“Judges Speak Through Their Verdicts.”.

• Cho Hee-dae (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) spoke these words during a National Assembly audit. “I deeply wish to dispel distrust,” he said, “but cannot express opinions through means other than rulings.”
• He stated, “I have never met Han Duck-soo (then Prime Minister).”
• He voiced strong displeasure: “In a constitutional democracy with separation of powers, it is rare to see judges summoned as witnesses or subjects of hearings to testify on judicial matters.” He did not even take a witness oath.
• Choo Mi-ae (Chair of the Judiciary Committee) ensured he remained as a reference person, not a witness. Cho Hee-dae stayed for 1 hour and 30 minutes but remained silent.
• When Choo Mi-ae asked, “When did you review the case files?” he did not respond.
• Park Ji-won (Democratic Party lawmaker) asked, “Do you intend to resign?”
• Shin Dong-wook (People Power Party lawmaker) criticized, “They are detaining the Chief Justice to coerce testimony.”
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“This Is Not the Way.”.

• The Dong-A Ilbo criticized in an editorial that summoning the Chief Justice for a National Assembly audit and questioning him was “inappropriate,” warning it could “shake the judiciary’s fairness and trust.”
• However, it also emphasized that Cho Hee-dae’s silence is not the solution. He bears responsibility to explain the unusually swift handling of the Lee Jae-myung retrial order. The controversy over Ji Gwi-yeon’s (Seoul Central District Court judge) cancellation of Yoon Suk-yeol’s arrest warrant and the unreported allegations of hostess club entertainment also remain unresolved.
• The Dong-A Ilbo noted, “The Supreme Court needs to provide a thorough explanation—not through a Q&A at the National Assembly, but via an appropriate format.”
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Dignity, Procedure, Trust, and Perspective Differ.

• Chosun Ilbo headlined its front page: “National Assembly’s Public Shaming of the Judiciary’s Leader.”
• In an editorial, it deemed the proceedings “undignified,” stressing, “Political parties can criticize courts and the Chief Justice, but only with minimal evidence and basic respect.”
• It cited independent lawmaker Choi Hyuk-jin’s placard reading “Cho Yo-tomi’s Playful Justice” and remarked, “The Democratic Party’s attack on the Chief Justice is at this level.”
• JoongAng Ilbo criticized, “The Democratic Party’s judicial reforms only fuel suspicion that they aim solely to exonerate Lee Jae-myung.” It argued, “If judges violated the Constitution or laws, the National Assembly can sufficiently check them through impeachment or other means.”
• The Korea Daily pointed out, “This ‘humiliating the Chief Justice’ approach resolves or improves nothing.”
• The Hankyoreh noted, “What citizens want to know is whether Supreme Court justices properly followed ‘procedures’ in appeals.” It clarified this is not about demanding explanations for how they reached a “guilty” consensus. It emphasized, “The judiciary should not just ask to be trusted—it must present solutions to restore trust itself.”
• Kyeongin Ilbo criticized, “If there were even a speck of urgency to recover the judiciary’s collapsed trust, this could not happen.”
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How to Judge the Modern-Day High Priests of Justice.

• Kim Tae-gyu (Hankyoreh Social Affairs Editor) drew a line: “Democratic control over the judiciary must focus not on trial outcomes but on procedural issues that lack fairness.”
• “This process should not be about revenge by Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party. It must be about the National Assembly, as the people’s representative, checking judges who have lorded over the public and sought to become modern-day high priests.”

What Matters Now.

Israel Frees 20 Hostages in Hamas Deal.

• Hamas has released all Israeli hostages. Israel has also freed 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
• Trump declared, “The long war is over.”
• Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) did not attend the peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Phase Two Negotiations Will Be Far From Easy.

• Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Qatari Prime Minister), who mediated the first-phase negotiations, stated, “A full-scale prisoner-exchange would have been impossible if all issues had been negotiated at once.” The remark implies the truly difficult issues start now.
• Israel has set the condition of Hamas’ disarmament.
• Hamas insists it cannot disarm until an independent Palestinian state is established.

67,194 Dead in Gaza Strip.

• 10% of 2.3 million people are dead or injured.
• Child fatalities alone exceed 20,000. 90% of schools have been destroyed.
• Malnutrition-related deaths have reached 453.
• Research also shows 55,000 children under six suffer from acute malnutrition.

