Kim Jong-un's visit to frontline bases in the recent month was to emphasize his strong discontent toward UFT, and to boost the morale of his soldiers. The North Korean military lost morale when Kim Jong-un purged Ri Yong-ho, Chief of the General Staff, and disbanded Daepoong group, the cash cow of NKorean military. Kim Jong-un's recent visit to military bases was to boost the morale of soldiers before they turn their backs on him, sending the message that Kim Jong-un has not given up military first policies.

As long as Kim Jong-un is sticking to military first policies, North Korea's economic reforms are futile. Kim Jong-un should not focus on propagandizing his role as the marshal, but revive the economy by reducing the number of people dying from starvation.

Comfort Women Issue

In Korea, there is a gathering in front of the Japanese embassy urging the Japanese government to solve the comfort women problem every Wednesday.

The old women, full of white hair, shout for Japan's repent... Their story is very pitiful.

The comfort women victims are still alive, and there are testimonies proving Japan's wrong-doings all over the world. Yet, Japan still denies the truth.

In a conversation held in 1993, Kono, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, admitted that comfort women were coerced into sexual slavery, but there is continuous pressure in Japan to cancel the conversation. Moreover, recently Prime Minister Noda, and Mayor of Osaka, Hashimoto, are making remarks that deny the coercion of the comfort women.

To the Japanese, the coercion of women in to sexual slavery is a past that it shameful. Maybe that's why they are denying their past crimes.

However, I don't understand how long they can keep denying the past.

Next month, at the UN General Assembly, Korea will strongly bring up the issue of Japan's distorted perception of history.

Japan should embrace their past, even if it is a shameful one, like their past ally Germany has done.

If not, they will not be able to avoid the criticism from the international community.

Korean wave is spreading fast in North Korea

Korean wave is spreading fast in North Korea. The popular Psy's Gangnam Style is gaining popularity in North Korea. North Koreans sing and dance to Gangnam Style, even though they are unaware of the fact that Psy is a Korean singer.

In the past, Korean media contents that were distributed in North Korea through the Chinese borders were old, but now things have changed. Now, the distribution speed has increased, and North Koreans are able to enjoy very recent Korean media contents.

The speed and ability to distribute Korea's pop songs and dramas decides the merchant's income.

In North Korea, if you got the dough, you can enjoy the up-to-date Korean Wave contents. The North Korean authorities are reinforcing crackdowns, but they won't be able to bust the North Korean people who already have access to the outside world.

Has Japan's prime minister, Noda really lost morality?

Has Japan's prime minister, Noda really lost morality? Even Hilary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, pointed out that the term, sex slaves should be used instead of the term, comfort women, but Noda is trying to hide the hideous truth in order to gain support. This is a very shameful act. Even if the Japanese government denies the Kono Yohei, Minister of Foreign Affair's conversation admitting the enforcement of putting women into sexual slavery, they will have no way to stop the testimony of the victims from all over the world. Even though Japan has the world's second strongest economy, the reason why Japan is not admitted as a leader in East Asia is probably because of the curdity of the Japanese government.

Let's send Team America to North Korea~!

You may already have heard that North Korea is the world's worst human rights violation nation.

There is no freedom of property, speech, religion, press, and even freedom of life. And therefore, there is no basic benefits, such as education and healthcare in North Korea. The reason North Korea is closed and violates human rights. It's in order to maintain the 3 generation of hereditary succession of the Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un.

Every year, 40% of the state budget is spent on idolizing and propaganda. In 2010, North Korea coerced those who had the same name as Kim Jong-un to change their name.

At the moment, there is only one Kim Jong-un in North Korea.

This is all part of the process to deify Kim Jong-un.

North Koreans can't name freely, can't travel freely, and can't even eat freely. Kim Jong-un is suffocating his people, while he is enjoying his undeserved wealth and luxury. Things that can not be understood in the normal and sensible world is happening in North Korea.

Maybe it's about time that Team America be sent to end this crazy situation in North Korea.

Not long ago, mayor of Osaka...

Not long ago, mayor of Osaka, made remarks denying the fact that comfort women served the Japanese military voluntarily, and that they were not enforced into sexual slavery during World War II. Statements like this denies the Japan's responsibility as a war criminal nation, and is a provocation towards the nations that fell victim to Japanese imperialistic brutality. The US, too, has lost around 2,400 soldiers and civilians to the Japanese during the Pearl Harbor. Japan's apology for its shameful past is just as important to the US as it is to other countries.

A Scene of Horrible Human Rights Violation!

North Korea's Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang.. North Korea is using the Mass Games as an important ideological character praising the North Korean regime. More than 10,000 people are being used as tools to propagandize Kim Jong-un's regime. And these people are being mistreated for months to prepare for this performance, which is leading to criticism from the international community. It's been told that all the participants, regardless of young or old ages, are beaten and assaulted. Kim Jong-un is too blind to only see his people as a tool for propagandizing his regime and a tool to earn foreign currency, while his people are living in poverty and pain. The performance may be flashy, but the people who are in the performance are miserable. They may even want the Arirang performance to end forever. By going to watch this performance, you may be taking a part in making the North Korean life miserable. So think twice before you decide to go to this outrageous show.

You want proof? Here's Some

The next prime minister in line, Hashimoto Toru, mayor of Osaka, requested for proof of the enforced sexual slavery of comfort women.

I am not sure whether or not Hashimoto is aware that his claims are nonsense or this nonsense is derived from political interests. Whatever the reason, he should be criticized for his statements.

