Yoon has not been able to fill many ministerial positions since his inauguration.
He just appointed the most ultra-radical anti-labor right winger as head of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (minister level) and a similar narrow-minded advocate for private education for Education minister. They must go through parliamentary hearings, but Yoon can override any objections and appoint them.
All the prior candidates had scandals or other skeletons in the closet revealed during parliamentary hearings on their appointments and withdrew, were withdrawn, or forced to leave office after a short while.
Taking revenge on the Korean public for his low approval rating, again at 24%?
The low rating is despite all the media reporting hourly on the 'great accomplishments' of his visits to England, US and Canada, as well as other propaganda from the president's office.
Could be appointing radicals to deflect attention from him and his wife? All the opposition parties, teachers, labor unions, and parents will be focusing their attention and wrath on the two candidates.
Then there should at least have some form of basic subsistence insurance where coupons, services, or money are given to subsidize people who cannot afford food or rent based on their income.
There are some similar programs in Europe.
In Korea, there is around a $200 a month basic pension for people with no income. The pension system was established in 1986 and it was not mandatory for companies until much later. So, there is a problem with a lot of old people without pensions, living in poverty and ignored by society.
Maybe, there types of programs may become more widespread in the future against almost certain conservative opposition.
Conservatives are not only against socialism but also seem to be against society as socialism and society are intertwined.
If people were serious about cutting taxes so that businesses and the rich would reinvest the money into people and businesses, then there would be a condition attached to the tax break stating that the increased income would be used to fund productive investments to raise employment, foster businesses and positively contribute to the economy.
But they always allow the corporations and the rich to do as they wish with the money. Always a loophole!
Cut taxes and hope for a trickle down effect? The Korean conservative party routinely cuts taxes and states that it will promote investment and employment. Hasn't worked yet. Mostly used to buy up all the available real estate, artwork, collectibles, luxuries and stuff. Only the rich get richer.
Trump's tax cuts didn't result in increased investment by companies or the rich.
"A statement by video journalists claims that the presidential office asked if the press could “do something” so that the footage would not be released."
“Instead, we became aware of the content [of the footage] because the [presidential office’s] external affairs department asked us to check the footage,” the reporters stated.
“Upon checking the footage, the external affairs department asked us if we could ‘do something’ about it so that it would not be reported, but the video journalists did not accept this request and it was decided that each broadcasting company would make their own choice of whether or not to report on the remarks.”
The ruling conservative party promised to take action against the journalist and employer Munwha Broadcasting Company (MBC).
A commentator on a Korean news channel stated that it is unlikely legal charges will be filed since it would be hard to get any kind of conviction. LOL.
The conservative party filed charges against the head of MBC, and are pressuring and slandering MBC.
The CNN article states USS Zumwalt will be upgraded next year to accommodate the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), a weapons system that uses a booster rocket motor to fire missiles at hypersonic speed.
A missile defense system utilizing hypersonic missiles would be ideal for Korea's defense, much better than the THAAD system that Prez Yoon wants to buy for some unknown reason.
I read that that integrating THAAD's radar system with a new missile system is probably a good idea.
Wow! Hypersonic missiles have arrived. I know China and Russia demonstrated hypersonic missiles, but I doubt that they are as sophisticated and reliable as the American ones.
Soon, the US should be able to destroy nuclear missiles right within a few minutes after launch. Cool.
According to the article, the Korean government called the brief 30 minute meeting as an "informal summit" and the Japanese government as a "meeting." The article also cited Professor Lee Young-chae of Keisen University in Tokyo as stating Japan had no need to hold a summit, but they think they will eventually be able to get something from South Korea by accepting the Yoon administration’s request.”
While Korea media parrots Yoon's claims that the summit with Kishida repaired relations with Japan and was meaningful, the article states that many people feel that the meeting was completely unnecessary, ill-prepared and achieved nothing.
"Not only that, but the “three noes” are not “pledges” that the Moon Jae-in administration made, as Beijing has described them. They’re a military policy that has been in place since the Park Geun-hye administration.
It was the Park administration that declared from the time of the deployment controversy in 2016 that THAAD was “not a US missile defense system.” And it was the US Defense Department and USFK that affirmed that THAAD radar was “not monitoring China.”
In its efforts to denounce the Moon administration’s “capitulations to Beijing” and condemn it for a military policy that had existed since the time the conservatives were in office, the Yoon administration has been twisting the facts."
