Category: USFK

Anyone with any measure of intelligence on defense issues on the Korean peninsula could of told Bob Woodward that a nuclear strike on North Korea is not feasible:

Although Bob Woodward’s latest book, “Rage,” disclosed last month that the Donald Trump administration had reviewed firing scores of nuclear weapons at North Korea in 2017, experts said Wednesday that such an attack would not be an easy option to implement due to various reasons including possible escalation involving other countries.

In the book, based on interviews with Trump, the writer said the United States studied “OPLAN 5027” for regime change in North Korea ― the U.S. response to an attack that could include the use of 80 nuclear weapons. OPLAN 5027 refers to a joint South Korea-U.S. military operation plan to respond to a North Korean invasion.

Experts on Korean Peninsula issues saw a low chance of the plan ever being carried out, because of concerns that a U.S. nuclear strike against Pyongyang could lead to accidental escalation in the region.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link about the issues a nuclear strike on North Korea would cause.

This is an unusual story involving a soldier at Camp Humphreys:

An Army soldier who is finishing his assignment abroad might be blocked from reentering the U.S., government officials said, in a dispute over his legal status stemming from his birth in New York while his father was a foreign diplomat there.

Army Pfc. Fadel Tankoano, 22, said he thought he was a dual citizen of Niger and the U.S., pointing to the U.S. passport he was issued as a toddler and a birth certificate from a Manhattan hospital.

But officials said Tankoano misrepresented his status when he enlisted in 2018 and on passport applications.

Tankoano’s Nigerien father enjoyed full diplomatic immunity as a counselor at the United Nations when his son was born, State Department officials said. That means that he was not subject to domestic law — and that Tankoano was exempt from birthright citizenship.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more a the link, but the soldier is being discharged for a fraudulent enlistment. Additionally since he doesn’t have a valid passport he may not even be allowed back into the United States where he was born.

Eighth Army has a new commander:

 Lt. Gen. Willard “Bill” Burleson III assumed command of the Eighth Army on Friday, stressing the need for U.S. and South Korean troops “to train rigorously and realistically” to maintain readiness on the divided peninsula.

Wearing a camouflage mask to match his uniform and ward off the coronavirus, Burleson accepted the Eighth Army colors from Lt. Gen. Michael Bills during a ceremony in a gym on Camp Humphreys, the Army’s main headquarters in South Korea.

The change of command occurred amid fears of renewed tensions as U.S.-led nuclear talks with North Korea have stalled. Many experts have predicted that the North may conduct a missile test or another provocation in connection with the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

“Eighth Army’s presence here in Korea and in the Pacific certainly sends a strong signal, not just to the Republic of Korea but to our regional allies on the United States commitment to deterring our potential adversaries,” Burleson said during the ceremony, which was streamed live on Facebook.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

This must have been fun for the people who won this award:

Fifteen troops and civilians affiliated with U.S. Forces Korea filled their shopping carts at the post exchange Thursday after each won a $10,000 shopping spree.

The prizes were part of a $2 million Sip. Rip. Ultimate Trip sweepstakes sponsored by Subway that began on July 1 to honor the 125th anniversary of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which runs exchanges and other stores on military bases worldwide.

Army Sgt. Justin Moore, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, stopped to eat on Aug. 12 at a Subway before picking up a friend on the way to a basketball game. He peeled a game piece off his 30-ounce drink that came with his order and made a game-changing discovery.

“I decided to eat, and I just happened to get lucky,” Moore said. “First thing that happened when I read it was, I just yelled out ‘no way’ and everybody looked at me funny.”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

So now a USFK servicemember can still test positive for the coronavirus and be released from isolation:

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday it will release coronavirus patients showing no symptoms after 20 days of quarantine even if they continue to test positive for the virus, citing medical research that individuals are no longer contagious after 20 days. 

USFK said it came up with the change in the discharge policy after thorough coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

“USFK … will begin to release individuals from isolation once they have reached 21 days in isolation, regardless if they continue to test positive for COVID-19,” USFK said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but apparently the after a length of time the virus is dead within the body but its remnants can still trigger a positive test. Because of this the Korean standard is 10 days of no symptoms to be released from isolation. USFK has doubled the Korean standard with 20 days of no symptoms. This means the anti-U.S. leftists will not be able to claim that USFK is releasing COVID-19 positive personnel to infect Koreans.

Considering the time at night and the manner of how this accident occurred this news is really not surprising:

The driver of a sport utility vehicle that rear-ended a U.S. armored personnel carrier last month was drunk and speeding at the time of the fatal collision, police said Friday.

The Aug. 30 crash occurred on a bridge as two American soldiers in the military vehicle were headed home after a training at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, 30 miles north of Seoul. The soldiers were not seriously injured; all four people in the SUV died.

The collision prompted the U.S. military to suspend training in the area, which has long been the source of frequent complaints from locals about noise and stray ordnance. The SUV passengers — two South Korean couples in their 50s — were from Pocheon and were on the way home after having dinner with friends in the area, an investigator at the local police station said.

The driver had a blood alcohol content well above the legal limit and was going more than 60 mph in a 40 mph zone when the crash occurred, according to the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department rules.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.