Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
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dpinkston.bsky.social
Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
@dpinkston.bsky.social
KCPC expert advisor, IR scholar, Yonsei University, Troy University, NE Asian security and political economy, WMD nonproliferation. USAF veteran and VFW member. Former state powerlifting champion and casual judo player. Cat man and life-long Laker fan.
It's looking more and more like a second coup. WTH?
Yeah, getting clearer by the minute.
'De facto' ≡ 'Pretend' (or potentially 'we wish it was, but it really isn't')
www.hani.co.kr/arti/politic...

Han saying Yoon will be ‘de facto’ out of office. They have the track record of saying ‘de facto’ when they mean ‘fake.’ As in “we are now de facto sharing nuke with the US.”
December 9, 2024 at 5:48 AM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
Monday morning here in Seoul. Saw these folks during my walk to the bus.
December 9, 2024 at 12:19 AM
Props to @koreanforeigner.bsky.social and Korea Pro for getting the terminology right. The Korean in the reporting is 입건 (立件), which often means to "book someone on criminal charges." In English, that generates images of being dragged to the police station and photographed, fingerprinted, etc.
December 8, 2024 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
On Dec 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law. 600+ political scientists of South Korea condemned this in a joint statement, urging impeachment. **We ask political scientists worldwide to please read & sign in support**: bit.ly/3Bfxc2j
A Declaration by Political Scientists of South Korea
Call for an Immediate Reintroduction and the Passage of the Impeachment Bill to Restore the Constitutional Order
bit.ly
December 8, 2024 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
This is being done in part because the PPP apparently deleted the headshots of party members from its website. Just total cowardice out of the PPP.
The front page of tomorrow's Kyunghyang Shinmun, featuring the names and faces of the 105 People Power Party lawmakers who boycotted yesterday's impeachment vote and left the parliament chamber.

Only 3 stayed and voted.
December 8, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
Last week we tried a junta, this week we are doing a party state. Which unaccountable form of government will be attempted next week? Stay tuned to find out!
PPP leader (Han DH) and PM (Han DS) making a press release rn, saying Yoon will step down, but a long time later in an 'orderly' passion. They are going to 'jointly govern' whatever that means. It is completely unconstitutional. There's no legal basis.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls49...
한동훈 대표·한덕수 총리 긴급 회동..‘尹 퇴진 로드맵’ 등 공동담화문 발표 - [끝까지LIVE] MBC 중계방송 2024년 12월 08일
YouTube video by MBCNEWS
www.youtube.com
December 8, 2024 at 3:12 AM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
Call for a general strike across all walks of life. Laborers and self-employed. Shut down all production centers and logistical and transportation routes. Public officials and educators. Many of the people in unions in these sectors are progressive in their politics and will heed the call.
"이제 국회의 시간은 끝났다. 남은 것은 이 사회를 물리적으로 멈추는 힘, 총파업이다. 이제 민주노총이 나서 총파업 일시를 확정하고 조직하자. 이 날에는 조합원, 비조합원 가릴 것 없이, 노동자, 자영업자 가릴 것 없이, 모두가 일손을 놓고 거리로 모이자. 모든 공장을, 생산시설을 멈추자. 버스, 지하철, 철도, 공항, 항만, 화물 모든 운송을 멈추자. 공무원, 교원도 거리에 모이자. 하루라도 빨리 내란범을 끌어내리자."
December 8, 2024 at 4:03 AM
573 Korean political science scholars have issued a public statement declaring that Yoon's impeachment is the only way to resolve the current situation. They have 4 demands:

1. Resubmit an impeachment motion in the National Assembly
...
정치학자 573명의 시국선언
December 8, 2024 at 8:44 AM
About 2,500 protestors gathered in Kwangju today calling for Yoon's arrest and the PPP's dissolution. Protesters say that PPP members who failed to vote for Yoon's impeachment are accomplices in the rebellion against the constitutional order.

