ROK and Inter-Korean relations
September 2017
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THAAD SHOULD GO AND PEACE SHALL COME
September 25, 2017 ICBM
By Jo Young Sam | September 24, 2017
Korea peace and reunification activist, and ardent supporter of President Moon Jae In, Jo Young Sam died early Wednesday morning, September 20, 2017, after setting himself on fire on Tuesday to protest the deployment of THAAD in South Korea. In a four page letter to President Moon Jae-in Jo wrote:
“I am a person who genuinely, honestly hoped for the success of the Moon Jae-In administration. Through the success of the Moon Jae-In administration, we could have seen a future for North-South Korean economic partnerships, peace & reunification, work done to achieve balance in Northeast Asia, and a future for us [Corean] descendants.”
The English language translation of his letter to President Moon Jae In follows.*
[THAAD] [Protest] [Tragedy]
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Investigation reveals that Cyber Command managed a private news outlet with NIS support
Posted on : Sep.28,2017 16:50 KST Modified on : Sep.28,2017 16:50 KST
Chu Myeong-ho, the former chief of the NIS Psychological Warfare Division, listens to a question from reporters as he enters the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office on Sept. 27. Chu is one of the former NIS officials under investigation for unlawful political interference. (Yonhap News)
The discovery could widen probe into political malfeasance committed by the agencies
Revelations that the South Korean Military Cyber Command managed a private news outlet with support from the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) special activities budget are fanning speculation that the prosecutors will broaden the scope of their investigation into the Command’s political operations.
The NIS’s support for the launch of the conservative-leading Media Watch and advertising orders for it was previously learned of in an NIS reform and development committee investigation, but the latest revelations are the first of a news outlet being created directly by the Cyber Command and NIS – the chief forces behind public opinion manipulation during past conservative administrations.
[NIS] [Propaganda] [Front]
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Moon Says Only Dialogue Can Resolve N.Korean Nuclear Standoff
By Jeong Woo-sang
September 22, 2017 10:04
President Moon Jae-in in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday said pressure through sanctions and diplomatic efforts are the only ways to deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis.
After the speech, Moon sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose bellicose tirade at the UN earlier this week has set tongues wagging, and with Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe together.
President Moon Jae-in delivers a keynote speech to the General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday. /Yonhap
"All our efforts are to prevent war and maintain peace," Moon told the UN in stark contrast to his U.S. counterpart, and called for "peaceful, diplomatic and political solutions."
"Finding a fundamental way to end this vicious circle of provocations and sanctions is the most important task confronting the UN," he added. "The Korean Peninsula is where the guiding spirit of the UN -- world peace through multiculturalism -- is most desperately needed right now."
Moon also called for North Korean participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and said it excited him to picture the North's athletes parading at the opening and closing ceremonies and people from around the world cheering for them.
"The steps you take now will become a march for peace," he concluded.
[Moon Jae-in] [Tragedy] [Self delusion]
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Moon appeals to spirit of candlelight revolution in calling for peace on Korean Peninsula
Posted on : Sep.22,2017 16:21 KST Modified on : Sep.22,2017 16:21 KST
President Moon Jae-in gives a keynote speech at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20 (by Kim Kyung-ho, staff photographer)
The president made his remarks during a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly
The keywords for President Moon Jae-in’s UN General Assembly keynote speech on Sept. 21 were “peace” and “candles.” It was his attempt to harness both the symbolic value of the UN, which has the motto of “peace,” and the spirit of a candlelight revolution that changed our country peacefully during the last winter and earlier this spring. Indeed, the word “peace” was mentioned no fewer than 30 times.
Moon reiterated his position that while stronger international coordination on sanctions and pressure is needed in response to North Korea’s provocations, the nuclear and missile issues can only ultimately be resolved peacefully through multilateral dialogue. He also stressed that tensions on the Korean Peninsula must not be allowed to lead to unintended military clashes. He further alluded to the use of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics next February as “leverage” in moving the Korean Peninsula toward peace and stability.
Moon also made repeated references to South Korea’s “candlelight revolution” in the speech.
[Moon Jae-in] [Candlelight Revolution] [Self delusion]
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S. Korean Regime Should Awake from Daydream
In the wake of the DPRK's successful ICBM-ready H-bomb test, the international community contends that the DPRK should be recognized as a nuclear weapons state, while south Koreans are vocal in denouncing the authorities' failure of "north policy".
