It is hard to believe that this week marks 20 years since the horrible military vehicle accident that claimed the lives of two young Korean school girls Shim Mi-son and Shin Hyo-sun. I was stationed in Korea at the time this accident happened and honestly was not surprised it occurred. With so many US and ROK military equipment on civilian roads surrounded by pedestrians and cars, an accident was bound to happen. You can read more about this tragic accident that shook the US-ROK alliance unlike anything else at the below link:

The aftermath of the accident led to many changes in South Korea and USFK. The accident empowered the anti-US movement in the ROK which ultimately led to a political nobody Roh Moo-hyun being elected to the Presidency partially on an anti-American platform. The anti-American movement would be energized for many years after the accident. It got so bad that a group of Soldiers were kidnapped off of a subway car, beaten, and forced to make false statements. I can remember my unit pulling security at Camp Red Cloud and seeing protesters holding signs with pictures of the crushed bodies of the two school girls. The politicization of these girls had to be truly horrible for their families.

The accident had an enormous impact on USFK and not all of it was bad. A positive thing that happened was that it did lead to much needed safety reforms on how the US military moves heavy equipment in Korea. For example heavy military equipment was no longer allowed to drive on civilian roads and were instead trucked to training areas.

Another big change was the loss of 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Korea. The brigade was pulled from South Korea by then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in reaction to the anti-US protests. The brigade was sent to Iraq from South Korea and faced heavy casualties in the city of Ramadi. The accident also reenergized the closing of 2nd Infantry Division camps and Yongsan Garrison and consolidating them at Camp Humphreys. Despite the best efforts of the anti-American activists to stop it, the relocation is complete today.

Today few people remember this accident and the impacts it had, but it did ultimately lead to positive changes in the US-ROK alliance. It is sadly unfortunate that it took the lives of two Korean schools girls to do this. Rest in peace Shim Mi-son and Shin Hyo-sun.

This is an extremely bizarre murder in Seoul:

 A 41-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday for brutally killing one of his employees by inserting a 70-centimeter rod into the victim’s rectum.

The Seoul Western District Court found the man, only identified by his surname Han, guilty of murdering the employee at a children’s gym in Seoul with the plastic stick, which ruptured his organs and caused his death in December of last year.

“Severe punishment is inevitable as his crime is bizarre and brutal, and he did not have any kind of respect for the victim,” the court said in the ruling.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems to me that BTS is just leaving the door open to reunite if their attempt at pursuing solo projects doesn’t work out. I guess we will see what happens:

K-pop supergroup BTS flatly rejected rumors Thursday that the band is taking steps to disband itself following its recent announcement of a pause in group activities.

“We’ll try to show good performances either as a team or individuals,” RM, the band leader, said in a post to Weverse, a K-pop fan community platform.

He said he has received the most phone calls in his nine-year career since the band unveiled its plan to take a break from group activities in order to focus more on solo projects in a YouTube video Tuesday.

The abrupt announcement sent a shock wave through fans and news media, both inside and outside the country.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess animal rights is a pretty safe issue for the highly criticized first lady to come out in public in support of:

First lady Kim Keon-hee called for animal rights in her first media interview given since her husband, President Yoon Suk-yeol, took office on May 10. 

“Korea and China are the only two economically successful countries that consume dog meat,” Kim said during an interview with local newspaper Seoul Shinmun that was published on Monday. “I believe the universal culture (of not consuming dog meat) should be shared in Korea with other developed countries. Otherwise, it could stoke an anti-Korean sentiment,” Kim said. 

To end the practice, Kim said the government could support dog meat traders to transition into new industries, underlining the unsanitary environment in which dogs are raised before being consumed as meat.

“Dog meat is not good for health. Dogs that are raised to be consumed as meat are locked in small cages, where they eat, sleep and defecate all their lives. And some of them are even fed antibiotics,” Kim said. “Ultimately, dog meat consumption must be stopped out of respect for man’s best friend and life.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Considering season 1’s huge success, it is no surprise Squid Game has been renewed by Netflix for a second season:

The global sensation “Squid Game” will return for a second season, Netflix confirmed Monday.

“A whole new round is coming,” director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a letter to fans released by Netflix. “And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming.”

Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, is the debt-ridden character who gets involved in a mysterious deadly contest to win 45.6 billion won (US$37.9 million) in prize money in the nine-part series.

Hwang added that Cheol-su, the “boyfriend” of the show’s animatronic doll, Young-hee, will be introduced to viewers in the next season.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.