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Picture of the Day: First Thai Korean War Veteran Laid to Rest at U. N. Cemetery in Busan

Thai Korean War vet laid to rest in S. Korea
Thai Korean War vet laid to rest in S. Korea
A burial ceremony for Thai Korean War veteran Rod Asapanan, according to his will, takes place at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern city of Busan on Nov. 11, 2024, making him the first Thai Korean War veteran to be buried there. Thailand and 15 other nations fought for South Korea under the U.N. flag against invading North Korea during the 1950-53 conflict. (Yonhap)

Chinese Man Questioned After Being Caught Using Drone to Film NIS Headquarters

This guy is definitely suspicious because what tourist to Korea immediately to the Heolleung and Illeung Royal Tombs after arriving at the airport?:

– A Chinese man was released from police custody after being questioned on suspicion of filming the headquarters of the state spy agency using a drone, police said Monday.

The Chinese national in his 40s was released late Sunday, a day after he was caught by the police for appearing to film the National Intelligence Service (NIS) headquarters in southern Seoul in violation of the Aviation Safety Act.

Police said the man appeared to have filmed the NIS building while taking drone footage of the nearby Heolleung and Illeung Royal Tombs, the historical burial grounds of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). (………..)

The man reportedly told police he was trying to film the royal tombs out of a deep interest in world heritage sites, with plans to film temples and other places in the country as well.

The man was also found to have headed straight to the tombs in a rented car after entering the country through Incheon International Airport on Saturday.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but they need to make example of this guy to send a message to anyone flying drones illegally.

Korean Prosecutors Ask for Arrest Warrant for Pollster with Ties to President Yoon’s Wife

As I have previously said, the Korean left is trying to make the pollster Myung Tae-kyun into Presidnet Yoon’s Choi Soon-sil:

Prosecutors on Monday requested an arrest warrant for Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, over allegations of interfering in candidate nominations in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through his ties with then presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. 

They also filed warrants for Kim Young-sun, a former lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), and two ex-candidates in the June 2022 local elections, citing risk of destruction of evidence, according to the Changwon District Court.

Myung, who runs a public polling agency, is suspected of receiving approximately 90 million won (US$65,200) from Kim on several occasions between August 2022 and December last year in exchange for his help in getting her nominated on the PPP ticket ahead of the 2022 by-elections.

He is also under suspicion of having secured Kim’s nomination in exchange for conducting customized polls in favor of then PPP presidential candidate Yoon for free. First lady Kim Keon Hee has also been suspected of involvement in the nomination process.

Myung has reportedly refuted the allegations, saying he never promised Kim he would help to get her nominated and that he was not in a position to do so.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this guy is basically a pollster who was paid to generate polls favorable to certain candidates. All the polls that were wrong about the U.S. Presidential election should be a reminder that polls are used to shape public opinion not reflect it.

The election of President Trump is what is likely pushing this arrest warrant now because the Korean left needs to get Yoon impeached so they can get a leftist in power to counter Trump. Remember that former President Park Geun-hye was impeached for abuse of power and that is what the Korean left will try and claim Yoon was doing to get him impeached.

Analysts Believe Kim Jong-un May Seek Another Summit with Soon to be President Trump

If the focus of a summit is denuclearization of North Korea it would be a pointless meeting because Kim Jong-un will never agree to getting rid of his nukes. However, negotiating away his ICBM program and stopping proliferation I think are achievable goals:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may seek another summit over its nuclear program with US President-elect Donald Trump following his second-term win, but the chances for a meaningful deal appear to be lower, given the North’s enhanced nuclear capabilities, analysts said.

During his first term, Trump hosted the first-ever summit between American and North Korean leaders with Kim in Singapore in 2018, followed by another summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, the next year. But they failed to produce a deal to curb North Korea’s nuclear program.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon Apologizes for Controversies Surrounding the First Lady

Much of these controversies like handbag-gate were manufactured by his political opponents, but the fact his poll numbers have nosedived below 20% has pretty much forced President Yoon to make this public apology:

President Yoon Suk Yeol offered an apology Thursday for causing concerns to the people and vowed to revamp state affairs amid growing controversies surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Yoon stood up and bowed his head in apology during a televised address and press conference marking the second half of his term and providing an outline of the future policy direction. (….)

Yoon addressed the concerns over the first lady, who has faced criticism over allegations involving her acceptance of a luxury handbag, stock manipulation and involvement in government affairs.

“She should have conducted herself with greater caution, and the fact that she has caused concern to the public is unquestionably wrong,” he said.

Yoon said Kim should have acted more cautiously and it was wrong for her actions to have caused public concern, noting he appointed a secretary earlier in the day to prepare for the establishment of an office dedicated to supporting the first lady’s work.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but some of these controversies could have been prevented if the First Lady had an office initially to filter some of the nonsense that got here in trouble.