And most Korean news media promote Yoon's claims that the Moon administration implemented the THAAD policy with regards to China, when it was former President Park Geun-hye's administration that started the policy. Completely distorting history and facts.
Yoon states that he will install more THAAD systems in Korea, but THAAD will soon be outdated and both Korea and the US military are planning other more appropriate defense systems for Korea. THAAD is not ideal for defense of Korea. It is more effective as early warning for US missile defense systems.
Korea receives no data from THAAD or has any say in their operation. Why does Yoon want them? It is mainly for defense from long range missiles. Korea is a short range from China and North Korea, not long range. Pretty ignorant.
Considering 86.3% of Koreans are fully vaccinated and about 98% have antibodies for COVID and the number of new cases has dropped from around 100,000 to under 30,000 a day, it should be okay to get rid of masks finally.
The brief meeting with Biden that reportedly touched on security, Japan, and many other topics lasted for 48 seconds? Maybe they had a separate brief meeting or Korean news is really distorting facts.
Prez Yoon's office and leading conservative politicians, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister claim that he did not use a cuss word to refer to the US Congress and that the comments were directed at the Korean opposition party. The news all reported and showed footage of these people denying that Yoon called US Congress a bad name.
So, I searched for the video on Youtube and listened. I can distinctly hear, loosely translated, as below;
"If those sons of b****s (or any derogatory slang of your choosing) in congress (can also mean parliament) don't pass the bill, it will be so embarrassing for Biden."
Yoon's cussing in Korean is towards the end of the video linked below after his 48 second alleged 'meeting' with Biden.
There is irrefutable evidence that Yoon did use a cuss word to describe US Congress, yet all these Korean government officials are blatantly lying and denying that he did, and Korean media is misleading the public by repeating these false denials as headline news.
They must think that the average Korean is brainless and believes whatever lies the conservatives come up with.
Luckily, there is are videos on Youtube and Twitter! Wonder if those government officials are hard of hearing?
Excerpt - "How could Biden not lose damn face if these f****rs do not pass it in Congress?"
Yoon didn't pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II's coffin lying in state even though he went to the UK to go to the funeral. Yoon did not arrange a warm welcome for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to South Korea in August.
There was no welcoming delegation for Pelosi when she arrived. No one of similar position to welcome her. And Yoon did not meet her, probably because he is conservative and hates liberals and progressives.
And the media says Yoon is strengthening ties with the US and that the US made new promises to protect Korea.
Korean media also emphasizes Yoon met with Biden and the Japanese Prime Minister and talked about important matters. He met very briefly with Biden and with the Japanese Prime Minister for less than 30 minutes. Making it seem like they had serious discussions.
Media says Yoon is repairing relations with Japan that the previous administration messed up. Japan took unilateral actions against Korean and refused to talk.
How could Yoon blame that on the previous administration? Average Koreans boycotted Japanese products and Japan trips for over a year because Japan abruptly restricted exports of chemicals needed for production of semiconductors to Korea. Tried to negotiate and talk, but Japan was very arrogant. Korea now produces the chemicals locally. LOL
Yoon seems to assume that most Koreans have forgotten this.
Calling the US congress f***kers. Showing Yoon's true colors! Very uncouth.
After over a month of intense media promotion of Yoon with pictures of him holding semiconductor wafers, visiting flooded areas, ordering compensation for flood victims and prevention of floods, and other mundane actions, his approval rating has risen to 32%.
Trying to conduct deals and meet other leaders at a funeral? Very uncouth. Guess who.
I thought Yoon had the lowest ever approval rating for a Korean president after 100 days. I was wrong. It was former conservative president and current convict Lee Myung-bak with 21% (out of prison for health reasons, applied for extension of medical stay)
Yoon is trying to spend government money to help construction of infrastructure for semiconductor plants near Seoul. The government department in charge of planning and budget refused to allocate any funds stating that Samsung and SK Hynix had already planned the project and stepping in now to provide funding assistance would be inappropriate and would only serve to help Samsung and SK Hynix's spend less money on their projects.
Yoon is stated to have lost his temper and ordered his staff to get the funding. Very autocratic, yes? Seems like something Kim Jon-un would do.
The article tries to make it look as if the future of the semiconductor industry is dependent on government funding of $ 2bn over 5 years. Samsung and SK Hynix can afford to pay many tens of billions of dollars.
