers will be deployed into eastern Ukraine where the vast bulk of the fighting is taking place.

Joe Biden authorised Kyiv to fire long range missiles supplied by the US, and Britain, to strike at targets inside Russia following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Putin’s military which is also getting backing from Iran.

The Russian military has for most of the war outgunned Kyiv’s army, and still does in many ways.

But the western officials now say the artillery ratio is one to one point five, Ukraine versus Russia, in fires across the frontline after the West stepped up supplies.

At times the ratio has reportedly been 13 to one in Russia’s favour.

However, Russia is said to be having a devastating impact in Ukraine with its wave of “glide bomb” attacks.

Russian forces are seizing more land but suffering heavy losses in “Somme” like attacks, the western officials added.

More than 700,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since Putin launched his war in February 2022, according to reports, with very high casualties among Ukrainian forces as well.

Ukraine is struggling to replace is loss of soldiers, while Russia is succeeding, albeit with difficulties, having to ramp up the signing on bonus to three million roubles in some parts of the country, according to the officials, with prisons emptied to fill the military ranks.

“It’s true that the Russians are able to replace the casualties that they have lost,” said one official.

“It has to be said that the quality of the replacements are very poor and the training is absolutely minimal.”

Putin is believed to have shied away from a new mobilisation, which could have helped to seize back the Kursk land, partly because of the political costs, but also the economic ones and the risk of another wave of young men fleeing Russia, he added.

London Evening Standard · by Nicholas Cecil · December 6, 2024

10. South Korean political chaos all works to Kim Jong Un’s benefit

Yes. We must understand how Kim Jong Un will exploit this to support his political warfare strategy. I wish both major parties in South Korea could recognize and accept this.

But even though they are tired cliches, we have weathered many storms in the alliance. And it is easy to criticize the statements of those who are in the arena but I would remind the members of the press (who I fully support to make their necessary criticisms) to remind themselves that they have never had to work to manage the alliance and what it takes (hard work) to sustain the alliance. So while they may make light of those leaders' remarks they are doing so without the knowledge or experience of having to make the alliance work. They may have decades of observations but they have no experience doing the work they do have every right to criticize.

South Korean political chaos all works to Kim Jong Un’s benefit

by Donald Kirk, opinion contributor - 12/07/24 8:00 AM ET

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5026349-yoon-suk-yeol-martial-law/?utm

The warmth of Korean American relations during the era of President Yoon Suk Yeol has always been a little too good to be true.

Everything seemed to be going so well as American and South Korean troops conducted joint exercises and President Biden got Yoon and Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, to clasp hands last year in “tripartite” ecstasy at Camp David. But now, suddenly and without warning, we’re thrust into a new era, with Yoon declaring martial law for the first time in almost 50 years.

Yoon’s demise would not be exactly the equivalent of a war, but the shock of his imposition of martial law, and then his almost immediate reversal of that decision, caught everyone totally by surprise. Some intelligence agents claim to have had a sense of what was coming, but, if so, they neglected to pass the word to the ambassador, Philip Goldberg, or the commander of American forces in Korea, Gen. Paul LaCamera.

American officialdom is falling back on familiar cliches. The alliance, they persist in saying, is “ironclad,” and of course “there’s no daylight between us.” As we know, those expressions of solidarity are open to question and confusion. Another word bandied about by Americans is “resilience,” for the Korean capacity to stick together and move on through the miasma of political conflict, protests, unrest and uncertainty about where the country is going.

Where was the CIA, the know-it-alls who so often are caught knowing very little? Somehow it often seems that way through modern Korean history. The odd expert may claim to have read or heard that some American advisers in South Korea saw the North Korean invasion coming in June 1950, and others, with perfect 20-20 hindsight, swear they knew the Chinese were pouring into the upper reaches of North Korea five months later. But certainly Gen. MacArthur had no idea.

