Site traffic has been down a little bit in August probably because of UFL preventing all the USFK personnel and contractors from sitting in their office all day reading blogs.  Isn’t that what we all do at work?  This may also be why Australian viewers have surpassed South Korea for the second most visits to my site last month.  Also I like to say welcome to the ROK Drop to all the new Canadian readers out there as Canadians have broken into the Top 5 of ROK Drop readership last month. Finally thanks to all my Top Referrers for recommending the ROK Drop.  Have a good week.  

July ROK Drop Statistics (Note: Stats from Bluehost Awstats)

ROK Drop   Uniques    Visits        Pages                 
Average        329          1000.35    5004     
Per Day

Top Five Countries Visiting ROK Drop for July
1. United States
2. Australia
3. South Korea
4. E.U.
5. Canada

Top Referrers
1. Marmot’s Hole (Last month #1)
2. Lost Nomad  (Last month #2)
3. DPRK Studies (Last Month #5)
4. Milblogs (Last Month #4)
5. Japan Probe (Last Month Unranked)

Top 10 Searched for Key Phrases
1. computers internet blog
2. rok drop
3. korean missionaries in afghanistan
4. korea
5. rokdrop
6. false
7. Korean hostage update
8. jimmy yip california
9. lee pani
10.23 korean missionaries

Top Five Posts for the Month of July
1. USFK Soldier Sentenced and Convicted in Grandma Rape Case
2. ROK Army Sexual Assault Update
3. Suicide Bomber Kills Korean Servicemember in Afghanistan
4. Korean Government Warns USFK Commander Over "Undiplomatic" Remarks
5. Remembering Hiroshima

Note: You can see the top overall posts on my sidebar.

The Korean National Intelligence Services (NIS) director Kim Man-bok was spotted at a hotel in Kabul and would not out right deny that a ransom payment had been made:

South Korea’s spy chief on Sunday reacted ambiguously to foreign news reports alleging that Seoul had paid a hefty ransom to the Taliban in exchange for the release of Korean hostages in Afghanistan.

"I can say that foreign media speculation about a ransom trade (involving the Taliban) is wrong," Kim Man-bok, chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said, instead of giving an outright denial. [Yonhap]

The NIS would later issue a press release hailing Kim for helping release the hostages.  Does anyone else find it strange that the head of Korean intelligence is negotiating with a foreign terrorist group?  Can anyone imagine let’s say George Tenet holding direct negotiation with one of the terrorist groups that have kidnapped Americans before in Iraq?  Kim’s appearance in Kabul did not go unnoticed by Korean politicians either:

Kim’s gestures raised scathing comments from politicians yesterday.
“It just does not make sense that the nation’s head of intelligence would publicize to the world that he had negotiated with a terrorist group,” said Kim Jung-hoon, a Grand National Party member.
“There are stories now that he wanted the spotlight so that he could run for a parliament seat next year,” he said. “He made a fool of himself and his agency.”
The spy agency’s press release said Kim flew to Afghanistan over the objection of agency officials because “it was his obligation to protect and save the lives of the Korean people.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Sorry to break this to Kim Jung-hoon, but many nations in the world already think Korea’s stance on terrorism is a joke and the fact the NIS director was negotiating with them only further confirms this.   This is what Chung Dong-young had to say about Kim:

Chung Dong-young, a former member of the National Security Council, also said Kim’s behavior was inappropriate. “There are things that he should do and shouldn’t do,” Chung said. [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Chung is just jealous that he didn’t get the chance to parade for the cameras in Kabul like Kim did.  Kim Man-bok likely conducted this trip for two reasons; the first reason is to have fewer people in the beauracracy know about the ransom payment by directly negotiating with the Taliban himself.  This would make it easier for him to cover up the ransom payment with fewer people knowing about it.  The second reason is that he wants to parade for the cameras and try to make himself out as some kind of "hero" that saved the Korean hostages to further his own political ambitions. 

You have to remember that Kim Man-bok is a political partisan for Korean President Roh Moo-hyun who appointed him to cover up the Ilshimhoe Spy Scandal that had links into the liberal political parties including Roh Moo-hyun’s own party in Korea.  Kim’s appointed drew anger from across the political aisal because his appointment was clearly to cover up the spy scandal which he successfully did.  When the conservative opposition likely wins this year’s presidential election Kim is gone and he is using the hostage crisis to build his image and name recognition for a future run for a political office.

While Kim is parading around on TV a report has come out that confirms that a ransom payment was paid by South Korea for the release of the hostages:

The source, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitivities involved, said although he did not know about the exact ransom amount, the Taliban had demanded $10 million in the initial stage.

