Author: GIKorea

Something to remember is that a Patriot battery is not going to protect Seoul against North Korea’s artillery which is the real defense problem for the nation’s capitol:

A Patriot surface-to-air missile battery has recently been installed on Mount Bukak near Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, according to political sources, Tuesday. The battery system reportedly consists of a launcher for PAC-2 (Patriot advanced capability-2) missiles and another one for PAC-3 missiles.

The deployment of the unit in Seoul is aimed at strengthening the defense of the capital. The plan was devised after South Korea allowed the United States to deploy a terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) battery in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province in 2017. While the THAAD system has strengthened the defense of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, concerns have been that defense of the capital area was relatively weak.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

What Generation Z wants doesn’t matter because the Korean left currently in power in South Korea is pushing the country towards a confederation with North Korea:

South Koreans born after 1995 are less supportive of unification and feel less affinity for North Koreans despite a common ethnic identity, according to a recent survey.

The poll from newspaper Hankook Ilbo and Hankook Research taken in early December interviewed a pool of 500 Generation Z respondents and compared their answers to those of 500 South Korean members of Generation X, or people born after 1968 and before 1980.

The Hankook Ilbo reported Friday Gen Z respondents were relatively apathetic about the notion of a unitary Korean people that binds Koreans of North and South.

When asked about their sense of “belonging” to transnational Koreans as an ethnic group, fewer Gen Z respondents responded positively than their Gen X counterparts, or about 13 percentage points lower, according to the report. Lack of identification with North Koreans was also greater among Gen Z respondents; only about 12 percent of them said they view North Korea in a positive light.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Kim Jong-un has not targeted and killed U.S. troops or citizens thus he has nothing to worry about, for now:

In the wake of the drone-led killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, it remains to be seen how the airstrike will affect North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s actions.

Some believe Pyongyang will use the assassination to justify its nuclear program as a necessary form of defense and take its own path toward a nuclear power. But there is also speculation that the North Korean leader may disappear from the public eye ― like his predecessors ― out of fear of a possible U.S. attempt to assassinate him. 

On Monday, three days after the death of the Iranian general in Iraq, the North’s official media outlets carried their first reports on the incident, hinting that the country may chart a new course. 

“There is nothing to hesitate about in the face of growing hostile acts, nuclear threats and blackmail,” the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, said in an article. 

“We should continue to strengthen our impregnable military power quantitatively to ensure no one ever considers using armed forces against us until the U.S. withdraws its hostile policy.” 

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but North Korea doesn’t need to use the Soleimani killing to justify their nuclear program when they have for years said they are not going to get rid of it, it just that no one bothers to listen to them.

I would suspect that North Korea is going to play a wait and see approach after the Soleimani killing. The next thing I think people should be watchful for is if the U.S. restarts the Key Resolve exercise that usually begins in March. If so then the North Koreans will assuredly respond with a provocation of their own.

If North Korea responds with a provocation before March the U.S. will likely respond with restarting the Key Resolve exercise. This will all play out in the February-March timeframe which gives North Korea time to see what happens with the current U.S.-Iran tensions.

The Korean movie Parasite continues to win accolades:

 Bong Joon-ho’s black comedy “Parasite” was named best foreign language film at the U.S. Golden Globe Awards on Monday (Korean time).

In a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, “Parasite” won the honor, outclassing “The Farewell” by Lulu Wang, “Pain and Glory” by Pedro Almodovar, “Les Miserables” by Ladj Ly and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” by Celine Sciamma.

It is the first time that a Korean-made film has won a prize at the accolades given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

It was also nominated for best screenplay and best director at the Golden Globe Awards but failed to win either.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The Chinese fish boats are back, fortunately they did not murder or hurt anyone this time:

 South Korea seized a Chinese fishing boat on charges of illegal fishing in its waters in the Yellow Sea, the Korea Coast Guard said Saturday.

The 15-ton fishing boat invaded the Northern Limit Line (NLL) by 4 kilometers near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong.

The Coast Guard said it will carry out further investigations on seven Chinese fishermen on board.

Another 22 Chinese fishing boats were also evicted from the area.

Chinese fishing boats are often caught poaching in South Korean waters, and Chinese fishermen have used violence during raids by the South Korean Coast Guard. In 2011, a South Korean Coast Guard officer was killed by a Chinese skipper during a raid.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

For some reason I bet there is far more than one person involved in black-marketing, it appears this guy just made it super obvious:

A U.S. military retiree has been banned from bases in South Korea over allegations of buying excessive duty-free goods and black marketing, officials said Friday.

The move came nearly four months after U.S. Forces Korea, the main command on the peninsula, lifted monthly commissary purchase limits and eased other shopping restrictions intended to prevent such infractions.

The retiree, who lives in South Korea but was not otherwise identified, was banned Dec. 10 “from all U.S. military installations and facilities in (South Korea) for 10 years, for excessive purchasing of duty free goods and black marketing,” according to a post on the Camp Humphreys Facebook page.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.