Over the line?

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300013.html

N. Korean Cartoon Show in Hamfisted Attack on Rice
Pyongyang Broadcasting on Monday got personal when it attacked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in terms that more enlightened societies would consider frankly sexist, calling the chief diplomat, who famously described the Stalinist country as an “outpost of tyranny”, a "hen" and a "bitch".
"There is incessant fighting in a house being ruined with a hen running amok, that is to say, there is incessant fighting in the White House, and the White House is clearly showing signs of ruin,” a laugh-a-minute cartoon program on the state-run channel said. It said a U.S. magazine had compared the relationship between Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to that between a "strong-willed hen" and a "rooster that has been pushed aside by the hen."
The channel did not identify the magazine. The South Korean Unification Ministry said, "North Korea frequently quotes the foreign press, but almost never makes public the source."
Pyongyang Broadcasting offered more gems of totalitarian wit when it elaborated that Rice, “who was cackling like a hen on her eggs that she had acknowledged North Korea as a sovereign state after we thrashed her for gravely insulting our republic as an 'outpost of tyranny' in February, recently did a crazy thing by calling us a 'frightening regime.'" It said Rice was "howling like a bitch at the beach." A Unification Ministry official said, "There are feudal vestiges in North Korean society, but it's rare for the North to be publicly derogatory to women."

While I'm not a fan of Rice, I do believe that name calling (from a state agency) is a low form of diplomacy. Hmmmm, can it can make for interesting comedies! ;)

Iraq Insurgents in First Attack on Korean Troops

Iraq Insurgents in First Attack on Korean Troops
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300017.html
Korea's Zaytun Division in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil took cover late Sunday evening when four shells presumably fired by insurgents landed near the unit's base compound, the first direct attack on Korean troops since they were deployed to the area last September. There were no casualties among Korean soldiers or civilians, but the division's activity is likely to be curtailed for some time.
"At around 11:00 p.m., there were blasts and flames as two shells landed in wheat fields 500 m south of the Zaytun Division base walls, and two more shells fell in the wheat fields about 200 m south of the base five minutes later,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.
Military authorities believe the blasts likely came from Soviet-made Katyusha rockets and 82 mm mortar shells.
A JCS official said, "Insurgent forces are presumed to have fled immediately after launching vehicle-carried rockets and mortars about 4-5 km away from the base walls." Kurdish militia forces have set up checkpoints and are patrolling the area 3-5 km outside the base walls.
Immediately after the incident, the Zaytun Division beefed up security and took shelter in underground entrenchments.
At 11:40 p.m., U.S. helicopters started searching the area.
The incident follows suspension of the Zaytun Division's civil operations after a May 4 car bombing of a police recruitment station in downtown Irbil and intelligence of possible attacks on Korean troops. Meanwhile, political controversy is also possible over whether to accept a UN request for Korean troops to guard an office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) being constructed in downtown Arbil.

I have been wondering how long the Koreans could stay in Iraq without getting some blood on their hands. War is a dirty business and I'm still shocked that this "squeaky clean" image has been holding up for the Zaytun unit. I'm guessing that the killing of a civilian a month back (actually the news broke in april but the shooting was months before)
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2005/4/koreakurdistan2.htm
April 14, 2005 ㅡ Five months after an Iraqi Kurdish militiaman was accidentally shot by a South Korean soldier, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff made the incident public yesterday. According to an officer on the staff, on Dec. 7, a day before South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun paid a surprise visit to South Korean troops at their base near Irbil in nothern Iraq, a South Korean soldier, identified only by his last name Hong, mistakenly discharged his K-2 rifle and hit a Kurdish militiaman who was helping guard the South Korean compound.

The Korean soldier was apparently unaware that his rifle contained live ammunition. Depending on the security situation, South Korean soldiers carry live ammunition, but do not load it, or just carry rifles without ammunition. The soldier is serving an 18- month prison term for negligence. Compensation of $10,000 was paid to the family of the Kurdish man.

Coming out of the Closet

There is a dirty little secret in Korean politics that I'm going to give you a peak at. Are you ready? Can you handle what I am about to say?

Roh Moo-hyun is a closet Communist! There I said it. And before you get all funny on me i'll try to explain a bit further.

When I call him a "commie" it has only so much to do with his economic planning. More so I am refering to his wanton promotion of seemingly "Northen Ideals".

