Who is the criminal?

(Source- Lee Jae-Myung channel youtube, 2.10) "(Prosecutors) have yet to produce one clear piece of evidence." Lee Jae-Myung, Democratic Party leader, symbol of the political opposition to the Yoon Seok-yeol adinistration, outside prosecution offices 2.10.


The historic theme was announced in Lee Jae-myung's press briefing outside the prosecutors' offices to which he was summoned Friday, for his third interrogation.

유권 무죄 무권 유죄
有權 無罪 無權 有罪
If one has power they are not guilty;
If one does not have power, they are guilty.

(Source- KBS 1 History Journal, ep. 199) Ito was assassinated by Korean patriot Ahn Jung-geun, October 26, 1909 in Harbin, China.

There was a remarkable performance by a musical stage group at the 26th candlelight assembly in downtown Seoul the next day. The performance was an adaptation of the song Who is the Criminal, from the musical Hero, about one of Korea's great patriots in modern history, Ahn Jung-geun. Ahn was a leading member of the Righteous Army, a militia organization that opposed Japanese occupation and colonization of Korea. Ahn assassinated Ito Hirobumi, the former Resident General of Korea during the early stages of Korean colonization by the Japanese. Ito also had been a former prime minister of Japan. Ahn shot and killed Ito and then was tried by Japan and executed. The song from Hero, Who is the Criminal, is the dramatic rendition of Ahn's listing of the 15 Korean grievances against Japan in 1909 which justified Ito's assassination.

The fifteen reasons can be read here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Jung-geun

The original lyrics to hero and a video of the stage performance (in Korean) are posted at:

https://culture-ing.tistory.com/60


My interest concerns the lyrics of this contemporary adaptation of the musical performance at the candlelight demonstration February 11, in Seoul. Below is a rough translation. The performers asked that the audience spread the word world wide, but only the Korean subtitles were provided.

First, this large scale candlelight assembly interferes with the traffic of Seoul citizens for which we sincerely apologize.
Yet, as citizens of Korea we must cry out "Yoon Seok-yeol, step down!" and boldly transmit the reasons.

The crime of avoidance of responsibility for the Itaewan disaster.
The crime of quashing the voices of the survivors by force.
The crime of compelling the reduction of budget items for the greater welfare of the Korean people, one after another.
The crime of allowing prices of heating oil and electricity, essential to the citizens' livelihood, double, ruining their lives.

Who is the criminal, who is the criminal?

The crime of stigmatizing the voice of the people as unlawful assembly.
The crime of using the National Security Law to stigmatize organized labor as spies.
The crime of using your overseas tours to degrade the national dignity of Korea.
The crime of blaming others for your overseas blundering and humiliation.

Who is the criminal, who is the criminal?


(Against Kim Gon-hee, First Lady, whom Yoon is protecting from prosecution)
The crime of violating laws against stock price manipulation to make a million dollars in less than a year.
The crime of passing yourself off as someone of presidential status to deceive the people.
The crime of abusing your power to elevate cult leader Jeon Gong over goverment authority.
The crime of fabricating false credentials and plagiarism.

Who is the criminal, who is the criminal?

The crime of desiring US protection for Korea, at the same time bringing large quantities of modern weapons into Korea aggravating the threat of war.
The crime of advocating pre-emptive attack repeatedly, calling for war.
The crime of subordinating Korea to Japan, paving the way for the Japanese armed forces.

Because you are thoroughly destoying peace on the Korean peninsula, you sin against heaven and humanity.

Who is the criminal, who is the criminal?

Avoiding the wellbeing of citizens, incompetent, ignorant Yoon Seok-yeol
The completely manufactured fraudulent life of Kim Gon-hee.

The president and his wife, this is why we say our country is completely screwed.
It is a true honor to fight this without hesitation.
We were born citizens of Korea, to serve our country,
We raise up the candle's light.
This is true glory, we intend to fight without hesitation.

All people, don't be fooled by Yoon's lies and ambitions.
Let the world know-
Yoon Seok-yeol, step down!
Special prosecution for Kim Gon-hee!

