Tag: South Korea

The message President Moon should bring with him is very simple, get rid of the nukes if you want sanctions dropped:

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will likely seek to mediate a breakthrough in talks between the United States and North Korea when he visits Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a Seoul official said Sunday.

The presidential aide highlighted the importance of Moon’s role in advancing apparently stalled talks on the North’s denuclearization following the cancellation of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to the North scheduled for this week.

“I believe President Moon’s role has only become greater,” the official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said when asked about any possible change to Moon’s scheduled trip after U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly called off Pompeo’s visit.

Trump cited a lack of “sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Moon admin: Setting up liaison ofc at Gaesong is "sovereignty issue" "why must (we) get US permission on every little thing?" "A thick water stream is flowing haughtily; sanctions controversy is not a big obstacle." Sanctions is but "a small problem."https://t.co/hFmVf1NQJ7

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) August 23, 2018

That is what the USA Today publication is claiming:

Korean beef, not Japan’s wagyu, “might be the best meat on earth,” according to an article in USA Today last week that seems to reflect fresh global recognition.

“Wagyu from Japan is often held up as the best beef in the world,” says an article by Bloomberg’s published in March last year. But the headline asked “Is Wagyu the World’s Most Overrated Steak?”

Wagyu is loved for its tenderness, but some complain that it is too soft and buttery and does not have enough flavor. On the other hand Korean beef, or hanwoo, is said to have great flavor as well as texture to the palate. They are both highly marbled but are distinctively different in taste.

The key to the difference in taste is the fat-to-protein ratio. Wagyu ribeye is about 70 percent fat and 30 percent protein, whereas hanwoo ribeye has 40 to 50 percent fat. It strikes a fine balance between the strengths of wagyu and less fatty and tougher American or Australian beef.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read more at the link or the original USA Today article at this link.

GIs have been dealing with shady landlords for decades, but in my opinion things have actually improved though it appears foreign students are now a bigger target:

International students here are increasingly falling victim to real estate-related fraud.

In one case, a Vietnamese student, 28, didn’t get her room deposit of 5 million won back because her landlord said she didn’t pay any monthly rent. But she claimed she paid six months’ rent in a lump sum but didn’t receive a receipt.

“The real estate procedure is complicated for international students,” one Chinese international student, surnamed Jing, told Dong-A Ilbo. “And it is harder to understand the jargon when they speak in Korean.”

Foreign students, now numbering 120,000 here, often fall victim to the fraud.

The paper cites four types. The first is a makeshift contract. Instead of a standard template contract, the landlords arbitrarily draw up one that does not protect the rights of foreign tenants.

The second is the cash transaction.

The third is the imposition of repair costs on the tenants. In the second and third cases, the landlord tries to take advantage of the foreign students’ inability to speak Korean or lack of related knowledge.

The fourth is a conflict when a student sublets a room to another tenant without a contract, which a landlord can use as an excuse to eject the tenants.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

This is just another indication that President Trump is not about to sign up for a “pretend denuclearization” deal with the North Koreans like Seoul, Beijing, and Moscow want him to do:

South Korea on Saturday called the U.S. decision to call off a trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unfortunate and said that continued diplomacy was most crucial in resolving the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.

The statement by the Foreign Ministry in Seoul came hours after President Donald Trump directed Pompeo to delay his trip because of what he saw as a lack of progress on nuclear disarmament talks with the North. Trump also said the nuclear negotiations with North Korea have been hampered by the lack of support from China, the North’s only major ally that’s engaged in an intensifying trade dispute with the United States.

While describing the delayed trip as a setback, the ministry said it would be most important for the allies to pursue “substantial progress” on denuclearization. South Korea expects China to continue serving a “constructive role” in international efforts to solve the nuclear crisis and noted that Beijing continues to express commitment to fully implement sanctions against the North, the ministry said.

“While we consider the delay of the visit to North Korea as unfortunate, we believe it’s most important for the North Korea-U.S. dialogue including Secretary Pompeo’s visits to North Korea to contribute to substantial progress in complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime in the Korean Peninsula.”  [Associated Press]

You can read more at the link, but what is going on is that I think President Trump is sending a message to not only North Korea, but to Beijing and Seoul as well.  China is not strictly enforcing sanctions on North Korea and even the South Koreans have not been effectively enforcing sanctions either.  This is going to come down to who is going to blink first because the North Koreans will not commit to real denuclearization unless sanctions are fully enforced on them.  As long as other countries like China continue to not strictly enforce sanctions the Kim regime will feel no expediency to denuclearize at the pace the Trump administration wants.

The 7th Air Force in South Korea is about to get a new commander:

The Korean government on Thursday conferred a medal of merit to Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the outgoing commander of the U.S. 7th Air Force, for his contribution to peace and stability on the peninsula.

Defense Minister Song Young-moo gave Bergeson the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, on behalf of the Korean government, his office said. Bergeson, who took the commander post in July 2016, is set to leave the position next week.

“[Bergeson] has contributed greatly to safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a show of strong deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said.

“He was recognized for his contribution to establishing the strong combined defense posture by enhancing the combined operations capabilities,” it added.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the commander of the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, is set to succeed Bergeson.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

High waves are seen off Seogwipo on the southern resort island of Jeju on Aug. 22, 2018, as Typhoon Soulik moves north toward the Korean Peninsula from seas near southern Japan. (Yonhap)

Typhoon Soulik has arrived and is drenching South Korea in heavy rain; be safe out there:

As Typhoon Soulik landed in Korea earlier this morning, the national weather administration warned of extremely strong winds and heavy rains throughout the country.

“The typhoon will bring on Friday strong winds of 30 to 40 meters per second [67 to 89 miles per hour] on land and winds of over 50 meters per second in mountainous areas,” said the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). “With this kind of wind, glass windows, street lamps and electricity poles can break. Watch out for your safety.”

This was the first time in six years that a typhoon has landed in Korea. Typhoon alerts were issued in Jeju Island, South Gyeongsang, the Jeolla and Chungcheong regions, and in the cities of Sejong, Gwangju, Busan and Daejeon Thursday afternoon.

The weather agency said it will rain more than 50 millimeters (two inches) per hour in Jeju Island, the southern coastal regions and in Gangwon as the typhoon moves northeast across the peninsula.

The medium-sized typhoon left destruction in its path as it passed near Jeju Island from Wednesday to Thursday. Some 30 trees were uprooted in Jeju City, some 12,000 households lost power across the island – of which some 4,600 had not recovered power as of press time Thursday – and at least one person went missing.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read much more at the link.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to call the North Koreans since South Korea doesn’t want to use the word “enemy”?:

South Korea is considering deleting its reference to North Korea’s military as “our enemy” in its defense white paper to be published later this year, multiple government sources in Seoul said Wednesday.

The move is in line with the April inter-Korean summit agreement to halt “all hostile acts” against each other, seek to alleviate tensions and “practically eliminate the danger of war.”

“It would be contradictory if we hold consultations (with the North) over measures to halt hostile acts, which are mentioned in the Panmunjom Declaration, while leaving the description of the North Korean military as an enemy in our government’s official paper,” a government source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.

“We have been striving to come up with a way to use a phrase or word that would sufficiently reflect the North’s military threat instead of using the ‘enemy’ expression,” he added.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but here we go again with the pretend game.  We already have “pretend denuclearization” going on and now we have “pretend non-enemies”.

This image released by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) on Aug. 22, 2018, shows the expected route of Typhoon Soulik. The typhoon is expected to move north toward the Korean Peninsula from the sea south of Japan to hit South Korea within the coming days together, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. (Yonhap)