Just reading through the papers today I have discovered a number of interesting pieces.

Roh Attacks Domestic and International Press
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300015.html
Roh called for "institutional mechanisms that can hold in check the misuse of media authority” including "democratic control structures", saying only if those were in place were newspapers qualified to supervise and criticize. He warned a press that was biased toward the values or interests of a particular “controlling group” should not be allowed to dominate the market.

"Newspapers need to look back to see whether they did not cause tensions between nations by ceaselessly exaggerating suspicions about weapons of mass destruction." Observers say that this statement was aimed at how the U.S. media has been reporting on the North Korean nuclear issue

OK, so in and of itself this is not breathtaking news. The problem really lies in the fact that the newpapers he's trying to "put down" oppose him. it has only so much to do with "dmocracy" as he would like to say, but more to do with silencing the opposition.

S. Korea Sets up Task Force for Inter-Korean Celebration
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505300008.html
The South Korean government on Sunday set up a task force to prepare for the four-day celebration in Pyongyang starting June 14. The move comes a day after the two countries agreed on which and how many officials from both sides of the border will attend the event. Each government will send a 20-member delegation, headed by a ministerial-level official.

So, the ROK cannot seem to get the NORKS back to the 6 party talks nor have them stop beating on their citizens while making nuclear weapons BUT they sure can get them together for a party! Hmmm, I wonder who is bringing the food?

Economic Slump Haunts Korea
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200505/kt2005053019064311950.htm
Finance-Economy Minister Han Duck-soo warned that the economy may fall into a long-term slump as industrial output and other key data are turning worse before getting better.
The top policymaker also for the first time acknowledged that the country will could miss its 5 percent growth goal this year.

Well, we all know that the economy cannot be blamed on the president. I mean, come on, can we really expect him to take the reigns and lead the country to prosperity?? Nope, instead he would like us to focus on Dokdo, or Koreyo, or the US, or anything but the lagging economy and "the situation up north".

Epithets increase tension over Korea
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/30/news/korea.php
Officials said President Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea would not want to discuss economic sanctions against North Korea when he meets with President George W. Bush in Washington on June 10. At the same time, South Korean officials urged North Korea not to miss the opportunity for a diplomatic settlement.

So here is an opportunity for "two allies" to get together and truely be on the same page in dealing with the DPRK. The problem is that Roh/Noh truely doesn't want to solve any problem. In fact i believe the only problem he see's is that fact that the world is looking at the nuclear issue instead of focussing on how well the "Hub of Asia" is doing.

President Roh plays golf with chiefs of three key state bodies
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050529/410100000020050529184240E0.html
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- President Roh Moo-hyun met with the heads of the three major state bodies on Sunday, not at his office but on the green, Roh's aides said.Kim Man-soo, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman, said Roh played a round of golf with National Assembly Speaker Kim One-ki, Chief Justice Choi Jong-young and Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan at a private golf course in Gyeonggi Province.

So, while the economy continues to lag, and while millions of North Koreans lack proper nourishment, Roh decides the best way to get a handle on the situation is ... to go golfing! Man, if only he could invite Kim Jeong Ill along they might have really had a hoot! heck, if they really wanted to whup it up, they could have all went and got eye surgery (oh wait, Roh did that earlier in the year).

Roh pledges to develop S. Korea into regional financial hub
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050527/410100000020050527100016E3.html
"We will no longer discriminate against foreign financial institutions as we are greatly enhancing fairness and transparency of the market and boldly abolishing unreasonable regulations."

What a joke! A few weeks ago they were tlaking about limiting foreign investment, now they are saying that they will abolish unreasonable regulations!!?? Hah! When was the last time one of these guys actually walked into an immigration office and had to deal with the red tape that is the foreigners lot in life here in korea?

S. Korean ship carrying fertilizer aid leaves for N. Korean port
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050528/430100000020050528193859E5.html
GUNSAN, South Korea, May 28 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean ship departed for a North Korean port to deliver part of fertilizer aid Seoul agreed to provide at an inter-Korean meeting earlier in the month, government officials said Saturday.The 3,900-ton Pioneer Kona left Gunsan port, 270 kilometers southwest of Seoul in North Jeolla Province, at 5:15 p.m., according to the officials.

So, the South wanted the North to come and talk. what better way than to PAY THEM! heck, it worked before in 2000, why not now right? Just in time for DPRK planting season AND for summit season. I hope the brass up North have polished their bottoms cuz' it's ass kissin' time!

