KCNA: World will clearly see a series of our "satellites soaring into the sky at the times & locations determined by WPK Central Comm."
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) September 14, 2015
Syrian refugees living in South Korea hold a press conference in front of the state-run human rights commission in central Seoul on Sept. 13, 2015, urging people to help refugees from Syria. (Yonhap)
I wonder if anyone in the Philippines asked General Scaparrotti how well the ROKs protect classified military information?:
South Korea and the Philippines on Monday signed a pact to protect classified military information in a bid to exchange military intelligence, Seoul’s defense ministry said.
South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Filipino counterpart Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the deal in Manila following their talks, according to the ministry.
Han arrived in the Philippines on Monday for a two-day visit following his trip to Australia for a so-called “two plus two” meeting among the two nations’ defense and foreign chiefs.
The ministry said that the pact calls for exchanging comprehensive military information between Seoul and Manila, which will help them deepen military cooperation. [Korea Herald]
You can read more at the link.
The Kim regime has made it official that next month they will begin another provocation cycle by conducting a space launch which by UN resolutions is banned:
North Korea said Monday it is ready to launch satellites aboard long-range rockets to mark a key national anniversary next month, a move expected to rekindle animosities with its rivals South Korea and the United States.
A National Aerospace Development Administration director said the world will “clearly see a series of satellites soaring into the sky at times and locations determined” by the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party.
In comments carried by Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency, he said that the North’s outer space development sector has been making “shining achievements” ahead of the 70th anniversary of the ruling party’s founding that falls on Oct. 10. He said North Korea is pushing forward on a final development phase for a new earth observation satellite for weather forecasts.
The launches, if made, are certain to trigger an international standoff, with Seoul, Washington and other neighboring countries viewing seeing past launches as disguised tests of the North’s long-range missile technology. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link.
The Korea Times ran an opinion article recently by a man named Lawrence McCook who was complaining about Koreans not sitting next to him on the subway:
Every day, I ride the subway to work. People get on, people get off. I get a seat when people leave, then more people get on. Every time, the last seat to get filled is the one next to me.
I don’t smell bad, I shower every morning. I am a handsome American man. So why won’t Koreans sit next to me? Is it because I’m a different skin color than you? If you prick us, do we not bleed? And if you wrong us, shall we not seek revenge?
This bothers me because it is a declaration that you and I are different. We all ride the subway to work, so get over your xenophobia, Korea, and take the seat next to me. Even when all the other seats fill up, Koreans would rather stand than sit next to me for fear of some mythical white male cooties jumping into their bodies through knee-to-knee contact. [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but after reading the article I wouldn’t want to sit next to this guy either if he is going to play 20 questions with everyone sitting next to him. With that said the Korea Times was probably had by whoever sent this article in under that name:
In this opinion piece published yesterday by a Korean newspaper, writer Lawerence McCook opined about the fact that no one will sit next to him on the subway. This insight into the experience of one expat in Korea can sometimes be helpful in discussing the culture at large, however anecdotal evidence certainly is difficult to extrapolate much from.
What we can extrapolate, is that this is not likely the actual photo of the writer, as it appears to be the same photo as a West Warwick sex offender. [10 Mag]
You can read the rest at the link, but what I think happened is that someone fooled the Korea Times into printing the article and then included a random sex offender image with it. Anyone else have any other theories?
Over the last 10 years 72 North Korean defectors have died for unknown reasons: http://t.co/eF9Gyq5cSZ
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) September 11, 2015
South Korean President Park Geun-hye (R) and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2015, ahead of their talks (Yonhap)
Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section. By the way who is excited about the start of the NFL season? I know I am.
It is good to see that the US military continues to work to identify remains of the Missing In Action from prior conflicts like the Korean War:
The remains of Army Sergeant Christopher Y Vars, brother of long-time Reading resident Robert Vars, returned home on Wednesday, 65 years after being listed as Missing in Action while fighting in North Korea on Nov. 29, 1950.
Sgt. Vars was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He served during World War II in Burma, Central Burma and China, leaving the service at the end of the war.
He reenlisted to serve during the Korean War.
Sgt. Vars was taken as prisoner of war while in Korea. His remains were found in POW Camp No. 5, in North Korea, along the banks of the Yulu River, but a DNA match was unable to be made until recently.
Sgt. Vars was the recipient of many awards, including the Purple Heart, the POW and MIA Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and several others.
He was escorted by State Police and the Patriot Guard to a funeral home in Reading.
A burial with full military honors will be held on Oct. 6. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Reading on that day. [WHDH.com]
After a disastrous debut, China's high speed rail is expanding fast and winning converts at home and abroad. http://t.co/E9JpB3u55A
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) September 11, 2015