However, the south Korean authorities, failing to see such trend of the world, distort the reality and spread such sophism as "simultaneously pushing ahead with settlement of the nuclear issue of the north and improvement of inter-Korean relations", persistently taking issue with the DPRK's measures for bolstering its nuclear force.
Over the DPRK's H-bomb test, the south Korean chief executive hastily had phone talks with the U.S. and Japanese masters and busied himself with additional deployment of THAAD launching pads.
Meanwhile, he cried for consistently maintaining the "simultaneous pushing of the settlement of the nuclear issue of the north and improvement of north-south relations".
It is a foolish behavior to build up the opinion on the "nuclear issue of the north" while denying the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state, and save the south Korean regime's face and escalate the campaign of sanctions on the DPRK in collusion with outside forces.
The "settlement of the north's nuclear issue" much touted by the south Korean puppet regime is, in essence, to disarm the DPRK in conspiracy with the U.S. master and realize the ambition for invasion of the north, and this can never go together with improvement of the inter-Korean relations.
They seek to hurt the fellow countrymen in collusion with outsiders under the signboard of "settlement of the nuclear issue" while talking about "improvement of the inter-Korean relations". This is self-contradictory and it is very clear that there is nothing to expect.
The "simultaneous pushing of the settlement of the nuclear issue of the north and the improvement of inter-Korean relations" is a nonsensical talk of those obsessed with a foolish daydream.
[Moon Jae-in] [SK NK policy] [NK SK policy] [Self delusion]
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Most Male Stars Postpone Draft
By Choi Yeon-jin
September 21, 2017 13:02
Seven out of 10 male celebrities have postponed their mandatory military service, prompting the Military Manpower Administration to monitor individual cases. So far only the sons of high-ranking government officials were subject to such monitoring to ensure that they set an example for other young men.
[Draft]
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South Koreans Worked a Democratic Miracle. Can They Do It Again?
by Ha-Joon Chang
September 20, 2017
When the South Korean military killed hundreds of pro-democracy protesters and laid siege to the southwestern city of Gwangju in May 1980, few people outside the city knew what was happening. Martial law had been declared, the already censored press was completely gagged, and all communications with Gwangju were cut off. The end of the 10-day siege marked the beginning of a seven-year period of military repression and terror under Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, who outdid his predecessor, Gen. Park Chung-hee, in brutality and corruption.
One generation later, millions of Korean citizens took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country for 20 continuous weekends of “candlelight rallies,” from the autumn of 2016 to the spring of 2017. They called for the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, General Park’s daughter, for her part in a scandal involving corruption, bribery and abuse of power. This time around, the entire world knew what was going on in South Korea.
[Candlelight Revolution]
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Heir-apparent in gaol: is it the end of the ‘Samsung Republic’?
Hyung-A Kim
Controversy over corruption continues in South Korea months after the impeachment and gaoling of former President, Park Geun-hye, writes Hyung-A Kim
The billionaire heir-apparent to South Korea’s largest family-owned conglomerate or chaebol, Samsung Electronics, has been gaoled for five years for bribery and embezzlement, among other charges. Lee Jae-yong, aged 49, also known as Jay Y. Lee, is alleged to have offered or pledged $US 36 million in bribes to Choi Soon-sil, a confidante of Park for over forty years, in return for political favours.
[Samsung] [Corruption] [Lee Jae-yong] [Choi Soon-sil]
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Yun I-Sang’s name restored to his hometown music hall
Posted on : Sep.16,2017 10:19 KST Modified on : Sep.16,2017 10:19 KST
A panoramic view of the Yun I-sang Memorial Hall in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. The hall, which was opened in March 2010 under the name “Docheon Theme Memorial Hall” has been renamed to honor the famous composer who grew up in the area. (Provided by Tongyeong International Orchestra)
The change commemorates the 100th anniversary of the famous composer’s birth
On Sept. 15, in commemoration of the centennial of the birth of world famous composer Yun I-sang, his hometown of Tongyeong reopened the Docheon Theme Memorial Hall under the name it was always meant to be called: the Yun I-sang Memorial Hall.