According to a US army investigation reports that investigated war prisoners in Kunming, China in April 1945, there were testimonies that people applied for a job at a Japanese factory, but ended up in sexual slavery. Moreover, there are testimonies of proof of enforced sexual slavery of 20 Korean comfort women found in Myanmar by the US army. Horace Underwood delivered reports compulsory mobilization of comfort women to the US government, and in the Netherlands State Paper Archives, there also are proofs of compulsory mobilization.

And on top of that, Kono Yohei, Chief Cabinet Secretary, stated on August 1993, that Japan both directly and indirectly participated in installing, and managing of brothels, and recruiting, and transferring comfort women. So why the sudden change of heart and the sudden denial? Mayor Hashimoto should study the history before saying anything.

Japan, you done goofed!

We, the US, passed a resolution about comfort women in 2007, and actively participated in creating a memorial stone of comfort women in New Jersey because Japan's past imperialistic brutality is wrong, and Japan must both officially and sincerely admit and apologize, and take responsibility of their historical past. Despite our efforts, one of the extreme rightist politician, Hashimoto Toru, the mayor of Osaka, recently made statements denying the enforced sexual slavery of comfort women. His statements are Japan's futile efforts to distort the past instead of repenting and apologizing for the crimes Japan's ancestors have committed.

Japan must sincerely repent and apologize for their wrong doings of the past.

Comfort women? No, it's sexual slavery.

Just gonna write randomly regarding the comfort women issue...

US House of Representatives passed House Resolution 121, a resolution about comfort women in July 30, 2007. Hilary Clinton US secretary of State used the words 'forced prostitution' and 'enforced sex slaves' to describe the comfort women issue. This implies that the comfort women indeed is a serious crime act. Japan should sincerely apologize and repent.

And in 2007, professor Hayashi of Kanto University found documents that provide proof that Japan coerced women into sexual slavery at the Tokyo Univeristy library. The Japanese government must stop denying their shameful past and repent for their sins like Germany.

Moreover, there are testimonies and evidence that are consistent with the historical facts that Japan has enforced comfort women into sexual slavery. What more evidence other than this does Japan need? I find Japan's request for evidence as outrageous.

How can a nation that disregard women's basic rights call itself an advanced country? Or an ally? Japan needs give more thought to their actions.

And you know what? Japan forced sexual slavery of the comfort women from not only Korea, but from various regions of Asia-Pacific where Japanese troops were stationed. Dutch women living in Indonesia were put to sexual slavery, too. These comfort women are still living with painful memories. Can Japan compensate for the damages? I frankly don't think that it is even possible to compensate for the things the comfort women went through.

And this is just a side note, but if Japan wants to be a permanent member of the UN, it must be a nation fit to take on the burden of the responsibility. If Japan turn its back and deny its past, the future of Japan will be dim.

Kim Jong-un's humane side??? I don't think so

North Korea's Kim Jong-un is trying to show off his humane-side as a leader by visiting the home of his people, taking what appears to be a friendly photo with his subjects. However, Kim Jong-un's true nature is far from the what appears to be humane. He is very extravagant.

He is constructing a ski resort for his own entertainment, and signed a contract to buy two luxurious yachts that cost more than 10 million dollars per deal. He stays up all night partying. And for the sake of fatigue recovery, he installed top-class sauna facilities in his house, and wasted money on luxury watches that cost over 100 thousand dollars, high-quality liquor, instruments, and pets.

How can a leader waste all this much away when North Korea is begging for food to China? His people are starving to death, but he is only trying to satisfy his gluttony. The North Korean people will obviously be disgusted by the fake show that Kim Jong-un puts on to pretend that he is working hard for the people, while spending all the money for his own good.

Japan's Domestic Politics Bring Havoc to East Asia

Japan's prime minister, Noda tries to take over Dokdo to gain popularity

The atmosphere between Korea and Japan on Dokdo is tense.

After President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo, and requested that the Japanese Emperor apologize for the comfort women issue, Japan has reacted fiercely.

Noda, prime minister of Japan, has a very low approval rating, so he wouldn't miss this chance.

He would react strongly against Dokdo to gain approval ratings.

Recently, Japan gathered foreign reporters and stated that Dokdo is Japanese territory and Noda sent a letter of complaint to President Lee for visiting Dokdo.

At the moment, Korea feels that there is no need to react to the jibber jabber of Japan because Dokdo is Korean territory and Japan has no right to criticize the Korean president for visiting Korean territory.

Dokdo has been under effective control of Korea since the past to the present days. In ancient maps and official documents Dokdo is shown as Korean territory, and the conscientious Japanese scholars admit this fact.

The Japanese politicians should stop making a show to gain approval ratings for their own political benefit, and admit that Dokdo is Korean territory. They should also repent and compensate for the past crimes they have committed through comfort women.

It's about time that Japan let go of its imperialistic dreams!

Dear Mr. Hashimoto

This writing below is a letter to Hashimoto, mayor of Osaka, in response to Hashimoto's denial of comfort women being enforced into sexual slavery. This not only applies for Korea, but all the nations that suffered Japan's brutality and I hope this will notify the international community of the problems of comfort women. Let's not forget that without self-reflection of the past, there is no future.

 

I send this letter to Hashimoto, mayor of Osaka, a large city of 2.6 million people.

I read an article about your remarks on comfort women. You claimed that there is no evidence that comfort women were assaulted and threatened by the Japanese military to saceerve as sex slaves. You also noted that Korea must present proof that they were taken away by force. So I present to you the evidence to educate you to have a discerning eye.

First, somebody with common sense would not volunteer to become a comfort women in war. Or maybe you have somebody in your family that lacks this common sense, which led you to think that the comfort women volunteered under no duress.

