Korean military and society

Al-qaeda history in Korea

2008-09-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I just suddendly decided to do a search on the "Bojinka plan". I heard about this plan some years back but couldn't derive any details of this plan from the internet.

Back then I wanted to know if the plan involved any Korean airlines or airlines departing from Korea. Now due to my renewed interest I've got my answer.

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:wHQY7DGlH3MJ:www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-03-16-ksm-planning_N.htm+seoul+al-qaeda&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=52

MANILA (AP) — Two top al-Qaeda operatives smuggled explosive ingredients onto flights from Manila and Hong Kong in 1994 as part of a test run for a failed plot to blow up 12 U.S.-bound airliners, according to a confidential document obtained by The Associated Press.
Captured terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's key role in the al-Qaeda plot to simultaneously bomb the commercial planes flying out of Asia — in a 1995 plan called "Project Bojinka" — was one of several admissions that he made, the U.S. Defense Department said.

Defense Department officials released a transcript of Mohammed's confessions, detailing his claims of roles in 31 terror plots worldwide, during a hearing at Guantanamo Bay prison.

"I was responsible for the planning and surveying needed to execute the Bojinka operation, which was designed to down 12 American airplanes full of passengers," the transcript quoted Mohammed as saying.

Mohammed said he personally monitored "a round-trip, Manila-to-Seoul, Pan-Am flight."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplan_Bojinka

The next plan would have involved at least five Al-Qaeda operatives, including Yousef, Khan, Shah and two more unknown operatives. Starting on January 21, 1995 and ending on January 22, 1995, they would set the bombs on 11 United States-bound airliners that had stopovers all around East Asia and Southeast Asia. All of the flights had two legs. The bombs would be planted inside life jackets under seats on the first leg, when each bomber would disembark. He would then board one or two more flights and repeat. After all of the bombers planted bombs on all of the flights, each man would then catch flights to Lahore, Pakistan. The men never needed U.S. visas, as they only would have stayed on the planes on their first legs in Asia.

United States airlines had been chosen instead of Asian airlines so as to maximize the shock toward Americans. The flights targeted were listed under operatives with codenames: "Zyed", "Majbos", "Markoa", "Mirqas" and "Obaid". Obaid, who was really Abdul Hakim Murad, was to hit United flight 80, and then he was to go back to Singapore under another United flight which he would bomb.[3][5][7]

Zyed, probably Ramzi Yousef, was to hit Northwest Flight 30, a United Flight going from Taipei to Honolulu, and a United Flight going from Bangkok to Taipei to San Francisco[3][8]

The bombs would have been timed before the operatives stepped off the planes. The aircraft would have blown up over the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea almost simultaneously. If this plan worked, several thousand would have perished, and air travel would have been shut down worldwide for days, if not weeks. The U.S. government estimated the prospective death toll to be about 4,000 if the plot had been executed.

[edit] Targeted flights
Information still not complete - need OAG of 1995[3][10][8]
United Airlines Flight 80: Singapore - Hong Kong, which turned to United Airlines Flight 806: Hong Kong - San Francisco
Northwest Airlines Flight 30: Manila - Seoul - Los Angeles
Delta Air Lines Flight 59: Portland, OR - Seoul - Taipei - Bangkok (Bomber would board in Seoul and disembark at Taipei, bomb would explode on the way to Thailand)
Northwest Airlines Flight 6: Manila - Tokyo - Honolulu
United Airlines Flight 807: San Francisco - Seoul - Manila, which would turn around and fly another flight back Manila - Seoul - San Francisco (The bomber would board at Seoul and disembark at Manila, the bomb would activate after departure from Manila)
A United Airlines Flight: Los Angeles - Hong Kong - Singapore, would then go on Singapore - Hong Kong - Los Angeles (The bomb would explode after takeoff from Singapore on the way to Hong Kong)
A United Airlines Flight: Taipei - Tokyo - San Francisco
A United Airlines Flight: Seoul - Taipei, would then fly Taipei-Honolulu (The bomber would board at Seoul and get off at Taipei, the bomb would explode on the way to Honolulu)
A United Airlines Flight: San Francisco - Taipei - Bangkok, the flight would then turn around and go back to Taipei and San Francisco (The bomb was set to explode after takeoff from Bangkok)
A Northwest Airlines Flight: Portland - Tokyo - Hong Kong, would turn around and go back to Tokyo and Portland
A United Airlines Flight: Los Angeles - Tokyo - Hong Kong, the flight was set to go back to Tokyo and Los Angeles
A Northwest Airlines Flight: New York - Tokyo - Hong Kong, the flight was set to go back to Tokyo and New York.

First Korean astronaut to sing in space

2008-04-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080407/od_afp/russiaskoreaspaceiss_080407074008

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) - South Korea's first astronaut said Monday on the eve of her launch to the International Space Station (ISS) that she will celebrate arrival in space by singing for her fellow crew.

