It took a couple of days, but impeached President Yoon has now released a message to his supporters:

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday he will always stand by his supporters, two days after the Constitutional Court ruled to remove him from office, while not issuing any message of his accepting the court’s decision.

“As long as you — young people — do not lose confidence, our future will be bright. Though I step down from presidency, I will always stand by you,” Yoon said in a message, released by his legal team, to a group of his supporters.

Yoon said he is grateful for their support, saying that “realizing the nation’s grave crisis situation, you have made a journey to defend freedom and sovereign rights, which will be recorded as a great history.”

It marked Yoon’s second statement since Friday, when the court upheld his impeachment over his brief martial law declaration in December.

On Friday, Yoon said he was sorry for not being able to meet public expectations and it has been the greatest honor of his life to serve the nation.

With Yoon’s ouster, South Korea should hold a snap presidential election within 60 days of the court’s ruling.

Some political observers said Yoon’s Sunday message was apparently aimed at rallying support from his aggressive supporters ahead of the presidential election. In a meeting with leaders of the People Power Party on Friday, Yoon called for thorough preparations for the party to win the election.

The Democratic Party denounced Yoon for “instigating” ultra-right forces, saying that Yoon has not apologized for his “illegal” martial law declaration despite the court’s decision.

His message “appears to be nothing more than a refusal to accept and a mockery of the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” South Korea’s largest party said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but it is interesting that the DPK is claiming that Yoon is instigating right wing forces when it has been incredibly peaceful after Yoon’s impeachment. Could you imagine how much violence would have happened over the weekend by the Korean left if Yoon was reinstated?

Remember the talk of “strategic flexibility” for USFK? Well this is what that looks like:

South Korea and the United States have recently agreed on a plan to temporarily deploy Patriot missile defense batteries from the South to the Middle East, sources said Friday, amid speculation over a potential shift in the role of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The allies agreed last month on the “monthslong” partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the first known case involving the relocation of USFK assets to the Middle East, according to the sources.

The missiles work alongside South Korea’s own air defense assets in a multilayered missile defense system against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, according to the sources.

The rare move comes after U.S. broadcaster NBC News reported last week that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized at least two Patriot missile defense batteries from Asia to be moved to the Middle East as the U.S. takes military action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but does this become the new normal for USFK where units are regularly deployed off the peninsula to respond to needs elsewhere in the world?

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

The only thing I find surprising by this ruling was that it was unanimous:

The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, removing him from office over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

The verdict, which was read by acting court chief Moon Hyung-bae and televised live, took effect immediately, requiring the country to hold a snap presidential election to pick Yoon’s successor within 60 days, which many expect to fall on June 3.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link., but considering all the judges voted in support of impeachment then why did it take so long to reach this decision?

I think this is where the political crisis has really impacted South Korea, which is the inability to effectively negotiate tariffs with the Trump administration because you don’t know who will be President week-to-week:

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, right, speaks at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Thursday, during a meeting with businesspeople to discuss countermeasures against U.S. reciprocal tariffs. In the middle is Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo.

Korea has been hit with the highest reciprocal tariff rate among the 20 countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States.

With it clear that Seoul had failed to persuade Washington to impose lower tariffs on Korean products compared to those from major exporters like Japan and the European Union, concerns are growing over Korea’s diplomatic approach and future trade negotiations with the U.S.

The White House announced on Wednesday (local time) that the U.S. will impose a 26 percent reciprocal tariff on Korea, while charging 24 percent on Japan and 20 percent on EU member states.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Drugs are a growing problem in South Korea that hopefully this drug seizure will help to combat:

South Korea’s customs authorities and Coast Guard on Wednesday seized approximately 1 ton of smuggled cocaine on a foreign vessel docked on the country’s east coast, officials said.

The Donghae regional office of the Coast Guard and the Seoul Regional Customs deployed around 90 personnel to search the ship docked at a port in Gangneung after receiving a tip-off from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at around 6:30 a.m.

The FBI had warned that a 32,000-ton carrier suspected of carrying drugs was entering Korean waters on the day, according to the officials.

The Norwegian-flagged vessel is believed to have departed from Mexico and traveled through Ecuador, Panama and China before arriving in Korea.

Authorities discovered 50 boxes each containing about 20 kilograms of cocaine hidden aboard the ship.

The seized drugs have an estimated market value of 500 billion won (US$341.7 million), equivalent to around two million doses.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Chinese people who worship the CCP are the funniest hypocrites ever!

They scream “Down with America!” while sipping Starbucks in New York. They praise China’s “great system” while standing in line for a U.S. visa. 1/4@Jay83214566 pic.twitter.com/f7nlyUEbm2

— Koji Kawaguchi (@KojiKawagu18292) March 30, 2025

BREAKING: China launches joint military exercises around Taiwan, practicing a “blockade on key areas”

On 1 April, PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed Army, Navy, Air Force, & Rocket Forces to “close in on Taiwan from multiple directions.”

– Sea-air combat readiness patrols
-… pic.twitter.com/5yJoQWMJTd

— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) April 1, 2025