Second, when Japan realized that nobody would volunteer for comfort women, Japan tried to trick the innocent women into sexual slavery by saying that the women would be find an employment opportunity at the war material factories. But when this failed, Japan coerced women into sexual slavery by assigning quota deliveries by regions.

Third, if you indeed recruited the women by volunteers, why are you trying to conceal the exact number of comfort women, and try to kill the comfort women to cover your filthy tracks when the war ended?

Fourth, there are testimonies from the women who suffered from sexual slavery, not only from Koreans, but from other countires, including even the Netherlands. What more proof do you need?

If you are ashamed of your crimes being revealed to the world, and deny your past, Japan's reputation will hit the bottom, no matter how powerful your economy is. You may claim to be an advanced country, but to the international community, your nations is a nation without conscience and human dignity.

 

Mr. Hashimoto,

I hear that you are very promising future leader of Japan.

A true leader should be able to admit his faults and ask for forgiveness when necessary. Lies, denials, and hypocrisy is will only lead to a vain bubble of popularity that will bust any time soon.

 

Japan should learn from what Germany, Japan's old ally back in the days, did after their defeat in the World War II.

The reason other European countries are not making a problem out of Germany's shameful past is not because the European countries forgave Germany, but it is because Germany reflected, repented, and apologized for the crimes they committed. Moreover, Germany legally and institutionally promised to and convinced the European nation not to start a war again.

 

As long as humanity exists, and Japan coexists with its surrounding nations, Japan's invasion and past crimes will continue to be of issue. If you do not work to solve this issue in your generation, your descendents would have to bear this burden.

 

If you are a wise leader, I think it is advisable that you take the responsibility and clear out your past reputation as a war criminal nation. What do you think?

Jang Seong-taek returns empty-handed

Jang Seong-taek visited China for billion dollar of aid, but returned empty-handed. Premier Wen Jiabao gave an admonition to the point that North Korea's regressive system is preventing economic growth.

North Korea must adhere to China's advices. If North Korea does not change the current system, economic development will be difficult. Although North Korea decided to abandon planned economy, as long as North Korea's attitude does not change, economic reform is just vain words.

There is a reason why many world renown companies are reluctant to invest in North Korea. North Korea took over all the assets without consent from South Korean companies invested in Keumkang mountain.

The world has seen this process, so unless the whole board of directors are insane, no sane company in the world would invest in North Korea unless North Korea changes. North Korea must abandon the current inappropriate policies from communism and socialism, and implement a democratic order that can support a market economy to have a successful economic reform.

North Korea's Marie Antoinette

 Times magazine recently published an article saying that Ri Sol Ju reminds them of Marie Antoinette, during the French revolution.

Ri Sol Ju, wife of Kim Jong-un, was spotted sporting a luxury Christian Dior purse in public. The bag, identified as a Lady Dior Clutch retails for about $1600, which is roughly the equivalent of an average North Korean annual salary.

The extravagance of Ri Sol Ju is not different from the extravagance of Marie Antoinette who was hanged for wasting away state coffers while the French people were starving to death.

Kim Jong-un and Ri Sol Ju... Man and wife are one in body and soul.

So, too, is their extravagance.

The luxurious lifestyle of North Korea's leaders contradicts North Korea's food aid requests for its starving people.

Before requesting outside aid, they must first fix the fundamental problem - money wasted from extravagant lifestyle of its leaders. The North Korean leaders are driving its people to starvation.

No matter how hard Kim Jong-un tries to gain the public sentiment, if Kim Jong-un does not fix the fundamental problem, he is bound to fail.

Korea and Japan's War of Nerves on Dokdo

The atmosphere between Korea and Japan on Dokdo is tense.

Both countries are claiming possession of Dokdo.

In order to see the historical truth on Dokdo, we need to dive into the past. Japan is claiming Dokdo on the grounds that Japan included Dokdo into Shimane prefecture in 1905.

However, there are many historical data that prove that Dokdo is Korean territory before 1905.

In ancient maps and official documents Dokdo is shown as Korean territory. There is evidence that documented the fact that Japanese who fished near Dokdo came to Ulleung island to pay taxes. If Dokdo were Japanese territory, the Japanese would not have to pay taxes to Korea, and would have went straight to Japan.

Currently, Japan has many territorial disputes with many countries.

Japan is in disputes with China, the Senkaku islands, with Russia, the Kuril islands, and with Korea, the Dokdo.

Sooner or later, Japan is going to claim that the whole world is Japanese.

When will Japan wake up from their imperialistic dreams.

Why won't Japan just admit their wrongs....

During World War II, Japan used women of the conquered countries as sex slaves or comfort women. This problem related to this issue has recently sparked conflicts in the Korea-Japan relationship, developing into an issue receiving the spotlight of international society.

Although a US congressman, Mike Honda, is Japanese American, he stated that Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner, refute any claims that the issue of comfort women never occurred, and educate current and future generations about this horrible crime while following the recommendations of the international community with respect to comfort women.

Honda is urging Japan to make an unambiguous apology for the use of sex slaves, and educating the truth about the criminal actions carried out during war.

Japan should take Honda's advice into deep consideration. If Japan no longer wants to be condemned by the international community, they must apologize, and accept historical responsibility for the horrible crimes committed.

Gangnam Style Fever

Member of K-pop girl group, Hyuna of 4 minute, featured in Psy's new version of 'Gangnam Style.'

YG Life Blog and Psy's Youtube channel put Hyuna as a duo with Psy in the girl version 'Oppa is Just My Style' music video, which was revealed on Aug 15th.

The music video gained more than 730,000 views in half a day, and is gaining more views exponentionally.

Although some people do not like Hyuna's babyish voice, there is no doubt that Hyuna's sexy choreography has a synergy effect on Psy's dances.

