#MoonJaein nominated Inspector Yoon Seok-ryul, who viciously went after Moon's political opponents, to the post of chief prosecutor. https://t.co/Jgkn1APjBK
— Tara O (@DrTaraO) June 17, 2019
Here we go again with another example in South Korea of a criminal getting away with a sex crime by claiming the victim did not resist enough, and this time it was a 10 year old girl:
Criticism is mounting over a recent high court ruling that commuted a prison term for a child rapist.
The court said the 10-year-old victim’s testimony was insufficient to prove there was “enough threat and physical assault” that made the victim unable to defend herself ― which would constitute a rape charge.
In the June 13 ruling, the Seoul High Court handed down a three-year jail term to the offender, a cram school teacher surnamed Lee, 35. The sentence was reduced drastically from an earlier term of eight years given by a local court.
Lee met the victim through a chatting app in April last year. He brought her to his home and had her drink two glasses of soju to get her drunk. He then sexually assaulted her by holding her hands and pressing against her body so she could not move.
Lee denied the allegations, claiming he did not know that the girl, who was 160 centimeters tall, was 10 years old at the time, and that he had sex with her with her consent.
Although the local court acknowledged Lee used threats and physical assaults to the point where she was unable to defend herself, the high court did not ― it said the girl’s statement was the only evidence regarding the threat and assault and that it was insufficient.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link, but this case shows that in South Korea you can get a 10 year old drunk with soju, hold her down, and rape her and not be convicted for forcible rape. At least they up held the statutory rape conviction on him which will keep him in jail for 3 years.
This issue is nothing new ROK Heads may remember the rapist of a U.S. soldier who was set free by this same Seoul High Court because she could not prove that she resisted enough.
It seems to me that having a lower minimum wage for foreign workers will increase unemployment because small business owners will look for foreigners to hire instead of Koreans:
Korea’s opposition party leader has vowed to introduce a “different” minimum wage system for foreign workers.
Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), said Wednesday he will press ahead with revising related laws to lighten small business owners’ financial burden. He made the pledge at a meeting with employers in Busan.
Given “the different degrees of their contribution to Korea,” he said, it is “not fair” to set the same minimum wage for Korean and foreign workers.
“Koreans contribute more to the country, for example, by paying more in taxes,” Hwang said. “Our party will revise related laws to improve the situation (for employers).”
His remarks come amid complaints that steep minimum wage hikes over the past two years have pushed many small businesses to the edge.
But Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act stipulates that an employer cannot discriminate against workers on the basis of gender, nationality, religion and social status.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
The Stars & Stripes had a reporter check out a recently opened DMZ hiking trail:
The U.S.-led United Nations Command, which oversees activities in the DMZ, has approved plans for three trails in the DMZ.
So far, only the one in Goseong, which sits in the section that snakes north of the 38th parallel and features a view of North Korea’s famous Mount Kumgang, has begun accepting visitors.
Groups of about 20 tourists at a time, escorted by soldiers, walk along a coastal path marked by two rows of tall barbed wire fences cutting off the beach. Signs warn of land mines on the other side.
On Friday, the guide Park Jeung Hey rattled off the names of trees and flowers and historical tidbits. Her charges were delighted when a deer appeared nearby before retreating into the trees.
Park noted abandoned railroad tracks along the route. “You might imagine that you might use this road and the railway to visit Mount Kumgang in the near future,” she said. (……….)
So far, only the one in Goseong, which sits in the section that snakes north of the 38th parallel and features a view of North Korea’s famous Mount Kumgang, has begun accepting visitors.
Groups of about 20 tourists at a time, escorted by soldiers, walk along a coastal path marked by two rows of tall barbed wire fences cutting off the beach. Signs warn of land mines on the other side. (………)
The trail consists of two courses — one by foot and the other by vehicle — and ends at a barricaded gate that has been used in the past by travelers to North Korea’s famous Mount Kumgang for reunions of families who had been separated by the war.
A sign declared it to be the northernmost point of South Korea.
Lee Saet-Byeol of the Goseong district office said more than 4,300 people have participated in the tours since they began on April 27, coinciding with the first anniversary of the first summit between Moon and Kim.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
Deng Xiaoping on a visit to NK in Sept 1978 chided #KimIlSung for his excesses on the "Golden Boy" (pejorative term used by foreigners in Pyongyang) statue of himself. Later the gold came off and Kim became the Bronze Boy. https://t.co/CMilnA7K4v
— Sung-Yoon Lee (@SungYoonLee1) June 17, 2019
This is concerning that a North Korean boat is able to pull right into the harbor at Samcheok and the crew able to get out, walk around, and ask to use phone with no authorities there to detain them:
The South Korean military failed to detect a North Korean boat that freely sailed in its waters for four days – even after its crew moored in an eastern harbor and asked to use a phone, the JoongAng Ilbo learned Wednesday.
The military also faced fire for an obviously false initial announcement about how the wooden boat and its four crews were discovered in Samcheok Harbor in Gangwon on Saturday. After questioning, two of the crew defected to the South, while the other two returned to the North through the border village of Panmunjom on Tuesday.
Joong Ang Ilbo
You can read more at the link, but also keep in mind that Samcheok is not a South Korean community adjacent to the DMZ. It is pretty far south from the maritime border between the two countries.
This is pretty predictable, since the Trump administration is hammering the Chinese economy with tariffs, President Xi is now trying to use his North Korea card for leverage. I guess we will see if the Trump administration falls for his snake oil or not:
On the eve of his first visit to North Korea, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed Wednesday to play a greater role in helping make progress in negotiations on Korean Peninsula issues and addressing Pyongyang’s “reasonable” demands through dialogue.
Xi made the pledge in an op-ed piece to the Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official newspaper, in a rare move seen as part of efforts to emphasize their friendly and close bilateral relations, a day before he visits Pyongyang for the first time since assuming office in 2013.
“We will actively contribute to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity by strengthening communication and coordination with North Korea and other relevant parties to make progress in talks and negotiations on Korean Peninsula issues,” Xi said.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The U.S. military has a new Secretary of Defense:
Pat Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that he has resigned as acting defense secretary and ended his campaign to seek the job outright amid reports of domestic violence in his family involving himself, his ex-wife and their son.
Army Secretary Mark Esper was selected by President Donald Trump to be the new acting defense secretary, made public in a series of tweets that also announced Shanahan will step down.
“I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!,” Trump tweeted.
Shanahan said in a prepared statement following Trump’s tweets that “after significant reflection” he was withdrawing from consideration for defense secretary and resigning from his post.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but the domestic violence incident is pretty bad with Shanahan’s 17-year old son beating his mother with a baseball bat. Shanahan who was divorced at the time, rushed to hire a lawyer and defend his son for beating her because his ex-wife had a documented history of abuse. Not a good look for Shanahan.
Anyway with the Secretary of the Army taking over this would likely mean increased influence for the Army within the Department of Defense.
