Striking allegations continue to emerge about the 13th president of South Korea, Yoon Seok Yeol, who was dismissed today after the ‘political coup’.

Even after the lifting of martial law, the ‘black spy’ plot has been unraveled by Lee Kwang-hee, deputy leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Citing a ‘black spy’ and an informant he contacted on the 24th, Lee revealed that the assassination squad, known as the Cheongju Team, was awaiting instructions on plans to blow up strategic military bases in South Korea.

According to Lee, the Cheongju Team’s mission was not to ‘kill’ but to ‘blow up facilities’.

While the target of the operation was Cheongju airport, where F35A fighter jets are based, it is also rumored that in addition to the Cheongju team, a separate team targeted the THAAD base in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and the Daegu military airport.

According to Lee, the ‘black spies’ in the teams were given enough C4 plastic explosives and 5 magazines of ammunition each to destroy a hangar.

However, as the ‘black spies’ did not receive additional instructions for several days and the waiting period was long, it was debated whether the situation involved another plan.

Deputy Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho, who made a statement about the personnel in question, confirmed the existence of ‘black spies’ but did not provide any information about their duties. He announced that the personnel in question had returned to their bases.

However, Rep. Lee Kwang-hee gave additional information that ‘the day after Deputy Minister Kim’s statement, the black spies received the order to return at around 4 a.m.’.

Lee said that the ‘Cheongju team’ he had identified was different from the so-called ‘Pangyo team’ which was on standby at its base in Pangyo on the day of martial law, and that ‘the Cheongju team mentioned the Constitutional Court’ in this regard. He stressed that preparations were being made for the time of the operation, i.e. after the failure of martial law.

Rep. Park Seon-won of the Democratic Party also warned that ‘there may be more unverified black spies’, adding: ‘They can surrender by leaving their weapons at the designated place and another team can carry out the operation.’

Representative Park gave the following details about his contact: Black spies are a valuable core asset of our military. The black spy who called me was crying a lot. He thanked me a lot and said they would come back. He said they had no intention of betraying the people or the country. I appeal to them never to recklessly follow unjust orders.

Who are black spies?

The ‘black spies’, who were placed under the South Korean Armed Forces Intelligence Command during the martial law state of emergency, are known as military intelligence spies who operate by concealing their identities. After Yoon’s coup attempt, the conditions for disbanding this unit were created.

What were they planning?

According to the plan, ‘black spies’ selected from special forces would;

1) bomb Chung airfield, where the F-35s are located;

2) launch an attack on the THAAD base in Seongju.

3) Disguised as terrorists, they will infiltrate and attack the 11th Fleet’s Daegu military airport.

In this case, it was planned that the ‘black spies’ would give the impression of being North Korean spies, the North Korean government would be blamed in public opinion and a state of war would be declared. This would delay Yoon’s impeachment and trigger a war in which American generals would take command of the South Korean army under the OPCON law.

Han Duck-soo, the acting interim head of state and prime minister who replaced the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea, has himself been impeached following a National Assembly vote on Friday.

A total of 192 opposition and independent lawmakers in the South Korean legislature voted in favor of the impeachment motion against Han, citing a dispute over the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court. The court is tasked with ruling on Yoon’s removal. Lawmakers from Yoon’s ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote in protest.

As a result of the impeachment vote, Han was immediately suspended upon receipt of the impeachment certificate by the prime minister’s office. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will now act as president, as stipulated by the constitution.

Under South Korea’s constitutional framework, the removal of a prime minister requires an absolute majority in the 300-seat National Assembly. In contrast, a president’s removal demands a two-thirds majority.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik clarified before the vote that the motion to impeach Han required only a simple majority, as the two-thirds rule applies exclusively to an elected president, not an acting one. Han had automatically assumed the presidency after Yoon’s removal.

PPP lawmakers protested Woo’s interpretation, gathering near the speaker’s podium and chanting slogans such as “Totally invalid” and “President, resign,” before boycotting the vote entirely.

This marks the first time in South Korean history that the legislature has voted to impeach an acting president. Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on 14 December after declaring short-term martial law on 3 December, a decision that triggered one of the nation’s most significant political crises in its democratic era.

Choi Sang-mok, 61, a career bureaucrat with extensive experience in the finance ministry, will assume the role of acting president. Known for his meticulous management style, Choi holds a law degree from Seoul National University and a PhD in economics from Cornell University.

Han’s impeachment case will now proceed to the Constitutional Court, which has six months to decide whether to uphold or reject the motion. In a statement, Han said: “I respect the National Assembly’s decision. To prevent further turmoil and uncertainty, I am stepping down from my duties in accordance with relevant laws and will await the Constitutional Court’s swift and wise decision.”

The impeachment has intensified political instability in South Korea, with significant economic repercussions. The South Korean won continued to depreciate, hitting a 15-year low of 1,480 won against the dollar during Friday’s morning trading. It later recovered slightly, closing at 1,467.5 won. The benchmark Kospi stock index also dropped by yüzde 1, reflecting investor concerns about the volatile political environment.

Lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party accused Han, a seasoned technocrat in economics and politics, of refusing to appoint three Constitutional Court judges who had been approved by the legislature. The PPP had previously boycotted this vote as well.

Han defended his decision, stating on Thursday that he would not appoint the judges until the ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement on the appointments. He called this approach “a norm that will never be broken.”

Meanwhile, the nine-member Constitutional Court, which currently has three vacancies, held a preparatory hearing on Friday to begin deliberations on Yoon’s impeachment case. The court is expected to decide within six months whether to uphold or overturn the dismissal. If the impeachment is upheld, Yoon will be permanently removed from office; otherwise, his suspension will end.

