An employee at KEB-Hana Bank in Seoul checks the U.S. greenback supply on June 15, 2016, when the Bank of Korea announced that the country’s foreign exchange reserves hit a record high of $378.46 billion in May, up $1.89 billion from the previous month. (Yonhap)
This was actually clever what the Korean Defense Ministry did to comply with ROK environmental laws that would have delayed the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system for up to year:
THAAD site on former South Korean golf course outside of Seongju.
A fact-finding mission into the deployment of a U.S. antimissile system in Korea in April raised a new suspicion that the Ministry of National Defense tried to sidestep an environmental study required by the law, the Blue House said Monday.
Following the discovery, President Moon Jae-in ordered a proper environmental study, effectively stalling the deployment schedule to be completed by the end of this year.
The probe also found that Lt. Gen. Wee Seung-ho, deputy defense minister of policy, has ordered his team to delete crucial pieces of information from a report to Moon’s security team, Yoon Young-chan, senior secretary for public relations, said in a press briefing.
Moon ordered last week an investigation into the ministry’s failure to fully brief his team about the U.S. military’s delivery of four additional launchers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) antimissile system.
The probe identified Wee as responsible for the omission and revealed that the ministry tried to avoid the environmental impact study. The conclusion was reported to Moon at the senior secretariat meeting on Monday.
Despite protests by Beijing and Moscow, Seoul and Washington agreed on the deployment of a Thaad battery in July 2016.
Key components of a Thaad battery, including a radar system and two missile launchers, were installed on a former golf course in Seongju, North Gyeongsang, on April 26 – less than two weeks before the May 9 election that brought Moon to power.
A Thaad battery typically consists of six launchers, 48 interceptors, a fire control and communication unit and radar. The military authorities of Korea and the United States planned to complete the deployment before the end of this year.
According to Yoon, the ministry created a plan on Nov. 25, 2016 that it will offer the Seongju site to the U.S. military in two separate transfers. Of the 700,000 square-meter (173-acre) site, a 328,779 square-meter piece was transferred in the first phase and another piece, about 370,000 square meters, was planned to be offered later in the second phase.
“By designating the first phase site to be smaller than 330,000 square meters, the ministry planned that only a summary environmental impact study was needed,” Yoon said. The law requires a full-scale environmental study when the site is larger than 330,000 square meters.
Yoon then said the first phase site is an odd-looking inverse U-shaped piece of land. “The shape was abnormally designed in order to exclude the land that is supposed to be inside the U shape,” he said. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but General Wee claims that he ordered the deletion in the report about the four launchers because the US military asked him to. My guess would be that the US military wanted to keep the location of the launchers secret for operational security reasons. We will see how this plays out, but my assessment is that the Moon administration will use this to maximum political advantage to appease his base without actually changing the deployment decision.
Here is a win in the courts for the foreign English teacher community in South Korea:
A court has recognized foreign tutors at a private language institute as “employees” entitled to severance pay, rejecting the institute’s claim that they were self-employed.
Judge Oh Sang-yong of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of five native English teachers at an unidentified private language institute in Seoul, Monday.
He ordered the institute to offer them 180 million won in severance pay and other unpaid allowances.
The institute had claimed the tutors were”self-employed” teachers paid by the hour so they were not entitled to severance pay. But the court ruled that the five were “employees” who had to act upon their contracts regulating their working hours, curriculum and other details. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but I would think the hagwons in South Korea will just modify the contracts in some way to get around this court ruling.
It looks like the propaganda goons over in Russia are busy spreading disinformation for Korean leftists to point to in order to claim THAAD is an offensive weapon system:
A top Russian defense official on Sunday accused South Korea and the U.S. of escalating tensions in Northeast Asia by deploying the powerful Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the Korean Peninsula.
Deputy Defense Minster Lt. Gen. Alexander Fomin claimed the missile system can be used for launching “long-distance attack missiles,” and should not be viewed exclusively as a defensive system.
“That’s why we are alarmed. It’s a direct threat to Russia,” he said, speaking at a plenary session of the 16th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
He pointed out the deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea has already begun.
“We are convinced that (the) ongoing (move) in the region under the auspices of the United States to deploy elements of a global missile defense (system) will not only not solve the existing problems on the Korean Peninsula, but, on the contrary, will only exacerbate them,” he said in English.
He added THAAD in Korea would also trigger a regional arms race and provoke the North to attack its enemies. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but to claim THAAD is an offensive system would be the same as claiming the Patriot missile defense batteries spread throughout South Korea are offensive systems well. They are of course not offensive systems, they just for missile defense. Why would the US military need these as offensive systems when there is already plenty of offensive strike capability in and around the peninsula? The Russians know THAAD is not an offensive system, but they want leftists in South Korea to believe it is in order to stoke civil discontent against the deployment of the system.
Russia does not see the US-ROK alliance as being in their interest and are using the THAAD issue to drive a wedge in the alliance especially with the left wing President Moon Jae-in now in power.
