Tag: politics

Is it politically smart for someone with approval ratings as low as President Yoon to be seen spending so much time with someone who was impeached?:

President Yoon Suk Yeol traveled to the conservative stronghold of Daegu on Tuesday and visited former President Park Geun-hye at her home, in what appeared to be a bid to unite conservatives ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

The visit came only 12 days after the two met during a memorial ceremony for Park’s late father and former President Park Chung-hee. It was not on the president’s official schedule and only disclosed afterward.

Park greeted Yoon outside her home’s entrance, whereas during Yoon’s previous visit in April last year, she greeted him inside her home, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is an interesting politicla appointment within the ruling PPP, a descendant of a missionary family who is now a prestigious doctor in Seoul that considers himself a country boy from Jeolla:

Ihn Yo-han, chairman of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), speaks to reporters during his way to the office at the party’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yeouido, Tuesday. Yonhap

A fresh face has emerged in Korean politics. Ihn Yo-han, a naturalized Korean physician, has come to the rescue for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as the conservative bloc gears up for a momentous change in preparation for the general elections slated for April next year.

Ihn, also known as John Linton, was appointed as chairman of the PPP’s innovation committee, Monday. He is tasked with leading the reform of the ruling party as it strives to regain voters’ trust ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Political commentators viewed that the PPP’s appointment of Ihn shows its commitment to drastic change, but said it remains to be seen how big a role the physician will play. 

“By appointing Ihn as the innovation committee chief, the PPP has succeeded in grabbing public attention and delivering a message that things are going to change,” said Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University.

“It also sends a positive message that people of diverse backgrounds are playing a major role in Korean politics.” 

Ihn is the first special naturalized Korean citizen, earning the status in 2012 thanks to his contributions to the country, such as the development of an ambulance customized for Korea in 1992. 

He is currently the director at the International Health Care Center of Yonsei University Severance Hospital. 

The 64-year-old doctor comes from a family with a long history of contributions to Korea.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The loss of this election in Seoul is supposedly not a good sign for upcoming elections for the PPP which currently holds the Korean Presidency:

Jin Gyo-hoon, center, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate for Gangseo District mayor, speaks after his victory was declared at his campaign office in western Seoul, Wednesday. At right is DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo. Joint press corps

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea candidate (DPK) Jin Gyo-hoon clinched a landslide victory in a by-election to elect the mayor of Gangseo District in western Seoul, Thursday, which was widely seen as a bellwether of the 2024 general elections. 

The election drew considerable attention, as it was the last chance to gauge public sentiment before the general elections slated for April 10. The rival parties sent seasoned politicians to support the candidates, considering the election’s impact in the six-month race for seats in the National Assembly, and Wednesday’s result will likely boost the DPK’s crusade against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the ruling People Power Party (PPP). 

According to the National Election Commission, Jin gained 56.52 percent of the votes, outpacing PPP candidate Kim Tae-woo with 39.37 percent. 

Jin will immediately begin the remaining term of approximately three years as the district mayor.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is what prosecutors have to say about a Korean court dropping the arrest warrant against Lee Jae-myung this week:

In the left photo, ruling People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, left, and other party lawmakers hold banners condemning a court’s decision to reject a warrant for the arrest of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, during a lawmakers’ meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday. In the right photo, DPK floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo, front, applauds with other party members during a lawmakers’ meeting at the Assembly, Wednesday. Yonhap

Following the dismissal of the warrant, prosecutors said that the decision could have been affected by Lee’s political status.

“There seems to be a stark difference between the prosecution and the court regarding the decision and its grounds,” Prosecutor-General Lee One-seok told reporters Wednesday.

“Although the court recognized the prosecution’s claims of illegalities, it apparently focused on providing defense rights to Lee based on his status as the chairman of a political party.” He added that judicial matters should not be influenced by political factors.

“An arrest warrant is nothing more than part of the process of investigating crimes, and the dismissal does not mean innocence,” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said.

“Even if a politician commits a crime, the judiciary does not and should not become political,” Han added. “I believe the prosecution will continue its investigation without being swayed.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like Lee Jae-myung will avoid being arrested and detained as the investigation into the corruption charges around him continues:

 A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant sought for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung over corruption charges, a decision that averted the biggest crisis yet for the former presidential candidate. 

The Seoul Central District Court made the decision following a hearing attended by Lee, chair of the Democratic Party (DP). It marked the first time the leader of South Korea’s main opposition party has attended an arrest warrant hearing.