The highlight of the music video is the chorus part where Hyuna and Psy do the 'horse dance' move. Hyuna changed the lyrics from 'sexy lady' to 'sexy baby' and showed voloptuous waves. She was also acclaimed for perfectly showing off Psy style dance.

Psy decided to release the girl version of 'Gangnam Style', 'Oppa is Just My Style' for his female fans to be able to sing the song in Noraebang (karaoke).

Psy's 'Gangnam Style' currently has more than 30 million views, and is ranked third in the World Youtube Chart after Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Do you want to be a fashion model? Daegu, a south western city of Korea, hosts a 'Fashion and Beauty Tour' from Aug 16-25th.

Daegu Fashion and Beauty Tour presents tourist an opportunity to experience and become a fashion model of textile fashion, a major industry of Daegu.

This tour was selected as one of the Korea's top 10 thematic courses. On this tour, visitors can learn hair, make-up, walking, photo posing to become a fashion model.

Tourists can wear like Korean Wave stars and pose for photos, and become the wanna-be person that they have dreamt of.

If you want to be prettier, come to Daegu.

Even the Japanese think Dokdo is Korean

Recently, the Japanese defence minister, admitted that Dokdo is Korean territory by stating that Japan should "refrain from commenting on other countries' internal affairs."

So basically, Japan is interfering with Korea's internal affairs. And this statement implies that "A Korean president visiting Dokdo is just because the president is visiting an island belonging to his country. Therefore, Japan should remain quiet."

Japanese rightists, and Japanese with anti-Korean sentiments maintain the South Korea-controlled islets in the East Sea are an inherent part of its territory, both on historical grounds and in accordance with international law. However, not all Japanese believe this claim is true. Many, like minister Morimoto, believes that Dokdo is Korean territory.

The Japanese historians, especially, are claiming that Dokdo is Korean territory on historical grounds, and in the conscience of a scholar. So the only rational reason behind the territory disupte is Japan is trying to steal the island to gain benefits from fishing rights, and extension of its maritime territory. Japan might be thinking that through territory dispute they have nothing to lose, except for the deterioration of Kor-Jap relationship and take the risk for the slightest chance of stealing the island.

Yeosu Expo Ends

The three big world events of is the Olympics, the World Cup and the 2012 Yeosu Expo. Well, the Yeosu Expo ended on the 12th after a long 93 day run. When I first heard the city of Yeosu, I thought it was just a small provincial city of Korea with a population of 300 thousand people with poor infrastructure. So I thought it would be difficult to have 8 million visitors. However, it turns out the expo was quite successful.

The Yeosu Expo conveys the theme 'The Living Ocean and Coast' aimed to shed light on humankind's knowledge and advancement of technology concerning the ocean and coast and identify ways to resolve challenges facing the ocean. There were many interesting Pavilions such as the Marine Civilization & City Pavilion, DSME Marine Robot Pvilion, Korea Pavilion, Aquarium, Energy Park, Sky Towers, which caught my eyes.

Moreover, there were discounts on foreign visitors. They also organized cruise tours, and used extensive marketing methods to bring-in foreign tourists, which gave the result of 400 thousand foreign visitors. Such a successful outcome tells the high quality of the Expo, and the well-planned out Expo directed by the Koreans.

 

Dokdo Related Issue

The Japanese government's faulty territorial expansion strategy is bearing to be fruitless, and only worsening international relations. No matter how much the Japanese claim that Dokdo belongs to Japan, the international community, including the Koreans don't really care what the Japan says.

Korea's president recently visited the island, but Japan has no justification or jurisdiction to deter president Lee's efforts. What Japan did instead was give the world an impression that they are trying to steal Dokdo from Korea.

At the London Olympics, during the football match between Korea and Japan, a Korean player held up a sign saying 'Dokdo is Korean soil!' This proves that Koreans are more eager and have more interest towards island than do the Japanese people.

The Japanese government should stop the territorial dispute between Korea, and maybe should focus on what they have right now, the Senkaku islands. Recently 14 Chinese activists from Hongkong illegally trespassed into Senkaku islands. If 14 ordinary people can sneak into Japanese territory in such an easy manner, it means that Senkaku is not defended properly. Japan should focus on Senkaku, and give up its ambitions towards Dokdo. What Japan is doing right now is if they are trying to catch two rabbits with one rock, and may end up losing both.

North Korea's efforts to revive the economy

Recently North Korea has been showing efforts to revive the economy.

North Korea sent a group of 50 representatives, headed by Jang Seong-taek, to China to reinforce economic cooperation between the two countries.

However, I really wonder if North Korea will abandon their past and completely change into a country with reforms and open-door policies.

NOt only did North Korea not pay back the debt from South Korea, but they also provoked using missile launches and nuclear test threats. North Korea is an untrustworthy nation. North Korea still shows no sign of change in the economic cooperation between South Korea.

China's heavily invested in North Korea, but all the investments turned out to be huge losses because North Korea decided to notify a one-sided termination of contract.

North Korea should show the international community that they truly changed before sending a representative to China to beg for aid. And finally, please to not jump to conclusions that North Korea really did change for reforms and open-door policies. It is all just a show to get what they want.

North Korea : beggar country

North Korea's leading figure, Jang Sung-taek, vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, visited China. It is told that Jang visited China to discuss matters related to the development of Hwanggumpyong Island and Naseon special economic zone. However, it is an unprecedented event for a leading figure of the N. Korean government to visit China for such a petty problem.

I'm guessing that North Korea, desperate from the devastating effects of economic reform, including the removal of its rationing system, is begging China for financial stimuli. The military is discontent about the removal of Ri Young-ho, and the North Korean regime has lost popularity amongst its people because of the shortage of food. So North Korea probably is in dire need of China's aid.

