Tag: politics

This is how politics work, you accuse your rival of something they did not say and let the media repeat it:

A Seoul mayoral candidate’s recent remarks related to the issue of rights of the LGBTQ community have rekindled debates on the matter in political circles. 

Conservative minor opposition People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, who is running in the April 7 by-election for Seoul mayor, brought about the controversy after saying that the rights of those who oppose an annual parade held in central Seoul by LGBTQ community members should also be respected, during a televised debate with his rival candidate and former ruling party lawmaker Keum Tae-sup, last Thursday.

LGBTQ community members here and activists supporting them have been staging the Seoul Queer Culture Festival every year since 2000 in central Seoul to call for rights for the community. Since 2015, the parade has set off from the main festival site at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, with the city government under former Mayor Park Won-soon granting permission despite a continuous strong backlash from some conservative Christian groups who claimed Park encouraged homosexuality.

During the debate, Keum introduced the issue to the discussion, saying it would be a “small but significant change” if a third-party candidate took part in the pride march in Seoul. Keum then asked Ahn if he would be willing to participate if elected as the mayor of the capital.

Ahn replied, “Of course I oppose discrimination. Individual human rights deserve to be respected.” But then Ahn continued to say, “If an LGBTQ festival is held in Gwanghwamun (in central Seoul), there will be some people who want to come to watch it, but the rights of others who are against it should also be respected.”

Keum criticized Ahn’s remarks in a radio interview with local broadcaster KBS the following day, saying he was disappointed as they lacked consideration for the basic human rights of the LGBTQ community. “Ahn’s advocating for the rights of those who do not want to see a queer festival is no different from hate and discrimination,” Keum said.

Korea Times

I am no fan of Ahn Cheol-soo, but it is pretty clear that he was not hating on LGBTQ groups. All he is saying is that the conservative Christian groups have a right to free speech to criticize the parade. He didn’t agree with this position he just said they had the right to express it.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon is backing down from his idea to pardon former Presidents Park and Lee because of the Korean left is unhappy with the idea:

However, Rep. Lee’s comments, which weren’t consulted on with party colleagues beforehand, have prompted ricocheting reactions throughout politics, stoking fierce objection from the DP’s base supporters, as well as suspicious reactions from opposition parties, raising questions of motive and rationale in light of the DP chief’s falling approval ratings. 

Amid the political fallout from the pardon suggestion spiraling out of hand, the DP leadership came up with what many see as a dubious cop out position on the matter — stating that Lee’s remarks came from his “heart” free from political rationale and that the showing of sincere remorse by the ex-presidents is a prerequisite in potential pardons.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I doubt either ex-President is about to admit guilt to get a pardon. According to the article the ruling party is apparently throwing out this pardon suggestion as a trial balloon to judge public sentiment. If it is something popular with the public then President Moon Jae-in may move forward with the idea.

As expected Choo Mi-ae was made the scapegoat for the Prosecutor General fiasco even though she was likely taking all commands from the Blue House:

President Moon Jae-in accepted Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae’s previously offered resignation, Wednesday, following a recent court decision that granted an injunction to Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl against a ministry disciplinary committee’s order suspending him from duty for two months. 

Moon’s decision to replace the justice minister comes after months of calls from the public and opposition to dismiss the former five-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who have been weary of the longstanding conflict between her and the top prosecutor. The Choo-Yoon conflict and political wrangling over the President’s push for prosecutorial reform have emerged as key factors that have significantly hurt public trust in the Moon administration. 

The presidential office announced a replacement for Choo, in addition to two other ministerial posts, in a briefing the same day. The President named DPK Rep. Park Beom-kye, a former judge, to replace Choo, who will continue to serve in the post until the confirmation hearing for Park. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but Choo was a good soldier for the Korean left so I am sure they will take care her even though they had to scapegoat her for failing to get Yoon Seok-youl removed.

An impeachment of Yoon Seok-youl would have been a gift to Korean conservatives who could have argued that the Moon administration was trying to get rid of the prosecutor who was investigating their corruption:

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Saturday urged restraint in the ongoing feud with the state prosecution service, although a few in its ranks are calling for the impeachment of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.   
   
Last Thursday, the Seoul Administrative Court reversed President Moon Jae-in’s two-month suspension of Yoon, leaving the DP divided about the next steps in the administration’s drive to tame the prosecution service.  
   