On Sept. 12, the Tongyeong International Music Festival, which runs the memorial hall, announced: “Like the life of Maestro Yun, there was an overall darkness to the atmosphere of the hall, but in celebration of 100 years since his birth, we are renovating the hall to give it the bright atmosphere of a home. On the second floor of Berlin House, an annex to the hall, we have rebuilt the living room of the Yun Berlin home exactly as it originally was, and a music library occupies the first floor. We plan to reopen the hall on Sept. 15, two days before the actual centennial of Yun's birth.” Berlin House is a quarter-sized replica of Yun's Berlin residence. On display are many of his personal items, including his automobile.
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Unification official visits family of detainee in N. Korea
Posted : 2017-09-16 20:34
Updated : 2017-09-16 20:35
Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung
Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung visited the family of a South Korean missionary held captive in North Korea since 2013, the ministry said Saturday.
The Vice Minister visited Kim Jung-wook's family on Friday to comfort them and explain the government's ongoing efforts to bring the 53-year-old Christian missionary safely back home.
"We will continue doing our best to successfully repatriate detainees using all the resources at our disposal," Chun was quoted by the ministry as saying to the family.
Kim has been held in the North since October 2013 on charges of entering the country secretly, plotting to overthrow the regime and spying for South Korea's intelligence agency. He was sentenced to hard labor for life.
[NIS] [Detainee]
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Moon's Appeasement of N.Korea Comes at the Wrong Time
September 15, 2017 13:21
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday ruled out the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea. In an interview with CNN on the eve of his trip to the U.S. he said, "I do not agree that South Korea needs to develop our own nuclear weapons or relocate tactical nuclear weapons in the face of North Korea's nuclear threat."
"To respond to North Korea by having our own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia," he added. Moon's comments seem surprisingly oblivious to the grave threat we face from North Korea.
[Moon Jae-in] [Tactical Nuclear weapons] [Nuclearisation] [Conservatives]
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Moon says dialogue with North 'impossible'
Posted : 2017-09-15 17:23
Updated : 2017-09-15 18:30
A Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile is launched during an exercise by the South Korean military at an undisclosed location near the East Sea, Friday, in response to North Korea's firing of a ballistic missile into the North Pacific Ocean earlier in the day. / Courtesy of Republic of Korea Army
Pyongyang fires another ballistic missile over Japan
By Jun Ji-hye
President Moon Jae-in condemned North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile Friday, saying dialogue with Pyongyang was "impossible in a situation like this."
Moon also warned that South Korea has "power that can destroy the North beyond any recovery."
President Moon Jae-in
"North Korea ignored international rules and launched a missile that flew over the skies of another country. This behavior deserves criticism," Moon said while presiding over a National Security Council session at Cheong Wa Dae, a few hours after the North committed the missile provocation.
[Moon Jae-in] [Missile Test] [SK NK Negotiations]
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S.Korea Conducts Live-Fire Drill of Taurus Air-to-Surface Missile
September 14, 2017 09:27
The Air Force successfully completed its first live-fire drill of a Taurus long-range air-to-surface cruise missile on Tuesday, a spokesman said Wednesday.
Fired from a fighter jet over Daejeon, the Taurus is capable of striking a major North Korean command facility in Pyongyang with pinpoint accuracy.
A Taurus missile fired from a fighter jet hits the target during a live-fire drill in Taean, South Chungcheong Province on Wednesday.
Fired from an F-15K fighter over the West Sea near Taean, South Chungcheong Province Tuesday, a Taurus missile flew some 400 km at an altitude of 500 m.
Then it made a sharp upturn to the height of 3,000 m before a nearly vertical drop to hit the target.
[Cruise missile] [Military balance]
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Nuclear armament won't help deter North Korea
Posted : 2017-09-14 17:47
Updated : 2017-09-14 18:25
By Kim Jae-kyoung
South Korea obtaining nuclear armament will not stop North Korea's military provocations or deter its nuclear threats, experts on the North said Thursday.
They expect deploying tactical nuclear weapons will only give Pyongyang more reason to speed up its nuclear development.
"The call to reintroduce nuclear weapons reflects an understandable frustration," Stephan Haggard, director of the Korea-Pacific Program at the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, told The Korea Times.
"But it does very little to strengthen the deterrent. Moreover, reintroducing nuclear weapons would only provide further justification for North Korea to continue with its own nuclear program. This is simply a bad idea."
Joseph DeTrani, a former U.S. special envoy to the six-party talks, also said he is not in favor of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea, citing the U.S.'s extended nuclear deterrence commitment to the South.