Those who fight and serve the nation, is it right to call them criminals?
Who causes the nation to fail?
We raise up the candle lights!
Shall those who serve the country be punished?

Shall we know the suffering of losing our country?

Who is the criminal, who is the criminal?


The South Korean democracy movement uses traditional culture and art forms to advance their goals. Kim Min-jung also performed, including the democracy movement unofficial theme, Morning Dew. What yesterday's demonstration lacked in numbers compared to the prior demonstations, was more than compensated by quality.

Journalist Kim Jong-tae being investigated by Yoon administration

(Source-OhMyNewsTV youtube, 1.7.22) Kim Jong-tae investigated by police based upon accusations of Yoon presidential office staff.

Kim Jong-tae, a columnist and pundit, appears regularly on OhMyTV News, an independent media source. Kim is often critical of the Yoon administration. In this instance, Kim reports that the Yoon presidential office has filed a complaint about Kim's reporting, because it paints a suspicious relationship between Dosa Cheon Gong, allegedly a Taoist cleric, and the Yoon administration. Kim was subpoenaed for questioning by the police concerning his reporting that Cheon Gong was during the period proximate to Yoon's assumption of the presidential office, observed in the area of the official residences of the Army Chief of Staff and the Foreign Minister in Hannandong. At the time, the Presidential Office was in a temporary location, because Yoon refused to occupy the traditional presidential office and residence on the Blue House grounds. Cheon Gong's presence at the sites of the official government residences supports the contention, that the arbitrary decision of the current president not to move into the Blue House, and to move into the Ministry of Defense building, was prompted by Cheon's advice, and his undue influence over the president and his wife. As reported further below his observed presence near the MOD/JCS buildings on Yongsan also supports the contention that Cheon was involved in the president's decision to move into the MND building and find an official residence in Hannamdong. Ultimately, the office residence of the Foreign Minister was chosen.

(Source 열린공감TV 3.21 다시 주목받는 3년 전 천공의 용산시대 예언! 윤석열 멘토로서 그의 영향력은 어디까지? ) Teacher Cheon Gong says he isn't Yoon Seok-yeol's mentor but has been "coaching" him according to his conscience. The Yongsan era begins! How far does the mentor's influence extend?

Yoon's spiritual advisor considers Yongsan a place invested with metaphysical properties which will revitalize Korea and empower its future. Anonymous sources allegedly in the Yoon camp report that Yoon and his wife had met with "teacher" Cheon Gong whose religious organization "Right Way" (정법) is based in Seoul near the old Yongsan military garrison grounds. Cheon Gong is a you tuber with his own channel. Contrary to his followers and Yoon's protestations, the mystic leader of the syncretic religious group does believe in feng shui ( 풍수 ) and make predictions of the future. Besides his belief in the mystical qualities of Yongsan real estate, Cheon foresees that Korea will be unified before 2025. Since, as Yoon's relationship with the "spiritual leader" became controversial, the alleged monthly meetings are reported to have ceased. Anonymous sources allegedly within Yoon's camp report that Yoon and wife have been seen watching Cheon's youtube videos while traveling in his limo. Yoon's wife Kim Geon-hee has been recorded claiming that she also has spiritual powers and doesn't need spiritual advice.

In November 2022, Korea Times reported this in an article about the immediate aftermath of the Itaewon disaster:

In September, Lee (Cheon Gong) was spotted with Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee during their visit to the Korean community in New York. During a televised debate in October last year (2021), Yoon, who was running to become the People Power Party's presidential candidate at the time, admitted that he had "met with Lee with my wife a few times." In an interview with local news media YTN that month, Lee said that he is not Yoon's mentor but had nevertheless "advised him to resign as the prosecutor general" to join the presidential race.*

Kim Jong-tae said he was questioned by police for three hours. He reported that curiously the complaint from the presidential office concerning his alleged false reporting conerning Cheon's visit to government official residences in Hannamdong did not include his additional statement that Cheon was also observed going in and out of the Offices of the Chief of Staff of ROK Army during the same time period. He was not questioned about his report that Cheon Gong, an unauthorized private person was seen entering and leaving the highly security area about the MND and JCS buildings at that time. Kim refused to reveal his source other than to say that the source was a trustworthy one and a highly placed official within the Ministry of Defense. Kim appears confident that this omission from the presidential office complaint reflects their concern that that their complaint can be proven groundless.

