The NLL in the Yellow Sea has always been a flashpoint that could lead to a wider conflict. The ROK defense minister is clearly letting the North Korean regime know that any provocation they launch could lead to a wider conflict:
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visits a memorial for 46 sailors killed in the 2010 sinking of the ROKS Cheonan corvette on the 14th anniversary of the incident at Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on March 26, 2024, in this photo provided by his office.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Tuesday called for defending the western sea border against enemy threats on the anniversary of the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship by a North Korean torpedo attack.
The ROKS Cheonan corvette sank near the western Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de facto inter-Korean sea border, in March 2010, after a North Korean midget submarine fired a torpedo at it, killing 46 sailors.
“North Korea is claiming the NLL is a ghost line without legal grounds and is continuously trying to nullify it,” Shin said in his phone talks with the commanding officer of a new frigate named after the torpedoed warship.
“Protect the Yellow Sea and the NLL that the comrades before you have defended by giving up their lives.”
In turn, Cdr. Park Yeon-soo, the commanding officer, vowed to avenge the sailors of the Cheonan if the enemy undertakes a provocation. Park served on the previous warship and is a survivor of the 2010 attack.
Shin’s call came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month rejected the NLL as a “ghost” line and called for using force against South Korean vessels violating its waters.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link, but it will be interesting to see if the Kim regime tries to see whether or not the ROK government is bluffing on their hardline rhetoric. Kim Jong-un got away with sinking the Cheonan back in 2010 and may think he could get away with such a provocation today as well.
I am wondering if the Japanese effort to start talks with North Korea was nothing more than political theater? The Japanese spokesman had to have known that his statements about discussing the abduction issue would lead to North Korea ending any possibility of bilateral talks which is what Kim Yo-jong did:
North Korea will refuse “any contact and negotiations” with Japan in the future, the powerful sister of the nuclear-armed country’s leader said Tuesday, just a day after she said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had requested a summit with her brother, Kim Jong Un.
In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong pointed to the comments by the Japanese government’s top spokesman on Monday that Tokyo would never accept Pyongyang’s claim that the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s had already been resolved.
“Japan has no courage to change history, promote regional peace and stability and take the first step for the fresh DPRK-Japan relations,” she said, adding that a summit meeting between the two countries’ leaders was therefore “not a matter of concern” to Pyongyang.
“The DPRK government has clearly understood once again the attitude of Japan and, accordingly, the DPRK side will pay no attention to and reject any contact and negotiations with the Japanese side,” KCNA quoted her as saying, using the acronym for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Japan Times
You can read more at the link.
Congratulations to the Camp Humphreys commissary for being named the best overseas commissary by DECA:
The grocery store on the largest U.S. military installation overseas has been named the best overseas large commissary of the year by the Defense Commissary Agency. The Camp Humphreys commissary learned of the title March 1, according to an email Wednesday from DeCA spokeswoman Tressa Smith.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
It is not often you have porn actresses contributing to an event next door to an elementary school, but that is what is happening in Suwon. However, if the kids cannot see what is going on inside the building during the event, is this really a big deal?:
Members of Suwon Women’s Network, comprised of seven women’s groups, hold a press conference in front of Suwon Station Cultural Plaza, March 12, urging the cancellation of the adult festival “2024 K-XF The Fashion.”
A controversial adult-themed event scheduled to be held in Suwon next month is drawing strong opposition, especially due to its proximity to an elementary school that is just 50 meters away.
The upcoming “2024 K-XF The Fashion ” is scheduled to be held April 20-21 at Suwon Messe in Gwonseon District of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and is expected to attract around 10,000 visitors, according to organizers.
The event will feature guest appearances from popular Japanese adult film actresses, lingerie fashion shows, and more, marking a significant increase from its predecessor in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, last December.
Organizers defend the event’s legality and the importance of open discussions on sex in society. After reviewing relevant laws, Suwon City officials found no legal basis to prohibit the event but have requested ID checks to prevent minors from entering and informed local schools.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link.
In response to North Korea’s recent provocations the ROK military is showcasing its homegrown missile defense system for the first time to the public:
It marked the first time the Air Force has unveiled the battalion’s drill involving the Cheongung-II to the press, although its specific name and location remains undisclosed to the public.
Integral to South Korea’s multilayered missile defense system, the Cheongung-II operates at a mid-tier altitude, complementing the U.S. missile shield. Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles defend against low-tier threats at altitudes of 20 km, and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) intercepts upper-tier threats at altitudes of 40-150 km.
The unit is located within an hour’s drive from Seongju County, which is located about 160 km southeast of Seoul and is home to the THAAD system deployed in 2017.
While the Cheongung-II is designed to counter ballistic missile threats and hostile aircraft, its capability of targeting cruise missiles has drawn new attention amid Pyongyang’s recent spate of cruise missile tests.
“The Cheongung-II represents an advanced homegrown technology in countering both aircraft and ballistic missiles. Our training ensures that our forces are prepared to respond immediately, strongly and until the end,” Park said.
The upgraded M-SAM Block-II comprises four mobile launchers, each loaded with eight missiles, enabling simultaneous engagement of up to 32 interceptors.
A multifunction radar is positioned atop a hill for uninterrupted 360-degree airspace surveillance, remotely sending signals to an engagement control center.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Last year the cherry blossoms festivals were moved up due to warmer winter weather and various cities kept them scheduled for the same time this year. However, this year the weather was colder this spring and thus the trees are blossoming at its normal time:
Cherry blossoms are budding in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. The annual spring flower festival kicked off, Saturday, with less than 10 percent of flowering rate due to climate change.
Local governments, renowned for hosting iconic flower festivals every spring, find themselves grappling with flowerless venues this year.
The delayed blooming of seasonal flowers, primarily attributed to climate change, has resulted in a significant setback, leaving these venues bereft of their usual vibrant displays.
The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, Korea’s largest cherry blossom festival that is held in the southern port city of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, kicked off on Saturday. However, as of Sunday, the city’s flowering rate stood at only 15 percent, with the full bloom phase anticipated to occur later next week, according to the city government. (…….)
Even a month ago, many anticipated the flowers to bloom earlier than usual, again, as abnormally high temperatures were recorded last winter. The country’s average temperature last month was 4.1 degrees Celsius, registered as the highest in February since 1973.
But the weather changed suddenly in March, with abnormal subzero temperatures and lower precipitation levels, failing to offer the necessary and sufficient conditions for the spring flowers to bloom.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link, but this sounds less like climate change and more like the weather.
