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John Lee Profile picture
John Lee
@koreanforeigner
Writer, podcaster, editor of @southkoreapro. Opinions here: solely mine. john.lee@nknews.org
Sep 13 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
People need to understand why many South Koreans view what happened in Georgia as a betrayal.

In the past, South Korea hedged between the U.S. and China (U.S. for security, China for economy). But at a certain point, Seoul stopped hedging, and it chose a side. It chose the U.S. It took a long time, but Seoul finally realized that China's hegemony, if not stopped, will have no room for South Korea. China became a competitor with massive economies of scale with which Korea could never reach parity. The 2017 THAAD row exposed how China really views Korea.
Dec 6, 2024 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
There are many things about Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to subvert democracy with his botched martial law declaration. This comprehensive timeline details everything that happened before Dec. 3, the night, and everything that followed since.

koreapro.org/2024/12/timeli… But one thing I want to point out is Yoon's use of the military to storm the National Assembly. The sight of ROK Army soldiers smashing windows to storm into the legislature - the lawmaking body that ensures that this country never goes back to dictatorship - was infuriating.
Nov 12, 2024 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
All right. I haven't done one of these long Twitter threads in a while, but here goes nothing.

Everyone gets why @MOFAkr_eng made this. There's no mystery there. And the pamphlet made some good points, but it's not very effective. So, I'm going to offer MOFA some advice for free!

First, "Forged in Blood" is a time tested phrase. And "A True Partner Improving and Enriching American Lives" may be correct, but these kinds of phrases may come across as pandering and insincere. Nobody likes a kiss ass!
Jun 1, 2022 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
A picture is worth a thousand words. The votes are not yet finalized, but as of right now, this is where the local election results are heading. Red is the People Power Party, and blue is the Minjoo Party. Five years ago, when President Park Geun-hye was impeached and imprisoned and the Saenuri Party was routed (it was later called Liberty Korea Party and now People Power Party), I was sure that it would be at least a decade before the conservatives would come back to power.
Jun 1, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
It appears that Kim Eun-hye is taking the lead in Gyeonggi province's gubernatorial race. The last person to hold that office was Lee Jae-myeong - the man who narrowly lost the presidential election to Yoon Suk-yeol. Kim Eun-hye was, briefly, Yoon Suk-yeol's spokesperson. President Yoon has to govern with a National Assembly that is heavily stacked against him. But, if the People Power Party picks up a bunch of local seats and governorships after tonight's votes are tallied, he might be able to claim to have a clearer mandate than before.
Jun 1, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
It's good that BTS spoke about this topic. But too much of the praise/criticism is US-centric. It's easy to point to the US now. Recent cases of gun violence against Asian Americans in the US are obviously a glaring example. But the US doesn't have a monopoly on anti-Asian hate. Anti-Asian hate can also be found in Europe, Australia, Russia, Africa, etc. But it can also be found within Asia. Many Asians hate other Asians, too, and commit violence against them.

Jun 1, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
But I bet they won't know who the South Korean president is even though we are allies, and South Korea is the much wealthier and more relevant Korea in every single way, shape, and form, save one - nuclear weapons. Truly depressing. 1) The US has 28,500 of its troops stationed here.
2) Biden came to South Korea first in his visit to Asia because of how important South Korea is to helping the US with semiconductors, microchips, and microprocessors.
3) South Korea is a strategic ally in US standoff with China.
May 29, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Canada has recently inquired South Korea if it could export 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells. Canada likely plans to supply those artillery shells to Ukraine. South Korea is considering it, and if it agrees, it will have indirectly armed Ukraine.

yna.co.kr/view/AKR202205… South Korea will likely agree to the request. Firstly, it was a request made by Canada, and it isn't asking for the rounds to be delivered for free. This is a business. Secondly, there are plenty of geoeconomic issues that give President Yoon Suk-yeol incentive to side with NATO.
May 29, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Shin Mina, a former member of a K-pop group called ILUV, has bulked up. That's impressive as hell, and I really need to get back to the gym.

fnnews.com/news/202205261… I don't know anything about her or the group. I just saw this news appear on my newsfeed.
May 28, 2022 • 23 tweets • 6 min read
There isn't a single word in this tweet that is even remotely true. A short thread with just a few examples of why not a single word in that tweet is even remotely true.

1a) China threatens India:

ft.com/content/01069e…
May 27, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I can't bring myself to read about another American mass shooting news story. The victims' names change, but everything else is the same. The impotent outrage, the pitiful defense of guns, the never-changing status quo, the receding rage, rinse, wash, repeat. Nothing changes. I've lost count how many times I've heard the same con peddling this same exact bullshit.