*Gaffes over Itaewon tragedy anger public, Korea Times, 11.3.22, by Lee Hae-rin;
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/01/113_339153.html

12.26 Seoul Drone Incursion from North Korea

(Source- 언론 알아야 바꾼다 youtube 1.5.23)
Downward arrow on left shows contended flight route of four drones crossing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) from North Korea heading southwest over Gangwha Island, South Korea. Red line on right shows southeast heading of one other drone which also crossed the MDL, passed near Kimpo and followed a course along the Han River, entered Seoul airspace, proceeding to Yongsan and skirting the P-73a shootdown prohibited airspace before returning toward NK on a reverse course.

(Source- 언론 알아야 바꾼다 youtube 1.5.23) This second graphic also shows the contended route of the single drone which crossed the MDL, entering Seoul airspace and approaching P-73a before it turned back.


The actions of Yoon Seok-yeol have served to escalate military tensions on the Korean peninsula. His domestic public support is down at about 30 percent and stuck there. He is compensating with his faux military tough guy posturing (see our previous 12.28.22 post Screwing Up the Tension in Korea) and tit for tat retaliatory responses to North Korean "provocations." The truth is he’s incompetent in diplomatic and national security matters. His initial move of the Presidential Office from the Blue House to the former Ministry of National Building, has had a disruptive impact on domestic security as well contributing to the 10.29 Itaewon disaster. The terrain around the Blue where the prior prohibited "shootdown" airspace was centered was more conducive to early detection and interception because of its elevation and zoning (far less urban sprawl around the Blue House in the center). The presidential office move arbitrarily initiated by Yoon, had a cascading effect on emergency military readiness, by abandoning the already well organized and secure Blue House compound where the national command center was located. Moving onto the Yongsan compound where the MND building was located bumped the Ministry of Defense from their offices and caused the service chiefs of the armed forces to move from their building next door to other more remote locations. Movement of radars, ECM, and firing positions was required by the presidential move, which disrupted the preexisting air defenses. It also necessitated movement of the P-73a prohibited airspace over central Seoul to the south. That movement created a gap in the shoot down zone, that allowed the North Korean drone's flight to approach the presidential office in Yongsan and then return to North Korea.

Yoon has been lying about the situation and claiming that the shortcomings were caused by the previous administration not having a drone command nor practicing for such a contingency. Both assertions are untrue. The presidential office also blamed the Air Defense Command of the Army for the lapse. The ROK Army shot back with an argument similar to that above and a map of the critical airspace involved. At the outset of the presidential move, the Army ADC had objected to the movement of the prohibited zone to the south, recommended increasing its size from 3.7km radius to 5.7 km, and disputed contentions that new or different weapon systems could compensate for the gaps created over the critical national command center area by the move. While recent criticisms of the quality of North Korean reconnaissance had been made beforehand, particularly their photoreconnaissance, the flight path of the drone buzzing Seoul suggests they anticipated exactly where the gaps were.

So Yoon escalated by sending a drone into North Korea in retaliation and told his generals not to be afraid of nuclear war. The US never really supported the military agreements made by South Korea with North Korea to defuse tensions along the DMZ, the best that could be said was that they acquiesced at the time, reluctantly. The Yoon administration allowed propaganda balloons to be sent over the MDL into North Korea on at least two occassions, although this was made illegal after the military agreements were concluded with the north, and represented relevant provocations. It may be that some ROK/US military exercises, artillery firing near Paju, rocket-artillery firing in Cheoran County (both near the DMZ), air force exercises in the West Sea, etc., may have already violated the agreement, namely, in the buffer zones around the maritime Northern Limit Line and MDL restricting military operations. The joint use of artillery in Paju and rockets in Cheoran violates the spirit of agreement if not the letter. It's clear that the North regarded ROK and US artillery firing, and artillery rocket activities so close to the DMZ as provocations and responded with missile tests, artillery firings into the maritime buffer zones, and aircraft operations near the dmz all regarded as violations of the September 19, 2018, Comprehensive Military Agreement.