The problem is not just that Yoon has been unpopular. He was elected in 2022 as an antidote to a left-leaning president, Moon Jae-in, who had also been unpopular — and who came out looking like an idiot in his attempts to get along with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

That wasn’t entirely Moon’s fault; he had thought he would be immortalized as the leader who brought the two Koreas back together after he met with Kim in Pyongyang in April 2018. This was a full two months before Donald Trump, in the most publicized event of his first presidency, consorted with Kim in Singapore — the beginning of a bromance that may or may not have stood the test of time.

Trump’s walkout from the second summit with Kim, in Hanoi in February 2019, doomed Moon’s presidency. Kim showed how little he thought of this inferior nuisance from the South by steadfastly ignoring him, refusing to see him again. Kim had never cared about Moon. He was sure he had to get through to Trump for the deal that would legitimize his nuclear program and demonstrate his superiority over the entire peninsula, even if he was not about to open a second Korean War just to prove the point.

Yoon, after defeating the next leader of the Minjoo (or Democratic Party), has not been so bad a president. His greatest success has been resuscitating the military relationship with the U.S. Moon had done his best to destroy it, blocking joint field exercises with American troops, snubbing senior American officers, all in the belief that Kim would see him again if he just demonstrated his independence from Washington. It didn’t work.

In this political season, the problem is the Minjoo leader, Lee Jae-myung, whom Yoon defeated by less than 1 point in the 2022 election. He is accused of numerous crimes while amassing a fortune in real estate and construction while mayor of Seongnam, a bustling city just south of Seoul, and he has been convicted and given a suspended sentence for making false statements while losing his first campaign for presidency. He is likely to run again — quite soon, if Yoon is forced out of the job.

The uproar at the top of a system the Americans thought they had firmly on their side raises familiar qualms. No way can Washington feel comfortable about dealing with the likes of Lee. We already bow and curtsy before too many corrupt leaders. Will Washington’s diplomatic tastemakers now be prostrating themselves before Lee, overlooking the widespread view that he should be going to prison, not to the heights of power?

In Yoon, Americans believed they had their man. In the absence of Yoon, it will take all the skills of the best diplomatic double-talkers and mealy mouths to perpetuate a bond that’s gone through innumerable ups and downs since President Harry Truman came to the rescue of the South in the Korean War.

Just think of the problems of the 18 years and five months of the presidency of Park Chung-hee, whose assassination in 1979 led to the rise of Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who perpetuated dictatorial rule by proclaiming martial law and ordering troops into Gwangju, the southwestern city that remains the hotbed of anti-government sentiment, putting down an uprising at the cost of approximately 200 lives. And then there were the weeks of vigils in central Seoul, hundreds of thousands hefting electronic candles in paper cups, demanding the demise of Park’s daughter, Park Geun-hye, ousted, impeached and jailed in 2017.

It’s a safe bet the special relationship between Washington and Seoul will endure, shaken but too deeply embedded in the society to fragment. With Trump in the White House, though, you never know. His calls for Korea to ante up as much as ten times the billion dollars a year that it’s paying for American troops and bases to defend the South are viewed with alarm by all sides in Seoul. And what if, precipitously, he ordered the withdrawal of American troops, now about 28,500, most of them headquartered at America’s biggest overseas base at Camp Humphreys, 40 miles below Seoul?

The deep divisions in the South all play into the hands of North Korea. Kim Jong Un, having totally cut off any prospect of dialogue with Yoon, declaring the South “the enemy,” is now watching silently. He may want to talk again to Trump, and he might conceivably be open to communication with Seoul, but he will insist on no one’s terms but his own.

Whoever leads the South, Kim can only gain strength from the ruckus, knowing that he has both Russia and China on his side, waiting for the time when he can reunite the entire peninsula.

Donald Kirk has been a journalist for more than 60 years, focusing much of his career on conflict in Asia and the Middle East, including as a correspondent for the Washington Star and Chicago Tribune. He is currently a freelance correspondent covering North and South Korea, and is the author of several books about Asian affairs.