Last year, Kim Jong-il tried to put on a show at his week-long visit in China with his underlings, that North Korea is putting reform efforts, but failed to impress the Chinese leaders. It is no different this time. China, too, will no longer support North Korea if North Korea acts responsibly. If North Korea wants support and aid, North Korea must act responsibly and become more trustworthy. Trust is something earned, not given.

Japan: Hypocrites

Japan's logic for claiming Dokdo as their own contradicts the reasons behind the territorial dispute of Senkaku islands and the Kuril islands. And this hypocrisy of Japan is subject to world criticism

Japan claims Senkaku is Japanese land because it has effective control, but is maintaining that Dokdo is their land despite the fact that Korea has effective control. Their logic inconsistent.

Moreover, when the Russian president visited the Kuril islands, Japan remained more or less silent, but when the Korean president visited Dokdo, they made a huge fuss out of the issue suing Korea to the International Court of Justice.

Japan's illogical behavior and attitude will only spur up anti-Japanese sentiment amongst neighboring countries. If Japan maintains its overwhelming ambition for territory disputes, it will always be a subject of criticism.

Reunion of separated families

Reunion of separated families only applies to the Korean peninsula because of its special circumstance as a separated nation.

Reunion of separated families is an event of reunion of families that were separated by the Korean War. In September 1985, the first Reunion of separated families was held in Seoul and Pyeongyang, where concerts events were simultaneously held. However, after 2010, Reunion of separated families event has seized to exist. After the bombing of Yeonpyeong islands in November 2010, Reunion of separated families never took place.

Recently, S. Korea suggested holding working-level talks about Reunion of separated families through the Red Cross, but N. Korea refused the offer.

North Korea stated that Reunion of separated families problem will not be solved unless sanctions on North Korea is removed and the Mt. Geumgang tour resumes. I don't like N. Korea's attitude of using Reunion of separated families for political means, and I pity the families that are unable to reunite.

Son, Yeon-jae, Beautiful Gymnast

Have by seen rhythmic gymnastics by any chance? I was surprised by this beautiful Korean girl performing while I was surfing through the TV channels. Eastern European countries are traditionally good at rhythmic gymnastics. So it was very unusual and exotic to see an Asian athlete perform so majestically.

Son Yeon-jae is one of the eight most beauties of Olympics, and was given the title of goddess by Chinese media.

Although Son came in 5th and failed to get a medal, the efforts she put in make her shine even more than the gold medal.

With her innate talents, and hard efforts, Son mastered many difficult moves that would normally take 2 to 3 years to master in 7 to 8 months. Son is a rising star in the rhythmic gymnast world.

I would be thrilled to see Son Yeon-jae again in the Brazilian Olympics in 2016.

Why all the fuss about Dokdo?

Japan was shocked by President Lee's recent visit to Dokdo.

In the history of constitutional Korea, it was the first time a Korean president in office visited Dokdo. So it may be shocking for Japan, but it is a Korean president going to Korean island, Dokdo, not any other country's president. So all the criticism and complaint from Japan implies that the Korean government has been too complacent in dealing with Japan's ambition of Dokdo.

The Japanese government has stated in the Defense of Japan white paper that Dokdo is theirs for 8 years since 2005. However, the Korean government merely expressed complaints toward Japan, a very lackadaisical action that was too conscious of the Kor-Jap relationship.

The reason the Korean government passively counteracted was to prevent itself from following Japan's intention to make Dokdo a disputed territory by putting the spotlight on the small island. However, it is time for a change. The Korean government must show a stronger actions.

Japan plans to take the Dokdo issue to the International Court of Justice. However, if Korea rejects the offer, there won't be an ICJ trial. This is because when Korea became a member of ICJ, Korea did not accept the compulsory jurisdiction. Japan's threat to sue Korea is a trickery by Japan's ruling party to increase its approval rating.

Dokdo is in effect Korean, and Korea needs to react stronger against Japan.

Another land dispute involving Japan

Japan is creating conflict between Russia and Korea by stating in the Defense of Japan White Paper that Kuril Islands, and Dokdo is Japanese territory. When Putin visited Kuril islands, the Japanese merely expressed its regrets, but when the Korean president was visiting Dokdo, they requested refrainment of the visit and delivered complaints through the Korean ambassador. I don't understand why Japan is making a fuss about a Korean going to a Korean island.

Japan is arguing and insisting on having their own way stating that Russian land is theirs, and Korean land is theirs. Against a immature crybaby like Japan, we need to react strongly like China and Russia.

North Korea : Naughty??

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency slammed the Brisbane Metro, an Australian newspaper, for calling them Naughty Korea, claiming that it is a bullying act little short of insulting the Olympic spirit of solidarity, friendship and progress.

On Aug 3, the 'Brisbane Metro' called North Korea as 'Naughty Korea' and South Korea as 'Nice Korea' in a table that shows the medal rankings.

However, the word Naughty isn't fit for North Korea. It should be 'the world's most dangerous and harmful dirt-bag country.'

North Korea's military-first politics

So far North Korea pursued military-first politics.

Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il was shocked when Romania's dictator Ceausescu was overthrown and executed both by the cooperation between the civilians and the military. If the military had not betrayed Ceausescu, he would have never been overthrown. It was shocking to the Kim family because they were and are still trying to maintain the dictatorship.

After this incident, Kim Jong-il has been putting all efforts to keep the military under his control to maintain his power, and adopted a military-first policy. Although because of the military-first policy, North Korea's dictatorship regime became stable, the power of the military became immense. Although the reason for the recent removal of Ri Young-ho, ex-chief of general staff, is believed to be his criticism against Kim Jong-un, but the real essence of the purgery was to weaken the over-sized military so that Kim Jong-un can take effective control.

