Here are some links from this week worth checking out:

The Metropolitician has a brilliant write up about why Korea has so many problems with Microsoft Windows and other world wide electronic mediums. 

Forget Hooters, Korean McDonald’s now offer breakfast!

When the Korean Navy isn’t busy defending Dokdo from Japanese invasion, they have been looking for one of the first Korean naval heroes Yi Sun-shin’s turtle ships.

Anyone interested in black bean doodoo?

The Angry Chinese Blogger explains the Chinese government’s tactic of playing the victim and blaming the victim. 

Japundit has the latest Japan Talk podcast posted.

If you have ever wondered how to pick up Japanese chicks then this posting may by for you. 

It looks like the Family Mart boycott has had some success.  At least one Korea based blogger has picked up on it as well.

Here is a realicy check letter from a soldier in Iraq. 

Also here is one Army Captain’s view of How to Win in Anbar fro Dummies.

The next time you hear somebody say Iraqis aren’t doing anything for their freedom read this.

Before you read anything in the MSM about the recently leaked National Intelligence Estimate report you need to read this.

The anti-war people who go around priding themselves on supporting the troops and not the war, have hated the US military even before 9/11 even happened.  As I mentioned before, hating the troops is nothing new as I personally witnessed these mass anti-military protests happen before 9/11 even occurred.  The only difference now is that they are getting increased media attention due to the Iraq War.  However, what the media won’t show is what these people actually stand for.  Well courtesy of Semper Gratus here is a video of wounded US military veterans conducting a counter protest last week against the anti-military types holding a rally at the US Capitol.  As you watch remember these words from the Washington Post journalist and NBC News military analyst William Arkin:

Through every Abu Ghraib and Haditha, through every rape and murder, the American public has indulged those in uniform, accepting that the incidents were the product of bad apples or even of some administration or command order.

Sure, it is the junior enlisted men who go to jail. But even at anti-war protests, the focus is firmly on the White House and the policy. We don’t see very many "baby killer" epithets being thrown around these days, no one in uniform is being spit upon.

Now watch the video and see these "peace loving" and "non-violent" anti-military types in action.  How much courage does it take to challenge a wounded veteran in a wheel chair to fight?  Well, that is the type of courage on display by the people who support the troops and not the war.   I’m sure NBC and the rest of the MSM will continue to have no interest in showing the American people who these anti-military people really are.

Just for the record some of my commenters have brought up that they think that members of the US military should not be allowed to vote or protest and remain a-political.  I tend to disagree because I think people who serve their country deserve the right to vote even more so than people who don’t because the US military is often the ones that have to implement US policy, so why shouldn’t they have a say in who is the one that creates that said policy?  Then again the Democrats have done everything they can to stop military ballots from being counted in tight races anyway, so maybe we should not vote?

As far as protesting, if soldiers didn’t speak out against the anti-military left who will?  Soldiers I talk to are becoming increasingly frustrated how one side the media coverage is and how these anti-military loons continue to get to shape the Iraq debate.  Look at this blog for example, should I stop blogging and providing a soldier’s perspective of Korea related issues simply to remain a-political and let the "citizen journalists" of media sites like Oh My News shape the views of how people view US soldiers in Korea?  I like to think that I have at least influenced some people that not all USFK soldiers are the drunken barbarians out looking to rape naive, innocent Korean women like the Korean media wants people to believe.  As long as soldiers don’t campaign for political candidates or issues in uniform, I don’t see why they should not be allowed to speak out about issues regarding the US military as a private citizen.  I am a professional and even if a political leader does things contrary to what I think is right, I will drive on.  I worked just as hard for President Clinton as I do now for President Bush and if Hillary gets elected I will work just as hard for her.  It is just like following orders from commanders in the military; not all the commanders I have had were all great, but even for the poor commanders you still follow their orders.  If you are in the military and can’t put your personal views about a superior a side you need to find a different line of work. 

If you haven’t done so already make sure you check out the Metropolitician’s Seoul Glow video podcast.  It is really impressive and worth checking out.  He will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday.  Check it out.

