I would not be surprised that this old guy probably has a mental illness of some kind:
A 77-year-old man passing by the defense ministry compound Tuesday took out a knife and stabbed two police officers guarding the compound, which also houses the presidential office.
The man, identified by his family name Park, yelled in front of the compound and attacked the officers at 1:20 p.m. as they tried to subdue his shouting. One of the officers was stabbed in the abdomen and the other in the left arm, and both were taken to a hospital.
The man was arrested at the scene.
The ministry compound houses the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Australia’s military is expanding its role in the Pacific this time participating in a trilateral exercise in South Korea:
Over 130 U.S., South Korean and Australian aircraft began large-scale airpower drills this week to improve their teamwork, three days after U.S. and South Korean soldiers concluded a ground and air exercise.
Vigilant Defense, a five-day exercise that kicked off Monday, is taking place throughout South Korea with 25 types of aircraft, including U.S. F-35B Lightning IIs and F/A-18 Hornets, and South Korean F-35As and E-737 airborne early warning and control aircraft, according to a Ministry of National Defense news release Saturday.
A KC-30A multirole tanker transport from the Royal Australian Air Force will conduct aerial refueling drills, the release said. The Australian air force first appeared for the exercise last year when a KC-30A refueled South Korean KF-16s and U.S. F-35Bs.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
This think tank is calling for 100 modernized tactical nuclear weapons to defend South Korea, but believes they should be stored in the U.S.:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) talks with officials during a visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute in Pyongyang on March 27, 2023, in this file photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim guided the work to mount nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles, and the institute reported the recent years’ work and production for bolstering the North’s nuclear forces, both in quality and quantity, according to the KCNA. (Yonhap)
South Korea and the United States should modernize around 100 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to support the security of the South against North Korea’s growing threats, a research report said Monday.
The Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Rand Corp. made the suggestion in a joint report, stressing the North has “already established a nuclear weapon force that could pose an existential threat” to South Korea and is “on the verge” of posing a serious threat to the U.S.
“Kim Jong-un appears to be planning a force of at least 300 to 500 nuclear weapons… the 300-weapon threshold could almost be reached in 2030,” the report, titled “Options for Strengthening ROK Nuclear Assurance,” said.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
This ruling from the South Korean human rights watch dog recommends improving the living the conditions for three Russians hiding from military service in the departure area of Incheon International Airport:
Three draft-eligible Russians, who have been stranded at Incheon International Airport for over one year unable to get asylum approval from the South Korean government, deserve humanitarian assistance from local authorities, the state human rights watchdog said Monday.
The three Russian men have been living in the airport’s departure waiting area since October 2022 after fleeing to avoid being drafted to fight against Ukraine. They applied for asylum after landing at the airport, but the Ministry of Justice rejected their applications, saying a simple evasion of military service does not constitute grounds for refugee status.
The Russians then filed a lawsuit to nullify the ministry’s decision, and the Incheon District Court ruled in favor of two of them in February. The ministry then appealed to a higher court, leading the Russians to continue to live virtually homeless somewhere within the airport terminal.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
I did not know Seoul had that many neighborhoods for this Youtuber to visit:
Bart van Genugten wants to visit every neighborhood of Seoul. The city has 467 administrative divisions, known as “dong,” in Korean, and the Dutch national has already checked a decent number off his list, in his YouTube video series, “Welcome to My Dong.”
“Once I promise myself to do something, I tend to keep that promise,” he told The Korea Times about his prospects of reaching that goal. “It may take me four to six years without any distractions.”
He’s already visited 50 dongs creating 35 videos and 36 shorts on his YouTube channel, iGoBart, which has over 193,000 subscribers.
“All I have discovered, being 50 neighborhoods into the project, is that every dong has something interesting, no matter how small, they all have something worthy of a visit, and I want to show this to the world,” he said. “Seoul is more than only the famous landmarks and has so much more to offer if you’re curious. I wish more creators did so.”
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
Here is the DP once again demagoging a tragic accident to score political points. There was clearly poor planning at the local level that contributed to this tragedy, however the opposition makes it seem like President Yoon should of been out there leading crowd control that tragic night:
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, delivers a speech at Seoul Plaza in the capital city during a memorial event to mark the first anniversary of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people during Halloween celebrations last year, in this photo taken on Sunday. (Yonhap)
The main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung vowed Sunday to get to the truth about the deadly Itaewon crowd crush and work to hold those accountable to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
Lee made the pledge during a memorial event held to mark the first anniversary of the deadly crowd crush that took the lives of 159 people during Halloween celebrations in the popular hangout district of Itaewon.
“It has been one year since 159 universes, and 159 worlds collapsed, but nothing has changed. The desperate appeals by the bereaved families are again ignored today, and those in power are only bent on covering up the truth,” Lee said in a speech at Seoul Plaza.
“We will reveal the truth by quickly passing special legislation on the Itaewon tragedy, hold those responsible accountable and make sure something like this won’t happen again,” Lee said.
Korea Herald
You can read more at the link.
