North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tours a township construction site in Samjiyon County in northeastern North Korea in this combined photo carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the North’s ruling party organ, on Oct. 30, 2018. It marks his third visit to the site this year. (Yonhap)
So does anyone really think a ROK general is really going to command US forces during a conflict?:
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, left, and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis hold up the Alliance Guiding Principles they signed at the Pentagon on Wednesday. [MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE]Seoul and Washington signed a strategic guideline on Wednesday that paves the way for a Korean-led combined defense mechanism after the transfer of wartime operational control (Opcon) from the United States.
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis convened the 50th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the Pentagon and signed the Alliance Guiding Principles to ensure a strong combined defense posture following the transfer.
The mutual guideline guarantees the continued stationing of U.S. troops in Korea and the retaining of the Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command after the transfer of Opcon from Washington to Seoul. It places a four-star Korean general as the head of the future CFC, with a U.S. general serving as deputy commander.
Washington further committed to a continued extension to Korea of its nuclear, conventional and missile defense deterrence capacities even after the transfer. This should quell some concerns in Seoul that the transfer of Opcon could lead to the withdrawal of some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in Korea or the pulling back of American extended deterrence over the peninsula.
The two sides will work toward an initial operational capability (IOC) certification of a Korea-led combined defense posture next year. However, the specific timing of the Opcon transition will be determined later. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but this to me seems to be more of creating the impression to the Washington establishment that the Moon administration wants US forces to stay in Korea while using their surrogates to make life difficult for them. Look no further then the current THAAD site in South Korea.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any following the denuclearization negotiations that Moon Chung-in wants the US to drop sanctions for little or nothing in return from North Korea:
Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for unification, diplomacy and national security affairs, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Seoul last week. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Washington remains largely skeptical of the North Korean leader’s intention to denuclearize.
Amid these circumstances, a special adviser to the President stated a paradigm shift may be necessary.
“The U.S. views North Korea in the frame of crime and punishment ―- this is its social construct of reality that North Korea cheats and lies,” Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for unification, diplomacy and national security affairs, told The Korea Times in an interview at his office last week.
“But if it only looks at Pyongyang through this frame there is no way out. There needs to be a more pragmatic, flexible approach to North Korea.”
Stalled talks
Moon attributes the stall in denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S. to differences surrounding when to lift sanctions.
“Basically the stance of the U.S. is that sanctions will be lifted when North Korea achieves complete denuclearization, which North Korea cannot accept,” he said.
He pointed out that while Pyongyang initially called only for a declaration ending the war, it is now stating this is not enough because Kim offered to permanently dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility in his third summit with Moon held in Pyongyang. The U.S., meanwhile, wants North Korea to disclose its nuclear arsenal and submit to inspections, the adviser said.
However, Pyongyang would be unwilling to report its entire nuclear inventory for two reasons, he said.
“First, why would North Korea hand over a list of its inventory while relations with the U.S. are still hostile? This would leave the regime defenseless,” Moon said.
The other reason is based on the inherent nature of declaring inventory.
“The U.S. states that North Korea has 60 to 65 nuclear warheads, but if it has less than this amount, the U.S. will never believe it even if Pyongyang makes a declaration. Washington will continue to call for additional reports and the process will fall through. This will leave North Korea in a worse situation than before making the report.”
This is why Pyongyang is calling for a trust relationship to be built first, he said.
“The North is seeking a non-aggression relationship through the declaration ending the war, and for the U.S. to take corresponding measures for the shutting down of the Yongbyon facility in a verifiable way ―- such as lifting sanctions,” he said. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but Moon Chung-in is the ROK administration’s trial balloon specialist to judge American reaction to proposed ideas. In the past year Moon Chung-in has stated his opposition to the THAAD battery in South Korea and has hinted at ending the US-ROK alliance. He has even said the US US should recognize North Korea as a nuclear power which is a curious position since he says North Korea is planning to supposedly denuclearize.