"The U.S. is committed to the defense of South Korea, and our nuclear umbrella for South Korea and Japan is a very important and credible element of our deterrence strategy," he said.
[Nuclearisation] [US dominance] [Nuclear umbrella]
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Korea's first encounter with Western world
Posted : 2017-09-14 15:09
Updated : 2017-09-14 18:32
The Cespedes Memorial Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province / Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho
Cespedes may be first Westerner who came here ? with Bible
By Jung Min-ho
CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province ? Who was the first Westerner to step on Korean soil? For a long time, many people believed it was Jan Janse de Weltevree, a Dutchman who was washed ashore in 1653, and then Joao Mendes, a Portuguese trader whom they thought arrived 50 years before him.
Who brought the first Bible to Korea? This was another question that long remained unanswered, though Seocheon County claimed that Murray Maxwell, a British Royal Navy officer, did so when he visited the town in 1816.
The monument of the first recorded Westerner who came to Korea ? with the Bible
Today many historians, including National Institute of Korean History President Cho Kwang, agree that Gregorious de Cespedes, a Spanish Jesuit priest, was the first recorded Westerner who came to Korea ? with the Bible in 1593.
Yet his name is barely known here largely because it was Japanese Catholic general Konishi Yukinaga who invited the priest to Korea while Japan invaded the country.
[Christianity] [Japanese colonialism] [Netherlands]
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Choi Soon-sil's Histrionics Disrupt Trial
By Shin Su-ji
September 13, 2017 10:41
The trial of ex-President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil came to a grinding halt on Tuesday when Choi erupted in a fit of histrionics.
Choi Soon-sil /Newsis
Around eight minutes into the session, Choi suddenly buried her head in her arms and began to weep noisily. Park, who had refused to even glance at Choi during court sessions for the last four months, turned around and stared at her. When Choi continued to sob uncontrollably, the presiding judge ordered a 20-minute break.
After the break, one of Choi's lawyers said she was upset that her daughter Chung Yoo-ra's testimony to prosecutors was submitted as evidence against her and her family lawyer stopped representing Chung.
The family lawyer, Lee Kyung-jae, last week said he would stop representing Chung after she made a surprise appearance in the bribery trial of Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong in July and testified against her mother.
[Choi Soon-sil]
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S.Koreans Slowly Wake up to N.Korean Threat
By Hong Young-lim
September 11, 2017 10:39
South Koreans are getting increasingly rattled by the accelerating nuclear and missile threat from North Korea after years of apathy.
Now not just conservative older South Koreans but a growing number of younger people who have tended to be more pro-North Korean support a hardline approach to the North.
"Months of provocations by North Korea and steady news reports about a looming crisis compounded by the unpredictable styles of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump appear to be affecting public sentiment," said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Dongkuk University.
[Threat] [Conservatives] [Hysteria]
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NIS monitored Korean film industry under Park Geun-hye administration
Posted on : Sep.11,2017 17:47 KST Modified on : Sep.11,2017 17:47 KST
“Entertainment section” information formed basis of cultural and art world blacklist
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) set up an “entertainment section” under its intelligence and security bureau to monitor people involved in the making of progressive-leaning films and planned the making of right-wing “patriotic films” during the Park Geun-hye administration, a Hankyoreh 21 investigation revealed recently. The activities by the NIS were patently illegal and fell outside the prescribed scope of the agency’s duties.
[NIS]
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600 Koreans Have Over W5 Trillion in Foreign Bank Accounts
By Shon Jin-seok
September 08, 2017 11:02
Some 1,133 Koreans have more than W1 billion in overseas bank accounts, with the combined amount standing at around W61 trillion (US$1=W1,131).
The National Tax Service said Thursday that 80 more Koreans than last year reported overseas bank accounts this year, and the amounts they reported increased by W5 trillion to W61.1 trillion.
Some 570 people held a combined W5.1 trillion in overseas bank accounts, and 563 corporate entities reported W56 trillion. On average, the individuals held W8.9 billion and the businesses W99.5 billion.
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Anti-THAAD S.Koreans vow to fight for removal outside Blue House
Source: Xinhua Published: 2017/9/9 8:33:15
Outside the presidential office of South Korea, scores of civilians against the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interception system gathered on Friday afternoon.
