Author: GIKorea

When it comes to claims from defectors I give the usual caveat of who knows how true this actually is. With that said I would not be surprised if Kim Jong-un didn’t have his own pleasure squad as the defector claims:

사진 확대Kim Jong-un (left) and North Korean defector Park Yeon-mi [Photo source = Yonhap News, Mirror]

A North Korean woman claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is selecting a “joy group” for pleasure like his father Kim Jong-il.

On the 30th of last month (local time), the British Mirror published an article titled “Kim Jong-un picks 25 maidens every year to entertain him in the creepy pleasure class.”

The Mirror wrote an article based on the argument of Park Yeon-mi, a North Korean defector. Park introduced when Joyjo appeared and which women were selected.

He claimed that he was a twice-nominated candidate but was not chosen because of his family’s status.

Park explained that the Joyjo idea was devised by Kim Jong Il in the 1970s. He said he picked a few pretty women and took them to the resort where his father, Kim Il-sung, was going.

Kim Jong-il created a second Joyjo for himself in 1983, Park claimed.

“The three men have different preferences for women, so the team composition has changed,” he said. “Kim Jong-il prefers women who are shorter than 160cm but not too tall, and Kim Jong-un prefers slim and Western women.”

Park claimed that the Joy group consisted of three groups each responsible for massage, performance, and sexual activity.

Maiel Kyeongchae

You can read more at the link.

It appears Indonesia is getting cold feet in regards to boosting their Air Force capabilities with new fighter jets from South Korea:

 Indonesia has proposed reducing its payment for a joint fighter jet development project with South Korea to around one-third of its original amount, sources said Monday, amid concerns over its delayed payments.

Indonesia recently suggested paying only 600 billion won (US$442.3 million) in total for the KF-21 jet project, they said, after originally agreeing to pay about 20 percent of the 8.1 trillion-won program launched in 2015 to build the advanced supersonic fighter by 2026.

Jakarta had initially agreed to pay the sum in return for receiving one prototype model and technology transfers, and producing 48 units in Indonesia, but is said to have proposed reducing the payment amount for fewer technology transfers.

It has so far contributed around 300 billion won to the project and has failed to keep up with payment deadlines, leading to questions over its commitment.

Indonesia is known to have asked South Korea late last year to defer its payment for the project to 2034, but Seoul has maintained its stance that it should be made by the development deadline of 2026.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

How is $184 going to restore anyone’s “livelihood”?:

Rep. Park Chan-dae, the new floor leader of the Democratic Party, speaks at the National Assembly in western Seoul on May 3, 2024. (Yonhap)

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to propose legislation providing cash handouts of 250,000 won (US$184) to the entire population as its first bill of the new National Assembly set to open later this month, its new floor leader said Monday.

Rep. Park Chan-dae unveiled the plan in a radio interview with local broadcaster MBC after DP leader Lee Jae-myung asked President Yoon Suk Yeol last Monday to accept his election pledge for the cash handouts as a way to help restore the people’s livelihoods.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Being a farmer in South Korea is definitely not a lucrative business and very dependent on subsidies according to this report:

I ask people around me how much money I earn from farming in Korea on average per year. It usually refers to about 30 million won to 60 million won. Maybe it’s because there’s an amount of money I heard from somewhere. That’s roughly correct, as farm household income averaged 46.1 million won in 2022.

However, among them, the actual agricultural income earned from farming is only 9.5 million won. It’s about a fifth. The rest are non-agricultural income (19.2 million won), transfer income (15.2 million won), and non-ordinary income (2.2 million won). In other words, money earned from business or government direct payments or subsidies accounts for 80% of farm income.

Maeil Kyeongchae

You can read more at the link.

None of this should be surprising to people who have lived for a while in South Korea; always check your receipts and make sure the taxi drivers turn on the meter:

Foreign tourists to Korea are least happy with its shopping and taxi riding experience, a Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) report showed Sunday.

The KTO said its Tourist Complaint Center received 902 complaints last year, seeing a significant increase compared to 288 in 2022.

It said the number of complaints decreased between 2020 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic but hiked last year as the tourism industry recovered.

Of the complaints, 808 (89.6 percent) were made by foreign visitors.

The highest number of complaints (215) was related to shopping, including price gouging, tax refunds and refund and exchange policies.

“I bought a set of 10 foot masks after viewing the price at 8,000 won in combine, but later realized that I was charged 80,000 won. When I asked for cancellation, the seller told me to come back the next day because the store manager wasn’t present,” a Japanese tourist was quoted as saying by the KTO.

Taxi service was the second-greatest inconvenience for foreign tourists, taking up 18.8 percent of the complaints (170). Problems included overcharging and refusing to turn on meters, drivers not being courteous with customers and deliberately taking longer routes for higher fares.

The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency said Thursday it caught a taxi driver who tried to charge a Chinese tourist an exorbitant fare for a ride from Jeju International Airport to a hotel near Hamdeok Beach.

The police said the taxi driver received 200,000 won when the taxi fare should have been 23,000 won and ordered him to return 177,000 won.

Complaints concerning accommodations came in third.

Among 142 reported cases, those related to poor facilities and hygiene accounted for 31.7 percent.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Ozone alert issued

This photo shows a view of Seoul from Namsan Park on May 4, 2024, as an ozone alert was issued in 14 districts in Seoul. (Yonhap)

With all the cyber threats that South Korea faces this is probably a good exercise for them to take part in:

South Korea’s Cyber Operations Command will participate in a U.S.-led multinational cyber exercise this week to strengthen its capabilities to counter malicious cyber activities, Seoul’s defense ministry said Sunday, amid growing security threats from North Korea.

Nine personnel from the South’s military will join the Cyber Flag exercise to be held from Sunday through Saturday (local time) in the U.S. state of Virginia, according to the defense ministry.

The online exercise is designed to hone skills for multinational cooperation in countering cyberthreats and share intelligence against enemies’ cyber activities.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.