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Picture of the Day: Korean Nationals Arrive Home from Lebanon

Military jet carrying S. Korean nationals arrives home from Lebanon
Military jet carrying S. Korean nationals arrives home from Lebanon
South Korean nationals staying in Lebanon get off a military jet at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, on Oct. 5, 2024, as the KC-330 military transport plane carrying 96 nationals arrived home from the Middle East country amid military tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. (Yonhap)

Six North Korean Soldiers Reportedly Killed by Ukrainian Missile Strike on Occupied Donetsk

It looks like Putin has found some more cannon fodder for his war in Ukraine:

Artillerymen of the 15th Operative Purpose Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard fire a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops amid a Russian assault near the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region on Thursday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Artillerymen of the 15th Operative Purpose Brigade ‘Kara-Dag’ of the National Guard of Ukraine fire a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops in a front line, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine October 3, 2024. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY/2024-10-06 17:52:02/

Six North Korean officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on their position along the Russian frontline of the occupied Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian news reports on Friday.   
  
Ukrainian military intelligence officials who were quoted anonymously by the Kyiv Post and Interfax-Ukraine said over 20 military personnel, including the North Korean officers, were killed in the strike. 
  
Russian military bloggers reported earlier in the day that North Korean military officers were visiting the frontline to see how Russian forces set up defensive positions and were “preparing for assault operations” before the Ukrainian missile struck. 
  
According to the Russian Telegram channel Kremlin Snuffbox, three North Korean officers were also injured in the strike and were sent to Moscow to be treated.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

Former President Moon’s Daughter Arrested for DUI After Colliding with Cab in Itaewon

More legal problems for the Moon family:

Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party criticized former President Moon Jae-in’s daughter Sunday after she was booked the previous night for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol.

Rep. Kim Jang-kyom said in a Facebook post that Moon Da-hye should have listened to what her father said during his time in office that drunk driving amounts to an act of murder. 

“The one who lived together with her at Cheong Wa Dae said drunk driving amounts to murder,” Kim said, referring to the former presidential compound. “Even though her father said a lot of nonsense, she should listen to what she should listen to.” (……..)

According to police, Moon Da-hye’s car collided with a taxi while she was changing lanes in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul’s Yongsan district at 2:51 a.m., causing minor injuries to the taxi driver. Her blood alcohol concentration was reportedly measured at 0.14 percent, well above the 0.08 percent threshold for license revocation.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but Moon Da-hye is in more legal trouble than just this DUI. When Moon was elected President Moon Da-hye and her now ex-husband moved to Thailand for an executive position with T’Way Airlines. A position he had no experience or qualifications to attain. Coincidentally the owner of T’Way was later appointed to a high ranking government position. Prosecutors are investigating former President Moon for bribery to determine if his son-in-law was given the executive job in return for T’Way’s owner getting the government position.

South Korea and the U.S. to Strengthen Cooperation Against North Korea Ransomware Attacks

This has been one of the cyber crime areas that North Korea has been using to raise revenue:

 South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in combating North Korea’s stealing of virtual assets, the presidential office here said Thursday.

According to the office, Wang Yun-jong, the third deputy national security adviser, visited Washington from Monday to Wednesday and discussed the issue with Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies.

Their talks also covered internet of things security and maritime cybersecurity.

Wang also attended the fourth round of meetings by the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) for in-depth discussions on responding to ransomware and bolstering international cooperation in that area.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

U.S. Navy Issues Drinking Restrictions in Japan

Sailors in Japan are beginning to experience the restrictions that were at one time common place for servicemembers stationed in South Korea:

U.S. Navy sailors have one less hour of revelry in Japan’s bars and nightclubs after Navy Region Japan tightened up liberty restrictions recently imposed on all service members in the country. U.S. sailors in Japan must adhere to a midnight-to-5 a.m. ban on drinking in public establishments off base, according to the order from Rear Adm. Ian Johnson. They may not even be in those places during those hours. The order, which took effect Wednesday, was coordinated with U.S. 7th Fleet, Navy Region Command spokesman Cmdr. Paul Macapagal told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Former Defector Tries to Ram Bus Through the DMZ

This wasn’t a very well thought out plan because it had no chance of ever working:

A former defector, unhappy with life in the South, stole a 25-seat shuttle bus this week and attempted to cross a bridge into North Korea before he was apprehended by guards. The defector, 35, was caught at 12:55 a.m. Monday on the Tongil Bridge, or Unification Bridge, in Paju city, by South Korean military guards and turned over to civilian police, according to military and police spokespeople Tuesday.

Privacy laws prohibit authorities from publicly identifying most people under arrest in South Korea. The defector was held on suspicion of theft and violating the National Security Act, a police spokesman said. The defector found the key to the minibus in a company garage in Munsan town, crawled through a window near the driver’s seat and drove nearly three miles to the bridge’s south checkpoint, a spokesman for North Gyeonggi Provincial Police said by phone.

The lane toward the checkpoint was heavily guarded, so the unidentified defector drove in the opposing lane onto the bridge, the spokesman said. Bypassing the checkpoint and ignoring guards trying to stop him, the defector drove another 900 yards before hitting a barricade in front of the north checkpoint, where soldiers stopped him, the spokesman said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Equipment for New Stryker Unit Arrives in South Korea

The equipment for the next rotational unit in support of the 2nd Infantry Division, the 1-2 Stryker Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord has arrived to Korea:

The first batch of equipment for a new American rotational force employing the Stryker fighting vehicle arrived at a southern port over the weekend, the U.S. Army in South Korea said Wednesday.

Stryker vehicles and other pieces of equipment belonging to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team were unloaded in Gwangyang, 291 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday to replace the current 3rd Cavalry Regiment as part of a regular rotation, according to the Eighth Army.

“We welcome the Ghost Brigade to the Republic of Korea to enhance the interoperability of the Combined Division and strengthen our alliance with our ROK partners,” Maj. Gen. Charles Lombardo, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division, said in a release.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.