Under an unusually burning sun in early autumn, residents living near the THAAD deployment site, around 300 km southeast of Seoul, held a press conference outside the Blue House together with peace activists who helped fight against the US missile shield for over 400 days.
They harshly criticized the Moon Jae-in government as the remaining THAAD elements were transported Thursday morning to the site after violently suppressing anti-THAAD civilians.
[THAAD] [Protest]
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Monster of our imagination
Posted : 2017-09-08 11:07
Updated : 2017-09-08 20:27
By Oh Young-jin
In six years, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has transformed from a baby-faced 20-something heir of one of the world's most destitute nations to a dictator in his own right, going mano-a-mano with the leader of a superpower.
What has made such a quantum leap possible? Is it a leap of faith?
The North is not much economically better than when he took power after the death of his stroke-stricken father.
[Kim Jong Un] [Conservatives]
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A Korean Tragedy, Part 1
Tim Beal
Sep 8, 2017
This article was originally published in The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. This article has been reprinted with the permission of the author and The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.
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Seongju residents vow to continue protest
Posted : 2017-09-07 17:03
Updated : 2017-09-07 17:03
By Lee Kyung-min
Residents of Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, and a coalition of civic groups continued to protest the installation of the four remaining launchers of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery Thursday.
"The clandestine transportation of some of the anti-missile defense system here pushed ahead with by President Moon Jae-in with the help of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) showed how the government has yet again betrayed the trust of and failed to keep a promise with the public," they said. "This action is no different from that of the ousted former Park Geun-hye administration."
They vowed to continue rallies until the THAAD system is removed.
"We cannot express how much we feel deserted and betrayed by President Moon, who became the leader of this country precisely due to his predecessor whose state affairs management was marked by ignoring public opinion. We will continue to protest the administration that trampled on the dignity of the residents of Seongju."
They added Moon lacked procedural legitimacy by failing to convene a public hearing prior to the deployment.
[THAAD] [Protest]
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Proposal for a Lasting Korea Peace Agreement: Signing of a Bilateral North-South Korea Peace Treaty
By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, September 05, 2017
The president of South Korea Moon Jae-in is currently in Vladivostok for the East Asian Economic Summit (EEF), chaired by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. September 6-7.
A high level North Korean delegation has also been sent to Vladivostok.
President Moon Jae-in was slated to meet Vladimir Putin shortly after his arrival on September 5 (local time).
The holding of the Moon-Putin talks had been requested by Moscow following a prior meeting at the Blue House in Seoul between president Moon Jae-un and Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (SCRF). .
The Republic of Korea’s presidential office confirmed that Patrushev also held talks with his counterpart Chung Eui-yong, director of the Blue House (Cheongwadae) National Security Office for President Moon Jae-in.
While the Moon-Putin Vladivostok talks have been officially confirmed, in all likelihood, the two delegations (North and South Korea) will also meet behind closed doors, with president Vladimir Putin potentially playing a historic role in promoting a bilateral DPRK-ROK understanding, with a view to averting a US led war.
It is important to note that president Putin had previously warned the Trump administration that “continuing hostility between the US and North Korea was close to deteriorating into a “large-scale conflict” and said the only way to de-escalate tensions was through talks”. (Daily Express, September 5, 2017)
Also of significance, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe and President Putin will also be meeting in Vladivostok on September 6, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.
Moreover, two of the three signatories of the 1953 Armistice agreement (namely the DPRK and China) will be present at these meetings.
The US is not a member of the EEF. Several important US business interests will nonetheless be present. Has an observer mission been sent by Washington?
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Towards a Bilateral North-South Peace Treaty
What should be envisaged is the eventual signing of a bilateral Entente between the DPRK and the ROK, with a view to establishing Peace on the Korean Peninsula. In other words, the “state of war” between the US and the DPRK (which prevails under the armistice agreement) should in a sense be “side-tracked” and annulled by the signing of a comprehensive bilateral North-South peace agreement, coupled with cooperation, trade and interchange.
[Peace proposal] [[Wishful thinking]
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Moon floats halt to N.K. oil supplies
2017/09/05 01:13
(ATTN: UPDATES with details from 3rd para; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed Monday that the U.N. Security Council hold serious discussions about cutting off oil supplies to North Korea in the wake of its sixth nuclear test, his office said.
Moon discussed the idea with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a phone call, Cheong Wa Dae said.
