South Korea Announces that It Will Open Diplomatic Mission with NATO
Here is an interesting diplomatic development for South Korea since it shows that NATO countries recognize the ROK’s military capabilities as an alliance partner:
South Korea has decided to establish a mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, a presidential official said Wednesday ahead of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s participation in a NATO summit next week.
Yoon will attend the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, on June 29 and 30, on his first overseas trip as president, National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han said during a press briefing.
South Korea is not a member of the military alliance but has been invited as a partner nation, along with countries, such as Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The new NATO mission will be headed by the South Korean ambassador to Belgium, who currently also doubles as the ambassador to the European Union, a second presidential official said.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
One question.
Why does the ROK need to have a mission in NATO and be participating in a NATO summit?
Europe and the Atlantic isn’t exactly someplace where South Korea should be involved in militarily.
Korea Person, somebody has to supply Europe with weapons when WWIII kicks off.
It will be good for the Korean economy.
Been reading disinformation online about concealed carry on military bases. I guess gun control is all the rage now. Concealed carry was approved (within certain parameters) in November of 2016 for active duty bases in 2016 but the legislation predates Trump, it just happened to match up with his election. Milley was an opponent and it was reversed in 2020. Base housing is privatized so it is subject to the local rules (though the firearms should be registered with the base, and stored properly).
And I guess this isn’t the topic, for some reason I thought I was posting in the “open thread”. Sorry.
From the article:
“The NATO summit will include an official program for spouses,” the third official said. “We’re positively reviewing her (first lady) participation as much as possible.”
Oh boy!!
Those sinecures don’t just drop out of the sky like Chinese fighter aircraft, you know…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwK2ebJvmVU
I agree with Chickenhead on this one. With Korea’s growing defense sector being on good terms with NATO may open new markets for Korean businesses to sell their wares.
Korean Person, have you not seen how the European leaders practically groveled in front of Moon during and after the G7 meeting last year? They all want something(s) that they don’t have, that South Korea has. Not just military technology, but also chips, EV batteries, nuke technology, LNG carriers, and the list goes on. And what did the first thing Biden do when he visited South Korea? Went straight to the Samsung chip factory. South Korea didn’t invite itself to NATO. It was the US and EU that invited South Korea.
The big question is this. Can South Korea leverage what they have, to gain what it deserves in return? Or will it just give it all away for free, as Yoon is doing right now?
The odd thing is that Korea has run a trade deficit for over a year now.
How do you import sand and export microchips and run a trade deficit?
Moon did his best to break the back of Korea. I have faith that Korean people don’t want to be poor again and will work hard against difficult economic times…
…but I have less faith than I did in 1997.
Koreans have always been a bit politically dumbed down and trusting of government. It worked because the Korean government looked after Korea and Koreans.
It wasn’t that way under the last globalist administration after the coup.
Hopefully the new administration will return to a nationalist Korea First policy and Korea will be an energy (nuclear), food (robotic indoor farming), and manufacturing (returning industry) independent country again.
Good luck, Korea.
That’s pretty funny, chickenhead. Because the trade deficits didn’t happen until this year, under Yoon’s leadership.
Sand? How about things like oil and other raw materials that are going through the roof right now? What has been Yoon’s answer to all this? Build more chip and EV battery factories in the US and Europe, while destroying the trade relationships with China and Russia which were painstakingly built over many decades, in return for US approval while giving away and creating more jobs for Americans. A great idea there to reduce the trade deficit! What a dummy.
Great response from Korean Man on the “Prove you’re absolutely a feckless idiot at economics without saying you’re a feckless idiot at economics” challenge.
Unfortunately, supply chain issues postponed the start date until August, so this entry doesn’t count.
Thanks for trying though…
Korea Man, your commie revisionist history works on children and the infirm, but not on me.
The driver for the trade deficit is imported energy which is a direct result of the previous administration shutting down the nuclear industry.
There will be a time to blame Yoon for Korea’s misfortunes but that time is not 5 weeks after becoming president.
Once again, you show your Chinese anti-Korean goals by spreading misinformation that would hurt Korea if people started hearing it so much they took it seriously.
