Tag: South Korea

"There could be one of you": S. Korea's Spycam Porn Epidemic | KOREA EXPOSÉ https://t.co/DJJxTAsXpo

— KingSejong (@KingSejong) October 21, 2017

A mounted archer shoots an arrow during an international horseback archery competition in Sokcho on South Korea’s east coast on Oct. 20, 2017. (Yonhap)

President Moon showing his political skills was able to have his cake and eat it to when it came to back tracking from his campaign pledge to stop construction of nuclear reactors in Korea:

President Moon Jae-in vowed to enhance the safety of nuclear reactors Sunday, accepting the recent recommendation by a public debate commission to resume the construction of two new nuclear reactors that he earlier promised to scrap.

“The government will quickly resume the construction of the Shin Kori-5 and Shin Kori-6 nuclear reactors in accordance with the outcome of the debate,” the president said in a statement released by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

The remarks came two days after the state commission, following its three-month deliberation process, recommended the two unfinished nuclear reactors be completed and put in operation.

The public debate began in July after the president agreed to first find out what the general public wished to do with the two new nuclear reactors whose construction already began in 2016.

Moon urged his supporters, as well as those who are in favor of building a nuclear energy-free nation, to accept the outcome of the public review that involved 471 citizens and experts representing both sides.

“I believe democracy becomes perfect when people have the right to discuss, and when they accept the outcome of such discussions. I also ask those who supported my election pledge to halt the construction to respect and accept the public debate commission’s recommendation,” the chief executive said.

The president said the government will instead work to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants, noting the Shin Kori reactors in Uljin will put the total number of reactors in the southeastern part of the country to 15, with millions of people to be within a 30-kilometer radius of these facilities.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but my concern about nuclear reactors in South Korea is how resilient are they to missile attack from North Korea? I really hope that was considered when these plants were built.  I also wonder what the impact is to the power grid if these plants have to be shut down in response to a possible crisis with North Korea?  How many people will be without power?  Are there enough back generators for hospitals and other key facilities if this was to happen?  Hopefully someone in the ROK government has thought these issues through.

Something is not adding up with this story.  How did the grandmother not know about the rapes when the teenager gets pregnant twice?:

A man who raped his step-granddaughter over six years has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.The girl had two children as a result, according to court documents.

Suwon District Court said Thursday that the man, identified only as “A,” 53, had raped the girl, “B,” 17, since she was an elementary school student.

The attacks started when the girl moved into his house in 2011.

B is a granddaughter of the woman “A” lived with without official marriage registration. The woman took custody of the victim after her parents divorced.

The man was able to keep his attacks secret because he raped the girl when her grandmother was absent, according to court documents. He also told the girl: “I will kill you if you speak out about this.”

The grandmother learned of the shocking story early this year and reported it to police.

“It’s horrendous and shocking,” the court said. “Even though he has no criminal history, a heavy punishment is inevitable.”

The man claimed sex with the victim was “always consensual” and he did not know about the babies.  [Korea Times]

At least this is another example of how South Korea is giving out longer sentences to rapists.

If the ROK government and the State Department have their way, the answer is no:

It has become the ultimate symbol of American resolve against the threat of North Korea: a visit by the U.S. commander in chief to “freedom’s frontier,” the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone that has separated the North and South for 64 years.

Wearing bomber-style jackets, surrounded by military officers, peering through binoculars, all but one president since Ronald Reagan has gazed across the barren strip of land at the 38th parallel from an observation post — and been moved to talk tough. In April, Vice President Mike Pence, undertaking the same solemn ritual, said he toured the DMZ so the North Koreans could “see our resolve in my face.”

But as President Donald Trump prepares for a 12-day swing next month through five Asian nations to bolster international pressure on Pyongyang, the administration is divided over whether he should make the pilgrimage, an issue that remains unresolved. Some aides worry a visit could further inflame already heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, while others have expressed concern over Trump’s personal safety, according to people who have spoken to administration officials.

Asian foreign policy veterans of both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations said it would be foolish for Trump not to go. But the White House is facing opposition from South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration and the U.S. State Department over fears that a visit would ratchet up Trump’s war of words with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but if people are worried about President Trump saying something provocative about North Korea during his visit does the location really matter?  As far as his personal safety does anyone really think the North Koreans will assassinate President Trump while visiting Panmunjom and start a war that will end the regime?  I guess we will see how this plays out.

According to the Korea Times there is a bunch of mounting evidence against former ROK President Park Geun-hye proving she is corrupt has been found:

Ousted former President Park Geun-hye, who is on trial over massive corruption allegations, seems to be seeking sympathy from international society by claiming she is suffering from “political persecution.”

The change of strategy may have come because she is unlikely to get a favorable verdict in the trial, with her detention being extended recently for another six months.

But it seems unclear whether her playing the victim of political retaliation will work, because more and more evidence unfavorable to her is being found, and she has already faced strong criticism for denying all the allegations and attempting to cover them up.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but I would love to see a roll up of this evidence and how Park ordered a cover up.  I have yet to see a definitive roll up of the evidence just accusations in the media.  Maybe at some point we will see the evidence that proves she is corrupt.

Here is probably the statement that concerned me the most in the article:

Rep. Park Beom-kye also said she has four to six times as much space as other inmates, has enough furniture and received outside medical treatment at a hospital twice. “She can also receive treatment inside the prison any time she wants. The claim (of human rights violations) is unreasonable,” he said.