"We will have food on April 12 on the Day of Cosmonauts and I will sing but it's a secret what is the song," Yi So-Yeon, 29, said at a press conference at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan where she is set to blast off on Tuesday.

Yi, who has listed singing as one of her hobbies, said her first reaction on reaching the ISS would be to cry out: "Wow!"

She also told reporters that she hoped people in North Korea would share in the "triumph" of her mission, which starts Tuesday when she blasts up into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket.

A South Korean space official said that Yi's 12-day mission would cost South Korea around 20 million dollars (12.8 million euros) and that he hoped the flight would help further his country's manned space flight ambitions.

An official committee headed by Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, gave official approval Monday for the mission by Yi and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko.

The three astronauts spoke to the press from behind a glass screen at the Hotel Cosmonaut in Baikonur as they are being held in quarantine for fear of being contaminated ahead of their space flight.

Russians celebrate Cosmonaut Day on April 12, the day Soviet hero Yury Gagarin became the first man in space, in 1961. Yi, Volkov and Kononenko will be blasting off from the same launch pad as Gagarin.

The Baikonur cosmodrome was built on the arid plains of Kazakhstan in Soviet times and Russia has continued to use the site under a rental deal since Kazakhstan became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991

Military surveillance plane crashes

2008-04-07T09:46:00.001-07:00

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2888394

A mid-air explosion sent a decades-old Korean Air Force RF-4C reconnaissance plane crashing amid thick smoke into a mountain yesterday morning in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, a Defense Ministry official said.
Two pilots on board for a military drill, a 34-year-old captain and a 26-year-old first lieutenant, ejected before the crash and received minor injuries, according to the official, who declined to be named.
The Air Force is investigating the cause and suspects an engine defect, the official said. That model of aircraft, made by the American firm McDonnell-Douglas, has not crashed in Korea since 1995.
The 34-year-old captain, only identified by his surname Ryu, was rescued dangling from a tree. The 26-year-old first lieutenant, Yu, received a minor injury on his face. Both were sent to an area military hospital.
After crashing, the plane broke into pieces which scattered around the mountain.
The plane took off from an Air Force base in Suwon, Gyeonggi, at 9:15 yesterday morning as part of military interceptor training.
The RF-4C, 18 meters (59 feet) in height and 11 meters wide, is a long-range plane capable of flying reconnaissance missions in all types of weather and at night. The plane, built in 1964, was brought in from the United States in 1990. That’s when Korea’s Air Force started using the planes, also used here by the U.S. military.
The aircraft can carry a variety of cameras in three different stations on its nose section and also take photos at both high and low altitudes, day or night. They are usually used for patrolling the border between the two Koreas.

By Kim Min-seok JoongAng Ilbo [hawon@joongang.co.kr]

Old american news on Kwangju massacre

2008-04-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command and Female Special Forces tribute

2008-02-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

A tribute video to Korean Special Forces. Korean Army Special Forces, Marine Force Recon, Navy SEALS/UDT, and Air Force CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue).

The airman in the red beret is a CSAR trooper.

The following are women in South Korean special forces. As far as I know, the only SF units that allow women in are Army SF only.

She's no Special Forces, but she's pretty so I'm going to save a spot for her. She's wearing a red beret just like the CSAR, but she's not affiliated with them as there are multiple units in Korea that wear red berets. She belongs to the Military Police unit.

There are at least three units in Korea that wear red berets.

Air Force CSAR
Military Police
Police SWAT teams stationed in Seoul

ROK Marine Corps (aka Devil Fighters) videos

2008-02-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

You'll find that some of the Marines are wearing Green Beres (like US Special Forces), those guys are Marine Force Recon. In Korea, they are nicknamed the "Sharkmen", because their insignia is that of a Marine riding on top of a shark.

Pics of our Kyuksuldo fighters in action

2008-02-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

All photos taken from Spirit MC website.

김승환

김호중

Lock and load ― arms trade set to triple

2008-01-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2885681

South Korea was among the top 12 countries that supplied arms to Iraq despite UN sanctions.