O, so this wasn't the best news day to prove Roh a "Commie". I KNOW there will be other days and other quotes. instead today I'll have to be satisfied with showing him to be a pathetic leader.


wippee

I didn't see a thing.

Well, it seems the "kids" are back at it.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050529/610000000020050529221823E2.html
Anti-U.S. rally leaves 12 seriously injured
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- Thousands of student activists took part in protests in Seoul on Sunday, calling for the withdrawal of United States troops here and the renunciation of the U.S.' hostile policy toward North Korea.

City center traffic was halted for hours as demonstrators marched through the streets.Demonstrators tried to physically surround the U.S. military headquarters in Yongsan before attempting to enter the compound.

Scuffles with riot police left more than 20 protesters arrested, with 12 being seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital.A reporter covering the demonstration for a local newspaper was also sent to hospital after being hit by a stone hurled by a protester.Demonstrators also gathered near the U.S. embassy in Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul and criticized the U.S. ambassador to South Korea for refusing their demands for public discussion.

Sunday's rally was the largest-scale anti-U.S. protest of late. Such demonstrations, routine in the 1980s and 1990s when they were often put down by riot police and tear gas, had been largely replaced by more peaceful candlelight vigils in recent years.

I'm not sure who organized it or for what exact purpose, but generally I'm not a fan of student demonstrations (especially violent ones). For some, students represent the balancing force. Something akin to a "pure moral compass". However for me they seem more like a bunch of idealistic punks, who often have conflicting ideas in their heads with no real basis in reality.

The truth is, most of these kids would give their left nut to study/live in the States. Does that mean they shouldn't protest? No. But it often hints at an odd conflict; they believe the US is evil but yet they gobble up that same ideal (in the form of consumerism usually). None of them have the true conviction to actually ... permanently, press against the US.

What usually happens is, they get wise, get a job, buy a house, and start to realize something;

That stability is what people 30+ want. Stability for their investments, future and family.

These will be the same adults who now look at these demonstrations with detachment and disinterest. Stop jumping on the band-wagon students! Wake up and get some foresight!

Can-Norks??

Hmmm this is interesting...
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050527/410100000020050527221222E6.html
Senior N. Korean diplomat to visit Toronto
TORONTO, May 27 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean diplomat stationed in New York will visit Toronto next week for a lecture on Korean Peninsula issues, a report said Friday.Amb. Park Gil-yon, chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, will deliver a speech at a York University seminar on June 2, the Korea Times Canada, a Korean-language paper affiliated with Seoul's Hankook Ilbo, reported.

I seriously wonder what the heck he is going to speak about. How to make Canada into the Socialist utopia? How to live on 2kg of rice for one year? How to have a party or leader rule for decades (oh, wait, Canada already has that)?

Did I ever mention that last time I was in Calgary I ran into some North Koreans? They were at the airport heading back east. I tried to talk to them (in Korean) but they would have none of me. My wife was no help either as she seriously despises them. I eventually got out of their handler that they were in Alberta to study potato farming.

Ok, so the Canadians taught them about potatoes, what did the Norks teach us?

Let's talk about...

I try to stay away from sex (on this Blog), but this definately qualifies as Korean news and of course, it's interesting. I've "bolded" some parts.

Quarter of Korean Students Sexually Active
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505250014.html
Little more than a quarter of university students have had sex, and most of those first slept with their partner within six months of meeting them, a Chosun Ilbo survey of university students has found. They limit themselves to about five times a month.
The survey investigated the sexual attitudes of 1,276 students at universities in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Wow, "limiting yourself" to only 5 times a month, that is quite some will power. Seriously though, with all the activities these students do, i'm impressed they manage 5 times a month.

Only 354 of the 1,276 -- 27.7 percent -- said they were sexually experienced. About half of them -- 46.3 percent or 164 respondents -- had their first sexual experience when they were 20-21, but a third of the group had their first sexual experiences in middle or high school.
Yup, I've been wondering when this is gonna' catch on. The youth of today (in Korea) are way more savy than their parents in ALL issues. They have access to the internet and each other. I'm cringing to hear about the future rise in teen pregnancy.

Of the 175 that said they are having sex, 30 said they thought of their bedfellow as "just a sexual partner."
Hmmm, this musta' come from tha movie "Singles" or something.