That had worked on the dumbass demographic for Safe and Effective, Criminal Black Lives Matter, Stand with Ukraine Nazis, etc… but your operation is clearly underfunded and not staffed by the best and the brightest.
Can South Korea leverage what they have, to gain what it deserves in return? Or will it just give it all away for free, as Yoon is doing right now?
@Korean Man
Knowing Yoon, he will probably give them out for free.
Speaking of spreading misinformation…..
The previous administration didn’t shut down the nuclear industry. It did shut down two very aged nuclear plants which were over 50 and 40 years in age respectively. They were shut down because they are too old and ran out of their designed lifespan, thus unsafe to continue to operate them. The nuke plants that were under construction, were still allowed to continue their construction.
Yoon’s plan of expanding the nuke plants is simply unrealistic due to the fact that South Korea doesn’t have any place to store any more spent nuke materials. Nobody in South Korea would want to see nuke materials stored in their own backyards. And would you like it yourself?
The reason why South Korea can’t easily expand the nuclear plants is directly because of the US. The US simply and stubbornly refuses to allow South Korea to reprocess the spent materials because the US wants South Korea to remain dependent on the US for everything. Yoon could have negotiated to remove this very obstacle with the US, in return for chip factory jobs in Texas, but what did he do? He’s the YES-man for the US.
South Koreans were so unwise to elect Yoon instead of our esteemed commenting team “Korean Man”, who, although BeijingBros, have such a huge understanding and superior wisdom of everything important to the Korean People.
That’s correct, Cancer Brain. Even I can do a better job than this clown!
Chinese-Korea Man…
Of course you want to see Korea energy-dependent with industry-crippling high rates and no energy security…
…but you can’t just lie. Anybody who cares will just look it up.
Moon shut down stuff that didn’t need to be shut down.
But more importantly, he crippled the entire industry. Korea is the 5th largest producer of nuclear power plants which is very important to its export economy and future standing in the world.
Bonus #1: Moon may find himself in court over all this. One of his henchmen has already been indicted over this industry-killing abuse of power.
Bonus #2: Anybody who gushes about electric cars and sets amazing goals for market penetration and then does everything possible to reduce supply and reliability of electricity while raising costs, is a non-serious person.
But the whole commie-globalist-green-global warming movement(s?) are filled with ridiculous conflicting concepts that only serve as a reminder that the environment is just being used as an emotional tool for manipulation and control.
Korea Man, you have been exposed as an anti-Korean. You serve no purpose here, as the value of your anti-Korean propaganda has evaporated. You were assigned the entry-level ROK Drop to demonstrate your skill and you failed.
You can keep being a pest but we will just make fun of you.
It’s funny, CH, the BeijingBros think we’re as fragile as they are…
I was a B-52 gunner in the Cold War, obtained two college degrees, and beat two cancers (by the grace of God); but the limp noodle kids think they’re gonna tough talk their way past reality.
Even BTS is more macho than the current crop of trolls.
What a disgrace they must be to their mothers.
Nuclear power in Korea is a complicated issue.
You see nuclear power makes up the base load for the South Korean power grid, so taking them off line without a viable alternative isn’t a good idea.
On the other hand, South Korea does not have the facilities to process and store nuclear waste, which means they are stored at power plants which are reaching capacity.
As Korean Man stated if the US were to allow South Korea to build a nuclear fuel reprocessing site in Korea, that will allow it to recycle and reuse spent fuel rods while helping reduce nuclear waste.
It won’t be the total solution but will help alleviate the nuclear waste issue.
The plutonium by product since the US will go ape at that thought of course Isomething can be worked out.
Now, out of the 24 or so reactors that South Korea has 17 of them went into commercial operation during the late 90s and the 21st century, which means they will be providing power until the 2030s and the 2040s.
It’s the seven reactors that were built in the eighties that will need replacement during this decade, in addition to the two already shut down.
Moon said no more, but didn’t say he was going to shut those already in operation.
And he didn’t say that he won’t allow for export of nuclear reactors produced in Korea.
On the other hand, yes he didn’t do a good job for a viable alternative.
For example, he spoke of a ‘hydrogen economy’ but from my standpoint there hasn’t been much investment for the infrastructure and powerplants for such.
the BeijingBros
Here we go again
Let’s see.
