Author: GIKorea

Taiwan is a responsible democracy that should have nuclear weapons to defend itself. https://t.co/qFsN1FR9xw

— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) February 10, 2019

It looks like the Moon administration is not happy that the Trump administration is focusing on getting rid of North Korea’s ICBM program:

According to a high-level Blue House official, the South Korean government is worried about the possibility that Washington may strike a “small deal” with Pyongyang late this month due to pressure at home to return with a tangible result. 

In such a small deal, the United States would focus on wiping out the North’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which can reach as far as the U.S mainland, instead of tackling the entire ballistic missile and nuclear program, including short- and mid-ranged missiles that threaten South Korea and Japan. 

Amid looming fears here that the Trump administration was opting for a small deal, Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Sunday in a press briefing that Biegun told Moon’s national security advisor, Chung Eui-yong, “We are on the same page,” while describing his latest trip to Pyongyang on Saturday.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This would be the first Olympic Games hosted by a brutal dictator since 1936 when Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler hosted the games. If the Koreans can hold off until the 2036 Olympics Games they can come up with a slogan celebrating 100 years since the last dictator hosted the games:

Seoul was selected Monday as the South Korean candidate city for a joint Olympic bid with North Korea.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Seoul was chosen over Busan as the candidate city for the 2032 Summer Games at its general assembly at the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. Seoul earned 34 out of 49 votes from KSOC members.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Just another example that South Korea does not have freedom of speech, especially when the ruling party is looking for anything to deflect attention from their various scandals:

 The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and three rival parties said Monday they will seek to punish three lawmakers of the main opposition party over their controversial comments allegedly disparaging a 1980 pro-democracy uprising.
The four parties said they will file a petition against three Liberty Korea Party (LKP) lawmakers with the parliamentary special committee on ethics on Tuesday over their conduct with the goal of stripping them of their parliamentary seats.
Representatives Kim Jin-tae, Lee Jong-myeong and Kim Soon-rye have come under fire for holding a public hearing last week, inviting a far-right figure who has claimed that North Korean troops were involved in the pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980.
Two of them also made controversial remarks allegedly disparaging the democracy movement, with one claiming that a riot was turned into a pro-democracy uprising by people with political purposes.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Even Seoul city mayor Park Won-soon is allocating taxpayers' money ($22.2 million) to give North Korea. #sanctionshttps://t.co/0kixuAFv92

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) February 10, 2019

Dr. Tara O has an article published over at the East Asia Research Council that digs into the Sohn Hye-won Real Estate Scandal. ROK Heads may remember that Sohn is the ruling party parliament member who used insider knowledge to benefit financially in real estate transactions in Mokpo.

Sohn’s supporters ask what is wrong with her buying properties and making a profit?  Buying properties and making profit is normal under free market capitalism. What is wrong, and illegal, is benefiting from privileged insider information, the abuse of authority, and using false names to purchase properties.

1.  Sohn Hye-won is on the National Assembly’s Culture and Tourism Committee (국회 문화체육관광위) as the ruling party’s assistant administrator.  As such, she had access to information about which areas would be designated as “cultural heritage” zones. She also has influence on which areas may receive the designation.  Such a designation usually increases the value of properties in the zone. Using insider knowledge to gain in itself is illegal, but it also is an abuse of her position and authority. (…….)

Using another person’s name to buy property, open a bank account, or otherwise conduct transactions in another person’s name are illegal in South Korea.  It is even worse when a lawmaker breaks the law.

Regarding the property that is in the name of Sohn Hye-won’s nephew (her younger brother’s son), the nephew did not even know there was a property under his name, according to the Kakaotalk chat between him and his mother.  It stated “I invested in a property?  A mere 23 year old conscript in the military?  I don’t know anything about real estate. I supposedly invested in real estate?  Me? It was given to me?” He was serving in the military at that time and only found out when the news broke.

East Asia Research Council

I have always found it interesting how the Moon administration is busy throwing every conservative or even liberal rivals into jail, but for some reason are not going after Sohn.

So what leverage does she have that they are not going after her?

Well Dr. O has found out that Sohn is close friends with Moon Jae-in’s wife Kim Jung-sook since they went to high school together. This close connection led the Moon administration to give the National Medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation to Sohn’s deceased father in 2017.

Sohn’s father served in the Communist Youth League opposed to the Republic of Korea, but regardless was recognized by President Moon with the medal. This is more than a medal though, recipients and their family members receive a large financial stipend from the government:

This designation not only offers a recognition and national gratitude, but also allows Sohn Yong-woo’s wife to receive 1,518,000 won (~$1,400) per month plus other benefits from the government.  It also provides  1,483,000 won ($1,325) per month and other benefits, such as priority in housing, education, and government jobs, to the family members other than the spouse, which includes Sohn Hye-won and her five siblings plus all of their respective children (Sohn Yong-woo’s children and grandchildren). 

You can read much, much more at the link, but what else I found of interest is that Sohn owns a powerful marketing company. It makes me wonder how involved this marketing company was in creating the many false narratives used to take down former President Park Geun-hye and promote President Moon?

The war on dog meat restaurants continues:

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Saturday pledged to completely eliminate the business of dog meat in South Korea’s capital. 

“Once dog-butchering businesses are completely removed soon, I plan to make a declaration,” he said in a meeting with an audience after watching animated film “The Underdog” at a local cinema. 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

North Korea is trying to get their people to show more pride in their nation’s flag:

North Korea is stepping up a new loyalty campaign as leader Kim Jong Un prepares for his second summit with President Donald Trump.
The campaign began last month with the introduction of a song in praise of the nation’s flag.
A video now being aired on state-run television to promote the song — called “Our National Flag” — shows repeated images of the flag being raised at international sports competitions and being formed by a sea of people holding up colored lengths of cloth at a parade and rally on Kim Il Sung Square. Other images show recent improvements in the economy and standard of living, a reflection of a current government policy shift that focuses on development and prosperity.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.