Overall, students appeared fairly liberated in their attitudes, with a robust 61.1 percent (780 respondents) saying they were against the idea of chastity before marriage at least in theory, while 40.9 (522 respondents) said it was possible for men and women to live together without getting married. An overwhelming 85.3 percent (1,088 respondents) said they did not think it necessary for two people to get married if they have slept together.

Asked if prostitution helps prevent sex crimes such as rape, most men or 51 percent said yes, but most women or 65.5 percent said no.
I have NEVER figured out why anybody would think that prostitution prevents crime. Actually, I don't think I've heard of this premis before coming to Korea.

Respondents revealed gaps in Korea’s sex education, with only 36.8 percent saying such classes were helpful in improving their understanding of sex. Among students who found out about the birds and the bees from other sources, 58.5 percent of women fingered friends, and 55 percent of men the Internet.
OK, I had to BOLD that one. But seriously, from the Koreans I've talked to, their sex-ed is a joke. I'm glad they finally started carying the Discovery Channel on Skylife. Maybe now they will all figure out that the gestation period is 9 months and NOT 10!

"At a time when open and conservative attitudes toward sex coexist in Korea, we need social agreement concerning the sexual culture of the young and adolescent sex education,” said Prof Kang Suk-ja, a women’s studies expert at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Safe Nukes?

N.K. says its nuclear power guarantees peace in Asia

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050524/630000000020050524115207E3.html

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea claimed on Tuesday that its nuclear capability serves as a deterrent and a fundamental guarantor of peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.

"Our possession of nuclear weapons is the best option to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity from the escalating U.S. nuclear maneuver to crush the Republic (North Korea) and realize a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,"

Well, I for one feel safer! Honestly though, if one was to look at the question from the DPRKs perspective, you might start to understand their logic. The majority of them have been raised with the belief that the South started the war. That, coupled with the fact that the US has been the only nation to use Nuclear weapons in a time of war, gives them the heebee-jeebees.

Honestly though, I think their reliance on conventional arms has more than bankrupted them. They lack any serious striking mobility and as such lack any real bargaining force. They "may" be able to invade the South, but their ability to loose weapons on the continental US is nil. With bringing the Nuclear card once again to the table, coupled with memories of missile tests not so long ago, the DPRK is once again trying to stand out and get some attention. It seems to be working, everyone's listening.

A sad state

Well, as my journeys now bring me into Seoul more often, I am routinely in and around Seoul Station. I get the pleasure of seeing some interesting architecture.

But I am all too often confronted by the "reality" of the lower classes there. The place is "swarming" with homeless and the destitute. It's one of those places that you would most likely "just put your head down and walk quickly" through. it's a shame though because I'm sure that there is something to be learned in it all, it's just tough to be the one standing there asking the questions.

Here is a sad article I came across one just one of their stories.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/exclusive/200412/kt2004122617412763570.htm
Jun-ho is 13 years old. He looks just like any ordinary schoolboy in the sixth grade, but he has not gone to school for about two months.
He is among some 300 homeless who live around Seoul Station, having spent seven years on the streets with his father.

Most homeless are middle-aged or older and sleep lying on the cold, bare floor of subway stations or underground passes.
However, when people look at the clean face and clothes of Jun-ho (not his real name), they might think that he is a boy living in the neighborhood just wandering around.
But instead of a toy, he holds a bottle of ``soju,'' or traditional Korean liquor, showing that he has another story to tell.

The bottle is not his own. ``I just wanted to take the bottle away from my dad,'' he said.
Jun-ho has spent seven years moving from one place to another, including different shelters, subway stations and tiny, tattered rooms called ``chokpang'' in Korean, which can barely hold two people and an old-fashioned television set.

His father's small restaurant in Chonan, South Chungchong Province, went out of business after being hit hard by the 1997 Asian financial turmoil.
They were unable to stay in a shelter for long because his 56-year-old father, an alcoholic, could not adjust to the shelter's regulations.
It is a good day if Jun-ho and his father make 8,000 won (around $7), the money needed to rent a chokpang for a night.

