This photo, provided by Dewey McLean, a U.S. veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War and currently a geology professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and taken during the war, shows a devastated landscape seen from the slope of Mount Nam in Seoul. McLean served as a corporal for a transport unit of the U.S. 8th Army when he was stationed here from 1952-53. (Yonhap)
The North Koreans have been eager to describe their Taepodong-2 rocket as a space launch vehicle in their attempt to justify its launch. However, the US says the rocket is a disguised attempt to get around the UN resolutions that forbid a missile program:
There hasn’t been a launch for more than two years, but a North Korean official told the Associated Press earlier this month that it’s planning to place a further satellite into orbit.
That announcement was met with a frosty reception in Washington.
“Any rocket capable of placing an object in orbit is directly relevant to the development of long-range ballistic missiles, as many ballistic missile and space launch vehicle technologies are virtually identical and interchangeable,” said State Dept. spokeswoman Marie Harf during a briefing on June 4.
“So we’ll be watching this. It could very likely contravene U.N. Security Council resolutions,” she said.
That prompted reporters to ask about a distinction between the satellite and the launch itself. Here’s video of the exchange:
At the time, the question wasn’t answered, but on Monday a State Department spokesperson told North Korea Tech that a North Korean satellite itself isn’t its concern.
Other countries are not prohibited from launching North Korean satellites, as long as the launches are carried out in accordance with international law, including the obligations in U.N. Security Council resolutions, the spokesperson said. [North Korea Tech]
You can read the rest at the link.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye smiles as she applauds with former Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, left, during a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of normalizing relations between South Korea and Japan in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 22, 2015.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects drill of female pilots http://t.co/bB00j5ILX8 pic.twitter.com/Jia4LJCngw
— The Korea Observer (@koreaobserver) June 22, 2015
The Daily NK has an interesting read that compares the 1956 August Faction Incident which was the largest conspiracy to topple Kim Il-sung since he rose to power in 1948 with the 2013 Jang Song-taek purge by current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The bottom line is that the author believes we will continue to see a lot more killing due to the lack of idolization of Kim Jong-un in North Korea compared to his father and grandfather:
Right now, North Korea is still in the process of beginning to idolize Kim Jong Un. In North Korean power politics, is there a more important element than idolization? The relationship with China and Russia, along with the policies related to industry have all been pushed back and delayed. In a totalitarian dictatorship, the leader’s authority is not guaranteed without idolization firmly in place. To accomplish this, the regime must kill many people. To put it another way, as the regime continues to snatch up important people and examine them, they’ll need to kill more and more. As Kim Jong Un continues to secure his place, we will most likely see a revamp of the North Korean totalitarianism that occurred from 1960-1980.
In all likelihood, about 30-40 years remain. In the road ahead, Kim Jong Un will not likely be able to establish power in the way his father and grandfather did. During the time of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the foundation for their absolute dictatorship was already in place. If Kim Jong Un wishes to command the power and respect that his forebears did, he still has many, many people left to kill. [Daily NK]
You can read the rest at the link.
If it feels like there are less ATMs to use in South Korea you would be right because their numbers are decreasing due to banks losing money trying to maintain them:
As the bankbook fades in popularity, ATMs are beginning to vanish as well. According to the Financial Supervisory Service, the number of ATMs run by domestic banks peaked at the end of 2011 with 56,102 machines and has declined since then, marking 53,562 units last year.
The ATM was first introduced by British bank Barclays in 1967. Back then, ATMs caused as big of a splash in the banking industry as financial technology, or fintech, is making today. As ATMs proliferated, many bank tellers saw themselves becoming redundant. Ironically, as ATMs now fade, the number of bank employees is on rise – to 118,703 last year from 110,529 a year earlier.
One reason for the decline of ATMs is a decrease in bank branches where the machines are installed. Between 2011 and 2014, 64 domestic bank branches and local offices shut their doors, largely due to the rise of internet and mobile banking services.
However, ATMs are disappearing much faster than bank branches. In many cases, this is because the fees charged by the machines are no longer sufficient to make them profitable.
“The income from bank charges made at ATMs isn’t even sufficient for managing the machines, and it is a lot easier to close the machines than to adjust the workforce,” said one business insider. “This is why ATMs installed outside stores are diminishing as well.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read the rest at the link, but banks are losing about $1,500 a month to each ATM they have. Personally I find myself using ATMs less and less due to using a debit card instead of cash. As mobile payment platforms such as Apple Pay become more popular this will further decrease the need for ATMs.
On the 50th anniversary of Japan-South Korea ties, a president carries her father's legacy. http://t.co/BpRCMgo3Wv pic.twitter.com/5XiM5ae4q7
— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) June 22, 2015
Kim Sa Rang, star of the current series My Love Eun Dong. [Drama Fever]
Considering how North Korea has never apologized or compensated any families of the people killed in the 1987 Korean Air bombing like Libya did to get off of this list, the North Koreans should have never been removed from this list in the first place:
The United States left out North Korea from its list of states sponsoring terrorism despite calls for adding Pyongyang to the list in the wake of a massive hacking attack on Sony Pictures late last year.
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987,” the State Department said in Country Reports on Terrorism 2014, referring to the North’s official name.
North Korea was put on the U.S. terrorism sponsor list for the 1987 midair bombing of a Korean Air flight that killed all 115 people aboard. But the U.S. administration of former President George W. Bush removed Pyongyang from the list in 2008 in exchange for progress in denuclearization talks.
Calls grew for redesignating Pyongyang as a state terrorism sponsor after the FBI determined the North was responsible for the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures last November, but the State Department was negative about its effectiveness. [Yonhap]
You can read the rest at the link, but notice that they were removed from the list in 2008 by the Bush administration for promises of making progress in denuclearization. History has now shown how well that has worked out.
I think it depends on what one defines economic development as meaning. If making enough money to keep the ruling elites in power is the goal of the Kim regime they are doing a good job of that along with developing their nuclear weapons:
The United States and China will use next week’s high-level strategic talks to discuss ways to get North Korea out of the “fantasy” that it can revive its broken economy without having to give up its nuclear program, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel made the remark during a Foreign Press Center briefing previewing the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) to be held in Washington from Monday through Wednesday, saying Washington and Beijing share the same goal of ending Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
“North Korea harbors the fantasy that it can have its cake and eat it too,” Russel said. “North Korea is hoping to be able to rescue itself from the economic failure of its system through external aid while simultaneously and brazenly carrying forward on its nuclear and missile program. That’s just not going to happen.” [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but as I have long said there is right now no good reason why the North Koreans should stop their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Promises of “economic development” only matter if the Kim regime cared about the welfare of all their citizens. Right now they are doing enough to keep the elites in power by getting enough aid from China and managing their global illicit operations.
