Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have intensified since the United States began to transfer nuclear equipment to East Asia. After South Korea and North Korea successively tore up the "Panmunjom Declaration Military Agreement", the DPRK apparently lost patience and was no longer willing to continue to play a hypocritical game with South Korea, and began to gather the main forces and equipment on the 38th parallel. However, at a time when the situation on the peninsula is in extreme danger, South Korea is in chaos. According to the latest news from the Global Times, the three main leaders of South Korea's "National Intelligence Service", including President Kim Kyu-hyun, the first Chang Kwon Chun-taek, and the second Chang Kim Su-yeon, have submitted resignation letters to the Blue House. This is also the most important change in the leadership of an important department since Yoon Suk-yeol took office.
At present, South Korea** has not officially responded to the collective resignation of the leadership of the intelligence agency. However, against the backdrop of the current extremely tense and uncertain situation on the peninsula, the collective resignation of the leadership of the intelligence agencies has triggered widespread speculation and associations.
The main speculation in South Korea focuses on three areas. The first is speculation about conflicts within the intelligence agencies, and that there is a great deal of exchange of interests and "personal sophistication" in personnel appointments. After Yoon Suk-yeol came to power, he installed some cronies to the intelligence agencies, such as Cho Sang-joon, the head of the "Planning and Management Office" of the Intelligence Agency, who was a close confidant of Yoon Suk-yeol during his time as a prosecutor, which exacerbated internal personnel conflicts.
The second speculation is a desperate reaction to the current situation, unwilling to be blamed. In the face of the weakening influence of the United States in international affairs, Yoon Suk-yeol continued to "kneel and lick" the United States, not only ceding South Korea's national interests, but also deepening the strategic ties between the United States and South Korea. In the face of the escalation of the situation on the peninsula, North Korea has shown signs of moving troops, which directly threatens the survival of South Korea.
The third speculation is to "preserve yourself". At present, South Korea's economy continues to decline, and several key manufacturing industries have been squeezed by China to the point where there is nowhere to go. The shipbuilding industry and the automobile industry have withered, and the semiconductor industry is also in trouble due to the strategic deployment of the United States. Faced with this situation, Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating continued to decline, and the leadership of the intelligence agency may have chosen to leave early in order to avoid being accused of having an intimate relationship with the "former **".
It is noteworthy that not so long ago, the Minister of Defense of South Korea claimed in an interview that in the event of an escalation of the situation on the peninsula, South Korea would not only "completely defeat" the DPRK, but also retaliate against countries that supported the North, which seemed to be an allusion to China. Such remarks may have panicked those in South Korea's intelligence agencies.
Speaking of South Korea, I can't help but think of the recent Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Busan. Japan has stated that it will "create conditions for cooperation", which has already defined the future relations between China, Japan and South Korea. If South Korea and Japan remain obsessed, many of the export chains of China, Japan and South Korea will face highly similar challenges, such as shipbuilding, automobiles, semiconductors, and electronics. Only when Japan and South Korea have a clear understanding of their own positioning can the three countries have the possibility of cooperationOtherwise, China may remain cold to Japan and South Korea in the future.
As the U.S.-China game escalates, and South Korea and Japan are caught between the two great powers, the situation will become more and more tricky. At present, this personnel situation in South Korea is just a warning to Yoon Suk-yeol's political career, and the real problems may be yet to come.