It will be interesting to see what more comes out about the motivations for the stabbing of Lee Jae-myung. Was this guy really a right wing wacko posing as a Democratic Party member as many online are portraying him?:
The man apprehended for attacking Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, a 67-year-old individual surnamed Kim, is taken to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. (Yonhap)
The real estate agent surnamed Kim who attacked Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday in Busan has been found to have been a member of the People Power Party (PPP) for several years before joining the Democratic Party 10 months ago.
Kim’s acquaintances have testified that he frequently joined the far-right “Taegeukgi rallies” and enjoyed watching political content on YouTube.
The police, in connection to the statements made by Kim’s acquaintances about his party membership, checked relevant materials with the cooperation of the PPP and the Democratic Party after obtaining a search warrant from the court on Wednesday.
Article 24 of the Political Parties Act stipulates that the roster of party members “shall not be subject to inspection, with the exception of the case where a court requests it in the interests of a judgment, and where an election management commission concerned wants to confirm a matter pertaining to a party member.” It also states that a writ issued by a judge is compulsory in the event of a criminal investigation.
According to officials from both the PPP and the Democratic Party, Kim was a member of the United Future Party, the predecessor of the PPP, and joined the Democratic Party in March 2023 and remained a member until recently.
A Democratic Party official stated that Kim was “known to be a local party member in Asan, South Chungcheong Province.”
Hankyoreh
You can read more at the link.
It has finally happened, Korea has passed the ban on dog meat. This ban will go into affect in 2027 giving people in the industry three years to find another job:
The National Assembly passed a special bill banning dog meat consumption Tuesday, paving the way for ending the practice that has fallen out of favor in recent decades.
The bill, which bans the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat, passed through the parliament with 208 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) have jointly pushed for the ban amid growing awareness of animal rights and an increasing number of pet owners in the country.
The bill also calls for providing subsidies to help people in the dog meat industry switch jobs.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Just another example of why the Kim regime cannot be trusted to keep to agreements:
North Korea breached the recently scrapped 2018 inter-Korean military accord approximately 3,600 times, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.
The number of violations by North Korea, counted from the time the deal was reached six years ago, was announced following three consecutive days of North Korean provocations along the sea boundary.
The JCS in Seoul told the press that due to North Korea’s firing of artillery shells near South Korean border islands over the past three days, there are now no areas where military measures are halted.
“Rather than reacting to the enemy actions on a case-by-case basis, our troops will be carrying out drills according to our own plans in the northwestern islands,” it said.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link.
If you are wondering why police are not disclosing more information about the political ideology of the suspect who stabbed Lee Jae-myung, it is because of a law that prevents them from doing so:
The decision by the police not to disclose the political affiliations of the man who attacked Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), with a knife, has sparked controversy. The DPK has criticized law enforcement authorities for sharing investigative information selectively.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency announced, Monday, that its identity disclosure committee would convene a meeting on Tuesday to determine whether to release the personal information of the 67-year-old male suspect, identified so far only by the surname Kim.
If the committee decides in favor of further disclosure, Kim’s full name, age and photo will be released.
However, the police stressed that the history of his political affiliations would remain undisclosed, irrespective of the committee’s decision.
“Technically, it cannot be disclosed as per relevant laws. We are currently discussing with the prosecution about the matter. But if we disclose (his political affiliations), there could be penalties,” an official at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said during a press briefing.
The official was referring to the Political Parties Act, which bans investigative bodies from publicly sharing information about a suspect’s political affiliations that could be ascertained during investigations. Violation of this law may lead to imprisonment of up to three years.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link, but police could face up to 3-years in jail if they released the information.
North Korea is denying they are providing weapons to Hamas, but the evidence is increasingly showing this to be untrue. What North Korea is probably doing is selling these weapons to Iran who then smuggles them to Hamas:
South Korea’s spy agency on Monday confirmed suspicions that North Korean-made weapons are being used by the Hamas militant group in its war with Israel despite Pyongyang’s repeated denial of its arms transactions.
Releasing a new photo of a North Korean rocket part, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed a Voice of America (VOA) report that Hamas fighters used an F-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher manufactured in North Korea.
A photo included in the VOA report published Friday showed that the fuse of an F-7 grenade launcher, allegedly used by Hamas, had on it a combination of Korean characters and numbers, such as “비저-7류” and “시8-80-53.”
Asked about the report, the NIS said its “assessment is the same as the VOA report.”
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Here is the latest on the Lee Jae-myung stabbing, the criminal who committed the crime may have had an accomplice:
The suspect behind the stabbing attack against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is seen being escorted to a court on Jan. 4, 2024, for a hearing. (Yonhap)
Police have detained a man in his 70s for investigation on suspicions of aiding and abetting the suspect in the stabbing attack against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, officials said Monday.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said the man was put under emergency detention the previous day on suspicions of helping the 67-year-old assailant, identified by his surname Kim, commit the crime, even though he was aware of the attack plan.
Kim stabbed Lee, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), in the neck with a camping knife in the southeastern city of Busan on Jan. 2. Lee underwent surgery to repair a major vein in his neck and has since been recovering at a hospital in Seoul.
Ahead of the crime, Kim had written an “excuse letter” to explain the motive of his crime and his political beliefs, and the 70-something man agreed to send the letter on Kim’s behalf by mail to an unspecified location, according to police.
Police plan to question him over whether he colluded with Kim in connection with the stabbing attack.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
