Korea Kontext

Who will lead the reinvention of the conservative party? One sentence grabbed my attention as I skimmed the official pamphlets for the June 3rd local election that arrived in my mailbox: “Party does not count; vote for the right person!” (You can easily guess to which party this candidate belongs.) It was a rare admission of weakness from a conservative contender.

I had several opportunities to talk about South Korea’s media landscape and freedom of the press recently. While preparing my talking points, it crossed my mind that I could use them for this newsletter too. Just like everywhere in the world, the media is politicians’ favorite punching bag. In overdramatic rhetoric, President Lee again condemned the press for attempting an “honor killing”—what he actually meant would be character assassination—of him with “fabricated” stories.

Little is known about what’s happening inside the Constitutional Court. As speculation fills this information void, chaos ensues. Some claim the court is deliberately delaying the process. Others suggest the judges will now feel free to rule against Yoon’s impeachment since Minjoo leader Lee Jae-myung has been acquitted of violating election law. The nation’s contradictions were given a contrast boost. Self-styled “conservatives” now champion martial law in the name of defending liberal democracy.