Category: Uncategorized

This is a scary indication of the world we now live in where you cannot even trust videos you see because they may be deep fakes. Hopefully Son Heung-min is able to sue this gambling website for using his image and likeness without permission:

Illegal advertisements using artificial intelligence(AI) to create entirely fake news reports and endorsements by celebrities such as football star Son Heung-min are rampant, especially on social media. Authorities are now strongly warning consumers to be on alert.
Rosyn Park has this report.

An ad making the rounds online appears to show the famous footballer Son Heung-min speaking as a PR ambassador for Kangwon Land, a resort and casino in South Korea.

The video is promoting an illegal gambling site, using AI-manipulated images and audio to replicate Son.

The Korea Consumer Agency(KCA) said it monitored online gambling ads posted on Facebook for two months, starting in August, and identified 38 cases of false advertising, including some that used deepfakes.

KBS World News

You can read more at the link.

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk is still riding high with a presidential pardon, having most of his political enemies arrested or in jail, and now being elected as the leader of his minor party with almost North Korea like voter approval. Few people have had such as change in fortune more than Cho Kuk with the election of a new President:

The minor Rebuilding Korea Party on Sunday elected former Justice Minister Cho Kuk as its leader with 98.6 percent approval.

Cho was the only candidate in the election held during a national convention in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul.

In a speech, he pledged to chart a new path not taken by either of the major political parties “with only the people’s will as the compass.”

“We are embarking in earnest on a voyage to political reform, people’s livelihood reform, economic reform, social reform and human rights reform,” he said.

Cho, who founded and previously led the minor party, returned to politics after receiving a special presidential pardon in August while serving a two-year prison term for academic fraud involving his children and unlawful interference with a government inspection.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This bill is coming from the same party that supported unions such as the KCTU conducting violent protests during the prior Yoon administration, but now wants to criminalize protests by citizens speaking out against China:

Korea’s ruling party has introduced a new bill that would prohibit rallies considered to promote hate or discrimination, in response to an increase in anti-China protests ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to Seoul later this month.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and 12 other progressives, seeks to outlaw rallies aiming to “incite or promote discrimination or hatred” targeting specific races, nationalities or other groups.

This follows a spike in anti-China protests in areas like Seoul’s Myeong-dong and Daerim, where demonstrators have chanted slogans such as “China Out.” Tensions fueled by such gatherings prompted the Chinese Embassy in Seoul to recently issue a safety advisory for its nationals, sparking diplomatic concerns as government officials here prepare for the first visit by a Chinese leader in over a decade for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is horrible what is going on in Cambodia to South Koreans and others that have been captured by these Chinese gangs in Cambodia:

The body of a South Korean man has been discovered in an alleged Cambodian scam compound, wrapped in blankets and plastic bags, his face swollen and bruised, indicating he may have been beaten to death.

Cambodian police said the body was found Thursday in Kampot province, inside a large dumpster alongside another victim. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed one of the dead as a Korean national surnamed Park.

The ministry said it immediately requested a full investigation from Cambodian authorities and is providing consular support to Park’s family, although officials noted that “confirming further details has been difficult.”

What happened to Park appears bound up in the shadowy world of cybercrime compounds. The site where his body was discovered is one of dozens of massive operations in Cambodia reportedly run by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds, often sealed off and heavily guarded, are infamous for voice phishing and fraudulent investment scams.

Park is believed to have been held inside before being killed by the gang.

The description of his body paints a grim picture. Local investigators reported extensive bruising and bloodstains, with swelling that suggests he endured sustained violence.

The brutality echoes accounts from survivors of these scam compounds. One 28-year-old South Korean man who recently escaped told South Korean media, “Chinese gang members will kill someone easily if money is involved.” He described beatings, electric shock and waterboarding as routine.

Amnesty International estimates that more than 50 such scam compounds operate across Cambodia. Rights groups and local media alike describe them as places where national law enforcement has little reach, functioning almost as self-contained criminal enclaves.

Local reports suspect that an unspecified number of South Koreans may be trapped inside these compounds, deceived by job postings advertising “high-paying overseas employment” only to find themselves trafficked into forced labor once they have arrived.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but according to the article the ROK embassy is saying there is not much they can do. If South Koreans are being held as slaves and being killed by these Chinese gangs in Cambodia the Lee administration needs to take a stronger stand on this issue.

It is surprising they did not have a special team to handle these cases a long time ago:

The team was created to respond more effectively to crimes and security issues involving members of U.S. Forces Korea, Julie Song, an officer at the Pyeongtaek Police Station said by phone July 22. She’s one of two officers assigned to the unit.

They will oversee coordination on a range of incidents, including traffic accidents, allegations of assault and driving under the influence, she said. The unit will also investigate unauthorized drone flights and trespassing cases at U.S. military facilities, Song said, adding that there are no immediate plans to expand the unit.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link, but traffic offenses is what will take up most of their time.