There's a whole ecosystem for semiconductors. Korea, US also, needs to promote the entire ecosystem. Specialized solvents, wafers, process and production equipment, parts, Korea learned that when Japan restricted exports for specialized solvents used in chip manufacturing. Took a couple of years to develop local production. The other smaller companies and workers involved need help, not so much Samsung and SK Hynix, in my opinion. TSMC, Intel, ARM and others do well without government assistance.
Would the US federal government give $ 2bn to help build infrastructure for an Apple or Tesla plant after the companies had already planned it? Before, maybe as an incentive to get something.
Yoon says Korea's survival depends on chip industry (no concrete plans, just chips are important and I will make plans to promote the industry - 20 September 2022). Tried to push government to pay for infrastructure but still making plans?
Actually, Lee is the one who said why are the developers getting all this profit and got them to pay for parks and other community infrastructure. Conservatives hate him.
They both periodically spout praises and accomplishments of their leaders, Kim Jong-un and President Yoon.
Like SBS News where commentators are criticizing political parties, but interrupt to state Yoon is going abroad and working hard to further Korea's economy and status, and that it isn't right for the ruling conservative party to be in a fight with its suspended party leader.
Yoon is going to Queen Elizabeth's funeral and to speak at the UN. It's a sudden trip and not planned for business deals or economic policies.
First time, I've heard Korean news stating that the president is going abroad to work hard for the economy. Doubt news in other countries report it that way either. Seems to occur in mainly autocratic countries.
Could be investigated by prosecutors for posts like this. LOL.
Inserting news about opposition parties among bad news (deaths, accidents, bad economy, etc.) and news about Yoon and the conservative party among good and pleasant news.
Wonder if this occurs, or will catch on (become popular) in other countries?
They found evidence, but Han stated he meant something else in the text messages. Also they couldn't unlock his phone and his fellow prosecutors investigated the case.
Prosecutors are filing all these charges against any opposition, including the conservative party leader, under suspension for disagreeing with Yoon's underlings, not to mention opposition party leaders.
Could be linked to President Yoon's low approval rating?
An often used Korean and American conservative tactic against liberals?
Other countries are decriminalizing drugs...
마약·전세사기 사활 건 국수본…특진 당근까지 (Police's National Office of Investigation going all out to eliminate drugs and key money fraud. Special promotion for convictions)
There are complaints of prosecutors and police filing hundreds of search warrants against opposition politicians, while ignoring, refusing to issue search warrants and whitewashing crimes by conservative politicians.
In the old days of dictator Park, police and intelligence service framed people for special promotions. Hell, they framed an innocent man as a North Korean spy around five years ago. Luckily, it was uncovered and the man was set free. Many cases like that. Prosecutors committing crimes, but since they were in charge of investigations, they never investigated their own for crimes. So, the law was changed to give investigative power to the police and have the police report to prosecutors. President Yoon undid the law through a presidential decree, which is expected to be challenged in the mostly conservative courts.
South Korea is in for some turbulent times. Yoon was busted for abuse of power while he was head prosecutor. Old habits die hard. (Charges against Yoon were dismissed due to lack of evidence - extremely delayed search warrants and lack of effort to find evidence, apparently. Prosecutors are rarely indicted or convicted of crimes since they are in charge of investigations, indictments and prosecutions with no oversight)
Since he is president, all investigations into his crimes are suspended while in office. Investigations into his wife and mother-in-law seem to have stopped.
At the start of Korean president Yoon's administration and just before district elections, corporations pledged to invest, create jobs and other things in Korea.
As I said previously, it is an overused election gimmick to promote the conservative party.
Surprise! Today, 63% of corporations have no plans to hire new employees in the second half of this year, blaming it on the economy as always. No announcement of the hundreds of billions of dollars in investments yet. Probably have to wait till 2024, except for Samsung which has to invest its billions in surplus sometime soon. Plans to spend billions on chips and acquisitions, but no details yet.
Every single election, a large portion of the populations is mislead by false promises, false news, allegations of wrongdoing, insults, media reports stirring up indignation, etc.
Apparently, because they are going to die soon and won't be around.
Yet, the younger generation...
Obey and respect your elders? It depends. Some are mad and they control companies which pollute substantially.
Korean president Yoon really doesn't care about polls. Approval rating still at 27% according to Gallup. Suspiciously, polls used in Korean media state 32%.
His administration doing some really bad things, while pretending to be governing ethically. Keeps lying about things and making false excuses.