``We pay an extra 1,000 won for more water so I can help my boy keep neat and clean although he often has to sleep on the streets,'' the father said.
He said it had been over three years since he made any money through physical labor. After attempts to make a living shining shoes near Kuro and Seoul station ended in failure, he has managed to get by each day begging with his son.
Although the boy has been a vagabond for the last seven years, he is a sixth grader at an elementary school in Pongchon-dong, southwestern Seoul.
However, the boy has not attended classes for around two months, his teacher said.
Children are generally able to adapt to new environments very quickly and Jun-ho is no exception.

The streetwise boy seems to have already adjusted himself to the hardships, taking it as a matter of course.
Jun-ho said he does not want to complain about his life, although spending a night at a warm chokpang is much better than sleeping in the subway station.
``We tried sending Jun-ho to a welfare facility, but it didn't work since he prefers to live with his father and he's already accustomed to that way of living,'' his teacher said. However, he admitted he has not seen how and where the boy lives.

According to his teacher, the only subject Jun-ho does well in is social science, not because the boy likes to read textbooks, but because reading magazines is one of the few things he can do to kill time until the subway station gets quiet enough to sleep at midnight.
The boy's father is one of the 3.65 million credit defaulters in the nation, having around 30 million won in debts. His father said the boy's mother, who left the family four years ago after three years on the street, has an additional 60 million won in debts.

``Jun-ho will graduate from primary school in February, but I don't have any way of buying him a uniform for junior high school,'' the father explained.
According to statistics compiled by the Korea Support Center for the Homeless, the number of homeless in Seoul rose to 672 this month from 596 in June. It stood at 532 in 2003, 444 in 2002 and 263 in 2001.

When those living in shelters run by the government, civic groups and religious organizations are included, the figure could be as high as 2,801 this month, up from 1,962 in June.
For those interested in offering financial or other support for Jun-ho, please call (02)-724-2359.

My girl (the other one)

Park Geun-hye is in China right now and trying to garner support in leading the DPRK away from the nuclear void. I have always found her to be a very grounded a deep individual. I heard that after her father was killed she spent a decade or two in solitute, studying and writing. i would like to get my hands on a biography of her.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050523/610000000020050523221010E9.html
Chinese official warns N.K. not to pursue nuclear ambitions
BEIJING, May 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea was warned by a Chinese official not to pursue its nuclear program, a spokesman for South Korea's main opposition party said Monday."Wang Jiarui said that Beijing's foreign policy toward the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, and this entails a nuclear-free, stable region," Grand National Party (GNP) spokeswoman Chun Yu-ok told reporters. Wang is head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.Chun, who was present during talks between GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye and Wang in Beijing, added that he told North Korean leader Kim Jong-il of China's position.
Apparently she will be there for 6 days.
Hopefully she'll get that meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and get her face in a few photo's. I'm not a big fan of "politiking" this early out but i think Chung wil be all over any phot shoots with the bad hair man in the north later this year (if he gets his visit approved).

More thoughts on the Eloi and Morlocks

Well, I happened upon an article awhile back and it got me thinking...

Ok, I'm lying. I didn't think much of it at all actually. Not at first. For the most part I just thought that "body makeup" was another dumb trend. That is until I saw all the advertising in the subways and started to wonder, are the South Koreans becoming more and more like the Eloi?

The Eloi in H G Wells, "the Time Machine" the Eloi were a beautiful race without a care in the world. Nothing in their environment worried them and they had a singular drive in life; pleasure.

Hmmmm, maybe the "beautiful people" wore beautiful makeup?


So what does that leave the North Koreans looking like?

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200505/200505120018.html

Pushed away from the table?

It seems that the US may have had enough of the "unwelcome dinner guest" that is the DPRK.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200505/kt2005052220031411960.htm
US Denies Halting Food Aid to NK
The United States has denied a report that it has halted food aid to North Korea amid a deepening standoff over the impoverished communist country’s nuclear weapons programs.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said a Wall Street Journal article claiming Washington had stopped its food donations to the North is incorrect.
``We’ve completed last year’s shipments of 50,000 tons and we’re considering what we might want to do this year,’’ he told reporters at a regular briefing in Washington on Friday.

He also said
``It doesn't have to do with the comings and goings and rise and fall of six-party talks or any other issue like that,’’ he said, referring to the stalled nuclear negotiations with the North.
``We do want to help the people of North Korea and make sure the people who are in need get the food that they need,’’ he said.

