Author: GIKorea

It is interesting that this conclusion is being leaked to media:

The U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) has concluded both South and North Korea violated the armistice by sending drones into each other’s territory last month, an informed source said Wednesday.

The UNC recently reached the conclusion after its special team investigated the North’s Dec. 26 drone infiltrations, which led the South to send its drones into the North in a “corresponding” step.

UNC Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has been briefed on the investigation outcome, the source told Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity.

LaCamera, who also heads the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command and the U.S. Forces Korea, is said to have been pondering whether to disclose the outcome amid concerns that it could risk friction with the Seoul government.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems pretty extreme to conduct some of these self injuries to avoid military service. The mandatory service is not that bad to cripple yourself for the rest of your life to avoid:

A football player damaged his own wrist with heavy dumbbells. Another man even lost his hearing after subjecting his ears to loud horn sounds. Some others faked mental health conditions.

They all did so for the same purpose: dodging their compulsory military service. For many, the almost two years of service is a thankless task given to all able-bodied men born in South Korea, which is technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with only an armistice.

According to Military Manpower Administration data disclosed Tuesday by Rep. Song Gab-seok of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, 321 people have been caught making such attempts to evade conscription over the past five years.

Experts believe the real number of such draft-dodging cases, including those who did not get caught, is far greater. According to data released earlier this week by the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, a state-run research center, 335 young men were reported missing in 2021 just before they were to join the military. Nearly 1,800 such cases have occurred in the past four years.

The revelations come amid a widening investigation into the people suspected of offering money to a “consultant” surnamed Koo, who gave them tips on how to avoid military duty.

The broker has been indicted on charges of offering such information to seven people, who allegedly paid him and his accomplice, surnamed Kim, at least millions of won (thousands of dollars) per case. The first hearing on their charges will begin on Friday, with investigators expanding the probe into 100 people now.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see that the U.S.S. Pueblo is not being forgotten:

A resolution has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for the return of a U.S. Navy ship seized by North Korea 55 years ago, a summary of the resolution showed Monday.

The resolution, introduced last week by Rep. Steube Gregory (R-FL), calls for the return of USS Pueblo while denouncing North Korea’s seizure of the ship and its crew on Jan. 23, 1968.

The House “maintains North Korea’s seizure of the vessel USS Pueblo and its detention of the crew were in violation of international law,” says the resolution.

It also adds the House “declares that USS Pueblo is the property of the United States government and it should be returned to the United States.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the Pueblo has long been used for propaganda purposes by North Korea. You can read more about the U.S.S. Pueblo incident at my prior posting on the seizure of the ship.

If the Iranian regime tries to again seize a ROK vessel doesn’t this just validate everything President Yoon said? If Iran doesn’t want to be the enemy of other Middle East nations maybe they should stop sponsoring terrorism and advancing their nuclear and missile programs:

Korea’s lingering diplomatic conflict with Iran, inflamed by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent remarks branding the Middle Eastern country as the archenemy of the United Arab Emirates, has been mentioned as a potential threat to the Korean shipping industry, since the Korea Shipowners’ Association (KSA) issued a warning last Wednesday to vessels sailing in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to “remain vigilant.”

Just a few days after Yoon sparked the diplomatic controversy during his visit to the UAE, the KSA sent a letter to its members to warn them of growing concerns about the safety of ships sailing off the coast of Iran.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

When I was in Itaewon recently the place did seem far less vibrant than before the accident:

An alley in Itaewon in Yongsan District, central Seoul, near where the deadly crowd crush occurred is empty on the night of Jan. 14. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

The once bustling alleys of Itaewon in central Seoul were deserted on a recent Saturday night. Staffers of pubs and restaurants stood out in the cold encouraging the occasional passerby to come in.  
   
It’s been almost three months since the crowd crush on Oct. 29 took the lives of 158 people, and that of a teen survivor who committed suicide shortly after.     
   
People clearly don’t feel comfortable going back to the area to party, and the pain is only deepening for business owners in Itaewon.   

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

China is an existential threat to South Korea and has already tried once to destroy the ROK and continues to enable the Kim regime who’s goal is to eliminate the ROK as well. It seems decreasing dependence on Chinese trade and increasing trade with the U.S. is in the best interests of the ROK as the below article explores:

Over the past few years, Washington has launched countermeasures against Beijing such as imposing sanctions on Chinese tech firm Huawei, crafting the CHIPS and Science Act to encourage chip-making businesses to reshore their facilities and passing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to contain the Chinese-dominated EV battery industry.

However, the power struggle between the world’s top two economies also inflicted unintended consequences on South Korean companies that have a high proportion of semiconductor and battery businesses in China.

Kim Dae-jong, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said the South Korean government and companies should try to deepen cooperation with the U.S. and reduce their high dependence on China. “Ensuring national security is a value that should be considered a top priority in running a country,” he said. 

“Our economy is heavily dependent on international trade and the Chinese market, including Hong Kong, account for nearly 30 percent of the nation’s total trade in 2022. Given that China accounts for around 13 percent of the world economy, this can be interpreted that we are overly dependent on China at two or three times the average.”

He added, “Whether you agree or not, the U.S. has contributed the largest part of South Korea’s economic development. South Korea’s defense budget amounts to around 2 percent of GDP while North Korea spends about 26 percent of its GDP as of 2022. With the U.S. sharing a significant portion of our defense, we have been able to devote more resources to economic development instead of defense.” 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.