Venezuelan citizens celebrating the arrest of dictator Maduro. [AFP Online Capture/Composite] 

On January 3, 2026, the United States penetrated Venezuelan airspace and arrested Nicolás Maduro. This operation is not a one-off event to bring a dictator to justice. It signifies the end of the post-Cold War norms and charter-centered international order, a declaration that the U.S. will no longer be bound by international scrutiny, procedures, or formalities in its pursuit of eradicating illegality, injustice, and corruption. It is an unspoken prelude to establishing justice through force, and it conceals strategies for regaining influence in Latin America and containing China and Russia. 

This operation was completed by U.S. Army Special Forces Delta Force in approximately three hours, from infiltration to target acquisition. The time it took to blast through the steel door of the core hideout was 47 seconds, and there was no exchange of fire. The U.S. publicly demonstrated its capability to track even "fugitive heads of state" in real-time by combining satellite surveillance, communications interception, and local intelligence networks, proving that borders and international law are not obstacles when the U.S. makes a decision. 

President Donald Trump officially announced the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on charges of "narcoterrorism, cocaine trafficking, and ties to criminal organizations." Particularly noteworthy is President Trump's intensive posting of "election fraud" related content on his social media on the same day as Maduro's arrest, deliberately signaling that Maduro's capture was not merely about eradicating drug crimes but a frontal attack on an international election fraud cartel. The U.S. is likely carrying out an operation to eliminate election fraud through its own understanding and calculated use of force. 

As evidence of election fraud has spread across some 70 countries, including South Korea, election fraud has automatically become a global agenda. President Trump arrested Maduro with the aim of eradicating election fraud. Since the 2018 presidential election, Maduro has been criticized by the opposition and citizens as a "usurper" and "fake president" who seized power through election fraud. He has maintained his grip on power through repression amidst large-scale protests and condemnation from the U.S. and many European countries. 

The international community's reactions to Maduro's arrest were predictably divided. China and Russia immediately claimed "violation of sovereignty" and "breach of international law," while the UN also pointed out procedural issues. France emphasized the violation of international law, but Italy assessed Maduro's arrest as a "just action against a criminal." Latin America's responses were also divided along ideological lines. Left-leaning governments strongly protested, while right-leaning nations remained silent or effectively welcomed it. The criticism remained in the realm of declarative language, while Venezuelan citizens created an atmosphere of fervent celebration for the ousting of their dictator. 

Following Maduro's arrest, the Lee Jae-myung administration convened an emergency meeting and headed to Beijing. This cannot be dismissed as a mere coincidence of diplomatic schedules. There are suspicions that they were summoned. The U.S. has intentionally shaken China's sphere of influence, but this appears to be entering a dangerous phase of U.S.-China conflict. 

The North Korean regime's ballistic missile provocation, with a range of 900 kilometers, just one day before the South Korea-China summit, is not simply a military action but a declaration solidifying the legitimacy of its nuclear armament. To the U.S., it is a physical message stating, "The Venezuelan solution will not work." To China, it is pressure to "not raise the issue of North Korean denuclearization at the South Korea-China summit." And to South Korea, it is a notification that "We, who possess nuclear weapons, will dictate the situation on the Korean Peninsula."

South Korea can no longer escape the U.S.-China power struggle using language of "neutrality," "balance," and "strategic autonomy." In a phase where the order of power is at play, balance and autonomy cannot be strategies. Great powers do not trust ambiguous stances and will demand a choice: which side to take. China will seek to enshrine the "One China" principle in official documents, while the U.S. will exert continuous pressure on the Lee Jae-myung administration regarding security, diplomacy, economy, trade, supply chains, energy, and military cooperation, all of which are directly linked to its survival. 

Maduro's arrest is just the beginning. The Trump administration has publicly warned of possible military intervention in China's invasion of Taiwan and its violent suppression of protestors in Iran. Strategic industry deals involving Chinese capital have been blocked en masse on security grounds. The U.S. will end the Russia-Ukraine war through force, strengthen its influence in Latin America and the Middle East, and will seek to take action against North Korea in some form. 

At the dawn of the new year in 2026, the U.S. has conveyed a new message: the era of patience and persuasion is over; action is the message, and power is the rule. This new order will not tolerate ambiguity in alliances or dual-track gray tactics. Even for allies, the more they hide behind the rhetoric of strategic autonomy and balance, the higher the cost of their choices will be, and maintaining their regimes will become more difficult. What the world demands is not the duplicity of shifting words based on circumstances, but the trust and clarity of direction of consistent alliances.

Maduro's arrest is not merely a military operation but a foreshadowing and warning of a global crackdown on election fraud. The remaining choice is clear: will we confront the changed world and, with the power of the people, eradicate those who go against the global flow of power and justice? Or will we, like former National Election Commission Secretary-General Huh Cheol-hoon who admitted that "the election commission's server is connected to the network during the advance voting period," receive inside information and decisive evidence from within the election commission to eradicate election fraud with our own strength? 

The election fraud cartel has nowhere left to hide. Once old election fraud is fully exposed with concrete evidence, the inevitable outcome will be the execution of those who planned the fraud and a complete overhaul of the political landscape. Preparations for a calm political transition are necessary, while absorbing the immense shock that the majority of citizens will feel. We urge and expect the day to come when the public and military sentiment will be our strength and wisdom to purge the election fraud cartel without bloodshed, renew the nation's image tarnished by election fraud, normalize South Korea, achieve the great task of free unification, and for South Korea to make significant contributions to human civilization. 

Editorial Board Member, Hankook Ilbo 

◆ Park Pil-gyu, Member of the Editorial Board

Editorial Board Member, Hankook Ilbo

40th graduating class, Korea Military Academy