The Military’s Response to North Korean Drones Was “Altogether Incompetent,”
By Park Eun-kyung, Kyunghyung Sinmun, 1.6.23;
http://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?artid=202301061304427&code=710100&utm_source=livere&utm_medium=social_share

S.Korea begins major Hoguk field training exercise amid N.Korea’s saber-rattling; Korea Herald, Oct. 17, 2022;
https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221017000637

Explainer: What exactly is the inter-Korean military pact that might be suspended?
Hankyoreh, Jan.5,2023
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/1074576.html

Military Flight Restrictions Agreement Between Koreas Irks US, 10.13.18
https://civilizationdiscontents.blogspot.com/2018/10/military-flight-restrictions-agreement.html

"Screwing Up" the Tension in Korea, 12.28.22
https://civilizationdiscontents.blogspot.com/2022/12/screwing-up-tension-in-korea.html

Tigers

In Korea tigers used to roam the mountains, reportedly until some time in the 20th Century. Koreans claim during the Japanese imperial administration, deforestation of the peninsula and hunting encouraged by colonial officials resulted in their elimination.

Tigers played an important traditional role in fables and childhood upbringing. If children didn't mind their parents wishes, or wandered too far off, they were told the tiger might carry them away. Years ago I was fascinated with the cultural focus on tigers. They had many qualities in art, whimsical, fantastic, dangerous, and strong. It's bad karma I guess to have too many images of tigers in one's home, but I collected some anyway. Images of a tiger apparently have some shamanistic property. A lot of young US soldiers I saw in South Korea, had the ubiquitous ferocious tiger embroidered on black jackets. I actually wasn't too fond of this aggressive image, but what the hell, maybe it keeps the bad spirits away, I don't know.

Below are three differing styles, the traditional folk painting (min hwa) of a tiger with an animist, whimsical style; a "realistic" style painting from the 18th Century by Kim Hong-do, a famous court painter (a copy by my wife's aunt) ; and a modern realistic rendition of the tiger coming down the mountain on white celadon:

Years ago, I bought this contemporary watercolor minwha tiger painting (below) from a street artist in Itawwon for about 15 dollars. It's one of my favorites.

The band Lee Nal-chi does a performance of Tiger comes down with the Ambiguous Dance Company in a Modern folk fusion performance. I haven't taken time to do the translation yet, but I'm gathering that it comes from the myth of a sea turtle that called a rabbit down the mountain, for a deceptive purpose. He erroneously called the rabbit "Ho" (tiger) instead of "Do" (rabbit). As a result the sleek, powerful, tiger came down the mountain inspiring mortal fear in the turtle. Ah, found a translation:

이날치(LEENALCHI) - 범 내려온다(Tiger is coming) Kor-Eng sub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sMzIJNF0Do

"Screwing Up" the Tension in Korea

The US and its allies, Japan and South Korea, had publicly discussed "preemptive attacks" on North Korea, whether "de-capitation attacks" or "pre-emptive strikes on missile bases." So the North Korean launch of two ICBMs in November represented an expected continuation of the North Korean response. The discussion of this essentially US strategy by the right in South Korea has been ongoing for some time. South Korean president Yoon Seok-yeol appears to have adopted it. Prime Minister Kishida has promoted a "counterstrike" policy which is essentially the same thing but the wording is different because the notion of pre-emptive strike is politically unpalatable in Japan.

