Here is what prosecutors have to say about a Korean court dropping the arrest warrant against Lee Jae-myung this week:
In the left photo, ruling People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, left, and other party lawmakers hold banners condemning a court’s decision to reject a warrant for the arrest of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, during a lawmakers’ meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday. In the right photo, DPK floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo, front, applauds with other party members during a lawmakers’ meeting at the Assembly, Wednesday. Yonhap
Following the dismissal of the warrant, prosecutors said that the decision could have been affected by Lee’s political status.
“There seems to be a stark difference between the prosecution and the court regarding the decision and its grounds,” Prosecutor-General Lee One-seok told reporters Wednesday.
“Although the court recognized the prosecution’s claims of illegalities, it apparently focused on providing defense rights to Lee based on his status as the chairman of a political party.” He added that judicial matters should not be influenced by political factors.
“An arrest warrant is nothing more than part of the process of investigating crimes, and the dismissal does not mean innocence,” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said.
“Even if a politician commits a crime, the judiciary does not and should not become political,” Han added. “I believe the prosecution will continue its investigation without being swayed.”
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
Here are some names I haven’t heard in a while congratulating the ROK on the 70th anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance:
This file photo, taken Sept. 26, 2013, shows then U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. James D. Thurman at the Cheong Wa Dae presidential office in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
A group of former commanders of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Wednesday hailed the alliance between South Korea and the United States ahead of its 70th anniversary next week, highlighting the two countries’ commitment to each other.
The six retired generals made the remarks in separate messages sent to the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation as the two countries are set to mark the anniversary of the 1953 signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, a bedrock alliance document, Sunday.
The messages were sent by Ret. Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz, Ret. Gen. B. B. Bell, Ret. Gen. Walter L. Sharp, Ret. Gen. James D. Thurman, Ret. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti and Ret. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks.
Thurman, who served as the USFK commander from 2011 to 2013, described the treaty as the “glue” that kept the two countries together and expressed hopes for a reunited Korea.
“The mutual defense treaty between South Korea and the United States has remained the glue that has held the ROK-US Alliance together,” Thurman said, referring to South Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Republic of Korea.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The annual traffic chaos during Chuseok has begun:
Heavy traffic began to build on major roads and highways across South Korea on Wednesday as people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the extended Chuseok holiday.
Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving during which people get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors’ graves.
The extended Chuseok break this year gives people six days off until next Tuesday, as an extra one-day temporary holiday and National Foundation Day will follow.
Some 5.85 million vehicles were expected to hit the road on the eve of the rare six-day holiday, with the traffic peaking at around 6-7 p.m. and forecast to continue through the next day, according to the Korea Expressway Corp.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but I have always found Chuseok to be a great time of the year to visit Seoul because of the lack of crowds from everyone leaving to go to their home towns.
It seems even the North Koreans got tired of dealing with this idiot considering they deported him witouth any concessions:
An American soldier who crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea in July is in U.S. custody after his release by the reclusive regime, senior U.S. administration officials said Wednesday, capping an intense diplomatic operation facilitated by Sweden and China.
Speaking in a press briefing, the officials said Pvt. Travis King has been transferred out of North Korea across the border with China, and that he appears to be “in good health and good spirits” ahead of his return home.
The announcement on his release came shortly after the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Pyongyang decided to “expel” him following a probe, during which the outlet said he confessed to having “illegally intruded” into the North’s territory.
Yonhap
Here is what Private King supposeldy had to say while in North Korean custody:
Hours earlier, KCNA said North Korean authorities conducted an investigation, where he said he had “ill feelings” about the U.S. military and society.
“Travis King confessed that he illegally intruded into the territory of the DPRK as he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the U.S. army and was disillusioned about the unequal U.S. society,” KCNA said in its English-language report. “The relevant organ of the DPRK decided to expel Travis King.
You can read more at the link, but it will be interesting to see what additional charges this idiot will face for his latest stupidity. Hopefully USFK gets him out of the country as soon as possible before he creates more problems and this time have someone escort and fly with him the entire way back to the U.S.
The Korea Herald has a long article about violence against women in Korea. In the article there is an idea on making people accused of stalking wear police issued GPS bracelets. This would allow the person they are stalking to know where that person is. This is an interesting idea, but I would like to see the safeguards on how abuse of making people wear GPS bracelets would be prevented:
Still images from CCTV footage show a man violently attacking a woman in Busan in May 2022. (Courtesy of JTBC)
In a bid to take a more systemic approach, South Korea is working to determine what behaviors constitute an abusive pattern in offenders, and how to adequately train judges, court staff, police officers and other support organizations to identify the risk factors and protections needed.
There is also room for improvement when it comes to the efficacy of temporary restraining orders in deterring offenders from making contact with victims. There have been repeated calls, including from the unnamed victim of the roundhouse kick incident to allow police to use GPS tracking devices on both gender-based crime and stalking offenders and their victims. Under the current system, only victims are able to use the devices to alert police in an emergency, and these devices cannot detect the location of the offenders automatically.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link.
It looks like Lee Jae-myung will avoid being arrested and detained as the investigation into the corruption charges around him continues:
A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant sought for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung over corruption charges, a decision that averted the biggest crisis yet for the former presidential candidate.
The Seoul Central District Court made the decision following a hearing attended by Lee, chair of the Democratic Party (DP). It marked the first time the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party has attended an arrest warrant hearing.
“In comprehensive consideration of the degree to which the defendant’s right to defense is needed and the extent of concerns about the possible destruction of evidence, it is difficult to see the rationale and need for his arrest to the extent that the principle of investigation without detention should be ruled out,” a court judge said.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