Some hardliners in the party, like Rep. Kim Doo-gwan, argued the DP should wield its large majority in the legislature to impeach Yoon — an action unprecedented in Korean political history that would inevitably generate a constitutional standoff.  
   
But cooler heads apparently prevailed, with DP Spokesman Huh Young on Saturday calling on members to “control” their emotions and refrain from positions that could further alienate the party from a public increasingly repelled by the administration’s war against Yoon.  
   
Impeachment proceedings against Yoon “could lead to a rejection by the Constitutional Court,” Huh wrote — in other words, they could fail spectacularly. He added the party should avoid action that might backfire and focus, instead, on building a stronger legal basis for prosecutorial reform.  
   
Yet the factor most instrumental in tempering the party’s antagonism towards the top prosecutor was a public statement from the president himself on Friday. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but the fact that the ruling party was considering impeaching Yoon could be an indication that they are worried that he will uncover more ruling party corruption.

Korean-Americans are beginning to have growing political influence:

Young Kim, a Korean-American Republican, won the U.S. House election in a Southern California district on Friday, U.S. media reported. 

The former state lawmaker joined three other politicians of Korean descent elected to the House of Representatives in the Nov. 3 elections.

Kim, 57, was born in South Korea and grew up in Guam. She won 50.6 percent of the vote to beat Democratic incumbent Gil Cisneros by a margin of 1.2 percentage point in the 39th Congressional District anchored in Orange County, reports said. It was a rematch from 2018.

She joined Marilyn Strickland and Michelle Park Steel to become the first Korean-American women to serve Congress in its 230-year history.

Democrat Strickland, former mayor of Tacoma, won the race in Washington’s 10th Congressional District, while Republican Steel claimed the 48th District in Orange County. 

Democrat Andy Kim, a Korean-American man, won the race in New Jersey’s 3rd District.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but ROK Heads may remember that Young Kim was project to win the election two years ago to have it taken from her with the mail in ballots.

The article is right that Michelle Flournoy likely becoming the next Secretary of Defense was not a well kept secret:

On June 20, 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden delivered keynote remarks at an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security, the think tank founded and, at that point, led by Michèle Flournoy.

Flournoy introduced Biden, praising him as a national security thinker and noting the ties between his staff at the White House and CNAS. Biden, in turn, acknowledged the little-kept secret of the defense world: that Flournoy was in line to become the first woman to serve as defense secretary under President Hillary Clinton.

“Well, madam secretary,” Biden said with a laugh as the crowd applauded. “I’m writing a recommendation for her, you know.”

The Clinton administration never materialized, following the election of President Donald Trump. But four years later, president-elect Biden is widely expected to fulfill his promise and tap Flournoy to lead the U.S. military.

Defense News

You can read more at the link, but supposedly Tammy Duckworth is interested in the position as well. Flournoy is way more qualified especially when you consider the difficulties Duckworth had running the Illinois VA. What creates confidence that she could run a much larger organization like the Pentagon?

The Biden administration has vowed to strengthen alliances with America’s allies and one way to do that with South Korea is quickly sign a cost sharing agreement:

The election of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would mean a stronger alliance with South Korea and other allies, but tensions with North Korea could escalate because Pyongyang could try to test his administration, experts said Saturday.

“I think if Biden is elected, most American allies, including South Korea, will breathe a sigh of relief. He is likely to work much harder to strengthen our alliances,” said Gregg Brazinsky, professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University.

One of Biden’s key foreign policy advisers, Brian McKeon, said the Democratic candidate would immediately seek to repair the country’s alliances and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to improving its relations with its allies.

“(Biden) frequently says when he takes office, he will immediately get on the phone with some of our key allies in Europe and Asia, and centrally say, ‘America is back, and we have your back’,” McKeon said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency.  (………..)

Brazinsky noted a Biden administration would likely treat U.S. allies with more respect.

“The U.S. will have severe economic difficulties due to the (COVID-19) pandemic, and it is possible that even under Biden, the U.S. will need South Korea to share more of the costs of maintaining American troops,” he told Yonhap.

“But I think if this is the case, Biden will attempt to negotiate this change in a manner that treats South Korea with the appropriate respect,” he added. (………………)

Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean studies at the Washington-based Institute for the National Interest, said that Biden would likely seek to quickly conclude the negotiations and at a much lower rate of increase.

