U.S. President Donald Trump observes the progress of the 'Firm Resolve' operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with his staff on January 3rd (local time). [Photo = Yonhap News]

Good news echoed from the beginning of the new year. The regime of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, which had been unchecked just off the United States' doorstep, has collapsed. 

President Trump, on January 3rd, succeeded in arresting and extraditing Maduro, the leader of Venezuela's corrupt, drug-tainted, and fraud-ridden left-wing dictatorship, 36 years after the collapse of the drug lord regime of Manuel Noriega in Panama.  While the complete downfall of Venezuela's military leftists cannot be declared solely by Maduro's capture alive, it is clear that the most crucial first step has been successfully taken. 

Maduro's Downfall... A Major Shock to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran

Maduro's downfall carries significant implications, having delivered a major shock to left-wing dictatorial forces worldwide, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. 

Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, the dictator Hugo Chávez, Maduro prolonged his dictatorial rule domestically by suppressing his people through the monopolization of oil nationalization profits, the establishment of an election fraud system based on electronic voting, and the export of this fraud system to 72 countries including the United States. Externally, he spearheaded the spread of left-wing regimes and the disruption of liberal nations, including the U.S., through election fraud and drug exports. 

Notably, Maduro is understood to have collaborated with the World Election Bodies Association (A-Web), headquartered in South Korea, in a process to illegally infiltrate fraudulent election software worldwide in partnership with the Chinese Communist Party, particularly by propagating Smartmatic's electronic vote-rigging system to the United States. 

Venezuela: A Forward Operating Base for Election Fraud Systems

It is a well-known fact that the Chinese Communist Party has been infiltrating its fraudulent election systems into Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries as part of its "unrestricted warfare" strategy. 

In its BRI policy implementation, the Chinese Communist Party utilized Italy in Western Europe and Venezuela in South America as forward operating bases. Italy, recognizing the lack of economic benefit, withdrew in December 2023. 

With Maduro's removal, China will now face disruptions to its infrastructure investments in Venezuela, which were structured as upfront capital investment followed by oil repayment. This includes projects in oil fields, mines, roads, and power plants. Furthermore, the export of weapons, including large-scale military and communication equipment, has been blocked. Most importantly, by losing this strategically vital hub for election fraud, China's global communization strategy through unrestricted warfare has been significantly hindered. 

Although the consolidation of remaining left-wing military factions and the smooth transfer of power to civilian rule are subsequent steps, Maduro's fall has not only allowed the United States to offer the Venezuelan people liberation from left-wing dictatorship but also achieved the significant feat of completely paralyzing Venezuela's function as a strategic base for the Chinese Communist Party. 

Maduro Regime's Collapse Opens the Door to Dismantle Global Election Fraud Organizations

This means that the Donald Trump administration has prevented the social chaos that would have ensued from the indiscriminate illegal immigration of millions of individuals, including members of Venezuelan drug cartels and special theft rings, which occurred at the Mexico border under the Biden administration's negligence. 

Moreover, through the public exposure and the formulation of countermeasures against the 2020 presidential election fraud orchestrated using Venezuela's Smartmatic electronic vote-counting machines, an opportunity has been created to dismantle election fraud organizations worldwide, including those in China, North Korea, and South Korea, which collaborated in the fraud. 

According to former CIA operative Gary Berntsen and conservative commentator Ralph Pezzullo, whom I introduced in my op-ed in the Hankook Ilbo on December 19th of last year, Smartmatic devices were used not only to rig the 2008 Democratic primaries, ensuring Barack Obama's victory over then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but also to assist Democratic candidate Biden in his narrow victory over incumbent President Trump in battleground states through similar fraudulent manipulation in the 2020 presidential election. 

Over 70% of Venezuelans Welcome the Collapse of the Maduro Regime

Over 70% of the Venezuelan population has enthusiastically welcomed and fully supported the ousting of Maduro. This is due to the left-wing regime, which seized power through election fraud, having nationalized oil resources to sustain drug cartels, brutally suppressed opposition, and driven the populace into absolute poverty. 

Over 70% of the Venezuelan population has enthusiastically welcomed and fully supported the ousting of Maduro. [Reuters=Yonhap News] This situation, in turn, compels us to consider South Korea's current left-wing regime, which also appears to have gained power through fraudulent elections. 

A legitimate president, elected with popular support, is being subjected to trial and imprisonment under the pretext of a baseless charge of rebellion, simply for issuing a civil martial law order for enlightenment purposes. Legislation such as the "Yellow Envelope Law" and amendments to the Commercial Act, designed to cripple businesses, are being enacted as if the aim is to subordinate major corporations to China. Not only is the prosecution service being dismantled, but a fourth branch of government is being sought through the Constitutional Court, creating a layer above the Supreme Court, and a special court for rebellion is being established, thereby undermining the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the constitution. 

Furthermore, this disregard for the separation of powers and the constitution clearly indicates an intention by the president to evade or escape trial for suspicions of illegal remittance to North Korea, making it not significantly different from Maduro's regime. 

