Most of the Korea Times article is about Ambassador Mark Lippert who is making a good first impression with the Korean public, but here is what I found most interesting about the article:

The latest instance of his “friendly diplomacy” was his attendance at the New Year reception for the KATUSA Veterans Association, Thursday.

“Primarily, I was not given liberty. Tonight was that my wife wanted me to pick up something at the PX for the baby. So, I’m on borrowed time,” Lippert said during the event, referring to his son, who was born here, Tuesday.

The event was the only public event he kept this week, the 41-year-old added.

His wit also brought about laughs when he had to give an impromptu speech because of an unexpected technical problem with his tablet computer.

“For the first time, I was going to give my speech from my Microsoft tablet, but it froze immediately, literally seconds before. So seriously, it is going to be an interesting speech,” Lippert said.  (…………………..)

In honor of the unbreakable bond that develops between 8th U.S. Army soldiers and their KATUSA soldiers, Lt. Gen. Bernard Champoux, the 8th Army’s commanding general, has created an annual award for former KATUSA soldiers who have gone on to distinguish themselves in their careers and contributions to Korean society and the alliance.

“I would also like to announce the establishment of the Sgt. Kim Sang-won Distinguished Former KATUSA Award,” said Champoux.

Sgt. Kim served as a KATUSA with the 17th Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division during the Korean War and participated in more than 300 combat patrols, including the drive to the Amrok River in late 1950. For his fighting spirit and unflappable courage, Kim was later awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action during one of his numerous patrols.

The inaugural award winner was Yoon Yoon-soo, chairman and CEO of Fila International. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but congratulations to Mr. Yoon Yoon-soo for being the first awardee of the Sgt. Kim Sang-won Distinguished Former KATUSA Award.  I bet there is a lot of other former KATUSAs out there doing great things in public service and in the business community and this award is a way to highlight this fact.

The Visionary: MacArthur at #Incheon [PDF] http://t.co/nci2voVqpz via @RANDCorporation #KoreanWar

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Girl group Sistar attends the High1 Seoul Music Awards in Seoul on Jan. 22, 2015. Singer Jung Gi-go is at second from right. (Yonhap)

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

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Members of the girl group Nine Muses perform at an event in Seoul on Jan. 21, 2015, to promote their new album, “Drama.” (Yonhap)

After reading this article it struck me that North Koreans are doing what many small business owners in South Korea are already doing by setting up small shops in front of their homes in various neighborhoods:

More residents are enjoying the convenience of using home-run stalls selling simple items, compared to conventional marketplaces that come with restrictions in operating hours, Daily NK has learned.

“You can sell and buy goods from these residential stalls as long as you have an established level of trust with the owner,” a source based in South Pyongan Province told the Daily NK on Thursday. “More people are converting rooms in their homes and selling goods day and night.”

This foundation of trust is bolstered by three chief pillars: the customer has evidence of a steady source of revenue, and is neither an undercover official looking to crackdown on the operations, or a swindler hoping to cut and run with the goods. Passing muster can take time and requires a number of others within the right circles for validation.

According to the source, these home-operated stalls started popping up in the 1990s, mostly around schools to sell snacks to students. Starting a few years ago, more people have been converting or extending parts of their homes and selling electronics–namely televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines–and food in bulk.   [Daily NK]

You can read more at the link.

There is no place in the classroom for teaching pro-North Korean propaganda and hopefully this teachers were all fired from their jobs:

Four teachers received suspended jail terms Friday after a Seoul court found them guilty of engaging in pro-North Korea activities.

The four, who are part of a progressive teachers’ union, were indicted in February 2013 on charges of holding two lectures endorsing North Korean ideals from January 2008 to May 2009. The lectures, prosecutors said, took place in front of prospective teachers and fellow members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the country’s second-largest teachers’ union.

The four were also charged with the possession of original North Korean texts and the distribution of excerpts from a memoir by North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in violation of the National Security Law.

The law bans any activities meant to praise, promote or propagandize North Korean ideals.

The Seoul Central District Court found them guilty of these charges and gave them 18-month sentences with a two-year stay of execution.

“The court finds them guilty of possessing documents that praise North Korea’s ‘songun’ and ‘juche’ ideologies,” Judge Cho Yong-hyeon said in a ruling, referring to the North’s military-first and self-reliance philosophies. “It is inappropriate for South Korean citizens, let alone teachers, to have such documents in their possession.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but for those that don’t know the Korea Teachers’ Union has been filled with North Korean propagandists and sympathizers for years.

If Kim Jong-un does go to Russia for this trip I would not be surprised if one of the preconditions is that the South Koreans are not invited:

Russia’s foreign minister said Wednesday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has given a “positive” response to President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to visit Russia in May for the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.

But Seoul has yet to decide whether President Park Geun-hye will also go.

“The president’s schedule for May has not been fixed and many other events are set to take place,” said Blue House spokesman Min Kyung-wook in a briefing Thursday. “We will be reviewing [whether or not to accept Russia’s invitation] under such circumstances … We are not in a situation yet to rush to come up with a stance.”

On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Kim Jong-un’s response had been “positive, as a first signal.”

Ever since December, when Moscow invited the leaders of both Koreas to an event it plans to hold in May, keen attention has been paid to whether Park and Kim would come face to face for the first time.

If Kim goes to Moscow, it will be the first foreign visit by the 32-year-old ruler since he assumed power in 2011 and his debut on the stage of international diplomacy.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but I guess this is a chance to see if Kim Jong-un is going to try some different diplomacy compared to his father.

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— South Korea Daily (@SouthKoreaDaily) January 20, 2015