May 20, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
True. But this goes both ways. Most South Koreans don't have a developed view of Southeast Asia, either. We've treated them as either markets from which we import resources for our manufacturing industries or markets to export our entertainment products. Not much else in between. Sure, business is great. Who doesn't like business? But we also need genuine cultural exchanges that go beyond the Mnet Asian Music Awards. And I think that's been lacking.
May 19, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
South Korean progressives don't like Milton Friedman much, but I for one welcome a bit more injection of Friedmanite thought into our politics. Too many of Friedman's critics argue against things he either wouldn't have supported or are far too selective in their criticism. Friedman didn't get everything right, and he neglected injustices by focusing so much on liberty. Anti-discrimination is one example of those things that Friedman got wrong.
May 18, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I mean, okay, sure, this is cool. I have no problems with South Korea joining IPEF. But IPEF is largely substance-free and mostly aspirational. And unless it's ratified by the US Senate, the next POTUS can cancel it just as Trump did with the TPP. I get why South Korea is making a bigger deal of IPEF now. Yoon is meeting Biden in a couple of days, and they want to put forward a positive spin to the meeting. And a relatively substance-free and aspirational trade agreement is an easy way to do that.
May 18, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
President Yoon Suk-yeol will take part in a ceremony later today to mark the 42nd anniversary of the May 1980 Pro-Democracy Movement. He will also take part in a singalong of "March of the Beloved," the pro-democracy movement's anthem. The sing-along was unexpected. It would be the first time that a sitting conservative South Korean president would sing that song. It's even more amazing that President Yoon has ordered every member of the People Power Party to attend the ceremony.
Apr 8, 2022 • 18 tweets • 4 min read
I've said it before, and I will say it again. South Koreans ≠ Korean Americans. For information about South Korea, listen to South Koreans. Korean Americans - regardless of their political ideologies or affiliations - don't speak for us. I don't care if it is Nodutdol or Tara O or anyone in between. South Koreans ≠ Korean Americans or any other Korean diaspora.

What is their nationality? Not the Republic of Korea? Where do they live? Not South Korea? Then they're not us.
Apr 7, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
The media has learned nothing from Trump. Trump spent years saying that everything the news said about him was fake. And the media ate it up. And Trump convinced legions that there was nothing to believe. Russian officials are now doing the same thing. Trump and Putin and others like them are playing the same game. They don't care about getting people to believe in one narrative over another. Their goal is to pile up lie after lie so high that the lies choke everyone. So that no one believes in anything. They want to end truth.
Apr 7, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
"FBI Director Chris Wray told reporters the FBI, with court approval, secretly reached into thousands of routers and firewall appliances to delete the malware and reconfigure the devices."

I feel conflicted about this.
reuters.com/world/us-fbi-s… On one hand, preventing cyber-attacks is a very good thing. The US government first told private companies about the issue, but less than half listened to the warning. So, the US government got involved. All of that sounds great.
Apr 5, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
"South Korea has finally picked a side."

Have we? While we did join sanctions against Russia, it's clear that we did it reluctantly. Have we spoken up for North Korean human rights? Have we spoken up for the people of Myanmar?

I am not so optimistic.

rabbitholemag.com/hold/?mepr-una… President Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer, has done everything he could to placate dictators and tyrants at the expense of human rights and of standing up for democratic principles.

Will President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol be better? I hope so. But we'll see.
Mar 15, 2022 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Lieutenant Ken Rhee is still alive. He posted on his Instagram page a message before deleting it. His deleted message said:

1) I'm alive.
2) My men have safely withdrawn from Ukraine.
3) I'm by myself. There's a lot of work to do.

news.jtbc.joins.com/html/932/NB120… 4) Stop spreading fake news.
5) There will be no further updates until my mission is complete.
6) Don't contact me. I'm busy fighting.

Message will be deleted shortly.

Regarding fake news, there were rumors that Rhee had died.
Mar 15, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I don't see any reason why President Moon Jae-in would pardon former President Lee Myung-bak. Pardoning former President Park Geun-hye was one thing. There were apparently health issues she was suffering from. Lee appears to be healthy. Why would Moon pardon Lee and sully his reputation even further? Instead, he could just let the task of pardoning Lee fall onto President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol. That way, Moon would be able to put a stumbling block on Yoon's way right out of the gate. A final "fuck you."