Links of Interest
* The United States wants South Korea to join it in imposing sanctions against North Korean shipping. South Korea will not agree, though the move would be almost exclusively symbolic.
* LiNK will hold a fund-raising happy hour at the K Street Lounge, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, DC, on April 20th at 6 p.m.
Join us as LiNK DC hosts the K Street Lounge Happy Hour! With free first drinks, we promise a great time networking with like professionals and getting together for a good cause. $20 donation with proceeds towards Project Safe Haven, a LiNK initiative supporting over 30 Chinese safehouses that house NK refugees. LiNK is a non-proft, non-partisan, non-ethnic, and non-religious group passionate about educating the world about North Korea.
* For all its faults, I count myself a fan of the jury system, though more a fan of the military system, where the panel members are selected based on such relevant factors as age, experience, education, training, and “judicial temperament.” I often get the impression that civilian jurors fall short of the very high standards I came to expect of military panel members, who often asked better questions than the lawyers. That’s still better than the Korean system, where according to several reliable reports, the septuagenarian judges actually doze off during testimony. I like hearing that Korea plans to adopt a jury system. This little experiment, however, looked like a silly P.R. stunt to me. I also worry that a jury system will make things worse for Americans who go on trial there.
* The Chosun Ilbo is making the point I made earlier (fourth item) about Japanese pressure being needed to get the remains of a Korean returned home. You had to know someone would pick up on that.
* Who snubbed who here? Pleasanties are fine, if they’re willing to knock off the counterfeiting . . . which they still aren’t.
“Send me video tapes of the annual award shows for TV drama, pop songs, and comedy programs from Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC),” “A South Korean magazine ran an article about me. I’ll have to be careful,” wrote Kim Jong Nam (photo), the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in an e-mail that he sent to his close aide in China in late 2002.
And another thing — if you forgot the Jenna Jameson DVD this time, I will freaking kill you!
* Columnist (not ex-president) Kim Dae Joong tries to come to terms with South Korea’s dependency on America, and irrational feelings that often go along with it.