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The San Diego Union Tribune is reporting this interesting article about the North Korean gulag system. The article has interviews with defectors from North Korea who served time in the gulags. They provide a insightful look into the gulag system. Here is a fact I found amazing:

The concentration camp is a kind of closed town where a number of camps are linked together by a road. At least two of the camps, Hoeryong and Hwasong in Hamkyong Province, are larger in area than the District of Columbia.

A prison larger than Washington, DC? That is one large prison. Here is another piece of the article I found interesting:

In the 1990s, imprisonment befell some North Korean students and diplomats who had been studying or posted in the Soviet Union or Eastern Europe and had been exposed to the collapse of socialist rule. According to Yong Kim, he saw some old white men in his gulag who he believed were American POWs from the Korean war of early 1950s. Also believed to have been placed in the prison system were a large number of South Koreans, including many fishermen, captured or abducted by North Korea over the years.

This would be absolutely horrible if we abandoned POW’s from the Korean War to a life of hell in a North Korean gulag. They white prisoners may be Russians or people who have defected to North Korea who needed to be reeducated. Hopefully these claims will be investigated by the government. Personally I find it hard to believe they could have survived so long in a gulag. Anyway interesting reading about the every day life of your average prisoner in North Korea, worth checking out.

Kaechon, a mining camp of about 15,000 prisoners, is about 25 to 31 miles long by 19 miles wide. According to Kim Yong, one of the camp’s survivors, daily meals consisted of 20 to 30 kernel of corn and watery cabbage soup. This image was provided by Space Imaging Asia, courtesy of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

(Hat Tip to Simon’s World for the link.)

A large cave was discovered recently on Cheju Island by utility workers installing a new power pole.

A pseudo-limestone cave, the world’s largest of its kind, was found on Cheju Island last Wednesday.

“(The cave) is at least 2.5-kilometer-long and rich in formations of mineral deposits such as calcite stalactites and stalagmites. As far as we know, there is no other pseudo-limestone cave like this in the world,” Son told The Korea Times in a telephone interview. So far, 120-meter Hwanggum cave on the island was considered to the largest of its kind.

If you have plans to go to Cheju Island make sure to check out the different caves on the island. They are really amazing to see and worth the hike to explore them. This may become yet another worthwhile cave to explore on the island if they open it up to the public.

FIFA today fined the North Korean soccer team for the conduct of their fans during a recent match in Pyongyang.

The recent riot at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang cost North Korea and its soccer fans dearly. During the game against Iran, angry North Korean players shoved the referee. Disappointed fans hurled bottles and rocks on the field after their appeals for a penalty were turned down. Soldiers and the public security forces moved in to suppress the public unrest so uncharacteristic of this communist state.

After the game, the angry mob for two hours was preventing Iran’s bus from leaving the stadium. The Stadium, which is believed to be sacred for every citizen, has been vandalized. The common belief that the public order in North Korea is fully controlled by the state has been shaken.

For these actions North Korean soccer was fined the following:

The final stage of the 2006 World Cup preliminary competition does look dramatic for North Korea. The DPRK Football Association will be fined by FIFA and the next “home game” will be moved from North Korea to be played on a neutral ground and behind closed doors. When FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision was announced a month later, many named it unfair and cruel.

The currency-hungry state is forfeiting the equivalent of $16,800 in penalty. It will also lose hundreds of foreign guests and journalists who planned to visit Pyongyang on June 8, 2005, and miss the advantage over the rival team who are not accustomed to the artificial grass on the Kim Il-sung Stadium.

It this punishment fair for North Korea? Heck they were just acting like soccer hooligan fans in Europe. I like the reasoning of this editorial though:

In handling this incident, one should not forget the FIFA’s motto of fair play. The Disciplinary Committee’s decision has been made with consideration of safety for players, coaching staff, audience, and the fairness of the game in general. The North Koreans have failed to provide the safe environment during the match against Iran, a friendly state which is often grouped with the DPRK for its nuclear ambitions. What should we expect from the game where both states are technically at war with each other? The issues of kidnappings, territorial dispute, and history books may easily overshadow the atmosphere of international sport festival.

If North Korean fans treat a fellow “Axis of Evil” nation like this, how should FIFA expect North Korean fans to behave if the Japanese were to beat them in Pyongyang? I would have to agree it is a safety issue and probably a good decision by FIFA.

The Korea Times is reporting that the US is not planning to send Secretary Rice to North Korea.

Washington denied Tuesday a news report that North Korea has invited U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Pyongyang for discussions on the deepening dispute over its nuclear weapons programs.

The official was responding to a report by a Japanese business daily that North Korea has asked China to arrange a visit by the U.S. state secretary.

I don’t see this happening unless Pyongyang makes a lot of concessions in return. Especially after she called North Korea an “Outpost of Tyranny”. I would be surprised if they would want to have such a anti-North Korean figure traveling to their country. Plus I would think Secretary Rice has more important things to do then listen to demands from the Norks for food and money. I bet she in content to let the South Koreans listen to all the whining for now. I don’t see her getting involved unless a concrete deal has been reached.

The Korea Times has a nice follow up on a posting I did on the American Campaign of 1871 in Korea that is worth checking out.

The Base – For most people coming to Korea, Osan Air Base is the first place you will see because this is where the Space A flights land in Korea. The most recognizable feature of Osan while landing will the PATRIOT missile batteries that protect the airfield.

However, going to Osan Air Base when you have been stationed in 2ID for a while is like going to Disneyland. The cultural difference is just amazing. It actually feels like you are back in America. The base is extremely nice and has a huge PX and commissary plus everything else you would expect from a large US military installation back in the states.