He said after the Afghan government’s refusal to entertain the Taliban demand regarding the prisoners’ swap, the two sides (Koreans and Taliban) engaged in ransom talks and the delay in release of the captives was caused because the Taliban wanted guarantees and the Korean side wanted scaling down of the demanded amount.

“Being among the mediators, I can tell you that the ransom amount given to the Taliban is round about $2 million," he said. The mediator rejected claims by a Taliban commander that they had received $20 million. He said he believed the amount is too much.

“They have been freed for only $2 million," he opined.

However, the Taliban commander, who wished to remain anonymous, told this correspondent over the telephone that they had received $20 million from the Korean delegation. He said the amount was paid after guarantees from a third country.

The commander said the third country was involved on the request of the Taliban so that the Korean side honor their commitment. He said the amount was paid to a party nominated by the Taliban. [Korea Times]

Hmmm, "guarantees from a third country"?  Could that country be Saudi Arabia?  If you look at all the Korean governmental claims that no ransom was paid they always clearly say no ransom was paid to the Taliban, which is technically correct.  Now when is someone in the Korean media going to ask them if a ransom was paid to Saudi Arabia?

The Koreas
– UFL is over and here are the Top 10 Quotes from it.
– Two happy birthdays go out this week to prominent K-bloggers Brendon Carr and the Big Hominid both turning 38 this week. 
– Brendon Carr on dealing with fake people.  More here from Michael Hurt.
– Are you interested in majoring in Korean Studies, but don’t know how or where?  Well here and here are two postings that tell you how and where to go for the best Korean Studies programs.
– Gangwon Brian to the rescue.
– Some hot girls really are evil.
– The Top 20 reasons to lose weight in Korea.
– "World Star" Rain is back in Seoul after his disasterous US tour.  You can see what he is up to now here.
– In a hurry and need to break through a crowd?  Use the magic handbag technique.

Japan
– It appears that when Japanese leftists are not busy setting off explosions around Camp Zama, they are busy burning down the buildings of rival Japanese politicians.
– It’s official, the Sea of Japan will remain just that, the Sea of Japan. 
– Japanese smokers, especially women are still welcome in Hawaii.
– The now dethroned hot dog eating champion, Takeru Kobayashi shares his list of favorite foods.  If you are wondering, hot dogs did not make the list.
– Have you ever wondered how to tell different Asian women apart?
– Here is an awesome panorama picture of 1864 Tokyo.
– Here is a story of a whale watching trip in northern Japan gone wrong.

China
– I thought some of the acid rain I saw in Korea was bad, but nothing compares to black ink falling from the sky.
– Here is a "talented" Taiwanese politician.
– Chinese media responds to "Made in China" crisis.
– I have seen a lot of comical things in Korea in regards to traffic laws, but I have never seen a Korean driver try what this guy in China did.

Milblogs
– Yes I agree, this profile of a Marine’s life in Iraq will probably piss off feminists.
– If you are wondering what the priorities of today’s US Air Force are, this should give you an indication.
– An interesting look at biometrics being employed in Iraq. 
– Here is a response to the NY Time disappointment in the aquital of the Haditha Marines.

The Korean hostages are now safely back in Korea but the controversy around their release continues to boil.  Via Nomad, comes this news of the amount of the suspected ransom Korea paid to secure their release:

South Korea paid Afghanistan’s Taliban more than $20 million to release 19 missionaries they were holding hostage, a senior insurgent leader said on Saturday, vowing to use the funds to buy arms and mount suicide attacks.

The freed hostages flew out of Afghanistan on Friday to Dubai en route for South Korea. Seoul denies paying a ransom, but critics say negotiating with the Taliban sets a dangerous precedent that could spur more kidnappings–which the Taliban have vowed to carry out. [Epoch Times]

The Taliban have been so pleased with their success with the Koreans they have vowed to do it again:

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi vowed to abduct more foreigners, reinforcing fears that South Korea‘s decision to negotiate directly with the militants would embolden them.

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful," he told The Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location. [Amir Shah, AP]

More on the ransom and what to do with South Korea’s material support of terrorism over at One Free Korea.

Something that has been left un-said in the media but on most people minds was if the Taliban sexually assaulted the women or not.  The hostages are not talking yet but reports are filtering out of Afghanistan that at least four of the hostages were sexually assaulted by Pakistani Taliban which set off a fight between two Taliban groups.  The sexual assault of the Korean women would be highly damaging to the Taliban’s effort to cultivate an image of being mujahadeen fighting for a Muslim cause in Afghanistan when they are going around kidnapping and raping women.  I’m sure we will find out sooner or later if the report is true or not, but I would not be surprised at all if some of the women were sexually assaulted by these Taliban criminals. 