Trump-Xi to Meet in Gyeongju.

• The mood shifted again in a single day.
• Donald Trump (U.S. President) and Xi Jinping (Chinese President) have agreed to meet in Gyeongju.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business, “We’ve significantly eased tensions.”
• Trump told reporters, “The U.S. doesn’t want to harm but help China,” adding, “Xi is a very strong and smart man.”
• The Financial Times quoted a former U.S. official: “Trump is a mega TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out),” warning, “Xi will see this as a signal of weakness and lack of resolve.”
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Exchange Rate Surges to 1,434 Won.

• The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Bank of Korea jointly issued a “closely monitoring” statement, closing at 1,425 won.
• The KOSPI index also retreated to 3,585. Samsung Electronics’ stock price fell 1.2%.

Black Friday’s Crypto Crash.

• Bitcoin fell -12.7%, Ethereum -20.2%, Solana -21.2%, Ripple -37.6%, Dogecoin -40.9%.
• $19 billion in virtual asset derivatives were liquidated. It means leveraged investors using margin as collateral lost all their deposits due to massive losses.

Deep Dive.

CCTV Reveals Han Duck-soo’s Lies.

• At 9:10 PM on December 3, Han Duck-soo entered the meeting room carrying documents.
• At 10:44 PM, he pulled another document from his inner jacket pocket and read it.
• At 10:49 PM, after exchanging documents with Lee Sang-min (then Minister of the Interior and Safety), he pointed to specific sections and discussed something, with Lee laughing. The special prosecution interprets this as the moment he instructed the power and water cutoffs.
• Han Duck-soo followed Yoon Suk-yeol’s orders. He did not stop the illegal emergency martial law and convened ministers to create a perfunctory State Council approval process.
• In August, the special prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Han, calling him a “co-conspirator in rebellion,” but the court dismissed it, stating, “There is room to dispute the legal assessment.”

More Missing Persons in Cambodia.

• There is a university student whose call for help—“Save me”—was followed by a communication blackout.
• A man in his 30s who made a video call saying, “I can be released if 20 million won is sent,” then also lost contact. Reports are pouring in.
• The Democratic Party has decided to form a special committee on overseas employment fraud.
• Cooperation from Cambodian police is proving difficult. Yoo Jae-sung (Acting Police Commissioner) stated, “We are exploring ways to pressure Cambodia in cooperation with Interpol.”
• Related Link.

Regulations Could Expand to All of Seoul.

• The government will soon unveil its third real estate policy. The JoongAng Ilbo featured a key official’s statement on its front page: “A plan to broadly designate the entire Seoul metropolitan area, including parts of Gyeonggi Province, is likely.” It is expected that Bundang and Gwacheon could also be included.
• This is because designating only parts of Seoul could trigger a balloon effect in adjacent areas.
• If designated as a speculative overheating zone or adjustment target area, the LTV (loan-to-value ratio for mortgages) would drop from 70% to 40%.
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“Demands for Kim Hyun-ji’s Attendance at Six Standing Committees Excessive.”.

• Her stance had been, “If called, I will attend,” but the presidential office’s mood has shifted.
• Kim Hyun-ji (Senior Presidential Secretary for Operations)’s attendance at the audit has become a heated issue. A senior presidential office official met by the Seoul Shinmun said, “The fact that she’s being called to six places has become a situation beyond negotiation,” adding, “It’s no longer a matter of discussion.”
• Another official stated, “We could negotiate if she were called only to the Steering Committee, but otherwise, it’s difficult to respond.”
• Ultimately, it depends on the will of both the presidential office and the Democratic Party. The majority Democratic Party must agree for her to be adopted as a witness.
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Another Take.

Baemin Tops Industrial Accident List for Fourth Consecutive Year.

• It has ranked first for three consecutive years, and this year too, 1,135 cases were reported and 1,071 approved through August, securing the top spot.
• By application count, Korea Coal Corporation ranked second with 765 cases; by approval count, Coupang Eats was second with 586 cases.

America’s Economic Achilles’ Heel.