11. U.S. admiral: No signs of North Korean attack plans amid South’s political unrest

One of the rare times INDOPACOM takes an interest in the forgotten or ignored peninsula.

U.S. admiral: No signs of North Korean attack plans amid South’s political unrest

washingtontimes.com · by Bill Gertz

By - The Washington Times - Saturday, December 7, 2024

SIMI VALLEY, California — North Korean military forces have shown no signals of attacking South Korea during the current political unrest, the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Saturday.

Adm. Sam Paparo told a conference at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that military intelligence agencies stepped up monitoring the military forces in North Korea shortly after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who survived an impeachment vote on Saturday, declared martial law earlier in the week.

The four-star admiral said U.S. military forces in the Pacific went into a heightened watch status.

Increased surveillance was needed “because there is the potential for opportunism” by Pyongyang.

“But thus far [there has been] no opportunism on that part,” he told a panel at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, called his South Korean counterpart, Adm. Kim Myung-soo, who also exchanged messages with Adm. Paparo.

Mr. Yoon went on TV to apologize to South Koreans for declaring martial law. He withdrew the order in the face of legislative opposition.

“So there is a little bit of political uncertainty in Korea,” Adm. Paparo said.

“I am convinced that from a security standpoint there is stability there. There is stability from a civil military standpoint. There is stability from a security standpoint presently. So it remains right now a purely political matter,” he said.

South Korea has had peaceful protests, with no real fear of civil-military unrest, Adm. Pararo noted.

He said North Korea has provided 12,000 troops to Russia, but it’s not clear that the forces are in active combat in Ukraine.

He said that Russia didn’t ask for the forces, but Pyongyang offered them and Moscow accepted.

In exchange, North Korea expected to receive Russian ballistic missile technology involving warhead reentry and submarine know-how, he said.

He said that Moscow may also supply North Korea with advanced jets, including MiG-29s and Su-27s.

On Taiwan, Adm. Paparo expressed confidence that U.S. and allied forces would prevail in a conflict with China.

From China’s perspective, its leaders have doubts that the People’s Liberation Army could conduct a difficult amphibious assault across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, he said.

“That’s why they’ve set a benchmark for 2027,” he said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s order for the PLA to be ready for an attack on Taiwan.

Any such Chinese assault now would involve “tremendous risk” to China, he said.

However, the U.S. military is concerned that China’s calculus for conducting an attack or invasion in terms of casualties, lost money and other factors is eroding, Adm. Paparo said.

He said the U.S. military in the region has made “great gains” in building key warfare capabilities such as plans to use drones in a future conflict.

Gen. Eric M. Smith, the Marine Corps’ commandant also at the Reagan event, declined to say whether his troops would be dispatched to Taiwan in the future.

“But what I would say is the advantage lies with us because our last combat was captured on somebody’s iPhone 14,” he said.

“The Chinese’s last combat was captured on oil and canvas, and they should not forget that” the general said, referring to the PLA’s lack of warfighting experience.

China’s military can bluster, he said, but going in harm’s way in a conflict is tough.

“And we have a lengthy history of going in harm’s way, in Iraq, in Afghanistan. We’ve built a culture of warrior excellence. We’ve built a culture of warfighting. We’ve built a culture of interoperability in the joint force, [and] the PRC has not had to deal with that in decades,” Gen. Smith said.

Earlier at the confab, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the U.S. must continue denying advanced technology to China.

She said export controls on technology, sanctions and tariffs targeting China are limited tools in the U.S.-China competition.

Currently, 100% of advanced microchips used for artificial intelligence are produced in Taiwan, and losing the island democracy to China would be a national security disaster, the secretary said.

China is building 21 semiconductor manufacturing plants in a bid to end-run U.S. sanctions and controls on chips, she said.

“We are not going to beat China by trying to slow them down,” Ms. Raimondo said. “We are going to beat China by going faster.”

• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.

washingtontimes.com · by Bill Gertz

12. Yoon coup a gift to foes at home, bad for solidarity with Japan, US

This about this statement:

Opposition impeachment motion complained president’s ‘Japan-centered’ policy antagonizes North Korea, China and Russia

This is the problem with the political opposition in South Korea. The members of the opposition are under the naive belief that South Korea can appease North Korea, China, and Russia by doing everything that is necessary to protect the national security and national prosperity fo the nation. They would rather weaken the ROK/US alliance, and trilateral cooperation with the Japan and the US to send a message that they do have a hostile policy toward north Korea, Russia, and China again in the naive belief that this will somehow cause those nations to act favorable toward the South. The political opposition in the South does not seem to acknowledge that it is north Korea, China, and Russia that have hostile policies toward the South and will continue to execute those policies even more strongly despite (or perhaps even because of) a shift to an appeasement foreign policy if and when the opposition comes to power.

Yoon coup a gift to foes at home, bad for solidarity with Japan, US - Asia Times

Opposition impeachment motion complained president’s ‘Japan-centered’ policy antagonizes North Korea, China and Russia

asiatimes.com · by Daniel Sneider · December 7, 2024

The shocking attempted coup by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol caught Koreans and the world by surprise. Even though the country was embroiled in a bitter political divide between progressives and conservatives, the declaration of martial law stunned Koreans and sent shockwaves through Washington and Tokyo.

For a few hours, Korea seemed poised on the brink of a potentially violent clash between the armed forces and masses of protesters. The triumph of democratic institutions was rapid and reassuring.

The unanimous vote of the National Assembly to overrule the martial law declaration was echoed outside the building by the refusal of civil society, the media, and even the conservative Peoples Power party to bow to threats of repression

The celebration of democracy is tempered by the highly uncertain path of the coming months. Yoon is attempting to strike a pose of defiance, hoping he can survive.

The National Assembly voted on Saturday evening on impeachment, with demonstrators outside in the streets of Seoul. Ruling party lawmakers walked out on the proceeding, preventing the two-thirds majority vote that would be required to impeach, but the opposition plans to try again. No matter what the outcome, Yoon’s rule is effectively over.

An early presidential election will likely lead to the triumph of Democratic party leader Lee Jae-myung, who lost the last contest to Yoon by less than one percent.

Many questions remain unanswered, not least why President Yoon took this enormous risk with apparently very little preparation and with the support of only a tiny circle of close allies. How much was the military ready to back Yoon’s insurrection? Why was Washington, which has invested so much in the success of the Yoon government, caught off guard?

But what seems clearer is that the replacement of Yoon by the Progressive Democratic Party will bring real change in key areas of South Korean foreign and security policy, beginning with relations with Japan and China, with the United States and with North Korea.

Clues to what may be on the progressive agenda were contained in a key paragraph in the impeachment resolution put before the National Assembly. Along with the serious crimes charged against Yoon, most of all an illegal attempt to use the martial law provisions, the resolution offered this indictment of the president’s foreign policy:

“In addition, under the guise of so-called ‘value diplomacy,’ Yoon has neglected geopolitical balance, antagonizing North Korea, China, and Russia, adhering to a bizarre Japan-centered foreign policy and appointing Pro-Japan individuals to key government positions, thereby causing isolation in Northeast Asia and triggering a crisis of war, abandoning his duty to protect national security and the people.”

Close observers of Korean politics read this as a signal of what progressive foreign policy will look like after Yoon leaves and if Lee Jae-myung becomes President.

“Now the opposition party has even more incentive to do a wholesale cleansing of all Yoon policies, including foreign policy,” Benjamin Engel, a visiting professor at Seoul’s Dankook University, told Toyo Keizai Online.

“If a normal democratic transition took place we may have seen a somewhat healthier debate on the pros and cons of what Yoon’s foreign policy accomplished and what should be kept or revised. That won’t happen now.”

The top of the progressive target list, as the impeachment resolution makes clear, is relations with Japan. The Democratic party has been highly critical of Yoon’s outreach to Japan, arguing that South Korea made repeated concessions to Japan on issues of wartime history such as the forced laborers, without getting much in return.

