Leftists and rightists of South Korea today demonstrated competition in the capital of Seoul, which is the countryNational liberation day,
This year, the country celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of Japanese rule. The day is also the 77th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea or South Korea.
The crowd was particularly large this year as they came soon after the victory of Lee J-Mung in the June 3 presidential election. Competition, Married by extensive irregularitiesSuk Yoly was organized to replace Yeol, which was impeached and later removed from the office after his short -term office Declaration of martial method In the beginning of December.
Competitive meetings in the capital city were an early gauge of Li’s popularity. He has been a particularly divisive person till now.
Immediately after the demonstrations, Lee will be the head of Washington to allegedly start a trip. 24 AugustHis visit to the White House with President Donald Trump was expected to August 25, one of the most important meetings between an American and a Korean leader so far.
Lee is virally anti -American. Therefore, at stake, the future is the future of a treaty relationship between Washington and Seoul. Democracy in South Korea is also at risk. Lee, in the name of Democratic Governance, is taking fast steps to end it.
Publicly align itself with the US, Lee has reduced the fundamental base of his country’s partnership with the US, formed in 1953 a few months after the formal military alliance, the Korean War Army.
While campaigning for the nomination of Korea’s Democratic Party Presidential President in July 2021, Lee “said” American soldiers in their country.Capture force“Even more explosively, he has blamed the US for maintaining Japan’s colony of Korea.
Lee’s leftist party, known as Minju, has a history of resisting close ties with Washington and actively having a relationship with Beijing and Pyongyang.
Lee as President has not wasted any time in Korea’s relations with America, for example, in a step that will reduce military readiness, the annual ulchi freedom shield joint exercise starts on Monday, Will come back too much -The specifically important area training component of 10-day event.
South Korea’s Ministry of Defense Quoted logical adjustment For the training cycle for change in practice, but they were actually the result of Lee’s pressure. Integration Minister Chung Dong-Young noticed the criticisms of North Korea’s joint drill when he publicly demanded a decrease in practice.
On 7 August, an official of the Ministry of Integration, speaking anonymously to the press,Confirmed that the exercises were “adjusted”Due to concerns about North Korea’s response.
More and more concern, on July 21, Lee’s governmentOson raided air baseWhich is jointly operated by the Republic of Korea and Korea Air Force.
In particular, Special Prosecutor Cho-Sek entered the Master Control and Reporting Center, operated by both terrorists, in violation of the status of forces, because there was no prior notification of the US Army. Cho seized the classified radar data and information classified on the U-2 surveillance plane of the US Air Force.
Former Lieutenant Colonel of the US Air Force, who served in Osan, Tara O told me that “Cho and his elder team should not have access to fully classified information.”
The raid made at least two high-level exchanges between Washington and Seoul.
Earlier, there was a plan to meet on July 21 between State Secretary and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor of Korea Y Sung-Rak, and the second was“2+2” business meetingThe Korean representatives of the talks were informed that the meeting was closed as if they were about to board an aircraft to travel to America.
President Lee is also attacking South Korea’s Democratic institutions. He led the attempt in the National Assembly, the country’s uniform legislature, that he made the government paralyzed by filing it.22 impeachment speed,
After Li, Yun, led to an attempt to impeach his December 3 martial law, then used the power of impeachment to destabilize the interim government of acting President Han Duck-Su.
The constitutional court of the country, like this, removed LeeYun had imprisonedOn magnificent allegations of “rebellion”.
“Lee and his party have created a false tale of rebellion,” said Morse Tan, a former US ambassador for global criminal justice.
Lee’s government has organized Yun in inhuman circumstances. “The Democratic Party put Yun in a small cell in the season, and they are refusing her drugs,” O, now at the East Asia Research Center, told me. Some fear will die in custody, but it does not worry about the ruling party.
In the National Assembly, the leader of Minju’s floor leader Kim Bung-K said, “Even if he lives, he should stay in jail, and even if he dies, he will have to die in jail.”
This is not the only goal of the ruling party. Lee’s government is giving free speeches on social media platforms, the investigation of citizens for law and free expression for nothing else, raids the houses of worship andGo ahead to underline the main opposition party,
On Wednesday, South Korean prosecutorPeepal power party office raided,
“These are the things done by the leftist dictatorship,” said Tan. “The attack on freedom is cruel.”
The US has tolerated the previous leftist, anti-American presidents in South Korea-to be specified, Kim de Jung, Roh Mo-Hune and Moon J-in. There is a clear feeling in Washington that America can exclude Lee J-Mung similarly.
Perhaps America can. But Lee, unlike his predecessors, is more firm and ruthless. America’s coalition with South Korea cannot escape the rule of Lee, and its democracy is even more in danger.
Gordon ji Chang Is the author of ,Atomic performance: North Korea takes the world And “Lose south korea,
