The new USFK commander has some concerns about moving the USFK headquarters into the Defense Ministry building:

South Korea and the United States are reconsidering a plan to relocate the combined command of their troops to the defense ministry compound in Seoul due to concern about operational efficiency, military sources said Thursday.

Combined Forces Command (CFC) chief Gen. Robert Abrams raised the need to rethink the plan, under which the CFC personnel will work in four different existing buildings in the compound.He is apparently concerned that it may lower the effectiveness of joint operations and affect the allies’ overall defense posture.

They have been in talks over the CFC issue in line with a broader scheme to move U.S. military bases in Seoul and north of the capital to Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. military complex in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul.”(Gen. Abrams) has called on (his staff) to go back to the drawing board and explore various possibilities, including the relocation to the ministry compound,” a military source told Yonhap News Agency on the condition of anonymity.”

As he took the helm of the command and reviewed the plan, he apparently felt the need for the reconsideration,” the official added.What the commander wants is for the relocation plan to be reviewed, not for it to be immediately canceled.  The commander, who also leads the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and U.N. Command, took office in November.

Alternative options include retaining the CFC in the current location in Yongsan, central Seoul, relocating it to Camp Humphreys or constructing a separate complex in the defense ministry. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but with the current ROK government it seems keeping the USFK headquarters on Yongsan Garrison would be difficult. Moving the headquarters to Camp Humphreys would create a geographical barrier between allied integration.  Plus big decisions are made in Seoul and thus staff will need to continuously go to Seoul from Camp Humphreys.  I guess we will see how this plays out. 

Via a reader tip comes news that remains from the Korean War have been memorialized: 

The defense ministry has enshrined 365 sets of remains of those killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, at a national cemetery in Seoul, the ministry said Wednesday.

A group of high-ranking officials, including Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon and Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, participated and paid respect to the fallen soldiers during the event, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

“The defense ministry will continue fulfilling its responsibility and duty to bring back war remains to the bereaved families,” the ministry said in a statement.

Most of the remains have been recovered in border areas, such as Cheorwon in Gangwon Province, and Paju in Gyeonggi Province. The defense ministry has teamed up with the Army and the Marine Corps for the war remains excavation project which began this May and continued for eight months.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but with 365 war remains being memorialized you would think President Moon would have found time to attend this ceremony.

Here is an unusual story of a Cambodian woman who entered into an arranged marriage with a South Korean man 29 years old than her.  The man taught her how to play billiards and now she is a champion player:

When the daughter of a potato farmer came to Korea from Cambodia in 2010 to start the second chapter of her life as the wife of a Korean man 36 years older, Srong Pheavy, like any other marriage migrant woman here, had no idea what was coming.

She did not know back then that she had a knack for carom ― with the potential to play for international titles. She also did not know that she would be Cambodia’s heroine to whom building a school for children would not be a far-fetched lifetime goal.

Pheavy, 29, who lives in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, is now in hot demand. After winning the women’s tournament at the 2018 ZANCA-Championship Asia 3-Cushion Open, Nov. 26, she extended further her already established reputation inside Korea. She was invited to appear on “Sugeun Lee’s Channel” on YouTube in November, run by one of the country’s top comedians Lee Su-geun, and played a friendly scotch double match with Korean celebrities where she wowed male players. 

In Cambodia, she is “received as highly as Korean figure skating queen Kim Yuna,” according to the JoongAng Ilbo.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This leaflet is being put up all over in Seoul, and being distributed to citizens indiscriminately by "Baekdu Guards," a pro-North Korean leftist group. The targets are freedom fighters including Taegukgi rally participants. pic.twitter.com/KXhI9a7Whn

— 인지연 Jiyeon Ihn (@JiyeonIhn) December 11, 2018

Charges of libel from Twitter messages from the wife of Gyeongi province Governor Lee Jae-myung have been dropped, but it appears unsurprisingly that Governor Lee was the primary target of the prosecutors all along: 

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung will stand trial for telling falsehoods about a series of allegations raised against him and about his family during his election campaign for the governorship. 
The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Lee without physical detention on charges of violating the national election law, it said.
Lee has been under investigation for allegedly lying about his brother’s institutionalization due to a mental illness during his campaign in the runup to the June local elections. 
He denied when he appeared on TV debates as a governor candidate that he had used his authority as the then Seongnam mayor to have his now-deceased brother institutionalized against his will.
The governor also faced accusations after an actress claimed she had an extramarital affair with Lee. Prosecutors decided to not press any charges against Lee, citing insufficient grounds.
“It’s what I expected. I’m not baffled,” he told reporters following the prosecution announcement.
Lee also hinted that he would not give up his seat over the indictment and will fight the matter in court. 
“I still am a proud member of the Democratic Party. I will do my utmost to not cause any more trouble for the party,” he said

You can read more at the link, but Governor Lee was a major rival to current President Moon Jae-in during the last election.  The Moon administration has effectively eliminated him now as a future political rival. 

After the suicide of a taxi driver who set himself on fire to protest the introduction of a ride sharing app in South Korea, 100,000 taxi drivers will surround the National Assembly on Thursday.  I was pleasantly surprised that someone in the media is actually reporting on what I believe these taxi drivers should be doing instead, evolving with the times: 

But taxi drivers say Kakao’s planned ridesharing app steps outside legal boundaries. The app allows users to hail rides at any time of day, rather than being limited to rush hour. 

The app would also charge around 70 percent to 80 percent of the normal taxi fare, which means it could easily take customers away from taxi drivers who are already facing long work hours and small incomes. 

“I’m sacrificing my life in the hopes taxi drivers can earn livable wages one day,” Choi wrote in a suicide note. 

Despite such strong protest from taxi drivers, public sentiment has mostly been in favor of the ridesharing app due to dissatisfaction with the availability and quality of taxi services. It is common for taxi drivers to refuse passengers going short distances late at night, especially in crowded areas of Seoul like Hongdae, Gangnam and Itaewon. 

But the problem can be solved within the taxi business itself, Lee said. 

“We actually have too many idle taxis, so the number of operating taxis in the country is virtually 200,000, not the registered 250,000,” Lee said. “We are working to resolve this by creating our own cab-hailing app that sends taxis to where they are most needed. The app will also hide the intended destination of passengers from the driver, so they can’t pick and choose between passengers.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but there is nothing hard about making a rival app for taxi drivers, the hard part is changing the taxi driver culture which is causing the demand for a ride sharing app in the first place.

The US State Department is saying the hard truth that many do not want to hear about North Korea:

North Korea’s humanitarian crisis is entirely the fault of the regime, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Voice of America on Monday.
The spokesperson said there will be no substantial humanitarian aid without denuclearization, despite the UN Security Council’s recent decision to permit civic groups to give some medical aid to the North.
Asked by VOA to comment on the UN’s request for funding for humanitarian aid to the North next year, the spokesperson said, “The regime can fully meet the 2018 United Nations humanitarian appeal’s request for $111 million by redirecting its funds and resources from its nuclear and weapons programs.” 
On Dec. 4, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it needs $111 million to support 6 million starving North Koreans next year.

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but I think the US State Department is sending a message to South Korea and others that there will be no possibility of circumventing sanctions by calling projects in North Korea humanitarian assistance. 

The judge sentenced all 4 journalists to jail. Byun Hee-jai: 2 yrs, Hwang: 1 yr. Lee & Oh 6 mos. ea.+2 yrs probation+$4,454 fine ea. It was too much to expect a fair trial. Victims of the Moon Jae-in admin’s lawfare. A terrible day for #FreedomofthePress #RuleofLaw https://t.co/MtPiqqyeuE

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) December 10, 2018