President Trump’s canceling Secretary Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang is certainly a surprise since is comes only 24 hours after announcing a new envoy for North Korea and affirming the diplomatic mission. This reflects poor coordination on the administration’s North Korea policy.
That is what the USA Today publication is claiming:
Korean beef, not Japan’s wagyu, “might be the best meat on earth,” according to an article in USA Today last week that seems to reflect fresh global recognition.
“Wagyu from Japan is often held up as the best beef in the world,” says an article by Bloomberg’s published in March last year. But the headline asked “Is Wagyu the World’s Most Overrated Steak?”
Wagyu is loved for its tenderness, but some complain that it is too soft and buttery and does not have enough flavor. On the other hand Korean beef, or hanwoo, is said to have great flavor as well as texture to the palate. They are both highly marbled but are distinctively different in taste.
The key to the difference in taste is the fat-to-protein ratio. Wagyu ribeye is about 70 percent fat and 30 percent protein, whereas hanwoo ribeye has 40 to 50 percent fat. It strikes a fine balance between the strengths of wagyu and less fatty and tougher American or Australian beef. [Chosun Ilbo]
You can read more at the link or the original USA Today article at this link.
Trump's incompetence is just mind-blowing. Anyone could have told you that the Chinese would hit back across issue-linkages if we targeted its export trade. Presumably they'll be tougher on the South China Sea too. Was there any US counter-planning for this near-certainty on /1 https://t.co/YXZSYaF1pI
This undated file photo shows former President Park Geun-hye entering a Seoul court. In an appeals trial on Aug. 24, 2018, the Seoul High Court sentenced Park, 66, to 25 years in prison for conspiring with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to force Samsung and other conglomerates to donate money to two foundations under Choi’s control. In April, a lower court handed out a 24-year jail term for Park. (Yonhap)
GIs have been dealing with shady landlords for decades, but in my opinion things have actually improved though it appears foreign students are now a bigger target:
Some landlords are targeting international students.
International students here are increasingly falling victim to real estate-related fraud.
In one case, a Vietnamese student, 28, didn’t get her room deposit of 5 million won back because her landlord said she didn’t pay any monthly rent. But she claimed she paid six months’ rent in a lump sum but didn’t receive a receipt.
“The real estate procedure is complicated for international students,” one Chinese international student, surnamed Jing, told Dong-A Ilbo. “And it is harder to understand the jargon when they speak in Korean.”
Foreign students, now numbering 120,000 here, often fall victim to the fraud.
The paper cites four types. The first is a makeshift contract. Instead of a standard template contract, the landlords arbitrarily draw up one that does not protect the rights of foreign tenants.
The second is the cash transaction.
The third is the imposition of repair costs on the tenants. In the second and third cases, the landlord tries to take advantage of the foreign students’ inability to speak Korean or lack of related knowledge.
The fourth is a conflict when a student sublets a room to another tenant without a contract, which a landlord can use as an excuse to eject the tenants. [Korea Times]
This is just another indication that President Trump is not about to sign up for a “pretend denuclearization” deal with the North Koreans like Seoul, Beijing, and Moscow want him to do:
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from left, is greeted by North Korean Director of the United Front Department Kim Yong Chol, center, and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, second from right, as he arrives at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 6, 2018.
South Korea on Saturday called the U.S. decision to call off a trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unfortunate and said that continued diplomacy was most crucial in resolving the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.
The statement by the Foreign Ministry in Seoul came hours after President Donald Trump directed Pompeo to delay his trip because of what he saw as a lack of progress on nuclear disarmament talks with the North. Trump also said the nuclear negotiations with North Korea have been hampered by the lack of support from China, the North’s only major ally that’s engaged in an intensifying trade dispute with the United States.
While describing the delayed trip as a setback, the ministry said it would be most important for the allies to pursue “substantial progress” on denuclearization. South Korea expects China to continue serving a “constructive role” in international efforts to solve the nuclear crisis and noted that Beijing continues to express commitment to fully implement sanctions against the North, the ministry said.
“While we consider the delay of the visit to North Korea as unfortunate, we believe it’s most important for the North Korea-U.S. dialogue including Secretary Pompeo’s visits to North Korea to contribute to substantial progress in complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime in the Korean Peninsula.” [Associated Press]
You can read more at the link, but what is going on is that I think President Trump is sending a message to not only North Korea, but to Beijing and Seoul as well. China is not strictly enforcing sanctions on North Korea and even the South Koreans have not been effectively enforcing sanctions either. This is going to come down to who is going to blink first because the North Koreans will not commit to real denuclearization unless sanctions are fully enforced on them. As long as other countries like China continue to not strictly enforce sanctions the Kim regime will feel no expediency to denuclearize at the pace the Trump administration wants.
The 7th Air Force in South Korea is about to get a new commander:
LTG Thomas Bergeson
The Korean government on Thursday conferred a medal of merit to Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the outgoing commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force, for his contribution to peace and stability on the peninsula.
Defense Minister Song Young-moo gave Bergeson the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, on behalf of the Korean government, his office said. Bergeson, who took the commander post in July 2016, is set to leave the position next week.
“[Bergeson] has contributed greatly to safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a show of strong deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said.
“He was recognized for his contribution to establishing the strong combined defense posture by enhancing the combined operations capabilities,” it added.
Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the commander of the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, is set to succeed Bergeson. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
