Author: GIKorea

Here is a first that will occur during the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield Exercise:

A South Korean general for the first time is sharing command of one of the largest military exercises with U.S. forces on the peninsula.

South Korean army Gen. Ahn Byung-Seok, deputy commander of Combined Forces Command, is leading the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise with U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, USFK said in a news release Tuesday evening.

Ahn “will switch duties and responsibilities” with LaCamera during the 11-day exercise, the release said.

LaCamera also leads U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command, which is responsible for 600,000 U.S. and South Korean troops and up to 3.5 million South Korean reservists. Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed on the peninsula.

Ahn is the second-highest ranking leader of Combined Forces Command, one of the three major military commands responsible for the immediate defense of South Korea. The country’s unique military hierarchical structure typically places South Korean generals as deputies in Combined Forces Command, second only to an American general.

The military exercise, named after Eulji Mundeok, a 7th century Korean general, kicked off Monday and ends Sept. 1.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Economic conditions in Korea may not be good, but it good for U.S. troops stationed there that are getting a great exchange rate against the won:

Current economic conditions are “severe,” the presidential office said Tuesday, as the Finance Ministry warned speculators not to pile into the won trade, with the currency now at levels not seen in more than 13 years.  
   
“Internal and external economic conditions, like the weak won and the growing trade deficit, are severe,” presidential spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said on Tuesday.  
   
Earlier that day, President Yoon Suk-yeol said he will address the economic risks in an emergency meeting and make sure the falling won “does not impose negative impacts on our market.”

The won broke 1,340 to the dollar for the first time in 13 years and four months on Monday. It continued to fall Tuesday, hitting 1,346.60 won intraday. The currency has declined more than 10 percent this year.  
   
A declining won puts Korea in a tough situation as households are weighed down by debt and being squeezed by inflation. Raising rates would held stabilize the currency but threaten the housing market, while inflation could remain high if rates are increased too slowly.  
   
The brewing economic crisis is as much a test for the president, who is already battling a low approval rating and has few tools at his disposal, as it is for the central bank. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but the current economic problems is probably going to only further drop President Yoon’s approval ratings.

This seems like a good compromise approach that allows these wartime workers to be compensated while allowing Japan to maintain the legality of the 1965 treaty:

“We’re now fully considering a plan that would allow the plaintiffs to receive compensation in a way that doesn’t conflict with the sovereignty issues that the Japanese government is concerned about,” Yoon said.

The Japanese government has long maintained that the issue of claims by former requisitioned workers has been settled under the 1965 Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea. Yoon’s reference to “sovereignty issues” is believed to refer to this position.

Yoon appears to envision measures such as subrogation in which a fund is created by Japanese and Korean companies to pay compensation to the plaintiffs.

“The historical issue can be resolved amicably through concessions and understanding,” Yoon said, if Japan and South Korea strengthen future-oriented cooperation. It appears that the South Korean president recognizes the need for compromise between the Japanese government and companies and Korean plaintiffs, but he did not refer to specific steps to be taken.

Yomiuri Shimbun

You can read more at the link, but don’t expect the Korean left to support this. What President Yoon will need to do is make sure this is implemented in a way that the Korean left can’t over turn whenever they win a Presidential election again like they did with the comfort women settlement with Japan once President Moon was elected.

The Russians are trying to flex their muscles in the East Sea:

Two Russian Tu-95 bombers flew through Korea’s air defense identification zone (Kadiz) Tuesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).  
   
The JCS confirmed that the planes entered the Kadiz after the Russian Ministry of Defense warned they would.  
   
“Two strategic missile carriers for long-range aviation performed a scheduled flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to the East Sea. “The flight duration was about seven hours. At certain stages during the route, the strategic missile carriers were escorted by F-16 fighters of the Republic of Korea air force.” 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

I hope no-one from Korea thinks Japan is developing these systems to take back Dokdo. These systems are clearly intended to defend against Chinese and North Korean attacks:

NHK has learned what defensive items will be funded under the Japanese Defense Ministry’s demand for budgetary appropriations for the next fiscal year.

The Defense Ministry has compiled the budget request to drastically enhance Japan’s defense capabilities over the next five years, without showing the total cost.

The ministry plans to start mass production of new long-range standoff missiles that can attack targets from outside enemy range and could be used for counterstrikes.

They include an improved version of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s ground-to-ship missile and high-speed glide bombs to defend remote islands.

The ministry also plans to develop unmanned aircraft that can be used not only for surveillance and information gathering but also to launch an attack.

NHK World

You can read more at the link.