A power struggle between the military that holds all the money, and Kim Jong-un that is trying to steal it has begun.

Recently, Kim Jong-un has disbanded companies that supplies the military with foreign currencies to reduce the power of the military. It is notable, and we should pay attention to how the military will react. The military will not just sit idle when their life and money is in the line.

Korean gymnast Yang Hak-seon

Korean gymnast Yang Hak-seon's skills performed during the Olympics was amazing. Yang successfully pulled off his unprecedented signature move called "The Yang Hak-seon," a triple-twisting handspring front somersault. Apparently, Yang is creating a new move that is even more difficult than "The Yang Hak-seon." The "Yang 2" is a new move that adds one more half-twist to the Yang Hak-seon, which would take his movement from 1080 to 1260 degrees. We hope to see Yang master the Yang 2 at the next olympics.

DO YOU HEAR?

A billboard titled "Do You Hear?" urging the Japanese government for an apology to women it subjected to sexual slavery 70 years ago was set up on a highway billboard in Houston, Texas. In the billboard shows a photo of Korean elderly women who were 'comfort women' holding weekly meetings outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul since 1992. The number of attendants to the gatherings has grown to more than 1000. So why did this phenomenon happen in the first place?

The reason is simple. It's all about the Japanese government's apology and compensation.

Although in 1995, Japan did aid in creating the Asian Women's Fund, it was a mere formality, and still refuses to compensate and apologize to individuals.

As a result, Korean-Americans are requesting sincere apology and compensation from the Japanese government. I, too, agree with the Korean-Americans. No matter how strong Japan is economically, if they do not admit their wrong-doings in the past, they cannot be respected in the international community.

Japan must solve the 'comfort women' problem ASAP, and stop itself from becoming a humiliation.

Worrisome Movements in North Korea

North Korea's recent movements are quite worrisome.

North Korea stated that its Chief of the General Staff because of illness, but the truth may be far from this. Nobody's gonna believe that the top military officer who controlled all of the North Korean military would not be relieved of all positions just because of an illness. Until now there are only two reasons for a leader of North Korea to be removed. It's either he was killed or purged.

The real reason Ri Yong-ho was purged is Ri criticized Kim Jong-Un's open door policies, and reforms. This criticism was confirmed when Choi Ryong-hae wiretapped Ri Yong-ho.

Unless Ri isn't an idiot, he knows that being purged means being sent to prison/labor camps. Would Ri have obediently go to the camps? Ri knows that he committed horrendous crimes to maintain Kim dictatorship, so he would've been reluctant to obey the orders.

Some reports claim that around 20 died in the process of arresting Ri Yong-ho, but I think much more than 20 have died.

The only reason to conceal lthe truth is to prevent chaos between the military and its people.

North Korea indeed is a scary place. If you say the wrong thing, you are either shot on sight or sent to correctional facility. I wonder how long Kim Jong-un can maintain his power.

Japan troublemaker

Japan is creating conflict between Russia and Korea with their territorial dispute in Kuril Islands, and Dokdo. Defense of Japan White paper has brought the problem up for years claiming that Russia and Korea are illegally occupying Japanese land. Due to Japan's ridiculous claim, anti-Japanese sentiment is growing in Korea.

However, Japan's claims lack persuasion. In the case of Kuril islands, president Medvedev visited Kunashir island in 2010, but Japan did not give any special reaction. They merely expressed that the visit was a shame.

In the case of Dokdo island, Japan's claim lack evidence. This is because Dokdo was occupied Korea since 1953 in civil aspect, and to maintain security. Dokdo was effectively Korean soil. At the moment two civilians and two civil workers live on Dokdo, and many visit the island daily for tours.

If Dokdo indeed was Japanese soil, and Korea indeed stole Japanese property, would Japan claim Dokdo only with words? They would've probably sent their Self-Defense Forces to remove Korean maintenance of the public order, and occupied the island with troops. If we consider the current situation, Japan's claim of the Kuril islands and Dokdo is merely a reflection of Japan's ambition to steal other's territory.

 

North Korea's continued conflict in the military! A Coup may be likely

Kim Jong-Un disbanded Taep'oong Group for its low profitability. Taep'oong Group is a Pyongyang-based North Korean company established by the National Defence Commision of North Korea that supplies the North Korean military with liquidity.

The company's poor financial performance was officially reported, but the report itself is questionable.

Recently Ri Young-ho was purged, in order for Kim Jong-Un to take over the military.

Kim Jong-Un's actions to weaken the power of other military officials is proof that Kim Jong-Un hasn't dominated the military yet. In these circumstances, Kim Jong-Un's recent actions will not be welcomed in the North Korean military.

Not only did he purge Ri Young-ho, but he cut off the financial supplier of the military?! The military will definitely be hostile to Kim Jong-Un.

North Korean specialists are already predicting that a coup in North Korea is near. Kim Jong-Un is only pouring oil on the flame by suffocating the military.

