South Korean President Park Geun-hye (L) shakes hands with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping prior to their summit talks in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Sept. 5, 2016. The meeting came amid strains in their relations over the planned deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, in South Korea. (Yonhap)
North Korea is once again threatening to turn Seoul into a Sea of Fire™ due to the decision to deploy a THAAD battery to the peninsula:
This photo carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on June 23, 2016 shows the country fired off the Hwasong-10 intermediate-range ballistic missile. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)’/>
North Korea on Monday warned it will take “physical” actions against South Korea and the United States over the allies’ decision to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system in the South.
North Korea’s military issued a strong warning that it will deliver military strikes from the moment the two countries decide on where to place the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“We once again warn the enemies that it is the steadfast will of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) to make merciless retaliatory strikes to reduce South Korea to a sea of flames and debris once an order is issued,” the military’s artillery bureau was quoted as saying by the KCNA. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but President Park has come out to strongly defend the decision to deploy the THAAD battery to South Korea:
President Park Geun-hye on Monday mounted a strong defense of the recent decision by South Korea and the U.S. to station an advanced antimissile system here, stressing it won’t undermine the security interests of any other countries.
Park also underscored that the decision to station a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea is a “purely defense measure” to cope with growing nuclear and missile threats from a provocative North Korea.
After some five months of consultations, Seoul and Washington announced Friday that they had agreed to deploy a THAAD battery in South Korea. The announcement riled Beijing and Moscow, which have argued THAAD would hurt their security interests.
“As (South Korea) has repeatedly said, THAAD will not target any country other than North Korea, and will not encroach upon the security interests of any third country. (We) have no reason to do so,” the commander in chief said during a meeting with her senior secretaries.
“The international community should understand that Seoul does not have any intention of targeting other countries or threatening other countries,” she added.
Pointing to Pyongyang’s relentless provocations, including its weekend test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, Park highlighted that the communist regime has been posing “explicit” threats to the South.
“Growing nuclear and missile threats are a very critical issue where the future of the Republic of Korea and the lives of our people are at stake,” she said. “As president, I have an obligation to protect our people and nation.”
The allies plan to determine where to place the THAAD battery in South Korea as early as later this month. They have faced strong opposition from local residents that are concerned about the electromagnetic waves emanating from the THAAD radar.
“(South Korea) will select the optimal site for the THAAD deployment that can certainly ensure military efficiency, and protect the safety and health (of the residents) from all problems, including the influence of electromagnetic waves,” the president said. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but North Korea making more threats to attack the country only strengthens her argument on why the THAAD battery is needed in South Korea.
Hopefully the relationship between Korea and Japan continues to improve where this summit does take place:
President Park Geun-hye plans to travel to Japan for a trilateral meeting with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, according to Lee Joon-gyu, the nominee for Seoul’s ambassador to Tokyo, Wednesday.
This will be Park’s first trip to Japan since her inauguration in 2013. The visit is expected to spur normalization of the ties between the two countries, according to analysts.
This year, Japan holds the rotating chair of the trilateral talks, expected to take place in November following their foreign ministers’ talks in October, according to Japanese media outlets.
“The trilateral talks between Korea, China and Japan are scheduled to be held in the second half of the year in Japan and President Park’s visit for the meeting is expected to play an important role in bettering bilateral relations,” Lee said in a diplomatic forum.
“Both countries need to take advantage of this visit as an opportunity to advance bilateral ties.” [Korea Times]
South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her French counterpart Francois Hollande clink their glasses during a toast at Elysee Palace in Paris on June 4, 2016. (Yonhap)
President Park Geun-hye meets with a South Korean soldier serving in South Sudan on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in a ceremony held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 27, 2016 to boost their morale, in this photo provided by her office. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Park Geun-hye (R) poses for a photo with Kuwait’s Prime Minister Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah during their meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 9, 2016. Jaber arrived in Seoul the previous day at the invitation of South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. South Korea is the fourth leg of his five-nation trip to Asia that includes Bangladesh, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Park Geun-hye meets with young Iranians in traditional Korean dresses, who visited a Korean culture exhibition held at a convention center in Tehran on May 2, 2016. Earlier in the day, Park held the first bilateral summit since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1962. (Yonhap)
Well it looks like it was worth President Park wearing a headscarf during her trip to Iran because she was able to sign a number of agreements that could lead to multi-billion dollar construction projects in Iran:
President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday South Korea and Iran can produce a win-win situation if they work together in infrastructure projects in the Islamic Republic. Iran is pushing to rebuild an economy and modernize its infrastructure after the U.N. lifted sanctions in a follow-up to a landmark deal reached with the United States and five world powers over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
“I am here to pursue the path of common prosperity with old friend Iran,” Park said in a forum attended by some 450 South Korean and Iranian business executives and leaders in the Iranian capital. On Monday, Park and her Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani observed the signing of nearly 20 out of 66 memorandums of understanding worth up to US$45.6 billion after their summit. Seoul hopes the MOUs could pave the way for South Korean companies to eventually win massive infrastructure projects under way in Iran. [Yonhap]
What strikes out at me in regards to President Park’s visit to Iran is that she is wearing a veil. What made this jump out at me was that I remembered that she did not wear a veil when she visited Saudi Arabia last year:
President Park Geun-hye (left) meets with Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia, during a bilateral summit. They discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations across a range of sectors. [Korea.net]
She is not only wearing a veil, but one that is covering not only her hair, but her entire neck. According to this Korea Times article President Park was trying to show respect for Iranian customs and culture. How about the Iranian government show respect to her and understand she is a head of state of one of the world’s great country’s and should not be subjugated to Iranian customs. If Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ever visits South Korea does anyone think we will see them dressed up in a hanbok in respect to Korean culture?
President Park Geun-hye (left) meets with Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia, during a bilateral summit. They discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations across a range of sectors. [Korea.net]
