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October 15, 2006

Curt Weldon Under FBI Investigation

He’s North Korea’s favorite Republican Congressman, whose guest, “Ambassador” Hang Song-Ryol, played the starring role in the “Bastardgate” incident in the halls of the U.S. Congress.  Weldon took Han’s side and engaged in a public swearing contest against my friend, Suzanne Scholte, and several eyewitnesses whose Korean language skills no doubt exceed Weldon’s.  At the time, I dug up evidence of the current allegations against Weldon, so they’re nothing new. Old news has a way of becoming big news in...
Categories Diplomacy/Washington Views
October 14, 2006

Another Ambassador of Our Country

Give him style points, at least.  A drunken Army private walking past the War Memorial near the Yongsan Garrison and Samgakji Station couldn’t pass up the opportunity he saw in a Seoul city bus.  Seems he had gotten all the way to Seoul Station — and almost all the way back to the War Memorial — when the Korean Police caught up with him. No word on whether he stopped for passengers. The first good decision he made was to...
Categories U.S. Military/UCMJ & SOFA
October 12, 2006

MUST-READ: Key U.S. Policy-Maker Calls China Out for Double-Dealing

David Asher, who recently led the Illicit Activities Initiative, is probably the architect of our tough new financial strategy against North Korea’s counterfeiting, smuggling, and money laundering.  He is also one of Washington’s clearest thinkers on North Korea.  Asher didn’t know that North Korea would actually  test a nuke when he delivered this address to the Heritage Foundation in September, and really, it deserved more media and blog attention than it got.  Asher, to say the least, doesn’t think China...
Categories China/China & Korea/Money Laundering/Washington Views/WMD
October 11, 2006

MUST READ: Deterring the Arsenal of Terror

Writing in the Washington Post, David Ignatius squarely confronts what may be the greatest challenge to the security of the United States:  finding a way to deter a mass attack.  Ignatius concludes, correctly, that one must deter the sponsors and suppliers: Allison believes that the world must focus on what he calls “the principle of nuclear accountability.” The biggest danger posed by North Korea isn’t that it would launch a nuclear missile but that this desperately poor country would sell...
Categories Terrorism (NK)/U.S. Military/WMD
September 30, 2006

Fifth Column Watch: The USFK, Free Speech, and Subversion

Nothing really surprising here: North Korea on Tuesday criticized the U.S. military for giving American names to certain areas in South Korea, arguing that it is part of a ploy to “permanently Americanize South Korea.” Americanize South Korea? Perhaps you can be forgiven for suggesting that if you live in an oppressed, suffocated, isolated tyranny where reading up on current events can get you killed. Since we’re on the subject, where has the U.S. military given an American name to...
Categories An Alliance?/Anti-Americanism/The Fifth Column/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military
September 29, 2006

The Death of an Alliance, Part 53

The end of the Eighth U.S. Army  in Korea  comes as no surprise to me; the rumors are not new, and this is easy  to downplay as “restructuring.”  With less than one complete U.S. infantry division left in Korea, it’s hard to call it EUSA a true Army-level command, but the symbolic value of  its removal  would be very significant.  I suspect it will also mean that the USFK’s new commander will be a three-star.
Categories An Alliance?/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military
September 27, 2006

My Testimony at the House International Relations Committee

[Update: For some strange reason, the document was coming up as a previous, incomplete draft. Sorry for any who saw that one; you should be able to see the final version now.] [Update 1/2007:   , including my verbal testimony, written statement, and photographic exhibits, at pages 59-94 (pdf).  Other witnesses that day were Amb. Chris Hill, Undersecretary of Defense Richard Lawless, and Korea experts  Balbina Hwang and Gordon Flake.] Well, I can’t thank Rep. Henry Hyde’s staff enough for...
Categories An Alliance?/Anti-Americanism/U.S. & Korea/Washington Views
September 26, 2006

DOA 52 Update

Ordinarily, allies shouldn’t have to issue ultimata to each other, but in this case, it got results when nothing else did.  In a few days, you can expect to see the Roh Administration use this to play the han card for political gain and depict themselves as helpless victims of Yankee bullying.   We’ve gained a range, and Roh will gain a moment’s sympathy, but the alliance’s long-term political support will suffer.
Categories An Alliance?/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military
September 22, 2006

