Courtesy of the Marmot are these pictures which are some of the best photos from inside
North Korea I have ever seen. These pictures come from a Russian computer scientist Artemiy Lebedev who recently went to
North Korea. The webpage is in Russian, but who cares, the pictures are stunning and worth viewing. Below are all four links to view his photos.Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4
The New York Times is reporting that the Bush Administration is exploring the signing of a peace treaty with
North Korea:
As described by administration officials, none of whom would speak on the record about deliberations inside the White House, Mr. Bush’s aides envision starting negotiations over a formal peace treaty that would include the original signatories of the armistice ¿ China, North Korea and the United States, which signed on behalf of the United Nations. They would also add
South Korea, now the world’s 11th-largest economy, which declined to sign the original armistice.Japan, Korea’s colonial ruler in the first half of the 20th century, would be excluded, as would
Russia.A National Security Council spokesman declined to comment on any internal deliberations on
North Korea policy and referred all questions to the State Department, which has handled the negotiations with the North. The State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, declined to discuss the recommendations made to Mr. Bush and said, “The most important decision is with
North Korea ¿ and that is the strategic decision to give up their nuclear weapons program.”“They signed a joint statement,” he added, “but they have yet to demonstrate that they have made a decision to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.”
I wouldn’t put to much stock in this talk of a peace treaty.  I think the US may be trying to call
North Korea’s bluff because the Norks have long complained about not having a peace treaty signed. The Norks have no intentions of giving up all of their nuclear weapons because they ensure regime survival. I don’t think a peace treaty will cause the Norks to denuclearize because it is not in their interest to do so. Even a peace treaty that allows the Norks to keep the nukes they already have which is anywhere from 5-15 depending on what estimate your read is not in their interest as well. Why you ask? IMHO the North Koreans want to keep the US military in
Korea where they are currently at. The current status quo is perfect for them. The US military stationed in South Korea gives
North Korea legitimacy as a world threat not to be taken likely because the world’s lone super power is taking them seriously enough that they have 32,000 soldiers forward deployed to deal with them. So if the US is taking
North Korea so seriously, than why shouldn’t everyone else? This status quo allows the North Koreans to make outrageous demands for aid which are usually granted which keeps the regime a float.Additionally the majority of the US soldiers are located within North Korea’s artillery range which means if war did happen the US forces could be easily destroyed thus reducing the threat of an actual military intervention into
North Korea to rid them of their nuclear weapons program. It is best for North Korea to keep the
US forces right where they are at and a peace treaty would not keep this status quo. In other words, don’t get your hopes up.
These taxi cab related incidents are happening even more frequently than major alcohol related incidents though I wouldn’t be surprised alcohol was involved in this:
A U.S. soldier was detained and questioned by South Korean police Sunday for allegedly robbing a taxi driver and allegedly attempting to rob a second driver in Seoul, according to police officials.
The soldier, who police identified only as Private W, was released to U.S. military custody after the initial round of questions, police said.
They said the soldier threatened a taxi driver with a knife and a chunk of brick around 11:20 a.m. Sunday in Seoul’s Gangnam district. After stealing 70,000 won (about $70) from the man, police said he hailed a second cab and attempted to rob that driver. Police said they detained him on the scene.
Didn’t anyone learn anything from the sentence the Stuff ’em in the Trunk Gang received from the Korean courts? This idiot will rightfully go to jail if he did in fact commit the crime, but the important thing is that USFK needs to educate soldiers on what will happen to them if they mess with these cab drivers. I’m curious if this guy knew about what happened to the Stuff ’em in the Trunk gang? I have been saying this for awhile but it may be time to put non-AAFES taxi’s off limits from about 8PM to 6AM to keep the drunks away from the cab drivers at night. Pretty sad but that appears to be the best solution to solve this on going problem.
Be sure to read the latest Going to the Blogs article currently up over on the Joong Ang Ilbo website. This week the article focuses primarily on the violence currently going on outside of Camp Humphreys.
I knew it was only a matter of time before the anti-US groups protesting the Camp Humphreys expansion would bring up the “environmental damage” that the US causes to the environment in order to further delay the expansion.
Over the years, they had rebuilt their lives and started new farms. But it was difficult with the American base next door. In 2003, I climbed into the area’s irrigation canals with rice farmer Chong Tay Wah. They were filled with untreated oil run-off from the
U.S. base.“When the water comes from the U.S. base, the river turns black,” he explained, “and when it doesn’t rain much, the water is really, really black. This is the water that we use for our farming. Before, we could fish from the streams, but now we can’t because the fish all smell like oil and they’re black. It was very delicious before. I caught the fish and ate them, but it’s all over now.”
