Author: GIKorea

The 2010 sinking of the Cheonan and other provocations by North Korea in the Yellow Sea have never had a proper response from the ROK. For example after the 2002 West Sea Naval Battle that saw six ROK sailors dead the North Koreans celebrated the aftermath while the ROK did nothing in response. In fact the ROK President did not attend the memorial ceremony and surviving family members were treated poorly in an effort to downplay the provocation. With the new ROK defense chief it looks like any future provocations will have a serious response:

South Korea’s defense chief on Tuesday instructed Navy officials to mercilessly bury North Korean sailors at sea in the event of another North Korean provocation.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark as he inspected the new 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate, which was deployed for operations to the headquarters of the Navy’s Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday.

Shin told Navy officials and sailors to “mercilessly bury (the enemy) at sea if the enemy stages yet another provocation” after he paid tribute to 46 fallen sailors at the memorial monument at the headquarters of the Navy’s Second Fleet.

In 2010, North Korea torpedoed the 1,200-ton-class Cheonan corvette near the western Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors. A Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang torpedoed the Cheonan warship, but the North has denied its involvement in the incident.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

People walk along the walls of Hwaseong Haenggung in Suwon, south of Seoul, on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2023. (Yonhap)

This would be a big loss for Korean companies if the new Polish prime minister decides to cancel these contracts. I guess the new Prime Minister wants to get on the Uncle Sam defense gravy train like the rest of Europe:

South Korea is in talks with Poland to ensure the multiple arms contracts signed between Korean companies and the Polish government will be carried out as agreed despite the change of the leadership in Warsaw, a Seoul official said Tuesday. 

Concerns are growing as the new Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, signaled a revision to some of the arms contracts inked under the preceding government, citing overspending of the budget. 

South Korean defense firms have clinched about US$13-14 billion worth of arms sales contracts with Poland this year, which include plans for deliveries of rocket launchers, fighter jets, tanks and self-propelled howitzers.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is a horrible way to die, being electrocuted in a sauna:

Three elderly women died from electrocution at a public bathhouse in the central city of Sejong on Sunday, police said.

The three, all in their 70s, were in a hot tub at the bathhouse in Sejong’s Jochiwon district when the accident happened at 5:37 a.m. A witness told the police the three collapsed with a scream, and she called the 119 emergency number for help.

When rescue workers arrived, all three were in a state of cardiac arrest and were rushed to a hospital, but two of them died shortly thereafter, and the other was also pronounced dead hours later.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

With North Korea wanting to reopen international tourism I guess we will see who will be the next western fool to get detained in 2024:

If there is anything different this year, it would be a policy emphasis on fostering its tourism industry, according to experts, Monday.

“North Korea had already focused on promoting its tourism industry before the coronavirus pandemic forced it to stop it all,” Kang Chae-yeon, a North Korean refugee-turned-scholar at the National Institute for Unification Education, told The Korea Times. “Next year, efforts to attract foreign visitors will be back on track.”

In a sign of gearing up for such efforts, North Korea adopted a new law in August to “vitalize and expand” its tourism industry, according to its state media.

Under the young leader, North Korea stepped up efforts to develop tourist sites, promoting “world-class” vacation properties across the country, including Samjiyon, a city situated near Mount Paektu, and Wonsan, a port city situated on the East Sea.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is horrible that this man had to jump from his apartment holding his child and died from the impact, but the child survived:

A father in his 30s died Monday after jumping from the fourth floor of a high-rise apartment building in Seoul carrying his young child, in a desperate attempt to flee from a fire on Christmas Day.

He was one of two fatalities from the fire, which broke out at the apartment building in Banghak-dong, in Seoul’s Dobong district. As of Monday afternoon, 30 suffered injuries.

According to local news reports, the 30-something-year-old victim, wife and two children aged 7 months and 2 years, were residents of a unit right above the third floor where the blaze started.

His wife also jumped with another child. She survived despite suffering life-threatening injuries. The two children were reported to be injured but in stable condition.

Another victim of the fire was a 38-year-old individual identified by the surname Lim, a resident of the 10th floor. Lim was discovered in full cardiac arrest on the stairs of the 11th floor. Fire authorities suspect that Lim succumbed to smoke inhalation while attempting to evacuate, according to news reports.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

ICBMs and nuclear brinkmanship is what keeps the Kim regime relevant so don’t expect them to stop anytime soon:

This satellite image, released by 38 North on Nov. 24, 2021, shows North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex, north of Pyongyang. North Korea appears to be continuing the operation of a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at the complex, the U.S. monitoring website said the same day, citing the release of steam and water seen in recent satellite imagery. (Yonhap)

The United States has expressed serious concern over North Korea showing signs of starting the operation of a new light-water nuclear reactor in a possible attempt to produce nuclear weapons fuel.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Thursday that the agency has detected more signs of the North commissioning the light-water reactor (LWR) at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, such as warm water being discharged from it.

The North’s “commissioning of a new light-water nuclear power plant raises serious concerns, including safety,” the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Vienna said in a statement. “The DPRK’s unlawful nuclear & ballistic missile programs continue to pose a grave threat to international peace & security.” (…..)

Grossi also said the further development of the North’s nuclear program, including the construction and operation of the LWR, is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to fully comply with its obligations under the resolutions.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.