• China has struck at Trump’s most vulnerable point. Rare earths are critical components for electric vehicles, robots, wind power, and more—with China monopolizing 58% of mining, 90% of refining, and 92% of manufacturing. Without them, factories grind to a halt.
• Rare earths are not just scarce in reserves; the separation and purification processes generate massive toxic wastewater and radioactive sludge, creating high barriers to entry.
• Production costs are high, but China has intentionally lowered prices to dominate the global supply chain.
• The U.S. seeks to reduce dependence on China, while Beijing aims to retain its hegemony. Concerns are growing that by blocking even indirect exports, China could become a panoptic overseer of the global rare earth value chain.
• The U.S. is scrambling to respond, with the Pentagon investing $400 million in MP Materials to secure its rare earth supply chain—guaranteeing full purchase and fixed prices. While the Mountain Pass mine in California reopened in 2018, its output remains less than 1% of China’s production.

Military Doctors: 38 Months vs. Active-Duty Soldiers: 18 Months.

• This year, 2,838 medical students chose active-duty enlistment over military doctor service through August.
• The number rose from 267 in 2023 to 1,363 last year, more than doubling this year.
• While the medical-political conflict plays a role, the trend reflects a preference for shorter active-duty service terms.
• Though military doctor staffing remains stable—2,442 of 2,475 positions filled—serious shortages could emerge after 2029.
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Samsung Electronics’ Share Buyback Could Trigger ₩300 Billion Dividend for Samsung Life.

• Under financial-industrial separation principles, financial firms can hold up to 10% of their total assets in non-financial affiliates.
• If Samsung Electronics burns its treasury shares, the total number of shares will decrease, increasing Samsung Life’s ownership ratio. To stay within the 10% limit, it would need to sell 9 million shares—worth approximately ₩600 billion.
• According to Rep. Kim Hyun-jung (Democratic Party), the sale could generate ₩900 billion in profit, with over ₩300 billion potentially distributed as dividends to policyholders.
• Samsung Life claims no dividends are possible, citing ₩1.2 trillion in losses from underperforming asset yields. Rep. Kim countered, “Samsung Life is using past losses to restrict policyholders’ right to share in profits.”
• Related Link.

The Fix.

Creating Medical-Centered Convalescent Hospitals.

• It was one of Lee Jae-myung’s election pledges.
• The plan is to designate 500 hospitals in phases by 2030. Monthly caregiving costs, currently 2.0–2.67 million won, would drop to 600,000–800,000 won. Of the 220,000 patients in convalescent hospitals, 80,000 would qualify.
• Gyeonggi Province began a program in February this year, supporting up to 1.2 million won in caregiving costs for low-income elderly patients. 88% of recipients reported reduced depression, anxiety, and stress.
• A budget of 6.5 trillion won is needed by 2030. Hospitals not immediately included in the 500 could face discrimination.
• Nursing-integrated wards—where caregivers are unnecessary—must also expand. As of last year, 23% of top-tier hospitals operated such wards, but they face criticism for selectively admitting only mild cases.
• Jeon Yong-ho (Incheon University professor) said, “The global trend is toward home-based caregiving, but subsidizing convalescent hospital costs risks reinforcing institutionalization.”
• Related Link.

121 Citizens Build Solar Power Plant with ₩90 Million.

• This is the story of Ansan Sunlight Power Cooperative.
• It started 13 years ago with ₩90 million and grew to a capital of ₩1.1 billion.
• It has installed 45 solar power plants on public building rooftops, generating 8.64 million kWh annually.
• Membership has expanded to 2,100.
• Last year’s revenue was ₩1.08 billion, with ₩160 million from power generation and the rest from construction contracts.
• The dividend rate is 6%.
• They are pursuing a 103MW floating solar project on Lake Sihwa, with costs reaching ₩18 billion.

Reusable Containers at Funeral Homes Cut Waste by 459 Tons at Four Hospitals.

• Samsung Seoul Hospital has been using reusable containers in all funeral home rooms since this year.
• According to Seoul City, since last year, the four hospitals—three municipal and Samsung Seoul Hospital—have reduced waste by 459 tons. This equals 26,600 100-liter volume-based waste bags.
• South Korea’s funeral homes generate 370 million disposable items annually, amounting to 23 million tons of waste.

“Damn Company, We’ll Buy It Ourselves?”.

