Only Death or Life Imprisonment.

• Today marks the sentencing hearing for Yoon Suk-yeol (former president) in the rebellion leadership case.
• The sentencing hearing signifies the conclusion of arguments: prosecutors will request a sentence, and the defendant will make final remarks.
• As the rebellion leader, Yoon Suk-yeol faces only death penalty, life imprisonment, or life detention.
• The sole remaining question is whether the December 3, 2024 emergency martial law constitutes rebellion.
• Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who staged the December 12, 1979 military coup, saw prosecutors request death and life imprisonment respectively.
• The first trial court sentenced them to death and 22 years and 6 months in prison.
• On appeal, these were reduced to life imprisonment and 17 years, finalized but later pardoned by Kim Young-sam (former president) after two years.

Successful vs. Failed Rebellion.

• It was an illegal emergency martial law aimed at removing political opposition by force and monopolizing/maintaining power—no different from Chun Doo-hwan.
• That it lasted only two hours or caused no casualties is irrelevant. The claim that it was a “warning martial law” is Yoon Suk-yeol’s argument and does not justify its legality. A failed rebellion is no excuse for leniency.
• The Constitutional Court already ruled during Yoon’s impeachment trial that “the declaration of emergency martial law cannot inherently be limited to a warning.”
• Related Link.

What Choice for Yoon Suk-yeol?

• The sentencing date has yet to be announced.
• If rebellion charges are upheld, the only options are death penalty or life imprisonment (detention)—though judges may reduce sentences if guilt is acknowledged and remorse shown. Yoon Suk-yeol, of course, does not qualify.
• In his final remarks, Yoon blamed other ministers: “If the prime minister or cabinet members had even minimal political awareness, they should have told the president, ‘Sir, this could backfire against the opposition,’ but none did,” he claimed.
• Related Link.

What Matters Now.

Did Coupang Monitor the Labor Ministry?

• Evidence emerged that Coupang mobilized Kim & Chang and former Blue House officials to access internal Labor Ministry information.
• This was revealed by a whistleblower who previously worked as Coupang’s Chief Privacy Officer (CPO).
• An internal Coupang document from November 2020 stated, “Kim & Chang heard from internal Labor Ministry sources that an investigation into the Daegu logistics center death incident should proceed.” The email was written in English. There are also signs that Coupang executives met with labor inspectors after being contacted by a Labor Ministry section chief.
• They were scrutinizing internal Labor Ministry reports as if reading an open palm. Reports continued, such as, “Regarding conveyor safety issues, we have one case, but a competitor was found to have 77.”
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

“No Review of Relocating the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster.”.

• Cheong Wa Dae has drawn a line in the sand for now. Kim Nam-jun (Blue House spokesperson) said, “It is up to the companies to decide.”
• Kim Sung-hwan (Minister of Climate and Energy Environment) raised the issue as a potential local election topic after saying, “I wonder if it shouldn’t be moved to an area with more electricity.”
• For now, it is likely to be postponed until after June.

Deep Dive.

Samsung Electronics’ Q4 2023 Operating Profit Hits 20 Trillion Won.

• Revenue was 93 trillion won—driven by rising DRAM and NAND flash prices.
• Annual revenue and operating profit reached 333 trillion won and 44 trillion won, respectively.
• Projections suggest this year’s operating profit could exceed 100 trillion won.
• Related Link.

Nick’s Ants and Samsung Waves: Foreign Investors.

• Individual investors are targeting SK Hynix over Samsung Electronics, while foreign investors prefer Samsung Electronics.
• Since October last year, foreigners have net-bought 5 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics, while individuals net-sold 6 trillion won. For SK Hynix, foreigners net-sold 10 trillion won, and individuals net-bought 5 trillion won.
• Macquarie raised its 12-month target prices for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to 240,000 won and 1.12 million won, respectively.

Immigration Enforcement Agent Shoots Civilian.