The return of so called strategic US assets to the South Korean region, featured B1-b strategic bombers, in operation Vigilant Storm in late October and early November and fighter aircraft from both South Korea and the US in major air operations involving hundreds of aircraft. Earlier in September, aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its associated strike group visited Pusan, South Korea ahead of joint exercises. On Sep 8 Kim Jong-un adopted a policy of an automatic nuclear response, if the leadership of North Korea was subjected to an attack. This announcement by the North's leader was preceded by US-ROK joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield, described as the largest in five years in an August 29th report of Stars and Stripes. The ROK air force exercised jointly with two B-52s and 4 F-22s on December 20. The return of US strategic assets including strategic bombers and the USS Ronald Reagan to South Korea after a five year hiatus are a violation of the understandings reached at the Singapore Summit. Likewise North Korean, ICBM testing is a violation of that summit agreement as well. North Korean ballistic missile tests and nuclear tests are generally proscribed by UN resolutions 1874 (12 June 2009) and 2387 (22 December 2017).

North Korea regards the return of large joint US-ROK military exercises as a threat and preparation for war. It has launched an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests so far this year. Three of these launches were ICBMs, one in March, and two in November. The earlier November ICBM launch was considered a failure. The North Korean missile program is regarded as cost effective compensation by North Korea to offset its inferiority in conventional military capability.

A South Korean defector group launched helium balloons across the DMZ on July 6 and October 2, despite the new law passed during the Moon Jae-in administration prohibiting such activities. The Moon administration was criticized for curtailing "free speech," by conservatives, including Yoon Seok-yeol supporters and VOA Korea. The criticism is absurd as pointed out in prior posts. No one has the right to shout fire in a theater or provoke the North Korean or UNC guards at the Joint Security Area. No one has the right to fly things over the DMZ or its continuation, the Northern Limit Line (NLL) into the East or West Seas. As part of the military agreements between North and South Korea, loudspeaker propaganda from the North had stopped as well. The North Koreans felt that not only were the prohibited balloon flights regime change propaganda, but that they also represented a biological threat (covid-19). Ironically, at least one expert commentator has noted that the five un-intercepted drone flights this week from North Korea over the DMZ into South Korean airspace potentially represented a" weapons of mass destruction" threat, in addition to their apparent mission of reconnaissance, and harassment.

The Unification Ministry had requested the defector group to stop their balloon activities before the October 2 event. This is somewhat ironic considering the minister's "free speech" position expressed before the Yoon Seok-yeol administration took office.

On October 4, a North Korean intermediate range ballistic missile was fired into space over Japan and landed in the Northern Pacific. The South responded with a Hyunmoo II ballistic missle firing, which failed catastrophically and frightened the public near the scene of the accident. The US and South Korea each fired two ATACSMs; one of the South Korean launches failed.

When three North Korean missiles were fired across the MDL into the East Sea on November 2, this was a violation of the military agreement between North and South Korea which established buffer zones where military exercises are prohibited. A KF-16 intended to respond by firing 2 SPICE missiles, after the first firing, the aircraft returned to base, for low fuel reasons. A sortie by an F-15K, planned to launch two SLAM ER missiles. Only one missile fired, the other missile was defective. A second F-15K in reserve fired the second SLAM missile.

So there has been a considerable escalation in military and propaganda activities in the tense military zones in and around the Korean peninsula, which has led up to the December 26 launch of 5 (unmanned) drones by North Korea into South Korean territory. A KA-1 light attack aircraft taking off from Wonju as part of the ineffective South Korean military response crashed with both crew members surviving. As the drones meandered around the area south of the DMZ near Paju and Gangwha island, and one ventured over northern Seoul, the public was left uniformed about what was happening for several hours resulting in much social media speculation as to whether the south was under attack. This also occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Hyunmoo II failure and explosion in early October.

As late as November 10, the Unification Minister submitted a statement to the South Korean Supreme Constitutional Court that restrictions on balloon flights were a violation of "free speech."

The unification minister also stressed that terms in the law, including those banning any acts at border areas that could trigger "harm to the lives and bodies of people and grave dangers," is so vaguely worded that the law could be enforced "arbitrarily."