• It actually happened. Kim Young-soo (CEO of Korea Comprehensive Technology Holdings), then head of the company’s labor union in 2017, formed an employee stock ownership association and acquired the company. 830 employees each contributed 50 million won, adding stock-backed loans to secure 53% ownership.
• It was the first employee-owned holding company among listed firms.
• Immediately after acquisition, they established a holding company, separating management by having the association own 100% of the holding company, which in turn held 53% of Korea Comprehensive Technology.
• Nine years later, sales doubled and the company turned profitable last year.
• Kim Young-soo said, “We’ve proven the sustainability of employee ownership.”
• Related Link.

ICYMI.

13% of Seoul National University Freshmen Hail from Gangnam’s Three Districts.

• For Seoul National University’s medical school alone, the figure is 22%.
• Hanyang University’s medical school stands at 32%, Gachon University’s at 28%, and Ewha Womans University’s at 25%.
• Kim Moon-soo (Democratic Party lawmaker) remarked, “The regional concentration and stratification of education are concerning.”
• Related Link.

South Korea Ranks Second in OECD for Antibiotic Prescriptions.

• Per 1,000 people, 31.8 daily doses (DID) are prescribed.
• The OECD average is 20.5 DID.
• This is due to high healthcare accessibility and fewer restrictions on medication prescriptions.
• Antibiotic overuse breeds resistant bacteria and escalates medical costs.

Military Doctors: 38 Months vs. Active-Duty Soldiers: 18 Months.

• Medical students who chose active-duty enlistment over military doctor service totaled 2,838 as of August this year.
• The number rose from 267 in 2023 to 1,363 last year, more than doubling this year.
• While medical-government conflicts play a role, the trend reflects a preference for shorter active-duty service terms.
• Military doctor staffing remains stable—2,442 out of 2,475 authorized positions—but post-2029 shortages could become critical.
• Related Link.

69.9 Billion Won in No-Bid Contracts Awarded to Ex-Official Firms.

• This is the total value of no-bid contracts awarded between 2022–2024 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, National Tax Service, Customs Service, Public Procurement Service, and National Data Agency to private firms employing retired public officials.
• The Korea Procurement Research Institute, which received 43 contracts worth 12.7 billion won, has had all its former presidents come from the Public Procurement Service. The National Data Agency funneled all 48 contracts (19 billion won) over three years to the Korea Statistical Promotion Agency—a company whose CEO and division head are former Statistics Korea officials.
• Cheon Ha-ram (Reform Party lawmaker) criticized, “Strong regulations must be enacted to eradicate no-bid contracts rooted in preferential treatment for ex-officials.”
• Related Link.

Worth Reading.

Explain It to the Ordinary People.

• In Stephen Breyer’s (former U.S. Supreme Court Justice) book “The Authority of the Courts and the Peril of Politics,” there is this passage:
• “To make the rule of law a reality rather than just rhetoric, judges and lawyers cannot be the only audience. The people in the marketplace must be addressed. In this country of 331 million, 330 million are not lawyers. Even when court decisions affect them in unwanted ways, they must be persuaded that following those decisions serves their own interests.”
• Yoo Jeong-hoon (lawyer), commenting on the Cho Hee-dae controversy, noted, “If the issue is limited to certain cases or the misconduct of certain individuals, there is no reason to allow the entire judiciary to lose public trust.”
• “Accountability and transparency become the very reasons to safeguard judicial independence,” he added.
• Related Link.

A Nation Where One in Four Citizens Is a Party Member.

• 11 million people are party members—25% of eligible voters, 13 times Germany’s rate.
• Based on membership fee payers, the figure is 2.68 million, or 6% of voters.
• Park Sang-hoon (political scientist) believes a significant portion of these are “ghost members.”
• “Most never submitted membership applications, have no intention of paying dues, no desire to maintain membership, many hold dual memberships, and even those with rights do not participate. Why perpetuate these massive, illegally accumulated memberships? It would benefit democracy more to have even 1 million engaged members—properly involved in party activities, educated on the party’s policies and values, and fostering responsible political parties. 10 million members are not a pride of Korean politics but a disgrace.”
• In Gwangju, 49% of eligible voters are party members. When the Democratic Party’s Gwangju branch surveyed 15% of its members in 2023, they found up to 95% were ghost members in some districts. One district chairman remarked, “70% of the names on the rolls probably don’t even know they’re party members.”
• Related Link.