• An ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shot a civilian who refused inspection. The 39-year-old woman died from a head wound.
• Donald Trump (U.S. President) claimed she “intentionally struck ICE agents with her car,” but footage contradicts this. The agent approached a stopped vehicle, attempted to open the door, and fired at least two shots through the window as the car began moving.
• The incident occurred one mile from the site where George Floyd’s death sparked the Black Lives Matter protests.
• Related Link.

Buying Greenland Isn’t Easy.

• According to the Wall Street Journal’s estimates, it would require at least $12 billion and up to $1 trillion.
• The U.S. federal budget is around $7 trillion.
• Greenland is a Danish autonomous territory, so a local referendum would also be necessary.
• Even if the U.S. acquired Greenland, some argue the practical benefits would be limited. The U.S. already stations troops there. Rare earth mining companies have entered, but due to terrain and climate issues, extraction remains stalled.
• Politico analyzed, “Occupying Greenland, with its 57,000 people, would take less than 30 minutes militarily.” However, invading a NATO member—even for a loose cannon like Trump—would be a heavy burden.
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

Trump’s Rampage: Exiting 66 International Organizations.

• It withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and others.
• At a Republican House member retreat, he said, “We must win the midterms. If we don’t, the Democrats will find a reason to impeach me.”
• The saved funds will increase defense spending by 70%. “We will build the ‘dream military’ we’ve long deserved—a force that will keep us safe and secure, no matter the enemy,” he said.
• Trump already shut down the $40 billion annual budget U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) upon taking office and drastically reduced foreign aid.
• Related Link.

Dismantling the 78-Year-Old Counterintelligence Command.

• 1948년부터 특무부대와 보안사령부, 기무사령부 등으로 이름을 바꿔 살아남았던 방첩사령부를 없애기로 했다.
• It has survived since 1948 under names like the Special Investigation Unit, Security Command, and Defense Security Command. The decision is to finally abolish the Counterintelligence Command.
• 안보 수사와 동향 조사 등의 명목으로 민간인을 사찰하거나 정치에 개입하는 등 권력의 친위 부대 역할을 해 왔다.
• Under the guise of security investigations and monitoring, it has acted as a praetorian guard for power—surveilling civilians and meddling in politics.
• 문재인 정부에서도 기무사령부를 해체하려 했다가 방첩사로 이름만 바뀌었을 뿐 뿌리를 뽑지 못했다.
• Even the Moon Jae-in administration failed to uproot it, only renaming the Defense Security Command to the Counterintelligence Command.
• 윤석열 비상계엄 때는 여인형(당시 방첩사령관)이 정치인 체포조를 운영하는 등 주도적인 역할을 했다.
• During Yoon Suk-yeol’s emergency martial law, Yeo In-hyeong (then Counterintelligence Commander) led the arrest teams targeting politicians.

Another Take.

Asking Democratic Party Floor Leader Candidates.

• Park Jeong (Democratic Party lawmaker) opposed Kim Byung-ki’s (former Democratic Party floor leader) expulsion from the party.
• Han Byung-do (Democratic Party lawmaker) insisted, “A full investigation into the nomination fund allegations is necessary.”
• Baek Hye-ryeon (Democratic Party lawmaker) opposed, saying, “A full investigation is not realistically feasible,” while Jin Sung-jun (Democratic Party lawmaker) proposed, “We could consider investigating only the regions where allegations have been raised.”

Jeju Air Crash: All Could Have Survived Without the Concrete Embankment.

• It’s a report released after one year.
• The analysis suggests that if the localizer had been placed on a less rigid structure instead of the concrete embankment, casualties could have been significantly reduced.

Midnight Academy: Curtains Up for All-Night Study?

• Seoul’s city council is pushing to revise academy regulations to extend tutoring hours. With 75 of 112 members from the People Power Party, passage is likely.
• No demand came from academies or parents. Some academies already draw blackout curtains to keep classes running or have students study in affiliated reading rooms. Claims of Seoul being “reverse-discriminated” have also surfaced.
• According to the Korea Youth Policy Institute, 47% of South Korean high school students sleep less than six hours nightly.

Adrift: The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Planning and Budget Office.

