Category: Politics-Korea

As expected it looks like Lee Jae-myung is going to win the Korean presidency in a landslide because of his name recognition, the PPP being tarnished by Yoon’s impeachment, and the fact the PPP is fractured and cannot rally around a single candidate:

This undated composite photo shows Lee Jae-myung (L), former leader of the Democratic Party, and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo. (Yonhap)

A former leader of the Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Lee Jae-myung, is leading the race for the presidency of South Korea with nearly 49 percent support, a poll showed Monday. 

South Korea will hold a presidential election on June 3 as the Constitutional Court removed former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his failed martial law bid. 

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,506 adults aged over 18 from Wednesday to Friday, Lee topped the list with 48.8 percent.

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, who joined the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and declared his bid last week, came next with 10.9 percent, down 5.4 percentage points from the previous week.

Acting President Han Duck-soo made his first appearance in the survey with 8.6 percent, though he has not officially announced his presidential run. 

Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon received 6.2 percent, and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo garnered 5.2 percent, followed by Lee Jun-seok, a lawmaker of the minor opposition New Reform Party, at 3 percent. Support for other potential candidates was below 3 percent.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Impeached President Yoon continues the tradition of if you are a conservative President in South Korea you will be prosecuted afterwards and likely jailed:

Disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to stand trial Monday on charges of orchestrating an insurrection through his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, marking his first formal court appearance since being removed from office by the Constitutional Court early this month.

The first hearing, at which Yoon is required to appear, is to take place at the Seoul Central District Court and has drawn criticism for shielding the ousted leader from public view — a departure from the manner in which former presidents were tried in criminal court. (…….)

With his appearance at the Seoul Central District Court’s pretrial hearing of his criminal trial in February, Yoon became the first sitting president to go on trial for criminal charges.

But Yoon is far from the first former president to stand trial, as prior to Yoon, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye all faced criminal charges after their respective presidencies.

According to the Criminal Act, those convicted of leading an insurrection can face either the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Anyone surprised by this news that Lee Jae-myung now that he is favored to win the Presidency is now no longer interested in limiting Presidential powers?:

The People Power Party on Monday backed National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik’s proposal to hold a referendum on amending the Constitution to reduce the president’s power on the same day as the early presidential election, highly likely slated for June 3.

Rep. Kwon Young-se, the People Power party’s leader, said the public consensus on reforming the country’s power structure was ripe in the wake of the impeachment crisis.

“We have witnessed the risks of a president having all the powers of the state,” Kwon said, alluding to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law in December last year.

But Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party chair remains convinced that the Yoon’s “insurrection” is still ongoing, and countering it should take priority.

Lee, who has a clear lead in the polls for to be the next president, said that while amending the Constitution and developing democracy were important, “putting an end to Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection should come first.”

“I think we all recognize the necessity of having a revised Constitution. But right now, nothing takes precedence over the task of stopping Yoon’s bid to destroy democracy,” Lee said.

This has to be the lamest excuse that Lee could come up with because Yoon has had no power for months and was officially removed from office last week. There is no more Yoon to oppose.

We all know the real reason that Lee now is uninterested in limitiing Presidential powers now that Yoon is gone:

A People Power Party lawmaker on the Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Democratic Party, thinking it has a better chance at winning the coming election, might be less willing to accept a constitutional amendment that would take away some of the president’s powers.

“Lee Jae-myung himself has spoken on the need for constitutional reform several times in the past. But now with the presidency in sight, he would be less willing to embrace a reform plan that could limit his powers if he is elected,” he said.

You can read more at the link.

I was never a big fan of moving the Presidential office to Yongsan and it appears who ever the new Korean President ends up being, it will move yet again:

Following the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, many are wondering if the next administration might relocate the presidential office, currently located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, back to the previous location of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, or to a new site.

“Regardless of which party takes power, I think the majority of the public is unlikely to agree with the presidential office remaining in Yongsan in the long term,” said Rep. Kim Min-seok, a senior leader of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, appearing on a radio program Tuesday.

