The fast response unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency trains against riots at a command inspection in Seoul on Feb. 23, 2016, testing their preparedness against violent protests, road occupation and other scenarios. (Yonhap)

Two elderly men erect a post on which rice, barley, sorghum and other grains are attached at the folk village in the city of Yongin, south of Seoul, on Feb. 22, 2016, which is “Jeongwol Daeboreum,” the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. The rite is typical of customs observed by Korean farmers on Jeongwol Daeboreum to wish for a bumper crop in the new year. (Yonhap)

This is one of these crime stories just begging for a picture, but I could not find one unfortunately:

Yongsan police have arrested a man who dressed as a woman to steal money and valuables from drunken people in Itaewon.

The man, identified as Kim, 44, allegedly stole a credit card, an identification card and a smartphone from a man, identified as Choi, 46, when he fell asleep at 2 p.m. on Jan. 28.

The two had been drinking together at a pub in Itaewon, police said.

Kim allegedly stole 1.5 million won from three men in Itaewon and the Incheon area last December.

Police said Kim dressed like a woman and befriended men to steal money when they were drunk. He allegedly used stolen identity cards to obtain credit cards, and also bought smartphones. [Korea Times]

I would also not be surprised if in the future the Chinese use large “fishing boats” as well to try and block US Navy ships from moving through contested areas in the South China Sea.  The Chinese would love nothing more to have a “fishing boat” sunk to portray the US as the aggressors in the South China Sea and to rally domestic support.  The US Navy is going to have to really think through procedures to deal with being blocked and rammed by Chinese ships in the South China Sea:

China has announced its intention to build a massive new coast guard ship ostensibly to patrol its territorial waters, protect its fisheries, and uphold its laws. This is a huge ship and its physical characteristics fall far outside the norms associated with the coast guard mission. For instance, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Legend-class national security cutter is 418 feet long and displaces 4,500 tons of water. The Chinese cutter will be over 500 feet long and displace more than 10,000 tons. The ship will be lightly armed, with two 76mm guns and other small arms, but these are not important to its true mission. This ship and its follow-on sister ships are built for one purpose: to move other ships out of the way.  [Defense One]

You can read the rest at the link.

He must have been bragging about his dope smoking to have gotten caught like this growing marijuana in his apartment:

A 47-year-old Canadian was caught growing cannabis in his residence and habitually smoking it, South Korean police said Monday.

According to the police, the Canadian national, who had previously been a lecturer at a university in Daegu, smuggled marijuana into Korea from Thailand in August 2010. He then grew it at the balcony in his apartment building, the police said.

The man allegedly set up facilities like a ventilator, electronic heater and reflecting plate on the balcony to grow the weed for years.

He reportedly lost his job as a university lecturer as allegations about him smoking cannabis surfaced at his workplace.   [Korea Herald]

The yearly Takeshima Day nonsense has concluded with nothing much of interest occurring.  I miss the good old days of the Great Dokdo War.  I can still remember the hard days when those of us in Korea had to stock up on food and supplies to survive the initial declaration of war from President Roh.  We made it through multiple cease fires, close calls, and even the failure of the Daemado campaign.  Times had been so desperate that even talk about recruiting North Korea to fight off the evil Japanese Imperialists was announced.  Though the casualties on the Korean side have been heavy at times, through it all the brave defenders of Dokdo have continued thwart the massive Japanese armada descending on Dokdo.  We were also treated back then to such Korean patriots like Flag Eater Man, Chung Dong-young, the Finger Chopping Lady, the Knife in the Gut Man, Weed Killer Man, the Dokdo Riders, and most importantly that great general of all things Dokdo, Bee-Man.  Now all we have is this:

South Korea condemned Japan’s dispatch of a senior government official Monday to a local event aimed at publicizing its claim to Dokdo, a pair of outcroppings in the East Sea.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed that Dokdo is South Korea’s territory historically, geographically, and under international law.

It called on Japan to immediately stop such a territorial provocation and “humbly face up to its history” of aggression and imperialism.

