In a new book written by H.R. McMaster he discusses his time working in the Trump administration and the friction with the Moon administration over the North Korea nuclear issue:
In the book, titled, “At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House,” H.R. McMaster, who served as national security advisor from 2017-2018, revealed a series of anecdotes where the administrations of former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump diverged on North Korea and other issues. (……..)
“Moon said that, just like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Khadafi, Kim believed that he needed nuclear weapons for defense,” McMaster wrote.
“Pence asked Moon, ‘Why does Kim Jong-un need nukes when he has conventional artillery in range of Seoul? We have to consider the possibility that Kim wants the weapons for offensive purposes,'” he added.
Why can’t it be both? Clearly Kim saw what happened to Khadafi and Saddam and does not want that to happen to him. His conventional artillery is enough to deter the ROK and the U.S. as long as USFK is in South Korea. However, if USFK is ever withdrawn that then gives the U.S. more flexibility to strike North Korea without fear of instant retaliation against U.S. troops.
Nucelar weapons combined with their missile program are clearly aimed to deter the U.S. by threatening to launch nuclear weapons against bases in Japan, Guam, and eventually the U.S. mainland if they develop a reliable ICBM. This is why the Kim regime has been wanting to sign a peace agreement with the U.S. during the Moon administration. If there is peace why is USFK still needed? North Korea strategy is to get USFK out and then deter the U.S. with nuclear weapons.
If North Korea feels the U.S. is deterred then tactical nukes could then be used during any offensive operation into South Korea. However, I believe this would actually be a last option for the Kim regime. During the Moon administration the Kim regime was trying to push a confederation policy with South Korea that ultimately failed, but would not be surprised if it came up again in the future.
Deep fake sex images are now the biggest story in South Korea and it is problem that is going to be highly difficult stop due to the spread of AI technology that makes this possible:
Police will carry out an intensive crackdown on deepfake sex images as a recent series of such crimes stoked fears that any woman could fall victim, officials said Tuesday.
During the seven-month crackdown set to begin Wednesday, police will aggressively hunt down those who produce and spread such images, especially those of children and teens, the National Police Agency said.
According to the police agency, 297 cases of deepfake sexual exploitation crimes were reported nationwide from January and July. Among 178 people charged, 73.6 percent, or 113 individuals, were known to be teenagers.
Political parties and rights groups also called for stern punishment and an active investigation.
“Fear is growing, with nearly 220,000 members estimated to have participated in these deepfake porn chat rooms on Telegram,” said Son Sol, a co-chair of the minor opposition Progressive Party’s task force on the issue.
You can read more at the link, but the AI deep fakes have also been linked to the ROK Army with a chatroom that specializes in passing images of female Soldiers as well. It makes me wonder how long before this becomes a problem in the U.S. military as well?
Joseon Dynasty diplomatic ship arrives in Japan A replica ship of the Joseon Tongsinsa, a diplomatic delegation sent by the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) of Korea to Japan on a dozen occasions over a 200-year period, arrives at a port in Japan’s Shimonoseki on Aug. 24, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service. (Yonhap)
I would not be surprised if Kim Jong-un is developing and showcasing his suicide drones in hopes of selling them to Russia:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a performance test of various drones, calling for the development and production of more suicide drones to enhance war preparedness, state media reported Monday.
Kim supervised the test organized by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences on Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
In the test, the drones flew along various preset courses and correctly identified and destroyed the designated targets, as they have missions to attack enemy targets on the ground and in the sea, the report said.
Fighter aircraft is the latest defense industry that ROK defense contractors are hoping to take market share of:
South Korea, an industrial and tech powerhouse, was once so poor that its citizens donated money so the government could buy five American fighter jets in case of a North Korean invasion. Now, South Korea is a global weapons producer and seller. It is the third-largest arms supplier to NATO countries, with affordable weapons for nations seeking to refill their stockpiles of K2 battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and other items.
Its ascent underscores the nation’s dramatic economic and diplomatic evolution since that 1975 national fundraising drive for the American F-4 Phantoms. South Korea retired those Cold War-era jets in June after more than five decades in use — making way for a new generation of homegrown fighter aircraft that will make South Korea one of the few nations to develop its own supersonic jet.
South Korea hopes its KF-21 Boramae will be a cheaper alternative to the U.S.-made F-35. The prototype was unveiled in 2021, and mass production is set to begin in 2026. “South Korea is making a big push to engage globally,” said Peter Layton, a military analyst and visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Brisbane, Australia. “They’re going from a big buyer to not just a maker but a designer of aircraft.”
South Korea and the United States will begin their large-scale amphibious landing exercise in the southeastern city of Pohang and the eastern coast this week to build up the allies’ combat readiness posture and interoperability, the South’s Navy and Marine Corps said Sunday.
This year’s Ssangyong (double dragon) exercise, which runs from Monday through Sept. 7, will mobilize division-level landing forces and some 40 vessels, including two amphibious assault ships, the ROKS Dokdo and the ROKS Marado, as well as the USS Boxer, according to military officials.
The drills will also bring together some 40 aircraft, such as F-35B radar-evading jets, and around 40 amphibious assault vehicles, the Navy and Marine Corps said in a joint release.
Calling on President Yoon to step down Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stage a rally in central Seoul on Aug. 24, 2024, urging President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down. (Yonhap)
I am sure the KCTU and the other leftist clowns will be out in force if Kishida visits South Korea for a summit with Yoon. Anyway it will be interesting to see if Kishida does visit, if he makes any new apologies for Imperial Japan’s colonial actions in South Korea:
South Korea is in talks with Japan over a trip to Seoul by outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the presidential office said Sunday.
The move could set the stage for summit talks between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kishida, and represents a step forward compared with just days earlier, when South Korea said that no decision had been made yet after Japan’s Kyodo News reported that Kishida was considering holding summit talks with Yoon in South Korea in early September before stepping down.
“We are in discussions with Japan over Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to South Korea and will make public the decision once it is made,” a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