From my days in the ROK Drop there seems to be at least five Koreans or those of Korean descent.
Myself, Korean Man, TOK, Kevin Kim, and True Korean.
TOK and True Korean don’t seem to be that regular.
Which leaves us myself, Korean Man, and Kevin Kim.
Kevin Kim, I think has a more Republican view of things although fortunately he is not part of the Trump MAGA crowd.
Myself and Korean Man are on the other side of the spectrum. The only difference is Korean Man seems to be an ardent DPK supporter, myself I don’t like the PPP but am not that crazy about the DPK either.
Kevin Kim has not been the target of setnaffa and the Church of Setnaffarism™ simply because of his right wing views and he does not comment about the hot potatio issue of vaccines.
Myself and Korean Man on the other hand do not see eye to eye with the right wing/Trump MAGA/anti-vaxx views of setnaffa and the Church of Setnaffarism™ as such we’ve become targets.
And the favorite method of those attacks?
The ‘N’ word of the ROK Drop.
‘Chinese’ and anything related such as ‘BeijingBros’.
You see the use of ‘Chinese’ and such to label myself and Korean Man is an attempt by setnaffa and the Church of Setnaffarism™ to debase and discredit us so as to drown out our views which don’t match the teachings of the Church of Setnaffarims™.
The Setnaffarians™ only want right wing andti-vaxxers to post here and view the ROK Drop as their exclusive sanctum and cannot tolerate seeing those with opposing views post their views here.
Then one would ask why do the Setnaffarians™ not go after GIKorea who holds favorable views about the vaccines.
Because he’s the owner of course!
You certainly don’t want to piss off the landlord and get evicted from your sanctum.
Anyone who doesn’t want to be accused of being Chinese should probably talk up issues that promote Korean rather than Chinese interests.
Destroying Korea’s nuclear industry and making Korea energy dependent is really better for China than Korea no matter how it is rationalized.
And anybody who says “hydrogen economy” with a straight face is a clown… unless they have a plan to generate it with burning coal, produce it with nuclear, or mine the Oort Cloud.
Anyone who doesn’t want to be accused of being Chinese should probably talk up issues that promote Korean rather than Chinese interests.
Translation.
Anyone who doesn’t want to be accused of being Chinese should agree with and not oppose and criticize the viewpoints and beliefs of setnaffa and his followers.
Thank you 닭대가리 for clarifying that for us.
And anybody who says “hydrogen economy” with a straight face is a clown… unless they have a plan to generate it with burning coal, produce it with nuclear, or mine the Oort Cloud.
ChickenHead,
If you think Hydrogen is a joke, then why is Japan, a country that has for most part been run by right wing governments, investing heavily in hydrogen?
Let’s look through Korean Person’s points right here in this thread and see if they are for Korean or Chinese interests.
– Don’t develop the Korean defense industry or the European market for Korean defense products.
– Hey NK Korean Man, Yoon is blah blah blah (despite being FAR more Korea First than Moon every was… because he wasn’t)
– All good old Moon did was stop Korea’s future energy independence and cheap electric rates that makes its industry competitive… with absolutely no replacement plan.
– and a few posts whining around about getting found out as an anti-Korean Chinese operative.
I can only judge you by your ideas.
All your ideas look like positions that help China and not Korea.
Go eat dimsum, commie.
Bonus: Hydrogen is a Rube Goldberg joke if your answer to produce hydrogen is to burn coal to make electricity to make hydrogen to make electricity to run cars.
Ah my Dear ChickenHead or should I say setnaffa
Considering that you cannot make a logical counterargument to my points and are resorting to calling me ‘Chinese’ the ‘N word’ of the Church of Setnaffarism™, it seems that I have you by the balls 😀
Don’t develop the Korean defense industry or the European market for Korean defense products.
Huh?
Who said those things?
Oh you ChickenHead.
Ah yes ChickenHead or should I say setnaffa.
We know that you do not want Korea to develop its own defense industry and instead prefer that Korea buy all its defense equipment from the US.
We all know that setnaffa(Chickenhead) went full throttle when it came to opposing the development of L-SAM, which will not only provide land based missile defense but also missile defense for South Korean warship.
