Tag: South Korea

Instead of the Korean government complaining about the US government deporting workers that committed visa fraud; it looks like they finally found the time to address Koreans being used as slaves in Cambodia:

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Monday stressed the need to swiftly repatriate South Koreans from Cambodia amid a rise in job scams and illegal detentions targeting nationals, the presidential office said.

Wi made the remarks while presiding over the inaugural meeting of a pangovernment task force established to devise countermeasures amid public outcry and safety concerns, especially following the torture and death of a South Korean college student in the Southeast Asian country in August.

“Wi said that the immediate return of citizens in danger must be prioritized on humanitarian grounds, urging the authorities to respond without delay, while legal action against any criminal activities committed by detained individuals is to be expected,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told a press briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

At this point Israel should just let these people stay in Gaza and see how much they enjoy Hamas’ hospitality:

Crew of “Conscience,” a Gaza-bound vessel which is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, sit aboard the boat as they are intercepted by Israeli security forces, in this screengrab obtained from a video released, Wednesday. Reuters-Yonhap

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it has requested Israel to promptly release a ship carrying a South Korean activist that was seized by the Israeli military while approaching Gaza.

According to local civic groups and foreign news reports, the Israeli military intercepted a nine- or 11-boat flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea early Wednesday (local time) trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and detained scores of activists aboard, and a South Korean national, named Kim Ah-hyun, was one of them.

The 145 activists, who were in good health, were being brought to shore in Israel for processing and are expected to be deported soon, they said, citing the Israeli foreign ministry.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like President Lee has the Japanese leadership bought into his fantasy of denuclearizing North Korea:

 President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks Tuesday with outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the southeastern city of Busan, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to cooperate amid a shifting global trade order.

The meeting came about a month after Lee’s visit to Tokyo, marking the first visit in 21 years by a Japanese leader to a location other than Seoul.

In their third meeting, Lee said Seoul and Tokyo should face history while pursuing “future-oriented” cooperation to address shared challenges, such as low birth rates and an aging population.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but at this point I can’t believe any of these world leaders are stupid enough to actually think Kim Jong-un would give up his nukes. Denuclearization seems more like a talking point than an actual diplomatic strategy at this point.

Here is another front of the purge the Lee administration is trying to do across the South Korean government:

Chief Justice Jo Hee-de denied Wednesday that he had colluded with ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to render President Lee Jae Myung ineligible to run for president, with a guilty verdict that nearly stripped him of his candidacy to run for president in the June election.

The statement, delivered through the Supreme Court, was the first released by the judicial branch since the liberal ruling bloc ramped up pressure for Jo’s resignation.

“The political circles have raised speculations that Jo had met with former Prime Minister Han and discussed ways to handle (Lee’s) case concerning his (violation) of the Public Official Election Act,” read the statement. “But the chief justice has never discussed anything with anyone outside (the court) regarding the criminal case.”

This came amid political pressure urging that Jo resign from the post, labeling the Supreme Court’s 10-2 ruling in May to find Lee, who was then the presidential front-runner, guilty of making false claims with the intention to win the 2022 presidential election. The case was sent back to the high court, but court proceedings were halted after Lee won the June presidential election and was inaugurated.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

First of all, North Korea has no reason to begin talks with the South when their financial and military needs are currently being fullfiled by the Russians. Secondly the ROK is asking the Chinese to participate in a fantasy. There is no deal the ROK could make that would convince the Kim regime to give up their nuclear weapons. This is all just political theater:

 Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday asked China to play its part to bring North Korea back to dialogue, stressing that South Korea seeks progress toward the North’s denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

Cho made the remarks during his first one-on-one talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as South Korea seeks to restore inter-Korean relations and resume dialogue with Pyongyang, despite the North’s repeated rejection of Seoul’s overtures amid its close alignment with Russia.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.