Author: GIKorea

Now the Russians are making nuclear threats on behalf of the Kim regime:

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Jan. 16. [AP/YONHAP]

Russia’s top envoy to Pyongyang said that North Korea may decide to conduct a seventh nuclear test if the United States continues taking “provocative steps” in the region. 
  
“I think whether or not there will be another nuclear experiment in North Korea depends on how the military-political situation on the peninsula will unfold,” Russian Ambassador to North Korea Aleksandr Matsegora said in an interview with Russia’s state-controlled TASS news agency Wednesday.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Some expert believe all the war rhetoric directed at South Korea from Kim Jong-un may be because of pressure he is facing domestically from millenials:

The group of people who believe fear-driven barking is more convincing than the war scenario highlights North Korea’s internal factors as a source of Kim’s belligerent behavior. They argue that such behavior serves to deflect attention from domestic issues and challenges. Inside this school of thought, views are divided. Some argue that economic frustration is a key driver of North Korea’s escalating saber-rattling.

Others argue that the primary driver behind North Korea’s increasing saber-rattling is not just a food shortage but a more fundamental concern. According to this perspective, Kim Jong-un is deeply troubled by South Korea’s cultural influence, which has become widespread, especially among teenagers and millennials in their 20s and 30s. This group, often referred to as the “Jangmadang Generation,” grew up experiencing elements of capitalism through their parents’ involvement in markets to make ends meet. They believe that if not adequately controlled, this cultural influence could pose a serious threat to the regime.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but uncontrolled access to outside information has always been a major threat to the Kim regime. Keeping the North Korean people isolated and indoctrinated with only regime propaganda is a must to maintain the current system of power.

Here are some interesting comments from President Yoon on the First Lady’s handbag scandal:

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that first lady Kim Keon Hee failed to “cold-heartedly reject” a visitor armed with a hidden camera, speaking for the first time on allegations she accepted a luxury handbag from the man in 2022.

Yoon said in an interview with KBS TV that the bag was given to her as a “political maneuver” as it was filmed with a camera hidden inside a watch and the footage was only released last year ahead of an election year.

“The fact that she was unable to cold-heartedly reject him was the problem, if one can call it a problem, and it is a little regrettable,” he said. The interview was filmed on Sunday and aired Wednesday night.

Yonhap

Here are the details on how this was a planned political setup:

Yoon had come under growing pressure to address the allegations surrounding the first lady, even as his office maintained the Christian Dior bag, valued at around 3 million won (US$2,200), was given to her by a Korean American pastor in September 2022 as part of a premeditated hidden camera trap.

The issue was seen as a liability for the ruling party ahead of the April 10 parliamentary elections, as the incident occurred after Yoon took office as president in May 2022.

Yoon said in the interview that the incident took place when the couple were still living at their private apartment unit in southern Seoul, where his wife kept an office in the basement, before moving into the new presidential residence.

He suggested the pastor visited her at the office after claiming to have had ties with her late father and insisting that they meet.

“From now on, now that we have moved into the residence, not only will such things be managed well, but I think we will have to be clear so as not to cause any misunderstandings or anxieties or concerns among the people,” he said.

You can read more at the link, but the First Lady early in the administration was still living in their private home without a staff that would normally vet and advise on visits like this. When Kim Keon-hee was given the bag she seemed surprised which demonstrates she was not expecting it and thought this was only going to be a meeting with a pastor her father supposedly knew.

The fact this camera trap was executed early in Yoon’s presidency in 2022, but released shortly before the 2024 elections shows how this was a political setup to infleunce the upcoming election. President Yoon has made it clear there is a process in place now to prevent political setups like this from happening again.

Two former Park Geun-hye administration officials have received pardons from President Yoon after they had already completed their jail sentences. However these pardons will allow them to run for public office again:

This combination of file photos shows Kim Kwan-jin, left, former defense minister, and Kim Ki-choon, former presidential chief of staff. The two officials, who served in key positions during the Park Geun-hye administration, have been included on the special pardon list on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday.

Former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon ― both of whom served under former President Park Geun-hye before her impeachment ― have been included on a special pardon list, the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday.

The two were among the 450,000 people expected to be granted pardons and regain rights, including the right to run for public office, by President Yoon Suk Yeol on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

Kim Kwan-jin, 74, who served as defense minister and national security adviser under Park, was convicted in 2019 of meddling in politics by ordering the military cyber command to post online comments to sway public opinion in favor of conservative politicians.

He is currently serving as vice chairman of the presidential defense innovation committee.

Kim Ki-choon, 84, who served as chief of staff to Park between August 2013 and February 2015, was found guilty in 2017 of playing his role in creating a blacklist of artists critical of the administration.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest building that will grace Seoul’s skyline in the next few years:

A 100-story landmark building will be built in central Seoul’s Yongsan District, which will also feature a pedestrian bridge linking buildings at the 45th-floor level, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Monday.

These are part of the city government’s revived plan to transform the 500,000-square-meter former railyard into an international business district.

The land has been vacant for 10 years after the previous development plan had been canceled due to the global economic crisis. The state-run railway operator KORAIL holds 70 percent ownership of the land.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

South Korea has found another customer for their growing defense industry:

During the talks held on the sidelines of the World Defense Show, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in defense and the arms industry, the ministry said. 

On the margins the defense exhibition, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Saudi defense ministry signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to pave the way for cooperation in the defense industry and joint weapons development. 

Under the MOU, the two sides will launch a bilateral committee to jointly conduct research and development of weapons systems for continued cooperation in the defense industry, DAPA said.

Yonhap via a reader tip

Besides this MOU the ROK also secured a deal to sell missile interceptors to Saudi Arabia as well:

South Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 has clinched a US$3.2 billion deal to export mid-range surface-air-to missiles (M-SAM II) to Saudi Arabia, Seoul’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

LIG Nex1 inked the contract with the Saudi defense ministry to sell Cheongung M-SAM II in November, the ministry said.

It marks LIG Nex1’s second overseas sales of Cheongung-II following a deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January 2022.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.