Once a country that could barely produce its own ammunition, South Korea is looking to find its niche in the international arms market.
With little fanfare, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration told President-elect Lee Myung-bak’s transition team that it is aiming to increase the country’s arms sales to $3 billion by 2012, according to an official of the administration, who declined to be named. Last year the country’s arms exports stood at $850 million.
While government control seems to extend to preventing arms reaching the wrong hands, South Korean companies in the past have been involved in some shady deals, making government involvement imperative.
Just last November, the former president of Daewoo International, Lee Tae-yong, was slapped with a 50 million won ($52,000) fine ― other officials received suspended sentences ― for illegally trying to build an arms factory in Burma. The facility was geared to produce artillery shells.
Daewoo is currently involved in developing Burma’s natural gas resources. Lee left the company after the incident, and he is appealing his fine.
“It was an individual’s illegal act; otherwise the company would have been fined,” says Kim Bum-suk, an official at Daewoo.
Lee is now an external director of Korea Investment and Securities. Mun Chung-geun, an official at the company, said Lee was hired because of his overseas market expertise and that until a final verdict is reached, Lee should be considered innocent.
“If he’s guilty, I think we will see him step down. But until then, he’s done nothing wrong,” Mun said.
Forty-six countries imported South Korean arms last year, but detailed information on who is receiving what is not public information.
“Nations that purchase arms don’t want to reveal what they are buying since it reveals what’s in their arsenal,” says Major Park Seung-su, an official of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Bang Jong-wook, an official of Poongsan, the country’s main ammunition manufacturer, says client information is “classified,” allowing himself to say only that “the company exports to countries where the military is in power or influential.”
In general, the government looks to the United Nations when deciding to give the green light to a potential export arms deal.
“We take various factors into account such as bilateral relations, human rights records and the domestic situation of a particular country,” says Park Chul-min, an official at the Foreign Ministry’s arms control department.
“There is a watch list of countries with certain concerns. If an arms sale is made to a country on the list, it won’t be for firearms or weapons but nonlethal military equipment such as transport vehicles,” Park says.
Air Force Captain Koh Hyung-geun of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration says the list includes about 30 countries and gets updated on a case-by-case basis.
“Countries that are subject to a UN arms embargo such as Burma are included on that list,” Koh says.
As human rights groups have frequently pointed out, companies and the South Korean government have colluded on arms deals in the past, which is what happens in other nations, too.
Industry officials say international arms dealers contact South Korean companies to broker deals, but the government actively lends a helping hand.
Hong Sung-jin, an official at S&T Daewoo, says military attaches working in South Korean diplomatic missions abroad sometimes oversee contracts.
“They come back with a deal in hand,” says Hong, whose company is the sole provider of the South Korean military’s firearms such as the K-2 assault rifle.
Some of the countries that S&T Daewoo does arms business with, according to Hong, are the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria and Colombia. His company is currently trying to include Pakistan on its client list for its K-4 grenade launcher, even though the country has tense relations with India over border conflicts.
There is no export ban in place on most of the firearms produced by S&T Daewoo.
Apart from small arms, South Korea exports ammunition, armored vehicles, training jets, gas masks and parts of U.S.-manufactured fighter planes such as F-15s, Korea’s primary fighter jet.
An official of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, said South Korea was trying to sell training jets such as the KT-1 to countries in South America.
“We are pitching the idea that these planes can be used to counter drug trafficking operations.” He explained that target nations include developed countries and South America.
Last year, Defense News, a military affairs journal, published its annual list of the world’s top 100 defense companies. Korea Aerospace Industries placed 79th while Rotem was ranked 93rd.
KAI manufactures the KT-1 Basic Trainer Jet while Rotem produces the XK-2 Black Panther main battle tank with the help of the Agency for Defense Development.
The Black Panther is slated to become the country’s next-generation battle tank.
There are about 87 companies involved in the arms industry in Korea. Each company has a monopoly on its product. The top five companies such as Samsung Techwin make up about half the industry’s total arms sales, but the top five exporters change in ranking each year.

In order to make the defense industry more competitive, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration is implementing a policy starting next year that will scrap the current monopoly held by each company, thus freeing up the market to greater competition.
South Korean companies aren’t shy about filling their coffers when opportunity knocks. The country was among the top 12 countries that supplied arms to Iraq despite UN sanctions, according to a report in October 2004 by Charles Duelfer, the special adviser to the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
At the time, five South Korean companies were listed as having been engaged in procurement projects with Iraq from 1998 through 2002, just before the Iraq war started in 2003.
Countries such as LG Innotech, now called LIG Nex1, which specializes in fiber optics and digital exchanges agreed to provide Iraq with 530 notebook computers specifically designed for military use.
According to Duelfer’s report, Iraq was planning to integrate the notebooks into its air defense system and artillery fire control mechanism. However, Duelfer concluded, “There is no evidence to suggest that the South Korean government was complicit in the transfer of prohibited goods.”
The five companies that did business in Iraq were LG Innotech, Shinsung Company, Unimo Technology Company, Techmate Corporation and Armitel.
At the time, Iraq was looking to purchase high-tech equipment such as sophisticated communications and radar systems.
None of the South Korean companies faced legal prosecution, as Washington didn’t press its allies to investigate the companies.
Government officials argue that there are now enough legal platforms in place to prevent arms exports to rogue parties. “Before 9/11 private companies weren’t aware of what was illegal or legal,” Park says. “Now they are asking beforehand and they are much more careful.”
While South Korea has domestic laws that regulate the arms trade, it has signed several international arms agreements such as the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.
The Wassenaar Arrangement was established in 1995 to contribute to international stability and security.

