Once again if you are an American and willingly go into North Korea I believe the US government does not have an obligation to come and rescue you.  I says this every time another American gets detained by the regime, do not go to North Korea.  This guy, Kim Dong-chul claims to be a spy for South Korea, but who knows if anything he says is true considering the treatment he has likely received while detained in North Korea:

You can read more at the link.

I am sure the ROK military has thoroughly thought through and rehearsed their plans in response to whatever the next provocation North Korea has planned:

Tensions are running high near the inter-Korean border Friday afternoon as South Korea’s military resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts toward North Korea in the demilitarized zone(DMZ).

To deal with possible North Korean attacks on South Korean speaker facilities, the South’s military has issued its highest level of vigilance at eleven areas at the forefront, where the psychological warfare facilities have been installed.

A defense official said Friday that the military will thoroughly carry out propaganda broadcast operations, and it will respond sternly and accordingly if the North’s military engages in artillery provocations against the loudspeakers or nearby areas.

In case the North attacks, the South’s military is said to be planning to retaliate with fire power that is three to four times stronger than the North’s.  [KBS World Radio]

You can read more at the link.

Congratulations to General Scaparrotti if the below report is true.  This is pretty impressive that he is going from one very important four-star command to take over another one as the head of NATO.  I can’t remember the last USFK commander that moved on to such a prestigious position after leaving their post in Korea:

Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, will probably be promoted to head NATO Forces.

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday said U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is to recommend to President Barack Obama that Scaparrotti become the next commander of U.S. European Command.

Scaparrotti will serve concurrently as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, or the head of NATO forces. He assumed command of the USFK in August 2013.  [Chosun Ilbo]

https://twitter.com/dramafever/status/685862853639680000

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes a congratulatory visit to the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces for the new year, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports on Jan. 10, 2016. Kim said the hydrogen bomb test carried out last week was an act of self-defense, according to the report. (KCNA-Yonhap)

This is a pretty typical play from the US playbook in response to North Korean military provocations:

The United States’ B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber flew in the skies of South Korea on Sunday in a major show of force four days after North Korea conducted what it said was its first hydrogen bomb test.

The B-52 bomber left U.S. Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on Sunday morning and arrived in the skies above Osan, Gyeonggi Province, at noon, armed with nuclear missiles and “bunker buster” bombs that are capable of bombarding North Korea’s underground facilities, according to Seoul and Washington.

The bomber flew low past the Osan air base, flanked by an entourage of two South Korean F-15Ks and two U.S. F-16s before returning to its home base, the two sides’ militaries said.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

As I posted earlier this week, it is business as usual on the Sino-NK border which is something that Secretary of State John Kerry says has to stop.  Despite this the Chinese government is claiming there is no “key” for them to use to stop North Korea’s nuclear program.  If the border was shutdown this is a key that would greatly pressure the Kim regime to halt their nuclear program:

China said Friday that it holds no “key” to curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambition, while the United States is urging Beijing to put more pressure on Pyongyang after the North’s fourth nuclear test.

The remarks by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying were seen as a rare public acknowledgment that China’s influence on its unruly ally North Korea is limited.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a telephone conservation on Thursday, “There cannot be business as usual” after North Korea claimed it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test.

Kerry said he reached the agreement with Wang, after making clear to his Chinese counterpart that the latest nuclear test has proven that Beijing’s approach to the North Korean nuclear issue “has not worked.”

The Wednesday nuclear test by North Korea is viewed as a diplomatic failure by Chinese President Xi Jinping in trying to rein in North Korea.

In response to such a view, Hua said, “I want to emphasize that the origin and frictions of the North Korean nuclear issue do not lie in China. The key of resolving the issue does not lie in China.”

However, Hua repeated that, “China urges the North Korean side to stick to reaffirming its commitment of denuclearization and stop taking actions that make the situation worse.” [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

https://twitter.com/dramafever/status/685862855380320256

Girl group Dalshabet pose at a showcase for their new album in Seoul on Tuesday. [Chosun Ilbo]