Cupid's Arrow Strikes Winning Archers

I was shocked this morning when I read this article about two gold medal-winning archers, Ki Bo Bae and Oh Jin-hyek.
A romance that has blossomed between two gold-medal-winning archers at the Olympics in London has grabbed the attention of the Korean media. 
Oh Jin-hyek, who became the first Korean archer to win the men's individual gold, and Ki Bo-bae, a double gold medalist after she grabbed both the individual and team events, revealed that they are romantically involved. 
They began dating while preparing for the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, but kept the news out of the public eye so it would not serve as a distraction from their careers.
Ki ran away with the women's individual title on Saturday, earning her second medal in the British capital. The next day Oh competed in the men's individual final and Ki watched with an anxious expression on her face, although her face lit up when Oh turned and gave her a big thumbs-up as soon as he clinched the gold. 
At a press conference after the event, Oh said, "Ki and I have a very good relationship. We're not yet thinking specifically about marriage at this point, but if things keep going well after we return to Korea, that may well be on the cards one day."
Well they already received a gold medal at the Olympics, and are at the pinnacle of the archery world. I hope they can encourage and motivate each other to do better in the future, and be a successful couple that everybody envies.
I think I already envy them... TT

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A NORTH KOREAN INVASION

Found an awesome article on the current military situation between the two divided Koreas.
Not sure about the verity of this blog, but interesting enough to read and get some insight!


Out of all the totalitarian shitholes threatening to fire off a nuke, North Korea is easily the biggest wild card. In the past we’ve done a pretty thorough job reporting on the regime’s endless abuse of their people, shitty amusement parks, and their overall creepy Big Brother state. This time we got the skinny from a South Korean-born NATO soldier with intimate ties to the South Korean Army. He told us some insider info about the defense plans of his motherland in the event of a North Korean invasion, and how they are pretty much fucked if the North does decide to come down their way. Turns out the North Korean Army are not a pack of malnourished farmers like most of us assumed; but a horde of unholy super soldiers fiercely loyal to their Dear Leader. Besides building underground tunnels that stretch into South Korean territory, from which they will burst out of in a rage unknown to Western militaries, they can swim for days, shoot people between the eyes, and live in caves for years waiting patiently to blow Seoul to smithereens.


VICE: So where does South Korea keep all of their soldiers?
Anonymous soldier: During a South Korean marine’s 24-month conscription they patrol a piece of real estate assigned to them on the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). A company is made up of around 120 infantry soldiers defending South Korea from a potential invasion by the North. It’s the most fortified place on Earth, with something like 10 million installed and active landmines.


Wait, what exactly is a “piece of real estate”?
A piece of real estate is a defensive position and a square in the grid that is the DMZ. They learn every inch of it by patrolling and reinforcing it constantly, and changing the coordinates of their artillery periodically.


Are they always prepared for an invasion?
Oh yeah. It’s like Israel.


What would it be like if it did happen?
If the North Koreans did invade, intelligence puts their army at around 1.2 million infantry who would crash the borders at various points. Because of all those landmines put in over the years, we figure they’re going to clear a lane of entry for their troops to punch through using artillery and overwhelming numbers, which means it’s critical the whole line and each piece of real estate is held by each company. If the line is breached at all, we’re pretty much fucked. Their orders are to hold their real estate for seven minutes—no more, no less.


Seven minutes sounds really specific. 
That’s exactly how long it takes to scramble bombers to their location so they can bomb it directly. This is why they often call their little grid the “tomb.” It’s ultimately a suicide zone.


That’s pretty heavy. Where are these jets coming from, exactly?
Jets in the present plan would be coming from Okinawa, Guam, and some of the US aircraft carriers stationed in the Pacific. But by the time the jets take off and drop their bombs, there won’t be any airfields to land and refuel at in South Korea, because all of the airfields are strategic North Korean targets and all of their heavy artillery have the range to hit them easily. That’s why the South Korean air force has top-secret landing zones already set up on highways across the country that are equipped to refuel and rearm planes. But apparently North Korean spies have already confirmed all of these highways anyway.


So basically everybody is fucked and the defensive plan is hopeless. 
Nobody really expects those companies to hold on for that long anyway. It’s a long shot. They’ll not only be getting their area bombed to shit, but don’t forget, North Korea has something like 130,000 well-trained special forces, and they’ll probably already be landing on the South Korean coast coming up their ass while they’re holding on for seven minutes.


Coming up their ass doing what?
They’ll be do something called “promoting general chaos,” a military tactic meant to shock your enemy’s will to fight by attacking psychological targets like city halls, police bases, radio stations, water purification plants, hospitals, trains, and even grocery stores. There’s also confirmed intelligence that some North Korean troops will be using South Korean uniforms to confuse people. On top of all that there are the tunnels.


What do you mean, "the tunnels"?
They’ve started finding these tunnels built by the North Koreans that I’ve been to myself, that stretch two and a half miles into South Korean territory. We’re talking tunnels wide enough that every hour a whole battalion could be pumped out of it and just start swarming everything in sight.


I’ve heard a lot about the North Koreans and their underground armies. What’s that all about?
The lesson the North Korean army learned from Iraq, Afghanistan, and even the last Korean War, is that the US, South Korea’s chief ally, always has air supremacy. That’s why they’ve created bases for full divisions buried under mountains that are so deep and impenetrable they could sustain a nuclear attack. Not to mention they have built-in fiber-optic communication networks connecting every underground base. They literally have everything you’d need there, like factories and workforces to build tanks, guns, and munitions. They use these mountain bases as permanent bunkers, with long range howitzers on rail lines scaling across peaks that can relentlessly shoot salvos. Mobile artillery like that is an incredible advantage. Even though the South Korean army could probably triangulate where the howitzer fire comes from, the rail lines allow them to quickly relocate.


This all sounds like they’re really prepared and South Korea isn’t.
I mean it’s a completely different society and outlook. Just to give you an idea how hard and disciplined these fuckers are, around 2005 a North Korean soldier defected and gave himself up to South Korean police in some remote village on the northwest coast. When an intelligence officer asked him how he got there he said he swam. The guy was basically a member of an elite reconnaissance unit that literally swam something like 30 miles down from North Korea, gathered intelligence on South Korean defenses, then swam back. The guy just ditched his unit for the swim back. He was shocked the South Koreans didn’t do the same thing.


