Category: Politics-Korea

I find it hard to believe that these Viagra pills were purchased solely to combat altitude sickness, but who knows:

Little blue pills in South Korea’s presidential Blue House?

President Park Geun-hye’s office on Wednesday confirmed revelations by an opposition lawmaker that it purchased about 360 erectile dysfunction Viagra pills and the generic version of the drug in December.

While the report has created a frenzy on the internet, Park’s office said the pills were bought to potentially treat altitude sickness for presidential aides and employees on Park’s May trips to Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, whose capitals are 0.6 to 1.2 miles above sea level.

The pills weren’t used, said Jung Youn-kuk, a Blue House spokesman. South Korean doctors sometimes prescribe Viagra-style drugs to climbers because they are believed to be effective in preventing altitude sickness.

The presidential office also purchased a variety of injection drugs used for fatigue and anti-aging treatment, according to the office of lawmaker Kim Sanghee. Park’s spokesman explained that the presidential office purchases drugs for the president’s entire staff including security officers.  [CBS News]

You can read more at the link.

이야 이건 진짜 센스가ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/Z9BDGyu5CG

— 석류 (@Ryu_suni) November 12, 2016

This opposition by the Korean left to the ROK-Japan military intelligence sharing pact is not surprising.  Japanese Prime Minister Abe could apologize for everything from the Hideyoshi invasion of Korea to World War II and then commit seppuku on top of Mt. Namsan and the Korean left would still oppose this pact simply because the Korean right wants it:

Opposition parties Tuesday set in motion a campaign to oust Defense Minister Han Min-koo over a controversial military pact with Japan that was tentatively signed by the two sides late Monday.

Making good on their pledge, the three groups — the Democratic Party of Korea, People’s Party and Justice Party — decided to submit a parliamentary motion to recommend the minister’s dismissal on Nov. 30 and put it to vote at a plenary session slated for Dec. 2.

Its passage is likely, since the opposition bloc controls more than a majority of seats in Parliament.

A provisional deal was reached in Tokyo on Monday evening on the General Security of Military Information Agreement, which aims to enhance cooperation in coping with North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. It does not require parliamentary ratification.

A previous effort to sign the deal was derailed in 2012 in the face of strong public disapproval in Seoul.

The opposition parties have threatened to unseat the defense minister if he pushes through the deal this time, without public consensus.

The tentative signing came less than two weeks after talks reopened between the two countries on military intelligence sharing. The first working-level meeting was held on Nov. 1. Seoul and Tokyo had made official the negotiation’s resumption on Oct. 27.   [Korea Herald]

You can read more at the link.

This is the lowest I can remember any Korean President’s approval rating going:

Investigators have been declining to comment on possible investigation into Park, and they have not suggested that she profitted from the scandal either.

Despite suspicions by many in the country that Park profitted from the scandal, no president since Roh Tae-woo, who left office in 1993, has ever been implicated in using the office to amass personal wealth, although relatives and close associates have done so, with many going to jail for their misdeeds.

Park’s approval rating remained at a record-low 5 percent this week, according to local pollster Gallup Korea.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Splashed across p6 of #NorthKorea’s main newspaper: photos of rally in #SouthKorea vs #ParkGeunHye (published without credit) #RodongSinmun pic.twitter.com/lwUMTuezHt

— Jean H. Lee (@newsjean) November 13, 2016

Protesters hold mock funeral for President Park Geun-hye in central Seoul. Hundreds of thousands here, by some estimates. pic.twitter.com/KhKarghn8D

— James Pearson (@pearswick) November 12, 2016

The Korean left has finally found a cause that they can rally masses of Koreans around after sniffing around for the past 8 years since the anti-US beef crisis for another anti-government cause to rally Koreans behind:

South Korea’s deputy prime minister on Friday pleaded for a peaceful demonstration as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join an anti-government protest Saturday, amid rising public anger over President Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal.

Lee Joon-sik, education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs, released a statement ahead of the rally that may draw the largest number of participants this millennium.

Police expect 170,000 protesters to join the rally, involving 1,500 civic groups, while the organizers put the number between 500,000 and 1 million.

“The government is concerned that the rally might turn into a massive violent incident and hinder the opportunity (for people) to soundly voice their opinions,” Lee said in the statement.

“We are well aware that our people are disappointed about the latest scandal, and that they are worried about the operation of state affairs,” he said. “The government is putting utmost efforts to run the country and to lead our society in the right direction.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Korean netizens joking that Americans had choice between first women president and first crazy president, but Koreans elected both in 2012.

— Devon Rowcliffe (@WhoAteTheSquid) November 9, 2016

More video from last night's protest in Seoul against president Park Geun-hye. Even bigger protests expected next weekend, local media says. pic.twitter.com/SRzueNMeIt

— James Pearson (@pearswick) November 6, 2016

When you go to UC-Berkley I guess everyone is supposed to find something to protest, even if the protest means nothing to the vast majority of Americans; I did get a laugh out of the below sign though:

Korean students at the University of California, Berkeley, are furious at the political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.

Thirty Korean students from the U.S. school on Tuesday denounced Park and her administration for not taking full responsibility for the deepening democratic crisis.

They are the first Korean students studying at American universities to hold a protest rally over the scandal.

The students read a statement in Korean and English that said: “As students of Korean heritage, we are furious to find out about the recent political scandal known as ‘Park-Choi Gate.’ To restore democracy in South Korea, we demand President Park, her administration and her party assume full responsibility.

“We are furious. We, as South Koreans, are furious to witness such a collection of criminal events taking place in a democratic country.”  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but I have to wonder if they are concerned about “a collection of criminal events in a democratic country” have they been holding any protests against Hillary Clinton who’s passing of classified information over insecure email may not have been to a Shaman, but is the same issue, which also includes the issue of improper donations to each President’s respective foundations which is also both being investigated.