The Russians are actually more angry at the Japanese for trying to defend themselves than at the North Koreans which are the only reason the Japanese are spending so much money on missile defense in the first place:
Japan has approved the installation of two Aegis Ashore missile defence systems to defend the country against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats (AFP Photo/Daniel Mihailescu)
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday accused the United States of violating a key arms treaty by selling a missile defence system to Japan.
“The US is deploying them (missile defence systems) at their military bases in Romania and Poland, that is near our western borders, which goes against the 1987 INF Treaty banning the deployment of such systems on the ground,” Ryabkov said in a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
“The fact that such complexes could now appear on Russia’s eastern borders creates a situation that we cannot ignore in our military planning,” said Ryabkov.
On Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the deployment of the US missile defence system would have a negative impact on relations between Tokyo and Moscow.
“We consider the step made by the Japanese side as going against efforts of ensuring peace and stability in the region,” Zakharova said, adding that Moscow has “deep regret and serious concern” over the move.
On December 19, the Japanese government approved the installation of two land-based US-made Aegis Ashore missile defence systems to defend the country against North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats. [AFP]
This is just another example of how the Olympics is basically turning into a professional sports league complete with free agent signings:
Aileen Frisch / Korea Times file
German-born luge racer Aileen Frisch will represent South Korea at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, officials at the Ministry of Justice said Thursday.
According to the justice ministry, a panel of ministry officials endorsed the recommendation by the Korean Olympics Committee (KOC) for the 24-year-old luge athlete to receive special naturalization on Nov. 7. The KOC recommended her to the ministry five months ago.
The ministry also notified the Korea Luge Federation (KLF) of the decision, adding that she is set to acquire Korean citizenship if she passes a ministry interview planned this month. According to the ministry, Frisch is allowed to have dual citizenship under the Special Naturalization Law.
An official at the KLF said the naturalization procedure will be completed after the German passes the interview. Once she acquires Korean citizenship, she is expected to represent Korea in the World Cup and international competitions starting January, the official said. [Korea Times]
"I don't eat dogs, but I am disgusted by those who preach that only animals deemed cuddly enough or friendly enough by Westerners deserve to live." My story on South Korea's dog-eating tradition & debates over 'Western hypocrisy" @AFPhttps://t.co/w1uAOOMhMZ
A ceremony to open a memorial hall for the late U.S. Gen. Richard Whitcomb is under way at the South Korean Army’s Fifth Logistics Support Command in Busan on Dec. 29, 2017, in this photo provided by the command. Whitcomb, called the “father of war orphans,” contributed to rehabilitating South Korea for years after the end of the Korean War (1950-53). In particular, the general, as the U.S. Forces Korea commander, helped homeless victims of a massive fire in Daegu in 1953. (Yonhap)
The Aegis destroyer “King Sejong the Great” patrols seas off South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo on Jan. 1, 2015. (Yonhap)
South Korea on Thursday began a two-day military exercise for the defense of Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea to which Japan lays territorial claim.
“The Navy will conduct the regular Dokdo defense exercise aimed at preventing the infiltration of external forces into the South Korean territory in conjunction with a flotilla-level field exercise by the Navy’s First Fleet,” according to the Navy. The First Fleet is based in the East Sea.
The exercise is conducted twice a year and involves the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and police. Navy destroyers, fighter jets and patrol aircraft are participating in the drill, the Navy said.
The exercise immediately drew an angry reaction from Japan, just as past exercises have done. Japan has long claimed the islets, which lie closer to South Korea than Japan, a fact that causes diplomatic tension with South Korea.
The Tokyo filed a protest with Seoul, saying the exercise is “unacceptable,” Japan’s Kyodo News reported, quoting a senior official. [Yonhap]
So basically the ROK military is exercising for something that is never going to happen because the Japanese are not going to invade Dokdo and the Koreans know that. This is basically just a public relations stunt for domestic political consumption. With that said I think the Japanese government would be better served by just keeping quiet instead of criticizing all things Dokdo related.
If this happened in the US the media would probably be claiming racial profiling and activists would use legal action to stop the deportations. In Korea deporting people with terrorism ties is considered common sense:
South Korea has deported 17 foreigners in a preemptive anti-terror action before the PyeongChang Olympics in February, the immigration office said Tuesday.
They were from five countries, including unidentified ones in Southeast and Central Asia, according to the Korea Immigration Service.
They were either members of international terrorist groups specified in the country’s Anti-Terror Law or those on a wanted list shared by a network of intelligence agencies. Detailed information about them was unavailable.
“We have deported 17 foreigners who could potentially pose a terrorist menace to the Olympics,” an immigration official said. “It was possible with the close cooperation and intelligence sharing of spy agencies in 50 countries.”
He did not elaborate, but said the government will spare no effort to make the Olympics a success.
“We must be very thorough in counter-terrorism as athletes and people all over the world are coming to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” he said.
“We don’t rule out the possibility that foreign terrorists could enter (the country) by pretending to be Olympics travelers or hired workers at Korean companies. So we have to be vigilant before and during the Olympics.” [Korea Times]
When it comes to the comfort women issue the Moon administration has made it clear that there will be no compromise with Japan:
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha bowed her head expressing regret over a controversial comfort women deal that she said has left scars to the hearts of victims and their families during a press conference held in Seoul on Dec. 27, 2017. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s previous government of ousted President Park Geun-hye kept part of a 2015 deal with Japan on resolving the issue of wartime sexual slavery secret from the public in order to avoid criticism of concessions made to Tokyo, a task force said Wednesday.
After months of looking into how the unpopular deal was reached, the foreign ministry task force also said that the Park administration failed to make adequate efforts to listen to victims before reaching the agreement.
It called for the government to come up with a longer-term approach to resolve such a historical matter as the so-called comfort women issue, saying that “give-and-take” negotiations or political compromise could not be the ultimate solution.
“A victims-centered approach, which has become the norm when it comes to the human rights of women in time of war, has not been sufficiently reflected and the deal was reached through give-and-take negotiations like an ordinary diplomatic agenda” the task force said in its 31-page report on the outcome of its review.
“The agreement was finalized mostly based on government views without adequately taking into account the opinions of victims in the process of negotiation,” it added.
The findings are expected to make the already unpopular deal even more so, and could spark stronger calls for renegotiation, a move sure to strain relations between the two neighboring countries. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but according to the article despite the supposed anger of the comfort women with the agreement, 36 out of 47 of them took the compensation money from Japan.
With that all said when is the Korean government going to demand that China apologize and pay compensation for all the Koreans they killed and their near success of destroying the Republic of Korea during the Korean War? That is more recent history then the World War II era comfort women issue.
This photo shows an iPhone shop in Seoul. According to the local law firm Hwimyung on Dec. 28, 2017, some 20 iPhone users plan to submit a class suit against Apple Korea for slowing down older iPhone models early next year. (Yonhap)
Not only is South Korea having diseased defectors arrive, they now have to deal with ones that have radiation exposure as well:
At least four defectors from North Korea have shown signs of radiation exposure, the South Korean government said on Wednesday, although researchers could not confirm if they were was related to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
The four are among 30 former residents of Kilju county, an area in North Korea that includes the nuclear test site Punggye-ri, who have been examined by the South Korean government since October, a month after the North conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told a news briefing.
They were exposed to radiation between May 2009 and January 2013, and all defected to the South before the most recent test, a researcher at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, which carried out the examinations, told reporters. [Reuters]
