This is the first time I have heard of something like this happening:
A 57-year-old South Korean security guard was found dead in an apparent suicide at a U.S. military base in Ujeongbu, South Korea, on Thursday, police said.
The officer, identified only by his last name Cha, was found with a gunshot wound in his head by a colleague at a guard post in the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, at around 1:20 a.m.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead.
In the 3.3-square-meter sentry post, a 45-caliber revolver provided by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) for security purposes was found, they said. Cha was working alone when the incident took place.
He left what was seen as a suicide note at the site, referring to debts he was suffering from, according to police. Police said they will investigate the details of the incident based on testimonies from Cha’s colleagues and the bereaved family. [Korea Times]
A total of six North Korean soldiers armed with weapons crossed into China, prompting Chinese authorities to track their whereabouts, a source said Thursday.
The North Korean soldiers deserted their posts along the border area with China and illegally entered Changbai County in the country’s northeastern province of Jilin on Tuesday, according to the source.
“Chinese authorities notified residents to be on alert and immediately report their location if they are observed,” the source added. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can’t put nothing passed the Kim regime, but I doubt they would sell the large amount of VX nerve gas needed to launch a massive terrorist strike. If they sold the nerve agent it was linked back to them it would lead to a retaliatory strike or worse regime removal. It doesn’t seem like it would be worth the risk to them even if they are cash strapped:
The use of the nerve agent VX in the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korea’s leader, raises the dangerous specter of a cash-strapped Pyongyang ultimately selling such a chemical weapon to terrorist groups like al-Qaida, a former senior diplomat warned Wednesday.
The use of VX added to mounting evidence that North Korea was behind Kim’s killing in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13. VX is a chemical agent listed as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations and its use is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which the North is not a signatory.
Eight North Koreans have been named as suspects, but the North has denied its involvement.
“The specter of chemical weapons proliferation, of VX in the hands of terrorists, now looms ever larger,” James Rubin, a former assistant secretary of state, said in an article in the Politico.
“The apparent shipment from North Korea to Malaysia of VX — a lethal substance banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention — is a brazen violation of international law despite the fact that North Korea is not a signatory to the convention,” he said. [Yonhap]
Considering North Korea’s long criminal history it makes you wonder why the Malaysian government had a visa waiver program with North Korea in the first place?:
North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malaysia has canceled its visa waiver arrangement with North Korea amid a diplomatic spat over the assassination of the half brother of the North’s leader, a news report said Thursday.
The cancellation will take effect on March 6, after which North Koreans entering Malaysia will be required to obtain a visa, Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted the country’s deputy prime minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as saying. He cited national security as the reason.
This marks Malaysia’s first tangible action taken against Pyongyang following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13. [Yonhap]
Here is the other development regarding the Kim Jong-nam murder case:
Malaysia has decided to release and deport Ri Jong-chol, a 47-year-old North Korean suspect, due to a lack of incriminating evidence, AP reported.
Four North Korean suspects are believed to have fled Malaysia on the day of Kim Jong-nam’s death while three others, including Hyon Kwang-song, the second secretary at the North’s embassy in Malaysia, are wanted for questioning. [Yonhap]
I was curious to why Ri Jong-chol did not flee like the other North Korean agents if he was in fact part of the murder plot. Considering Malaysian authorities had no evidence to convict him it appears he was not involved.
So I wonder what the smoke was to cause him to do an emergency landing?:
An Apache helicopter made an emergency landing in a rice paddy south of Seoul on Wednesday evening as a precaution, after the pilot detected smoke in the cockpit.
No injuries or damages were reported, a 2nd Infantry Division spokesman said.
The crew did a systems check after landing the AH-64 helicopter in the city of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do province. Maintenance staff from Camp Humphreys also traveled to the site to inspect the aircraft but found nothing wrong, Lt. Col. Chris Hyde said. [Stars & Stripes]
I guess I should not be surprised that a kids toy show is the most popular Youtube channel in South Korea:
This composite photo shows Kang Hye-jin (L), who played the original Carrie character on the popular YouTube channel Carrie and Toys, and Kim Jung-hyun (R), who will replace Kang as the channel’s main host in the near future. (Yonhap)
The “president” has quit. And no one saw it coming. Thousands of followers, young and old, found themselves emotionally lost, not knowing how to deal with the sudden void inside that was once occupied by her.
No. The impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye isn’t the person we are talking about. It is Kang Hye-jin, the so-called “Carrie eonni,” or Sister Carrie, who is also referred to as “Ca-tongryeong,” or President Carrie, among her many fans.
The 27-year-old star of the popular YouTube channel Carrie and Toys sent shock waves among young toddlers and parents after it was announced in mid-February that Kang was leaving the channel.
So, what exactly is Carrie and Toys? It’s a popular YouTube channel run by CarrieSoft Co., a South Korean media company that specializes in online video content for children, launched in August of 2015.
The YouTube station, which had humble beginnings, became a go-to place for many young children and parents from a rather simple idea: reviewing toys and showing kids how to play with them.
Kang, who plays host Carrie, and her show gained a sizable following, becoming the number one South Korean YouTube channel in terms of total video views and ad revenues in 2016.
According to the state-run Korea Radio Promotion Association, Carrie and Toys racked up some 660 million views and earned 792 million won (US$700,309) in YouTube ad revenue last year. The account has some 1.4 million subscribers.
The company has also secured up to 5 billion won in investment from several major entities, including NHN Entertainment. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but Kang Hye-jin is rumored to be forced off of the show because of poor foreign language skills as the company looks to expand its market. Here is a clip from the show:
The hypocrisy is quite stunning from the Chinese government considering they are criticizing the ROK for the deployment of the THAAD system for being against Chinese security interests while completely ignoring ROK security interests. If it wasn’t for the Chinese backing of their client state North Korea that has allowed them to pursue missiles and nuclear weapons to threaten the ROK with the THAAD deployment would not be necessary:
As Korea speeds along with the deployment of the U.S.-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system by sealing a land deal with Lotte Group to acquire a golf course in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang, Beijing is threatening diplomatic, economic and possibly military retaliation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said through a press briefing Tuesday that Beijing is “firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with the fact that” Seoul is working with Washington to accelerate the deployment process of a Thaad battery and “ignoring China’s interests and concerns.”
He added Beijing will “resolutely take necessary actions to safeguard its own security interests,” without specifying what measures it will take.
The Korean Ministry of National Defense earlier that day signed a deal with Lotte International, the operator of the Lotte Skyhill Seongju Country Club, to swap the golf course with government land in Namyangju, Gyeonggi. Lotte’s board of directors agreed on the land swap deal on Monday, after much delay. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
Here is where the Chinese threaten the ROK militarily:
Chinese military expert Song Zhongping, a former officer of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Second Artillery Corps, told the state-affiliated Global Times Wednesday that once the Thaad system is deployed to Korea, “Seongju County will appear on the list of the PLA missile system’s strike targets.”
So is the Chinese threatening the ROK with a military strike in support of North Korea because that is what this system is in the ROK to defend against.
I saw this posted on Reddit. Whoever did the English translation did not do it correctly because the Korean actually says to not let your pet pee here.
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