• Lee Jae-myung’s government’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is not the revival of the 18-year-old Ministry of Finance and Economy. According to Lee Sang-min (researcher at the National Budget Research Institute), it is not even a split of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. It is merely a separation of budgetary functions.
• The history of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance is convoluted. It began in 1948 as the Planning Office and the Ministry of Finance, merged into the Ministry of Finance and Economy in 1994, split into the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Planning and Budget Office in 1998, and reintegrated into the Ministry of Strategy and Finance in 2008, reclaiming budgetary authority. Under Lee Jae-myung’s government, “the Ministry of Strategy and Finance acts like a king among ministries,” leading to the current system of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Planning and Budget Office.
• A Ministry of Economy and Finance official interviewed by the Seoul Shinmun said, “Policy coordination was much smoother when the budget office existed. Now, the atmosphere changes from the moment we pick up the phone,” adding, “We truly feel the weakened policy coordination power.”
• The Planning and Budget Office, also in turmoil due to the controversy surrounding Lee Hye-hoon (nominee for Planning and Budget Office Minister), is equally unsettled. One official remarked, “Experiencing leadership vacuums right after establishment inevitably weakens operational momentum.” Criticism also arises: “If someone this poorly self-managed takes office, the organizational burden will be immense.”
• Related Link.

Byelections Loom for Up to 20 Seats.

• Shin Young-dae (Democratic Party lawmaker) and Lee Byung-jin (Democratic Party lawmaker) received election law violation convictions nullifying their seats. Re-elections will be held in Jeonbuk Gunsan-Gimje-Buan Gap and Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek.
• Byelections will also be held in Incheon Gyeyang and Chungnam Asan to fill the vacancies left by Lee Jae-myong (President) and Kang Hoon-sik (Blue House Chief of Staff).
• Four vacancies have emerged in Democratic Party strongholds.
• Several other lawmakers may receive nullification rulings by April 30. Speculation suggests up to 20 byelections could occur. Some lawmakers may also resign to run for local government positions.
• Related Link.

The Fix.

Lazy Youth? The Frame Needs Changing.

• Other countries call them NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training)—a term grouping those not students, unemployed, and not actively seeking work.
• South Korea’s NEET rate was 18% in 2022, ranking third after Italy (23%) and Mexico (20%). The OECD average is 13%.
• Lee Sang-heon (ILO Director of Employment Policy) emphasized, “The framing is crucial.” “Calling it ‘resting’ shifts blame to individuals for unemployment struggles. In English, we say ‘inactive’—a neutral term. Objectively, we should ask: How can we help these people become active?”
• Lee also sees value in platforms like Coupang. The question must change: “Instead of asking, ‘Is this lifestyle acceptable or not?’ we should ask, ‘How can we ensure those doing socially necessary work receive fair income and stability?’”
• Related Link.

China’s Fine Dust Drops Sharply.

• China’s ultra-fine dust concentration fell from 50μg/m³ in 2015 to 33μg/m³ in 2020, and further to 29μg/m³ in 2024.
• Days with “good” fine dust levels in South Korea increased from 72 in 2015 to 235 in 2024.

Vanishing M-Curve? Marriage and Birth Rates Collapse.

• There is a truth not captured by statistics. The phenomenon where employment rates for women in their 20s and 30s plummet and then rise again in their 40s—called the M-curve—has shown a slight easing trend since 2020.
• The Korea Daily analyzed, “These women either did not marry, married very late, or postponed childbirth.” “It’s a survival strategy forced by unchanging gender discrimination,” the analysis concluded.

“We Only Realized This Recently.”.

• Kim Sung-hwan (Minister of Climate and Energy Environment) said, “South Korea’s east-west length is short, so the hours of sunlight are limited. Ideally, we’d want to power the entire country with renewable energy, but given the reality of ensuring stable power supply, it’s not easy.”
• The JoongAng Ilbo editorial analyzed, “Without nuclear power, it would be impossible to meet surging electricity demand, let alone overcome the inherent intermittency of renewables—a reality the government must have faced.” “With the government pledging to shut down coal plants by 2040, nuclear power remains the only realistic alternative,” the editorial argued.
• Related Link.
• Related Link.