Who can name what and where this picture below is:

Here are this year current Korea Finder Leader’s Board:

Mark-2

Peekstr – 1

Note that who ever totals the most points at the end of the year, I will purchase for them a Korea related book or DVD of their choice using the proceeds I have accumulated by people purchasing books from Amazon.com on my website.

The Assignment Incentive Program (AIP) more commonly known as the Avoid Iraq Program is finally getting a much needed change:

Army officials are considering changes to an incentive program that rewards soldiers who extend their tours in South Korea, the senior enlisted soldier said Wednesday during a monthly American Forces Network radio call-in program.

While “nothing is in print” yet, U.S. Forces Korea Command Sgt. Maj. Barry Wheeler said he suspects modifications to the Assignment Incentive Pay program are on the way. The program pays soldiers $300 extra per month if they extend for a year and $400 extra a month if they extend for two years.

One thought is that soldiers who haven’t deployed could be prevented from taking the 24-month extension option, Wheeler said.

“If you haven’t been on a deployment, it could be that you’re limited to (one additional) 12-month tour” in South Korea, he said. He said he couldn’t provide full details Wednesday because guessing a “final outcome would be pure speculation.”

This clause should have been implemented from the start of the program, but credit CSM Wheeler for finally implementing this much needed fix.  Also CSM Wheeler had this to say about taxi cab related incidents:

A South Korean law targeted to those who attack public transportation drivers: “There is no excuse for assaulting someone providing service to you,” Wheeler said. “It’s not OK … that’s the bottom line.” He said South Korea has stiffened the penalties for those found guilty of assaulting these workers. Offenders face a minimum three-year jail sentence or $20,000 fine.

Several U.S. troops have found themselves in the South Korean court system for attacking taxi drivers in recent months. “It’s unmilitary and it’s undisciplined,” Wheeler said. But those who break the rules will find the punishments are “very, very severe. They’re playing hardball with you,” Wheeler warned.

Wheeler is absolutely correct, taxi cab related incidents now have harsher punishments due to new laws passed by the Korean government I first reported about here.  However, I’m still waiting for a law to pass that implements harsher penalties for taxi cab drivers who overcharge GIs with outrageous cab fares.  I guess I shouldn’t hold my breath to long waiting for that to happen.

Here is another sign that USFK Commander General Bell has been doing his job exceedingly well, he has officially pissed off the Korean Foreign Ministry:

South Korea expressed concern over "undiplomatic" remarks made by the top U.S. military officer here regarding possible delays in the relocation of U.S. military bases, a Foreign Ministry official said yesterday.

Earlier this month, Gen. Burwell Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said he would "fight" any further delay of the planned base movement.

"The comment (made by Gen. Bell) could produce unnecessary misunderstandings, so we delivered an indirect message asking him to be cautious about making comments," the ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

The ministry expressed its concern regarding the matter to U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Stephens while she was visiting Seoul last weekend, the official said. But it was not an official warning per se, he added.

You can read General Bell’s prior comments here. 

Why do I say General Bell is doing his job well you may ask?  It is because he is pissing off the Korean government which is a sure sign that he is not about maintaining the status quo, business as usual USFK relationship in Korea and the Foreign Ministry knows it.  Remember the Korean government is all about maintaining the status quo for reasons I have listed before here.  Apparently the Foreign Ministry doesn’t have the courage to tell General Bell what they think about him themselves, so in order to under cut him, the ministry has decided to complain to the State Department representative visiting Seoul about him.  I hope the State Department won’t entertain this crap from the Korean Foreign Ministry, but the State Department has a track record for entertaining characters that they shouldn’t.  Need I bring up Madeline Albright toasting Kim Jong-il for one obvious example?