Interesting seeing as how there are "talks" on the go right now (ok, maybe not real talks but there are a few meetings between the parties)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8548932

Now I know that the food aid is supposed to help the PEOPLE of North korea. And that, for the most part, the WFP and other respective parties have peoples interests in mind (well, let's hope), but from all the defector testimony I've read over the last few weeks I really doubt ANY is getting to "the people".

The simple truth is that any food sent to the North is first picked over by party officials, then sent to distribution centers where the Army takes its fair share, then divied out to the people. By the time the average person gets his hands on the bag of rice, all he's got left is the bag to eat. Strike that, chances are the DPRK would have changed the bag so no one would know it was aid from outside and not a Juche effort.

Surprise surprise...

Well it seems that Mr Chong is getting his wish and having a go at the North Koreans. This will really be his time to shine and get his face on many a postcard. Seriously, I am not looking forward to seeing his mug plastered along side that of Kim Jon Ill.


http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050520/610000000020050520135501E4.html
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government plans to urge North Korea to return to the six-way talks over its nuclear weapons program in the upcoming inter-Korean talks, the country's point man on North Korea said Friday.Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said he will try to persuade Pyongyang that the six-way talks are the only solution to the nuclear standoff. Chung is to lead a delegation to Cabinet-level talks in Seoul from June 21 through June 24...

The unification minister has also been named to lead a 30-member government delegation to a ceremony in Pyongyang marking the fifth anniversary of the meeting between former president Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

And will ya look at this! I could have sworn a few days ago I would be expecting some news on the South sending food aide to the North. There always seems to be a price in getting the DPRK to the table. It's a shame it's always the ROK that's paying it.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050520/610000000020050520164134E6.html
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Fifty South Korean trucks assembled near the tense border with North Korea Friday to deliver emergency fertilizer aid to the impoverished communist country, Seoul officials said.The overland shipment is part of 200,000 tons of fertilizer South Korea has promised to give to the North free during the just concluded border meeting. Seoul plans to send 10,000 tons across the land border and the remainder by ship.

For future reference

Edit: I'm adding a few more books to this list.
THE COMING COLLAPSE OF CHINA

Crisis in North Korea


Just to make note, I've been doing a fair bit of reading on the marmot's lately and have been more than impressed by the discussion regarding the Gwangju Uprising.
http://blog.marmot.cc/archives/2005/05/18/gwangju-uprising-day-1/

Some great points were made by many and I've been inspired to read up more on the event.
Bulsagari (who can be found here)
http://populargusts.blogspot.com/

made mention of a potentially interesting book.
http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/cart/shopcore/?db_name=uhpress&page=shop/flypage&product_sku=0-8248-2543-8


I'll have to make sure I order it next time I'm at http://www.whatthebook.com/

(ok, enough links for tonight)

Holy fudge nuckets!!

How long will it take until someone stands up and tells this idiot that he is not the president!!??

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050518/410100000020050518215212E7.html
S. Korea's unification minister to visit Japan next week
SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will make a trip to Tokyo, Japan, on May 25 to deliver a lecture on South Korea's regional policy, officials said Wednesday. Chung is to give a speech at the Nikkei Forum titled "South Korea's choice for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia" during his two-day visit at the invitation of the forum. He will return to Seoul on May 26.

He has done little to promote anything other than his own career. 'F' him and the horse he rode in on. I hope that those over 50 are still alive to see him run in the next election and to remember the asshattery he's done in the past.

Gotta love 'dem tanks

Sometimes the purely massive size of a tank just impresses me.

S. Korea develops advanced infantry fighting vehicle
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea unveiled a prototype of an advanced armored vehicle equipped with guided anti-tank missiles, a large-caliber gun and a laser warning system, a state-run institute said Tuesday.

The infantry fighting vehicle that is expected to reach frontline armored units of the South Korean military, starting in 2008, is part of a broader arms buildup program, said Choi Chang-kon, a researcher at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

The vehicle that can accommodate 12 troops is armed with such sophisticated weapons systems as anti-tank "fire-and-forget" missiles, a 40mm automatic main gun and co-axial 7.62mm machine guns, the researcher said in a press briefing.He added that the main gun will permit the next-generation vehicle to engage most armored personnel carriers and even helicopters at some distances.The K200 armored personal carrier, currently being used by South Korea, is armed with a 12.7mm machine gun and is designed primarily to deal with "soft-skinned" vehicles like trucks and close-range aerial defense.