Except for large arms sales, weapons sales don’t receive much media attention here, but civic groups have started to take notice.
Arms Without Borders, an international civic group advocating gun control, named South Korea as one of the emerging arms exporters in its 2006 report. Traditional powerhouses include Russia and the United States.
The civic group criticized South Korea’s sales of Barracuda armored personnel carriers made by Doosan Infracore to Indonesia whose armed forces have a checkered human rights record.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute lists Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Malaysia, New Zealand and the Philippines as past recipients of conventional South Korean weapons.
The ambitious goal of tripling the country’s arms income, from $850 million to $3 billion by 2012, is based on the country’s growing weapons industry.
The industry has tried in recent years to diversify its products from small arms to high-tech gear.
Rotem landed an order in 2001 worth $1 billion from Turkey for its K-9 self-propelled gun, of which 85 pieces were delivered by 2006, while Doosan Infracore has been exporting armored personnel carriers to Malaysia.
Doosan Infracore has been given priority negotiation rights to supply the main engine of Turkey’s next-generation battle tank. Last year Turkey ordered 55 KT-1 training jets worth about $500 million.
Industry officials say South Korean shipbuilding companies such as Hyundai Heavy Industries are also looking to export submarines. They’ve been built with German help.
In addition, the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic fighter training jet made by Korea Aerospace Industries and developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin in 2005 is another product the country tries to sell globally.
The U.A.E. is expected to select a winning bidder for its procurement project early this year. The T-50, priced at 23 billion won ($25 million) per plane, is competing with the M-346, which is made by Italy-based Alenia Aermacchi, for the contract.
Nevertheless, some arms sales have to be cleared with the United States or other countries that provide technology to manufacture a particular weapon, or parts of it.
Ammunition for M16 assault rifles falls under this category. In the midst of trimming and rejigging ministries and government organizations, comments by one member of the transition team may indicate where President-elect Lee Myung-bak stands.
“The [Defense Acquisition Program Administration] statement that it could triple export sales was one factor that ensured its survival,” says the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Ju Ho-young, the president-elect’s spokesman, said earlier this month that President-elect Lee wrote to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan of the U.A.E. to make a case for Seoul’s T-50.

By Brian Lee Staff Reporter [africanu@joongang.co.kr]

More Kyuksuldo pics

2007-11-25T02:27:00.000-08:00

The picture with the guys posing with the Spirit MC trophy is a little blurry though.

My friend won his first Spirit MC match

2007-08-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine from the Kyuksuldo dojang I attend to, had his second MMA competition today.

Find his profile here. His name is Seung Hwan Kim:

http://www.spiritmc.org/eng/

They haven't updated his profile yet, but today he's won his first MMA match (he's still new to the MMA scene, and only fought once in MMA previously). I'm very proud of him.

The man was awesome! With all things considered he wasn't in the best of conditions then (injured his ankle couple days ago during training). But he's ingnored his injuries and fought like a best!!!

Korean national anthem and arirang

2007-08-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Kyuksuldo knuckles conditioning

2007-08-14T03:07:00.000-07:00

South Korea confirms release of 2 Afghanistan hostages

2007-08-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070813/3/36bb8.html

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that two Korean women held hostage for nearly a month by Taliban insurgents have been freed.
Reuters witnesses in Afghanistan said the Taliban handed over the two to the Red Crescent.

Kyuksuldo (격술도)

2007-08-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in my other post. I'm a practioncer of Kyuksuldo, and I've decided to post some materials on my blog today. I don't have any personal pictures or videos myself to upload, but here's some that's on the internet. My 관장님 has plenty of videos of his demonstration in the Korean military base on his computer; after seeing a kyuksuldo vid on youtube (an unknown person not affiliated with our organization uploaded our video), he asked me to make a youtube account for him so he can post more videos. So expect more in the near future!

disclaimer: I do not claim to be an Kyuksuldo expert nor a blackbelt. These vids and photos were taken before my time in Kyuksuldo.

Grappling:

http://aura.iple.com/pages/external/external_movie.asp?usernum=14403588&movieseq=3633694&companycd=4

Gun defense:

http://aura.iple.com/pages/external/external_movie.asp?usernum=14403588&movieseq=3633694&companycd=4

Kyuksuldo demonstration for South Korean soldiers:

Despite what impression the vids and pics give you, my 관장님 is not an active military instructor. He is ex-military, so are all, or at least most, of the guys in the vids and pics are ex-military too when the photos were taken. However, a few of his students are ex-Special Forces or ROK Marines. Active-duty soldiers do receive Kyuksuldo training, but they they are only get sent for training during the weekends.

The World KSD Federation (세계실전격술도총본관)operates two civilian dojangs in South Korea. One is in Incheon and the second dojang is operated in Cheonan. Unlike regular commericialized schools, there is a lot of emphasis on improving physical strength and endurance.

Taliban release two South Korean hostages

2007-08-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.southkoreanews.net/story/272764

Afghanistan militants from the Taliban say they have freed two women from among the 21 South Korean hostages they have been holding for more than three weeks.

