The DPK doesn’t seem too interested in defending ROK sovereignty:
The military refuted the opposition party’s claim on Monday that South Korean drones sent to North Korea were a violation of the inter-Korean truce, claiming that the South exercised its right of self-defense.
Korea Times
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) defended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s eye-for-an-eye response to five North Korean drones that crossed over the inter-Korean border, Dec. 26, in a clear violation of a 2018 military pact signed between the two sides.
“The border incursion by the North Korean drones was a provocative act that apparently violated the Korean Armistice Agreement, the (1991) Inter-Korean Basic Agreement and the (2018) Sept. 19 military agreement,” Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the JCS, told reporters. “It was a proportional response and an exercise of the right to self-defense … Article 51 (of Chapter VII) of the United Nations Charter guarantees the right to engage in self-defense, which will be investigated by the United Nations Command (UNC).”
The remarks came a day after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized Yoon for the retaliatory response it claimed was a violation of the military pact, under which the two sides agreed to cease hostile activities and take steps to build military trust.
You can read more at the link, but we all know that if the DPK still had President Moon in power they would be saying this is a great idea.
The smart people keep saying Kim Jong-un is showing his daughter off to emphasize hereditary power transition:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s disclosure of his daughter in recent public events was likely an attempt to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer, South Korea’s spy service told lawmakers Thursday.
Kim publicly took his daughter to three events in the past few months: a missile launch site, a photo session with weapons scientists and a touring of a missile facility. State media called her Kim’s “most beloved child,” sparking outside debate over whether she’s being groomed as his heir apparent, though she’s believed to be around 9 or 10 years old.
In a closed-door Parliamentary committee meeting, the National Intelligence Service said it assessed that by taking his daughter to public places, Kim aims to show North Koreans his resolve to hold another round of hereditary power transition, Yoo Sang-bum, one of the lawmakers who attended the private NIS briefing, told reporters.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but I think he is showing off his daughter to make him look like a nice family man to rehab his image before any future potential talks.
The Israeli system would further improve the ROK’s detection capabilities against drone attacks, but does not solve their inability to shoot them down:
South Korea’s military is considering the purchase of an Israeli “electric eye” as part of efforts to bolster its capabilities to detect small North Korean drones, a defense source in Seoul said Sunday.
The move comes as the South’s defense authorities have come under fierce criticism for the failure to counter the penetration of five North Korean drones into its airspace late last month. It was belatedly revealed that one of them even intruded into the no-fly zone, called P-73, near the presidential office in the central district of Yongsan.
In order to beef up its airspace defense system, the military is considering pushing for the speedy acquisition of the Sky Spotter system, according to the source.
Built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it is designed for the early detection and tracking of such aerial objects, including drones, as well as balloons and kites, that are used for terrorist attacks.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
The air just keeps getting worse in Seoul:
South Korea’s air quality reached the worst level this winter Saturday due to high levels of fine dust and yellow dust, according to weather authorities.
As of 10 a.m., the daily average concentration of ultrafine dust particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, known as PM2.5, was 86 micrograms per cubic meter, while that of fine dust known as PM10 was 143 micrograms per cubic meter across the country, according to Air Korea run by the environment ministry.
The figures were much higher than the yearly average concentration of ultrafine and fine dust of 18 and 36 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, in 2021.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Despite this news I see far less obese people in Korea compared to the U.S.:
South Korean men have become more obese over the past 13 years due to drinking and lack of exercise, a government report showed Friday.
The percentage of males aged 19 and over who have body mass indexes (BMIs) of 25 kilograms per square meter or over reached 44.8 percent in 2021, up from 35.9 percent in 2008, according to the report compiled by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
In particular, male adults who had a BMI of 30 ㎏/㎡ accounted for 7.6 percent of all men last year, up from 4.1 percent in 2008.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but somebody needs to tell Yonhap that tracking obesity rates is now considered racist.
The first open thread of 2023. Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.
