"I don't eat dogs, but I am disgusted by those who preach that only animals deemed cuddly enough or friendly enough by Westerners deserve to live." My story on South Korea's dog-eating tradition & debates over 'Western hypocrisy" @AFPhttps://t.co/w1uAOOMhMZ
A ceremony to open a memorial hall for the late U.S. Gen. Richard Whitcomb is under way at the South Korean Army’s Fifth Logistics Support Command in Busan on Dec. 29, 2017, in this photo provided by the command. Whitcomb, called the “father of war orphans,” contributed to rehabilitating South Korea for years after the end of the Korean War (1950-53). In particular, the general, as the U.S. Forces Korea commander, helped homeless victims of a massive fire in Daegu in 1953. (Yonhap)
The Aegis destroyer “King Sejong the Great” patrols seas off South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo on Jan. 1, 2015. (Yonhap)
South Korea on Thursday began a two-day military exercise for the defense of Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea to which Japan lays territorial claim.
“The Navy will conduct the regular Dokdo defense exercise aimed at preventing the infiltration of external forces into the South Korean territory in conjunction with a flotilla-level field exercise by the Navy’s First Fleet,” according to the Navy. The First Fleet is based in the East Sea.
The exercise is conducted twice a year and involves the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and police. Navy destroyers, fighter jets and patrol aircraft are participating in the drill, the Navy said.
The exercise immediately drew an angry reaction from Japan, just as past exercises have done. Japan has long claimed the islets, which lie closer to South Korea than Japan, a fact that causes diplomatic tension with South Korea.
The Tokyo filed a protest with Seoul, saying the exercise is “unacceptable,” Japan’s Kyodo News reported, quoting a senior official. [Yonhap]
So basically the ROK military is exercising for something that is never going to happen because the Japanese are not going to invade Dokdo and the Koreans know that. This is basically just a public relations stunt for domestic political consumption. With that said I think the Japanese government would be better served by just keeping quiet instead of criticizing all things Dokdo related.
If this happened in the US the media would probably be claiming racial profiling and activists would use legal action to stop the deportations. In Korea deporting people with terrorism ties is considered common sense:
South Korea has deported 17 foreigners in a preemptive anti-terror action before the PyeongChang Olympics in February, the immigration office said Tuesday.
They were from five countries, including unidentified ones in Southeast and Central Asia, according to the Korea Immigration Service.
They were either members of international terrorist groups specified in the country’s Anti-Terror Law or those on a wanted list shared by a network of intelligence agencies. Detailed information about them was unavailable.
“We have deported 17 foreigners who could potentially pose a terrorist menace to the Olympics,” an immigration official said. “It was possible with the close cooperation and intelligence sharing of spy agencies in 50 countries.”
He did not elaborate, but said the government will spare no effort to make the Olympics a success.
“We must be very thorough in counter-terrorism as athletes and people all over the world are coming to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” he said.
“We don’t rule out the possibility that foreign terrorists could enter (the country) by pretending to be Olympics travelers or hired workers at Korean companies. So we have to be vigilant before and during the Olympics.” [Korea Times]
When it comes to the comfort women issue the Moon administration has made it clear that there will be no compromise with Japan:
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha bowed her head expressing regret over a controversial comfort women deal that she said has left scars to the hearts of victims and their families during a press conference held in Seoul on Dec. 27, 2017. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s previous government of ousted President Park Geun-hye kept part of a 2015 deal with Japan on resolving the issue of wartime sexual slavery secret from the public in order to avoid criticism of concessions made to Tokyo, a task force said Wednesday.
After months of looking into how the unpopular deal was reached, the foreign ministry task force also said that the Park administration failed to make adequate efforts to listen to victims before reaching the agreement.
It called for the government to come up with a longer-term approach to resolve such a historical matter as the so-called comfort women issue, saying that “give-and-take” negotiations or political compromise could not be the ultimate solution.
“A victims-centered approach, which has become the norm when it comes to the human rights of women in time of war, has not been sufficiently reflected and the deal was reached through give-and-take negotiations like an ordinary diplomatic agenda” the task force said in its 31-page report on the outcome of its review.
“The agreement was finalized mostly based on government views without adequately taking into account the opinions of victims in the process of negotiation,” it added.
The findings are expected to make the already unpopular deal even more so, and could spark stronger calls for renegotiation, a move sure to strain relations between the two neighboring countries. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but according to the article despite the supposed anger of the comfort women with the agreement, 36 out of 47 of them took the compensation money from Japan.
With that all said when is the Korean government going to demand that China apologize and pay compensation for all the Koreans they killed and their near success of destroying the Republic of Korea during the Korean War? That is more recent history then the World War II era comfort women issue.
It seems that if the ROK wants to use their amphibious landing ships to project power from with their F-35B fighters they can find a way to modify the decks of the ships:
South Korea’s military has begun to consider operating F-35B stealth aircraft from its newest amphibious landing ship slated to be deployed in 2020, as part of efforts to strengthen its naval power, sources said Monday.
The authorities have recently discussed whether the second 14,000-ton Dokdo-class vessel can carry the F-35B fighter, a short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the U.S.-made fifth-generation warplane.
“I understand that the military top brass have recently discussed whether they can introduce a small number of F-35B fighters and operate them aboard the new ship that has already been deployed and one to be additionally built,” a military source told Yonhap News Agency, declining to be named.
“As far as I know, the idea is being weighed in light of maximizing the strategic value of the vessel’s capabilities,” he added.
The existing Dokdo ship is seen capable of operating only transport helicopters because its deck is not made of materials that can withstand high temperatures or friction caused by fighter jet operations.
“Considerations will continue about whether we can run F-35Bs by redesigning the decks of the Dokdo and the new ship that is being constructed,” another source said.
In 2014, Seoul decided to purchase 40 F-35A fighters for deployment from 2018 through 2021 at a cost of 7.3 trillion won (US$6.75 billion). The F-35A is the fighter’s air force variant, while the F-35B and F-35C are for marines and aircraft carrier-based operations, respectively. [Yonhap]
This photo released by the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials on Dec. 26, 2017, shows its new commercial robot, “Amiro,” developed for operation at electronics production plants. According to the institute, located in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, Amiro can do packing and assembly jobs at a speed equal to that of humans. (Yonhap)
Members of a South Korean animal rights group perform in Insadong, central Seoul, on Dec. 24, 2017, to oppose the butchery of dogs and other animals. (Yonhap)