While no Afghan or South Korean officials have been able to confirm the release, the Taliban say the women have been released as a sign of goodwill.

The Taliban have already killed two of the Koreans.

The announcement came after a second day of talks between Taliban and South Korean negotiators in the central city of Ghazni.

It is thought the South Korean aid workers are being held in a number of small groups in a village about just out of Ghazni.

That is some good news if its true. I really hope that they make it out alive, reading their bios, I know that they are really good people (if a little naive).

"May 18th" music video

2007-08-11T08:16:00.002-07:00

"May 18th" is the title of a Korean movie that was released last month in theaters. Its a movie based on the true events around the gwangju massacre.

Based on the trailer for the movie, the film actually looks pretty good. But I'm not going to watch this film. Why? Because personally I'm sick and tired of all the Korean films coming out recently that is putting down our own armed forces, which is the last thing we need.

Citizens in our society always moan about the military, and always demand for military culture reform. But I have news for them, its the civilian culture that should reform, not the military culture.

Because first of all, politicians would be less likely to manipulate people's hatred for the military, and therefore less likely to endanger national security in exchange for populist policies (unlike our incompetent current president Roh Moo Hyun).

Secondly, it will improve overall military effectiveness and morale by leaps and bounds if the conscripts were drawn from a society that has strong and proud military tradition. An example of this is Turkey, the Turks were always proud of their military and truly respect their soldiers. All turkish children are raised from a young age to be proud of their nation's fighting force, a complete opposite of what happens in South Korea.

If South Koreas were raised like Turkish children, there wouldn't be as much moaning, bitching, and suicides in the military. I mentioned suicides, because a lot of conscripts don't even prepare before entering their military duty (not even excerising), so they can't cope with the military culture-shock and just oft themselves.

Anyways, enough with my rant. I decided to post this music video here because, regarless of its political/miliary standpoint, I found it quite touching.

Seoul encouraged to embrace 'soft power' movement

2007-06-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/programs/s1948102.htm

SOUTH KOREA: Seoul encouraged to embrace 'soft power' movement

There are calls for South Korea to ditch its reliance on military hardware and embrace the soft power movement. The International Crisis Group, which works to prevent conflict worldwide, wants the influence of music, film, art and academia to extend the profile of the country.

You can listen to the interview by following the link.

Personally, a lot of things the speakers said have made a lot of sense to me. We as a society always wanted to be visible to the rest of the world, but we've always failed to make a positive impression in the western world despite of our growth.

I've always suspected that it was because our programs to promote Korean culture abroad was severly underfunded. The interview of the Korean 'experts' only confirmed this to me.

However, I disagree with one of the speaker's statements that we should promote soft power over national security. His argument is that South Korea would will never surpass China or Japan militarily, so we should promote soft power instead; he might as well have said we should just hand over our independance to other foreign powers.

His argument is flawed for a few reasons:

1. The South Korean military doesn't have to be necessarily stronger than the Japanese or the Chinese military forces, as long as ROK can maintain a military force strong enough to deter potential attacks is enough. Some of the most devastating and/or recent wars have started because of the underestimation of the enemy's strength or response (look at WW1 for example, each of the european countries entered the fray expecting a short, easy war to boost their prestige/influence; or look at September 11th, Al-qaeda knew full well of America's military capabilities but seriously underestimated American's response to the attack).

Having a standing force as low as 35% of your opponenet's is enough to be considered an effective deterrent.

2. Military strength comparisons doesn't translate objectively to real-life. What I mean is that an outcome of a war isn't just based on numbers, quality, and statistics. A war can be effected by outside circumstances and situations, or homeland advantage. For example its a no brainer that the Chinese airforce is not only stronger but has more fighter jets than South Korea does.

However, out of China's vast fleet of fighter jets, only their Flankers (of which they only have 300) would have any decent flight time over KADIZ if they choose to attack. While ROK has over 400 tactical fighter jets in our own territory. That means that South Korea would have over 400 tactical fighters operating for long periods of time in our own territory, while China will only have 300 fighter jets that has decent enough loittering time to be considered effective strikers against Korean targets. In this case who has the numberical advantage now in scenario?

I'm not saying we're stronger than the Chinese military, I'm saying that parameters and circumstances being set could influence the outcome of the war, and in this case its not a one-sided battle.

3. The guy in the interview forgot North Korea. China and Japan isn't that much of a threat to us, they're not the country's main enemies, rivals maybe, but not military opponents. How did he forget North Korea? You know for an intellectual he sure is forgetful.

I don't see how he could have left North Korea out, it doesn't happen everyday that a country gets stuck facing 75% of their neighbor's military forces a few miles away from their border and a lunatic controlling them for the last 50+ years.

He might as well have been born as a South Korean youth. A lot of Koreans in my generation sure don't take our country's military capabilities seriously, because they don't think they will ever see a war...like ever...despite the fact we have the most militarized rogue nation not only bordering us but train daily with us in mind.