Under the Status of Forces Agreement that governs the American Army in South Korea, the
U.S. military is exempt from most environmental laws.Rice farmer Cong Taw Wah told me that most of the time the farmers had to clean up after the Army.
“When the oil is released into the stream, we take the oil out of the stream,” he said. “We put on rubber clothes, and we float paper on the stream. Because of the polluted water, when we enter the water we get hurt. It looks like mosquito bites. Our whole leg turns red. Then we burn the paper in a big fire, and the smoke goes up in the air.”
False information being put out once again. I don’t know if I can put this anymore clearly, but soldiers in the US Army cannot pour oil into a drainage ditch. The US military has stringent environmental standards enforced by civilians that work for USFK. I am willing to compare the environmental standards USFK follows to any ROK Army installation or a Korean industrial area. USFK bases are actually a oasis from the polluted environment that usually surrounds the compounds.
Look at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul as a perfect example. After that base is turned over the Korean government is talking about turning it into a park because it is so clean. The claims about USFK not following environmental laws because of the SOFA Agreement are similar to the claims that USFK personnel never get tried in Korean courts after committing crimes, yet USFK personnel are sentenced all the time in Korean courts and there is still a sizable group of people out there who think this does not happen. It is the same thing with these “environmental damage” claims. It is all about the big, bad SOFA Agreement again. Look for the anti-US groups to try and make this issue a second front in their campaign to drum up support from an increasingly disinterested Korean public.
Nomad said it well, it looks like the anti-US hate groups have a new rallying cry since their references to the 1980 Gwangju Massacre failed; they are now trying bring up the ghosts of the 2002 2ID tank accident in order to drum up support from the general Korean public:
The Pan-National Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases, a coalition of activists opposing the relocation of U.S. Forces Korea headquarters, is making plans for yet another large-scale protest at the site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on June 11. The coalition seems bent on invoking a 2002 accident in which a U.S. Army vehicle ran over two middle school students in nearby Yangju by staging the rally around the fourth anniversary of the deaths. The incident occurred on June 13, but the committee scheduled the demonstration on Sunday, June 11 to enable more people to attend.
It is interesting that they are going to use the tank accident as a rallying cry when one of the primary reasons for the base consolidation plan is to prevent these traffic accidents from ever happening again. These people are truly scum and should just let these two girls rest in peace.
It looks like Korea is looking to handle their own illegal immigration problem with their own version of an amnesty program:
Under the plan, illegal foreign workers would be allowed to stay in the country if their primary school children are “deemed considerably assimilated to life in South Korea,” the ministry said in a statement.
The plan, the ministry aid, “is designed to help children of illegal migrant workers complete at least six years of primary education.”
Even the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees the right to receive education, and the ministry will talk with other government agencies to draw up standards for their stay, a ministry official said.If the plan is finalized, the government will revise the immigration and other laws, or enact a special law, the official said.
Currently, about 190,000 illegal foreign workers, mostly from Southeast Asian countries, are estimated to be staying in the country. The South Korean government has been cracking down on them since 2004.
It looks like it is going to be another on post only weekend for the soldiers stationed on Camp Humphreys:
Officials of the Area III Support Activity at Camp Humphreys have imposed the following restrictions:
The town of Anjung-ri, whose bar and entertainment district is just outside the post front gates, is off limits Sunday.
Bus service on Sunday between Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base has been halted but shuttle buses running inside Camp Humphreys will not be affected.
Government vehicles are banned from driving off-post Sunday except for essential missions.
Pyeongtaek train station, adjacent shopping district, city hall and adjacent downtown areas are also off limits.
An off-limits restriction on travel in or between all villages bordering Camp Humphreys has been extended. The only exception is for people going to or from their homes.
Travel is banned along the northern perimeter road inside the camp, as well as walking, hiking, running or biking in the area west of Camp Humphreys to the Anjung River.
Officials also advised that Camp Long gates may close without notice and travel restrictions in the post vicinity may be imposed on short notice.
You see, it is possible to hold a peaceful protest and get your message out without attacking policemen:
About 4,000 protestors including activists, workers and student radicals occupied Chongno Street near the American embassy in central Seoul, holding candles as they chanted songs, shouted slogans and waved banners.
Thousands of riot police, backed by fire trucks with water cannons, stood guard over the protest Saturday fearing a repeat of last week’s fighting in Pyongtaek.
Police buses were parked closely together to block all roads to the high-walled US embassy some 100 meters (yards) away.
The protesters carried banners calling for the withdrawal of US troops and an end to the ongoing talks to conclude a free trade agreement with the United States.
Dozens of US military bases in and around Seoul are to be relocated to Pyongtaek, 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of the capital.
