Tag: South Korea

With the Korean Presidential election coming up next month, the conservatives in Korea still have not settled on a unified ticket. Without a unified ticket they will be handing the election to the Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung without even putting up a fight:

Kim also said there was “no meaningful progress” made during the discussion, calling the outcome “regrettable.”

Han did not attend the post-meeting press briefing as he left immediately after the talks concluded without a deal. 

Kim said he proposed ideas for unifying the conservative candidacy but Han stuck to his previously stated position.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Now even in South Korea teachers are being treated very poorly and thus leading to less college students wanting to become one:

“Teachers can no longer teach in the way they used to,” Choi said. “They are constantly challenged, monitored, and disrespected. Classrooms have become increasingly difficult environments to manage. Teachers face verbal and even legal confrontations from students and parents.”

Choi’s doubts echo those of many young Koreans. Once considered a prestigious calling, the teaching profession in South Korea is losing both its appeal and its authority.

This erosion of teachers’ authority in classrooms has driven young people away from teaching and dragged down the competitiveness of education universities nationwide.

According to recent data released by Jongro Academy, the admission thresholds for education colleges in the 2025 academic year have plunged to record lows. In some special admission tracks, students with high school grades as low as 7 were accepted. Korean high schools rank students according to a nine-level relative evaluation system. Even in general admission rounds, which typically draw top-performing students, some candidates with GPAs in the 6th-grade range made the cut.

“Seeing a GPA of 6 in general admission is extremely rare and suggests a sharp decline in interest even among mid-performing students,” said Im Sung-ho, head of Jongro Academy.

The drop comes despite a reduction in the admission quota at these institutions, which under normal conditions, would push scores higher. Instead, both early and regular admission scores declined — an indication that fewer students with high GPAs are applying to become teachers.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the disrespect of teachers in Korea is different from the United States. In the U.S. the teachers are treated liked they are overpaid babysitters for many disinterested parents. In Korea the disrespect comes from overinterested parents who get upset if their child didn’t get the grade they think they deserved or if their kids are disciplined in any way. I think I would rather have the Korea problem of overinterested parents instead of the U.S. problem where many parents just don’t care.

Here are some pictures I took during a visit to Camp Casey this past winter. Over a decade ago this installation was a hub of military activity since it was home to many more 2nd Infantry Division units than it is today. Today Camp Casey has a bit of a sleepy feeling to it, but the installation has definitely seen much needed renovations over the years. The renovations begins with even the front pedestrian gate being fixed up:

After passing through the pedestrain gate the Army Lodging Hotel can be found.  This building actually used to be an old barracks building many years ago: 

Near the hotel I saw that the old Indianhead Statue that used to be by the front gate of Camp Casey has now been moved inside.  When this statue was located outside the gate I can remember seeing many drunk Soldiers urinating at the base of the statue before going inside the pedestrian gate.  Maybe this is why it was moved inside the base now: 

As I continued to walk up the road from the hotel I saw a really nice looking USO building: 

Here is the view looking towards the PX and commissary area from the USO: 

Here is the law enforcement building located near the front gate which is conveniently located to drop off drunk troublemakers in the ville at: 

This next picture is of the Camp Casey Post Office building located behind the commissary: 

Here is a look at the Camp Casey commissary: 

Adjacent to the commissary is the Camp Casey PX: 

The inside of both the commissary and the PX have remained largely the same over the years, but the outside has been renovated to look like a traditional Korean structure: 

Even the Popeye’s has been renovated to look like a traditional Korean structure: 

A building that was not renovated to look like a traditional Korean building was the Impact Zone club building near the commissary: 

Just up the main road from the PX is the Hanson Pool: 

As well as the Bowling Center: 

Here is the Hanson Field House: 

Further down the road is the Warrior Restaurant otherwise known as a Dining Facility (DFAC): 

Here is a view up the main road as I continued to follow it east through Camp Casey: 

Here is a look at the cemetary located along this road:  

Next to the cemetery a park called Tribute Park has been built: 

These next buildings I walked by used to be used as transient barracks for people who came to Camp Casey for exercises.  I am not sure what they are used for currently: 

As I continued up the road I was able to get a good look at Soyo Mountain that rises over Camp Casey: 

I next passed by the Community Activity Center.  Years ago this was actually a decent restaurant called Reggie’s Soldiers would hang out at if they did not want to walk out to the ville: 

In the center of Camp Casey there is now a large traffic circle with the 2ID patch in the center of it: 

I next spotted a Korean Canteen that is a go-to spot for cheap Korean food on post: 

This next picture shows what the typical barracks building on Camp Casey looks like: 

From this point it was getting extremely cold and I turned around and walked back to the PX to warm up before going back to Seoul.  Something I was happy to confirm along my walk was that what was once called “crackhouses” and quonset huts that once housed officers and NCOs had been torn down.  Hopefully those officers and NCOs are living in better conditions now adays.  

Overall though I found Camp Casey to largely be the same after many years of coming here.  There has been a few new buildings and lot of older buildings renovated over the years, but still the camp largely looks the same.  What is different is how quiet Camp Casey feels now adays.  I visited on a Saturday afternoon and the ville was completely quiet and the base was as well.  This is because far fewer Soldiers are now stationed at the Casey-Hovey duo of bases.  This is because most of the 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers are now housed at Camp Humphreys located south of Seoul.  Camp Casey may be quiet today, but for those of us who served here many years ago will always remember as the one time center of gravity for the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. 