If the Foreign Ministry wants to talk about being "undiplomatic" let’s discuss it.  First of all, isn’t unilaterally declaring that the Camp Humphreys relocation is going to be delayed by 5 years from the agreed upon date between the US and Korean governments and then the USFK commander first finding out about this by reading the newspaper just a bit undiplomatic?  Isn’t unilaterally cutting agreed upon money for the upkeep of the US-ROK alliance only weeks after making the agreement undiplomatic?  Isn’t giving over a billion dollars this year to North Korea while denying USFK the agreed upon money for the upkeep of the US-ROK alliance, which is no where near as much money as the Korean government is sending to North Korea, undiplomatic?  Isn’t the fact that US pilots had to fly to Thailand to conduct pilot training because the Korean government closed USFK’s only bombing range in Korea due to anti-US protesters and then denied the US Air Force co-use of a Korean Air Force bombing range undiplomatic?  Isn’t the fact that the commanding general of the US Air Force in Korea had to threaten to pull the Air Force from Korea just to get co-use of a Korean Air Force bombing range that the Korean government continued to deny him undiplomatic? 

You want more undiplomatic?  How about this classic post from One Free Korea listing the undiplomatic comments that leading figures in the Korean government have made towards the US:

*  Kim Won Ung, the unmedicated nutcase who holds a senior foreign policy post in the National Assembly, and who threatened to throw our Ambassador out of Korea, railed at Bell for suggesting that North Korean missiles could be viewed as a threat to the South, and even asserted territorial claims on Manchuria;

*  Kim Dae Jung, who blamed America for North Korean nuke tests and urged other poliiticians to adopt the same fraudulent spin; 

*  Current Foreign Minister Song Min Soon:  ”[The United States] has fought more wars than any other nation in the history of its establishment and survival ….”;

*  “Comrade” Chung Dong-Young, who as UnFiction Minister, published this rambling, illogical, error-riddled screed accusing the U.S. of responsibility for Japan’s occupation of Korea, over a peace treaty it helped broker in 1904, and which won Teddy Roosevelt one of the first Nobel Peace Prizes;

*  Chang Yong-Dal, the Uri representative and standing committee member who praised the 9/11/05 thugs who tried to tear down a statue of General MacArthur for their “deep ethnic purity” (the lead thug is now under arrest as a North Korean agent);

*  Jung Chung-Rae, the pervy Uri rep who compared the USFK to unclean sperm;

*  Presidential Candidate and Uri Leader Kim Geun Tae, who dances for the amusement of the North Koreans the week after they test a nuke; but declares an insult to national pride when the U.S. declares that it will actually implement UN Security Council Resolution 1718;

*  Ex-Unification Minister Lee Jong-Seok: “The Bush administration of the U.S. is fundamentalist in nature, and it has been raising questions about drugs and human rights abuses since it took office.”

Read the rest of OFK’s post for more great commentary about the demagoguery by the South Korean government towards the US government.

If anything the only one being diplomatic in Korea is General Bell. 

The drive by diplomats from the US State Department don’t have to put up with the daily demagoguery and anti-US maneuvering by the Korean government that General Bell has had to deal with.  General Bell was able to create momentum for the USFK transformation in the past because he had strong backing from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in Washington.  Once Rumsfeld was replaced last December the Korean government immediately took this as an opportunity to back out of all USFK transformation and alliance cost sharing agreements. 

So far the only one speaking out on the South Korean governmental betrayal of the US troops sent to Korea to help protect  the country is General Bell.  The Pentagon is so blinded by Iraq that it appears they don’t want to even be bothered with USFK related issues.  The drive by diplomats from the State Department have been of even less help.  American politicians have been just as worthless.  Once Congressman Henry Hyde retired from office, the lone voice in Congress that understood what was going in Korea was gone.  Why isn’t Hillary, Pelosi, Murtha, and the rest of the crew not visiting the 30,000 soldiers helping keep the peace in Korea?  Could it be because they care more about being seen by the media in the Green Zone then having any real concern about the welfare of US soldiers, especially ones being betrayed by the US’s so called blood allies?  The media is no where to be seen in Korea unless Kim Jong-il is launching a missile or testing a nuclear bomb.  The inattention to the plight of the USFK commander by the US military brass, political leaders, and media is disgraceful.  It appears General Bell truly is a lone voice and the Korean government knows it. 

You can read more of course at the Marmot’s Hole.

