Via a reader tip comes this news that President Trump’s first stop in South Korea will be to Camp Humphreys:
Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek.
U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, as the first destination during his visit to South Korea from Nov. 7 to 8, officials said Tuesday.
It will be the first visit of a U.S. president to the headquarters of the Eighth U.S. Army which relocated there in July.
The Eighth Army moved to the post after more than 60 years at Yongsan, central Seoul, as part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s relocation project for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) following more than a decade of planning since 2003.
Camp Humphreys is the largest U.S. Army Garrison overseas. It occupies 14.68 square kilometers of land ― three times the size of the Yongsan garrison ― with 513 buildings including schools, shops and banks as well as other facilities such as gyms, theaters and a water park for USFK personnel and their families. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but I wonder if 8th Army senior leaders will mention all the anti-US protests, fraud, corruption, delays, and the fact units are moving into incomplete buildings that occurred to get this expansion project complete? No probably not, but it would be great to see President Trump’s reaction to if he saw pictures like this from a past protest to stop the expansion project:
Via a reader tip, as many people expected the Chinese government has finally decided to move on from their dispute with South Korea over the THAAD deployment:
A diplomatic dispute between South Korea and China officially ended on Tuesday, following months of tense relations and economic retaliation triggered by the deployment of a controversial missile defense system.
In statements issued by both countries’ foreign ministries Tuesday, Seoul and Beijing said they recognized the “great importance” of the relationship between the two neighbors.”
Both sides agreed that strengthening exchanges and cooperation between Korea and China would create harmony of interests in both sides, and agreed to resume exchanges and cooperation in all areas as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Relations deteriorated after South Korea announced in July 2016 that it would deploy the US-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) defense system to defend against North Korean missile threats. [CNN]
You can read more at the link, but the objections by the Chinese were always hypocritical and largely in my opinion an attempt to create a wedge issue between the ROK and the US. Considering that President Moon went all in on the THAAD deployment there was no longer any reason to keep up their objections in the hope of creating a wedge issue in the alliance. It is in China’s long term interest to separate the US from the ROK and this was an opportunity for them to create a wedge issue that ultimately failed.
The Little Britain star posted a photo of himself on Twitter dressed in a black suit, wig and apparent prosthesis – which appeared to have altered his eyelids as well as his hairline – and sparked an immediate backlash.
Many people branded the costume “racist” and accusing him of “yellow-face”. [The Independent]
A U.S. soldier receives a bite from a military dog during a competition at the customs office in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Nov. 1, 2017, in which dogs trained for drug detection demonstrate their skills. (Yonhap)
Former North Korean diplomat turned defector, Thae Yong-ho is calling for the US to increase its efforts to fight the information war within North Korea:
Thae Yong-ho speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Oct. 31, 2017. (Yonhap)
The North Korean leader does not have a full grasp of the strength and might of U.S. military power, Thae said, leading him to believe that if he can get Washington to accept Pyongyang’s possession of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S., all sanctions against his regime will be lifted.
The former diplomat is in Washington at a time of heightened tension over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile testing. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to travel to Asia on Friday in part to rally further support behind his administration’s sanctions and pressure campaign.
But Thae appeared to question the U.S. policy.
“We can educate the North Korean population to stand up by disseminating outside information,” he said. “However, is the United States really doing enough in this regard? The U.S. is spending billions of dollars to cope with the military threat. Yet how much does the U.S. spend each year on information activities involving North Korea in a year? Unfortunately, it may be a tiny fraction.” [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but this is something I have been saying for years is that fighting the information campaign inside of North Korea should be aggressively pursued. Something else Thae discussed was the world coming together against the Kim regime like it did to end Apartheid in South Africa. This is another viewpoint I have advocated for is that why is North Korea welcomed at international venues like the Olympics when Apartheid South Africa was shunned? Apartheid South Africa had no where near the human rights abuses or was a threat to world peace as the Kim regime currently is.