He added that the ousted Yoon had not allowed sufficient public discussion when he moved the top office out of Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but I believe they should just move it back to Cheongwadae. It is a beautiful complex in the heart of Seoul, but would need to have a major security scan done since it has been open to the public for so long. When it opened to the public I made sure to go and visit Cheongwadae because I figured the Presidential office would eventually move back there. It was pretty cool to be able to mostly freely walk around an area that had for the longest time been closed to the public. I will need to post pictures of the visit when I get a chance.

It sounds like this really was a good phone call considering the positive spin President Trump has put on it:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he and South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo discussed Seoul’s payment for the United States’ “big time” military protection of the Asian ally as they held their first phone call since Trump took office in January.

In a social media post, he said he had a “great” call with Han, during which they touched on a range of issues, including South Korea’s “tremendous and unsustainable” trade surplus with the U.S., the purchase of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) and bilateral shipbuilding cooperation.

Their conversation came four days after South Korea’s Constitutional Court removed President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his short-lived martial law imposition in December.

“I just had a great call with the Acting President of South Korea. We talked about their tremendous and unsustainable Surplus, Tariffs, Shipbuilding, large scale purchase of U.S. LNG, their joint venture in an Alaska Pipeline, and payment for the big time Military Protection we provide to South Korea,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“They began these Military payments during my first term, Billions of Dollars, but Sleepy Joe Biden, for reasons unknown, terminated the deal. That was a shocker to all! In any event, we have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries.”

Trump added that South Korea’s “top” team is on a plane heading to the U.S. for negotiations.

“Things are looking good,” he said. “We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the problem Trump will need to deal with is that if an agreement is reached with the interim government, the new government in 60 days could change it all.

The DPK leader Lee Jae-myung has a clear advantage going into the snap election caused by former President Yoon’s impeachment due to his name recognition. It will be interesting if any member of the PPP can consolidate support to effectively take him on in such a short campaign timeframe:

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, left, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, shakes hands with floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday, after the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. Newsis

The date for the election has not yet been decided, but acting President Han Duck-soo is expected to designate the date during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. It is most likely to be held on June 3, exactly 60 days after Yoon’s ouster was finalized. 

Amid this tight schedule, the country’s major rival parties — Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the more liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) — are expected to launch election preparations this week, setting up respective election committees that will decide on a road map for their primaries and campaign plans.

If the election date is set for June 3, the parties must determine and register their candidates by May 11, a day before the official campaign period launches. Those currently serving as local office chiefs or ministers have to resign at least 30 days before the election if they want to join the race, meaning by May 4.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

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?

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 hope it doesn’t happen, but at this point I would be shocked if violence of some kind does not happen after the impeachment decision. I think the violence will be less if Yoon is impeached and greater if he is retained:

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday urged politicians to avoid making divisive remarks that could lead to violence on Friday, when the Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.

Han’s remark comes amid a deepening partisan rift observed in the National Assembly, coupled with the political turmoil that has gripped the nation since Yoon’s martial law decree in December.

“Now is a time to prioritize the stability and survival of our community over political gain,” Han said during a meeting attended by the heads of the justice, science, defense and interior ministries. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also attended the meeting, as did the chiefs of police and firefighting agencies.

“I earnestly plead with you to refrain from remarks that can provoke or incite illegal protests or violence. Please show a responsible attitude that contributes to social cohesion rather than (prompting) division and conflict,” he added.

Concerns have mounted over the possibility of violence and clashes on Friday between pro- and anti-Yoon protesters as well as conflict between demonstrators and the police.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Any bets on if there will be violent riots by anti-Yoon leftists this weekend if Yoon is reinstated or by pro-Yoon protesters if the impeachment is upheld?:

The Constitutional Court said it will deliver its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment at 11 a.m. Friday, raising hopes of an end to the political turmoil that has gripped the nation since his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

The verdict will be delivered from the court and live broadcasts will be allowed, along with the attendance of members of the public, the court said in a notice to the press Tuesday.

The ruling will come nearly four months after Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly on charges of violating the Constitution and laws through his brief imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.