Author: GIKorea

Jonestown, only with nukes. https://t.co/xUkKICk9rS

— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) January 22, 2019

The stupidity between Japan and South Korea has gotten worse:

A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft carried out a low-altitude flight close to a South Korean warship Wednesday afternoon, in an apparent threatening and provocative action, according to the Ministry of National Defense. 

“The P3 maritime patrol airplane flew at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and about 540 meters away from the South Korean Navy’s destroyer in waters near Ieodo, [a rock southwest of the southern island of Jeju] at around 2:03 p.m., Wednesday,” the ministry said.

In response, the South Korean Navy lodged a strong complaint about the incident through a hot line, urging Japan to stop the recurrence of such acts. The Navy also said it will take steps for self-defense if Japan repeats such an “obvious provocation.”

The Navy said that the destroyer perceived the move as a security threat, adding that Japan should make it clear the exact reason for the low-level flight.

According to the ministry, Japan replied that it was “very inappropriate” for South Korea to threaten to take self-defense measures, as Japan is an ally and the Navy must have been able to discern that the aircraft belonged to the allied country.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but some how I doubt the ROK sailors on the ship were in a panic from a propellor driven P-3 flying 540 meters from their ship.

Remember the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement is occurring soon. I would not be surprised if the Moon administration tries to get anti-Japanese sentiment to an all-time high, especially if he is able to get Kim Jong-un to visit Seoul that day.

I guess this is one way to make your point heard:

A Korean man has destroyed his new car worth more than 50 million won ($45,000) in a fury, claiming he was given a Ford Explorer that “wasn’t actually new.”

Jang Dong-min smashed his vehicle with a baseball bat in front of a Ford sales shop in Jeonju on Jan. 20, accusing Ford Motor Company of giving him a car with “traces of repair.”

“It was the last and only thing I could do after no one had believed me,” Jang told The Korea Times Tuesday. “Every time I looked at my car, I felt my heart swelling with anger … I couldn’t just let it go.”

Jang bought his first Ford Explorer in May 2017, but within a few weeks, a serious engine problem occurred, he said. So the company exchanged that car for a new one in August that year.

But he later found some traces, which he believes indicate that his car was not brand new.

After receiving an experts’ technical evaluation report that supports his claims, Jang eventually brought the issue to the court. But the judges did not accept his claims.

Jang said he would continue to protest.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the Trump administration is falling for the freeze deal that both the Moon administration and the Chinese have been pushing for:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his administration wants to reduce North Korea’s capacity to build its nuclear and missile development programs and that discussions on that are an “important component” for making sure that both countries deliver on commitments made in Singapore last year.

During an interview with the Sinclair Broadcast Group, transcripts of which were released by the State Department last Friday, Pompeo said that U.S. President Donald Trump has made enormous strides in working with the North to get their commitment to denuclearize and that now was the time “to execute” and “to implement.”

Pompeo didn’t elaborate on how precisely Washington wants to “reduce” the North’s capacity, but the remarks came on the same day The New York Times reported that officials from both countries were currently negotiating a “freeze” of the North’s nuclear fuel and weapons production so that the country’s arsenal doesn’t grow while denuclearization talks drag on.

This could mean that a freeze, which could be interpreted as a short-term goal in getting Pyongyang to denuclearize, would also be discussed when Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un late next month for their second summit. In their first summit last June in Singapore, both leaders agreed to commit “to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” but very little progress – if any – has been made since.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but if they are playing for a freeze deal they could have done this all the way back in 2017 when the Moon administration and just about every North Korea expert was pushing this idea.

A freeze deal falls right in line with North Korea’s “pretend denuclearization” strategy. A freeze deal means that the Kim regime will get concessions from the US for little to nothing in return. The big concession they will likely push is a peace treaty to end the Korean War.

Getting the peace treaty in return for a freeze deal would then allow surrogates to question the continued existence of the US troop presence in South Korea. If there is peace then why are US troops stationed in Korea?

The ultimate goal of the North’s nuclear weapons program is to co-opt the ROK into a confederation on North Korean terms.  A freeze deal followed by a peace treaty plays right into the Kim regime’s hands. Additionally the freeze deal for treaty plays into China’s hands who have also long wanted to separate the ROK from the US in a bid to increase their hegemony over the region.

Exactly. Trump is so desperate for the perception of a policy victory to change his presidency’s domestic image as a corrupt, incompetent mess, that who knows what he’ll give away. Fairly amazed the S Korean gov’t wants yet another T-Kim summit where T goes in blind & unprepared https://t.co/pzzw6duqWv

— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) January 20, 2019

Here is a lawyer who thinks that North Korea is a great place to invest:

North Korea has an advanced arbitration system even compared to developed countries, and foreign companies face an even playing field in dispute resolution, according to Michael Hay, the founder of North Korea’s only foreign law firm Hay, Kalb & Associates. 

“From start to finish, (an arbitration case) could be done in six months… which is much faster than most other countries I have worked in,” Hay said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul, Monday. 

He has been a foreign legal counsel at HMP Law since December, after 12 years of operating his law firm in the North.

Hay emphasized that the North Korean regime has no choice but to maintain an advanced dispute resolution system in order to continue reeling in foreign investment and companies.

“One thing North Koreans are very conscious of: If they don’t have a dispute resolution system, people will not come and invest in the country. In my experience they are very supportive (of foreign firms),” he said.

Korea Times

You can read the rest at the link, but Mr. Hay says that the businesses that lost money in North Korea did so because they grandstanded about doing business in North Korea. He says businesses that kept their dealings quiet with the regime were more successful.

Is it just me or is Gwanghwamun Square seem like it is in a state of constant redevelopment?:

In two years, Gwanghwamun Square may be grander above ground and more complex below as the Seoul city government plans to remove structures on the square and build an underground plaza connecting at least five different subway and train lines. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday that it selected a blueprint to renovate the square in central Seoul located south of Gyeongbok Palace by 2021.

“The announcement today is about more detailed plans to a project that was proposed last April with the Cultural Heritage Administration,” the city government said in a statement Monday. 

“We have decided on a winning design for the square that will focus on bringing back the historical value of the square and making it more pedestrian-friendly.”

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Back by popular demand is Korea Finder. The goal of Korea Finder is to correctly identify the location in the picture presented each week. For this week who can name the below structure?: