Jack Greenberg (그린버그 잭)

I have not been to Kanazawa, but it looks fantastic. Somewhere else to add to my list for future travels.

Wolmyeongsa, a neighbourhood temple in Hoehyeon (near the foot of Namsan) recently performed a special Cheondojae rite for Jeju 4.3 that involved hanging the names of 4990 gov’t-recognized victims on the altar. A banner bearing the names has also been hung on the building itself.

Wrote a reflection on Substack about Jangheung's Borimsa. On the surface it is a beautiful temple; home to several designated treasures. What the casual visitor won't necessarily perceive is its tragic Korean War history w/ civilians caught btw state & guerrilla violence. Link: shorturl.at/brxO8

Congratulations! Looks fascinating, and I can't wait to read it!

I don’t get down there too often, but I had some time to kill before taking the ferry to Shimonoseki earlier this month. Will try to go back maybe this Spring to look into some coastal tunnels dug during wartime mobilization.

Wandering alleys in Busan’s Jung-gu, I stumbled upon 정오사 in a Japanese style colonial house. It had a striking painting of Avalokiteshvara. 대승불교회 established a temple here in 1977, but in 1991 ownership of the premises was transferred to the Jogye Order’s 12th Diocese.

Was in Gyeongsan’s Namsan-myeon today to dig deeper into the history of a 1944 uprising against forced mobilization under Japanese occupation. Visited one of the leader’s children, and was treated to a delicious homemade meal and tea. At 80, she still keeps a lovely house filled with plants.

443 days...

Now updated with the verdicts delivered this afternoon. While Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment with labour in the first trial, the court also sentenced five co-defendants to prison terms and found two not guilty.

Ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The court holds that Yoon’s martial law fundamentally undermined democracy, and sentences him to life imprisonment.

Yoon’s role as the central leader is recognized.

Yoon and ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun guilty of insurrection with intent to disrupt the constitutional order.

However, in this case the court recognizes that imposing martial law was chosen as the means through which to send the military into the National Assembly.

Court says that mobilizing the military to the National Assembly constitutes insurrection with the aim of subverting the Constitution. The declaration of martial itself does not constitute treason. If the intent of martial law is to paralyze constitutional institutions, it is treason.

It has rejected the special prosecution’s charge that Yoon began preparing martial law up to 1 year in advance with the goal of instituting long-term dictatorship. The core of the case centers on the deployment of military forces to the National Assembly.

The court is currently delivering the verdict in Yoon’s insurrection case. It confirms that Yoon sought to obstruct and paralyze the National Assembly with the aim of preventing its functioning for a considerable period of time.

Chronology: Yoon Seok Yeol's 12.3 Martial Law and Fallout. Having a hard time keeping track of what has happened in South Korea since Yoon declared martial law on December 3, 2024?

Keeping track of all the developments since Yoon declared martial law isn't easy. However, I've been maintaining a chronology on my site, and it covers most key details. Hope it is helpful to others interested! I'll update it again after today's verdicts.
jackwgreenberg.substack.com/p/chronology...

So far, the Central District Court has issued sentences in separate trials to the following martial law actors: Yoon Seok-yeol (5 yrs - abuse of power), ex-PM Han Duck-soo (23 yrs - aiding insurrection), and ex-Interior Minister Lee Sang-min (7 yrs - aiding insurrection).

Only a few hours left until the verdict in Yoon Seok-yeol's insurrection trial. It will be televised nationally and will take place in the same courtroom that issued a death sentence to dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who Yoon praised, when he was a presidential contender, for conducting state affairs well.

Climbing to Gatbawi never gets old. Have now lost track of how many times I’ve visited. Always awed by the beauty of the Medicine Buddha statue and how it was carved here so long ago. Performed 108 bows too. A nice way to end the Seollal holiday.

새해를 맞아 가정에 평안과 행복이 가득하시길 기원합니다. 올 한 해도 건강하시길 바랍니다. 새해 복 많이 받으세요!!

Wandered into another wonderful library without any prior knowledge of its history YDA. Kitakyushu City Central Library was designed by Pritzker Prize winner Arata Isozaki and completed in 1974. The exterior doubled for Musashino Library, the Library Defense Force HQ, in the Toshokan Sensō films.

As news of diver Wei Hsu’s death was communicated, a makeshift altar was set up in front of the mine entrance with his picture. These bright flowers that earlier lay before the memorial for the 183 victims were placed down again to honor his selfless sacrifice.

Terrible, heartbreaking news from here in Ube. As this morning’s memorial came to its conclusion, Taiwanese diver Wei Hsu suffered cardiac arrest and lost consciousness underwater. He was transported to hospital and later pronounced dead. All dives from tomorrow onwards are indefinitely suspended.

Today a memorial ceremony is being held at the space of remembrance near Tokonami Fishing Port. Despite cold winds and rain, many locals and Korean visitors have joined bereaved families in participating. We’re nearing the end now and the names of all 183 victims are being read aloud.

I am hopeful more remains will be found during this weekend’s dives, and that both the Japanese and Korean government will realize now is the time to pitch in for recovery efforts, not only DNA testing.

A group of bereaved family members from both countries were there to greet the remains. This is the second skull recovered, following the first last August. Staring at it with my own eyes brought tears, especially imagining that it could belong to one of the victims from Yeongcheon.

183 workers were killed, including 136 Koreans mobilized for labour under Japanese colonization. At 3:30 P.M., a team of international divers returned to the shore carrying a victim’s skull and a few smaller fragments, including teeth.

The underwater mine is located off the coast of Ube City in Yamaguchi Prefecture. A man-made mining disaster happened here 84 years ago, on February 2, 1942. The mining company’s negligence caused a tunnel leak that flooded the mine about one kilometer offshore.