President Park Geun-hye is getting some love from Elle magazine:
Before becoming South Korea’s first-ever female president in 2013, Park Geun-hye acted as the chairwoman of the Conservative Grand National Party and as a member of the Korean National Assembly. Geun-hye, whose father served as president for nearly two decades, is often called one of the most powerful women in the world. During her time in office, she has worked to prioritize national security, particularly in relationship to North Korea, and to revitalize the South Korean economy, which is the 14th largest in the world. [Elle]
It is great to finally see a South Korean leader openly advocate for North Korean citizens to stand up to the Kim Jong-un regime by voting with their feet:
President Park Geun-hye issued a blunt message to urge North Korean soldiers and citizens to defect to the South, inviting criticisms from liberal politicians over her provocativeness while fueling speculations about conditions in the reclusive communist regime.
Park made the comment in a speech at a ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day on Saturday. In the speech, she addressed the latest security crisis caused by the Kim Jong-un regime’s nuclear and missile development and the South’s determination to counter it.
Park made perhaps the most provocative proposal by far to North Koreans. “Today, I want to clearly tell the reality that the North Korean regime is facing to the North Korean authorities, military and people,” she said, stressing that it is a misunderstanding and miscalculation of the young North Korean ruler to expect to achieve security and internal unity by demonstrating its nuclear and missile capabilities and escalating military tensions.
She noted that the international community is reacting differently from the past to the North’s provocations and the North is facing strengthened pressures and sanctions, while the negotiation stage has ended.
She, then, directly addressed the North Korean people. “We know the brutal reality that you are facing now. The international community is also seriously concerned about the North Korean regime’s human rights abuses.”
Promising that the South will do its best to end the North’s provocations and inhumane rule, Park said, “We will leave the path open for the North Korean people to find hope and life. Come to the free land of the Republic of Korea at any time.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
South Korean President Park Geun-hye (L) shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping prior to their summit talks in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Sept. 5, 2016. The meeting came amid strains in their relations over the planned deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, in South Korea. (Yonhap)
North Korea is once again threatening to turn Seoul into a Sea of Fire™ due to the decision to deploy a THAAD battery to the peninsula:
This photo carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on June 23, 2016 shows the country fired off the Hwasong-10 intermediate-range ballistic missile. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)’/>
North Korea on Monday warned it will take “physical” actions against South Korea and the United States over the allies’ decision to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system in the South.
North Korea’s military issued a strong warning that it will deliver military strikes from the moment the two countries decide on where to place the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“We once again warn the enemies that it is the steadfast will of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) to make merciless retaliatory strikes to reduce South Korea to a sea of flames and debris once an order is issued,” the military’s artillery bureau was quoted as saying by the KCNA. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but President Park has come out to strongly defend the decision to deploy the THAAD battery to South Korea:
President Park Geun-hye on Monday mounted a strong defense of the recent decision by South Korea and the U.S. to station an advanced antimissile system here, stressing it won’t undermine the security interests of any other countries.
Park also underscored that the decision to station a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea is a “purely defense measure” to cope with growing nuclear and missile threats from a provocative North Korea.
After some five months of consultations, Seoul and Washington announced Friday that they had agreed to deploy a THAAD battery in South Korea. The announcement riled Beijing and Moscow, which have argued THAAD would hurt their security interests.
“As (South Korea) has repeatedly said, THAAD will not target any country other than North Korea, and will not encroach upon the security interests of any third country. (We) have no reason to do so,” the commander in chief said during a meeting with her senior secretaries.
“The international community should understand that Seoul does not have any intention of targeting other countries or threatening other countries,” she added.
Pointing to Pyongyang’s relentless provocations, including its weekend test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, Park highlighted that the communist regime has been posing “explicit” threats to the South.
“Growing nuclear and missile threats are a very critical issue where the future of the Republic of Korea and the lives of our people are at stake,” she said. “As president, I have an obligation to protect our people and nation.”
The allies plan to determine where to place the THAAD battery in South Korea as early as later this month. They have faced strong opposition from local residents that are concerned about the electromagnetic waves emanating from the THAAD radar.
“(South Korea) will select the optimal site for the THAAD deployment that can certainly ensure military efficiency, and protect the safety and health (of the residents) from all problems, including the influence of electromagnetic waves,” the president said. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but North Korea making more threats to attack the country only strengthens her argument on why the THAAD battery is needed in South Korea.
Hopefully the relationship between Korea and Japan continues to improve where this summit does take place:
President Park Geun-hye plans to travel to Japan for a trilateral meeting with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, according to Lee Joon-gyu, the nominee for Seoul’s ambassador to Tokyo, Wednesday.
This will be Park’s first trip to Japan since her inauguration in 2013. The visit is expected to spur normalization of the ties between the two countries, according to analysts.
This year, Japan holds the rotating chair of the trilateral talks, expected to take place in November following their foreign ministers’ talks in October, according to Japanese media outlets.
“The trilateral talks between Korea, China and Japan are scheduled to be held in the second half of the year in Japan and President Park’s visit for the meeting is expected to play an important role in bettering bilateral relations,” Lee said in a diplomatic forum.
“Both countries need to take advantage of this visit as an opportunity to advance bilateral ties.” [Korea Times]
South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her French counterpart Francois Hollande clink their glasses during a toast at Elysee Palace in Paris on June 4, 2016. (Yonhap)
President Park Geun-hye meets with a South Korean soldier serving in South Sudan on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in a ceremony held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 27, 2016 to boost their morale, in this photo provided by her office. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Park Geun-hye (R) poses for a photo with Kuwait’s Prime Minister Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah during their meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 9, 2016. Jaber arrived in Seoul the previous day at the invitation of South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. South Korea is the fourth leg of his five-nation trip to Asia that includes Bangladesh, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Park Geun-hye meets with young Iranians in traditional Korean dresses, who visited a Korean culture exhibition held at a convention center in Tehran on May 2, 2016. Earlier in the day, Park held the first bilateral summit since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1962. (Yonhap)