While there is considerable public support for the improvement of relations with Japan, that policy may now be tainted by Yoon’s ignominious downfall.

“If the opposition party grasps power, current Korea-Japan relations will go through a very rough time, as well as Korea-US relations,” predicts a former senior South Korean official who remains very engaged in Japan policy. In particular, the progress made in building trilateral security cooperation between Japan, Korea and the US “will no longer be viable.”

Influential figures in the opposition Democratic Party who have been involved with Japan for a long time insist that relations can still develop positively, but emphasize the need to get Korean public support and for Japan to be more forthcoming.

“The administration’s unilateral foreign policy approach has failed to build political momentum,” National Assembly member Wi Sung-lac, a former diplomat and close foreign policy advisor to former presidential candidate Lee, told this writer. “Public sentiment remains negative, especially on historical issues like Japan’s refusal to apologize and its denial of forced labor.”

Wi pledged that if the Democrats return to power, the “stance that Korea-Japan cooperation is necessary will remain unchanged.” But he added, “the pace of progress will depend on Japan’s response. If Japan responds constructively, there is significant potential for improving bilateral relations, though the speed and intensity of that improvement will vary.”

The potential shift in government in Seoul poses a challenge to the government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The prime minister had been gearing up for a visit to South Korea in January, part of preparations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Ishiba is himself an advocate of close relations with Korea and has been more willing to confront the issues of Japan’s wartime and colonial past.

At the least, this effort will have to deal with months of political uncertainty. At worst, a progressive government will come to power and want to slow down the pace of Korea-Japan ties. And that may be compounded by the return of Donald Trump, who does not share the Biden administration’s commitment to creating more durable trilateral cooperation.

“Now, the Japanese government must prepare for a perfect storm,” says Tobias Harris, the head of the Japan Foresight consulting firm.

“Yoon will be either severely constrained or removed entirely; the swing to the left feared in Tokyo could happen in 2025 instead of 2027; and Japan will face a US president who not only is skeptical of US alliance commitments but prefers bilateral to multilateral negotiations and has evinced little interest in strengthening trilateral cooperation.”

As the impeachment resolution indicates, progressives have also been critical of US attempts to pull Korea into a defacto China containment strategy. If Trump pushes hard in this direction, and makes demands on the alliance such as higher defense cost sharing, he may meet some resistance.

“But the alliance with the US is so popular in South Korea, I don’t see Lee or another progressive trying to undermine it,” says Engels. “The major impetus for that will come from Trump”

Lee, Engels says, “will be more neutral, I think, in US-China competition. But even liberals have a limit in how close to China they can move. South Korean public opinion will be against it.”

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One potential area of convergence between Trump and a progressive administration may be an attempt to resume diplomatic engagement with Kim Jong Un and North Korea. The progressive government of Moon Jae-in was a partner to Trump’s first-administration efforts to reach a deal with Kim. Whether the North Koreans will be interested in resuming this effort, even with a change of party in Seoul, is far from clear.

“Their current line is that the South is the enemy nation no matter who is in charge,” Fyodor Tertitskiy, an expert on North Korea and a Lecturer at Korea University, told Toyo Keizai Online.

“The previous left administration failed to deliver anything substantial for them – so it seems they (or, rather, Kim personally) have lost any hope in South Korea. Having said that, I think they would definitely prefer the Democrats to People’s Power, since at least the left would be far less aggressive, and maybe even deferential in their policy towards Pyongyang.”

Indeed, Yoon has led a sharply anti-Communist turn in South Korea. In his martial law declaration, he claimed to be acting to counter pro-North Korean forces who sought to seize control of the South Korean government.

Such views have been circulating for the last few years in ultra-conservative circles that saw Yoon as their savior. But Yoon’s attempt to point the finger at Communists “will backfire and undermine his leadership,” says the former senior official.

For now, Yoon clings to power in Seoul. The former senior official describes him as having “a seige mentality because of recent all-out political attacks against him and his wife from the opposition party and even from within his own ruling party.”