The vehicle is also amphibious and equipped with a "friend or foe" identification system, a laser warning system, ultraviolet sensors and other high-tech systems, Choi said."We expect this to be the world's best armored vehicle, superior to the U.S. M2 Bradley and Russia's BMP-3," he said.Choi said the new armored vehicle will be cheaper and lighter than its foreign counterparts. The South Korean vehicle will cost US$2.5 million and weigh 25 tons, while the M2 Bradley costs $4.5 million and weighs 33 tons, he added.

The South Korean armored vehicle is capable of moving at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers an hour on paved roads, 40 km/h on off-road surfaces and propel itself at 6 km/h in water, he said."We can export the vehicle to Middle Eastern and Central and South American countries. It has export competitiveness," Choi said.South Korea has spent 91 billion won ($90.2 million) since 1999to produce the vehicle, he said.The ADD is expected to hold an official unveiling ceremony for the three prototypes of the new vehicle on Thursday in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

I'm impressed. The thing is, I wish they'd show a pic with more than just one. Something like this...

Tunnels... oh my!

Over at the marmot's Hole and interesting piece was posted that I thought deserved being snatched.

http://blog.marmot.cc/archives/2005/05/15/nk-has-547km-of-underground-tunnels/

The original piece is in Korean but marmot was nice enough to offer a little translation.
http://news.naver.com/hotissue/daily_read.php?section_id=100&office_id=025&article_id=0000556644&datetime=2005051406510556644
[Lee Yeong-jong, Kim Jeong-uk: JoongAng Ilbo] Mr. L, who visited North Korea not so long ago on business, witnessed a surprising scene on the road linking downtown Pyongyang with Sunan Air Base. In the early morning, a long line of residents could be seen leading up to near a hill about 1km off the main road, where it then suddenly vanished. Thousands of male and female laborers and soldiers in uniform were entering this one area as if they were being sucked into a black hole. The area where the progression disappeared seemed suspicious, as there were no facilities of any kind; just armed guards carrying red flags. Mr. L’s suspicions were cleared up only when he returned to Seoul and authorities explained to him that the place “was an underground facility presumed to be where North Korea produces munitions.” During a conversation with members of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Friday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said the underground tunnel in Kilju, North Hamgyeong Province was one of these underground facilities constructed all across North Korea.
Underground fortresses everywhere —> According to relevant authorities, North Korea has built military-related underground facilities in 8,200 places. North Korea is also moving major facilities beneath the earth, having moved about 180 major munitions factories underground in the late 1990s. There are even air bases where runways penetrate whole mountains. North Korea is evaluated at being among the world’s best at constructing underground facilities.
An intelligence official said Friday, “North Korean underground facilities larger than a set standard have been under joint U.S.-South Korean surveillance for the last 10 years… When there’s a lot of activity, such as a large amount of dirt and sand resulting from digging, the site becomes a target of intense surveillance.”

North Korea has also turned a tidy profit from its ditch digging. In 1998, a U.S. spy satellite (KH-11) picked up thousands of soldiers conducting work at an underground facility at Kumchang-ni. In order to pay a confirmation to the site, which was suspected to be a nuclear facility, the U.S. paid “the world’s greatest admission fee” of 600,000 tons of rice, but an inspection team turned up nothing other than an empty cave.

North Korea spends a lot on building and maintaining underground facilities. Its underground munitions factories, the building of which began full-scale in the 1970s, suffer from serious problems due to the country’s antiquated power grid. This is related to the fact that the power grid losses about 30 percent of the North’s real annual electricity consumption of roughly 12 billion kWh (Unification Ministry figure). Intelligence officials figure there have also been a string of large-scale disasters involving explosives at the underground munitions plants, where the environment is poor due to dampness and other factors.

Kilju, according to NIS —> During a closed-door talk on Friday, NIS head Ko Young-kooc said, “South Korea and the U.S. have been monitoring signs of digging at a tunnel of indeterminate use in the Kilju area from the late 1990s.” He reported, however, “There is no evidence as of yet of signs of a nuclear test.” According to ruling and opposition lawmakers with the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Ko reported, “Some media reports that claimed signs had been detected of preparations for a nuclear test, like indications the tunnel in Kilju was being sealed up and a viewing stand constructed, were not factual.”

