I’ve been watching/reading South Korean independent media reports of the escapades and history of Yoon, his wife and mother in law for more than two years. Yoon has been disciplined twice for unprofessional conduct as a prosecutor. The wife, Kim Gon-hee was the only suspect in insider trading scandal, that didn’t get jailed and sent to prison. Likewise mother in law Choi had her conviction reversed for what Americans would call institutional Medicare fraud. The conservative press in South Korea has avoided discussing Yoon family reports negative in nature. The latest episode involves the alleged plagiarism in wife’s masters and doctoral theses in addition to her falsified resume.
As the prosecutor general, Yoon was disciplined professionally before the presidential campaign for compromising the political impartiality of his office, for unlawfully investigating judges and interfering in a case in which he had a personal conflict of interest. He was suspended for two months, and left the office. On appeal of an injunction Yoon obtained against the decision the Supreme Court later found Yoon was wrong and could have been dismissed for his unethical behavior as a prosecutor.
Yoon’s politics are known as “revenge politics.” He and his crony, the current Justice Minister Han Dong-hun politicized the prosecutors offices. They not only control all the prosecutors offices in South Korea, but they have changed the administration of the National Police Agency in a manner similar to that of the prior Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship without legislative authority. They have a track record of investigating and/or prosecuting political opponents and critics. They have basically nullified the prosecution reform laws prompted by Yoon’s actions by taking over the national police. Yoon’s office was the mover behind the harassment of Moon Jae-in at his retirement residence, investigations of Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his family, etc. Yoon and his wife are petty, vindictive, and incompetent. This has become plainly apparent and his domestic support has evaporated. The fact that Yoon whimsically changed the location of the presidential office, has been unavailable during a pressing national security incident and natural disaster, and has an obvious drinking habit doesn’t help.
Yoon Seok-yeol's incompetence for presidential duties exceeds that of Park Geun-hye. He thinks he can run the national disaster command post from his living room couch in his private apartment in Seocho. He left the office just as the flood warning for Seoul districts and other areas was announced at five pm, with predictions a major flood disaster was likely. His staff did nothing for four and a half hours issuing an "orange alert" at 9:30 pm August 8. The third stage of disaster preparations (condition red) wasn't implemented until 1:00 am the following day, Aug. 9, when major flooding, property damage, etc. in the region had already been confirmed at 9:26 pm. Yoon is said to have returned to the office at 11:26 pm. It is likely that the inept performance of Yoon and his staff was the result of reluctance to call his majesty back to the national command center after he had left for the day. Yoon's movements between his Seocho apartment and the presidential office require extensive security and traffic diversions and the mobilization of his security team and police. Why didn't he just move into the Blue House where the real national command center was located like the other presidents before him?
Corruption of South Korean educational institutions reaches new levels as Kookmin University declares plagiarism in Kim Gon-hee's academic theses unproven. The "revenge politics" of Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife, have officials private and public fearful of prosecution against themselves or their family members should they paint any of the first family's questionable past in a poor light. The University declined to reveal the record of its review proceedings to any media or critics of its findings. Alumnae and academic groups from Kookmin University and Sukmyung Women's University where Kim did her masters thesis, demonstrated against the Kookmin decision. They demanded a review by Sookmeong University of her masters thesis which also appears to be largely plagiarized from a translation of a book about the artist Paul Klee. Passages from the two theses are compared to the works from which plagiarized paragraphs and sentences were taken without quotations, footnotes or other attribution, have been broadcast on opposition news programs on the internet. One professor declared that it was "100 pecent certain that Kim's work was plagiarized. " Consequently, the credibility and approval of the Yoon administration reaches new lows in the most recent polls as he returns from his vacation after less than three month in office.
VOA's Kim Yeong-kyo interviews Mitchell Reiss and Mark Fitzpatrick on Taiwan tensions, the Pelosi visit to South Korea, and South Korean relations with China: Kim announced it was her last broadcast. The program is in English, ignore the first two minutes of programming hype in Korean. I was particularly interested in the program starting about the 15 minute mark after which the US analysts indicate their dissatisfaction with the Yoon failure to meet with Pelosi. Whether by self indulgence or on his foreign minister's advice, it's probably the first thing Yoon has done right, although he is being panned in the dominant conservative media in South Korea and also by the opposition media. This is probably the best interview session I've seen by this host. I think the Americans were perplexed by Yoon's move. Washington Talk is a weekly VOA program.
VOA 워싱턴
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VTguWAbs1E
There are some ironic aspects to Pelosi's visit to South Korea. First there was no one to meet her at the airport, no protocol, nothing apparently. This is similar in nature to Yoon's arrival with his wife Kim Gon-hee at Madrid for the NATO meeting. Then when it came to meeting with Pelosi, first the presidential office said that it wouldn't be possible with Yoon's "schedule." This is similar to the treatment Yoon got from some European leaders at the summit. Then of course there was the Biden "no look handshake" while Yoon stood grinning stupidly in embarrassment. One domestic critic noticed that this sort of reprisal is characteristic of Yoon's wife, who never fails to note a slight, or get even whenever the opportunity arises.
So the speculation is that the first lady, one whom Yoon claimed during the campaign "wasn't interested in politics," is actually the advisor running the show. While one Yoon advisor said that efforts were being made to harmonize Yoon's schedule so he could meet with Pelosi it wasn't meant to be. The final statement in the afternoon said there would be no meeting.
While Yoon was avoiding Pelosi, he was pictured doing a mukbang type meal with some young men, perhaps an effort to mend his his image with the young male electorate after stabbing young party leader Lee Jun-seok in the back.
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