Take a look at this picture of a Lee Byung-hun concert in Japan:
Do you notice anything strange about it? If you haven’t noticed anything strange yet, then click here to find out what is missing in this picture.
Anywhere from 18-23 Korean missionaries and NGO workers were kidnapped by Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan during a bus ride from Kandahar to Kabul. The Taliban is demanding that Korea withdraw their troops from Afghanistan for the safe return of the abducted people. The Marmot has an excellent post following the developments of this story as they happen.
UPDATE: TNR stands by its story, and Michelle Malkin is reporting on this too and has possibly identified who is the fraud.
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Yet another leftist plant in the military has been discovered. Read here about the newest war hero being lionized by the American left, "Scott Thomas". I have posted before about leftist plants being used to politicize the military and at this rate soon an entire platoon of them can be formed with 1LT Watada as the platoon leader. Just another example of libelous journalism that the media in America continues to get away with.
Two year ago the South Korean government tried to puchase the Global Hawks and was denied. I guess if you fail once try, try again:
South Korea said Wednesday it is still seeking to buy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the United States despite Washington’s previous refusal to sell it the high-altitude spy plane. The defence ministry plans to acquire four Global Hawk UAVs by 2012, a spokesman told AFP. The 45-million-dollar craft can cruise at an altitude of 19,500 metres (more than 64,000 feet) for up to 42 hours and identify 30-centimetre (12-inch) objects on the ground.
South Korea is seeking the planes partly so it can keep a better watch over North Korea, as it takes over greater responsibility for its defence from its ally the United States.
But its request for the Global Hawks was rejected in 2005. The US says that the Missile Technology Control Regime, which covers the unmanned plane, should be revised first.
So why was the Global Hawks denied to South Korea two years ago you may ask? Unsurprisingly, this is why:
The U.S. is thought to have rejected the request for fear that the core technology might be leaked. Some are known to be worried that confidential information collected on North Korea using the Global Hawk might be leaked to the North.
It is pretty much no secret in the military community that anything given or sold to South Korea ends up being leaked to the North and nothing in the last two years has changed this fact. If anything trust between the US and Korea has decreased even more.
Look at who the US did sell the Global Hawk too:
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said, While continuously requesting the U.S to sell us the Global Hawk, we are also developing a domestic mid-altitude UAV system. However, the mid-altitude UAV system development will be possibly completed around 2015. On the other hand, Japan received consent to buy the Global Hawk last June, and it has already secured budgets and commenced preparations to introduce the Global Hawk into its system.
This is probably the main reason why South Korea wants the Global Hawk, simply because Japan has them.
You have to click here to see what I’m talking about. Funny.
Seoul is a city that is literally surrounded by mountains that provide many great outdoor opportunities for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern, urbanized Korea. The most popular destination for Seoulites looking to get away from the city and reconnect with nature for a little while is a day trip to Bukhansan (Pukhansan) National Park that towers over the northwestern landscape of Seoul. So many people visit this park that it is actually the most popular national park in all of Korea. On some days its popularity with the locals leaves you wondering if you have actually left the city or not when you are surrounded with visor wearing ajummas and ajushis dressed as if they are about to undertake a Himalayan expedition.
Watch out English teachers because you may soon lose your monopoly on the girls at Hongdae if USFK Command Sergeant Major Barry Wheeler has his way:
U.S. Forces Korea’s top enlisted soldier said Wednesday that he will ask the command about allowing members of the U.S. military community to visit Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood again.
Command Sgt. Maj. Barry Wheeler made the comments on an American Forces Network broadcast Wednesday morning after an anonymous soldier called the station expressing frustration that the popular party area remains off-limits at night to U.S. troops.
USFK commander Gen. B.B. Bell banned his personnel from entering the neighborhood between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for “force protection” concerns in February after a U.S. soldier brutally raped a 67-year-old woman in the neighborhood on Jan. 14.
Pvt. Geronimo Ramirez later was sentenced to four years in prison by a South Korean court.
“I’m going to ask them to reconsider (the ban), because maybe enough time has gone by,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler cautioned that command may keep Hongdae off-limits anyway.
Which is probably what the command probably will do. CSM Wheeler was probably just being diplomatic when faced with a tough question. The biggest problem with Hongdae is that alcohol, GIs, Korean college students, xenophobia, and a hostile media do not mix well. The Great Shinchon Massacre is the greatest example of this.
Mark provides more details on the case of GIs behaving badly in Uijongbu. So what are the odds they get a fair trial? About as good as PFC Acosta and PFC Bohman.