Yoon’s desperation, sadly, may end up destroying one of the most significant achievements of his troubled time in office, the restoration of relations with Japan and the beginnings of serious cooperation.

Danel Sneider is a lecturer on international policy at Stanford.

This article was originally published by The Oriental Economist. It is republished with permission.

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asiatimes.com · by Daniel Sneider · December 7, 2024

13. A surreal drama that unfolded in 2024

Excerpts:

The sight of armed special forces wrestling with civilians brought up the horrid nightmares of Gwangju in May 1980, where students and civilians protesting martial law had been brutally gunned down. Fortunately, soldiers today did not attack civilians. The 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade, the 707th Special Mission Group under the Army Special Warfare Command and the 35th Special Mission Battalion of the Capital Defense Command mobilized under the latest martial law are Korea’s most elite armed forces.

During the last martial law execution in Gwangju, civilian casualties were severe because of the deployment of the airborne commando strenuously trained for raids, irregular warfare and reconnaissance activities. The trepidation remains vivid through films like “1987: When the Day Comes,” “Taxi Driver” and “12.12: The Day.”

The terrifying soldiers landed at Yeouido on the night of Dec. 3, 2024 in peacetime under self-dubbed democracy champion Yoon. He had attended the May 18 Gwangju Uprising memorial during the same month in 2022 when he was sworn in and sang along the iconic democracy movement theme song, “March for the Beloved,” as the first conservative president. On his side was his first Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. Yet the same man resorted to martial law and sent gunmen to occupy the National Assembly. Soldiers thankfully tried to avoid any clashes with civilians, so as not to revisit the traumatic history when they were instrumental for military suppression in Gwangju.

Soldiers mobilized for the repression in Gwangju were summoned to testify in the courts against former coup generals-turned-presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae-woo. They dreaded recalling their experiences. They had led a wretched life for nearly two decades for following the kill orders from their commanders. One of the top brass of the Airborne Brigade who testified after a long period persuasion later committed suicide. He could have been dogged by a sense of guilt for giving his young men the order to fire.

Sunday

December 8, 2024

dictionary + A - A

A surreal drama that unfolded in 2024

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-12-08/opinion/columns/A-surreal-drama-that-unfolded-in-2024/2195612

Published: 08 Dec. 2024, 19:33

Kang Joo-an

The author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.

We witnessed the unbelievable and unimaginable twice under the Yoon Suk Yeol presidency. There was the horrific crowd crush during Halloween two years ago that left 159 young merrymakers dead. It was hard to believe that the scenes captured on social media of people being crushed to death could happen in today’s downtown Seoul district that has police and firefighting rescue forces nearby.

The nighttime TV address of Yoon declaring martial law on Dec. 3 was even more surreal. There were photos of tanks roaming around in downtown Seoul. What we hoped to be fake news turned out to be real when the news showed armed soldiers arriving at the National Assembly in helicopters and breaking windows to get in.

The sight of armed special forces wrestling with civilians brought up the horrid nightmares of Gwangju in May 1980, where students and civilians protesting martial law had been brutally gunned down. Fortunately, soldiers today did not attack civilians. The 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade, the 707th Special Mission Group under the Army Special Warfare Command and the 35th Special Mission Battalion of the Capital Defense Command mobilized under the latest martial law are Korea’s most elite armed forces.

During the last martial law execution in Gwangju, civilian casualties were severe because of the deployment of the airborne commando strenuously trained for raids, irregular warfare and reconnaissance activities. The trepidation remains vivid through films like “1987: When the Day Comes,” “Taxi Driver” and “12.12: The Day.”

The terrifying soldiers landed at Yeouido on the night of Dec. 3, 2024 in peacetime under self-dubbed democracy champion Yoon. He had attended the May 18 Gwangju Uprising memorial during the same month in 2022 when he was sworn in and sang along the iconic democracy movement theme song, “March for the Beloved,” as the first conservative president. On his side was his first Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon. Yet the same man resorted to martial law and sent gunmen to occupy the National Assembly. Soldiers thankfully tried to avoid any clashes with civilians, so as not to revisit the traumatic history when they were instrumental for military suppression in Gwangju.