” seems that I have you by the balls ”
Are you assuming my gender?
…first sign of a Chinaman.
Chinaman.
A racist term used by whites to describe Asians.
An extension of the favorite N-word used by setnaffa and his followers.
Ah, yes.
Chinaman is a horrible racist term whites use to describe Asians.
Englishman is a horrible racist term whites use to… uh… describe… hmmm… other whites?
Ok. Well. That logic broke down quickly.
Chinaman isn’t used to describe Asians any more than Englishman is used to describe the French.
I would love to talk racism with my little slant eyed, yellow skinned, buck teeth, rat eating brothers and sisters but they have to come to the table knowing the difference between race and nationality or we have nothing yet to talk about.
I can’t imagine real Koreans would be offended at the term Chinaman, as it has nothing to do with them.
But you know who would be?
A Chinaman.
I’m not much on n-words. But I do like an occasional slice of Lemon Meringue Pie with a great cup of coffee.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinaman_(term)
Chinaman (/ˈtʃaɪnə.mən/) is an ethnic slur, a pejorative term referring to a Chinese man or person, a Mainland Chinese national or, in some cases, a person native to geographical East Asia or of perceived East Asian race.
Need I say more?
If according to you ‘Chinaman’ is a common term and is ok for you to call me ‘Chinaman’ I guess it is ok for me to call you ‘Redneck’.
You move, ChickenHead
I don’t care enough to move, China Man.
China Man.
Despite the fact that I’ve taken the time to educate ChickenHead that the above term is an ethnic slur, ChickenHead has made his choice of continuing its use.
Thank you ChickenHead for proving that you, setnaffa, and those of the Church of Setnaffarism™ have a racist agenda, look down on Koreans,want to force Koreans to follow your extreme right wing conspiracy and fake news agenda, and do not believe in having a meaningful debate regarding issues in Korea.
Waaaait.
You instructed me that chinaman was a racist slur.
China Man, like Korea Man or Korea Person, is not the same word… or even the same number of words.
Further, just like Korea Man or Korea Person, it refers to a nationality and not a race… so you start from a position of nonsense.
If you want to have an adult conversation, you first need to learn the difference between human characteristics and political demarcations in geography.
In fact, chinaman refers to a nationity as well since Chinese is not a race…
…with the Uyghurs, a Turkish people who are not of the (east) Asian race, being a perfect example.
…unless you don’t consider them to be chinamen because you are racist.
You know who else is racist?
Han Chinese.
Isn’t that right, China Person?
Bonus Qusetion:
How did a discussion on the Chinese turn into “looking down on Koreans”?
Life must be easy when everything is racist. You never have to take ownership of any failure. All personal failures are the fault of bigots entrenched in the systemic racist patriarchy… or whatever nonsense you have to tell yourself to avoid facing some unpleasant self-truths.
The dirtiest trick the left has done is keep people down by encouraging them to blame their shortcomings on imaginary foes rather than honestly recognizing their faults and overcoming them.
But it keeps them dependent on leftist white people.
Good job, leftist white people.
The dirtiest trick the left has done is keep people down by encouraging them to blame their shortcomings on imaginary foes rather than honestly recognizing their faults and overcoming them.
Actually that is more in the right wing department.
Right wingers will never admit their mistakes and pretend that they were right all along and that what they’ve done is correct.
And from ChickenHead’s throw eveything but the sink commenting, which is the favored tool of the Church of Setnaffarism™, you don’t have to go far to see it in action.
Korea Person, you bring up a good point.
On the right, there are skinheads and whatnot who blame the negroes and the illegals and the Jooz for their failure and poverty.
The solution is more secret meeting to clean their guns and talk trash with a bunch of other people of like mind… 20% of which are too stupid to live and 80% of which are FBI informants trying to get them to do something… but they don’t… because losers don’t get anything done… and the few that kinda do something were assisted by the FBI so much that really the FBI did all the important elements of the crime.
But those are outliers.
On the left, actual racism, dressed up as kindness, and actual criminal violence against innocents, dressed up as fighting fascism or some other nonsense, is institutionalized and actioned in a mainstream organized way.
There was nobody from the right burning down black neighborhoods or looting Asian nail shops last summer.
Consider that.