Author: GIKorea

The DPK is looking to end the only institution that is a check on their power the Supreme Court by packing it with leftist sympathizers:

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)’s recent legislative proposal to expand the number of justices on Korea’s Supreme Court from the current 14 has ignited a passionate debate. Advocates argue that reform would make the judiciary more representative, correct a long-standing conservative bias and ease the court’s workload. Critics fear the move is less about balance and more about power. Whatever one’s political sympathies, Korea would be wise to look abroad before proceeding. The experiences of Poland and the United States offer sobering warnings.

When Poland’s right-wing populist Law and Justice Party came to power in 2015 by capturing the presidency and a parliamentary majority, a wave of fear swept through Polish civic circles. The opposition worried that the judiciary remained the last check on the populists’ power, while party leaders countered that the courts were elitist, politically biased and hostile to the will of the people. On that basis, the government embarked on an ambitious project of “judicial reform.” They lowered the Supreme Court retirement age to remove senior judges, introduced a new disciplinary system that gave politicians greater power to punish or remove judges deemed disloyal, and expanded certain courts to stack them with loyalists — pejoratively dubbed “neo-judges.”

Defended as technical fixes, in practice these changes enabled the ruling party to increasingly capture the judiciary. Judges who resisted were harassed, sidelined or disciplined. Trust in the impartiality of Poland’s judiciary collapsed. The European Union condemned the reforms as violations of democratic norms and launched infringement proceedings. Nearly a decade later, after the populists’ fall from power, Poland’s Supreme Court now has competing chambers that issue contradictory rulings, deepening uncertainty and further eroding public trust — a clear illustration of how such reforms, even if well-meaning, can breed dysfunction.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

A smartphone is kind of a weird gift to give considering the security threat it poses which Lee made fun of:

President Lee Jae Myung has received a set of Xiaomi smartphones and traditional Chinese calligraphy tools from Chinese President Xi Jinping following their first summit talks, as the two leaders shared a lighthearted exchange about communication security.

As the two sides exchanged their gifts on Saturday, Xi presented Lee with two smartphones made by Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, noting that the displays on the phones are Korean-made.

“Is the line secure?” Lee quipped. Xi replied through an interpreter, “You can check if there is a backdoor.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section and I hope everyone has a safe Halloween. 🎃

I really do not see a defense need of why the ROK needs a nuclear powered submarines unless the goal is create a future export market for them:

 The presidential office on Thursday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to approve South Korea’s bid to build a nuclear-powered submarine, vowing to closely cooperate with the U.S. throughout the process.

Trump wrote on social media on Thursday that he had given South Korea approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, adding it will be built at shipyards in Philadelphia.

The approval came a day after President Lee Jae Myung asked Trump to allow South Korea to have nuclear fuel to build nuclear-powered submarines during their summit held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if the Lee administration actually follows through on the U.S. request to take over OPCON by the end of their administration. The ROK historically has said it is willing to take OPCON and then continues to delay it for various reasons:

 The United States “very much” supports South Korea doing more to lead conventional defense against North Korea, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday, as the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hopes to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington within its term.

The official made the remarks in a press briefing as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back are set to discuss the OPCON transition efforts when they meet for the two countries’ annual defense ministerial talks, called the Security Consultative Meeting, in Seoul on Nov. 4.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

After the very positive summit and trade deal between President Trump and Japanese PM Takaichi, it would have been hard for President Lee to not agree to a trade deal as well:

After a monthslong tug-of-war, South Korea and the United States on Wednesday struck a complete tariff deal, heralding a new chapter for their industrial and economic ties.

At the summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on the details of a trade deal, namely the structure of Seoul’s US$350 billion investment pledge and tariffs on autos.

In July this year, the two countries reached the framework deal as the U.S. slashed “reciprocal” tariffs to 15 percent from 25 percent and South Korea pledged to heavily invest in key U.S. industries such as shipbuilding.

Under the deal, the U.S. maintains its reciprocal duties on Korean goods, but cut sectoral tariffs on Korean cars and auto parts to 15 percent from 25 percent.

With Wednesday’s deal, South Korea and the U.S. will see deepened industrial and economic ties, and Asia’s fourth-largest economy will not be positioned at a disadvantage in competing with other economies in the world’s largest economy.

Yonhap

Here is where the money is going:

Under the terms agreed Wednesday, Korea’s $350 billion investment pledge will be two-pronged: $200 billion in cash installments and $150 billion allocated for shipbuilding industry cooperation, with an annual investment cap set at $20 billion, according to Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy.

You can read more at the link.