Joonseok Lee: "U.S. Logic for Maduro's Arrest Could Apply to Kim Jong Un... Concern Over Misinterpretation by China and Russia"

Defined as "Leader of a Transnational Criminal Organization"
Concerns Over Providing Justification to China and Russia

Joonseok Lee, Representative of the Reform New Party, argued that the same logic applied by the United States in capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife could also be applied to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un.

Joonseok Lee, Representative of the Reform New Party

On the 4th, Representative Lee wrote on Facebook, "The U.S. Attorney General defined President Maduro not as a 'head of state' but as the 'leader of a transnational criminal organization,' based on allegations that he led the influx of cocaine into the United States and used the profits to support terrorist organizations." He added, "We need to carefully consider what kind of impact the U.S. logic, which does not apply traditional sovereign immunity, will have on the international order."

He continued, "The international community has long raised similar criminal allegations against Chairman Kim Jong Un," citing the following examples: ▲ conspiracy to manufacture and export methamphetamine and opium through Room 39 of the Workers' Party of Korea ▲ hacking of global financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges and theft of billions of dollars through the 'Lazarus Group' under the Reconnaissance General Bureau ▲ production and distribution of the sophisticated counterfeit 'supernote' 100-dollar bills ▲ the assassination of Kim Jong Nam using VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia in 2017 ▲ and the detention and fatal torture of American student Otto Warmbier. However, the United States has only indicted individual hackers affiliated with Lazarus or imposed sanctions on related companies; it has never directly indicted Chairman Kim himself.

Representative Lee asserted, "President Xi Jinping and President Putin are likely watching this situation closely." He expressed concern that, seeing the United States conduct a military operation based on its own legal grounds, China might misinterpret this as a signal that it could justify a crackdown on separatist forces in Taiwan, and Russia could similarly justify its actions in Ukraine under the pretext of 'eradicating Nazis.'

He further stated, "What South Korea needs right now is to make it clear to the international community that unilateral use of force must not become a universal means of resolving international disputes." He warned, "If South Korea fails to clarify this principle, we will be left with nothing to say if, tomorrow, China applies similar logic in the Taiwan Strait or Russia does so in Eastern Europe." He added, "I hope the South Korean government will do its utmost to ensure the safety of Korean nationals residing in Venezuela and play an active and independent role in supporting the principle of easing tensions in the international community."

On the 3rd (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump revealed recent photos of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces in a surprise military operation, on the social networking service Truth Social. Truth Social

On the 3rd, U.S. forces carried out a ground operation in Venezuela, capturing and extraditing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Previously, during the first Trump administration in March 2020, President Maduro had been indicted on charges including drug trafficking and money laundering, and he is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan next week. The U.S. government maintains that they brought thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States in connection with FARC, the former Colombian rebel group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., and drug cartels.