Ironically, this is the same mentality that destroyed the Chosun dynasty. The Chosun leadership looked down on the military and martial arts to the point they were unprepared for the Imjin war (and to anyone who is slightly familiar with that part of Korean history will know how *well* the Chosun army had fare on the ground, and how many Korean peasents were slaughtered because of the leadership's incompetence) and latter in the 20th century they didn't put up a fight, they were political annexed by Japan because the Chosun army at that time was too pathetically weak (they only had 5,000 soldiers) that it would have been one-sided turkey shot if the government had resisted.

The best option for Korea is the so called "smart power", a combination of hard and soft power. Presidential candidate Park might promise that she will seek "smart power" but I wonder if she could sincerly execute it correctly if elected president.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/06/116_4566.html

By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

Presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye of the Grand National Party (GNP) has indicated she will seek ``smart power,’’ if elected president.

According to Professor Joseph S. Nye Jr. of Harvard University, smart power refers to ``the ability to combine hard and soft power into a winning strategy.’’ Soft power means culture and communication, while hard power refers to the economy and military strength.

Nye, the author of Soft Power, The Means to Success in World Politics, had this to say about why smart power counts in a presidency. ``Effective leadership rests on the ability to understand context so that hard and soft power successfully combine into smart power and smart leadership.’’

Park, 55, former chairwoman of the main opposition party, weaved these critical elements into her leadership vision.

In a round-table interview with five professors Saturday, she said she would introduce measures to revitalize the economy (hard power), adding that ``equal priority will be placed on seeking ways of strengthening culture power (soft power).”

The interview was arranged by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of its founding. The Korea Times joined the interview as an observer. The five professors participating in the interview were from the fields of political science, economy, education, urban sociology and communications.

Soft Power

Park said she would like to play a leading role in promoting Korean culture globally, emphasizing that, ``Culture is as important as the economy.”

``It is vital for people to lead a life through economic activities. However economic success is not the ultimate goal people are pursuing. Rather they tend to feel cultural needs once their basic needs are fulfilled,’’ she said.

A fully developed culture industry will help people lead a quality life, she added.

Park said she plans to set aside a cultural place at Cheong Wa Dae for the promotion of Korean culture. ``Foreign leaders will be able to feel the depth and richness of Korean culture when they visit there.’’

Park elaborated her views on cultural projects.

``There are many endangered wildlife plants in the country. I would like to plant some of them in the garden of the presidential residence for visitors,’’ Park said.

A leading presidential hopeful, Park said culture is the keyword for the coming decades. ``I will endeavor to make the country become a cultural power,” she said.

A growing number of people are seeking quality in their lives these days, she said. ``Korea has moved from industrialization to democracy over the past decades and culture, one of the core elements of soft power, will be at the heart of social development in the coming era.”

Park stressed the importance of effective leadership in the next government, calling leadership a ``trust-building process.”

``The public tend to use high standards when they choose leaders. Trust is hard to win and it comes only when the public is convinced the leader is reliable and credible in every aspect,’’ she said.

One of the panel participants said the ongoing internal screening of the GNP seemed to be a little harsh. The two leading contenders _ Park and her rival Lee Myung-bak _ have exchanged tough words.

He said it could deal a fatal blow to the party’s candidate running in the Dec. 19 election.

Park saw the screening process as part of growing pains and it is meant to be tough.

``Once a party candidate is elected in the primaries, the winner will get even harsher screening during the campaigning. I believe those who run for the presidency and party leaders should be thoroughly screened in every aspect,’’ she told those present.

Park said an advanced country is a society where all community members play by the rules and respect the rule of law as core values.

Hard Power

Park has presented several ``masculine’’ pledges in economy and security affairs.

She singled out tax cuts, deregulation and the rule of law as the three core elements that can revitalize the Korean economy. They are her flagship pledges.

She said the three-point policy package will enable Korea to create a booming economy.

Park proposed tax cuts of 6 trillion won, pointing out the possible beneficial effects of tax-cuts on low-income families and the overall economy.

She said reduced taxes will encourage the private sector to invest more and the investment will help businesses create more jobs.

Her policy alternative to ease poverty through tax cuts met divided views from the panel.

Professor Lee Yun-suk of the University of Seoul argued that tax cuts tend to reduce funding for social welfare programs.

He said he wonders how the government is able to meet the rising expectations from the public with regard to social services if it implements massive tax cuts.

Professor Hong Jong-ho of Hanyang University made similar remarks, saying that conglomerates and middle and upper classes tend to benefit from tax cuts. ``They are better off, while low-income families lose out.”

Park replied that her policy remedy was designed to help low-income families.

According to her scheme, those who plan to purchase their own house with bank loans are entitled to get tax benefits on the condition of one house per family.

Families are expected to get additional tax benefits, if her plan is adopted, her aides said.

She rejected the liberals’ criticism that the GNP is retroactive in inter-Korean cooperation, defending her hard-line stance on the Stalinist North Korea.

