Open Sources, August 20, 2012
SMILES! SMILES, EVERYONE! You’re on Fantasy Island!
DEATH OF AN ALLIANCE? Regular readers know I haven’t been fond of keeping U.S. ground forces in South Korea since I was a part of that force a decade ago. If anything has cooled my ardor for winding down U.S. military welfare for one of the world’s wealthiest nations, it has been the understanding that we shouldn’t punish the leaders of a government who act like allies at least part of the time, and who have reduced (but not eliminated) their subsidies for the regime our troops are ostensibly protecting them against.
Now, the most popular of the left-opposition candidates, Moon Jae-In, is promising to open wide the money pipe to Pyongyang — yes, unconditionally — if he’s elected. If so, that disincentive to withdraw will reverse polarity, and it would be the perfect opportunity to disperse the ground component of USFK to Ft. Lewis, Guam, and Hawaii. Yes, it should be the policy of the United States to give material and other forms of support to nations that want to defend their own security, sovereignty, and liberties, but the prerequisite to a country receiving that assistance is having the national maturity to want to defend itself.
A NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMAT POSTED IN MOSCOW, whose family reportedly asked for asylum in South Korea, has disappeared. This, according to the Donga Ilbo, which helpfully adds: “Seoul fears that media reports on his attempt to defect from the North will adversely affect him at a time when his whereabouts remain unknown.” So whatever you do, don’t tell anyone.
CHRONOLOGY OF A SWINDLE: Stephan Haggard has much, much more information about how the Chinese mining firm Xiyang Group lost a fortune to corrupt North Korean officials. The only thing that would make the story better would be if Treasury had truncated the process by freezing their assets.
TO SAY THAT JANG SONG-THAEK HAS ‘GROWING INFLUENCE‘ in North Korea today is at least as accurate as it would have been to say that Jim Henson had growing influence over Kermit the Frog in 1980.
SO WHICH COUNTRY REALLY WON THE OLYMPICS? India … by having the good sense not to give a shit.
Bloggers in Vietnam oppose land seizures. They also organize protests against China. Stuart Grudgings reports from Hanoi for Reuters.
One person in the photo is sporting a very phony smile…almost everyone else looks terrified. C’mon! You have to pretty it up!
Follow the link. Someone did.
Josh,
I think your thoughts are right on ! I too served in Korea and wonder if we met. I went to protests regularly. Where were you stationed ? Tongdeicheon ??
Carl