Amazingly despite the deaths and possible rape of Korean missionaries, the Korea World Missions Association has vowed to continue their missionary work in Afghanistan.  Let’s hope next time they don’t take a bus with no security between Kabul and Kandahar. 

With the Korean hostage crisis concluded, more reports are coming out about the under the table payment given to the Taliban which as I have posted was probably laundered by the Saudis. This negotiating with terrorists I have often seen rationalized by people in Korea by claiming the US did the same thing in the Jill Carroll case in Iraq:

At a demonstration on August 15, a South Korean holiday for Liberation Day, a spokesman for a students’ group denounced the US policy of not negotiating with terrorists. He argued that the US is hypocritical and only last year exchanged prisoners for a kidnapped American journalist. He was referring to Jill Carroll, who was freed from abduction in Iraq after five female Iraqi prisoners were released from US custody.

So why not the same for Koreans? The student spokesman insisted that the US bore responsibility for the kidnapping as a result of its “war on terror” and its occupation of Afghanistan.

Of course this claim is made by people who have no clue about what happened with the Jill Carroll case. Prisoners were not released in exchange for Jill Carroll. Her captors demanded the release of all female prisoners in Iraq which they did not receive. At the time US and Iraqi authorities had nine women in jail and five of them were released after they were found not guilty during their trials and were thus released. During this same time frame even more female prisoners were even taken prisoner:

The US military confirmed last week it was holding nine Iraqi women. On Thursday, however, the military said it had detained two more women and three men for alleged insurgent activities in the northern city of Mosul. Detainees are regularly freed in Iraq following reviews of their cases, a process that can take months. US officials say that Thursday’s release of five women and 414 men was part of the routine procedure and not linked to Carroll’s case. [Christian Science Monitor]

Additionally these prisoners were released two months before Carroll was eventually released. The routine release of these female prisoners was linked to the release of Carroll by the kidnappers because of the propaganda value involved. These women were going to be released anyway but these kidnappers could take credit for their release with the kidnapping of Carroll. Because of this propaganda value the US military actually was at odds with the Iraqi government over the scheduled release of the women but the Iraqi government decided to release them anyway.

It is important to remember that there are three types of kidnappers in Iraq, Al-Qaida jihadis, common criminal gangs, and Sunni political insurgents. If Carroll was kidnapped by Al-Qaida she would have received the Margaret Hassan treatment, criminal gangs would have held her until some kind of payment was made, but fortunately for her she was kidnapped by Sunni insurgents who intended to use her for maximum propaganda value. However, these insurgents kidnapped her when she had just left the office of a prominent Sunni sheik, Adnan al-Dulaimi. The sheik was highly offended by this and for those not familiar with Iraqi culture this is a loss of face for the sheik especially since it was a woman that was kidnapped just 300 meters from his office.

The political pressure from prominent Sunnis as well as the Iraqi media strongly condemning her kidnapping thus shifting public opinion against the kidnappers is what facilitated the release of Jill Carroll. The US never held direct negotiations, released prisoners, or made any payment to the kidnappers. In fact since then the kidnappers of Jill Carroll have been arrested. Does anyone think the Korean government will do anything to arrest those that killed two of their citizens? The handling of the Jill Carroll hostage crisis is far different from what happened with the Korean hostages in Afghanistan despite the anti-US hate groups attempts to equate them.

The remaining Korean hostages have been released and already international reaction to the Korean government’s handling of the crisis has been extremely critical with Canada leading the way:

In a move that could ruffle diplomatic feathers, Canada’s rookie foreign minister took a swipe at South Korea on Thursday for negotiating with the Taliban for the release of a group of hostages.“The Canadian position on dealings with terrorists is well known to all those with even a passing familiarity with the subject,” Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said in a statement.

“We do not negotiate with terrorists, for any reason. Such negotiations, even if unsuccessful, only lead to further acts of terrorism.”

Bernier’s comments, which are unusually harsh for a top diplomat, came just hours before the Taliban released the remaining South Korean hostages. [Canada.com]

Germany as well shared the same sentiment of the Canadians (HT: Nomad):

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I actually posted on this last month about how trademark violations was a strange offense to be convicted of in Korea and now the Stars and Stripes has the details about what happened:

Customs officials at Incheon International Airport said Tuesday they investigated six U.S. servicemembers in early June for trying to bring counterfeit watches and purses into South Korea from China.

