Reading between the lines here this Chinese General appears to be signaling to the North Koreans that they will not save the Kim regime if they do something foolish like start a war.  However, I see nothing in here that says they will not get involved to stabilize a post-Kim regime North Korea after they do something foolish:

China would not help save North Korea even if the neighboring North’s regime collapses, a former general of China’s military said Tuesday, in rare explicit comments that possibly reflect Beijing’s growing frustration with its unpredictable ally.

“China is not a savior,” Wang Hongguang, former deputy commander of the Nanjing military region of the People’s Liberation Army, wrote in an op-ed published by the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties with China’s ruling Communist Party.

“If North Korea really collapses, even China can’t save it,” Wang said.

The comments by Wang were in response to a recent contribution by another Chinese expert, who urged Beijing not to “abandon” North Korea.  [Yonhap]

Here is more of what Wang had to say from the South China Morning Post:

Wang said China would not get involved in any new war on the Korean peninsula.

“China cannot influence the situation on the Korean peninsula … China has no need to light a fire and get burnt. Whoever provokes a conflagration bears responsibility,” he wrote. “Now there is no more ’socialist camp’. It is not necessary for China’s younger generation to fight a war for another country.”

Wang criticised the North for its nuclear development, using it as an example of how the country’s interests can differ from China’s and saying it had “already brought about the serious threat of nuclear contamination in China’s border area”.

But he also slammed Western countries for “demonising” North Korea and interfering in its internal affairs in the name of human rights. “China absolutely does not meddle,” he wrote.

Beijing will “support what should be supported and oppose what should be opposed” regarding the North, Wang said, indicating that China was not ready to completely give up on its troublesome neighbour.

China will neither “court” nor “abandon” North Korea, he wrote. “This should be China’s basic attitude.” [South China Morning Post]

You can read more at the link.

It looks like Ashton Carter will become the next Secretary of Defense if he passes the vetting process:

Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command at the Pentagon, appears to be the top choice to replace outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Barring any last minute complications, Ash Carter will be President Barack Obama’s choice as the new Secretary of Defense, several U.S. administration officials told CNN

An administration official had said that Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, a former General Counsel at the Pentagon, was also still on the list of possibilities, but on Tuesday morning, sources said Johnson was no longer being considered. The prospect of an additional confirmation hearing for Johnson’s replacement if he were to move to the Pentagon as the Senate switches to Republican control would have been problematic for the White House. [CNN]

Carter is actually a very brilliant man when it comes to defense issues and well respected within the defense community which should allow him to be a fine Secretary of Defense.  With that said though even brilliant men like him can make eyebrow raising recommendations.  Long time ROK Heads may recall that Carter along with former Defense Secretary William Perry once recommended bombing North Korea back in 2006:

Fears have grown in recent weeks following reports of activity at a site in northeastern North Korea where U.S. officials say a Taepodong-2 missile — believed capable of reaching parts of the United States — is possibly being fueled.

An op-ed piece in Thursday’s Washington Post by William Perry, secretary of defense under former President Bill Clinton, and Ashton Carter, Clinton’s assistant secretary of defense, advocates a pre-emptive strike to destroy the missile.

“The United States should immediately make clear its intention to strike and destroy the North Korean Taepodong missile before it can be launched,” it said.

Cheney, however, told CNN that, while “I appreciate Bill’s advice,” such an action could worsen the situation.

I think the recommendation back then had a lot to do with politics because Perry and Carter likely understood former President Bush would not bomb North Korea.  However, it would be interesting during his confirmation hearing if someone in Congress would ask him if he still believes bombing North Korea is a good idea.

You can read more on this topic over at One Free Korea.

10 years later, North Korea might have finally gotten revenge for Team America: World Police http://t.co/pAAYKiEK0O pic.twitter.com/S7ca5mSfXY

— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) December 3, 2014

Skiers enjoy their skiing at High 1 Ski Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 30, 2014. (Photo courtesy of High 1 Ski Resort) (Yonhap)

For people in North Korea that were unlucky enough to be named “Jong-un” when they were born, they now have to change their name:

North Korea has ordered its people not to use the name “Kim Jong-un” in a bid to protect the supreme authority of the current leader, according to Pyongyang’s official document confirmed Wednesday.

In January 2011, then leader Kim Jong-il issued a decree urging people with the same name to change it “voluntarily.” As North Korea is regarded as a totalitarian state, it is unclear whether the decree was actually voluntary.

The North has also prohibited parents from registering their newborn babies with the current leader’s name, according to the document titled “a task to achieve.” The use of the given name “Jong-un” is also banned.

While unthinkable in most other countries, the rules are not new in the state long ruled by the Kim family.  [Yonhap]

A mountain road on Jeju Island is closed due to snow on Dec. 2, 2014. A heavy snow alert has been issued for the southern resort island. (Yonhap)

North Korea has reportedly began their routine winter training cycle with Kim Jong-un giving tips to an artillery unit:

The North Korean military has kicked off a winter exercise at the instruction of leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday.

All troops of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) started “the new year combat and political drill,” said the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North’s military routinely holds such training from December through March.

The North’s leader chose an artillery unit for his first “field guidance” during the defense exercise season.

He inspected “the Artillery Company under KPA Unit 963,” teaching ways to make the company “one of the crack shots by conducting the drill suited to the nature of its combat duty,” according to the KCNA.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Like with most things from North Korea who knows if this is true or not:

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the country’s senior officials not to smoke foreign cigarettes, saying it is a matter of patriotism, a source said Tuesday.

Kim, who is apparently a habitual smoker himself, said he sees no need for foreign cigarettes in his country as domestic ones have good quality as well, according to the source involved in trade with North Korea.

Kim said smoking foreign cigarettes means a lack of patriotism, added the source based in China.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

I am sure the Korean government will get this worked out because I see no way that they will not host the 2018 Games.  It seems to me this is a national effort and a small province like Gangwon should not be expected to provide so much funding for this international event:

The 2018 PyeongChang Olympics may be in limbo, with the government and Gangwon Province locking horns over who will cover the 11.1-trillion-won cost for the quadrennial event, especially the cost of building the Olympic stadium.

The Gangwon Provincial Council recently threatened that if the government does not provide sufficient financial support for the Olympics, it will “readily give up the right to host the event.”

When asked about its stance over this threat, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said last week it “will not speculate on hypothetical situations,” adding that it believes Korea and PyeongChang will show their commitment by solving the problem.

“Since the candidature phase, a number of options have been looked at for the ceremony’s stadiums and the IOC remains very flexible in discussing any proposals from the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee,” Rachel Rominger, an IOC representative, said in an e-mail reply to The Korea Times.

On Monday, Council members of Gangwon Province and other cities and counties where the various Olympic sporting events will be held visited the National Assembly and urged the government to increase its financial support in order to avoid controversy.

“The event is an international one and will be held on our soil for the first time, but the government focuses only on the economic aspects and refrains from giving due support,” an official at the Gangwon Provincial Assembly said.

Their harsh remarks came shortly after the government’s recent decision regarding the construction of the new Olympic stadium at Hoenggye-ri in PyeongChang County. The government decided to cover only 50 percent of the cost, while Gangwon Province and the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) would shoulder the other 50 percent.

However, the province wants the government to cover 75 percent of the costs.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but if the South Koreans cannot get this work out I know someone who is willing to help.

A story, largely forgotten: Remember the Sand Creek Massacre http://t.co/7VljA2xSj0

— Nathan W. Armes (@Nathan_Armes) November 30, 2014