Author: GIKorea

Any bets if the argument with the cab driver had to do with not running the meter and charging an exorbitant fee?:

Two Secret Service employees — an agent and an armed physical security specialist — in South Korea to prepare for President Joe Biden’s impending arrival are being sent home after an alleged alcohol-fueled incident that ended with a report being filed with local police, according to two sources briefed on the situation.

The personnel were assigned to help prepare for the presidential visit when they went out for dinner and then stopped at several bars, the sources told ABC News. As the evening progressed, the two Secret Service staffers became apparently intoxicated and the agent wound up in a heated argument with a cab driver, according to the sources.

ABC News

You can read more at the link.

It looks like Key Resolve and UFG exercises could be coming back:

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Saturday to begin discussions on expanding joint military exercises between the two countries amid growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

The two reached the agreement during their first summit in Seoul, which took place as both countries believed a nuclear test or intercontinental ballistic missile launch from the North was imminent and could even happen while Biden was touring the region.

“Both leaders agree to initiate discussions to expand the scope and scale of combined military exercises and training on and around the Korean Peninsula,” a joint statement on the summit said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but this news will assuredly be used as an excuse for North Korea to conduct a provocation on some kind.

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

It appears General LaCamera sees a chance with the change in government to hopefully open access to the THAAD site near Seongju:

 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera has called for “unfettered” access to its THAAD missile defense unit here, stressing its absence would undermine the alliance’s ability to defend South Korea.

In a written statement to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense this week, LaCamera made the call, as access to the unit in the southern county of Seongju remains impeded by a set of obstacles, including protesters against the installation of the battery.

Since the unit was placed in Seongju in 2017, it has had the status of a “temporary installation” pending South Korea’s environmental impact assessment — another hindrance to its full-capacity operation. 

“Despite significant progress in increasing access to the site over the last year, unfettered access is required to fully ensure logistical support at the site and improve the quality of life for service members stationed there,” LaCamera said.

“Limited access also slows the pace of construction projects on-site, which is critical for maintaining the system’s capabilities, crew training and upgrades. All of this hinders the alliance’s ability to operate this defensive system and defend the ROK people,” he added. ROK stands for the South’s official name, Republic of Korea.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

USFK has brought some more fire power to the peninsula:

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has held a ceremony launching a permanently stationed air cavalry squadron consisting of new Apache attack helicopters in a key U.S. base south of Seoul, its officials said Wednesday.

The 5th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade was activated in the event at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. It takes over from previous rotational aviation units.

The new unit is known to have dozens of the latest AH-64E Version 6 helicopters. In January, the U.S. Army said 24 of the latest Apache helicopters would be deployed here by February in the first overseas delivery of the new version of the aircraft.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess we will see if the North Koreans conduct a nuclear test during President Biden’s trip to South Korea. I doubt they will because that would be extremely provocative, however I would not be surprised if they did one shortly after such as during the Memorial Day weekend. However, I would not be surprised if they did a missile test during President Biden’s visit:

Excavation work at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear testing site suggests the regime is gearing up for a seventh nuclear test, according to a U.S.-based think tank.    
   
Beyond Parallel, a North Korea analysis portal operated by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that Pyongyang is making preparations at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province based on satellite images captured on Tuesday.  
   
Photos of Punggye-ri – the only known nuclear testing facility in North Korea – shows “continued activity outside the new portal” for a tunnel leading into an underground test site. Support equipment around the tunnel’s entrance indicates ongoing work inside the tunnel.  
   
Further evidence cited by Beyond Parallel for the possibility of an upcoming test included changes in lumber piles, the renovation of existing buildings, and construction of new buildings in the main administration and support areas in and around the test site, suggesting a continued expansion of the support infrastructure. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.