Tag: South Korea

President Yoon needs to figure out how to decrease inflation and improve Korea’s overall economic outlook. I think that is what what voters were telling him with this election defeat for his political party:

President Yoon Suk Yeol has vowed to reform state affairs to reflect people’s will following the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections, the presidential office said Thursday. 

“I will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election, and will strive to reform the administration and do my best to stabilize the economy and enhance people’s livelihoods,” Lee Kwan-seop, presidential chief of staff, quoted him as saying during a press conference.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as well as three senior presidential aides, including Lee, offered to step down to take responsibility for the election defeat, according to the office.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but expected grid locked government for the next three years of Yoon’s term because he will need help from the DPK to get any legislation approved. This very unlikely to happen considering the hostile relationship between Yoon and the DPK’s leader Lee Jae-myung.

If all these countries join it makes me wonder of the AUKUS is turning into a Pacific version of NATO to counter China:

The United States, Britain and Australia are considering South Korea, Canada and New Zealand as potential partners for cooperation on advanced capability projects of their AUKUS security partnership, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

The remarks came a day after the defense chiefs of the three countries issued a joint statement noting their consideration of Japan as a partner for Pillar II projects of the partnership.

Launched in September 2021 in an apparent move to counter China’s assertiveness, AUKUS consists of two key pillars. Pillar I is to support Australia in acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while Pillar II is for cooperation in high-tech areas, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and hypersonics.

“The AUKUS partners are considering a range of additional partners who may bring unique strengths to Pillar 2, including the ROK, Canada and New Zealand, in addition to Japan,” the official said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but China is of course complaining about this announcement. If China would quit trying to forcibly take over other nation’s territory there would be no need for AUKUS in the first place.

It looks like Cho Kuk has made his revenge politically against President Yoon for previously prosecuting him and his family for corruption:

One notable winner from the election is former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, the leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), a major third party that is projected to win twelve seats. He was previously forced to resign as justice minister and sentenced to two years in detention (he has yet to go to prison) over a scandal involving allegations of him falsifying records. He returned to politics under his newly formed party just a month before this election.

The RKP gained support largely from middle-aged, progressive Koreans who strongly oppose the PPP but are also fed up with the ineffectualness and unceasing corruption scandals within the DP. Cho has set himself up to be an important kingmaker in the National Assembly and will most likely cooperate with the DP to obstruct Yoon’s agenda. He opposes Yoon not on ideological grounds but also bears a personal grudge against Yoon for prosecuting him on corruption charges. In addition, Cho had promised to investigate First Lady Kim Keon-hee for alleged stock manipulation if DP and his party won enough seats.

Council on Foregin Relations

You can read more at the link, but those his party was only formed a few weeks ago it looks like he could win up to 15 seats in the parliament making him a potential king maker for the Democratic Party who is in the majority.

The PPP has once again failed to make any strong gains in the Korean parliament:

This combined photo shows officials of the main opposition Democratic Party (L), including it leader Lee Jae-myung, clap at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024. In contrast, officials of the ruling People Power Party, including its interim leader Han Dong-hoon, look gloomy at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 10, 2024. (Yonhap)

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was certain to retain a majority in the National Assembly in Wednesday’s general elections in a major setback for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Contrary to TV exit polls, however, the broader opposition bloc was expected to fall short of a two-thirds majority or at least 200 seats as the PPP was expected to secure about 110 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

With more than 90 percent of the ballots counted in 254 constituencies as of 3 a.m. Thursday, the DP was leading in 160 districts, including many in the Seoul metropolitan region, while the PPP was ahead only in 91 districts, mostly in its stronghold in the country’s southeast.

Up for grabs are 300 seats in the National Assembly, with 46 of them to be allocated to the parties according to their proportion of the vote. Of the votes cast for proportional seats, more than 60 percent have been counted.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but if President Yoon was looking for any electorial mandate for his policies from the election he clearly did not get it.

Just another example of the crazy defamation laws in place in South Korea:

Would it be defamation if the face of a customer who took goods without paying at an unmanned store was publicly attached to the store?

In this case, the court said, “It constitutes defamation.”

According to the legal community on the 28th, Judge Gong Woo-jin of the Incheon District Court’s Criminal Chamber 14 sentenced A (43) to a fine of 300,000 won for the owner of an unmanned stationery store accused of defamation.

Mr. A, who runs an unmanned stationery store in Jung-gu, Incheon, released a photo on November 7, 2022, showing a young customer who took goods in a bag without paying at his store.

It was released by attaching a picture of a child taken on a closed-circuit (CC) TV screen to the store, and it was put on trial when parents accused A of defaming the child.

A said, “I’m looking for a child who took a figure (model doll) worth 23,000 won and 11 Pokemon cards without paying four days ago. If you know this child, please contact me,” he said.

The court ruled that if A does not pay a fine, 100,000 won will be converted into one day and detained at a labor center for three days, saying that defamation charges are established.

Maeil Kyeongchae via a reader tip

You can read more at the link.

This is definitely something frustrating about Korea, how some people will just leave trash for others to pick up. You even see this while hiking where people will have a picnic and leave trash lying around. With that said, overall the leaving of trash lying around has gotten better over the 20+ years in Korea:

Mounds of trash revisited this year’s cherry blossom festivals nationwide as the streets were strewn with trash, such as disposable cups, delivery food containers and drink cans.

Near Gongji Stream in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, the situation was particularly dire. As the stream became a famous tourist attraction for enjoying cherry blossoms, garbage was haphazardly disposed of at the recycling center. Cigarette butts also littered the park as if smokers had a vendetta against the lawn.

Similarly, Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul faces a deluge of trash every year around festival time.

Despite having over six dumpsters set up, the volume of trash overwhelms the capacity. Overflowing trash cans are a common sight, with waste often found stacked up near trash cans.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The real question is why is there any South Koreans left in Haiti when you have a gang called the Cannibal Army running around killing people?:

South Korea has evacuated 11 citizens from Haiti via helicopter due to deteriorating security, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The ministry said they were airlifted to the neighboring Dominican Republic, adding that further details would be withheld to ensure the safety of other South Koreans in Haiti.

Last month, the government evacuated two citizens from the Caribbean country, as gang violence has gripped the island nation.

Haiti has seen a rise in violence and poverty since the assassination of then President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Around 60 South Koreans are currently believed to be in Haiti.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.