Ampontan suggests that maybe there is a rise of silent majority between Japan and Korea that get along:

It might be well to keep that in mind the next time you read or hear a superficial comment in the media taking it as given that the citizens of both countries get along like cats and dogs (or dogs and monkeys, as they say in Japan). Indeed, I suspect this is just another facile storyline pushed by the media to maintain interest in their own product, or sloppy work by third-country media sources too lazy to look for the real story. The media have lost their credibility in every other area, so there’s no reason to think they have any here, either.

In fact, what we may be seeing is the emergence of a new Silent Majority—the people of South Korea and Japan who actually get on well with each other!

I tend to think that there isn’t a rise of a silent majority in Korea that gets along with Japan because the majority that gets along with Japan has always been there.  The vast majority of Koreans aren’t flag eaters, bee stompers, finger choppers, or a host of other acts that ultra-Korean nationalists have done in the past to show their anti-Japanese feelings.  Japanese tourists can be seen all over Korea and nobody bothers them likewise with Korean tourists that visit Japan where no one bothers them either.  However, just because Koreans get along with the Japanese doesn’t mean they like them.  The vast majority of Koreans I have met don’t like the Japanese, but have no problems with visiting Japan or even working there for that matter.  Most Korean let there kids watch Japanese animation and on the streets of Seoul you can even see more Japanese cars than in the past.  Despite media claims that would lead you to believe that Koreans hate the Japanese; Koreans don’t hate the Japanese, but they don’t like them either. 

The South Korean government is trying to smooth things over with General Bell by saying they will only delay the Camp Humphreys relocation until 2012 now:

South Korea is studying ways to expedite the relocation of U.S. bases, which is expected to be delayed about five years from the original target year of 2008, officials at the Defense Ministry said Monday.

Some have interpreted the move as an effort by Seoul to soothe the United States, which has protested the delay.

“We are reviewing ways to advance the timetable for the relocation at least one year from the expected year of 2013 under the direction of Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo,’’ an informed ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

The ministry will soon finalize the study on the relocation timetable and propose it to the United States, the source said.

You may remember USFK Commander, General Bell’s "fighting words" to the Korean government last month over the announced delay.  After General Bell’s statement the Korean government came back with this lame response.  This latest announcement it along with the cutting of funds by the Korean government for the relocation while sending over a billion dollars to North Korea this year, is a clear sign that South Korea is committed to dragging this out as long as possible and then hope a change in the US administration in 2008 will bring in a change of policy in regards to the transformation.  As much as some sectors of Korean society complain about the US troop presence in South Korea, it is their own government making sure that the status quo remains the same.  Its all about keeping the USFK gravy train rolling.

With the Koreans committed to delay tactics, I think General Bell should explore the possibility of setting a goal to either have the personnel from Yongsan Garrison or the 2nd Infantry Division move to Camp Humphreys by 2009.  This would be at least be a start to breaking the status quo in USFK.  At least move something by 2009.  If General Bell wants to see an expanded Camp Humphreys built in record time announce that only Yongsan Garrison will relocate to Camp Humphreys and that the 2nd Infantry Division will redeploy back to CONUS by 2009.  That will cause a reaction in South Korea that is sure to show that the government here that the US military is committed to transforming the force on the peninsula.

UPDATE: The commenter claiming to be PFC Dupry looks like a fraud but the lessons learned from it are still valid.

______________________________________________

The USFK soldier who was beat down by Itaewon police for reasons still unclear has spoken out about what happened at the Marmot’s Hole.  The soldier PFC Mario Dupry also made another posting at Lost Nomad proclaiming his innocence.  After reading what he has to say and the media reports I think it is very clear he was unfairly beat down by the Itaewon police, however am I surprised?  Not at all.  Were the policemen in the wrong by beating him as severely as they did?  Yes and I would be very surprised if anything happens to them.  Like it or not the Korean police are the legal authority and they will cover for each other, especially against accusations from a drunk GI.