``If someone characterized the GNP as retroactive because of its staunch stance on the North, the entire international community should be similarly viewed,’’ she said.

Park reminded the panel of the fact that member countries of the United Nations adopted a resolution against the North’s nuclear tests last year.

She showed skepticism toward the government’s engagement policy toward Pyongyang, saying, ``The policy has failed to change the North.’’

She put forward ``carrot and stick” approaches toward the communist North.

Park said the government should be clear about where its draws the line and give a strong message to the North to play by the rules.

``If the North crosses the red line, it must face grave consequences. If the North fulfills its commitment, it will benefit from economic cooperation offered by the international community,’’ she emphasized.

Living as Public Figure

Park, the eldest daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee, helped those present understand what her life as an ordinary citizen was like.

One day in the 1990s, she visited the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and bought a pancake in the street sold by a vendor.

She had tried it before and thought it was delicious, she recalled.

She was unable to try the cake until she finished shaking hands with many people. Visitors who recognized her waited in the line to shake hands or take a photograph with her.

After the meeting, she finally found time for the cake.

She found a place to enjoy it, but could not do so, because another group of intruders were waiting for her there who wanted to take a picture with her.

Park seemed to feel at home with her life as a public figure.

``It is true that I have many things that interest me, but I could not find time for them. I still find that considerable intellectual curiosity is inside me. However, mainly because of a shortage of time, I could not do much. It is a matter of time,’’ she said.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr

Divine tree trumps real estate in locals’ view

2007-05-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2875904

In real estate-mad Seoul, the good fortune represented by an 840-year-old ginkgo tree in Dobong District is more important to local residents than apartment buildings, according to the district government. Seoul’s oldest tree, the ginkgo has a powerful hold on local people. Its branches attract pregnant women due to a folk belief that says praying in front of the branches or nibbling on the leaves can help them have a boy. Some local residents also bring fruit and other offerings to the tree once a year to pray for the safety of the district in northeast Seoul. So it hardly came as a surprise when residents in the area gave the go-ahead to a district government decision to pull down two nearby apartment buildings which were blamed for having interfered with the tree’s root system. The worry was that the buildings could cause the tree to die, so 4 billion won ($4.3 million) will be spent to relocate the 12 households living in the apartments and build a park for the tree. Ahn Jung-ho, an official of the district government, said yesterday district residents agreed to the plan to withdraw the apartments. In honor of the tree, the district government will surround it with a 1,430-square-meter park and allocate 3.2 billion won for the park and the future health and well-being of the tree, Ahn said. “Some people said we are spending too much money to save the tree,” said Ahn, who is in charge of the project. “But, it is not just saving the tree, but preserving a cultural asset and creating a retreat for residents.” The tree, 25 meters tall and 10.7 meters around, was designated as the first tree in need of protection by the Seoul government in 1968. This is not the first time the district government has removed buildings to save the tree. In 1995, when another apartment building interrupted the growth of its roots, the district government persuaded the residents to move. After years of recovery, the tree began to show some unhealthy signs when tree doctors gave it an annual check-up early this year and concluded that the two apartment buildings were a threat. By Lee Soo-ki JoongAng Ilbo/ Moon Gwang-lip Staff Writer [enational@joongang.co.kr]

Stories like these just makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. Its great that there are still people here who's willing to to preserve the little bits of nature here in Seoul.

I'm not exactly sure how the Apartment buildings threaten the tree's health by interfering with the root system, but hey, I'm not a tree expert.

After clearing out the developed land there's going to be a park surrounding the tree. I hope the government doesn't screw up the park development. If done right, it will be a popular destination and bring back some money for the government.

Cyborg soldiers

2007-05-23T11:43:00.001-07:00

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200705/200705230023.html

'Cyborg' Soldiers to Be Kitted Out by 2020
The Defense Security Command has unveiled a kind of cyborg future Korean soldier. At the Defense Information Security Conference 2007 at the Air Force Club on Tuesday, it revealed plan to arm Korean soldiers with a versatile helmet, a cutting edge airburst munition rifle and camouflage combat fatigues by 2020. The helmet is equipped with a video camera, a display and a headphone allowing soldiers to see, hear and record information and send it to other soldiers immediately. The airburst munition rifle has a laser distance measurer and target designator, a video camera and a scope.
Color-changing combat fatigues can detect biochemical weapons, radioactivity and land mines. Korean soldiers can also expect to be outfitted with wearable PCs that help them distinguish friend and foe and locate other soldiers. A military source said the Army Training & Doctrine Command had been demanding the upgrade in equipment for several years. But due to a budget problem, it will take until 2020 till they can be fully kitted out.
(englishnews@chosun.com )

My first blog post ever.

2007-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the very first blog post I've ever created in MY OWN blog. So I spent a few days playing around with some ideas for what to write.

