Tag: South Korea

Russia Arrests South Korean Missionary and Accuses Him of Being A Spy

I can’t feel sympathy from anyone from the western aligned world who gets arrested while visiting or living in Russia. It is well known the risks of becoming detained whenever Russia needs a hostage:

The detention of a South Korean national by Russian authorities on espionage allegations has emerged as a significant diplomatic challenge for Seoul, particularly against the backdrop of strained relations between the two nations.

Observers suggest that the detainee could be caught up in Russia’s hostage diplomacy tactics, and anticipate that the situation could drag on for months, if not years. Moreover, this incident could signal a shift in Russia’s stance toward North Korean defectors, particularly considering the detainee’s purported involvement in assisting North Korean workers in the far eastern region of Russia.

Earlier this week, the Russian state-owned media outlet TASS agency reported that a South Korean man named Baek Kwang-soon, aged 53, was apprehended in January on charges of espionage in Vladivostok. He was subsequently transferred to Moscow’s Lefortovo detention facility in February, typically reserved for high-profile political detainees. The Lefortovsky Court has extended his detention until June 15.

This marks the first known case of a South Korean national being arrested on espionage charges in Russia, where such offenses carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Opposition Candidate Removed from Ballot Over Remarks About Soldiers Who Lost Their Legs from DMZ Landmine Attack

I don’t understand how this guy even thought his joke was funny in anyway?:

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju declares his candidacy for the April elections at the National Assembly on Jan. 8, 2024. (Yonhap)

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Bong-ju declares his candidacy for the April elections at the National Assembly on Jan. 8, 2024. (Yonhap)

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Friday canceled the nomination of an ex-DP lawmaker over his past remarks ridiculing South Korean soldiers who lost their legs in a 2015 bloody land mine explosion are stirring up criticism weeks before the April parliamentary elections. 

Chung Bong-ju was selected as DP candidate for Seoul’s Gangbuk-B constituency but he has been criticized for the comments he made on a YouTube channel in 2017 about the highly publicized incident for which a South Korean probe later concluded North Korea was responsible. (….)

The panel on the YouTube channel was talking about ways that the two Koreas could use the ski resorts in the North ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games that the South was hosting. 

Appearing as a guest, Chung said: “We have great stuff in the DMZ, don’t we? Ankle mines. We could all go into the DMZ and give out prizes. Give a set of crutches to each of those who step on the mines.” 

Chung’s remarks have come into the spotlight since he won the party primary. 

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Chung issued an apology over the comments and said he also apologized to the victims over the phone and deleted the YouTube clip. 

But the soldiers told some local media that Chung has never contacted them, much less given an apology.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

ROK Defense Minister Calls for Quick Elimination of North Korean Leadership If Conflict was to Occur

Considering all the bunkers and tunnels in North Korea trying to quickly eliminate Kim Jong-un and his inner circle would likely be extremely difficult:

This photo, provided by the defense ministry on March 7, 2024, shows Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (2nd from R) making an on-site inspection of a command bunker in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This photo, provided by the defense ministry on March 7, 2024, shows Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (2nd from R) making an on-site inspection of a command bunker in Seoul.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik called on special operations troops Wednesday to equip themselves with capabilities to “swiftly eliminate” the North Korean leadership if it starts a war against the South.

Shin made the call at the Army Special Warfare Command in Icheon, 56 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as South Korea has been conducting the Freedom Shield joint military exercise with the United States since last week to boost deterrence against the North’s threats.

“If Kim Jong-un starts a war, as a key unit of Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), you must become the world’s strongest special operations unit to swiftly eliminate the enemy leadership,” Shin said, according to his office.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Korean Medical Professors Threaten to Walkout If Government Continues Plan to Increase Number of Medical School Students

This demonstrates how incredibly selfish Korean doctors are to protect their fiefdoms. These medical professors are willing to go on strike to pressure the government to not increase medical school students which is being done to try and address the nation’s doctor shortage:

Professors from medical schools nationwide have begun to contemplate whether to submit resignations in collective action pressuring the government to seek a breakthrough in the protracted walkout by trainee doctors, a medical professors’ group said Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, medical professors from 19 universities met online, decided to form a joint emergency response committee and resolved to decide at their respective schools by Friday whether to collectively submit resignations. 

The 19 schools include Seoul National University, Yonsei University, University of Ulsan, the Catholic University of Korea and Pusan National University.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Governor Sanders of Arkansas Meets with President Yoon

I wonder if Governor Sanders is visiting South Korea in an effort to get Korean car manufacturers to locate in Arkansas?:

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the governor of Arkansas, the United States, on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

The meeting with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary during the Donald Trump administration, took place at the presidential office. Sanders is visiting Seoul as part of a two-nation trade mission to South Korea and Japan. 

“Just like the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance that is evolving into a comprehensive global partnership, I hope cooperation between South Korea and Arkansas could deepen in many ways,” Yoon said during the meeting. 

Yoon also pointed to the special tie that South Korea has with Arkansas, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur whose leadership in the Korean War battle of Incheon resulted in a decisive victory.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Korean Government Sends Notice of License Suspension to 5,000 Doctor Trainees

The strike by trainee doctors on the behest of Korean doctors trying to protect the scarcity of doctors in the ROK has now led to the suspension of thousands of medical licenses. To really end this strike the government needs to find a way to protect the trainee doctors from retaliation from their doctor supervisors if they return to their hospitals:

The health ministry said Monday it had sent prior notices of license suspension to some 5,000 trainee doctors who have defied an order to return to work, in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students. 

Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that it completed sending the notices to 4,944 junior doctors last week. When receiving the notices, the doctors will be required to submit their opinions on punitive measures by March 25. 

With the government vowing to take legal action against junior doctors making threats to their colleagues, or impeding their return to hospitals, the ministry opened a hotline to protect physicians wishing to return, Jun said. 

“The government will spare no efforts to help trainee doctors wishing to return to hospitals,” Jun said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Swedish Research Group Claims South Korea Returning to Autocracy

This is an example of leftists defending leftists using these so called research groups. This group in Sweden claims autocracy is returning to Korea though Yoon replaced the left wing Moon administration that sent two prior conservative Presidents and numerous journalists to jail. I guess in the leftist world view sending political rivals and journalists to jail is a sign of democracy. Will this group upgrade South Korea’s democracy ranking if Yoon follows the lead of the leftists and sends his political rivals and journalists to jail?:

Korea has experienced a “downward slope” in its democratic process since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office, according to a Sweden-based political science research institute. The regression is attributed to the government’s measures to penalize figures associated with the previous administration, its assaults on gender equality, and its undermining of freedom of expression.

The Democracy Report 2024 released Thursday by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg stated that Korea scored 0.6 on the Liberal Democracy Index (LDI) and ranked 47th among 179 countries in the world for its level of democracy.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.