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Raphael Rashid Profile picture
Raphael Rashid
@koryodynasty
Seoul-based freelance journalist. 라파엘 라시드 | 프리랜서 기자 | '우리가 보지 못한 대한민국' 저자 | 서울 거주. raphael@rashid.kr / koryodynasty@proton.me
Oct 9 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
1/ LATEST: S. Korea data centre fire catastrophe. Two weeks on, the scale is still staggering. 858TB of government work files permanently lost with no backup. A government official has died. Gov admitted they miscounted affected systems by 62. Only 27% of systems restored. 2/ The G-Drive catastrophe: 858TB of civil servants' work files completely destroyed. Cloud storage system had no backup because officials said there were "too many small files to backup in real time". Some backup disks existed but burned in the same room. biz.chosun.com/topics/topics_…
Oct 8 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
1/ Is Chosun Ilbo becoming a MAGA mouthpiece? Today, South Korea's biggest conservative paper made its top headline an essay deifying Charlie Kirk, complete with warnings about "radical-left dictatorships", framing the US-ROK alliance through shared Christian faith. Image 2/ The article reads more like a sermon. It casts Kirk as a Christian martyr, warns that leftists "turn democracy into dictatorship", and folds Korea's liberal government, birth rate crisis and immigration policy into the same global "radical left" threat. chosun.com/politics/2025/…
Oct 3 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
1/ The far-right anti-China hate protest I witnessed today in Seoul represents a dangerous spillover of what's been simmering in South Korea since Yoon's failed martial law. This isn't fringe anymore. It's metastasising into something broader, younger, and deeply alarming. 2/ Thousands gathered in the streets of Seoul today, singing racist chants to the effect of "chinks get the fuck out" and "Yoon is our president", waving "We are Charlie Kirk" balloons, massive "Stop the Steal" flags, US flags, "Korea for Koreans" slogans, and Christian symbols. Image
Image
Oct 1 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
1/ On Armed Forces Day today, President Lee Jae Myung reiterated his push for self-reliant defence and tech-driven military transformation, while emphasising that the US-ROK alliance is fundamental, framing self-reliance as leading within the alliance, not replacing it. Image 2/ Lee opened by thanking US Forces Korea and the UN Command for preserving peace on the Korean Peninsula. He stated South Korea has a "solid ROK-U.S. alliance" and "reliable nuclear deterrent based on that partnership." Image
Sep 27 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
1/ South Korea is currently suffering a catastrophic digital infrastructure failure after a government data centre fire, highlighting a growing realisation that the country's digital security architecture is built on a castle of sand with no proper backup systems. Image 2/ The fire started at 8:15pm yesterday at the National Information Resources Service main centre in Daejeon during routine maintenance to move uninterruptible power supply batteries underground. One disconnected battery then caught fire. news1.kr/local/moi/5927…
Sep 21 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
1/ Tomorrow, the leader of the controversial Unification Church could be arrested.

Here's what we know ahead of the arrest warrant hearing: Image 2/ Han Hak-ja (also known as Hak Ja Han Moon) is the widow of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon and has led the global movement since his death in 2012. She faces charges including bribery, embezzlement and obstruction of justice. yna.co.kr/view/AKR202509…
Sep 21 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
1/ Posting on Facebook, President Lee Jae Myung said South Korea must shed the "submissive thinking" (굴종적 사고) that it cannot defend itself without foreign troops, vowing a shift to a smaller, tech-driven "smart force" and "complete independent defence posture." Image 2/ Lee outlined his vision: "AI combat robots capable of autonomous detection, judgement, targeting and firing, armed autonomous drones, ultra-precision attack and defence missiles" where "50 personnel can easily handle not just 100 enemies, but thousands or tens of thousands."
Sep 16 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
1/ Shocking new testimonies reveal systematic torture-like abuse at Georgia ICE facility on Korean workers: pregnant woman fearing for unborn child, handcuff burns, forced medical injections without consent, and staff neglecting workers having seizures and medical collapses. Image
Image 2/ Yonhap News TV obtained exclusive photos showing a Korean worker's wrist from the Georgia detention facility. The images reveal clear red burn marks caused by handcuffs/cable ties. Worker testified that "quite a few people" suffered similar injuries. yonhapnewstv.co.kr/news/MYH202509…
Sep 14 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
1/ A repatriated Korean worker from the Hyundai-LG battery factory secretly wrote a detention diary about their 7-day experience in ICE custody in Georgia. The worker says ICE officers mocked them with words like as "North Korea" and "Rocket Man" despite holding a business visa. 2/ The worker held a B1 visa for a 2-month work meetings and training trip. They were body-searched while wearing hard hat and safety boots at 10am on 4 September. ICE gave arrest warrant forms at 1:20pm with no explanation and no Miranda rights were read. Image
Sep 9 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
1/ UPDATE regarding Google's Korean map saga: Google announced today it will remove latitude/longitude coordinates for ALL *South Korean* locations from Google Maps globally IF granted mapping data permission from the Korean gov. Not just sensitive sites but the entire territory. Image 2/ This goes far beyond Google's previous offer to blur sensitive facilities. The transport ministry has confirmed to me that they did indeed make this request for "national security" reasons but did not elaborate on the specifics. theguardian.com/world/2025/aug…
Sep 8 • 19 tweets • 5 min read
1/ S. Korea's entire media establishment across political spectrum has united in unprecedented editorial consensus expressing profound betrayal, outrage, national humiliation, and fundamental breach of US-ROK alliance re: mass arrest of Korean workers at Hyundai's Georgia plant. 2/ The general sentiment: while Korean media occasionally unite on domestic issues, these are usually severely politicised. Here, the level of scorn spanning from conservative establishment to progressive outlets is extraordinarily rare. They are furious.
Sep 6 • 19 tweets • 7 min read
1/ Something that's not being reported much re: ICE crackdown at Hyundai-LG Georgia battery factory: Korean companies investing billions cannot get proper visas, are then criminalised for bringing skilled workers to fill gaps American labour cannot.

