I had not heard of this criminal case before, but it is really terrible. How can a pregnant woman kidnap and kill an 8-year old girl?:

Police drag Jeon Hyeon-ju, the kidnapper and killer of Park Na-ri, 8, to Seocho Police Station in southern Seoul on Sept. 12, 1997.[JOONANG ILBO]

On the evening of Aug. 30, 1997, a telephone rang inside an apartment in Seocho District, an affluent neighborhood in southern Seoul. 
  
The voice on the line was calm. 
  
“Is this Na-ri’s house?” the woman asked. “Na-ri is doing fine.”

The next day, the phone rang again. 
  
“Bring a bank card with 20 million won [$14,000] in it,” the woman said. 
  
“I only have cash,” the mother replied, her voice shaking. 
  
“Then you will not be able to see your child,” the caller said and hung up. 
  
Only later would the family learn that this was not a negotiation. Another call that night was traced to a cafe in Myeong-dong, central Seoul. 
  
With no leads, police made the investigation public on Sept. 3. The missing child was Park Na-ri, a second-grade student at a nearby elementary school. Her full name was Park Chorong Chorong Bitnari.  (……………..)

The day after her father came forward, police arrested Jeon at an inn in Sillim-dong, in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. Pesticides were found at the scene. Jeon later told police she had intended to kill herself. Her parents, according to reports, had urged her to do so before her arrest. 
  
She was about a month from giving birth. 
  
Based on Jeon’s testimony, police were dispatched to the basement office of her husband in Sadang-dong, Dongjak District. Her husband worked as a director of children’s theatrical productions. 
  
An officer at the scene later said he nearly slipped on the floor because it was covered in blood. 
  
Na-ri’s body was found inside a hiking backpack.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read the rest at the link, but Jeon was sentenced to life in prison and after giving birth her daughter was put up for adoption to the United States.

This guy sounds more like a mob boss than a CEO:

The head of Joyworks&Co, the Korean distributor for running shoe brand Hoka, has stepped down after admitting to assaulting subcontracted workers. 
  
CEO Cho Sung-hwan allegedly called subcontracted employees to an abandoned church building in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, where he verbally and physically assaulted them. According to reports, Cho repeatedly slapped employees while shouting, “Do you know who I am?”

He also reportedly kneed an employee in the face, with victims suffering fractured ribs, concussions and other injuries.  
  
Cho initially claimed that the subcontractors were spreading false information and that the altercation involved physical contact by both parties, but later apologized.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

It is pretty amazing the staying power the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack has had:

The soundtrack for Netflix’s hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” has surged back into the top tiers of the Billboard 200 albums chart. 

Billboard said in a preview of this week’s chart Sunday (U.S. time) that the soundtrack jumped seven spots to No. 3.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the United States, measured by equivalent album units, comprising physical album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Despite an 18 percent dip in weekly consumption, the soundtrack earned 51,000 equivalent album units, fueled by steady streaming numbers.

Global pop star Taylor Swift’s latest studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” logged its 12th non-consecutive week at No. 1, further cementing Swift’s status as a chart juggernaut.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie continues to have major staying power as well continuing to rank in the Netflix Top 10 movies list.

The Chinese may be doing the Japanese a favor because no military should be using any Chinese components that could have backdoors built into them to impact military operations:

China on Tuesday banned exports of dual-use goods that can serve military purposes to Japan, a move that comes at time of heightened tensions between the two countries over Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing claims as its sovereign territory. The Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement that exports of such items, which can serve both civilian and military purposes, to Japanese military users and all other end-users that could help enhance Japanese military power are prohibited.

Any individual or organization that violates the rule by transferring or providing these made-in-China products to Japanese groups and people would face legal consequences, regardless of where they are from, it said. The notice did not identify or describe specific items, but some exports — particularly in the technology sector such as drones and navigation systems — could be adapted for military use.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if Ambassador Kim even had enough time to get his household goods delivered before getting sent back to D.C.? Two months in position in a really short time:

Acting U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim has left his post in Seoul and returned to the United States, amid expectations he may be assigned a new role in the Trump administration related to Korea issues, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. 

Kim’s unexpected departure came just about two months after he took up the post as charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in October last year. 

Kim took on the top embassy position in an acting capacity to fill a prolonged vacancy after former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg left the post following the launch of the second Trump administration. 

Kim recently informed Seoul officials he was leaving his post, according to multiple diplomatic sources. He reportedly returned to the U.S. around Christmas. 

Jim Heller, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, is expected to serve as charge d’affaires until a new ambassador is appointed. 

Sources say that Kim could be tapped for a new role handling Korea-related issues, possibly a position tasked with implementing the summit agreements reached between the allies on security and other matters, or dealing with North Korea issues.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It now appears the Chinese are not too eager to assist South Korea on the North Korea issue:

South Korea’s presidential office said the two leaders reaffirmed that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula — an apparent reference to the denuclearization of North Korea — are shared interests, and confirmed China’s willingness to play a constructive role.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made no reference to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula in its readout of the summit.

Doo Jin-ho, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said China’s unresponsiveness on the North Korean issue fell short of South Korea’s expectations.

“Beijing did not appear to roll up its sleeves to the extent Seoul may have hoped, nor did it take a particularly forward-leaning stance on the North Korean nuclear issue,” Doo said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I did not expect the Chinese to do much of anything on this issue. Right now the North Koreans are having all their needs met by the Russians, which means the Chinese do not have as much influence as they have had in the past over the Kim regime. China also probably looks at pressuring North Korea as a waste of time because they understand that North Korea will engage with South Korea when they want to, not because the ROK demands they do.