ROK Drop favorite Dr. Tara O has the latest news on yet another scandal involving family members of Justice Minister Cho Kuk:

Cho Kuk’s wife also lent her brother Jeong Kwang-bo ₩300 million ($262,000) on February 28, 2017, after which Jeong Kwang-bo bought 250 shares of Co-Link Private Equity worth ₩500 million ($345,000) on March 9, 2017.  Co-Link and China’s Jiangsu Province Huakun Science and Technology Development (public) Corporation (장쑤성 화군과학기술발전유한공사와) also signed an agreement on April 28, 2016 to invest ₩600 billion ($525 million) in Co-Link.

Jeong Kwang-bo, was also the managing director of Bona Systems Company [(주)보나시스템].  One of Bona Systems’ subsidiaries is Dongchin Shipping (동친해운), which is suspected of being involved in transporting North Korean coal. 

East Asia Research Center

You can read much more at the link, but Cho Kuk I would think would just claim he did not know about this and push the blame on his family members. Even if he didn’t know about this could these family members think they can get away with such schemes simply because of Cho Kuk’s connections to the Blue House?

Finally could you imagine how apocalyptic the Korean left would be if former President Park Geun-hye had closer advisors involved in scandals like this?

Please leave anything you want to discuss in the comments section.

40% is still high for "low approval." Most politicians would kill for such numbers. But I'm convinced that Moon's popularity is still so high only because there isn't a single politician whom voters can point to and say, "He/She is a much better choice." https://t.co/euTXcop2hF

— John Lee (The Korean Foreigner) (@koreanforeigner) September 20, 2019

Here is the latest on the possible restart of talks with North Korea:

Earlier Wednesday, Bolton told a private lunch group that any negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang are “doomed to failure,” U.S. media reported. Bolton said the lifting of sanctions is North Korea’s only goal. 

In response, Trump stressed that his administration has successfully stopped North Korean nuclear tests and that he has a good relationship with its leader. 

“So I think that’s better than somebody that goes around saying we want to use the Libyan model,” Trump said. “He said the ‘Libyan model.’ That set us back very badly when he said that. So I think John really should take a look at how badly they’ve done in the past, and maybe a new method would be very good.”

Kim Myong-gil, a former North Korean ambassador to Vietnam, in a statement carried by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency Friday “welcomed” President Trump’s “wise political determination” calling for a new method of negotiations. 

Kim, now confirmed as the North’s counterpart to U.S. top nuclear envoy Stephen Biegun, lauded Trump’s criticism of the Libyan model and said he wants to be “optimistic” about the results of North-U.S. negotiations expected to “take place soon.”

North Korea said Monday it wants to meet with the United States in late September, but no meeting has been set. Urging the United States to come up with a “new calculation method,” the North has demanded that economic sanctions be lifted and security guarantees for its regime be offered. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but my reading of the tea leaves is that a deal of some kind will be worked out with North Korea. I think President Trump realizes they are not giving up their nukes and it appears a “pretend denuclearization” deal may be what is ultimately worked out.

Here is the latest on ex-ROK President Park Geun-hye:

Ex-President Park Geun-hye’s shoulder surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul went well, and she will take two to three months to recover, doctors said Tuesday. 

Park had been treated for about a year for pain in her left shoulder while in jail for abuse of power, bribery, coercion and leaking government secrets since March 2017. 

“I believe she experienced difficulties in getting dressed, going to the toilet, eating and other basic daily activities due to the pain,” said Kim Yang-soo, the surgeon who performed the operation. “Injections and other medications were unsuccessful and the surgery was necessary.”

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Beauty standards in Korea:

– White = beauty
– Black = ebola

… I just can't https://t.co/9O0q6zGIbH

— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) September 17, 2019

It is very easy to imagine North Korea using a drone attack against an infrastructure target in South Korea as part of a provocation strategy and then deny they did it. Remember this is the same country that torpedoed a ROK naval ship killing dozens of sailors, then denied they did it and still had people in South Korea making excuses for them:

The devastating drone attack on a Saudi oil field by Yemeni rebels has raised concerns that vital South Korean installations could be similarly vulnerable to attack drones from North Korea. 

Some pundits believe North Korea has steadily improved its drone capabilities since leader Kim Jong-un took power, although so far only a few crashed unmanned aerial vehicles used for surveillance were found here.

But at recent military parades, the North has unveiled ostensibly self-destructing UAVs and, once armed, could potentially aim them at Cheong Wa Dae, Army headquarters and other key military installations.

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but considering how far they have flown drones before into South Korea the ability to successfully conduct such an attack is there.

It would be interesting to see what accomplishments President Moon thinks should be enshrined in his own multi-million dollar library:

The government until a few days ago planned to spend W17.2 billion in taxpayers’ money to build a library dedicated to the life and career of Moon Jae-in in Busan once the president leaves office (US$1=W1,192). It would be the first of its kind paid for with taxpayers’ money. So far the country has been content to store documents and other materials related to all previous presidents in a library in Sejong administrative city that opened in 2016. There is a separate library and museum dedicated to Kim Dae-jung, a vastly more distinguished figure than the incumbent, but it was paid for with his Nobel Peace Prize money.

Moon’s own library was to be built on a sprawling 5,000 sq.m plot of land in the southern port city. The existing library in Sejong employs 64 staff, yet the government will have to hire more than 20 staff just to look after the Moon collection. The Moon administration is starting to behave as if it is on a mission to empty the government’s coffers over ever less useful projects.

Chosun Ilbo

You can read more at the link.