At Osan AB there is plenty to do both on and off post. On post there is opportunities to participate in many intramural sports from softball to bowling. There is also a great golf course located coveniently on post. The post also features plenty of American eating establishments along with night clubs. The housing on Osan for the soldiers is the best in Korea with college dorm quality that the majority of barracks are either new or renovated. The rooms all have access to a great cable package to get all your favorite stations from the states along with high speed internet access. So if you get stationed on Osan feel fortunate because it is the nicest installation in Korea.

The Shopping – The Songtan market is famous for great shopping for foreigners in Korea. The shop owners in Songtan can speak some English and are familiar with western tastes. Unbelievable discounts on suits, leather jackets, hand bags, wallets, jewelery, etc. can be found in Songtan.

You will be absolutely amazed by the bargains there. Make sure you always haggle for the best price because in Asian culture haggling is expected so don’t by shy to negotiate for a lower price. Just tell them “kaka-chu-seyo!” This is Korean for, “I want a discount.” Use this phrase because it will save you money. Don’t pay more than you have to because if you do it encourages the shop keepers to raise their prices to rip off other foreigners.

Night Life – Outside the gate is the city of Songtan. The city features possibly the best night life in Korea outside of Itaewon.

Songtan has both your typical “juicy girl” clubs where soldiers buy drinks for $20 to talk to either Phillipino or Russian women brought into Korea. Make sure you do not get involved in human trafficking and prostitution. There is a big crackdown on this activity in the military and the best way to avoid it, is to avoid the juicy girl clubs.

The novelty of the juicy girls gets old and expensive after a while anyway so make sure you check out all the great normal clubs in Songtan. Unlike other GI “villes” in Korea that have nothing but “juicy girl” clubs, Songtan has plenty of normal clubs to check out.

If you have been stationed on Osan before please leave comments about your insights on Osan Air Base.

The Korea Times has also ran a story about Chinatown in Incheon. You may remember my earlier posting about Chinatown. The Korea Times also ran this story about a Chinese Chajangmyon Restaurant owner in Chinatown. He provides some interesting history about the popular “Chinese” dish here in Korea.

Some great North Korean propaganda posts coming from first the Oranckay and secondly the Japundit.

The first post from the Oranckay features this great picture of North Korean school children beating a replica of an American soldier.

I don’t think my nose is that big? Anyway make sure to check out Oranckay’s comment section to see why some people think this may actually be Seoul and not Pyongyang.

The second post from the Japundit features some great propaganda pictures like this:

The Japundit also provides some great commentary about North Korean propaganda that is worth reading, so check it out.

Jeff in Pusan has his latest installment of why Byung-hyun Kim sucks that is funny and worth checking out.

However, I couldn’t help but notice one stat line that absolutley amazed me. It wasn’t his ERA of 9.64, the fact he averages over one walk an inning, the fact he is 0-3, blown every save opportunity, or even the fact he has an ERA of 27 over the past week. No what amazes me the most is the fact he is due to get paid $6,575,000 this year. Seeing the amount of money he is making it is no wonder Kim sticks around the big leagues and continues to get shelled every game and booed instead of returning to Korea to play.

Being a Colorado Rockies fan I would have to say that Kim is the perfect pitcher for Colorado. He is over paid, walks lots of batters, and gives up lots of home runs ensuring that every game is a high scoring shootout. The first place the Red Sox probably called to get rid of him was the Rockies. Who else would be willing to take this guy off their hands? If he couldn’t learn to improve his pitching with guys like Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, and Tim Wakefield on his team how the heck did the Rockies think their pitching staff that is last in league in ERA every year was going to get him to turn around? Then there is also the little fact that Coors Field is even more notorious for giving up home runs then Kim is and he would have to play half his game in that park.

Since obviously the Rockies will hire anybody to pitch for them I have decided I will do my part to help out my home state team. I will become a free agent and offer them my pitching services. I haven’t pitched since high school but heck I can’t do worse then Kim. I would get along with the coach and teammates and I wouldn’t flip off the fans, which are all things Kim is infamous for. Plus I’m confident I could keep my ERA under 27. I will even put a clause in my contract that if I go over an ERA of 27 they cut half my pay. I will even be willing to start at a quarter of the pay that Kim is getting so the management could go hire some real players. But knowing the Rockies management they will probably rather just give Kim a lucrative contract extension.

The great ROK Army reconstruction project to install modern toilets for needy Iraqis, may not be so great after all, now that I have read this post from Jeff in Pusan.

In Korea, literally EVERY public toilet has a small wastebasket next to it. The wastebasket is there for you to put your used toilet paper in. In many places, there is a sign somewhere near the toilet imploring you NOT to flush your toilet paper down the toilet and instructing you to place your feces-smeared toilet paper in the open air wastebasket next to the toilet so that it can mix and mingle with other people’s soiled toilet paper to be enjoyed by other people throughout the day.

I have always been uncomfortable with this one aspect of society here. It is hard to comprehend how unsanitary an open wastebasket full of used toilet paper is. This is not a cultural “love it or leave it” thing. This is a basic medieval sanitation issue. Come one…This country has hosted the Olympics, East-Asian Games, the World Cup, and many other international events and conferences. It will be hosting the APEC council later this year. It touts itself and markets itself as an international country, yet basic sanitation issues remain in the undeveloped, dark age, unindustrialized world.

Wonder if those toilets installed in Iraq came with a warranty?