This image shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)This image shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)
"It's time for the U.N. Security Council to seriously consider ways to block North Korea's sources of foreign currency, including a halt to oil supplies to the North and a ban on its exportation of laborers," the office quoted Moon as saying.
[Moon Jae-in] [Sanctions]
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Government ordered to pay $2 million to family of professor falsely convicted on espionage charges
Posted on : Sep.2,2017 15:27 KST Modified on : Sep.2,2017 15:27 KST
Professor Park Noh-soo (far right) and Democratic Republican lawmaker Kim Kyu-nam (second from right) stand trial during the “European espionage case” in 1970.
Park Noh-soo confessed under KCIA torture and was executed in 1972
A court has ruled for the state to pay over 2.3 billion won (about US $2.1 million) in compensation to the family of Park Noh-soo for his unjust execution 45 years ago at the age of 39 in a case involving falsified European spy ring charges. The European spy ring case is considered a major example of a manufactured security crisis by the Park Chung-hee administration (1961–79).
In the case of Park’s family demands for 7 billion won (US $6.24 million) from the state, the judge, Hon. Park Sang-gu of the 26th civil division of Seoul Central District Court, ruled on Sept. 1 that the death penalty was “enforced based on illegally gathered evidence from an unlawful investigation” and ordered the state to pay 2,347,680,000 won (US $2.09 million). Another court previously ruled last February to grant 2.7 billion won (US $2.41 million) in compensation to the family of Democratic Republican Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-nam, who was executed over the same case.
[Park Chung-hee] [Repression] [Execution]
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Seongju residents angered by Defense Ministry letter concerning additional THAAD deployment
Posted on : Aug.31,2017 16:59 KST Modified on : Aug.31,2017 16:59 KST
Seongju residents gather on Aug. 30 after receiving letters from the Defense Ministry concerning the proposed deployment of four additional THAAD missile launchers. The sign is calling for those opposed to THAAD missile deployment to come to Soseong-ri, Seongju, North Gyeongsan Province on the day that the launchers are to be installed. (Provided by the Committee Opposed to THAAD Deployment)
Correspondence asking for villagers’ “understanding” on THAAD to be collected and sent back
Groups opposing the THAAD deployment are up in arms after revelations that Minister of Defense Song Young-moon sent a letter to Seongju and Gimcheon residents asking them for their “understanding” on the antimissile system’s temporary deployment.
Groups working to oppose the THAAD deployment reported on Aug. 30 that Ministry of Defense officials, including active colonels and lieutenant colonels in the military, had traveled to the homes of around 20 people on Aug. 23--25 to deliver the letter from Song.
[THAAD] [Protest]
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[Editorial] Former NIS director sentenced to four years in prison for election meddling
Posted on : Aug.31,2017 16:43 KST Modified on : Aug.31,2017 16:43 KST
Former President Lee Myung-bak speaks with then-Minister of the Interior and Safety, Won Sei-hoon, following an appointment ceremony at the Blue House on Mar. 3, 2008. (Blue House Photo Pool)
A South Korean court has convicted Won Sei-hoon, former director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), with violating both the National Intelligence Service Act and the Public Official Election Act in connection with the 2012 NIS election interference scandal. His case had been reversed and remanded to the 7th criminal division of the Seoul High Court by the Supreme Court, which found on Aug. 30 that Won had “systematically meddled in politics and elections for a long period of time.” Won was sentenced to four years in prison and taken into legal custody.
Now that we have legal confirmation that the NIS systematically interfered in the presidential election on behalf of the candidacy of former president Park Geun-hye, the very legitimacy of that election is cast into doubt. Along with the trial being delayed, the fact that this verdict was only reached after Park had been impeached and detained makes one feel ashamed to say that justice has been served. This reinforces the legal maxim that “justice delayed is justice denied.”
[NIS] [Election]
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How Big Is Korea's Military Power
August 31, 2017 08:46
South Korea ranks 12th in the world in terms of military power, according to U.S. website Global Firepower. South Korea was given a rating of 0.2741, coming in 12th out of 133 countries. The ranking is based on 50 factors, including firepower, resources, variety of weapons and military spending. The closer to zero, the greater the military power. The U.S. unsurprisingly led the pack by a long margin at 0.0857, followed by Russia (0.0929), China (0.0945) and India (0.1593). North Korea ranked 23rd (0.4218).
[Military balance] [Spurious statistics]
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