Author: GIKorea

It is surprising they did not have a special team to handle these cases a long time ago:

The team was created to respond more effectively to crimes and security issues involving members of U.S. Forces Korea, Julie Song, an officer at the Pyeongtaek Police Station said by phone July 22. She’s one of two officers assigned to the unit.

They will oversee coordination on a range of incidents, including traffic accidents, allegations of assault and driving under the influence, she said. The unit will also investigate unauthorized drone flights and trespassing cases at U.S. military facilities, Song said, adding that there are no immediate plans to expand the unit.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link, but traffic offenses is what will take up most of their time.

Here is an interesting read about how a down on her luck American woman became a laptop farmer for North Korea:

Soon, more laptops arrived. Zhonghua got back in touch and told her she’d receive $300 a month for each one she hosted. Her dream job had landed on her doorstep, or so it seemed.

Instead, it would prove to be the beginning of a long nightmare. Zhonghua’s company wasn’t a company at all, but a front for agents of the North Korean government, who were using the laptops to work remote IT jobs for oblivious US businesses. And the promise he’d recognized in her was not as a software engineer. It was as a “laptop farmer”—an American providing geographic cover for North Korean IT workers, making it appear they were Americans working on US soil. All told, the United Nations estimates the wages paid to these illicit telecommuters generate $250 million to $600 million for the regime each year, much of which is funneled directly into its rocket program.

Bloomberg

You can read more at the link.

This is not surprising that the ROK would not further open up these markets. Long time Korea watchers may remember what happened back in 2008 with the U.S. beef protests. President Lee is not going to have that happen again on his watch:

South Korea’s markets for rice and beef will not be further opened under a tariff deal with the United States, a senior presidential official said Sunday.

Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, made the remarks during an appearance on a KBS news program amid lingering uncertainty over the details of the tariff deal.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It looks like the Lee administration can see the writing on the wall that the US-ROK alliance is going to shift from just being a DPRK focused organization to one that responds to regional contingencies:

A senior South Korean official made a rare mention Thursday of a possible change in the role of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration may seek to shift the focus of its mission to deterring China rather than countering North Korean threats.

The official made the remarks in a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Washington as the Trump administration is seeking to “modernize” the South Korea-U.S. alliance to make it “strategically sustainable” in the midst of an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.

“I think there can be a change in the role and character of the USFK due to various factors,” he said.

The official pointed to the evolving international security environment, technological shifts and a “growing strategic role” of China, as he enumerated the factors that could drive a possible shift in the role of the 28,500-strong USFK.

However, he cautioned against misconstruing his remarks, saying his talk of a possible change in the USFK role does not mean he concurs on the U.S. view in support of the change.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

K-pop Demon Hunters has been a global phenomenon and it’s great soundtrack is what is driving its popularity:

“Golden” from the soundtrack of Netflix’s global hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has soared to No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100.

According to the chart unveiled Friday (local time), “Golden” jumped four places to claim the top position in its sixth week on the chart.

The Official Charts Company highlighted that Huntr/x, the fictional girl group featured in the film, became the first K-pop act to reach No. 1 in 13 years since Psy topped the chart with “Gangnam Style” in 2012.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

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