Soldiers mobilized for the repression in Gwangju were summoned to testify in the courts against former coup generals-turned-presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae-woo. They dreaded recalling their experiences. They had led a wretched life for nearly two decades for following the kill orders from their commanders. One of the top brass of the Airborne Brigade who testified after a long period persuasion later committed suicide. He could have been dogged by a sense of guilt for giving his young men the order to fire.

What is more loathsome under the incumbent administration is the lack of accountability after preposterous disasters. Despite the death toll of 159 during the Itaewon crowd crush, no one at the top of the hierarchy in the police or the Cabinet took responsibility. The findings related to the martial law night are equally despairing. It was first thought that the president had bypassed a Cabinet meeting before declaring martial law, which requires a Cabinet endorsement. If so, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the Cabinet members would have been equally liable for Yoon’s heedless act. But we later found that a Cabinet meeting was held and yet none of the ministers were able to stop the president.

On Dec. 4, the Financial Times ran a headline that said that the Korean parliament voted to block the president’s declaration of martial law But its finding is half-true as most lawmakers from the governing party stayed away from the National Assembly premises, despite the danger of military occupation.

On Saturday, Yoon publicly apologized for turning to the last-resort presidential action of declaring martial law “out of desperation” and vowed not to shy away from the legal and moral repercussions. As he promised to leave his fate in the hands of the party including his term, Han made it clear that the president cannot be trusted to handle “normal” executive duties. President Yoon inevitably may be headed for a disgraceful early exit. Whether it be an impeachment or a descent to being a vegetative state, it looks almost certain that Yoon won’t be attending the upcoming Gwangju memorial in May to sing the tune of “March for the Beloved.”

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

14. Russia keeps North Korean soldiers away from direct combat, Ukraine's National Resistance Center claims

Still waiting for credible reports on nKPA forces.

Russia keeps North Korean soldiers away from direct combat, Ukraine's National Resistance Center claims

kyivindependent.com · by Tim Zadorozhnyy · December 5, 2024

North Korean soldiers have been stationed at observation posts and checkpoints in Russia's Kursk Oblast as a "second echelon" not involved in direct combat, the Ukrainian military-run National Resistance Center reported on Dec. 4.

Pyongyang has dispatched between 10,000-12,000 troops to boost Russia's war in a sign of deepening cooperation between the two countries, deploying the soldiers to the embattled Kursk Oblast.

Subordinated to Russia’s 11th Airborne Assault Brigade, the North Korean forces guard areas where Russian troops are concentrated, the center said. Their deployment has reportedly allowed the Kremlin to reassign more Russian soldiers to front-line positions.

Speaking to Kyodo News, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is treating the first batch of North Korean soldiers well to attract tens of thousands more. At the same time, Zelensky revealed that the first North Korean troops had been killed in the war without revealing the number.

Separately, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson told the media that 2,000 North Korean troops have been assigned to Russia's Marine and airborne units fighting on the front.

"If they (North Korean troops) have joined units engaged in active hostilities, then we can confidently say that they have joined the fight," spokesperson Andrii Cherniak told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, adding that this might not necessarily mean deployment on front-line positions.

"Maybe they are not in advanced positions, but they enable aggression against Ukraine, ensure the killing of Ukrainian service members."

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also said on Nov. 27 that North Korean forces are "actively supporting" Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

While Umerov did not provide specifics, North Korea supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and artillery shells throughout the full-scale invasion, bolstering Moscow’s military capabilities.

Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership agreement in June, pledging to provide military support to one another if either country comes under attack.

Some North Korean troops fighting on Russia’s side killed, Zelensky says

Some of the North Korean soldiers deployed to fight for Russia have already been killed, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Kyodo News on Dec. 1 without revealing their numbers.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

kyivindependent.com · by Tim Zadorozhnyy · December 5, 2024

15. Zelensky makes bold claim about North Korean soldiers as death toll rises

Again still waiting for accurate verifiable reporting.

Zelensky makes bold claim about North Korean soldiers as death toll rises

A Kremlin ship fired at a German helicopter flying over the Baltic Sea despite NATO countries halting their activity in the regions amid fear of retaliation over support for Ukraine

irishstar.com · by Anna Carlson · December 5, 2024

Thousands of dispatched North Korean troops are being held back from direct combat, Ukraine's military-run National Resistance Center reported.

Soldiers were ordered to guard checkpoints where Russian troops were concentrated so Moscow could send more troops to the battle zone.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Kyodo, a Japanese news agency, that in due time, Pyongyang fighters would be used as “cannon fodder” on the front line to reduce Russia's military losses.

According to the National Resistance Center, between 10,000 and 12,000 dispatched troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast are being used as a “second echelon" in case of high Russian fatalities. Another Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson separately said 2,000 North Koreans were already assigned to Russia's front-line naval and airborne units. However, South Korean, Ukrainian and US intelligence have reported similar but varying leads on the strategy for the Pyongyang troops. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, an official at the Pentagon, told reporters at a news conference: "We've seen the press reports about alleged [North Korean] combat ops, and we're looking into those. At this point, we cannot corroborate those reports." Officials said last month, North Korean forces entered Ukraine after the Russian military was training those troops in infantry tactics. "But as you heard [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] say last week, should these troops engage in combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets," Ryder concluded.

Ukrainian armies will target more North Korean troops as they enter the battle field

At the end of October, Russia’s Federation Council ratified a security defense pact with North Korea, strengthening the nation's ties. The agreement mandated mutual military assistance if either country was attacked. Since then, there has been a large deployment of military units.

A Kremlin "insider" spoke to the Telegram, revealing that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has become extremely dissatisfied with Putin's play with his military.

The source explained: "Despite assurances of eternal friendship and full support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, Kim Jong-un does not plan to increase the amount of aid provided in the near future."

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here.

irishstar.com · by Anna Carlson · December 5, 2024

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

Company Name | Website

A Sidelined Sitting President: South Korea’s Leader Won’t Run the Country

Ruling party and prime minister will handle state affairs, not Yoon Suk Yeol after he briefly imposed martial law; opposition calls arrangement illegal

‘Come Back!’: A Surprise Boycott Saves South Korea’s President from Impeachment

Opposition lawmakers vow to keep trying to oust Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law

‘A Christmas gift’

‘Love for my country’

Voting math

South Korea’s First Lady Looms Over Her Husband’s Embattled Presidency

Country’s first lady seen as driving force behind Yoon Suk Yeol declaring martial law this week

Dior bag

Apology

How Lee Jae-myung and South Korean opposition rallied in defiance of martial law

South Korean opposition leader thought martial law announcement was ‘a deepfake’ | CNN

Pressure builds on Yoon

Sleeping in parliament

Yoon survives impeachment but Korea’s crisis far from over - Asia Times

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Yoon right about pro-North Korea influences in South's parliament - Asia Times

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RELATED:

South Korea martial law fallout deepens

CRIMINAL PROBE

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North Korean troops so 'poorly trained that Putin army yet to throw them into fight'

South Korean political chaos all works to Kim Jong Un’s benefit

U.S. admiral: No signs of North Korean attack plans amid South’s political unrest

Yoon coup a gift to foes at home, bad for solidarity with Japan, US - Asia Times

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A surreal drama that unfolded in 2024

Russia keeps North Korean soldiers away from direct combat, Ukraine's National Resistance Center claims

Zelensky makes bold claim about North Korean soldiers as death toll rises

A Kremlin ship fired at a German helicopter flying over the Baltic Sea despite NATO countries halting their activity in the regions amid fear of retaliation over support for Ukraine