It will be interesting to see how many ROK troops end of taking the vaccine if allowed considering the bad press the vaccine has received due to the blood clot issue:
The U.S. military wants to give Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine to the South Korean government to vaccinate its troops, two Ministry of National Defense officials told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
U.S. Forces Korea offered the one-shot vaccine a few days ago, according to a South Korean defense official who did not wish to be identified due to ongoing discussions.
This blurred surveillance footage, obtained by Yonhap News TV from the victim’s family on April 20, 2021, shows the scene of an incident in which the wife of Belgian Ambassador Peter Lescouhier allegedly assaulted two employees at a local clothing store. (Yonhap)
Having been probed over assault allegations, the wife of Belgian Ambassador to South Korea Peter Lescouhier will avoid assault charges due to diplomatic immunity.
The spouse faced police questioning on May 6 over allegations that she slapped a clothing store employee in the face and another staff in the back of her head early last month.
You can read more at the link, but I suspect that the ambassador will likely be removed by Belgium and replaced with someone else since his wife is now persona non-grata in South Korea.
Rally for medical student found dead in Han River People participate in a memorial rally at the Banpo Han River Park in southern Seoul on May 16, 2021, for Sohn Jung-min, a medical student who went missing after drinking with a friend at the park and was found dead in the Han River on April 30. (Yonhap)
Masks rules have been reduced on USFK military installations, but vaccinated people must carry their vaccination card to prove they have been vaccinated:
The command recommends that vaccinated individuals carry their vaccination cards or equivalent documentation for the purpose of contact tracing.
Camp Humphreys, the headquarters south of Seoul of USFK, was more blunt on its Facebook page Saturday: “The onus is on the individual to prove that they have been fully vaccinated and are at least two weeks beyond their final dose of an FDA/KDCA authorized vaccine.”
Fully vaccinated personnel are not required to wear masks on the installation, according to the post. “You must be able to demonstrate that ability. CARRY YOUR CARD.”
I would have to think that Lt. Col. Lohmeier knew that his career was over when he decided to publish this book. Hopefully he is retirement eligible because it would suck to get chaptered before hitting 20 years of service:
A Space Force lieutenant colonel has been removed from his command after appearing on a conservative podcast criticizing the United States military. Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier joined The Steve Gruber show to discuss his new book, “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military,” which alleges that Marxist ideologies are becoming widespread within the armed forces. He expounded on those concerns in the podcast.”Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be,” Lohmeier said. “That wasn’t just prolific in social media, or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature.”
With Yoon’s name out of the headlines since he resigned as prosecutor general, it makes sense that his polling numbers would begin to drop:
This composite file photo shows former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (L) and Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung, two leading candidates for the next presidential election. (Yonhap)
Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung has overtaken Yoon Seok-youl, the former prosecutor general, for the first time in a hypothetical two-way presidential hopeful poll released Friday.
In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,007 adults nationwide from Tuesday to Wednesday, 42 percent picked Gov. Lee, affiliated with the ruling Democratic Party (DP), as their favored candidate for the next presidential election slated for March 2022.
Yoon, who has led the presidential hopefuls’ race in various polls, fell to second place, with 35.1 percent support.
Legoland under constructionThis aerial photo shows a Lego-themed amusement park being built on Jung Island in South Korea’s eastern lake city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on May 13, 2021, about one year ahead of its opening. The Gangwon provincial council approved a bill in 2018 to allow British-based Merlin Entertainment Group, the operator of Legoland, to play a leading role in pushing for the mega project. (Yonhap)
Apparently you cannot back the police or in this case the security forces with the Thin Blue Line flag because it is now considered racist:
The Air Force acknowledged that the display by security forces airmen at Ramstein Air Base of a “thin blue line” flag violated Defense Department policy on what types of flags can be flown on U.S. bases.
The 86th Airlift Wing posted and later removed photos on its Facebook page of airmen in uniform carrying a black-and-white American flag with a blue horizontal stripe during a 24-hour rucksack march as part of National Police Week.
The photos drew immediate condemnation by some in the community who questioned the display on a U.S. military base of a flag that has become a polarizing symbol in a nation grappling with police violence and racism. The “thin blue line” flag is used to show support for law enforcement, but it’s also been used by white supremacist groups and flown at far-right rallies.
You can read more at the link, but based on this logic supporting firefighters with the thin red line flag should be banned as well. Taking this to its most extreme would be banning the U.S. flag since they are carried by extremist groups as well.