Construction is to begin in October but some residents and farmers, backed by anti-US activists, have refused to vacate their houses on the site.
This is just a warm up for the hatefest that is sure to come later this weekend in Pyeongtaek. I doubt there will be many candlelight vigils going on there.
At least someone besides USFK remembers the sacrifice of Major Yun Yeong-ha and his men during the West Sea naval clash between North and South Korea back in 2002. The naval battle was a pre-meditated ambush and murder of these sailors by the North Koreans that was alledgedly order by Pyongyang in order to draw attention away from the World Cup that was happening in South Korea at the time.
The South Korean government has done everything possible to cover up this ambush and make excuses for the North Koreans in order to keep the Sunshine Policy going. In fact the government has boycotted memorial services held by the navy to remember the six murdered sailors:
A remembrance celebration to mark the second anniversary of the battle was held yesterday at the headquarters of the Naval 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, with 150 people including victims¿ families participating. However, the event was dismally lonely, and more distressing, the bereaved families despairingly poured out questions in full cry to this society and the government.
Did the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea launched an investigation to find out facts as it does now when the West Sea naval battle broke out? Who apologized for the death of our boys? People, irrespective of rank, have been successively rushing to deliver condolence for a man who went to a foreign country to earn money and died there. But who went to the funeral services of the six sailors who sacrificed their lives for the nation? Even the Defense Minister and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as government officials did not attend the services.
Here is a sample of how angered the families of these sailors have been towards the Korean government:
Kim Jong-seon, the widow of Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, who was killed in a June 2002 naval battle with North Korea in the West Sea, turned her back on her homeland Sunday and boarded a flight bound for the United States. Before getting on her flight, she said, ¿If the indifference and inhospitality shown to those soldiers who were killed or wounded protecting the nation continue, what soldier will lay down his life in the battlefield?¿
In the battle on June 29, 2002 — one day prior to the closing ceremony of the Korea-Japan World Cup — six sailors were killed and 18 wounded when a North Korean patrol boat that had crossed over the northern line of control ambushed a South Korean naval vessel. The bereaved have spent the last three years in an atmosphere where it was difficult to even grieve. Nervous government officials, worrying that the incident might cast a pall over the Sunshine Policy, even warned the families to please be quiet.
(…..)
The father said, ¿My son is buried in the National Cemetery. But I¿m going to take my son¿s remains to my family burial site in my hometown.¿ Having watched the situation develop, he thought his son who was killed by North Korean soldiers was considered nothing more than a criminal. Some parents said that they are more scared of people who consider the U.S. a bigger enemy than North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who killed their son. We lose courage to defend the country, when we hear that a wife whose husband fell in the battle is preparing to leave this country. Reading a condolence letter from the USFK commander to mark the second anniversary, the wife said, “The Americans remember my husband and his brothers-in-arms better than Koreans… Frankly, I hate Korea.”
The treatment of the families and the appeasement of North Korea after the murder of these sailors was the first indications of how poor a government the Roh Moo-hyun administration was going to be. Plus this incident is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of the Korean leftists. They have been protesting for years over the USFK tactical vehicle traffic accident that tragically killed two Korean girls despite compensation to the families and apologies up and down the chain of command to include President Bush himself over the accident. Yet not one word muttered against North Korea by these people when they murder six South Korean sailors.
At least the ROK Navy has the intestinal fortitude to remember the sacrifices of these sailors. The ROK Navy has been the ones holding the annual ceremony marking the anniversary of the attack plus they have recently named one of their newest destroyers after the senior officer killed in the clash, Major Yun Yeong-ha.
The ROK naval destroyers are only named after great Korean patriots (Hat tip: reader):
All Ahn Yong-Bok class destroyers are named after Korean patriots. The first vessel destroyer was recently named Ahn Yong-Bok (Hangul:¿¿¿) after a Korean patriot who protested over Tokugawa Shogunate‘s repeated claim over Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima) and made Tokugawa Shogunate confirm in writing that Liancourt Rocks were Korean possessions. The second destroyer is to be named Ji Deok-Chil (Hangul:¿¿¿), after Staff Sergeant Ji Deok-Chil, who sacrificed his life to save his comrades during the Vietnam war. The third unit is to be named Yun Yeong-Ha (Hangul:¿¿¿), after Major Yun Yeong-Ha who fell in line of duty during a skirmish between the Republic of Korea Navy force and North Korean Navy. The fourth destroyer is to be named for General Yi Sabu of Silla dynasty of Korea, who subjugated Usan-Guk (present-day Ulleung-do) by employing brilliant naval tactics. The fifth and sixth destroyers are yet to be named.
I wonder how this got by the Blue House? To bad all six destroyers weren’t named after all six of the deceased sailors.