Some areas of Barmal district in Afghanistan’s Paktika province were targeted by the airstrikes of the Pakistan Army at a time when Mohammad Sadiq Khan, the country’s newly appointed representative for Afghanistan, was engaged in highly diplomatic and intensive talks with some high-ranking Taliban officials in the capital city, Kabul.

The Taliban claimed that more than 46 civilians (women and children) were killed as a result of this attack and denied Pakistan’s claim that the casualties were fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Talian said that the majority of the casualties are civilians and Waziristan immigrants who lived in the areas in the last 10 years.

The Taliban have called this attack a clear violation of Afghan territory and have spoken of severe revenge. Also, the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the charge d’affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul and handed him a letter with objectionable content.

In connection with this attack and its possible consequences, a few points can be speculated.

First,

The world’s silence regarding Pakistan’s daily light attack on Afghanistan is surprising. Not any of the countries in the world, not even the United Nations mentioned anything about the attack. Perhaps the world has realized that Pakistan has taken the risk of attacking Afghanistan not out of drunkenness but out of urgency and with the intention of suppressing TTP.

When the world has reached this understanding, the correctness of the Taliban’s claim of sheltering the TTP will become clearer than before, which will be to the detriment of this group. Pakistan’s weight in international relations can also be understood from the world’s silence, especially when the conflict in Afghanistan is in the middle.

On the other hand, it can also be understood that the Taliban are not important enough in the eyes of the world that an open violation of their sovereign territory would offend anyone, or a country and provoke a reaction. Of course, the loss of statelessness can also be strongly felt. If Afghanistan had a strong and legitimate government, maybe Pakistan would not have been so bold. In that case, if Pakistan had attacked, it would definitely have faced the overwhelming reaction of the countries.

Second,

The well-known movements against the Taliban, like the countries of the world and the United Nations, have given themselves to heavy silence. Indeed, some people have condemned, exactly those who do not want anything from the Taliban, except the reopening of girls’ schools, regardless of the quality of the content of the educational curriculum.

For example, the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan, the National Resistance Front, the Freedom Front, the Supreme Council of the National Resistance for Salvation, etc., are the current anti-Taliban movements that have avoided condemning the attack so far.

These groups know very well that TTP is walking under the shadow of Afghan Taliban and Pakistan’s concern is understandable in their opinion. Not only that, but they may also be happy with Pakistan’s attack, because while the relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban is strained, the problem of terrorists taking shelter in Afghanistan becomes more apparent, which will be to the detriment of the Kabul regime.

If the tension between Pakistan and the Taliban increases, the former may also establish contact with the opposing current groups, and the reaction to the recent attack can close the door of communication. Even the criticisms of the citizens are more towards the Taliban than towards Pakistan. It is not known how this group understands the silence of the world and the minimal reactions of its opposing forces and citizens.

Third,

Until now, Pakistan has tried to convince the Afghan Taliban to curb the TTP by resorting to dialogue, but it has not succeeded. The re-appointment of Sadiq Khan has no meaning except Islamabad giving importance to negotiations. Now, the attack on Paktika showed that the Pakistani army likes to avoid resorting to force in parallel with negotiations – what is not known is whether Islamabad will achieve its goal or not.

More importantly, by doing this, Pakistan showed that the Afghan Taliban, with the dismissal of Asif Durrani, the re-appointment of Sadiq Khan and his dispatch to Kabul, should not be trapped in the illusion that Islamabad is bound to sit around the negotiating table. To say that Sadiq Khan was not aware of the quality of the “souvenirs” he presented to the Taliban may not be true. Because the current Pakistani civilians and military have reached a consensus to curb TTP.

However, what is clear is Pakistan’s avoidance of a “decisive war” with the Taliban. For now, Islamabad’s preference is to launch sporadic airstrikes and at the same time keep the door open to dialogue. That’s it. Of course, the Taliban also hate to enter the war and instead, they seek to establish a government and extend the life of their rule, not to get involved with Pakistan, which was and is their serious supporter.

Fourth,

It should also be said about the possible response of the Taliban. Although this group has spoken of revenge, the fulfillment of the promise, if not impossible, is not very likely. The fact is that the Taliban do not have the ability to retaliate against Pakistan’s attack.

If they are determined to attack, this is different from border conflicts, which are largely unorganized. In this case, the next reaction will be followed by Islamabad, and again, not this country, but the Taliban will suffer. We all remember Pakistan’s immediate response to Iran’s missile attack. That act of Pakistan showed that it is no joke in defending its territory. It is unlikely that the Taliban did not understand this point.

Apart from that, the Taliban cannot be considered as Iran or Israel if the people of the world are watching the response of this group. As the attack on Taliban territory has not been reacted to, the silence of this group will not be accompanied by sarcasm but with the silence of the world.

If we pay close attention, Pakistan’s open attack reminds viewers, readers and listeners of Israel’s air attack on post-Assad Syrian territory. Therefore, as the new rulers of Damascus have been silent, the new rulers of Kabul will do the same.

But one factor can provoke the Taliban – Zalmay Khalilzad’s statements (Forer US peace envoy). He has claimed on his X page that the Taliban will probably respond. Khalilzad’s view towards Pakistan is very unfavorable. For this reason, a few days before the US sanctioned its missile program, it not only supported, but also demanded more sanctions. He is also unhappy with the imprisonment of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House may not benefit Pakistan, because his view is not favorable towards this country. Therefore, Khalilzad may encourage parts of the Taliban to attack.

There are already reports doing rounds in the media that Taliban and Pakistani border troops on Friday engaged in intense clashes in Dand-e-Patan district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province.

Local sources said that the clashes lasted for several hours, with both sides exchanging heavy fire. The Taliban and Pakistani officials did not comment on the incident so far. There is also no immediate report on the casualties.