Hersheys seems to having a bump in sales in South Korea due to the current political turmoil:

Hershey’s Kisses, a staple product of global chocolate company Hershey, have traditionally struggled to shine in South Korea despite their popularity abroad. Often seen as a “filler product” in convenience stores and supermarkets, they typically experience modest sales even on Valentine’s Day. However, a recent event has given the chocolate a surprising moment in the spotlight.

According to a report by a major convenience store chain on Monday, sales of Hershey’s Kisses at its stores nationwide increased by 8.4 percent compared to the previous week.

The company noted that this spike is unusual for Hershey’s Kisses, which typically see steady but unremarkable demand. The unexpected surge is attributed to a viral moment involving a protest group nicknamed the “Kisses Protesters.”

On Jan. 5, protesters gathered in front of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, calling for his arrest.

The group earned the nickname “Kisses Protesters” due to their appearance — many participants wrapped themselves in silver foil thermal blankets to endure the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. The blankets resembled the silver foil wrapping of Hershey’s Kisses, sparking the nickname.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I had no idea that Korea has never exonerated and released someone while in prison before:

When Kim Shin-hye was put behind bars after being found guilty of killing her father in 2000, she was only 23 years old. After spending 24 years in prison, she was declared innocent in a court ruling.

Judges at the Gwangju District Court on Monday overturned her conviction in her retrial and ordered the Jangheung Correctional Institution to release Kim, who is now 47.

“This should never be repeated,” Kim said as she exited the facility. “It could’ve been corrected (earlier). But it took 25 years. (In prison,) I thought a lot about why it should take such a long time … I’ll do my part to prevent a recurrence of such tragedy.”

It is the first case of a prisoner being exonerated and released for a wrongful conviction while still serving time in prison in Korea.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link that explains how a false confession and misinformation by the prosecutors caused her to be convicted.

It looks like the DPK is trying to set conditions to now impeach acting President Choi next:

 A special committee of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will file a complaint against acting President Choi Sang-mok for alleged dereliction of duty.

Choi has been criticized by opposition lawmakers for not ordering the Presidential Security Service (PSS) to cooperate with attempts by investigators to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

During a press conference at the National Assembly, the committee slammed Choi for eventually allowing the PSS to block the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) from executing a warrant to detain Yoon.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but remember the DPK initially threatened to impeach Choi, now they are threatening this complaint instead. I think the rising approval rate for Yoon may make the DPK think twice about trying to impeach Choi. The Korean public seems to be losing patience with the DPK’s antics and increasingly siding with Yoon despite the martial law fiasco.

This is pretty incredible how quickly President Yoon’s approval rating has jumped despite being impeached for the martial law fiasco. The article is speculating that conservatives in Korea are rallying around Yoon because of how much they despite the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung:

In the first several months after his inauguration in May 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating quickly fell below 40 percent in most polls and never recovered to that level again.

His controversial decision to declare martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, appeared to seal his fate as a failed leader rejected by the people including those who voted for him, with some surveys showing his popularity plunging to as low as 11 percent.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, his approval rating is now bouncing back — surpassing the levels seen before the martial law declaration.

A poll conducted between Jan. 3 and 4 by KOPRA found that 40 percent of respondents supported Yoon. In a poll conducted by the same pollster four months ago, 30 percent did.

In another survey released on Monday by Realmeter, his party also enjoyed a jump in support, with 34.4 percent saying they support the ruling People Power Party, up from 30.6 percent in a poll conducted a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the approval rating for the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) inched down to 45.2 percent from 45.8 percent in the Realmeter poll. The figure surged to 52.4 percent in the week that followed Yoon’s six-hour imposition of military rule, and has been decreasing since.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

As long as Presidential security remains loyal to President Yoon I don’t see how they are going to be able to arrest him. However, if the Constitutional Court validates Yoon’s impeachment that is when I suspect Presidential security will allow him to be arrested. This is why the authorities should probably wait for the Constitutional Court to render their verdict first before trying to arrest Yoon:

The state anti-corruption agency has asked the police to take over the execution of a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, both sides said Monday.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) made the request in an official letter late Sunday with one day left until the warrant’s expiry.

“The CIO sent us an official letter requesting our cooperation without prior consultations,” a police official told Yonhap News Agency. “We are internally carrying out a legal review.”

The CIO halted its execution of the warrant last Friday after an hourslong standoff with presidential security staff at the presidential residence. (……)

Sources said the CIO’s letter was prompting complaints within the police that the agency was trying to shift its responsibilities after passively executing the warrant last Friday.

Yoon’s legal team has rejected the warrant as illegal and invalid, noting the CIO is not technically authorized to investigate charges of insurrection that Yoon faces over his martial law decree.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This hypersonic missile is believed to have the range to target the U.S. territory of Guam:

North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic missile into the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, marking its first provocation this year ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch of a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at about 12 p.m. from the Pyongyang area and it flew some 1,100 kilometers before splashing into the sea.

While the missile’s flight distance fell shorter than the conventional IRBM range of 3,000 to 5,500 km, it is believed to be similar to North Korea’s IRBMs tipped with hypersonic warheads that were launched in January and April last year, a JCS official said. (….)

The latest launch took place as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks on efforts to deter North Korean threats amid political turmoil in South Korea stemming from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.