East Asia Research Center

May 11, 2023

North Korea Hacks South Korea’s National Election Commission

2023-5-11, Tara O South Korea’s National Election Commission (중앙선거관리위원회) has been cyber attacked 8 times in the past 2 years, 7 of which are believed to have been conducted by...

Election Fraud/Elections/Hacking/National Security

March 23, 2023

Meta Report: The National Election Commission in South Korea Most Active in Restricting Content on Facebook

2023-3-23, Tara O Amount of Content Facebook Restricted in South Korea (2015-2022) (Bar Graph) During the first half of 2022 (January to June) in South Korea, Facebook restricted ~19,500 items,...

Abuse of Authority/Censorship/Freedom of Speech

March 20, 2023

What are North Korea’s Instructions to Spies? North Korea-instructed Slogans Appear in Demonstrations in South Korea

2023-3-20, Tara O Various spy rings have been uncovered in South Korea, including those in the Changwon, Chungju, Jeju, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) (aka Minju NoChong). ...

Espionage/Information Operations/Intelligence/National Security/Spy/Subversion

February 4, 2023

People’s Front for Independent Unification, HGH, North Korea’s Extensive Spy Network Discovered All Over South Korea

2023-2-4, Tara O A major spy scandal has been brewing for more than 5 years in South Korea. The activities of North Korean agents and their South Korean assets are...

Espionage/Intelligence/Spy/Subversion

January 26, 2023

North Korea’s Chungju Spy Ring in South Korea Exposed

2023-1-26, Tara O North Korea has continuously conducted intelligence and subversive operations against the Republic of Korea since its inception and even prior. Through its Cultural Exchange Bureau, the communist...

Abuse of Authority/Defectors/Elections/Espionage/Spy/Subversion

January 20, 2023

Gwangju City Uses Lawfare to Silence a 20-something YouTuber for Calling Gwangju Uprising in May 1980 as “Gwangju Uprising”

2023-1-20, Tara O The Gag Law: “5.18 History Distortion Punishment Law” Gwangju Metropolitan City authorities charged a 20-something, David Han (not his real name), a YouTuber for violating the May...

5.18/Abuse of Authority/Censorship/Freedom of Expression/Freedom of Speech/Human Rights/Lawfare

January 17, 2023

South Korean Court Imprisons a Vietnam War Veteran and Retired ROK Army Colonel for Saying North Korea Was Involved in the Gwangju Uprising in May 1980

2023-1-17, Tara O On January 12, 2023, the Korean Supreme Court upheld the Appellate Court’s decision to imprison Colonel Ji Man-won on defamation charges for saying North Korea was involved...

5.18/Abuse of Authority/Censorship/Freedom of Expression/Freedom of Speech/Freedom of the Press/History/Human Rights/Lawfare/North Korea/South Korea/Suppression

December 30, 2022

China’s United Front Influence Operation Agencies in Korea Revealed as Search for Chinese Police Stations Continue; Political Ties Discovered

2022-12-29, Tara O The Chinese restaurant in Seoul, Korea suspected of being a Chinese police station is run by Wang Haijun (王海军) [pronounced as Wang Hai-goon (왕해군) in Korean], a...

China/Influence Operations/Intelligence/National Security/Subversion

December 27, 2022

Chinese Restaurant Suspected of Being Chinese Police Station in Korea Connected to China’s State Media CCTV and Xinhua

2022-12-26, Tara O In a strange turn of events, the Chinese restaurant on the Han Gang (한강, Han River), Dongbang Myungjoo (동방명주), suspected to be a Chinese police station in...

China/Influence Operations/Information Operations/Intelligence/Media/National Security/Police/Psychological Operations

December 24, 2022

China’s Police Stations Worldwide and a Strange Chinese Restaurant in Seoul

2022-12-24, Tara O Safeguard Defenders, a Spain-based rights group, exposed China’s extraterritoriality by discovering China operating extralegal police stations in at least 50 foreign countries in a report “110 Overseas...

China/Law/National Security/South Korea