Iran Backs Hezbollah, Calls for End to Lebanon War

Iran's government has publicly expressed support for Hezbollah, which has rejected a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, raising tensions in the Middle East. The cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon has been cited as a crucial prerequisite for peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, and the failure of the ceasefire could weaken the momentum for these talks.

According to Yonhap News on June 6, Reuters reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an interview with Lebanese media that "this war can only end when it is over in Lebanon." He emphasized that the end of the war in Lebanon must coincide with Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories.

Araghchi's comments came shortly after Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected a ceasefire proposal mediated by the U.S. between the Israeli and Lebanese governments.

Hezbollah maintains that it cannot accept the ceasefire proposal because it does not include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories. Following this, Israel continued its military operations, bombing southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah retaliated with rockets and drones, effectively rendering the ceasefire proposal meaningless. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol has completed his first interrogation by the second special investigation team, lasting six and a half hours. He is under suspicion of having directed officials to justify the legitimacy of a state of emergency to allied nations, including the U.S., shortly after its declaration on December 3.

According to Yonhap News on June 6, Yoon was questioned as a suspect regarding allegations of abuse of power starting at 10 a.m. and left the special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, at 4:32 p.m.

He is accused of instructing the National Security Office and diplomatic channels to communicate messages justifying the state of emergency to allied nations following its declaration in December 2024.

The special investigation team is looking into whether Yoon compelled foreign ministry officials to perform duties that were not required.

Yoon is scheduled to return to the special investigation team on June 13 for a second round of questioning related to charges of being the ringleader of a rebellion under military law. The Personal Information Protection Commission has received a report from the Central Election Management Commission regarding the discovery of a voter list comparison sheet containing names and genders of voters at the second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul.

On June 6, Yonhap News reported that the Central Election Management Commission filed a report of the data leak to the Personal Information Protection Commission at around 8:30 p.m. on June 5.

The second polling station in Jamsil 7-dong was where a shortage of voting papers occurred during the main voting day of the 9th nationwide local elections. During that time, protesters and some citizens blocked the transport of ballot boxes, delaying their transfer for two nights and three days until police intervened on June 5.

Afterward, protesters entered an empty polling station, where they found the voter list comparison sheets and marking tools left behind by the election commission. The comparison sheets were distributed to voters who could not vote immediately due to the shortage of ballots. As protesters discovered and filmed these sheets, personal information such as names and genders of voters was exposed online.

The Personal Information Protection Commission is currently investigating how the comparison sheets were exposed and whether any materials that should have been secured by the election commission were leaked.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has called for a thorough investigation into the voting paper shortage that occurred during the June 3 local elections, demanding accountability and a complete reform of the election management system.

On June 6, Yonhap News reported that in a statement, Mayor Oh described the voting paper shortage, which affected 50 polling stations nationwide, as a "serious violation of voting rights that cannot be justified by any excuse and a violation of constitutional order."

He expressed deep regret that citizens' precious rights were so severely undermined in his city and called for a thorough investigation.

Oh emphasized the need to clarify the reasons behind the failure to predict the demand for voting papers and whether there was any intentional or gross negligence involved. He urged the National Assembly to utilize all means, including a national investigation, to uncover the truth.

Additionally, he criticized the election commission for its lax oversight and called for strict punishment of those responsible, as well as personnel renewal and organizational reform to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The Blue House has strongly rebutted a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) column that characterized the Lee Jae-myung administration as a "hardline leftist government," expressing concerns over the weakening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

On June 6, Yonhap News reported that Choi Sung-a, the Blue House's secretary for foreign media, stated in a rebuttal column published on June 5 (local time) that the WSJ piece "seriously distorts the reality of Korea and risks undermining trust in one of America's closest allies."

Previously, Nicholas Eberstadt, a researcher at the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Lawrence Peck, an advisor to the North Korea Freedom Coalition, contributed a column to the WSJ on June 1 (local time) titled "Korea Turns to a Hardline Leftist Line Against the U.S."

The column suggested that the current South Korea-U.S. alliance is grappling with both the unpredictable Donald Trump administration and the "recklessness" of Korea's "hardline leftist government."

In response, Choi stated that the column "confuses political differences with institutional decline and everyday diplomatic activities with fundamental changes in commitments to the alliance," emphasizing that South Korea is emerging as a "model ally" that contributes to the U.S. industrial revival through investment, strengthens joint technological competitiveness, and assumes greater responsibility for mutual defense.