Sentiment is one of betrayal. 2/ The language in local media is visceral.

Chosun Ilbo: "Built tens of trillions [KRW] factories for America... to then get slapped as illegal immigrants."

News1: "Told us to invest, then treated us as illegal immigrants." This isn't about law, it's about perceived duplicity. Image
Image
Sep 5 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
US authorities have reportedly detained 450 workers at Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site in Georgia yesterday, including over 30 South Koreans said to have legitimate visas. Seoul has expressed concern and says Korean nationals' rights "must not be unjustly violated." Image The detained South Koreans at the Ellabell facility are said to be on B1 business visas or ESTA waivers for meetings and contracts. Foreign Ministry has dispatched consuls to the scene and "conveyed concerns and regrets" to the US embassy in Seoul. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN202509…
Sep 4 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
1/ A South Korean parliamentary committee has passed expanded special prosecutor laws that would mandate live TV broadcasts of ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law trial, citing "public interest" in seeing proceedings for "grave state crimes". yna.co.kr/view/AKR202509… 2/ The laws target three major issues/ongoing investigations: Yoon's December martial law attempt (insurrection), corruption allegations against his wife Kim Keon Hee, and the controversial death of a marine during flood rescue operations.
Aug 8 • 23 tweets • 8 min read
1/ Google Maps doesn't function properly in South Korea. You can see restaurants and landmarks, but can't get walking or driving directions. Authorities have for 18 years refused Google's requests to export detailed mapping data.

That could all change next week.

Full details: Image 2/ South Korea is one of only 3 places globally where Google Maps doesn't work properly - alongside China and North Korea. It's a grievance that many foreign tourists face when coming to the country.

My article in the Guardian: theguardian.com/world/2025/aug…
Jun 9 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
1/ South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung is reportedly considering appointing his own criminal defence lawyer as a Constitutional Court justice whilst facing a constitutional question over whether his ongoing trials can even continue. koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/202… 2/ Lee Jae-myung faces five ongoing criminal cases including election law violations, perjury, and alleged illegal payments to North Korea. But there's a big constitutional question mark over whether these trials can proceed at all.
May 26 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
1/ Conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo is desperately trying to distance himself from his far-right extremist past, but evidence reveals years of close collaboration with South Korea's most notorious radical preacher.

2/ In January 2020, Kim Moon-soo co-founded the Liberty Unification Party with Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, leader of the extremist Sarang Jeil Church. Kim served as party leader whilst Jeon provided the ideological foundation and grassroots network. Image
May 22 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
1/ South Korea prosecutors suspect a disgraced ex-military intelligence commander turned fortune teller actually wrote Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration. Roh Sang-won visited defence minister's home 20+ times before 3 December martial law, including daily in final 4 days. 2/ Roh was dishonourably discharged from the military in 2018 following a sexual harassment incident and subsequently became a fortune teller. Despite this, he allegedly acted as an unofficial adviser to former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.
May 15 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
1/ South Korea's opposition party has alleged that Judge Ji Gui-yeon, who's overseeing disgraced ex-president Yoon's insurrection trial, received improper entertainment at a room salon. They're demanding his immediate removal and a formal investigation. imnews.imbc.com/news/2025/poli… 2/ For context: "Room salons" in South Korea are exclusive entertainment venues where male clients pay premium prices for private rooms with hostesses who pour drinks and provide "companionship" and sometimes sexual services. They operate in legal grey areas.
Apr 3 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
1/ S. Korea is treating Trump's 25% tariff announcement as a national emergency, with Acting President Han Duck-soo mobilising an all-government response.

"The situation is very grave with the approach of the reality of a global tariff war", Han said. koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-04-0… 2/ With Trump declaring April 2 as "Liberation Day" for American industry, South Korean officials are scrambling to develop strategies to protect the country's $128 billion in exports to the US, which generated a $55.7 billion trade surplus last year.
Mar 28 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
1/ A few weeks after President Yoon declared martial law in December, I was able to read a military document detailing how martial law would have worked... has it been successful.

The content was so disturbing that I still have nightmares about it. 2/ This wasn't just a "warning" to the opposition as Yoon claims. The manual reveals extensive control measures had martial law been successful, including an extensive permit system for going out at night and driving.