The ministry called in Hideo Suzuki, a minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to deliver a message of protest. Lee Sang-deok, director-general handling Northeast Asian affairs at the ministry, had a closed-door meeting with Suzuki.

Earlier in the day, the Shinzo Abe administration sent Yasuyuki Sakai, parliamentary vice minister of the Cabinet Office, to the controversial yearly event hosted by the Shimane Prefecture.

In 2005, the western prefecture, which claims administrative sovereignty over the islets, designated Feb. 22 as “Takeshima Day.” Takeshima is the Japanese name for Dokdo.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

[Video Report] North Korean People’s ‘Water War’ because of water shortage #NorthKorea #DPRK https://t.co/8VZiB74oZr pic.twitter.com/ZiHvWmxHUa

— RimjingangNK (@RimjingangNK) February 19, 2016

This photo taken on Feb. 19, 2016 shows the U.S. Naval Forces Korea building inside South Korea’s naval base in the southeastern coastal city of Busan, which was relocated from Seoul’s Yongsan Garrison. (Yonhap)

The ROK government is making a good point in regards to why North Korea is allowed to remain a member of the United Nations when it does not comply with any of the UN resolutions leveled against the country?  I doubt it will go any where, but it is still worth bringing up:

South Korea has officially questioned North Korea’s qualification as a member of the United Nations during a U.N. meeting this week, citing Pyongyang’s repeated violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

South Korea’s U.N. ambassador, Oh Joon, raised the question during a meeting Monday of the U.N. Security Council, saying the North pledged to accept and to uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. as laid out in its charter when it joined the U.N. in 1991, together with South Korea.

“Twenty-five years ago, the DPRK solemnly pledged to comply with the obligations of the U.N. Charter as a new member, but during the past decade, the DPRK has persistently violated all Security Council resolutions on the DPRK,” Oh said, according to video footage of the meeting. He used the initials for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“This is not only a direct challenge to the authority of the Security Council, but also a contradiction to both the letter and spirit of the pledge it made. This breach of obligation by the DPRK calls into question its qualification as a member of the United Nations,” he said.

It was the first time the South has taken issue with the North’s U.N. membership.  [Yonhap via One Free Korea]

You can read more at the link as well as over at One Free Korea.

That is what another expert, Nah Liang Tuang (PhD) is an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, is recommending in this Diplomat Op-ed piece.  Professor Nah also believes that quiet diplomacy could get the Chinese to restrict oil supplies into North Korea as well to further pressure the regime:

Consequently, if any new UNSC resolutions are going to be as limp wristed as the previous four, it might be advisable for the U.S. along with its regional allies, Japan and South Korea, to begin actively targeting anyinternational bank accounts identified as being linked with Pyongyang’s elites, irrespective of their links to the DPRK’s nuclear or missile establishment. As in the case of the $25 million in North Korea funds deposited in Macau’s Banco Delta Asia, which was frozen in late 2005 at the behest of the U.S. on money laundering allegations, so too could action be taken against accounts privately held by Pyongyang’s upper crust. In this manner, Washington, Tokyo and Seoul could actively ferret out the slush funds and retirement accounts of Kim Jong-un’s inner circle, and any bigwigs who walk the corridors of power.

Once identified, American, Japanese and South Korean representatives could then request that these covert nest eggs be frozen while being investigated for money laundering, failure to comply with this request resulting in the boycotting of the aforesaid bank by the U.S., Japanese and South Korean governments along with the companies of these wealthy nations. Considering that Pyongyang was and probably still is involved in the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, counterfeit cigarettes, narcotics production/smuggling and other shady businesses, it would be a fair bet that many of these accounts are part of the money laundering chain in the Kim regime’s criminal enterprises. With resultant legal action taken against the offending accounts, and the realization amongst the DPRK’s elite that their financial reserves overseas are under threat, Kim Jong-un would have a harder time maintaining his rule as the DPRK’s oligarchical system encounters difficulty securing the welfare of those at its apex.

Finally, if quiet diplomacy with Beijing can secure Chinese cooperation, Kim Jong-un might be reminded of the Kim dynasty’s vulnerability with a short interruption in the supply of Chinese oil. [The Diplomat]

You can read more at the link.