Some 300 cattle are feeding on grass in a pasture in Daegwalnyeong, 182 km east of Seoul, on June 1, 2017, after being released from their sheds where they stayed during the long winter season. (Yonhap)
Mt. Surak is the large mountain that rises above Camp Stanley. This fire though appears to be burning on the northern Seoul area of the mountain opposite from the camp:
A big fire broke out on Mount Surak in northern Seoul Thursday, firefighters said, with no casualties having been reported so far.
Firefighters said they were struggling to contain the fire that started at around 9:08 p.m., with a long ribbon of fire forming near the top of a ridge.
The exact cause of the wind-fed forest fire is not yet known, but the size of the blaze is quite large, they added. [Yonhap]
This photo, taken on May 30, 2017, shows a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launcher installed upright at a golf course in Seongju, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. On the same day, President Moon Jae-in ordered a special probe into what the presidential office called the secret or undisclosed entry of four THAAD launchers into the country under the missile defense system deployed here. (Yonhap)
I have been watching Korean movies for many years and enjoy the storylines that are often very different than what is typically seen in Hollywood movies. In an effort to help readers who may have not seen many Korean movies, the below list is my attempt to help identify the best ones to watch. I am sure there are other great movies that I have missed, please share your recommendations in the comments section.
1. The Taebaek Mountains (1994): This film directed by one of Korea’s most famous directors, Im Kwon-taek, skillfully shows how the differing ideologies before and during the Korean War impacted a small Korean village. This movie was released all the way back in 1994 and it is still the best movie about the Korean War and in the best Korean movie that I have seen yet.
2. Memories of Murder (2003): This movie is based on the true story about how a serial killer murdered young Korean women in the rural city of Hwaseong from 1986-1991. The movie follows a bumbling lead detective played by the famed Korean actor Song Kang-ho as he teams with an experienced Seoul detective to track down the killer. This movie is in my opinion the best crime and thriller movie ever released by South Korea.
3. The Man From Nowhere (2010): An ex-ROK Special Forces member is living a quiet life as a pawn shop owner in Seoul when a child he befriends is kidnapped by gangsters. The kidnapping unwittingly draws the man played by the popular young actor Won Bin into a conflict with the gangsters in this fast paced movie that is arguably Korea’s best action movie.
4. Castaway On The Mooon (2009): This movie is my favorite Korean comedy. It is about a suicidal man who decides to become a castaway on Bamseom island in the middle of the Han River that runs through Seoul. He ultimately ends up falling in love with an agoraphobic woman who is addicted to Cyworld, which is an early Korean version of Facebook.
5. Lady Vengeance (2005): This film directed by the famed Park Won-chook is part of his vengeance trilogy that includes another one of my favorite movies, Old Boy. Famed actress Lee Young-ae known for her sweet drama roles takes on a completely different character as a woman consumed with revenge after being jailed for 13-years for a murder she did not commit. I actually liked this film better than Old Boy, but both are fantastic movies.
6. Old Boy (2003): This thriller may be the most well known Korean movie with western audiences and for good reason due to its many plot turns that keeps people guessing. The movie directed by the famed Park Chan-wook, features a man being kidnapped and imprisoned in a hotel room cell for 15 years before being mysteriously released. After being released the man tries to figure out who imprisoned him and why? With all the plot turns, this is a movie that needs to be watched twice to really appreciate everything going on.
7. Seopyeonje (1993): This old movie is another classic film directed by Im Kwon-taek. The movie follows the lives of a family of traditional folk music singers known as “pansori” as they try to make a living in the modern world. The movie is beautifully filmed and heartbreaking to see the suffering that one woman goes through to become a great pansori singer.
8. Shiri (1999): This older action flick is arguably the first movie that caught the eye of western audiences. This was because Shiri was filmed with a Hollywood like budget and action style that western audience were familiar with. This fast paced movie is about an investigator trying to hunt down a female North Korean sleeper agent within South Korea. The hunt leads to exposing a massive terrorism plot that the investigator tries to stop.
9. My Sassy Girl (2001): This is one of the funniest South Korean comedies I have seen. It is about a boy who meets a drunken girl at a subway platform. The two eventually begin dating, but the girl’s bizarre behavior proves to be very challenging at keeping the relationship together.
10. JSA: Joint Security Agency (2000): Three of South Korea’s most well known movie stars, Lee Young-ae, Song Kang-ho, and Lee Byung-hun star in this tensioned filled movie about a Swiss military investigator sent to Panmunjom to investigate the killing of two North Korean soldiers by a ROK Army private stationed on Korea’s Demilitarized Zone.
11. Marathon(2005): South Korean movies are well known for being tear jerkers and this movie is one of the best. The movie is about the real life story of Bae Hyeong-jin, an autistic boy who’s odd behavior growing up was very challenging for his mother who never gave up on him. Bae would ultimately find solace in running. He became a good enough runner that his mom pushed him to meet the goal of running a marathon in under 3 hours.
12. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003): This movie is one of the most beautifully filmed Korean movies I have seen. The movie is about a Buddhist monk that lives in a monastery that floats on a lake. The film shows the seasons of life that the monk lived through from childhood to old age to reach the point in life where he found himself floating on a lake.
