Hopefully President Yoon doesn’t leave his lugguge inside his vehicle during the summit because it will get stolen in San Francisco:
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he is expected to call for stronger solidarity, promote trade liberalization, and discuss a response to military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
This year’s gathering, which brings together the leaders of the 21 APEC member economies, will be held under the theme, “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All.” Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee will be here for a three-day stay.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The stock trading during work hours I think is fair criticism, but bringing up a school bullying claim from 2012 is ridiculous:
Adm. Kim Myung-soo, nominee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chairman, was grilled at his confirmation hearing in the National Assembly, Wednesday, over stock transactions he made while on duty including days when North Korea launched ballistic missiles.
According to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Kim conducted 46 stock transactions from January 2022 until September this year, all during working hours. None were made during lunch breaks, the lawmaker pointed out, citing data submitted by the Korea Exchange (KRX).
Some of the transactions were made on Jan. 5 and 17, 2022, days when North Korea fired ballistic missiles toward the East Sea. Back then, Kim was a senior officer at the Ministry of National Defense.
Data revealed that Kim also conducted stock transactions on Sept. 8 this year, when North Korea unveiled its first tactical nuclear attack submarine. He was serving as the naval operations commander at the time.
During the confirmation hearing, Rep. Yoon Hu-duk of the DPK pointed out that a government official’s stock trading during work hours is subject to disciplinary measures. (…..)
The nominee was also questioned about his daughter’s school bullying allegations.
According to data submitted by the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education to Rep. Ki Dong-min of the DPK, Kim’s daughter was one of six middle school students accused of assaulting a fellow student at a school restroom in 2012.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
This would be a great upgrade to the ROK Navy’s ballistic missile defenses by fielding the SM-6:
The U.S. Department of State has approved a possible sale to South Korea of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) shipborne missile interceptors and related equipment to help improve the Asian ally’s security capabilities, a government agency said Tuesday.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the Department of Defense made the announcement on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale estimated to cost US$650 million.
The South Korean government has made a request to buy up to 38 SM-6 Block I missiles, vertical launch system canisters, training aids and other related equipment, according to DSCA.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Another example of Japan’s growing military capabilities to further deter Chinese aggression in the region:
One of Japan’s largest naval vessels took part in sea trials this week, brandishing modifications that bring it closer to embarking fifth-generation, U.S.-made fighter jets, local media reported.
The JS Kaga, a flat deck carrier for helicopters, kicked off the trials Monday after departing Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima prefecture, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday. The Kaga’s bow and flight deck were modified to accommodate F-35B Lightning II fighter jets.
The F-35B variant, employed by the U.S. Marine Corps aboard U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships, is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, making them suitable for Japan’s helicopter carriers, provided alterations are made.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
The Moon is the ultimate high ground and the Chinese are hoping to set precedents on how to control this high ground by maintaining a continuous human presence first:
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket prepares to be transferred to the launching area of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Oct. 7, 2021. (Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua via AP)
If China were to be the first to land its astronauts, sometimes known as taikonauts, it could gain the advantage in “establishing the rules of the road for how this new era of exploration will work,” said Todd Harrison, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“We want to be there establishing precedent for mining of materials on the moon and how that’s done for making claims to materials and property rights,” he said. “We want to do that in a way that’s consistent with our values and our economic system. And if China gets there first, they will get to set precedent that’s based on their values and their economic system.”
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but this is why I have always felt we need to secure a U.S. presence on the Moon first before Mars.
The real reason this lawmaker wants to take away investigative power from the NIS is probably because of all the spies they have found in organizations supporting the Korean left over the years. With that said he is right that most intelligence agencies had off counterintelligence investigations such as in the U.S. where the FBI will investigate counterintelligence threats:
Since its establishment in 1961 as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has not only collected intelligence on cases related to North Korea, but also investigated them. Come January, the South’s most important intelligence headquarters will be barred from investigating cases related to North Korea.
Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, a former high-ranking official at the NIS, says prohibiting the intelligence agency from engaging in law enforcement activities — even those concerning North Korea — was necessary to establish democratic control over its security services.
“The intelligence service has become accustomed to flouting legal boundaries on the pretext of protecting national security, and is nearly free from outside control,” the spy-turned-lawmaker told a recent interview with The Korea Herald.
Taking away investigative functions from the NIS is one of the first steps in “institutionalizing democratic control and accountability” of South Korean intelligence, he said, making the case for the contested law that bars NIS involvement in North Korea-related investigations. A key pledge of the previous President Moon Jae-in administration, the revised law was passed by the Democratic Party of Korea without support from the People Power Party.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link, but Rep. Byung-kee wants the KNP to do the investigations. These are the guys that could not figure out crowd control before the Itaewon crushing tragedy and now he wants them to investigate North Korea spies?