www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2024...
"내란 공범 국민의힘 해산하라"…광주서 2천500명 집회 | 연합뉴스
(광주=연합뉴스) 정회성 김혜인 기자 = 국회의 윤석열 대통령 탄핵소추안 표결에 불참한 국민의힘을 규탄하는 집회가 8일 광주 도심에서 열렸다.
www.yna.co.kr
December 8, 2024 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
John Linton (known in Korean as In Yohan) was a translator for the democracy protesters fighting Chun Doo Hwan’s coup in 1980. Today as a member of the PPP he failed to vote at all on impeached of another would-be Korean tyrant. Sad to see how some people make such egregious compromises for power.
인요한은 80년 광주항쟁 당시 시민군을 위해 외신기자 인터뷰를 통역했던, 그러니까 계엄군이 한 도시를 도륙하는 것을 직접 목격한 “성직자”이다.
December 7, 2024 at 2:20 PM
National Assembly Speaker Wu says the plan for Prine Minister Han and the PPP to manage state affairs on behalf of Yoon is clearly unconstitutional.

www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2024...
[속보] 우의장 "대통령 권한의 총리·여당 공동행사, 명백한 위헌" | 연합뉴스
(
www.yna.co.kr
December 8, 2024 at 6:13 AM
The Rebuilding Korea Party is going to submit impeachment motions for Prime Minister Han and Justice Minister Park Song-jae (박성재) as well. It's a busy Sunday in Korean politics...
December 8, 2024 at 4:23 AM
The minor opposition Rebuilding Korea (祖國革新黨) is holding a meeting now to draft a new motion to impeach Yoon.
December 8, 2024 at 4:06 AM
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivered a statement a short while ago. They said the party and the prime minister would manage state affairs until Yoon "leaves in an orderly fashion." This is outside the constitutional order and unsustainable.
December 8, 2024 at 3:33 AM
Reposted by Daniel A. Pinkston, Ph.D.
Talked to some protesters at length-- they told me they came out expecting impeachment to fail but that it was important to come out anyways and put pressure on the legislature. "See you next weekend, you bastards," one said.
December 7, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Can you imagine Koreans if a POTROK did even 10% of what Trump has done? Americans are comatose in comparison.
Here is footage I took where you can hear citizens calling for the PPP lawmakers to come back and vote.
December 7, 2024 at 11:42 AM
That's correct. The Republic of Korea has neither a Parliament nor a Funkadelic.
Hey BBC and @theguardian.com. FYI Korea is not the UK. It has a unicameral national legislature, the National Assembly. It is not called ‘the Parliament’ here. Lawmakers are referred to as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) not MPs.
December 7, 2024 at 10:38 AM
One PPP lawmaker apparently has returned, but still not enough to impeach.
December 7, 2024 at 9:31 AM
The National Assembly has begun voting to impeach Yoon. However, 107 PPP lawmakers have left the chamber, so there are not enough votes to pass. According to rumors, protesters will march from Youido to the area of Yoon's residence in Hannam-dong. That should take 2~2.5 hours.
December 7, 2024 at 9:27 AM
Check out the crowd near the National Assembly. No impeachment tonight...
December 7, 2024 at 8:54 AM
The PPP has walked out, so Yoon will not be impeached tonight.
December 7, 2024 at 8:51 AM
All PPP members except Ahn Ch'ōl-su (안철수) have left the chamber.
The National Assembly is counting the votes on the bill to establish a special prosecutor for the first lady. Yoon veto the bill, and the NA will need 2/3 (200 votes) to override the veto.
December 7, 2024 at 8:50 AM
The National Assembly failed to override Yoon's veto of the first lady special prosecutor bill 198-102. Wow
The National Assembly is counting the votes on the bill to establish a special prosecutor for the first lady. Yoon veto the bill, and the NA will need 2/3 (200 votes) to override the veto.
December 7, 2024 at 8:48 AM