13. Tae Guk Gi – The Brotherhood of War (2004): This war movie is known as Korea’s “Saving Private Ryan”. Much of the filming techniques used in the movie are similar to Spielberg’s style. However, the plots of the two movies are very different since Taeguki follows the story of how two brothers end up fighting against each other during the Korean War.
14 Attack the Gas Station (1999): This older Korean comedy is about gang of unemployed young punks who out of boredom decide to rob a gas station and hold its owner and employees hostage after finding little money to steal. The inept punks decide they can make more money by selling people gas instead. As the thugs sell gas they meet many different types of customers, some good and some bad, but their ineptness running a gas station soon gets them into more trouble and a lot of laughs along the way.
15. Silmido (2003): Probably the most incredible thing about this Korean action film is that the events depicted in it actually happened. The movie depicts how a commando unit of ex-cons were brutally trained to infiltrate North Korea and kill Kim Il-sung. However, before they can be sent to execute their mission peace talks between the two countries begin and the commandoes are left imprisoned on Silmido island. Tired of being imprisoned they decide to escape their island prison and launch a battle through the streets of Seoul in 1971.
16. Northern Limit Line (2015): This movie shows the tragic events leading up to and during the 2nd Battle of Yeonpyeong where six ROK sailors were killed and 18 more wounded by an North Korean ambush across the maritime border between the two countries known as the Northern Limit Line. The movie does not get into the post-incident politics of this ambush which were nearly as disgraceful as the attack itself.
17. Chunhyang (2000): This is yet another Im Kwon-taek film on my list. This movie is based on an old Korean folk tale from 18th century Korea about a girl named Chunhyang who secretly marries the son of a regional governor. Her husband leaves for Seoul with his dad and the new governor wants Chunhyang for himself. She refuses his advances and is imprisoned and flogged by the governor. The movie is told through the traditional pansori folk music technique which really adds to the drama of the movie.
18. Silenced (2011): This is another movie based on real life events when students at the Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired were victims of repeated sexual assaults by the faculty. The film depicts how the Korean court process victimized the abused children all over again. A disturbing movie made even more disturbing by the fact it really did happen.
19. Mother (2009): This movie is about how a Korean mother fights to prove that her mentally challenged son is innocent of murdering a young girl. The movie is very well acted and like many Korean movies of this genre it has a plot twist at the end.
20. The Chaser (2008): This thriller is loosely based on the real life Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul. The movie follows how an ex-detective turned pimp tries to track down the person who has last seen his missing prostitutes. If anyone is wondering a group of pimps in real life really did track down the serial killer since the cops put little effort into the case. Note that this movie is extremely violent and bloody so it may not be for everyone.
A standard THAAD battery comes with six launchers, you would think the President’s staff would know this, even Wikipedia knows this:
A Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery launcher is being installed on a former golf course in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday. /Yonhap
South Korea’s presidential office made it clear Tuesday that it has not received any formal briefing from the defense ministry on the presence of additional THAAD rocket launchers here.
The ministry said it has already briefed Cheong Wa Dae on the issue, responding to President Moon Jae-in’s call for a probe into the matter related to the allies’ missile defense system.
Moon said it’s “very shocking” that the ministry had kept secret or did not announce the introduction of four more THAAD rocket launchers, according to his spokesman Yoon Young-chan. The equipment arrived in Korea apparently weeks or months ago.
A ministry official, however, said Wee Seung-ho, deputy minister for policy, briefed Moon’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong on pending defense issues last Friday.
“At that time, he reported the entry of four additional launchers (into South Korea),” the official said on the condition of anonymity, adding it reflects the ministry’s official position.
Moon’s office refuted the ministry’s statement.
There was no report on the extra THAAD launchers waiting to be installed at a former golf course in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, which has been chosen as the THAAD site, said Cheong Wa Dae.
One thing that seems certain is that Moon did not receive any briefing on the subject during his visit to the ministry a week after taking office. It’s not clear whether he first raised the THAAD issue.
The State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, a de-facto transition team for Moon, also said that it was told about only two THAAD launchers in operation, not about the other four, when receiving a briefing from the ministry.
The truth behind the dispute remains unconfirmed. [Yonhap]
The Joong Ang Ilbo is reporting that the Defense Ministry may be trying avoid an environmental assessment for the four launchers:
“The president was briefed that four launchers, in addition to the two already installed in Seongju, were clandestinely brought in and stored in Korea,” Yoon Young-chan, senior secretary for public relations, said Tuesday. “Today, Moon ordered his senior secretary for civil affairs and chief of the national security office to conduct a thorough investigation over how the four additional launchers were brought in.” (…….)
“Moon asked his aides to investigate why the four additional launchers were brought in, who made the decision, why it was not made public and why the new administration was not told about it,” Yoon said. “He also ordered that the investigation must look into the suspicion that the four launchers were kept secret in order to avoid an environmental impact assessment.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
If an environmental assessment was done for two launchers, what difference would four more make? They have to tear up a few more putting greens to put them in? It is not like an old growth rain forest needs to be cut down to put the launchers in.
You can read more at the link, but I would not be surprised if this is a political show to demonstrate to Moon’s supporters that the new administration is going to get tough on the Defense Ministry in regards to the THAAD deployment without actually changing the decision.
