It looks like the the Chinese are trying to find a way to blacklist certain citizens:

China’s plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing set to adopt a lifelong points program by 2021 that assigns personalized ratings for each resident.

The capital city will pool data from several departments to reward and punish some 22 million citizens based on their actions and reputations by the end of 2020, according to a plan posted on the Beijing municipal government’s website on Monday. Those with better so-called social credit will get “green channel” benefits while those who violate laws will find life more difficult.

The Beijing project will improve blacklist systems so that those deemed untrustworthy will be “unable to move even a single step,” according to the government’s plan. Xinhua reported on the proposal Tuesday, while the report posted on the municipal government’s website is dated July 18.  [Bloomberg]

You can read more at the link, but for those that have served in the US Army they are familiar with Officer Record Briefs (ORB) and Enlisted Record Briefs (ERB).  These documents record a Soldiers schools, promotions, awards, deployments, etc. so someone can have a one sheet snapshot of that person.  Unlike an ERB and ORB it appears the Chinese are trying to take this a step further by awarding points for what is recorded on each of their citizens.

I am sure that anyone that disagrees with the government on anything will soon find their points drastically reduced denying them benefits.

UNSCR 2397, paragraph 7 allows Air Koryo to buy all the spare parts it needs to keep flying those missile parts to your friends in Damascus & Tehran. https://t.co/fFGcM3lL4G

— Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us) November 21, 2018

Another week and yet another new low approval rating for President Moon:

President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating dropped to 52.5 percent, the lowest level since taking power in May 2017, affected by a stagnating economy with no signs of an immediate rebound and stalled talks on North Korea’s denuclearization.

In a poll by Realmeter of 1,505 adults nationwide from Monday through Wednesday, Moon’s popularity dropped 1.2 percent points to 52.5 percent in an eighth straight week of declines. The previous lowest point was 53.1 percent polled in the second week of September, right before his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.

Approval hovering just above the 50 percent mark is a stark contrast to earlier this year when they surged to around 80 percent on hopes for a breakthrough with North Korea, which contributed to a sweeping victory in local elections in June.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see that General Paul Freeman’s name is being maintained on the new 2ID division headquarters building at Camp Humphreys:

The 2nd Infantry Division dedicated its new headquarters building on Camp Humphreys Tuesday, officially opening a new chapter after moving from its decades-old home north of Seoul.

The ceremony took place at the entrance of the new Freeman Hall, which retains the name of the previous headquarters on Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu.

The Indianhead Division has been stationed near the front lines with North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but if you are interested in learning more about one of my Heroes of the Korean War, Paul Freeman I recommend checking out the below link:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2007/02/heroes-of-the-korean-war-colonel-paul-freeman/

It looks like many servicemembers serving stateside will not be going TDY to Korea for Foal Eagle:

Seoul and Washington will scale back a major annual joint military drill next spring, the Foal Eagle exercise, said U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis Wednesday, a concession to ongoing denuclearization talks with North Korea.

Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon in Washington, “Foal Eagle is being reorganized a bit to keep it at a level that will not be harmful to diplomacy.”

South Korea and the United States have suspended several major joint exercises this year following the June 12 North Korea-U.S. summit, including the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian drills, which would have happened in August.

Vigilant Ace, a massive joint aerial exercise scheduled for December, was also suspended last month after a meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and Mattis. The United States and South Korea agreed to conduct a review by Nov. 15 and reach a decision on plans for large-scale military exercises next year by Dec. 1.

“We have taken a decision,” Mattis said Wednesday. “We are not canceling exercises. We are realigning one exercise.” He did not elaborate further.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but the article did not state what the way ahead is for the Key Resolve exercise that usually overlaps with Foal Eagle.  Key Resolve is a large command post exercise involving senior US and ROK leadership usually held in the spring time.  Key Resolve was the last major exercise conducted jointly with the ROK before the current “peace mood” has caused the cancelling of a number of exercises.

While I was serving in the ROK Army, I heard quite a few conscripts say that if a war broke out, the first thing they'd do is kill the NCOs and then go home. I served less than 15km away from the DMZ.

It didn't help to build a lot of confidence. https://t.co/1UtDtHH7Kr

— John Lee (The Korean Foreigner) (@koreanforeigner) November 20, 2018

Chow line for Thanksgiving dinner of 1st SigBn at Hamhung, Korea during the Korean War.  [Morning Calm Weekly]

So does anyone really think Yongsan Garrison will be completely turned into a park?:

Garrison commander Col. Monica Washington said the process of returning the land to the South Korean government isn’t likely to begin until July 2020 at the earliest.

“At that point then we think that we will be ready, of course if everything goes according to plan, to begin to look at some of the return, actually going through some of the returns process, which is actually going to take some time,” she told Stars and Stripes.

The next major milestone will be late next year when the Brian Allgood Community Hospital is due to close as its namesake hospital on Humphreys opens. That will trigger the closure of the commissary, the post exchange, the gas station and other facilities.

“There will be a … very minute footprint here on Yongsan, although we will still have families that we will have to support here,” Washington said in a recent interview in her office near a pedestrian overpass that crosses a busy thoroughfare that bisects the base.

She estimated it will take six or seven months to do the closure process, including moving equipment and turning off utilities, once most of the garrison is vacated in December 2019.

The military plans to maintain a small section for residual forces from the Combined Forces Command, USFK, the garrison and supporting agencies on the side of the base known as South Post. Dragon Hill Lodge, a resort-style military hotel, is planning to continue operations despite reports to the contrary. The U.S. Embassy also has residential housing in the area, although it will eventually build a new compound on a corner of the sub-base known as Camp Coiner.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but the ROK government is sticking with the idea of making a city park.  I suspect a park will be built one day over the old Yongsan Garrison, but it will be a smaller park the initially envisioned.  The rest of the land I would not be surprised is developed for other purposes around the smaller park.

I am not sure what authorities the Defense Security Command had, but if they were conducting illegal surveillance than people should be held accountable:

A special military probe team has indicted four senior uniformed officers, including two general-grade ones, for their alleged role in the illicit surveillance of family members of victims in a 2014 ferry disaster, investigators said Tuesday.

The team wrapped up its monthslong inquiry into the allegations that officials of the now-defunct Defense Security Command (DSC) monitored the victims’ families to minimize the political impact of the tragic incident that laid bare the government’s ineptitude in crisis management.

Investigators indicted and detained a major general, a brigadier general and a colonel for issuing directives for the purported surveillance. Another colonel was also indicted without detention on the same charges.

The ferry Sewol sank in waters off the country’s southwestern island of Jindo on April 16, 2014, leaving more than 300 passengers dead or missing. The bereaved families’ criticism of the government’s response to the disaster worsened public sentiment against the then-Park Geun-hye administration.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but the Moon administration has already “reformed” the Defense Security Command:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2018/08/south-korean-committee-claims-they-want-to-reform-defense-security-command/