South Korean President Park Geun-hye meets with young Iranians in traditional Korean dresses, who visited a Korean culture exhibition held at a convention center in Tehran on May 2, 2016. Earlier in the day, Park held the first bilateral summit since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1962. (Yonhap)
Have you ever wondered what Koreans think of Donald Trump? Well someone found out:
Hat Tip: Reddit Korea
Well it looks like it was worth President Park wearing a headscarf during her trip to Iran because she was able to sign a number of agreements that could lead to multi-billion dollar construction projects in Iran:
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday South Korea and Iran can produce a win-win situation if they work together in infrastructure projects in the Islamic Republic. Iran is pushing to rebuild an economy and modernize its infrastructure after the U.N. lifted sanctions in a follow-up to a landmark deal reached with the United States and five world powers over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
“I am here to pursue the path of common prosperity with old friend Iran,” Park said in a forum attended by some 450 South Korean and Iranian business executives and leaders in the Iranian capital. On Monday, Park and her Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani observed the signing of nearly 20 out of 66 memorandums of understanding worth up to US$45.6 billion after their summit. Seoul hopes the MOUs could pave the way for South Korean companies to eventually win massive infrastructure projects under way in Iran. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
Welcome to Korea Finder. The way this contest works is that each week a new image is posted and the first reader to accurately describe or locate the image gets a point. At the end of the year the reader with the highest amount of points will win a Korea related book of their choice.
Who knows what this is a picture of?:
The US soldiers stationed at the Joint Security Area on the DMZ are specifically trained to be very professional when interacting with the North Koreans that is why I have a hard time believing the North Koreans. Considering all the video cameras at the JSA you would think the North Koreans would have released video footage of their claimed infractions:
The American-led U.N. command on Saturday dismissed as unsubstantiated accusations from North Korea that U.S. troops at a border village tried to provoke its frontline troops with “disgusting acts.”
A North Korean military statement Friday warned U.S. soldiers to stop what it called “hooliganism” at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom or they’ll meet a “dog’s death any time and any place.”
It said U.S. troops pointed their fingers at North Korean soldiers and made strange noises and unspecified “disgusting” facial expressions. It also said that American troops encouraged South Korean soldiers to aim their guns at the North. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read the rest at the link.
Our 1st panel "Whither North Korea" of @joongangilbo–@csis now, watch here https://t.co/eCI0Cd9Wk2 #CSISLive pic.twitter.com/rBTviFwWb8
— CSIS Korea Chair (@CSISKoreaChair) May 3, 2016
U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert (C), escorted by Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young (R), looks around the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon, west of Seoul, on April 29, 2016. The palace is part of Hwaseong Fortress, which was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), built the fortress in memory of his late father Sado. (Yonhap)
I would not be surprised if this was North Korean payback for restaurant defections that happened last month. If this was a murder by the North Koreans I wonder what the Chinese reaction will be to Kim regime agents murdering Chinese citizens?:
An ethnic Korean clergyman with Chinese nationality has been found dead in a northeastern Chinese town close to the border with North Korea, a North Korea watcher said on Sunday, raising suspicions that the North could possibly be involved in his death.
The body of the priest, identified by his surname Han and known for his activities in support of North Korean defectors, was found Saturday afternoon, the watcher said, speculating that he may have been murdered.
Chinese police have immediately launched a probe into Han’s death.
Han is known for serving at Changbai Church in Changbai County, Jilin Province, a region that is populated by the Chaoxian people, or ethnic Koreans living in China.
“Han had been active in supporting North Korean defectors,” the watcher said. “Murder seems the most likely cause of his death.” [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
Three British males are in big trouble after allegedly sexually assaulting two Korean women and then beating up a bystander that tried to intervene in Itaewon:
Apparently 3 British foreigners were sexually harrassing and assaulting 2 girls and a passerby dude stepped in to intervene.
But he ended up being beaten.
Seems like they’re being investigated but released from jail. [Reddit Korea via KBS and Naver]
You can read more at the link.
Via a reader tip comes this dramatic rescue story of US servicemembers saving a Nigerian family from a burning building outside of Osan AB:
The scenario, captured in mobile phone footage, is a mother’s nightmare. On the fourth story of a burning building in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, a woman dangles her baby out the window as smoke billows from two floors below. Onlookers scream and wave their hands as the 30-year-old mother holds out the terrified infant — the child’s legs kicking furiously — before dropping her to the crowd. Another child follows, then another, before the woman herself leaps from the window — the only escape route. Remarkably, all survived without injury Saturday, caught safely on blankets in a rescue effort orchestrated by passing U.S. service personnel stationed at nearby Osan Air Base.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Raimondo told CNN he was walking to dinner Saturday when he saw clouds of smoke and set off in that direction. On assessing the scene, he and a colleague discussed how to help and resolved to get some blankets from a nearby store. They corralled others to help hold the blankets, then tried to persuade the mother to drop her children to safety. First Sgt. Melanie Scott said the woman was understandably reluctant to let go of her children, ages 1, 3 and 4.
“You could tell she was scared. She didn’t want to.” Raimondo said that the “last baby was the most difficult in my eyes, she just wouldn’t let her go for some reason.” He said he repeatedly begged the mother: “Please just throw the baby down!” “I remember her screaming (at) the baby, ‘I love you, I love you. …’ Next thing you know she dropped the baby.” [CNN]
