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Picture of the Day: Statue Cleaning in Seoul

Spring cleaning
Spring cleaning
A worker sprays water on an Olympic installation in southeastern Seoul on March 13, 2024, to remove dirt as part of springtime cleaning. (Yonhap)

ROK Defense Minister Calls for Quick Elimination of North Korean Leadership If Conflict was to Occur

Considering all the bunkers and tunnels in North Korea trying to quickly eliminate Kim Jong-un and his inner circle would likely be extremely difficult:

This photo, provided by the defense ministry on March 7, 2024, shows Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (2nd from R) making an on-site inspection of a command bunker in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This photo, provided by the defense ministry on March 7, 2024, shows Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (2nd from R) making an on-site inspection of a command bunker in Seoul.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik called on special operations troops Wednesday to equip themselves with capabilities to “swiftly eliminate” the North Korean leadership if it starts a war against the South.

Shin made the call at the Army Special Warfare Command in Icheon, 56 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as South Korea has been conducting the Freedom Shield joint military exercise with the United States since last week to boost deterrence against the North’s threats.

“If Kim Jong-un starts a war, as a key unit of Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), you must become the world’s strongest special operations unit to swiftly eliminate the enemy leadership,” Shin said, according to his office.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Korean Medical Professors Threaten to Walkout If Government Continues Plan to Increase Number of Medical School Students

This demonstrates how incredibly selfish Korean doctors are to protect their fiefdoms. These medical professors are willing to go on strike to pressure the government to not increase medical school students which is being done to try and address the nation’s doctor shortage:

Professors from medical schools nationwide have begun to contemplate whether to submit resignations in collective action pressuring the government to seek a breakthrough in the protracted walkout by trainee doctors, a medical professors’ group said Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, medical professors from 19 universities met online, decided to form a joint emergency response committee and resolved to decide at their respective schools by Friday whether to collectively submit resignations. 

The 19 schools include Seoul National University, Yonsei University, University of Ulsan, the Catholic University of Korea and Pusan National University.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Picture of the Day: North Korean Artillery Firing Drill

N.K. leader guides artillery firing drill
N.K. leader guides artillery firing drill
This photo, provided by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, shows a firing drill by the North Korean Army’s front-line combined artillery units “who have put the enemy’s capital in their striking range” on March 7, 2024, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided. (Yonhap)

1,000 Pound Korean War Era Bomb Found at Construction Site

Fortunately no one was injured or worse when they discovered this huge bomb:

An unexploded 1,000-pound bomb leftover from the Korean War was partially dismantled and removed from a construction site last week south of Seoul, a South Korean air force spokesman said.

The AN-M65 general-purpose bomb from the 1950-53 conflict was discovered Thursday by workers at a construction site in Cheongju city, roughly 60 miles south of the capital, a South Korean air force spokesman said by phone Monday. The spokesman declined to say precisely where the bomb was discovered. South Korean officials regularly speak to the media on a customary condition of anonymity.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Governor Sanders of Arkansas Meets with President Yoon

I wonder if Governor Sanders is visiting South Korea in an effort to get Korean car manufacturers to locate in Arkansas?:

President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the governor of Arkansas, the United States, on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

The meeting with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary during the Donald Trump administration, took place at the presidential office. Sanders is visiting Seoul as part of a two-nation trade mission to South Korea and Japan. 

“Just like the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance that is evolving into a comprehensive global partnership, I hope cooperation between South Korea and Arkansas could deepen in many ways,” Yoon said during the meeting. 

Yoon also pointed to the special tie that South Korea has with Arkansas, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur whose leadership in the Korean War battle of Incheon resulted in a decisive victory.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Tweet of the Day: North Korean Underwater Drone Design Stolen from the U.S.?

Picture of the Day: Rescue Drill

SSU drill as part of Freedom Shield exercise
SSU drill as part of Freedom Shield exercise
Life savers from the 6th ship salvage unit of the Navy’s First Fleet conduct a drill in the East Sea on March 11, 2024, as part of the ongoing Freedom Shield 2024 exercise, an 11-day annual South Korea-U.S. joint drill against North Korean provocations, in this photo provided by the First Fleet. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Capsized Fishing Boat

Capsized fishing boat
Capsized fishing boa
tRescue authorities search a 20-ton fishing vessel capsized in waters off the southern coastal city of Tongyeong on March 9, 2024, in this photo provided by the Coast Guard. The incident left four dead and five others missing. (Yonhap)

Korean Government Sends Notice of License Suspension to 5,000 Doctor Trainees

The strike by trainee doctors on the behest of Korean doctors trying to protect the scarcity of doctors in the ROK has now led to the suspension of thousands of medical licenses. To really end this strike the government needs to find a way to protect the trainee doctors from retaliation from their doctor supervisors if they return to their hospitals:

The health ministry said Monday it had sent prior notices of license suspension to some 5,000 trainee doctors who have defied an order to return to work, in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students. 

Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang told reporters that it completed sending the notices to 4,944 junior doctors last week. When receiving the notices, the doctors will be required to submit their opinions on punitive measures by March 25. 

With the government vowing to take legal action against junior doctors making threats to their colleagues, or impeding their return to hospitals, the ministry opened a hotline to protect physicians wishing to return, Jun said. 

“The government will spare no efforts to help trainee doctors wishing to return to hospitals,” Jun said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.