You have got to love the charade called the six party talks. The latest charade comes today where news has come out about how peace is just waiting to break out all over the Korean peninsula with the announcement of North Korea’s intention to completely denuclearize:
North Korea is willing to declare and disable all its nuclear programs in the next five or six months, the South Korean chief nuclear negotiator said Wednesday. […]
“Talks on a peace framework for the Korean Peninsula are vital, he added.
Lee hinted that President Roh Moo-hyun could bring up the issue at the inauguration ceremony of the 13th Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification on Thursday. “I expect that President Roh Moo-hyun will make positive remarks on inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the minister said. Asked if the peace framework proposal could come before Aug. 15 Liberation Day, Lee said, “It’s hard to specify the timing. But it’s necessary to discuss at least part of the idea, if not all of it. Officials from Cheong Wa Dae, the Foreign Ministry, the Unification Ministry, and the Defense Ministry are preparing to launch an organization to study and discuss a peace framework.” On Tuesday, he said, “We have to find a way to declare an end to the Korean War.
There is only one problem with this momentous announcement today, no one has bothered to ask North Korea what they plan to denuclearize:
South Korean officials admitted that Pyongyang has not been asked directly to confirm that it also needs to declare its nuclear weapons. North Korea has never acknowledged that nuclear weapons are included in the declaration phase, but the other parties are pounding on that idea, a diplomatic source said yesterday. By not making this point clear, it ensures that the talks will continue. The real substance has not been addressed, only a timeline.
Asked if the North understood that nuclear weapons are included, Christopher Hill, Washington’s chief negotiator, said, We are going to have to keep talking about that. Hill said the issue was very technical and would require extensive clarification. Mentioning explosive devices, bombs in which the fissile material is located, Hill said, that clearly has to be in the declaration.
Earlier, he said, There are two main tasks on the North Korean side, one is to come up with the comprehensive declaration of all nuclear programs and that backs into the issue of the UEP [uranium enrichment program] question so its a very important task. And the second task is the disablement of all nuclear programs.
This is the greatest example so far of what a charade the six party talks process is. How do you declare to the world that North Korea plans to denuclearize if you don’t even bother asking them if they are going to dismantle the nuclear weapons they currently have as well as their uranium enrichment program? This is because this is all a charade to keep the “myth of progress” alive.
Pyongyang may give up their uranium enrichment program for the right price, but it has no intention of giving up their nuclear weapons they currently possess for reasons I have mentioned before and everyone knows it. North Korea wants time to keep perfecting their nuclear and tactical ballistic missile programs while the ruling South Korean government wants to keep their failed Sunshine Policy going in hopes of scoring a second inter-Korean Summit before this year’s presidential elections. On the Chinese side, they just want things on the Korean peninsula to remain quiet until after next year’s Olympic Games and the Russians probably just want to maintain the status quo in order to keep US foreign policy and troops tied down in Korea. The American side just wants North Korea to behave and keep quiet so the Bush Administration can claim credit for a foreign policy victory before the eventual showdown with Iran over their nuclear program.
These realities make pretending “progress” is happening to be in everybody’s interest, well everybody except the Japanese. The Japanese want the North Koreans to account for all the Japanese citizens that have abducted over the years from Japan. North Korea has refused to come clean and the Japanese have been marginalized in these talks by all sides. Thus the Japanee taken measures of their own to punish North Korea.
To keep the “myth of progress” alive expect more and more talks while the North Koreans continue to perfect their nuclear and missile programs. Additionally, expect North Korea to try and use the other nations involved in the talks to pressue Japan to remove their tough penalties against North Korea in order to keep the myth alive. By keeping the myth alive, all sides, except Japan, will get what they wanted out of the negotiations, but the next time North Korea acts up, and mark my words there will be a next time, the payoff for appeasement will be much higher.
The Red Devils are on to the Asia Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Indonesia. Indonesia was the co-hosts of the tournament with Thailand and thus had a wild home crowd of 90,000 people cheering them on. The crowd was maybe to wild:
With so much at stake it was always going to be a ferocious contest. The 90,000 fans inside the cavernous stadium in the Indonesian capital let their feeling show too, tearing down a banner reading "Korea Indonesia Friendship".
Despite the hostile environment the Red Devils escaped with a win and moved on in the tournament. Korean coach Pim Verbeek is probably breathing a sigh of relief after the win after he had to tell outspoken player Lee Dong-guk to shut up after Lee criticized Verbeek’s coaching after the 2-1 loss to Bahrain. Verbeek also was hit with more criticism from former national coach Park Hang-seo as well as speculation he was going to lose his job.
Being the Korean soccer coach is almost an impossible job because everyone in Korea expects the team be like the 2002 team in every tournament and the head coach to be like former coach Guus Hiddink.
