Category: Uncategorized

The Korea Times conducted a phone interview and survey about how Korea should handle their relationship with the United States, and the paper lead with this headline, “Public Wants Greater Independence From US”.

Now look at the survey results and the headline. According to my math 55.2% of Koreans want to keep the current relationship or even strengthen it with the US while only 42% want a more self reliant relationship from the US. How does the Korea Times say the public wants greater independence when the majority of the people in their own survey says they don’t?

And the Foreign Ministry thinks that the US is smearing Korea when their own media continuously conducts smear jobs like this survey against the United States. I wonder if Congressmen Hyde has made that phone call yet to the Foreign Ministry?

Seoul may give in to North Korean demands to conduct nuclear weapons inspection of USFK bases in South Korea:

South Korea’s top diplomat has indicated that Seoul could review Pyongyang’s possible request for a nuclear inspection of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to verify the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea is subject to the verification process, according to the joint principle statement of the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs, which was adopted in Beijing on Sept. 19.

“If the North raises the issue of inspection and verification in the South, including the facilities of the USFK, we will cope with it rationally by utilizing the 1992 inter-Korean joint declaration, which contains the principle of mutual inspection,’’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon told The Korea Times in a written interview, marking the newspaper’s 55th anniversary.

The Joint Declaration of South and North Korea on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, signed on Jan. 20, 1992, articulates that “the two sides will conduct inspections of locations chosen by the other side and agreed upon by both sides.’’

It means the U.S. military installations in South Korea could technically become the target of inspections, if Seoul gives the nod to Pyongyang’s choice of American bases.

This is sure to cause even more tension with Washington if this is to happen. I hoped the South Koreans hired a real good PR team because they are going to need it if they try to pull this off.

Hopefully the North Koreans don’t pull up in a taxi because someone may accidently jump on top of it.

The South Korean city of Inje has dedicated a new bridge in honor of an American soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War:

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Thomas W. Livingston Jr. gave his life in the Korean War more than 50 years ago, but the people of Inje have not forgotten him.

Tom was an idealist, always looking on the bright side of any problem. We know he did what he was trained to do. He excelled by dying for what he knew was right. He did not die in vain. He helped save this region from communist aggression, he said.

Read the rest on your own but it was good to see that 2ID and the local Korean government were able to work together to find the soldier’s relatives to attend the ceremony which 2ID also helped to make a success.

Democrat Congressional Representatives are trying to force AFN radio to air liberal talk radio:

Democrats are demanding an investigation into defense officials?E decision to delay a liberal talk show debut on American Forces Radio last week.

On Thursday, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., and other House Democrats requested the Defense Department inspector general look into the Pentagon delay in providing balanced programming on AFN Radio.?E/p>

(…)

A Defense Department spokeswoman said the decision on Schultz’s show is still under consideration, a process that includes a review of all department guidelines for new programs.

Democrats said they are suspicious of the timing of the delay, but that the Schultz issue is just the latest in a multiyear battle to include liberal talk shows on the overseas radio network.

Currently, the American Forces Radio lineup includes radio personalities such as Rush Limbaugh, Laura Schlessinger and Paul Harvey, as well as news headlines from CNN and National Public Radio.

Has it ever crossed these Congressmen’s minds that maybe the Pentagon doesn’t want the soldiers to listen to people advocating losing the war and cutting and running? I say they take Rush Limbaugh and Doctor Laura off the programming line up before letting the liberal kooks on there advocating losing the war. You would think CNN, NPR, and Paul Harvey would be enough balanced enough programming for them.

Lawmakers in Korea are currently debating whether or not to scale back the ROK Army troops currently serving in Irbil, Iraq:

Korea is likely to pull about one-third of its 3,260 troops out of Iraq early next year. A Defense Ministry official said Minister Yoon Kwang-ung instructed officials to study reducing the country’s Zaytun Division stationed on a peace-building mission in Iraq now that a referendum on the country’s new constitution ended in a yes-vote.

“We will first bring back 1,000 men from Iraq early next year and then decide on additionally reducing a portion of the forces around next June based on our assessment of the political situation in Iraq at that time,” a senior government official said. However, he hinted that a bill now before the National Assembly to extend the Zaytun troops’ mandate will pass, saying the government was not considering a complete withdrawal of troops.

I think this is great because the amount of soldiers Korea has in Iraq is far greater then what is needed when compared to the actual “reconstruction” that is being done. The Japanese SDF in Iraq keep 550 soldiers to do their reconstruction work which should be about the number that Korea should keep in Irbil if the plan to continue the same level of aid.

For an interesting look at the aid the Zaytun unit is providing here is a link with video showing the Zaytun unit in action.

The video shows the soldiers providing medical care to the citizens in Irbil, giving new buses to the Irbil government, and a civil affairs team that goes around the country side spreading good will. The team sets up a tent for children to watch Korean animation, gives kids hair cuts, field hospital services, puts on a Tae Kwon Do show, traditional Korean dancing, and even brings out the Mogey Man for the Kurdish kids to play in the spray on insecticide! It doesn’t get much more Korean than that.

However, the video made no reference to Korea’s greatest reconstruction project the donation of Korean toilets.