“She committed very serious crimes but she and the MH Group are likely to package her as a victim of political retaliation.”

The cell conditions I am less concerned about then the fact that Representative Park Beom-kye has already declared her guilty with no presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  That just feeds into Park Geun-hye’s claims that this is a political persecution.

It looks like there will soon be a lot of job openings in the government sector of South Korea:

The government has pledged to create 810,000 jobs in the public sector as a means to help young people struggling in the tight job market.

The Presidential Committee on Job Creation unveiled the plan as part of a five-year road map Wednesday.

President Moon Jae-in, who presided over the meeting, said the nation’s top 30 business groups will increase hiring by 5.6 percent this year.

On top of creating more jobs on the public sector, Moon called for private companies to join the campaign to hire more employees. “Hyundai Motor converted 7,000 subcontractors into regular workers. KT, Hanwha, POSCO and Doosan Group will also join the campaign to create more jobs,” he said.

Moon said the government will support innovative companies that actively hire more young people.

Under the plan, the government will create 340,000 jobs in the social services sector. It will start by adding 170,000 jobs in child care and nursing this year, for which there is a high demand.

An additional 170,000 positions will be created in the culture, sports and environment sectors.

The government will add 100,000 more police officers, 74,000 position in firefighting, social welfare and livestock disease control, and 174,000 in local-level civil servants.  [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but the ROK government has no funding plan for this hiring spree which means it will likely just be deficit spending.

Courageous Channel is a routine biannual exercise, but I am willing to bet that families are taking it a little bit more seriously this time:

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday it will conduct a regular contingency response exercise next week for its service members and their families, including how to evacuate them in the event of a war on the peninsula.

The annual Courageous Channel training will be held from Monday till Friday in cooperation with South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and the U.S. State Department, said the USFK.

“Courageous Channel prepares service members and their families to respond to a wide range of crisis management events such as non-combatant evacuation (NEO) and natural or man-made disasters,” it said.

Participants in the exercise perform tasks that include readiness briefings, document and passport inspection, roster updates, and limited rehearsals.

The USFK stressed that the upcoming practice is a routine one, not directly related to recently heightened military tensions on the peninsula attributable to North Korea’s nuclear test and missile launches.  [Yonhap]

Here is more about the Courageous Channel exercise from the Stars & Stripes:

The exercise known as Courageous Channel, which will be held from Oct. 23-27, is basically a dress rehearsal to make sure everybody’s ready to get out in a hurry in case of war or another emergency.

Military spouses, children and others wearing backpacks and pulling suitcases will file through assembly points on U.S. bases where wardens will make sure documents are updated and procedures are explained.

Information also will be provided about power of attorney, financial concerns, pets — which are considered family members — and other issues.

The military also has recently selected groups to be transported all the way to Japan, which would be a likely first stop in a real emergency.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Considering how long this has dragged out I am still waiting for the definitive evidence that Park Geun-hye was helping Choi Soon-sil shake people down for money for her daughter’s equestrian training.  Until the definitive evidence is shown then Park has a point that this is “political revenge”.

Former President Park Geun-hye said Monday that she has “lost faith” in the nation’s justice system, claiming she is nothing but a victim of political revenge.

Her remarks came during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court after it decided last week to extend her detention for another six months.

“I was supposed to be released today,” she said during the hearing at the court. “But the court issued another arrest warrant ... I can’t accept its decision.”

In protest of the decision, her lawyers resigned the same day.

“My lawyers and I felt helpless,” she said. “I have lost faith that the court will do a fair job in accordance with the Constitution and conscience.”

This was the first time she has spoken publicly since her trial began six months ago. After being ousted and arrested in March over a massive influence-peddling scandal involving her friend Choi Soon-sil, she barely said anything except yes or no whenever cameras were around.

Park insisted on her innocence, saying, “I did not comply with requests to favor anyone while in office. ” She also claimed the trial has shown that various suspicions surrounding her are false.

Then, in an apparent message aimed at President Moon Jae-in, the rival candidate she beat in the 2012 presidential election, and his governing Democratic Party of Korea, Park claimed she is just a victim of political strife.

“I hope I will be the last victim of political revenge in the name of the rule of law,” she said.

“The last six months have been a horrible and miserable time for me. I had trust in a person who later betrayed me. As a result, I have lost my honor and everything else in life.”  [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but the Korean left has been going after former conservative President Lee Myung-bak as well to get him thrown in jail.  The Korean left has longed blamed conservatives for uncovering former President Roh Moo-hyun’s corruption which led to his suicide shortly after his presidency.

I would not be surprised if these North Korean propaganda leaflets being found in the Seoul area are not being distributed by the North Koreans, but instead South Korean leftist sympathizers:

– A number of what appear to be North Korean propaganda leaflets have been spotted inside South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae and in nearby areas, the office confirmed Monday, prompting suspicions over how they found their way into the highly secured area.

The small propaganda bills were seen scattered on streets near the presidential office, while some were even found in the yard of Chunchugwan, the Cheong Wa Dae press center that sits on the eastern side of the presidential office, according to Cheong Wa Dae security officials.

North Korean leaflets are not hard to find in South Korea while the communist state is said to periodically send leaflets using balloons and unmanned aerial vehicles, but it marked a rare incident for such bills to be found near the presidential office.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.