The servicemembers — a mix of men and women, officers and enlisted personnel — carried between 30 and 70 items each as they returned from a private trip to China, officials said during a phone interview. [Stars & Stripes]

Sounds like these soldiers had quite a shopping trip.  I understand enforcing trademark laws but does anyone think Korean customs would care if these soldiers bought these counterfeit watches and purses from Itaewon?  Of course not, this is just an example of if you are going to buy counterfeit goods you must buy Korean counterfeit goods, not Chinese.  That is the real crime these soldiers committed.

This seems to happen quite a bit in Korea and I’m glad that at least the Stars and Stripes publishes it:

Jasen was one of a dozen members of the 112th Signal Detachment, Special Operations Command-Korea, who were traveling in two vans en route to parachute training on Aug. 17 when they came upon the wreck. They didn’t see what happened but said they were the first to respond.

“There was glass and debris everywhere,” and smoke was coming from the vehicle, Jasen said.

Jasen, Staff Sgt. Brian Conor, Sgt. Timothy Hasko and Maj. Jeff Foundas began treating the man with a first-aid kit from their van, while Capt. James Austin called for an ambulance. The other soldiers directed traffic.

They said they knew what to do in the situation from their emergency medical, combat-lifesaver and first-responder training.

They could see blood but said they were worried about moving the man because of possible neck or spinal injuries. The man faded in and out of consciousness and began to move on his own, so the soldiers fashioned a neck brace and gently removed him from the vehicle.  They discovered serious head injuries, bones protruding from his chest and a shattered wrist.

Jasen said the soldiers irrigated the wounds and tried to communicate with the unresponsive man, whom they believed to be in his mid- to late-30s.  The soldiers said they really didn’t have the time to think about what they were doing, that instinct and training kicked in. [Stars & Stripes]

I agree with this sentiment:

Conor said it felt good to be able to help somebody in that situation. “It’s better than reading about drunk GIs getting in fights,” he said.

However, it is very unlikely this will be printed in the Korean media and thus no Koreans will ever read about it.  Just wait for the next taxi cab related incident though, that is considered news. 

More over at Nomad.

I can’t say I’m not surprised:

The search for the remains of victims of a U.S. massacre during the 1950-53 Korean War is likely to end Wednesday with no remains found, officials said, adding that the remains may have been damaged by heavy rains or taken away by their bereaved families. [Yonhap] (HT: Reader)

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UPDATE #3: The South Korean government is coming under increasing criticism for their handling of the hostage crisis:

South Korea’s Munhwa Ilbo newspaper wrote that the handling of the crisis left the country with a "weighty burden" because it "shook" the international principle of not negotiating with terror groups and raised the Taliban’s status, helping it act "like a government."

"International skepticism that South Korean diplomacy is distanced from principle could remain a considerable burden," the newspaper said in an editorial. "We are concerned that this may give a wrong perception that South Korea can be pushed." [Chang Jae-soon, AP]

South Korea can be pushed around.  The country has been getting pushed around by the North Koreans for years so is it any surprise that the country can be pushed around by the Taliban?

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UPDATE #2: CNN is reporting that 12 hostages have now been released while the Marmot is reporting that Chung Doo-hwan was willing to trade himself for the hostages if they were not released.  Chung Doo-hwan hanging out with a bunch of Taliban; now that would be a sight to see.  Is it still to late to offer him up?

____________________________________

UPDATE #1: Yonhap is reporting that three hostages Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jeung-ran, 33, and 34-year-old Han Ji-young have been released.

____________________________________

The ransom payment laundered by the Saudis appears to have successfully gone through as the Korean government is reporting that the hostages will be released in the coming days.  Here is what the Korean government gave the Taliban in return:

The two sides agreed to a three-point deal, which included the withdrawal of 210 non-combatant Korean troops from the Central Asian nation by the end of the year, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said.

The other terms of the agreement are a ban on Korean Christian missionaries traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the departure of all Korean non-governmental organizations from Afghanistan, Cheon said.

An Afghan source privy to the negotiations told The Korea Times that in addition the militants had agreed to grant safe passage to the Korean troops during their withdrawal, and had dropped their demand for the release of Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages. [Korea Times]

The Korean government claims they paid no ransom, but anyone who follows Korean politics knows this is more than likely untrue especially considering the fact that they already paid a ransom for the two hostages that have already been released.  The Chosun Ilbo is already reporting that an under the table deal was cut.  This is a huge financial and propaganda win for the Taliban and expect a whole lot more of this funded by South Korean taxpayers dollars:

Also Tuesday, a suicide bomber attacked NATO troops helping build a bridge in eastern Afghanistan, killing three American soldiers, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because not all families had been notified. NATO, in announcing the attack, said six soldiers also were wounded. [AP]

You can read a whole lot more over at One Free Korea, Marmot’s Hole, and Michelle Malkin.