The biggest problem I got with Korea’s deployment is that they are trying to win over people that are already won over a long time ago. The Kurds are extremely pro-American and I’m sure they are pro-Korean as well. If the Korean government really wanted to provide meaningful reconstruction head down the road to Kirkuk and help out there. Kirkuk is relatively safe, no where near as safe as Irbil but needs more reconstruction assistance than the Kurdish capitol.

Former US Army deserter Charles Jenkins recently appeared on 60 Minutes and provided evidence and testimony that North Korea has abducted more than just Japanese nationals over the years:

It seems, at first glance, like a typical family snapshot. Jenkins sits beside his wife and oldest child on a beach in North Korea. But the new and potentially explosive information concerns a woman in the left-hand corner of the frame. Jenkins says she is a Thai national who was kidnapped by North Korean agents from Macau, near Hong Kong, in 1978.

If what Jenkins says is true, it would represent the first photographic evidence that North Korea abducted ordinary citizens from Asian countries other than Japan and South Korea.

Interesting interview and video of the program can also be found on the left panel of the CBS site as well.

I’m curious to what the Thai government’s reaction to this information is going to be. Keep in mind though, that this is nothing compared to the 3,790 abductees that North Korea has abducted from South Korea, which the South Koreans could care less about. I guess we are about to see how much the Thai government is concerned about their citizens.

I do have to say it is a bit of a strange picture though. I have a hard time imagining people having fun at a beach in North Korea. It has got to be better than hanging out here:

By the way nice farmer tan Chuck.

The US Air Force here in Korea may have finally found a new bombing range:

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) may be allowed to use a shooting range of the South Korean Air Force on Chik Island off Kunsan in North Cholla Province as an alternative air-to-ground weapons gunnery training site, sources at the Defense Ministry said Monday.

Recent reports said that U.S. Air Force pilots here are voicing discontent for not being able to properly fly missions with no alternative found to the Koon-Ni Range in North Cholla Province that closed last August.

To those who have been following this issue, this should could come as no surprise:

An electronic scoring equipment for air-to-ground firings and bombings is scheduled to be set up on Chik Island later next year, he said, adding the process, however, has been stalled because of complaints from residents.

The ministry, however, said any official decision on the issue has not been made yet.

The prior Air Force range, Koon-ni Range was shut down last year after years of complaints about the range:

The USFK shut down the Koon-Ni Range located in Maehyang-ni, Kyonggi Province, in August amid complaints from local residents of massive structural damage.

The Koon-Ni Firing Range, built in the town in 1952, has been a constant source of anti-American feelings sparked by the damage from shooting and bombing exercises.

Of course there has never been any proof of “massive structural damage”, but the claims were enough to cause an up roar anyway.

I have a suggestion to solve this madness. How about the US Air Force uses one of the ranges the ROK Air Force is currently using and the ROK Air Force can use Chik Island. Obviously the ROK Air Force range must be better located to prevent “massive structural damage”, then the ones on remote islands causing this up roar.

The fact of the matter is that no matter where the US Air Force does their training there is going to be protests because there are anti-American hate groups that are committed to expelling USFK that are driving this issue. They could care less about “massive structural damage” or noise pollution. If they did, they would be protesting the ROK Air Force as well which they are not doing. So their whole arguement as usual rings very hollow. But they continue to spread whatever disinformation they can, to further drive a wedge between the ROK government and USFK. The current Korean political leadership will not stand up against these people for the sake of the alliance. Unfortunately this inept leadership is costing the readiness status of these pilots which ultimately effects the USFK ability to help defend South Korea if war were to happen which in the end will cost everyone here.

Then:

Camp Stanley located to the southeast of Uijongbu in 1970.

Now:

Camp Stanley viewed from the top of Suraksan Mountain today.

I have always said that Korea is the land of endless blogging material and this post about Cheju’s Loveland courtesy of the Marmot only continues to validate that belief.

I guess this kind of dispells the perception that Korea is a strictly conservative society.

A South Korean woman who went into labor and gave birth while in North Korea has returned to South Korea:

The first South Korean baby born in the North came to the South on Tuesday, but her mother said her home will always be Pyongyang.
Hwang Seon was visiting the North to see a festival when she went into labor on Oct. 10, earlier than scheduled. She was the first woman from the South to give birth in the communist state known formally as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“I’m grateful that Pyongyang is her hometown because that was made possible by how much the relationship between the South and the North has improved,” Hwang told reporters after crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone border to the South.

Now why would someone who is so close to giving child birth, travel to North Korea to begin with? Well this kind of explains it:

“I hope that the baby’s father, who is wanted under the National Security Law, will come home soon so that we can go to Pyongyang together on the baby’s first birthday,” Hwang said.

The baby’s nationality is South Korean, but Hwang said she hoped the girl would soon be able to say she was just from Korea.

Pyongyang is so great why doesn’t she, her husband, and child just stay up there? The fact of the matter is that this was all a well timed propaganda stunt by the North Koreans. I seriously doubt that she just happened to go into labor in North Korea like the article claims. This was all planned from the beginning. The fact that her husband is wanted under the National Security Law only confirms this.

Score one for the North Korean propaganda machine as they just got a world wide Yahoo News article published because of this little scheme that conveyed how great North Korea really is. Now if only some of these people that proclaim how great the North is would only move there themselves.