Author: GIKorea

As long as President Emperor Xi is in charge, I don’t think the Chinese are interested in dialogue with Taiwan when they saw how effective blunt force was to crush Hong Kong and no one did anything to stop it. They are waiting for the right moment to use force against Taiwan as well when they feel like no one can stop them as well:

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the Department of State, is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on April 21, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

A U.S. state department spokesperson on Friday echoed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent remarks against China changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, also said the United States will continue to work with its allies, including South Korea, to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in dialogue with Taiwan,” the spokesperson told a daily press briefing.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

With the increasingly hostile neighborhood that South Korea lives in it is not surprising that a majority of South Koreans now support developing their own nuclear weapons to defend themselves:

About 56 percent of South Koreans support developing nuclear weapons to counter North Korea’s escalating nuclear threats, a survey showed Sunday. 

The survey of 1,008 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter last week, found that 56.5 percent of respondents say they support building own nuclear weapons and the issue needs to be discussed at an upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. 

In contrast, 40.8 percent said they oppose developing nuclear weapons.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The G7 can say what it wants, but clearly the Kim regime is never going to willingly give up their nuclear weapons. At some point governments are going to have to recognize that reality:

This undated image, provided by Yonhap New TV, shows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. (Yonhap)

North Korea’s foreign minister said Friday that the United States and the West have no right to argue about its status as a nuclear weapons power, slamming a recent joint statement by the Group of Seven (G-7) diplomats as interference in internal affairs.

In a statement, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui took issue with the G-7 Foreign Ministers that condemned the North’s unlawful ballistic missile launches and said Pyongyang “cannot and will never” have the status of a nuclear weapons state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“G7 has neither authority nor qualification to say this or that about the DPRK’s exercise of its sovereignty and its national status,” she said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

Moonbin, a member of K-pop boy group Astro, is seen in this photo provided by its agency, Fantagio. He died at age 25 in an apparent suicide on April 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

It is going to be interesting to see how well this new traffic law is going to be enforced:

A new road traffic law obligating drivers to stop when turning right at intersections to better protect pedestrians will be formally enforced, beginning this weekend, after a three-month grace period, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.

The NPA said it will begin to crack down on drivers caught violating the new right turn rules starting Saturday.

Under the new rules, drivers must make a full stop prior to a right turn not only when pedestrians are on the crosswalk but also when they are trying to get on it. Even if a right turn is permitted according to the traffic signal, vehicles must stop immediately if a pedestrian is spotted crossing the crosswalk.

At intersections where a right turn signal is installed, drivers cannot turn right on a red light and are allowed to turn right only when a green arrow signal is on.

Violators could face fines of up to 200,000 won (US$150) or detention for under 30 days. If violators pay certain penalties, however, the fines or detention will be exempted. The penalty is 70,000 won for a van, 60,000 won for a passenger car and 40,000 won for a two-wheeled vehicle.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon did not even mention anything about the One China Policy, only that the status quo should stay in place with Taiwan, in other words he does not want a major war in the region. For China advocating against a major war in the region is considered meddling:

The foreign ministry strongly denounced China for committing a “serious diplomatic discourtesy” Thursday after a Chinese official branded President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent comments on Taiwan as a verbal meddling by others. 

The ministry issued the statement after the Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said earlier in the day Beijing would not allow others to meddle by word, in reference to Yoon’s media interview the previous day in which he expressed opposition to any change in the status quo of the Taiwan Strait by force. 

Wang also called on Seoul to adhere to the “One China” policy under the spirit of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, saying solving the Taiwan issue is solely a matter of China’s own affairs. 

Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wang’s comments were “unspeakable.” 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but it is pretty clear that China is trying to send a message to South Korea that war with Taiwan is coming and they better stay out of it.