This should serve as a lesson to all USFK personnel, especially if you have been drinking, to don’t go start sh** in a Korean police station.  You will only make the situation worse.  Go get an MP to go with you to the police station or if for some reason you can’t find one call your platoon sergeant or somebody in your unit’s leadership.  You should contact your unit leadership even if you find an MP because the MP doesn’t carry as much weight with the Korean police compared to somebody in the unit leadership going down to the police station to handle whatever happened.  One drunk PFC is not going to help the situation at all at the police station, it will only make things worse. 

I have been able to on a few occasions to get soldiers out of hot water with the Korean authorities for minor offenses by going to the police station as a member of the unit leadership and apologizing for the soldiers behavior and promising that the unit would punish the individual.  I stress the word minor offenses because if you do something major like stab somebody or better yet start a brawl in the police station forget it the Korean police are going to prosecute you.  Usually for minor offenses the police will hand you over for the unit to process an Article 15 punishment on. 

Since PFC Dupry didn’t do any of the above he is in deep, but escapable trouble.  My best advice to him would be instead of bitching at the Marmot’s Hole about his predicament, to instead go to the police station with his lawyer and unit leadership and make a sincere apology to the police officers involved even though they Rodney King-ed him.  If he does this he will probably escape with a small fine.  If he thinks he can fight for his innocence in the courts because he was Rodney King-ed he will receive a much stiffer penalty.   It didn’t work in LA, it sure the hell won’t work in Itaewon. I don’t know of one soldier that has ever been found not guilty in a Korean court.  The soldier will be found guilty of something, it is in his interest to minimize the damage.  You have to swallow your pride.

This leads me to another point, the soldier says he joined the Army to help his wife and family.  When people get into hot water they always tell me to take their family into consideration before punishment and my response is always why didn’t you take your family into consideration before you got yourself into trouble?  Why is someone that is married with a family hanging out drunk in the the ville to beginn with?  Nothing good happens at late hours in the ville, especially when you are drunk.  Stay in the barracks and play Playstation like many other married soldiers I knew would do or go to on post club if you are looking to drink a few beers.

PFC Dupry also says he is facing a Chapter 14 discharge due to this incident.  Here is a good link for all you soldiers out there of AR 635-200 Active Duty & Enlisted Administrative Separations.  This is what a Chapter 14 is defined as:

This chapter establishes policy and prescribes procedures for separating personnel for misconduct because of minor disciplinary infractions, a pattern of misconduct, commission of a serious offense, conviction by civil authorities, desertion, and absence without leave.

If this soldier is being chaptered for a pattern of misconduct that means he has a documented history of bad behavior.  If this is the case it takes a lot of documentation to support a pattern of misconduct which means this guy is somebody the Army really doesn’t want around.   However, it is possible in this case that he could be chaptered for conviction by civil authorities, however his unit leadership cannot chapter him until he is convicted.  It seems premature to start a chapter on someone when they haven’t been convicted of anything yet.  Also keep in mind the unit leadership is not obligated to chapter him if convicted anyway.  For example if the soldier is just fined for the incident in the police station; I don’t see any reason why the unit leadership would chapter him if he is a quality soldier.  That is why I tend to think this soldier may have more discipline issues than he cares to let on if the unit is pushing to chapter him out of the military. 

Stories like this just go to show that not all things are bad between Korea and Japan:

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko appeared to be emotionally affected at the screening on Friday of a new film about a South Korean student who was killed by an oncoming train in 2001 as he tried to rescue a drunken stranger at a Tokyo station.At a preview in Tokyo on the sixth anniversary of the death of 26-year-old Lee Su Hyon, the imperial couple both seemed to be moved as the film reached its finale where the main character is killed.

Lee’s parents also attended the screening.

“Anata wo Wasurenai” (We Will Not Forget You), the latest Japan-South Korean film collaboration which will premier across Japan on Saturday, depicts a young South Korean man and his love for a Japanese girl in Tokyo and is interlaced with the complex feelings South Koreans have about Japan, their former colonial occupier.

Empress Michiko has a personal involvement in the real story. In November 2001, she happened to meet with Lee’s parents at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while they were on a tour.