The Death of an Alliance, Part 52: Thirty Days

The Air Force, via  USFK Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Garry Trexler,  speaking at a public lecture, has given the South Korean Defense Ministry thirty days to find it some training range space, or see the air component relocated.  I’ll go that one further:  if the air cover leaves, the ground forces leave, too.  With the exception of small Special Forces and SEAL teams, the U.S. military fights combined arms warfare.  Take away the air cover and we go home.  I...
Categories An Alliance?/Korean Politics/ROK Military/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military
September 19, 2006

Kim Jong Il’s Man in Washington

The Washington Times has published another excerpt from Bill Gertz’s book, “Enemies: How America’s Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets — And How We Let It Happen.” Today’s installment is about John Joungwoong Yai, who was arrested for spying for North Korea in 2003 and charged with violating the Foreign Agents’ Registration Act. Yai’s sole occupation seems to have been some rather amateurish efforts to plant a spy with a security clearance inside the U.S. government. Yai appears to have targeted...
Categories North Korea/Washington Views
September 18, 2006

Islamic Terror in South Korea?

That’s been my worry ever since I was there, and apparently, the South Korean authorities are worried, too. Generally, the “camp follower” subculture that grows up around a U.S. military installation is right outside the gate. In Seoul, that subculture is in Itaewon, several blocks away. Itaewon ended up being the most “foreigner-friendly” zone in Seoul, which attracted third-country nationals and eventually, a large mosque. Today, that mosque sits right on top of “hooker hill,” the, um, intercourse of the...
Categories Islam/Terrorism/Iraq/U.S. Military
September 18, 2006

Uri Goes Wobbly

… on troop control. Twenty members of the Uri Party issued a statement Monday calling for flexibility in the handover of wartime operational control of Korean troops to Seoul. “There has to be a structure allowing for flexibility in the timetable, with respect to South-North relations, the North Korean nuclear issue, and the state of affairs in Northeast Asia including security on the peninsula,” they said. It was the first time ruling party voices have publicly called for linking the...
Categories An Alliance?/Korean Politics/ROK Military/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military
September 16, 2006

The Death of an Alliance, Part 51

First, TKL is privileged to print this exclusive photo of the Bush-Roh luncheon. The pomp and pageantry rolled out for America’s greatest ally since the Marquis de Lafayette does not end there. Roh and the poor ROK Ambassador, Lee Tae-Shik, adjourned to Blair House to meet with a real who’s-who of has-beens. Extra props to whoever invited Richard Armitage, who must be the least popular man in this city this week. Also present: Madeleine Albright, Don Oberdorfer, Donald Gregg, Thomas...
Categories An Alliance?/Diplomacy/U.S. & Korea/Washington Views
September 13, 2006

GI Korea on MG William Dean

Don’t miss this one. The division was at less than 50% strength, morale extremely low, the division had no communications, few vehicles, little equipment, short on food, running low on ammunition, and completely surrounded by 20,000 pissed off North Koreans. So MG Dean did what any good general would do in these circumstances, he grabbed a bazooka. Several excerpts have particular signficance for what we would be facing if our ground troops have to fight in another Korean War, one...
Categories Korean War/U.S. Military
September 12, 2006

One Man’s Freedom Fighter…

“Congratulations! You are in a cage, Saddam,” witness Ghafour Hassan Abdullah said as he stared at the ousted president. Saddam listened silently but lost his temper when a lawyer described Iraqi Kurdish rebels as freedom fighters. “You are agents of Iran and Zionism! We will crush your heads!” he shouted. We will crush your heads! Remind you of anyone? Incidentally, none of my trials featured exchanges like that. Meanwhile, Havana, Cuba is hosting a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, the...
Categories North Korea/Terrorism (NK)/Terrorism/Iraq/U.S. Law/Uncategorized/Unintended Humor/WTF?
September 8, 2006

Why, What Excellent Questions!

At a public forum sponsored in part by the Joongang Ilbo, USFK Commanding General B.B. Bell asks existential questions about the alliance: “In exercising independent operational command and in developing future alliance war plans, what will be the ROK government’s strategic war aims, military objectives and desired war-end state?” he asked. They have no idea, of course. They’re making this up as they go.
Categories An Alliance?/ROK Military/U.S. & Korea/U.S. Military