Here is the latest scam by North Korea to avoid sanctions on the country because of their nuclear and missile programs:
The U.S. warned businesses Monday not to be fooled into hiring IT staff from North Korea taking advantage of the anonymity of remote working.
Joong Ang Ilbo
In an advisory issued by the State Department, Treasury Department and the FBI, the U.S. government said the use of freelance IT staff by the North was a way for it to bypass U.S. and United Nations sanctions and earn foreign exchange for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
“There are thousands of DPRK IT workers both dispatched overseas and located within the DPRK, generating revenue that is remitted back to the North Korean government,” the advisory stated, referring to the North by the acronym for its official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“These IT workers take advantage of existing demands for specific IT skills, such as software and mobile application development, to obtain freelance employment contracts from clients around the world, including in North America, Europe, and East Asia,” the advisory said.
You can read more at the link.
This is probably a smart move with the amount of major car companies now offering electric vehicle options that is driving increased competition. If Samsung wanted to get into this market they should have done it at least a decade ago in order to already have captured market share like Tesla has done:
But at Samsung, still Apple’s top rival in the smartphone segment, its proven “go-to-market strategy” won’t be applied in the finished EV segment, as the Korean tech behemoth decided recently not to manufacture its own brand of EVs, as two senior executives, both of whom are directly involved in the issue, told The Korea Times.
Korea Times
The core reasons behind this decision are that it doesn’t believe its entry into the finished EV segment will see sustainable profits, and it holds the intention to continue avoiding any possible conflicts with its top clients, amid the focus on its contract-based semiconductor foundry business, according to them.
“After thorough reviews, response and discussions with clients, top Samsung management reached a consensus that making a foray into the finished EV segment won’t be the right fit both in terms of a profit standpoint and from a client management perspective,” one of the sources said on condition of anonymity.
You can read more at the link.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder around sexuality they do:
A Japanese man who married a hologram singer back in 2018 now hopes to raise awareness for “fictosexuals” – someone who is sexually attracted to fictional characters.
According to New York Times, Akihiko Kondo is married to fictional character Hatsune Miku – a computer-synthesised pop singer who has toured with Lady Gaga and starred in video games. Now, four years into his marriage with Miku, Mr Kondo has opened up about his relationship with his anime wife. The 38-year-old revealed that he found love, inspiration and solace in Miku.
Mr Kondo was dating Hatsune Miku for a decade before they had an unofficial wedding ceremony in Tokyo. According to the 38-year-old, his relationship with the fictional character helped him get out of deep depression. Speaking to NYT, Mr Kondo said that his assortment of Miku dolls ate, slept and watched movies together, and sometimes even went on romantic getaways.
NDTV
You can read more at the link.
The U.S. military after World War II controlled Okinawa for 27 years before returning it to Japan 50 years ago this month:
Ceremonies marking the anniversary were held simultaneously in two locations — one in the Okinawan city of Giowan, home to a disputed U.S. air station, and the other in Tokyo. The separate ceremonies symbolize the deep divide in views over Okinawa’s history and ongoing suffering.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he takes Okinawa’s concerns seriously and will make efforts to reduce the burden while still maintaining U.S. military deterrence on the islands.
Kishida and his minister in charge of the islands were in Okinawa, where hundreds of protesters staged a rally Saturday demanding a speedier reduction of U.S. military forces, as fears grow that Okinawa may become a front line of conflict amid rising China tensions. (…..)
Economic, educational and social development in Okinawa lagged behind as Japan enjoyed a postwar economic surge that was helped by lower defense spending because of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
The central government’s development fund since the reversion has improved Okinawa’s infrastructure but the growth of local industry that was largely hampered during U.S. rule is still largely limited to tourism.
Today, Okinawa’s average household income is the lowest and its unemployment is the highest of Japan’s 47 prefectures. If land taken by the U.S. military is returned to the prefecture for other use, it would produce three times more income for Okinawa than the island now makes from bases, Tamaki said recently.
Okinawan authorities regularly face denials by the U.S. side in criminal and environmental investigations.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link, but to claim that Okinawa would have become an economic powerhouse without U.S. troops I find doubtful. This is because none of the other Ryukus or Southwestern Islands in Japan became economic powerhouses and they have never been host to U.S. troops. In my viewpoint if people want to protest something, they should be protesting China’s provocative activities in the area that is driving the large U.S. troop presence on Okinawa and an expanding Japanese military presence on nearby islands.
Hopefully Keun Rhee isn’t too seriously injured and is able to recover:
A South Korean volunteer fighter in Ukraine was injured during a reconnaissance mission, his YouTube channel said Sunday.
Rhee Keun “recently incurred injuries while leading a special reconnaissance mission behind enemy lines. He has been transferred to a military hospital,” according to an English-language update posted on the YouTube channel ROKSEAL.
The YouTube channel did not provide any further details on Rhee’s condition.
The Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber left for Ukraine in March to join the war against Russia in violation of a South Korean government ban.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Sorry, but I have little sympathy for someone who was clearly wearing these pants to be provocative and get attention:
A popular South Korean DJ claimed she was kicked off an American Airlines flight and “harassed” into taking off her sweatpants in public because they were deemed “inappropriate” and “offensive.”
DJ Soda, whose real name is Hwang So-hee, took to Instagram and Twitter to detail how she was “harassed and humiliated” on Monday after boarding an American Airlines flight from New York to Los Angeles.
“I was forced out of the plane and was harassed to take off my pants in front of the flight crews at the gate,” the 36-year-old wrote. Hwang added that she “never had an issue” wearing the pants on her current North American music tour.
During the incident, Hwang had been wearing black sweatpants with the words “FUCK,” “FUCK YOU,” and “FUCKIN,'” printed all over, which she said were sponsored by the clothing brand Ripndip.
Yahoo News
You can read more at the link.
