Author: GIKorea

It looks like North Korea will continue to launch these satellites until they figure out how to do it correctly:

North Korea said Thursday its second attempt to launch a spy satellite has ended in a failure, citing “an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight.” 

Pyongyang said it launched the spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, mounted on a new type of rocket named Chollima-1, but an error occurred during the third stage of the launch, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea will once again aim to put a satellite into orbit in October, KCNA said, following its first botched attempt in late May.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

No word yet if the North Koreans were successful at putting their satellite into orbit:

North Korea launched a long-range rocket in a southern direction on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, in the North’s likely second attempt to put a satellite into orbit.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launch involved what the North called “a space launch vehicle.” It gave no further details.

On Tuesday, Japan’s coast guard said North Korean authorities notified it about a plan to launch a satellite at some time from Aug. 24 through Aug. 30. Coast guard spokesperson Hiromune Kikuchi said the notice didn’t specify the type of satellite, but that he believed it would be similar to a May launch by North Korea.

In late May, a North Korean rocket carrying a spy satellite plunged into the sea soon after liftoff, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s push to establish a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the U.S. and South Korea. North Korea had since vowed to make a second attempt.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

If this crazy guy couldn’t buy brass knuckles to commit his crime he could have just as easily used a hammer. Are those going to be banned too?:

The suspect, second from right, charged with rape and murder at Sillim-dong, Seoul, leaves Seoul Gwanak Police station after an investigation, Saturday. Yonhap

Growing concerns over the possible criminal use of self-defense weapons are sparking calls for tougher regulations on the products. 

Fears come in the wake of a heinous crime involving a 30-year-old man who assaulted a woman, on a hiking trail in southern Seoul, with two brass knuckles, after which, he raped her, Thursday. The victim died, Saturday.

“It scared me because it is so easy to buy them online, and I also wonder if I can actually use brass knuckles in self-defense in an urgent situation,” said Lee So-heon, 26, a university student who also lives in southern Seoul.

The latest attack adds to a recent string of violent crimes that have alarmed the public. Ahead of the murder case, a knife-wielding rampage occurred near Sillim Station, July 21, followed by a similar incident at Seohyeon Station in Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 3, which sparked a surge in the sales of self-defense weapons.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Is everyone ready for subway stations named after companies? If there was a ROK Drop station which one do readers think it should be?:

Starting in September, Yeouido Station on Seoul Metro’s Line 9 will bear an additional name ― Shinhan Securities. This follows Shinhan Securities’ successful bid to acquire naming rights for the station. As a result, Shinhan Securities will now be associated with both Yeouido Stations on Lines 5 and 9, which are at the heart of Korea’s financial business district.

The association of a firm’s name with Yeouido Station is symbolic, given that the area houses more than 14 securities firms and numerous other financial institutions. The station also sees over 3 million users monthly.

This so-called “second name” can be acquired for metro stations through Seoul Metro’s auction system. When a company or institution wins the bid, its name will appear alongside the original station name, enclosed in brackets. This name is also announced on trains and displayed on various road and station signs.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

These protesters have no creditability considering they are not protesting similar waste water dumping South Korea and far worse in China. This is strictly just another anti-Japanese protest for political reasons:

Activists stage a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, Tuesday, urging the Japanese government to revoke its decision to start releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, Thursday. Yonhap

Korea’s main opposition party and civic groups have pledged to hold an all-out protest against Japan’s announcement, Tuesday, to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean starting Thursday.

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) denounced Japan’s decision by staging rallies at the National Assembly and in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to condemn the decision.

“Japan made the vicious decision to discharge contaminated water into the ocean, which belongs to all humans, without scientific proof, understanding from neighboring countries or agreement by the Japanese people,” DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

North Korea must be confident they have fixed whatever issue plagued their last satellite launch and are ready to try again apparently over the next week:

North Korea has notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite between Thursday and Aug. 31, according to a Japanese news report, as the country seeks to put a spy satellite into orbit following its failure in May.

The North informed Japan’s coast guard of its plan to designate three maritime danger zones — two of which are west of the Korean Peninsula and the other is to the east of the Philippines’ island of Luzon, Japan’s Kyodo News reported Tuesday.

“The plan is believed to be a retry of a military reconnaissance satellite launch North Korea attempted in May, but that ended in failure,” it added.

The North launched its first military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, mounted on a new type of rocket named the Chollima-1, on May 31. But the rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea after an “abnormal starting” of the second-stage engine, according to the North’s state media.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.