If the conservatives want any chance at beating Lee they need to rally around Han Duck-soo and soon:

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea’s main liberal Democratic Party, holds a lead in a potential three-way race for the country’s next election, but support for the conservative bloc shows signs of resurgence, shows a new poll released Monday.

The poll, conducted by Realmeter from April 30 to May 2, found Lee leading with 46.5 percent support in a hypothetical matchup against former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is running as an independent, and Lee Jun-seok of the centrist Reform Party.

Han garnered 34.3 percent of support, and Lee Jun-seok trailed with 5.9 percent.

In a separate scenario replacing Han with Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of the main conservative People Power Party, Lee still led the field with 46.6 percent, with Kim at 27.8 and Lee Jun-seok at 7.5 percent.

Han and Kim are expected to begin negotiations soon to merge their candidacies in a bid to challenge the liberal frontrunner.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Han Duck-soo is actually from the Honam area and was paying his respects to the dead from the 1980 Gwangju Uprising Incident when he was assaulted by protesters:

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a national cemetery honoring victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising Friday as the first stop of his election campaign for the June election but was met with protests. 

Han traveled to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, 357 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after formally announcing his bid for the June 3 election. Upon arrival, he was confronted by demonstrators expressing opposition to his presence.

On Thursday, Han resigned from his roles as acting president and prime minister, positions he had held following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December.

As Han attempted to enter the cemetery, a participant in the rally struck him on the head with a protest placard, prompting immediate intervention by security personnel. Han reportedly did not sustain serious injuries.

Facing strong opposition and a standoff that lasted approximately 20 minutes, Han ultimately paid his respects with a silent tribute at the cemetery’s entrance before leaving the site.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the fact the Korean left sent protesters after Han like this makes me think they are concerned he is a real threat to Lee Jae-myung winning the upcoming Presidential election.

Here is the latest on leading Korean Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s legal problems:

An appellate court will hold the first hearing of a retrial in an election law violation case involving Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on May 15, just weeks before the June election. 

The Seoul High Court set the date just one day after the Supreme Court struck down the lower court’s acquittal of Lee on charges of election law violation in March and remanded the case for a retrial. 

Yonhap

It appears regardless of what happens Lee will be able to run for President. What is not clear is if the trial can continue while he is President and what happens if he is convicted:

The appeals court said it has requested a court official to directly deliver a summons to Lee to attend the hearing.

If Lee does not appear at the hearing, the court would need to reschedule the trial, making it unlikely that a verdict will be delivered before June 3.

Even if Lee is sentenced before the election, he would likely appeal it, which would enable him to run in the race. 

There is currently no clear rule on whether a criminal trial in progress may continue if the indicted individual is later elected president.

Earlier in the day, the DP proposed a bill that suspends an ongoing criminal trial for a president-elect, which is seen as a move to mitigate legal risks surrounding Lee.

You can read more at the link.

If Han Duck-soo wins the Presidency what a journey he would have had. He served as the Prime Minister for both liberal and conservative governments. He then became acting President when Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached to just get impeached himself. He was then reinstated by the Constitutional Court as acting President and now he is resigning to run for President:

Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned Thursday, indicating he would run for the June 3 presidential election.

Han announced his decision in an address to the nation, ending weeks of speculation over whether he would enter the election triggered by the impeachment of his former boss — former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

“Thinking of the weight of the responsibility I carry at this grave time, after thinking long and carefully about whether such a decision is in fact right and inevitable, I decided that if this is the only way, I must take it,” he said from the government complex in Seoul.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I doubt it is a coincidence he is running for President now after the decison by the Supreme Court to nullify the election law violation aquital of Lee Jae-myung.

Out of all the shady things that Lee Jae-myung is under investigation for lying to the media could be what brings him down:

The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a lower court’s acquittal of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of election law violation, sending the case back to the appeals court.

In a televised decision, the top court overturned the Seoul High Court’s verdict in March, which acquitted Lee of lying as a presidential candidate during the 2022 election campaign.

The Supreme Court’s ruling came about a month before the country will hold the June 3 presidential election. The case has drawn intense attention due to the possibility that the top court’s decision could affect his eligibility to run for office.

Yonhap

What is interesting about the verdict is that it was an overwhelming decision. 10 of the 12 justices agreed that the appeals court was wrong to overturn the conviction. You would think a Supreme Court ruling would reimpose the verdict that the appeals court nullified. However, according to the Korea Times his case has to be retried:

The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned an appellate court’s decision to acquit Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of his election law violation charges, sending the case back to the high court for a retrial.

The ruling does not immediately disqualify Lee as a candidate in the upcoming June 3 presidential election, as the retrial verdict is unlikely to be reached before Election Day. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling — which found that the appellate court misinterpreted parts of the law, effectively implying Lee’s guilt on some charges — is expected to reignite political debate over his suitability as a candidate, with less than five weeks remaining before the election.

Under the relevant law, anyone fined 1 million won ($699.30) or more for violating the nation’s election law is barred from running for public office for the next five years or up to 10 years if sentenced to imprisonment.

The case centers on two controversial remarks made by Lee during his previous presidential campaign in 2021. Prosecutors charged him with violating the Public Official Election Act for allegedly making false statements regarding land development projects in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, which took place while he was mayor of the city.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but it is going to be interesting to see how this ruling impacts Korea Presidential election which Lee is the current favorite to win.