Moon urges move toward ‘more mature’ democracy in Korea on historic anniversary
April 19, 2021 Korea Times
President Moon Jae-in called Monday for nonstop efforts to further develop South Korea’s democracy, as the country commemorated its historic pro-democracy movement six decades ago.
He paid tribute to the victims of the April 19 Revolution in 1960, which was led by students protesting vote-rigging in presidential elections by then President Rhee Syngman, during his visit to a national cemetery in Seoul.
The two-week mass civilian protests led to the collapse of the Rhee government that had ruled the nation for 12 years. According to official data, 183 people were killed and 6,259 others were wounded in a police crackdown.
Following the visit, Moon wrote on his social media accounts that the movement has served as the “solid root of democracy” here.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/04/356_307388.html
VOA Korea has been blaming Moon’s administration for undermining democracy and human rights in Korea, in Orwellian style big lies aimed at interfering in the domestic politics of an ally. The so called experts cited by the VOA testified that Moon was moving South Korea in an authoritarian direction in front of Congress last week.
Jumping on the hate Moon Jae-in bandwagon, the NY Times tried to blame South Korea for the current arms race in East Asia which is complete nonsense.* The fact of the matter is that South Korea is the weakest state in Northeast Asia, and that any attempt to assert its sovereignty is undermined by the 19th Century style collusion between the US and Japan. As it was under the Japanese protectorate in 1905, South Korea isn’t permitted to pursue its own foreign or national defense strategies. Contrary to the NY Times ludicrous contention, it is the US advocacy for new military weapons systems, new operational deployment patterns, and an anti-China alliance system in East Asia, that is prompting increasing tensions and an arms buildup there.
* A Quiet Arms Race Is Rapidly Heating Up Between the Two Koreas; https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/world/asia/korea-missiles-arms-race.html
Meanwhile, prosecutors in South Korea desperately seeking to escape justice administration reforms passed by the 21st National Assembly, have begun an investigation of Seoul Central District Chief Prosecutor Lee Seong-yoon, with a view toward prosecution. Lee is the leading candidate to be appointed Prosecutor General by President Moon Jae-in. As conservatives and the Yoon clique inside the prosecution offices well know, the Prosecutor General’s office, like the old medieval Daesaheon ( 대사헌 ) heading the inspector general’s office Saheonbu ( 사헌부 ) in earlier dynasties, is potentially still the most powerful office in South Korea. Thus far it has proven itself more powerful than the president’s office, or the current filibuster proof majority in the National Assembly. Lee’s investigation and potential prosecution by reactionaries inside prosecution offices is little more than an attempt by prosecutors and their press allies to thwart democratic reforms at any cost in South Korea. The case against Lee is completely contrived, and politically motivated. He is being investigated for the so called Kim Hak-eui foreign travel prohibition.* Lee reported to the Ansong prosecutor’s office for interrogation Saturday after refusing four earlier subpoenas after he was threatened with prosecution without investigation in the same manner as the prosecution of Cho Guk, the former Justice Minister in South Korea, and his spouse. These ongoing prosecutions virtually stopped Moon Jae In’s government in its tracks in 2019.
The current trial on appeal of Cho Guk’s spouse has clearly revealed the contrived political nature of that prosecution. The Republic of South Korea is now on the cusp of a decline into authoritarian rule by corrupt special interests, and the prosecutors and press cartel who are their servants. These interests oppose the Moon Jae-in government. The decline into despotism won’t be at the hands of the democrats, only nominally in power, as the US contends in its anti democratic propaganda aimed at South Korea but at the hands of its reactionary opponents, who are supported by the US foreign policy establishment and their media proxies. Until the excessive powers held by the offices of corrupt prosecutors are limited by the new Office to Investigate Corruption by High Government Officials and the investigative power is effectively removed from prosecutors and turned over to police officials, there won’t be effective checks and balances in South Korean government.
*The Kim Hak-eui scandal and the “illegal ban” of his attempted flight from South Korea, Feb. 26, 2021; https://civilizationdiscontents.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-kim-hak-eui-scandal-and-illegal.html
夢 .
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