South Korea simmering, next step boil?

Submitted by soryang on Sat, 11/23/2024 - 10:36am

In Busan, South Korea earlier today:

Demonstrators calling for Yoon government to step down and for Kim Gon-hee, first lady, to be prosecuted. Allegations that Yoon/Kim Gon-hee interfered in Corporal Choi (JAG type) investigation into Choi's cause of death by drowning; interfered in PPP polling before presidential general election to select presidential nominee; interfered in PPP party nominations in last general election; plus abuse of prosecutorial powers as personal domain of Yoon and Kim, all amount to general abuse of power roiling a public suffering from a bad economy, rising housing prices, inflation, and debt.

Demonstrations against Yoon in Seoul today-

This is Gwanghwamun the main plaza in the center of Seoul (near the old seat of government during the Lee Dynasty and Japanese colonial administration). The US embassy is nearby. This is a huge crowd, estimated by organizers at 100,000. Police sources said 9,000. There was also a demonstration earlier organized by the Democratic Party and other civic groups that extended from Namdaemun to the City Hall plaza.

Crowd right in front of the gate at Gwanghwamun:

… Citizens light candles in Gwanghwamun areaOn the 23rd, the 4th outdoor rally hosted by the Democratic Party of Korea at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to “denounce Kim Gun-hee and Yoon Seok-yeol’s state affairs corruption and call for a special investigation” and the 2nd citizen’s march to “promote a special investigation of Kim Gun-hee and Chae Sang-byung! Clarify the state affairs corruption! Reject Yoon Seok-yeol” are being held one after another. Reporter Lee Jun-heon

“We will come out to the square until Yoon Seok-yeol steps down”… Citizens light candles in Gwanghwamun area

Another-

This is the party demo in front of City Hall and extending to Namdaemun, the old southern gate in central Seoul. Lee Jae-myung is there with democratic National Assembly reps.

Last one:

There was a large Korean Federation of Trade Unions demonstration during the day on Thursday. Crowd size was estimated at 10,000 by police, organizers said 100,000.

There will be another trial judgement and sentence announcement in a second case against opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on the 25th (in two days). He is by far the most popular political leader in South Korea. Another conviction and sentence against him will only fuel the fire. If he is ordered imprisoned pending appeals, South Korean opposition will explode. The object is to disqualify him from office (the National Assembly) and to disqualify him from running for the presidency again.

(edits- okay think I finally have this cleaned up)

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Submitted by soryang on Sat, 11/23/2024 - 12:27pm
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Why Korean academics are voicing concern about the state of their nation

Statements and declarations denouncing the current state of affairs in Korea are sweeping the country like wildfire, with hundreds of academics signing on to calls for the president to step down

The declaration on the state of the nation written by professors and researchers of Kyung Hee University and Kyung Hee Cyber University, released on Nov. 13, included the much-anticipated statement: “President Yoon Suk-yeol, a violator of human sanctity and democracy, should immediately resign from office.”

A deluge of similar declarations and proclamations written by college professors calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s resignation has swept across the nation. The wave started with the political statement written by Gachon University’s professors’ union on Oct. 28, and as of Thursday 7 pm, 3,400 academics from over 30 universities in South Korea have joined the cause.

“If we look at South Korea’s modern history, these kinds of statements issued by professors are a sign that academics have reached their limit — they can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the state of the country,” remarked Kim Yong-lyun, a professor of education at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

“Recently, such declarations are cropping up at a considerable speed, even considering the actions taken by civil society. The wave created by this relay of declarations will be nothing short of explosive,” he added.

I love that the scholar intellectual class in South Korea still feels an obligation to fulfill its social duty to act as the conscience of the Korean people. It's an old scholar class tradition from the late Chosun and Lee Dynasty periods where the center of classical scholarship the Sungkyunkwan provided the best minds to administer government from the yangban class. Their role in society periodically involved public appeals to government to reform its ways.

The modern academics anticipate that if the Yoon administration in South Korea continues on its current trend, everyone will become victims of the state. By signing their names they know they will be put on a "state enemies" list for retribution by the Yoon political prosecution clique. Even if less than a full blown dictatorship emerges, they and their families may suffer consequences for taking a stand in support of reform and democracy.

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