LOS ANGELES.–South Korea’s erratic 63-year-old President Yoon Suk-yeol rescinded his martial law order but only after the South Korean assembly voted to reverse his order by a two-thirds majority. Yoon had no choice but to rescind the insane order claiming North Korean communists had infiltrated the national assembly, creating gridlock on the budget and fueling a nationwide doctors’ strike. Yoon, a member of the conservative People Power Party, claimed that he declared martial law to protect South Korean democracy from communist saboteurs, something so preposterous that speaks volumes about Yoon’s deteriorated mental state more than anything going on in South Korean politics. All 190 lawmakers voted to end the martial law declaration dealing a big blow to Yoon’s power. Even People Power Party leaders Han Dong-hoon said what Yoon did was “wrong,” vowing to “stop it with the people.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung said Yoon’s decision was “illegal and unconstitutional.”
South Korea is left with few good choices with Yoon still in power, requiring the national assembly and parliament to act swiftly to remove Yoon from power. No one that erratic can possibly rule South Korea or any other country. South Korea has evolved from the days of military dictatorship following the grinding Korean War that carved up the Korean Peninsula along the lings the 38th, parallel, something the Soviet Union did after WW II. Fortunately a majority vote in the parliament ended Yoon’s edict, all designed to turn South Korean democracy back into a military dictatorship. South Korea is one the great economic giants in the world, requiring a stable government to keep the economy growing and international trade thriving. Few countries in the world don’t make use of South Korea’s prodigious manufacturing in all economic sectors.
Moscow expressed concerns to the rapidly developing events in South Korea, saying none of its citizens were threatened with recent martial law issues. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the situation looks more stable in Seoul. Moving quickly, South Korean lawmakers submitted a bill to impeach Yoon. “We are watching with concern the tragic events unfolding in South Korea,” Zakharova said, not realizing that things were back under control. Zakharova knows that South Korea is a major ally of the United States, with North Korea close allies with Moscow. North Korea irked the U.S. and NATO sending some 10,000 troops to the Russian Kursk region to help dislodge some 30,000 Ukraine troops now parked inside the Russian border.
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has grown closer to Moscow with Putin asking for artillery shell and now troop to wage its war with Ukraine and the Western Alliance. Western officials complain that it’s a major escalation of the war letting North Korean defend Russia inside the Russian border. Moscow and Pyongyang entered into a mutual defense treat allowing Kim to supply arms-and-troops to aid Moscow. Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine with the Kremlin has wrecked decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the U.S. as a mortal enemy under Biden, no longer a strategic partner working to solve global problems as they arise. President-elect Donald Trump wants to restore normal diplomatic relations with Russia, something not likely to happen before Biden leaves office. Trump wants to end the Ukraine War with a political settlement.
Watching events unfold in Seoul show the unstable foreign relations with the U.S. and Moscow now mortal enemies. Biden has no clue how he’s destabilized world peace with the Ukraine War, essentially trashing U.S.-Russian relations over a border dispute with Ukraine. Ukraine’s 46-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky opted for war with the Kremlin Feb. 24, 2022 when Putin offered to settle the conflict if he would recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and accept independence in Donetsk and Luhansk. “The situation on the Korean Peninsula is already complicated by the provocative actions of the United States of America and its allies,” Zakharova said, referring to joint military drills that threaten Pyongyang. Whatever happened with Yoon declaring martial law, it had nothing to do with U.S.-South Korean relations, something stable for years.
Trump correctly sees stability in world events linked to the failed Ukraine War. Trump wants Ukraine to cut its losses, knowing it can never vanquish the Russian Federation. Biden and Zelensky have talked about defeating the Russian military, talking about the beleaguered Russian economy, even saying Putin suffered from a terminal illness. Three years into the war and Zelensky has lost 20-25% of Ukraine best sovereign territory along the Black Sea coast. Putin isn’t going to surrender the spoils of war without a legitimate peace process. Biden keeps giving Ukraine more lethal weapons with which to attack deep inside the Russian Federation. Putin keeps threatening more intense missile attacks, even putting nuclear weapons on the table. Trump wants to stop the escalation and start the long-awaited peace talks even if it means trading land for peace.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
