The pool photo released on Dec. 13, 2015, shows the new headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) being built in Pyeongtaek, southeast of Seoul. USFK is moving its troops in Seoul and its vicinity to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, and officials said the relocation will be delayed to 2017 from 2016. Some 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to deter North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended only in a truce instead of a peace treaty. (Yonhap)
The Camp Humphreys relocation is expected to take another year to complete due to a scandal that sent the construction company into bankruptcy and its Korean owner committing suicide:
Camp Humphreys Garrison in Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi Province was opened to the press on Dec. 10, showing the ongoing construction.
The relocation of US forces in South Korea (USFK) to the new base in Pyeongtaek is expected to be completed in 2017, one year later than originally planned.The announcement was made by Kim Kie-soo, director of the office for USFK relocation at South Korea‘s Defense Ministry, and Lt. Gen. Bernard Champoux, commander of the US’s Eighth Army. The two officials spoke to reporters on Dec. 10 at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, which is currently under construction.“As of the end of November, progress on construction of the Pyeongtaek base stood at 86 percent, and most of this will be completed next year.
The relocation of the US army base will begin next year and will for the most part be completed by 2017,” Kim told reporters.This means that the move will take place a year later than promised in the government’s original plan, which had been to finish the move by next year.When asked about the reasons for the delay, Kim mentioned the bankruptcy of Keangnam Enterprises. “With Keangnam Enterprises entering receivership and the former chairman Sung Wan-jong committing suicide [due to scandal], a number of construction projects were halted, and we had to go through a new round of bidding,” Kim said. [Hankyoreh]
First of all why is a North Korean agent allowed in the US in the first place? Secondly this just shows how complicit the Chinese government is in allowing these front companies to exist that give the Kim regime the capability to smuggle in not only military equipment, but luxury goods as well:
A man from North Korea accused of trying to buy military grade night vision goggles from a Utah-based undercover agent and illegally export them to China has pleaded guilty to a federal charge in an agreement with prosecutors.
Kim Song-il was arrested in Hawaii after agreeing to pay $22,000 for the equipment and packing it into boxes that he claimed were filled with used toys and towels so he could ship them to his Chinese business, charges state.
Prosecutors say they believe the six pairs of goggles would have gotten to North Korea from there, though defense attorney Scott Williams disputes that allegation. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
I have always said that ISIS attracts the losers from the Muslim world; the ones who don’t have a real job or girlfriend and look to blame others for their situation in life. Well it appears now the opposite phenomenon is happening. Guys with no real job or girlfriend are now looking to make a name for themselves by fighting ISIS:
A 25-year-old man from China’s Sichuan Province has traveled to Syria to fight against ISIS after the relationship with his girlfriend stranded. He is the first Chinese citizen to join the fight against ISIS.
In September of this year, the Chinese man flew from Bangkok to Istanbul, and then traveled on to Syria. According to China Business News, he never told his family where he was going. He stated that he had no job in China, that his girlfriend had just ended their relationship, and that he wanted to do “something meaningful”.
The young man, who calls himself ‘Pan’, arrived in the border town of Ayn al-Arab in October, and joined the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from there as the first-ever Chinese citizen to fight against IS, China’s 21 News reported.
According to BBC China, who interviewed him, Pan does not speak English nor Arabic, and is only able to communicate with fellow fighters using an electronic dictionary. After breaking up with his girlfriend and having no official occupation in China, he felt he had to “something meaningful”, which, Pan stated, was to pick up arms and join the war. [What’s On Weibo]
It appears the language barrier is what initially led to the misunderstanding at LAX of a K-Pop group being mistakenly investigated as prostitutes. If anything their promotion company should be happy about this arrest because of all the media attention the no name group has now received:
Newbie K-pop girl group Oh My Girl returned to Incheon International Airport on Friday morning after being held for 15 hours at Los Angeles International Airport. WM Entertainment, the eight-member girl group’s agency, said the girl group was held at the U.S. airport because they were mistaken for prostitutes.
“We have appointed a lawyer in the states because we need a valid explanation for the unfair detainment,” a person working for WM Entertainment said. WM added that Oh My Girl left for Los Angeles on Wednesday for photo shoot.
“A person working at immigration asked about the relationship between the girl group members and staff, and one of the staff members said ‘sister,’” a person working at WM told multiple local news agencies. “And the customs office thought it was weird because the girl group and staff members are not related by blood. The customs office also paid attention to a lot of props and clothes.”
Staff members reportedly tried to explain that they were visiting Los Angeles as singers, but they could not correct the misunderstanding at immigration, and the group and staff members’ smartphones were confiscated.
In the end, the girl group could not enter the United States and returned to Korea.
Oh My Girl released their first debut single in April, but the K-pop act is still largely unknown in the music scene. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
A major overpass in central Seoul that connects Toegye-ro Street, east of Seoul Station, to the south was permanently shut down on Dec. 13, 2015, after 45 years of service due to safety reasons. The city of Seoul plans to create a public park on the overpass. (Yonhap)