Over at One Free Korea he has videos of Thae’s speech available which should be required viewing for those interested in this topic. OFK also has some great analysis I recommend everyone read as well.
Here is what another so called North Korea expert says should be done to resolve the ongoing nuclear crisis which is basically more of the same that has led to the slow motion acquisition of North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles:
Kelsey Davenport
Diplomacy is the only way to achieve a peaceful resolution of the North Korea nuclear crisis, according to Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association.
She said that in order to bring North Korea back to negotiations, U.S.President Donald Trump and his administration should send a sincere, consistent message that the offer of engagement is real.
“Diplomacy is the only path forward to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis,” Davenport said in a recent interview.
“The Trump administration purports to advance a strategy of maximum pressure and engagement but U.S.actions and rhetoric expose a serious diplomacy deficit,” she added.
She pointed out that mixed messages from Trump and top administration officials about U.S.intentions to engage in talks further complicate the environment.
“The Trump administration can and must signal to North Korea that it is willing to engage in talks without preconditions,” she said.
“Direct talks would give the U.S.an opportunity to discuss a path forward with North Korea to reduce tension.”
Davenport stressed that the U.S.Congress should also refrain from activities that heighten tension and muddy the waters regarding the prospects of diplomacy.
“That may require putting denuclearization on the back burner, voicing support for shorter-term, more manageable goals, and giving existing sanctions time to work before pushing new measures,” she said. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but all I read was more of the same strategy used for the past 25 years that has led to where we are at today.
Ms. Davenport’s strategy is to once again reward the North Koreans for their bad behavior by limiting US-ROK military drills. She says it would not impact military readiness, how would she know that? In my opinion cancelling a UFG or Key Resolve exercise would impact readiness considering the constant change over of personnel in Korea and the amount of off-Pen augmentees that participate in the training.
Ms. Davenport believes offering up a military exercise will lead to the “freeze deal” that many in the academic world are calling for. I think if any freeze deal is pursued it should include robust inspections and the risk of a retaliatory bombing strike if it is not complied with. However, I am doubtful the Kim regime will ever sign up for vigorous inspections when they know the so called experts are more interested in making a deal than actually denuclearizing North Korea.
It will be interesting to see how far these anti-US groups are willing to go to protest President Trump during his visit to South Korea. I suspect the Moon administration will keep them in check in order to not embarrass themselves during President Trump’s visit, but I guess we will see:
Anti-Trump posters at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Sunday / Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho
Saturday night was supposed to be a time to celebrate the first anniversary of the massive candlelit protests that eventually helped oust corruption-tainted former President Park Geun-hye.But some anti-U.S.groups used the gathering as an opportunity to promote their own propaganda.
“No Trump, no war,” was one of the key messages shouted at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square by some anti-U.S.groups.Led by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country’s second-largest umbrella trade union, they vowed to do all they can to mar U.S.President Donald Trump’s state visit to Korea next month.
They called Trump a threat to peace on the Korean peninsula, saying they will follow him and stage protests during his visit.
Trump is scheduled to meet with his Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, Nov.7, and deliver a speech at the National Assembly the following day.
The groups said they plan to stage a protest in front of Cheong Wa Dae when the two are supposed to have dinner there and hold another rally when Trump speaks at the Assembly.
The KCTU has a history of anti-U.S.protests.On Oct.14, its members gathered near a Busan hotel, where the U.S.Navy held a party to celebrate its 242-year history, chanting messages like “U.S.troops go home!” [Korea Times]
An honor guard carrying the portrait of the late French Korean War veteran Jean Le Houx and a box containing his ashes enters Incheon airport, west of Seoul, on Nov. 1, 2017. Le Houx, who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War, died at 84 in December 2016 and left a will expressing his wish to be buried in South Korea. Soldiers from France and 15 other nations fought for South Korea against invading North Korea under the U.N. flag during the war. (Yonhap)
