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South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

theguardian.com

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Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#151

Post by yongjik »

DANmode wrote: post #142
yongjik wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Two Korean presidents were sentenced to death and were pardoned in the 90s. The important context is that these two presidents were Chun Doo-hwan and his successor Roh Tae-Woo, who led the military coup of December 12th (1979), seizing power, and then sending paratroopers to murder hundreds of civilians to quash public protest in the uprising of Gwangju (1980). They weren't your garden variety corrupt politicians.…

“Chickening out” is a much more complicated issue than you’re making it (especially for that class of people).

It was also a "complicated issue" for 300 lawmakers of Korea on the night of the martial law declaration, especially since they had so little information and had only hours to act. For all they knew, Yoon could be starting a war, or sending troops to murder everyone in the capitol. Those who jumped the fence on that night did so not knowing when (or whether) they could go home.

Enough of them did, and that's why Yoon's insurrection failed.

Biden had his sweet four years to ponder on the matter, and the worst that could realistically happen to him was that people would say mean things about him. He has no one else to blame for his failure to send Trump to prison.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#152

Post by tinfoilhatter »

gunapologist99 wrote: post #131
tinfoilhatter wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fairly certain that in the cases you mentioned, the people doing the jailing / penalizing are also guilty of crimes and at the very least, violating public trust. Seems to me like more tit for tat politicking.

Prosecuting political opponents is convenient and very effective, especially if friendly parties control most of the media as well.

Agreed! In my experience, politicians are rarely prosecuted for the crimes they commit unless there is some benefit for the political opposition. Even then, they're usually let off the hook eventually. In reality, most politicians are on the same team, serving the same goals. Any semblance of opposition is kayfabe meant to convince the populace they have a choice, when in reality they do not.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#153

Post by vkou »

throwworhtthrow wrote: post #137
cthalupa wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we want to include additional details, perhaps add the ones that explain why she was shot (Violently breaking into an area being secured by capitol police that directly lead to the congresscritters) and not irrelevant ones like her status as a veteran.

After Renee Good was killed, I re-evaluated my opinion on Ashli Babbitt's killing and I have more sympathy for her now.

One was killed on the street, as she was leaving a protest, the other was killed while trying to break into a secure area of the capital during an attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power after an election.

I think your admission says a lot more about you than it does about either of the two women.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#154

Post by OutOfHere »

jalapenoj wrote: post #138
OutOfHere wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends whether the jailing and imprisonment is arbitrary or for cause. Any attempt of mounting an insurrection, however harebrained, 100% qualifies as valid reason for a lifetime sentence.

That’s silly criteria, the tyrant will find a cause. “Give me the man and I will give you the case against him." It’s just not a good idea to arrest your political rivals. Trump didn’t arrest Hillary Clinton.

Did Hillary Clinton mount an insurrection? No, she did not. Well, Trump did, and it's legally unforgivable.

Fwiw, Hillary Clinton did sabotage the Democratic party, burning the chances of Bernie Sanders, but that's very different from trying to overthrow an election by force.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#155

Post by PearlRiver »

yongjik wrote: post #151
DANmode wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Chickening out” is a much more complicated issue than you’re making it (especially for that class of people).

It was also a "complicated issue" for 300 lawmakers of Korea on the night of the martial law declaration, especially since they had so little information and had only hours to act. For all they knew, Yoon could be starting a war, or sending troops to murder everyone in the capitol. Those who jumped the fence on that night did so not knowing when (or whether) they could go home. Enough of them did, and that's why Yoon…

It is actually wild seeing people defend him.

This insurgency was literally going to suspend democracy and lead to people getting arrested. It is incredibly disturbing so many want a dictator. It disgusts me.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#156

Post by PearlRiver »

petre wrote: post #33
loudmax wrote: post #3

This is the correct way to handle a former president who tries to mount an anti-democratic insurrection.

He'll eventually get pardoned like presideng Park and the Samsung crown prince , Lee Jae-yong. But he'll probably do 10 or 15 years anyway.

There is a difference between corruption and treason. I am against the death penalty but in this case the man should have been shot. Just like the Netherlands and Norway did away with their traitors after WW2. A line has to be drawn somewhere.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#157

Post by jjtheblunt »

n1b0m wrote: post #143
jjtheblunt wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is the only attempted coup d'état directed towards the Federal government in the history of the United States. The Civil War in the early 1860s doesn't count because they just wanted to secede?

The Civil War wasn't really a coup because the South wasn't trying to take over Washington D.C. or run the Federal government. A coup is usually a quick, behind the scenes power grab by a small group of people trying to unseat a leader. What happened in the 1860s was the exact opposite: it was a massive, public breakup where entire states voted to leave.

the post war assassination of Lincoln was, in a tiny sense, a delusion of coup, perhaps.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#158

Post by rambojohnson »

agentifysh wrote: post #71

He'll be pardoned and released by the next election cycle, remember 2 presidents were even sentenced to death at one point. I'm reading the comments here and surprised by the lack of depth of assessing Korea's history of prosecuting its presidents and most of you are just regurgitating what's reported in mainstream news that is echoed by Korean mainstream news which cannot give you a neutral impartial view on the sit…

in America, he would have been given a second term.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#159

Post by vx_r »

Clearly a lot of people doesn't get the multi-layered political play that is going on. I am not going to say much because people sometimes do not want to know the truth. Simply look at how North Korea and China friendly current government is. The both political parties are a joke at the moment. Do you guys know that North Korea's actual name includes 'Democratic' in it? That is what is going on.

Re: South Korean ex president Yoon Suk Yeol jailed for life for leading insurrection

#160

Post by kelipso »

tinfoilhatter wrote: post #106
mschuster91 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Israel sent a former prime minister to prison. Ukraine has had many an anti-corruption sweep ever since the Russians invaded. France denied le Pen electability due to misappropriating EU funds.

I'm fairly certain that in the cases you mentioned, the people doing the jailing / penalizing are also guilty of crimes and at the very least, violating public trust. Seems to me like more tit for tat politicking.

Bush is the most obvious example and he never got near a prison.
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