Yoon Suk-yeol Government’s Nuclear Policy Remains Unchanged.

• It may be Chosun Ilbo’s wishful thinking, but the mood has clearly shifted. A key ruling party insider said, “We’ve decided not to overturn the nuclear power basic plan drafted during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.”
• Lee Jae-myung (President) called nuclear power “madness” in 2014, and in 2017 pledged to “pursue zero nuclear power.” In 2020, he labeled it a “ticking time bomb,” but in 2022 retreated slightly, saying, “It’s not about phasing out nuclear power but reducing it.” At his 100-day press conference last September, he stated, “Nuclear plants take 15 years to build and operate,” adding, “Renewables like wind and solar—which can supply power within 1–2 years—are what we need right now.”
• Related Link.

ICYMI.

“Physical AI’s ChatGPT Moment Has Arrived.”.

• Jensen Huang (NVIDIA CEO) said this.
• MarketUS forecasts that AI factories combining robots and AI will grow to $1.0215 trillion by 2032.
• There are also projections that the global robot market will eventually grow to twice the size of the automotive industry. This forecast assumes robots will replace 20% of industrial labor and that one robot will be deployed per household.
• Some analyses suggest we are moving beyond the hype of large language models (LLMs) and transitioning to world models that learn and reason about the physical laws of the real world. Yann LeCun (New York University professor) predicted, “World models will become the dominant model within 3–5 years,” adding, “No sane person will be using LLMs of this type anymore.”
• Related Link.

Arrest Warrant Sought for Jun Kwang-hoon.

• He is suspected of being the mastermind behind last January’s riot at Seoul Western District Court.
• Police allege that Jun Kwang-hoon (Pastor of Sarang Jeil Church) psychologically dominated his inner circle under the guise of religious devotion and incited the riot by funding conservative YouTubers.

Incheon Airport Passengers Reach 74.07 Million Last Year.

• It has recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Aircraft operations averaged 1,166 daily flights, totaling 430,000 annually.
• 425,760 flights took off and landed last year.
• Incheon International Airport Corporation’s 2023 revenue was 2.7447 trillion won, with a net profit of 756.7 billion won.
• Related Link.

Defenses Are Breached.

• Jeju Island’s Mosulpo Harbor auction volume has dropped to 43% of last year’s level.
• Auction prices have more than doubled.
• The Fisheries Act prohibits purse-seine fishing within 7,400 meters of Jeju’s main island. Yet mainland purse-seine fleets are sweeping the area with massive nets, depleting stocks.
• Calls for ethical intervention are growing.

Worth Reading.

The Lesson of the Choco Pie Incident.

• Stories must be told to bring change. If the media hadn’t exposed this case, it might have quietly passed.
• Kim Jeong-woo (Head of Hankook Ilbo’s Issue 365 Unit) pointed out, “Ultimately, we must voice criticism, monitoring, and checks—only then will they gradually change.”
• “Vested interests never voluntarily relinquish power first. Only under external pressure do they reluctantly accept change after resisting as long as possible. The rule of law is possible only when laws are interpreted, applied, and enforced within the boundaries of universal common sense.”
• The same applies to the rebellion trials. Conclusions must align with universal common sense.
• Related Link.

Presidents Know Little About Energy and Electricity.

• Woosuk Hoon’s (economist) assessment. “In ten years, today’s politicians will have mostly disappeared, and economic conditions will change—but issues like electricity, energy, and water remain constant,” he noted.
• While dismissing the Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex as “something companies should handle,” the question of how to secure water and electricity is a national-level issue.
• “What good is building factories if no viable power alternatives emerge during construction? Could Lee Jae-myung’s (President) popularity and execution capability make it possible? Still, I doubt it. What if we start mass-constructing nuclear plants now? Even setting aside social controversy, it’s a minimum ten-year timeline.”
• Related Link.