Rally against Yoon’s impeachment

Citizens hold a rally against the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Jan. 11, 2025. (Yonhap)

I wonder how many of these North Korean Soldiers realized they were going to war when they left their country for Russia?:

One of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine has claimed during questioning that he thought he was going for training, not to the war against Ukraine, Kyiv’s security service has said.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia’s western Kursk region and that investigators were questioning them.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it has questioned the two soldiers through Korean interpreters in cooperation with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) as they do not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I wish they would not show these guys faces because this is going to lead to retaliation against their family members back in North Korea for them being captured alive.

Here is an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about North Korean forces fighting Ukraine in Russia:

The crude stick-figure diagram, sketched in blue ink, details how North Korean soldiers deployed to support Russia in the Ukraine war should respond to the approach of a Ukrainian drone. One soldier—referred to as “bait” in the drawing—should stand still to lure the drone so that a pair of comrades can attempt to shoot it down.

The grisly tactics were divulged in a diary taken off a slain North Korean soldier on Dec. 21, with passages containing mundane details of life at the front, descriptions of combat tactics and expressions of love for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to excerpts recently made public by Ukraine’s special-operations forces. Independent experts say the diary entries appear genuine, with penmanship, word choice and expressions of ideological fervor all common in North Korea. 

The young soldier who penned the passage about the drone died in a firefight alongside two other compatriots, according to Ukraine’s special forces. 

“Even at the cost of my life, I will carry out the Supreme Commander’s orders without hesitation,” reads one entry from the diary. “I will show the world the bravery and sacrifice of Kim Jong Un’s special forces.”

(Wall Street Journal)

You can read more at the link, but Ukraine intelligence services are stating there has been up to 4,000 North Korean casualties. They are also reporting that North Korea may be preparing a second deployment of Soldiers to assist Russia. What I found most interesting from the article is that Ukraine has lost half the land they seized in Russia which shows that despite the heavy losses the North Koreans may be having an impact on the battlefield.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

If the CIO wants the PSS to cooperate with them to arrest President Yoon, this latest legal action isn’t going to help:

The head of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) has been booked on suspicions of insurrection in an ongoing probe into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law imposition last month, police said Sunday.

Park Chong-jun, chief of the PSS, has been additionally booked for insurrection charges, a police official told Yonhap News Agency.

Park is known to have called in Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, to the presidential safe house three hours before Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3.

Last week, Park was booked on suspicion of obstructing special official duties, as PSS officials, along with military personnel, blocked the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials from executing a warrant to detain Yoon.

Police have requested Park to appear for questioning on Tuesday after he snubbed an initial request made for Saturday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I wonder who in the South Korean political establishment Senator Kim is directing his comments towards? The person taking the most advantage of this situation is clearly Lee Jae-myung who is set to become President if Yoon is impeached:

Andy Kim, the first-ever Korean American senator, underscored the need Wednesday for South Korea to focus on ensuring stability amid political uncertainty caused by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched martial law bid, while cautioning against any move to use the situation to advance “political ambitions.”

Kim (D-NJ) made the remarks as South Korea has been thrust into a period of political turmoil following Yoon’s short-lived martial law imposition on Dec. 3 and his impeachment on Dec. 14.

“It’s really a critical time for stability, not for any particular person to try to use this to advance their own political ambitions,” Kim said during a meeting with Korean and Asian American reporters at the Capitol in Washington.

“It’s about stabilizing it first and foremost,” he added, noting South Korean politicians need to be “very careful and thoughtful” with their thoughts and actions as they are “under a microscope.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is some more unflattering news about President Yoon:

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that President Yoon Suk Yeol frequently mentioned martial law starting around April last year, coinciding with Korea’s general elections.

Citing a former cabinet minister under the Yoon administration who dined with the president several times, Asahi reported, “Yoon began bringing up the term ‘martial law’ more frequently in gatherings after the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the April elections last year. His stress levels and alcohol consumption increased as well.”

According to the report, Yoon often drank at venues such as a government residence in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. These gatherings typically included samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), paired with rounds of “somaek” — a shot of soju mixed with beer. Apparently, Yoon drank up to 20 glasses of somaek in a single sitting.

The former minister said, “Most people fill their somaek glasses halfway, but the president filled his to the brim. While drinking, the president would criticize opposition politicians, though he sometimes directed criticism at ruling party members as well.”

The report speculated that this habit may stem from Yoon’s days as a prosecutor when he drank a mix of whiskey and beer called “Ten-Ten.” This potent drink, designed for quick intoxication, was said to be popular among prosecutors.

A former foreign affairs aide from Yoon’s administration revealed that these drinking sessions frequently lasted until dawn.

“Even the security personnel stationed at the president’s facilities expressed frustration over the long hours they had to endure during these late-night gatherings,” the aide said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.