Latest

Should 36 Month Abortions be Illegal in South Korea? It Depends on How You Kill the Baby

This is so sickening and I can’t understand how any so-called doctor can conduct such procedures:

This screenshot from a YouTube video is of a woman who recently underwent an abortion procedure at 36 weeks. Legal and ethical questions about abortion have been raised amid a police investigation of the woman and her doctor. Screenshot from YouTube

This screenshot from a YouTube video is of a woman who recently underwent an abortion procedure at 36 weeks. Legal and ethical questions about abortion have been raised amid a police investigation of the woman and her doctor. Screenshot from YouTube

How late is too late to get an abortion? Could terminating a pregnancy at nine months be considered an abortion?

These questions have been under intense scrutiny in Korea after a woman in her 20s was recently found by police to have undergone a procedure at a clinic to end her pregnancy at 36 weeks.

After confirming the basic facts of the case, which first became public through a YouTube video of the woman in question, the police have named both her and the physician as criminal suspects and have launched an investigation.

However, following a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling that deemed the abortion ban unconstitutional, could they still be convicted for performing what was intended as an abortion?

Medical and legal experts contacted by The Korea Times said the doctor could be found guilty of murder ― but only if police find enough evidence showing that fetal termination was completed outside the woman’s body.

They said an abortion at such a late stage may have been performed with a labor induction method, which can be legally defined as a live birth and, therefore, a “murder after birth.”

This was the case in an incident that occurred in March 2019. A doctor was indicted on charges of killing a 34-week-old after putting the live baby in a bucket of water following an abortion procedure. He was eventually sentenced to three years and six months in prison. (…………..)

What could further complicate the case is the possibility that the physician might have used medications to induce fetal demise deliberately inside the woman’s body so as to avoid any legal troubles, experts said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but an American leftist would probably call this doctor a hero and these women conducting late term abortions strong and empowered. Anyone that supports this is either evil or has a mental disorder.

People from Seoul’s Affluent Areas Primarily Hiring Filipina Caregivers

I had said before that the Filipina caregivers will likely be hired by people who already have caregivers in order to save money. It appears that is what is happening:

Nearly four out of 10 households in Seoul that will hire Filipino caregivers starting in September are located in the affluent southern parts of the capital, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Wednesday.

The hiring of Filipino caregivers by parents in affluent areas under the government’s pilot program aimed at addressing the nation’s low birthrate suggests the initiative may not fully meet its expectations. This trend indicates that the program, intended to offer affordable support through foreign caregivers, might not be effectively reaching all parents as initially hoped.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but something I did not anticipate is that people hiring these Filipina caregivers are also using them as in-house English teachers for their kids.

Ulchi Freedom Shield 2024 Exercise to Begin Next Week

Exercise time is about to begin for USFK:

The United States and South Korea will kick off their second large-scale military exercise of the year next week with specific North Korean threats in mind. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will begin Aug. 19 throughout the South and focus on “realistic threats” from North Korea, such as weapons of mass destruction, cyber-attacks and GPS jamming, the Joint Chiefs said in a news release Monday. Roughly 19,000 South Korean troops will participate in the training, according to the Joint Chiefs.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Governor Behind South Korea’s Druking Online Opinion Hacking Scandal, Receives Presidential Pardon

I wonder what the backroom deal was to get this pardon for one of President Moon’s good friends?:

President Yoon Suk Yeol granted a special pardon to former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo, Tuesday, on the occasion of Aug. 15 Liberation Day, reinstating his eligibility to run for a public post.

The decision to pardon Kim, a prominent figure in the liberal bloc, was made despite opposition from some members of the ruling party. Critics argue that it is inappropriate to allow Kim, who was convicted and served a jail term for manipulating online opinions leading up to the 2017 presidential election, to run for public office again.

Yoon also pardoned several former senior presidential officials during the Park Geun-hye administration who were jailed in a massive corruption scandal involving the former president.

The Cabinet approved the pardon plan, which was endorsed by Yoon. In total, 1,219 people received a special pardon, including small business owners, self-employed individuals, and those convicted of crimes arising from financial difficulties.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link and I recommend reading my below post for more information about the Druking scandal that happened back in 2017. This is an example of why you have to be careful in trusting opinion polls.

South Korean Political Parties Argue Over When the Country Founded

The ideological war in South Korea has extended to where they cannot even agree on when the country was founded:

 President Yoon Suk Yeol has expressed frustration over the recent controversy surrounding when should be South Korea’s national founding day, saying it is an issue that does no good for people’s livelihoods.

The controversy began after Yoon appointed Kim Hyoung-suk, a figure accused of harboring pro-Japanese views, as the new president of the Independence Hall of Korea. Kim’s past remarks alleging South Korea came into being when its government was established in 1948 led to suspicions his appointment was a precursor to designating Aug. 15, 1948, as national foundation day.

The question of when South Korea came into being has long been a subject of ideological debate, with some arguing it was April 11, 1919, when a provisional government was established during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

“What good is this to the people who are struggling to make ends meet?” Yoon was quoted as recently telling his aides, referring to the controversy.

The main opposition Democratic Party and the Heritage of Korean Independence, a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants, have vowed to boycott the Aug. 15 Liberation Day ceremony hosted by the government unless the appointment is withdrawn.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Waltz Touts Ties to South Korea

Waltz may be touting his ties to South Korea, but what he has not been talking about are the stolen valor claims brought against him:

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, left, stands next to her newly chosen vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as he speaks during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, left, stands next to her newly chosen vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as he speaks during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Minnesota governor Tim Walz, the running mate of presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, highlighted his personal and familial ties to Korea and his long military service. 
  
During their first campaign appearance together in Philadelphia on Tuesday after Walz joined Harris in her campaign against former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party, Walz shared a story about his father, a 1950-53 Korean War veteran, and how his encouragement led Walz to enlist in the military. 
  
“My dad served in the Army during the Korean War, and with his encouragement, at 17, I joined the Army National Guard,” Walz said. 
  
“For 24 years, I proudly wore the uniform of this nation. And just as it did for my dad and millions of others, the G.I. Bill gave me a shot at a college education,” Walz added. The G.I. Bill refers to programs created to assist American military veterans. (……)

As governor of Minnesota, he traveled to South Korea in 2019, along with Japan, to “highlight Minnesota’s long history of engagement with South Korea and future opportunities for economic partnership,” including increasing exports of Minnesota-produced agricultural products, medical devices and clean energy products.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.