South Korea's Left-Wing Regime Mirrors Maduro's Administration

Just as the Maduro regime entered into economic collusion by sharing oil development stakes with China and Russia, South Korea's left-wing government, rather than addressing issues arising from illegally leaked customer data through Chinese spies, is aggressively pursuing measures such as imposing excessive fines to bankrupt Coupang, a venture company with American nationality and Korean roots, in an apparent effort to support Chinese e-commerce platforms like Ali, Temu, and Shein that have infiltrated South Korea.  

Moreover, going a step further than the influx of illegal immigrants due to weak border management during the Biden administration in the United States, South Korea is allowing visa-free entry for Chinese citizens. Among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, South Korea is the only one allowing visa-free entry for Chinese nationals. In essence, the Lee Jae-myung administration seems to be in a desperate rush to emulate the actions of Maduro right up to his arrest. 

I diagnose that the anti-leftist population in South Korea is also close to 70%, comparable to Venezuela. While most opinion polls show approval ratings for Lee Jae-myung exceeding 50%, the voter pools provided by the National Election Commission to various polling agencies, which are not free from disputes over fraudulent elections, can be easily manipulated to favor a left-wing orientation based on the voting tendencies of pre-election voters secured through QR codes in the past, making these polls unreliable. 

Meanwhile, the judiciary has engaged in practices such as issuing arrest warrants through "warrant shopping" for the current president, re-issuing arrest warrants for the same case after a presidential impeachment, detaining a former First Lady and her husband together, and postponing trials for current left-wing leaders. Even considering direct threats such as professional disadvantage, impeachment, or threats of bodily harm or murder, the judiciary is itself perpetrating a violation of the constitution that cannot be called a liberal democracy, a reality similar to Venezuela just before Maduro's arrest. 

Therefore, in South Korea, as in Venezuela, if direct evidence of U.S. election fraud is secured, the United States may intervene to eliminate forces colluding with the Chinese Communist Party in domestic election fraud, linking it to its own national security interests. 

Furthermore, the current ruling left-wing power, which is plotting actual rebellion while disregarding the constitution, may be subject to military trial, detention, and execution in a manner similar to Maduro's removal, under the command and control of the Combined Forces Command, in accordance with the 2024 amendment of the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty, if the former president's signature remains validly applied. Naturally, if such measures are realized, it is evident that the South Korean people, like the Venezuelan people, will respond with welcome. 

The Final Hurdle: The Potential Downfall of the Chinese Communist Party

Nevertheless, the remaining task for us is the potential downfall of the Chinese Communist Party, which is committing atrocities on a global scale. This could also serve as a prerequisite for the collapse of South Korea's false left-wing regime. 

The Chinese people have endured painful sacrifices and humiliation under the Communist Party's rule. During Mao Zedong's era, the "Great Leap Forward" led to an artificial famine that claimed over 30 million lives, and the Cultural Revolution resulted in the deaths of over one million people, primarily intellectuals, due to political persecution and violence. During the Tiananmen Square incident in Deng Xiaoping's era, the military crackdown on peaceful protests also resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 people. 

Thus, the history of the Chinese Communist Party is a continuous series of ruthless oppression, even against its own citizens. Furthermore, it has suppressed pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong by force, overturning the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. 

However, the Chinese people are no longer blind and deaf to the Communist Party's atrocities. There have been various protests in China, including the Zhongnanhai protest by over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, protests for autonomy in Tibet and Xinjiang in 2008-2009, the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2014 and 2019, the Urumqi memorial protests for victims of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2022-2023, 661 rural protests over unpaid wages and land seizures by urban migrant workers, and anti-education protests in Chongqing in 2025. The problem lies in the ruthless suppression of protests by the public security forces and the military. Moreover, since there are no elections by the general populace in China, the Communist dictatorship can maintain its long-term rule indefinitely, even without resorting to fraudulent elections. 

Time is on Our Side... Left-Wing Dictatorial Regimes Are Destined to Collapse

Although all left-wing regimes, through political means such as election fraud, dismantle the separation of powers and establish dictatorial systems to oppress the populace and perpetuate long-term rule, the truth is that communism is inherently destined to collapse, as evidenced by the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. 

This is fundamentally rooted in the economic destitution of the populace. In other words, centralizing and controlling everything leads to immense inefficiency over time, and the people, driven by oppression, falsehood, and relative deprivation, become enraged, ultimately leading to the collapse of the communist regime. 

This principle applies equally to the Chinese Communist Party. Their Belt and Road Initiative, which disregards economic principles and focuses solely on regime expansion, results in stranded investments, suppresses the freedom of the populace, and, due to persistent economic hardship, inevitably ignites anti-communist movements. 

At this juncture, the intervention of powerful liberal democracies like the United States can act as a catalyst, similar to the current Trump administration's tariff policies, to ignite popular revolutions and hasten the collapse of the communist regime. 

The free citizens of the Republic of Korea must firmly believe in this principle of "victory of the people" and continue to fight against the incompetence, treachery, and falsehoods of the left-wing regime until the end. Time is on our side. 

Former Professor at Kangnam University, Co-representative of Jagyomo

◆ Professor Kim Byung-joon

Former Professor at Kangnam University and Co-representative of the Professors' Association for the Practice of Freedom and Justice (Jagyomo). He is actively involved in media by writing columns on topics such as criticism of the judiciary, challenges of confronting Chinese capital's economic invasion, and the investigation of election fraud, and by holding regular academic seminars.