English teachers in Korea got to experience recently “Don’t Molest Students” training and they did not like it:
A seminar on Oct. 20 in Icheon Art Hall for foreign teachers in Gyeonggi Province offers “Tips to Successful Life in Korea.” / Courtesy of Joe McPherson
Foreign English teachers across Gyeonggi Province woke up extra early on Saturday, Oct. 20, many before sunrise, to attend a seminar they were told was mandatory. The seminar, held in the remote provincial town Icheon, started at 8:30 a.m., requiring many teachers from the far-flung corners of the province to find their own way there, as they had to leave before public transportation opened.
Joe McPherson, a longtime resident of Korea on an F-5 permanent resident visa, was up at 6 a.m., leaving behind his Korean wife and children in Gimpo and driving his car to what he called the “Dirty Foreigner Seminar.”
“This isn’t about career enrichment,” said McPherson, a restaurateur and owner of a successful tourism company who teaches on the side to make ends meet. “It’s because of the stereotype that we’re all sexual deviants.” (…………………..)
Throughout the talks, attendees were reminded numerous times not to sexually harass students, although little instruction was given on what sexual harassment was and how to avoid it.
“This reinforces the stereotype that foreigners are by nature potential sexual predators and drug fiends,” McPherson said. “Do teachers really need to be told that molesting children is wrong?” [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link if you want a good laugh for the day.
A handout offering tips for foreign English teachers tells them “Nobody cares about your own loneliness. / Courtesy of Joe McPherson
Would that be the country that’s at least 50 times richer than North Korea, an open democratic society, backed up by the most powerful nation on earth, yet vigorously censors itself when it comes to crimes against humanity? https://t.co/YLbveE973f
South Korean President Moon Jae-in poses for a photo while wearing a “Modi jacket,” which he has received from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his office in Seoul on Oct. 31, 2018, in this photo provided by the presidential office. (Yonhap)
Am I supposed to be excited because North Korea closed a couple of doors?
The entrances (circled) of artillery positions on North Korea’s Jangjae Island bordering South Korea in the West Sea is seen closed on Oct. 31, 2018, one day ahead of the implementation of the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreements, in which the two sides agreed to set a maritime buffer zone spanning around 80 km in the East and West Seas to prevent unintended naval clashes. (Yonhap)
This is just another example of an easily reversible so called concession by the North Koreans. They can just open the door and use their artillery when ever they want. Why doesn’t Seoul have them remove the artillery as well as their silkworm missiles and confirm it with an inspection? That would create a real buffer zone instead of the pretend one the Moon administration is agreeing to.
By the way the below graphic provides a breakdown of North Korea’s artillery and missile positions in the Yellow Sea:
It will be interesting to see if the claim of upcoming sanctions is true or not. I always figured that the Trump administration would wait until after the mid-term elections before taking any tough actions on the Korea front. This rumor may be a warning to the Moon administration that the US is ready to take action if Korea tries to do any banking deals with North Korea:
US Treasury Department
A rumor that the United States Treasury is considering including a Korean bank in a secondary boycott in early November has pushed down the shares of major financial institutes, although the country’s financial regulator and banks deny the claim.
A rumor surfaced early this week through Kakao Talk and other internet messengers that the U.S. Treasury Department will announce sanctions against a South Korean bank for illegally trading with North Korea before Nov. 6. While not specifying the bank, the rumor said that the bank was notified on Oct. 12.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) refuted the claim on Wednesday, calling it a groundless rumor. Local banks echoed the denial.
“The rumor that the U.S. is pushing forward with a secondary boycott is not true as we confirmed with local banks,” said the regulator in a statement.
The measure was designed to punish third-party companies that engage in illicit trade with Pyongyang. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but South Korean bankers have recently publicly said they will not do any business with North Korea until the sanctions are dropped.
This photo provided by the unification ministry shows a four-story building that will be used for the liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Sunday unveiled details about the money it spent to renovate the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, amid criticism that it spent too much on the project.
The ministry sent the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification a document containing details of the costs of the office, which launched on Sept. 14 as a communication platform for cross-border cooperation and exchanges.
Of the total expenditures, which amounted to 9.78 billion won ($8.56 million), the cost for renovation materials, including construction equipment and pipes, was 3.49 billion won, while labor costs amounted to 2.58 billion won.
The costs for materials to construct the office’s main building, accommodation facility and other amenities were 1.22 billion won, 570 million won and 560 million won, respectively, the ministry said. [Joong Ang Ilbo via a reader tip]