An advantage the ROK Army has is that they can count on the US-ROK alliance to bring additional troops and advanced weapon systems to help defend against a North Korean attack:

South Korea must maintain at least 500,000 active-duty troops to defend against potential surprise attacks from North Korea, according to a new military study released Sunday. The report highlights growing concerns over the nation’s shrinking pool of conscripts due to its declining birthrate.

Published in the summer edition of Defense Policy Studies, the study determined the minimum troop requirement by applying the U.S. Army’s minimum planning ratio doctrine to the Korean Peninsula. Under this doctrine, a defending force should be able to hold their position against an attacker with a troop ratio of 1 to 3, whereas an attacker generally requires a ratio of 3 to 1.

The study, led by Kim Jeong-hyuck of the Korea Army Research Center for Future and Jee Hyo-keun of Konyang University, reported that as of 2022, North Korea had approximately 1.28 million troops, compared to South Korea’s 500,000 — representing a roughly 2.6 to 1 ratio. In the Army alone, the margin widened to almost 3 to 1, leaving Seoul’s forces “at the bare minimum for defense,” according to the authors.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The Korean left got the further humiliation of impeached President Yoon they wanted. I think this whole CIO investigation is being used to humiliate Yoon and making him look guilty to influence the Constitutional Court. The court will eventually rule to determine if Yoon’s martial law decree was Constitutional or not:

President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained, Wednesday, for questioning over his botched imposition of martial law, becoming the first sitting Korean president to be taken into custody. 

The investigators are required to decide within 48 hours whether to file a formal arrest warrant to continue questioning him under custody or release him. 

Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police arrived at the presidential residence compound in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, at around 4:30 a.m. More than 3,000 police officers were mobilized to execute the warrant to detain him and maintain public order around the area.

Following a standoff with Presidential Security Service (PSS) personnel that lasted about two and a half hours, investigators managed to move forward by passing through three layers of makeshift barricades set up by the PSS, consisting of rows of guards and buses. To get past, the investigators had to climb over the buses using ladders.

The investigators then reached the nearest guard post to the residence. Several of them were allowed to pass, with presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk and Yoon’s lawyer Yoon Kap-keun, granting permission for them to proceed.

At 10:33 a.m., the CIO said they executed the warrant. The detention came 43 days after Yoon declared martial law.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but Yoon released a statement saying he believes the CIO has no jurisdiction for insurrection cases, but agreed to be detained to avoid violence.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section. I hope everyone that celebrates Thanksgiving has a great holiday!

The scammer behind one of the most bizaree crime sprees you will ever read about has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. I have to wonder if a Netflix true crime series about this weird case will be made?:

An appellate court on Thursday sentenced a former fiance of Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee to 13 years in prison for swindling dozens of people out of more than 3.5 billion won (US$2.5 million) under the guise of a chaebol heir.

The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Jeon Cheong-jo. An appellate court on Thursday sentenced a former fiance of Olympic fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee to 13 years in prison for swindling dozens of people out of more than 3.5 billion won (US$2.5 million) under the guise of a chaebol heir.

The Seoul High Court handed down the sentence to Jeon Cheong-jo, 28, saying she continued to commit fraud even after being released from prison after serving time for previous fraud convictions, including by disguising herself as a man in order to date famous people.

The ruling adds one year to a lower court’s sentence of 12 years in prison.

“Most of the money was spent on purchasing luxury items, making it difficult to reverse the damage to victims,” the court said, noting a total of 35 people were swindled out of a combined 3.5 billion won., 28, saying she continued to commit fraud even after being released from prison after serving time for previous fraud convictions, including by disguising herself as a man in order to date famous people.

The ruling adds one year to a lower court’s sentence of 12 years in prison.

“Most of the money was spent on purchasing luxury items, making it difficult to reverse the damage to victims,” the court said, noting a total of 35 people were swindled out of a combined 3.5 billion won.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is called recognizing reality, North Korea is not going to give up their nuclear weapons:

Donald Trump in his second term as president is likely to accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state and ask for more defense spending by America’s Asian partners, a Japanese foreign policy expert told reporters Thursday.

Those close to Trump see no hope of denuclearizing North Korea during his second term, according to Meikai University professor Tetsuo Kotani, a senior fellow at The Japan Institute of International Affairs.

“According to President-elect Trump, he’s going to recognize that (nuclear weapons power) status for North Korea so that he can bring North Korea to the negotiation for nuclear arms control,” Kotani, an expert in international relations, said in translated remarks during an online conference at the Foreign Press Center Japan.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The timeframe to denuclearize North Korea has already passed. It was possible in the 1998-2010 time period, but instead of insisting for denuclearization before giving financial incentives, the South Korean government instead gave billions to North Korea. The Kim regime did not use this money to improve their economy or the lives of their people as the Korean left thought they would, instead the money was used to expand their nuclear weapons program.

The Kim regime rightly strategized that a larger nuclear threat would give them greater bargaining power to get more funding from South Korea, bring the regime international prestige, and most importantly better security for the regime. Why would they give this up? This is why the best deal the U.S. can hope for now is to get them to scrap their ICBM program and put a limit on their nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief.