this post was submitted on 07 May 2026
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[–] AccoSpoot1@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Inside you there are two Koreas. Both are hell.

[–] tobebannedbygaymods@lemmy.zip 15 points 6 days ago (4 children)

wasn't south Korea originally not even a democracy , but a collection of Ruling Elite families backed by the US ?

[–] AccoSpoot1@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago

Standard US client state then?

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

No it was a military dictatorship. What you're talking about is how it is now.

[–] comfy@lemmy.ml 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Yep, it's presently a hard ultracapitalist oligopoly dominated by four companies, with the last two presidents impeached, the first of the two was groomed by a cult.

But this is the Sixth Korean Republic. After the initial US military dictatorship, there have been many cases of SK military dictatorship, the most recent one being 1979-1987 I believe.

so they modeled it after the US?

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Back to being a banana Republic. Guess there was a modern a decade or two

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

You can jump out of one without running through mines

[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 30 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Police stated that a suicide note was found on the clothes Judge Shin was wearing at the time of his death. The note reportedly contained the message, “I’m sorry. I’m leaving on my own.” It is said that the note did not mention the trial related to Ms. Kim’s case. However, Judge Shin was known to have recently confided in acquaintances about stress caused by the trial. A legal industry insider said, “He might have felt a heavy burden due to handling a case that drew significant public attention.”

/.../

Police believe he fell to his death after entering the rooftop after 5:05 p.m. on the previous day (5th). However, as there is no CCTV installed on the rooftop of the Seoul High Court building, police are still determining the exact time of death.

Source

Handwriting analysis would be appropriate, and would settle doubts if some do exist.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Sane theory: the judge took his own life from the stretch.

Reasonably suspicious theory: he was murdered.

Comedy of errors theory: the suicide note is entirely genuine and sincer. The judge did intend to kill himself. However, he was murdered before he could carry it out!

[–] EpeeGnome@feddit.online 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

To me, the line “I’m sorry. I’m leaving on my own.” implies that he was given the option of suicide, or something far worse, and he made his choice.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Sure. But it's much funnier to imagine an assassin going to great lengths to plot a murder, when if they had just done absolutely nothing, the result would be exactly the same.

[–] EpeeGnome@feddit.online 2 points 6 days ago

Fair enough. Since we don't really know, we can choose any plausible explanation.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Handwriting analysis

Is a sketchy field on a good day. My handwriting would go to shit if I was banging something out moments before my death, one way or another.

[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 169 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Police said they do not suspect foul play.

Sure. High profile judges frequently drop dead without warning... Nothing to see here

[–] cecilkorik@piefed.ca 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It was probably just stress. /s

[–] clucose@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] eleijeep@piefed.social 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Probably left a fan on in his bedroom.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I'm actually curious if anyone has any info on South Korea. I know about the fan death belief. And I also know of South Korea's history with dictatorship. But in real life, have the two ever crossed? Has fan death ever actually been used to cover up a political murder?

[–] RelativeArea1@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

considering SK people has been known for its high suicide rate, its probably suicide....~~with 13 gunshots on the back of the head.~~

edit: it seems like he got the russian "suddenly fell out of nowhere" treatment 😐

[–] redsand@infosec.pub 1 points 6 days ago

Ah. Trevor Moore's Favorite.

[–] wheezy@lemmy.ml 38 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Amazingly vague details. Some healthy person is found dead in a public building with no report on cause of death. Yeah. If you know the history of this former leader, her family, they are historically connected to the fascist regime of post WW2 Korea. Which were mostly supported directly and indirectly fascist Japan and America.

Really feels like a means of the far right in South Korea using a political assassination, especially as the current leadership of South Korea is farther left than it has been in awhile.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I imagine many reporters wouldn't be too eager to dig too deeply into a story like this. If the hypothetical murderers can get to a high profile judge, who has enough power to literally sentence former national leaders? If you can get through that person's security, what hope does a reporter have of staying safe if they uncover something they shouldn't?

[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The Manhwas i read are actually completely realistic? Wowzers! Dudes out here with a private military unit just killing anyone who displeases them.

[–] throws_lemy@lemmy.nz 18 points 1 week ago

The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) has been involved in several controversial cases in the past, including the assassination of President Park Chung-hee.

In some crime themed manhwa, the NIS is also portrayed as a terrifying organization in the eyes of the police and the public.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 92 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Probably went to sleep with the fan on.

[–] Sabata11792@ani.social 22 points 6 days ago

2 fans to the back of the head.

[–] inkblade@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The Republic of Samsung--an outpost of the USA. Heavy corruption is to be expected.

[–] frebib@social.nerdhouse.io 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not everything is about the USofA. There are literally hundreds of other countries in the world. This is an article about Korea written by a British media outlet. Please

[–] inkblade@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Is S.Korea not an outpost of the USofA?

[–] finallymadeanaccount@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (4 children)

FTA: "Police said they do not suspect foul play".

Is that the usual news-speak for avoiding the word 'suicide', or corrupt police making things up?

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 10 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Maybe.....Some countries, like Japan, have an extremely high murder conviction rate. They do this by not labeling it a murder unless they find the murderer and enough evidence.

I don't know if that is the same case in SK, but it could be an admin think until they know more.

[–] MisterFrog@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Japan, have an extremely high murder conviction rate. They do this by not labeling it a murder unless they find the murderer and enough evidence.

Press X to doubt that their false conviction rate is actually significantly lower

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

They do this by not labeling it a murder unless they find the murderer and enough evidence.

See that makes too much sense. A crazier theory would be more fun!

I know! It turns out that Japanese people are just really, really hard to kill. They're ultra durable. Must be the food or something. The murder rate is low because it's just incredibly physically difficult to kill a Japanese person with violence. In fact, Japan didn't actually have an army in WW2. It was just one Japanese guy that went nuts and started rampaging across the Western Pacific. It took the atomic bomb to finally stop him.

Why else did we build the bomb? To flatten cities? No. That's just what it took to stop the bastard!

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

They do this by not labeling it a murder unless they find the murderer and enough evidence.

They also have a court system comically stacked in favor of the prosecution.

Uh, no, that would be no foul play. It means being murdered.

[–] CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

Maybe they don’t suspect it, cause they know it?

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

This has been the proper phrasing since the beginning of police and newspapers.

[–] eldoom@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 week ago

Oh man is their entire government going to explode with some over the top insane tinfoil hat conspiracy come to life again?