Jesus Christ.
A few years before that, South Korean Special Forces soldiers, guys who are always pulling operations behind enemy lines, told me that the North Korean army uses political prisoners and captured South Korean soldiers as training bait; they send them into the forest and tell them that they can live if they get to the border. Then they let their soldiers hunt them. None survive, obviously. North Korean Special Forces are notorious for killing with perfect headshots.


Tell me plain and simple: How do you think an invasion would all play out and when?
If they ever attacked, the South would definitely own the air, but they’ll pay a severely heavy price. Obviously China and the US would get involved and with the new naval race going on in the Pacific, it would pretty much draw in every country in that area. Who knows what the future holds though. They recently fired a rocket to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kim Jong Il, but the rocket failed. The North Korean regime was hoping it would solidify Kim Jong Un’s competency as a leader to their public. So now they need a new piece of hardware to impress the people. And a lot of experts think it’ll be a third atomic bomb testing. After that, things are just going to escalate. He’s already looking weak and insecure and that’s a bad sign.


Source : HOW TO PREPARE FOR A NORTH KOREAN INVASION, Ben Makuch
Check the website, if you haven't already. It's got interesting news and articles!

North Korea's Secret to Olympic Medals

North Korea's Olympic athletes are surprising the world by winning medals, and attributing their success to Kim Jong Un. However, there are rumors that suggest the success of the country's small number of athletes at the Olympics is the policy of giving rewards like cars, refrigerators, and televisions for medalists, but losers are sent losers to labor camps.

But the consequence of loss is greater if the athletes lose to countries in conflict like the ROK and the US.

One North Korean defector stated at an interview that Shin Ui-gun, coach of North Korea's women's football team, will be criticized for the loss to the US at the London Olympics.

Moreover, North Korean defectors testified that if athletes lose a match, they are held responsible as if they had lost in a battle. Matches against Korea and the US is almost always considered as a war that needs to be won at all cost.

North Korean athletes are participating in sports not from sportsmanship, but from the fear of Kim Jong-Un's punishments. Is this even possible, and sensible? Some say this kind of rumor is from the negative perception of North Korea, but we are talking about North Korea, here. I think it's very probable because the 3 generation of Kim dictators gained the know-how of threatening and forcing people.

North Korea not gonna change any time soon...

As North Korea's Kim Jong-un's appearance with the accompaniment of Ri Sol-ju increased, people are starting to think that North Korea is in the verge of change.

Reform and open-door policies? Kim Jong-un's recent actions is just a show he put on to stop sanctions and get international aid.

As Kim Jong-un came into power, the human rights violation has peaked. Borderline security has been reinforced to prevent the incoming exchange of outside information.

Moreover, they are making false accusations against the US and the ROK for the terror incident on Kim Il-sung statue, and threatening that they would take revenge through terror movements against North Korean activists, and North Korean defectors.

Just because Kim Jong-un got rid of Ri Yong-ho doesn't mean that he's abandoning military-first policies, and adopt a people-first policy. So don't get your hopes up. North Korea's reform, and open door policy is Kim Jong-un's shallow trick.

Kim Jong-un, soon to be most-wanted on Interpol

The Spanish National Court, Audiencia Nacional will summon Kim Jong-un this September on charges of genocide and inhumane acts.

* The Spanish National Court issued an arrest warrant for Augusto Pinochet, Chilean dictator for genoicde and inhumane acts in 1998.

The Spanish National Court's summon will be delivered to North Korea's UN ambassador at Geneva. If Kim Jong-Un does not does not object to the summon, and turns down the summon, an arrest warrant is issued after six weeks. If an arrest warrant is issued, Kim Jong-Un becomes the most-wanted on Interpol's list, which will restrict foreign visits.

After Kim Jong-un's regime, there has been no efforts to stop inhumane acts, and there were no signs of reform... There only exists control and persecution of its people.

North Koreans' human rights worsened as cruel tortures are widespread...

And they are abducting Japanese, Korean, and even Dutch people...

They are not only trampling on their own people's human rights, but also harming people of other nations. I assent to the Spanish National Court's summoning of Kim Jong-un to bring him under international justice.

K-Food, Anyone??

Are you tired of what you eat everyday? Do you want to spice things up at your dining table?

If you got tired of Chinese and Japanese cuisine, give Korean cuisine a try!

Korean food is not greasy, and is vegetarian-based well-being cuisine.

K-food may be too spicy for your taste, and Kimchi may be weird at first, but it is a taste that people get addicted to when they get used to it. So it would be foolish to keep K-food off you menu.

Are you in by any chance in Britain? If so, then you are in luck.

At London, where the Olympics is being held, there is an opportunity to try out Korean cuisine.

The UK's largest retail firm, Tesco New Malden store, will feature a Korean cuisine section.

Once you get the hang of it, you will get hooked and mesmerized by Korean cuisine!

Japan's endless ambition for territory

Japan is creating a prolonged conflict between Korea by publishing that Dokdo is Japanese territory in this year's Defense of Japan White Paper. Japan is in a territorial dispute not only with Korea, but also with China.

Dokdo is a Korea island that is in the district of Ulleung-do, but since 2005, Japan has claimed the island as theirs in their Defense of Japan White Paper for the past 8 years.

Dokdo is both historically and in effect Korean territory! Wish Japan would stop their unnecessary obsession over Dokdo, and Japan has the evidence that Dokdo is not a Japanese territory, but they are refusing to withdraw their territorial claim.

I wish Japan would stop degrading their national image by trying to steal something that's not theirs with senseless logic, and stop their obssession over Dokdo.