A united group of villagers scuffles with police in front of the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, a U.S. military firing range, in Pocheon, north of Seoul, on Oct. 28, 2015, as they attempt to storm the range in protest of stray bullets from the range. The range, about 24 kilometers south of the tensely guarded Demilitarized Zone, has been a source of grievances for the residents of neighboring towns following a series of ricochets that have come out of the firing range and landed in residential areas. (Yonhap)

For anyone that was wondering, it is illegal to burn a South Korean flag and can get you sentenced up to 5 years in jail:

Prosecutors said Thursday they have indicted a South Korean man on charges of burning the national flag during a rally commemorating the first anniversary of the deadly ferry disaster.

The 23-year-old, only identified by his surname Kim, is accused of burning the flag during the April 18 rally in downtown Seoul and damaging a police vehicle, the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said.

“I was in a rage after witnessing the government authorities illegally taking the bereaved families to police stations instead of focusing on the investigation into the cause of the accident,” he told the prosecutors.

In South Korea, flag burning is an offense that is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 7 million won (US$6,100).

Kim is also accused of causing 6.9 million won (US$6,000) in damage to a police vehicle along with other protesters and obstructing traffic in central Seoul.

Thousands of demonstrators staged rallies at Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall in April and May to mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Sewol ferry that claimed 304 lives.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Unless they ban job interviews this bill probably will not have the desired effect:

An opposition legislator has proposed a bill to eliminate discrimination during the recruitment process of companies based on appearance.

Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) proposed on Wednesday a revised bill aimed at prohibiting companies from asking job applicants to specify information unrelated to their capabilities and skills in their resumes.

The proposed bill stipulates that requiring information such as a job applicant’s photo, properties owned or parents’ profession will result in a fine of up to five million won, or roughly 44-hundred U.S. dollars.  [KBS World Radio]

I am sure there is probably some crazy back story to this case:

A 40-year-old woman has been indicted on charges of forcing her husband to have sex with her, prosecutors said Tuesday.

It marks the first time that a wife has been charged with marital rape. The Supreme Court recognized spousal rape as a crime in May 2013.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office investigating the case alleges that the wife, only identified by her surname Shim, locked her husband, surnamed Kim, inside their house for 29 hours and forced him to have sex with her.

Shim allegedly committed the crime with the aim of obtaining favorable evidence to use for divorce procedures, the prosecutors said. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but no word if Songtan Sally was the perpetrator involved with this case.

The photos carried by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun on Oct. 28, 2015 shows the country’s new Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang. The report said North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un lauded the facility as showing the world the strong desire and passion of the country and its people to become well versed in science and technology. (Yonhap)

The cultural differences you feel in Korea can be enough to stagger you. Be prepared! https://t.co/HtmZoQeGtb pic.twitter.com/PATCO3hdxW

— Hiexpat Korea (@HiExpat) October 26, 2015

A candidate running in local elections in 1952 is campaigning on a street in this photo included in a pictorial journal published by the National Archives of Korea on Oct. 27, 2015. The journal chronicles the history of Korea’s local elections starting in 1948 and includes photographs and documents obtained from U.N. archives. (Photo provided by the National Archives of Korea) (Yonhap)

US and ROK military forces need live fire training to maintain readiness and there is no where in Korea to do this as well as Rodriguez Range.  I look at this as I would an airport.  People need airports just like the military needs a live fire range.  Should airports be closed as well because of noise and the remote chance of a crash?  How come I have the feeling this has a lot to do with money?

A united group of villagers set fire to bundles of straw near the U.S. military firing range in Pocheon on Wednesday in protest against stray bullets from the range.

The Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, about 24 kilometers south of the tensely-guarded demilitarized zone, has been a source of grievances to the residents of neighboring towns following a series of ricochets that have come out of the firing range and landed on residential areas.

Most recently in October, a 105-millimeter anti-tank shell flew from the shooting range before ricocheting off a house in a neighborhood and landed on a farm.

Earlier that month, a practice projectile was found in a pine field following three similar cases of ricochets in proceeding months.

“Day and night, the sounds of firing never cease in Pocheon, the home to dozens of military bases, camps, a military airfield, ammunition dumps and the Eighth U.S. Army’s Youngpyoung (Rodriguez) firing range as well as the South Korean Army’s ranges,” the villagers’ committee on the ricochet issue said in protest.

The residents near the range started to desert their hometown in fear of stray bullets, they claimed in the protest rally near the U.S. military range.  [Korea Herald]

You can read the rest at the link.

I guess a slogan making sense in English was not high on the priority list for Seoul’s new slogan to market the city with:

“I.Seoul.You” has been selected as the capital city’s new slogan.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that “I.Seoul.You” beat the two other candidates ― “Seoulmate” and “SEOULing” ― to replace its current slogan “Hi Seoul.”

“Seoulmate” won slightly more votes than “I.Seoul.You” in an online poll. However, in an on-the-spot poll held in the evening at Seoul Plaza, all nine experts and 682 out of a total 1,140 citizens voted for “I.Seoul.You,” which beat “Seoulmate” with only 232 votes.

Lee Ha-rin, a Korean student who studies philosophy in college, is the winner of the slogan contest, in which more than 16,000 people participated.

Prof. Kim Yoo-kyung of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, marketing company Playground CEO Kim Hong-tak and Prof. Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University were among the experts.

“It was very meaningful that Seoul citizens participated in the whole process from making to selecting the new slogan,” Seo said.

Kim Min-ki, who was in charge of the project, said that the new slogan will be used to rebrand the city globally.  [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but many critics have already weighed in on how non-sensical this slogan is. Maybe the Seoul government thinks English gibberish will market well in China to get tourists from there?

For an English slogan for a city this has to be the worst I have heard.  Can anyone think of any city with a worse slogan?

It will be interesting to see what aircraft Northrup Grumman comes up with.  I wonder if a drone capability was even considered?:

Northrop Grumman has won the coveted Air Force contract to build the next-generation stealth bomber, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

Northrop Grumman beat out a competing Long Range Strike Bomber design offered by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build up to 100 new aircraft set to reconstitute the nation’s aging fleet of 159 conventional and nuclear bombers.

The program is highly classified and the Air Force did not offer many details on the design or a prototype illustration of the new bomber.  [Stars & Stripes]