All Ko would say was, “The U.S. used to conduct underground nuclear tests in vertical and horizontal tunnels, and India and Pakistan did the same… The Kilju area has a rock floor, so it’s a good environment for a nuclear test.” He said, however, “For it to be for a nuclear test, we need to detect an observatory and additional facilities and a lot of people and supplies, but we haven’t detected any of this.”

I was just reading about a defectors testimony regarding North Korean tunnels. He had stated that there were massive tunnels with makeshirt cities in them resembling those in the South. They would be used to train intelligence officers in the "intricacies" of South Korea.

Man, I'm starting to really believe the whole "Morlocks and Eloi" thing.

Difference is living conditions, skin color, eating habits, hmmm, it all fits.

Do you really want them "back at the table"?

In the news lately there has been a lot of hubabaloo about bringing the North (DPRK) back to the negotiating table. Whether it be the six-party talks or inter-korean dialogue, people seem to really want the north back at the table.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050516/630000000020050516173046E0.html
Two Koreas resume high-level talks amid nuclear row
KAESONG, North Korea, May 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea promised Monday to make a new "important" proposal to help resolve the growing tension over North Korea's nuclear weapons program if the communist country returns to the dialogue table, Seoul officials said. The 31-month nuclear standoff was a key topic at two days of inter-Korean talks which reopened at the North's border city of Kaesong on Monday after a 10-month hiatus, they said."We told the North Korean side that if it comes out to the dialogue table, we'll make important proposals for practical gains in talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue," the chief South Korean delegate, Rhee Bong-jo, told reporters after a series of talks with North Korean officials...

Ok, so they got to talk. I seriously wonder though, was any price paid? Was anything offered to the North to get them to come back to the table?

North Korea shunned direct mention of its nuclear program but "carefully listened" to the South Korean proposal, Rhee said after the main meeting which lasted one hour. He later met his North Korean counterpart, Kim Man-gil, privately.

So they came back... but didn't talk much. Ok, maybe they just came for the food?

Um... now that I mentioned food, it got me thinking. I was just joking about having a free lunch, maybe the DPRK guys got to try some new Lotte hamburgers or something but now I wonder if FOOD was more of an issue. I know that the Souths food aid has been in "slight" jeopardy and maybe the North had that dangled in front of them. Hmmm, we'll have to see if any news in the next few weeks hints at food aide.

Ok, I'm a generous enough guy. I give what I can, when I can. But I have to wonder, how long until you stop inviting some if they've walked away far too many times without a "thank you"?

GNP is making its move

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050517/610000000020050517113339E0.html
GNP calls for public consent on 'important proposal' for N. Korea
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- The country's main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) said Tuesday that the government should obtain parliamentary approval before making any serious proposals to North Korea."(The government) says it is willing to present an important proposal for the North if it returns to the six-party talks... There must first be public consensus on what the proposal may be," said Rep. Kang Jae-sup, floor leader of the GNP.

You can read the rest on your own but basically it notes that the GNP are making their move to rein in Noh and the Uri camp. I'm glad to hear that people are voicing an opinion about the ridiculous stuff coming out of the administration (or usually silince) in regards to N Korea and that they have a seat to do it. My worry is that the GNP will hang themselvs like what they did during the impeachment. If they are smart, they will let Noh and Uri dang blow in the wind, not letting them attain any acheivements while limiting their public involvement.

Thanks to some inspirational bloggers

I just recenly set up this site and wasn't quite ready to be "outted" but thanks to some bloggers that I know, apparently... I am out!

So, to any who visit from now on, thanks for any tips you can lend and any comments you leave.

And to the Marmot http://blog.marmot.cc/ "much respect man"

And my favorite Idiot http://idiotscollective.blogspot.com/ "please get rid of that picture of me you bastard!"

This time no one was hurt but...

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050514/410100000020050514190107E7.html
Coast Guard Seizes Chinese Boat for Violating S. Korea's EEZ
TAEAN, South Korea, May 14 (Yonhap) -- The Korea Coast Guard said Saturday that it has seized a Chinese fishing boat forviolating South Korea's western territorial waters. The maritime law enforcement agency said the 67-ton vessel was catching fish within South Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) without a proper log entry.

I believe it was last week that some Korean fishermen surrounded Chinese boats, "hooked 'em", and dragged them back to the coast guard. Apparently the navy boys must have been embarrassed because they've been out in full force ever since. Wait until they get a load of my rubber ducky.