“I would argue that a Biden Administration would quickly sign a new SMA with Seoul within the first 100 days of taking office, as Biden will not want to drag on talks any longer and likely ask for a 3-5 percent increase per year for a multiyear period,” he said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I think Seoul would be willing to give the Biden administration a small increase because it would allow Biden to say he got the ROK to pay more when Trump could not.

Here is what the experts think a Biden administration means to U.S. diplomacy in Korea:

Joe Biden’s election as U.S. president could give South Korea more “room” in handling inter-Korean affairs, as he is expected to respect the alliance and listen more to what Seoul has to say on inter-Korean matters, experts said Sunday.

His “principled” diplomacy on North Korea, however, could raise tensions and fail to produce any immediate breakthrough in denuclearization talks, which experts said could make it hard for Seoul to pursue many of its envisioned cooperative and reconciliatory cross-border projects.

Biden has vowed to strengthen the alliance with its allies, including South Korea, in what appears aimed at differentiating himself from President Donald Trump, who has often derided friends and allies and denounced them as free riders.

“Respecting the alliance means turning his ears to the ally’s opinions on issues such as inter-Korean affairs, which has rarely been seen under the Trump administration,” Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

“If South Korea says it wants to improve inter-Korean relations, Biden will listen to it. He could also take a more flexible approach in applying sanctions on the North than the Trump administration attempting to keep cross-border relations in check through sanctions,” he added. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but I would not be surprised that if a few months into the Biden administration that the Kim regime will provoke a provocation cycle to see what Biden does. I believe they will probably not do anything decisive and just manage the problem like the Obama administration did.

Trump tried to do something decisive on the issue, but it just didn’t work because he didn’t understand that the Kim regime had no intention of denuclearizing.

The payback from the Korean left against former President Lee Myung-bak is now complete:

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 17-year prison sentence handed down by an appeals court for former President Lee Myung-bak on embezzlement and bribery charges.

In February, the Seoul High Court sentenced the 78-year-old to 17 years in prison, a fine of 13 billion won (US$10.9 million) and a forfeit of 5.7 billion won in a high-profile corruption case.

The former president, who governed the country from 2008-2013, was charged in April 2018 with 16 counts of criminal allegations, including embezzlement in connection with the auto parts company DAS and receiving bribes from various companies and individuals, including Samsung Electronics Co.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but President Lee after he took office had his predecessor Roh Moo-hyun investigated for corruption. Roh ended up committing suicide after the investigation disclosed the corrupt dealings of him and his family. The Korean left blamed Lee for Roh’s suicide and one of the first things after current left wing President Moon Jae-in did was to investigate Lee for corruption. Moon was the former Chief of Staff for President Roh at the time.

It appears that the Korean left is going all in to get Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl resign:

The gaping political rift between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl widened further Monday, as the minister accused the top prosecutor of overstepping his bounds during a parliamentary audit of the Supreme Prosecutors Office held last week.

“For the prosecutor general who must maintain political neutrality, I believe some of his statements crossed the line. As a person in the supervisory position, I’m embarrassed,” said Choo during a parliamentary audit of the justice ministry held at the National Assembly.

Last week, Choo ordered the top prosecutor to recuse himself from the investigation into the high-profile financial fraud case surrounding Lime Asset Management, citing a failure on the part of Yoon to conduct a thorough investigation into opposition politicians and prosecutors allegedly implicated in the case.

Yoon instantly accepted the order but described it as “illegal” and “absurd” during a parliamentary audit session Thursday. He also claimed that President Moon Jae-in asked him to serve out his term via an “appropriate messenger” despite pressure from the ruling bloc for him to resign.

Yonhap

The article goes on to say how the Justice Minister is expanding her attempts to go after Yoon’s wife:

The prosecution is also currently looking into allegations that Yoon’s wife was involved in manipulating stocks in Deutsch Motors and that her art exhibition company took bribes disguised as donations.

What is incredible about this whole political strife is that President Moon is the one who appointed Yoon as the Prosecutor General to be a fair arbiter of justice. That is exactly what Yoon did when he decided to prosecute Moon’s BFF Cho Kuk for the corrupt activities that him and his family were involved in.

Everything that has been happening since then has been payback to try and get Yoon to resign which he has refused to do. Remember this is not the first time the Moon administration has been willing to go after someone’s wife to get their way.