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20221110004400315

Earlier in late September a spokesperson for the ministry had asked the defector groups to refrain from such acts:

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry urged local activist groups to refrain from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border amid lingering concerns that such a campaign could lead to the escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

The ministry also made clear Seoul will take a "strong and stern" measure in case Pyongyang carries out its threat of retaliatory action against those who seek to spread those leaflets, usually using large-scale balloons.

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220923003951325


During the Hoguk training exercise, South Korea conducted artillery exercises near Paju, and the US fired tactical missiles in Cheoran county, also close to the DMZ. If not violations of the Sep 2018 military agreement between North and South Korea, they violated the spirit of the agreement, and were part of a pattern of escalatory military moves by North and South Korea and and the United States. S.Korea begins major Hoguk field training exercise amid N.Korea’s saber-rattling, Oct. 17 Korea Herald, https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20221017000637

South Korean First Lady's Audrey Hepburn pose

Kim Gon-hee wife of South Korea's President Yoon Seok-yeol, poses in Cambodia, Audrey Hepburn style as a woman with compassion. This staged photo shoot, no doubt, was arranged in a fruitless attempt to reverse her unpopularity.

(Source- 언론 알아야 바꾼다 youtube 11.14.22)

Notice she isn't wearing her jewelry for the occasion valued at tens of thousands of dollars.

Kim is allegedly a con artist and vindictive person according to her critics. It is alleged she worked as hostess at the Volcano nightclub at the former Renaissance Ramada years ago. The Volcano was frequented by Seocho's powerful prosecutors including Yoon Seok-yeol. Critics also allege, she changed her name, and used her relationships with prosecutors to help her mother escape conviction in various fraudulent business deals. Kim has changed her identity once, and has also been accused of plagiarism and falsifying her academic resume.  After Yoon was elected his mother in law's conviction and attendant prison sentence in a medicare fraud type scheme worth millions was reversed on appeal.

Allegedly, more recently, Kim and her husband have steered no bid contracts related to her husband's unprecedented move of the presidential office (into the former Ministry of Defense Building, and the associated takeover of the former Foreign Ministry official residence), to friends and cronies. Total cost of the unnecessary move of the president's offices out of the Blue House has been estimated by one legislator at approximately a trillion won, at a time of economic hardship in South Korea. The move also resulted in an extraordinary security burden being placed on the Yongsan-gu police, which directly led to public safety lapses and the unprecedented Itaewon (crowd crush) disaster on the Saturday night before Halloween due to inadequate police presence.

This is just one of Kim's prior Jacqueline Kennedy style outfits:

(Source- Sisain Today 9.14.22)

Yoon was once asked how he as a public employee had managed to accumulate a net worth in excess of ten million dollars. He responded, "it's my wife's, not mine."


Addendum (11.15) More- Saint Kim Gon-hee

(Source- 언론 알아야 바꾼다 youtube 11.15.22)


Responsibility for the Itaewon disaster is clearly the result of two moves by the Yoon administration. The first moving the official Presidential Office to Yongsan, and placing the National Police organization under the control of the Minister of Interior and Public Safety, removing its independence from political control, and placing it directly under the so called Yoon clique. Keep in mind that this was done by Yoon without National Assembly authorization although the National Police Command Structure was designed by statute to be an independent agency. Second, on the day of the incident, the bulk of Yongsan's police were assigned to watch a demonstration against the administration and therefore were not assigned later to monitor larger crowds (over 100,000) in the tight streets and alleys of the popular Itaewon district. Yet Yoon and the Minister of Interior place the blame on local officials even though there were 4 hours of prior warnings of what was happening in Yongsan and local police did ask higher authorities to dispatch more police support in a timely manner. But could the leader of an incompetent and authoritarian government be married to a saint? Yes according to the public relations handlers at the presidential office who arranged for another "mise en scene" of the first lady in Cambodia and released it to conservative media in South Korea.

Yoon Seok-yeol's emerging police state