“In comprehensive consideration of the degree to which the defendant’s right to defense is needed and the extent of concerns about the possible destruction of evidence, it is difficult to see the rationale and need for his arrest to the extent that the principle of investigation without detention should be ruled out,” a court judge said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

With an impending government shutdown coming up by the end of the week it appears paychecks for U.S. troops and possibly even the Coast Guard are going to be protected:

Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure troops will be paid in case of a looming government shutdown, including Coast Guard members who typically go without paychecks during the closing of federal agencies.

In the House, Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., a former Navy helicopter pilot, is pushing a bill that will keep service members paid if Congress fails to agree on a funding plan by Oct. 1. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, a Marine Corps veteran, is leading a similar effort in the Senate alongside Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who introduced a separate bill focused on Coast Guard pay.

“Our service members shouldn’t suffer because of Washington’s dysfunction,” Kiggans said. “As we continue working to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month, this legislation will give our troops the financial certainty they deserve.”

Active-duty troops are required to keep working in a shutdown and could start missing paychecks if lawmakers cannot agree on either short-term or full-year funding for the Pentagon. House Republicans have twice failed in recent weeks to put their defense appropriations bill on the floor for a vote due to party infighting.

The proposed military pay legislation guarantees the same paycheck protections Congress gave troops hours before the start of a 16-day government shutdown in 2013. The military was largely unaffected by the last shutdown in late 2018 to early 2019 because the Pentagon had a congressionally approved budget at the time, though the Coast Guard continued to work without paychecks for 34 days.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but these shutdowns are so dumb because all the government workers receive their back pay and are essentially being paid to stay home.

Lee Jae-myung is in the hospital now and thus able to achieve sympathey from the Korean left in an attempt to hopefully avoid arrest. I guess we will see if this tactic works:

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who has been on a hunger strike in protest against what he called a slew of the Yoon government’s policy failures, ended his fasting after more than three weeks, a party official said Saturday.

“Chairman Lee will end the hunger strike on its 24th day and begin treatment for recovery,” Kang Sun-woo, a spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), said in a briefing.

“The medical team treating Lee strongly called for Lee to immediately call off the hunger strike as continuing it would have severely hurt his health,” Kang said, adding that Lee is willing to carry out his work schedule in consultation with the medical staff.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This further explains why Lee Jae-myung went on his so called hunger strike so he could be hospitalized because he likely knew many members of his own DPK political party, who are in the majority in the National Assembly, would defect to vote in favor of the motion to allow a vote on his arrest:

Parliamentary speaker Kim Jin-pyo (2nd from L) and the floor leaders of the two major rival parties are seen checking a ballot cast on a motion to waive opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s immunity from arrest, at the National Assembly in Seoul, on Sept. 21, 2023. (Yonhap)

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a motion seeking parliamentary consent to the potential arrest of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, a surprise result that shows a number of dissenting votes from Lee’s own Democratic Party (DP).

With the motion’s passage in a 149-136 vote, a court hearing will be held to determine whether to grant the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant for Lee on corruption charges in connection with a land development project and a company’s illegal cash remittance to North Korea.

But it is unclear whether Lee will show up for the hearing, considering he has been on a hunger strike since Aug. 31 to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol’s handling of state affairs and was hospitalized earlier this week due to deteriorating health. 

The motion needed at least 148 votes in favor to pass. Given that Lee’s DP has 168 lawmakers in the 298-member National Assembly, the result suggests that dozens of DP lawmakers voted in favor of the potential arrest of their party leader.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but his hospitalization is last move to seek sympathy from members of the DPK to not vote for his potential arrest.

Here is typical Korean political theater from Lee Jae-myung to try and gain public sympathy as he fights corruption allegations. The fact that he is going to these lengths of politcal theater shows that he is very concerned he is going to get the Lee Myung-bak treatment:

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung expressed his desire Monday to continue his hunger strike even after he was taken to a hospital due to deteriorating health on the 19th day of his fast earlier in the day, officials said.

Spokesperson Han Min-soo of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) delivered the information to reporters after Lee was transferred to a nearby hospital earlier, suffering dizziness and a sharp drop in blood sugar levels.

“Lee will only receive a minimal amount of IV treatment and will not consume any food. The move is interpreted as his will to put a stop to the reckless administration,” Han said.

Regarding Lee’s condition, Han said Lee is out of immediate danger but is far from regaining vitality.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.