Author: GIKorea

ROK Intelligence Believes Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Being Groomed to Succeed Him

It seems in a society with so many old male military figures that Kim Jong-un’s daughter would have a hard time consolidating power if Kim Jong-un was to die within the next 10-20 years:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, is being groomed to succeed her father, though the selection is not final and he could ultimately choose someone else, two lawmakers quoted South Korea’s spy agency as saying Monday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the report to the parliamentary intelligence committee, saying North Korea has suggested Ju-ae is a strong candidate to succeed her father by adjusting the frequency of her public appearances to gauge public sentiment, Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party said during a press briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Tweet of the Day: No NATO in Asia?

Picture of the Day: Foreign Troops Train on K9 System

Foreign troops learn to use K9 howitzer in S. Korea
Foreign troops learn to use K9 howitzer in S. Korea
This undated photo, provided by the South Korean Army on July 26, 2024, shows Australian, Polish and Egyptian soldiers undergoing training on the homegrown K9 self-propelled howitzer at an unspecified location. (Yonhap)

South Korea, Japan, and U.S. Sign Defense Cooperation Agreement in Tokyo

Another example of the growing trilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia:

The defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan signed a document on the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF) on Sunday , Seoul’s defense ministry said, in a move solidifying their continued commitment to three-way security cooperation against North Korean threats.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Minoru Kihara, respectively, inked a Memorandum of Cooperation on the framework in Tokyo amid their deepening security cooperation in response to the North’s persistent nuclear and missile threats and growing military alignment with Russia.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Chinese College Students Questioned for Flying Drone to Record U.S. Aircraft Carrier in South Korea

This looks pretty suspicious:

South Korean police questioned three Chinese students who used a drone to record panoramic views of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt at Busan in June, a Busan Metropolitan Police officer said Thursday. The three were suspected of illegally recording video of the carrier and South Korean Naval Operations Command on June 23 and June 25, the police officer told Stars and Stripes by phone. The students, who police described as being in their 30s or 40s, were questioned and released but remain under investigation, the officer said.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

South Korea and Japan Agree on Compromise to List UNESCO World Heritage Site

This seems like a fair compromise, Japan gets their UNESCO site and South Korea gets a marker explaining the history of Korean forced laborers:

South Korea has given the green light to designate Japan’s gold and silver mines on Sado Island — where an estimated over 1,500 Koreans were forced to work at the end of Japan’s colonial rule — as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Japan’s ongoing efforts to have the Sado Island Gold Mines recognized have fueled a dispute with South Korea. The controversy revolves around Japan’s deliberate omission of its history regarding the forced mobilization of Koreans during its brutal colonial rule over the peninsula. (….)

An inscription on the World Heritage list typically requires a two-thirds majority vote from the WHC member states. However, it has become customary for the final decision to be reached through consensus, ensuring broader agreement and cooperation among the committee members.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry’s confirmation came hours after Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported that a preliminary agreement had been reached. Under the agreement, Japan will display the history of Korean forced laborers at the site in exchange for South Korea’s consent to the inscription of the Sado Mine complex as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Tweet of the Day: IOC Apology to South Korea

Picture of the Day: Seoul Summer Beach Fest

Seoul Summer Beach fest
Seoul Summer Beach fest
A makeshift rubber pool is set up at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul on July 26, 2024, as the 2024 Seoul Summer Beach fest kicked off for a 17-day run. (Yonhap)

South Korea Demands Apology After Being Confused with North Korea During Olympic Opening Ceremony

This just shows how little people in the west know about South Korea to confuse its flag and athletes with North Korea:

The South Korean sports ministry said Saturday it is seeking a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach over a gaffe during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics in which South Korea was incorrectly introduced as North Korea during the parade of athletes.

In a statement, the ministry said Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister of sports who attended the ceremony in the French capital Friday, has asked the IOC to arrange a meeting with Bach over the incident, and asked the country’s chef de mission, or the top delegate, Jeong Gang-sun, to demand a quick response from the IOC and the local organizing committee.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

ROK Drop Open Thread – July 26, 2024

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.