Maybe this is not the best post in the world, but it will be something to get started.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200705/200705180028.html

Why One Aegis Ship Means so Much More
The Korean Navy will launch a new class of home-made destroyer named for King Sejong the Great late this month, becoming the fifth country that has Aegis vessels. Aegis is the familiar name of the Zeus’ mythological shield, in contrast to the offensive image of an aircraft carrier. But in fact, Aegis means a fearsome combined weapons system with an up-to-date radar system, computer and missile technology. It has been called an electronic armada, because it can detect and destroy hundreds of targets 1,000 km away -- enemy aircraft, missiles, battleships and submarines --simultaneously.
During the Falklands War in 1982, Britons watched a destroyer of their country's Navy torpedoed and sunk by missiles fired from an Argentine fighter jet. They dreamed of getting an Aegis ship of their own but couldn't afford one. Now, the Korean Navy has this "dreamboat."
Our Aegis destroyer is reportedly superior to similar vessels the U.S. or Japan have in terms of capabilities and size. It certainly is a brilliant achievement of Korea's shipbuilding and defense technologies. Korea had admirals Jang Bo-go and Yi Sun-shin during Koryo and Chosun Dynasties and its people knew how to defend and make use of the sea. Now, Korea has emerged as one of the world's 10 largest maritime trading countries. About 10 percent of the cargo transported by ships around the world either departed from or are bound for Korean ports.
To guarantee Korea a stable operation of its industries, we have to secure the safety of oil tankers traveling all the way from the Persian Gulf to Ulsan and Gwangyang; of freighters carrying food for the Korean people; and of the sea routes used by these vessels. The country is also exporting products to foreign countries by sea to earn money to buy oil and food. We naturally need powerful, up-to-date naval vessels to defend the sea routes, our lifelines. But they are not the only targets that Aegis vessels will defend. A single Aegis ship carries much heavier significance than all the fiery eloquence over the Dokdo Islets.
This state-of-the-art weapon has once and for all decided the traditional public debate over quantity or quality in weapons procurement. What frequently troubled us in the process of procuring weapons was this dilemma: Should we buy small quantities of weapons of high quality? Or should we buy large quantities of low-quality weaponry? Progress in science and technology has made it possible to develop high-performance weapons systems that can almost perfectly overwhelm quantitative superiority. This has been corroborated by a recent war game in which the ultra-modern F-22 achieved a 144:0 kill-to-loss ratio, defeating all existing kinds of top fighter jets.
The Korean Navy will have three Aegis vessels by 2012. Japan has five and plans to get a total of eight in the future. The U.S. has a total of 50 Aegis ships, including 22 Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Korea has so far relied almost totally on the U.S. Navy for the defense of its own lifelines. Due to their inferior performance, the Korean naval vessels have so far had difficulty joining allied navies in joint operations in far-off oceans. Despite its small size, the Korean Navy can now join state-of-the-art naval vessels from the U.S. and Japan in joint operations.
China has increased defense spending by 17 percent annually over the past decade. It has publicly announced its wants an aircraft carrier in the near future. Japan has also increased defense spending significantly since the end of the Cold War. Building an Aegis ship was the right strategic choice for a country like Korea.
The column was contributed by Lee, Choon Kun, vice president of the Center for Free Enterprise.

What makes this article funny is two reasons 1) It implies that three KDX-3s are enough to defend or deter ROK's sealanes. While KDX-3s are serious monsters by any standards (even by the Kirvo's class missile cruisers), producing only three of these ships isn't going to tip of balance of power in the region, much less serve as an effective deterrent in the near future.

Realistically speaking, to meet the goals of the maritime defense reform plan, at least six KDX-3s and 120 F15K fighters are needed.

Roh Moo Hyun has reportedly been responsible for limiting the number of F15Ks and KDX-3s due to internal politics (politics takes precedences over national security in Roh's eyes). There is only so much that a KDX-3 can take, especially against other warships equipped with Aegis systems (i.e. JMSDF's Kongo class warship). The fact that the author left some minor details like this is irresponsible reporting on his part.

There might still be some hope left for acquiring the minimal number of KDX-3s necessary. Since the naval department has stated that they plan to acquire three more vessels, whether this will go through or not isn't certain.

2) The author also implied that Korea has made the Aegis system with their own research and development. When in actual fact, the only thing Korean researchers have developed on their own on this project are the missiles/torpedos such as: K-ASROC (anti-submarine rocket), K745 (torpedo), and SSM-700K (all of which have somewhat improved performances over american counterparts); the designwork of the ship, and integration of the new technologies together (combination of the Rolling Airframe missiles and Aegis is the first in the world).

The Aegis system itself is identifiable as as Baseline 7 Phase I version, a system entirely developed by the Lockheed Martin. Although, the Korean defense industry hasn't developed the system on their own, they should be commended for acquiring the second best sytem out there. The US navy still fields on the best (even if its just a marginal superiority), Baseline 7 Phase II is the most up-to-date Aegis and has been fielded on American warships since 2002.