IOC President met with N. Korean Olympic chief in Switzerland: VOA
2017/12/09
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) — International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has met with North Korea’s Olympic body chief in Switzerland, a U.S. broadcaster said Saturday.
Bach had a meeting with North Korea’s Olympic Committee President Kim Il-guk at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, according to Voice of America (VOA). VOA was citing an e-mail from the IOC’s public affairs office.
The IOC, however, didn’t elaborate on what the two officials discussed, VOA said, adding that it was a meeting for them to get to know each other after Kim became North Korea’s new Olympic body chief earlier this year.
The meeting came amid speculation that Bach might visit North Korea to discuss the communist nation’s participation in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next year.
The South Korean government and the organizers of the PyeongChang Games have been asking the IOC to support North Koreans competing at the Winter Olympics south of the border, which will be held from Feb. 9-25.
The IOC previously said it is willing to cover all costs for North Korean athletes if they participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.
This photo taken by the EPA shows International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach speaking at a press conference after an executive board meeting of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Dec. 6, 2017. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) — North Korea has missed the deadline to enter its figure skating pairs team for next year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, a report claimed Friday.
NBC Sports said North Korea’s Olympic committee missed an Oct. 30 deadline to confirm whether it would send its qualified figure skating pairs duo, Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-ik, to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next February.
Ryom and Kim clinched their Olympic spot at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September.
According to NBC Sports, the International Skating Union (ISU) has not received any word from North Korea.
The non-action casts further uncertainty over the prospect of North Korea competing at a Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea for the first time. North Korea did not participate in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
In this Associated Press file photo taken Sept. 29, 2017, North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok (L) and Kim Ju-sik perform their free skating routine during the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Yonhap)
But the doors are still open for North Korea. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may grant select North Korean athletes wild card entries. IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly stated that the IOC has invited North Korea to participate in PyeongChang 2018 and that it has offered support if necessary.
North Korea did not compete at the 2014 Sochin Winter Olympics.
Last month, North Korea skipped the final leg of the ISU World Cup Short Track in Seoul, which doubled as the last Olympic qualifying event. North Korea only competed at the first two World Cups, and the Olympic quotas were filled based on the three best performances by skaters out of four World Cups.
The organizing committee for PyeongChang is taking a wait-and-see approach on the North’s participation. An official there said Olympic participation is apparently a sensitive issue in Pyongyang as well.
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) — North Korea released photos of its new long-range ballistic missile Thursday, which features a different warhead shape from the previous version.
The front part of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is round and relatively blunt, while that of the Hwasong-14 ICBM is sharp, according to a photograph published by the Rodong Sinmun, a newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and monitored online here. It was shown on a transporter erector launcher (TEL) with nine wheels on each side, indicating the new one is longer than the Hwasong-14, which is carried by a 16-wheel TEL.
The newspaper also made public dozens of other photos of the new ICBM launch early Wednesday morning, including those of leader Kim Jong-un giving a “field guidance” at the launch site north of Pyongyang.
He pumped his fist, monitoring flight data on a screen and celebrating the successful launch with his aides. The missile reportedly flew 950 kilometers at an apogee of 4,475 km to splash into the East Sea.
The North announced that it has completed its “nuclear force” and claimed the ICBM is capable of hitting all areas of the United States and delivering a “super-sized heavy” nuclear warhead.
The newspaper used four front pages to hype up the communist nation’s first ballistic missile firing in 2 1/2 months.
Experts said the round warhead tip may reflect the North’s pursuit of a multiple reentry vehicle.
“North Korea seems to have designed the protection cover of the reentry vehicle in consideration of a possible multiple warhead system,” said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at Korea Aerospace University in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
He added it appears to have replaced the engine system for the second-stage rocket.
“There’s a possibility that it has a bigger fuel tank and more vernier thrusters,” Chang said. “But it remains unconfirmed whether it’s a solid-fuel engine.”
Shin Jong Woo, a senior analyst at the Korea Defense Security Forum (KODEF) based in Seoul, said the North seems to have used a cluster engine for the first stage of the Hwasong-15 as well.
“The Hwasong-14 type was equipped with one Paektusan rocket engine but the Hwasong-15 appears to have two,” he said.
Pyongyang fired two Hwasong-14 ICBMs in July.
It remains uncertain whether the isolated communist nation has developed a brand-new ICBM in just a few months.
Photo courtesy Yonhap News Agency, released by South Korea’s Defense Ministry.
UPDATE:
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s defense authorities began taking down loudspeakers installed along the border with North Korea on Tuesday in Seoul’s first action to follow up on their summit deal last week, officials said.
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s military is broadcasting towards North Korean servicemen the news of the young North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea through the heavily armed land border earlier this month, according to military officials on Sunday.
The news started to be broadcast through the South Korean military’s loudspeakers set up along the inter-Korean border shortly after the defection on Nov. 13, the officials said.
The broadcast operation is aimed at disseminating outside news to the reclusive country’s soldiers and border residents as part of ongoing psychological warfare between the two Koreas as they remain technically at war since the Korean War (1950-53) ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The 24-year-old North Korean soldier, identified only by his family name Oh, ran away from his military unit to to the South Korean side of the military demarcation line in the truce village of Panmunjom, where both South and North Korean soldiers keep watch.
He was shot multiple times by North Korean soldiers in the defection process and is recuperating at a hospital after receiving treatment in South Korea.
The officials said that the military broadcast is currently featuring the defection case in great detail, including how he defected and was shot and treated in South Korea as well as how the North Korean side chased and fired at Oh in violation of the Truce Agreement.
Sunday’s broadcast, for example, pointed to the North Korean Army’s dire health conditions, saying that “The nutritive conditions of the North Korean soldier who recently defected through the Panmunjom were unveiled,” according to the official. (The defector had a massive infestation of parasites in his digestive system that complicated his medical treatment.)
The military broadcasting operation has been bitterly protested by North Korea for its potential to provoke defections by North Korean front-line soldiers.
South Korea resumed the broadcast operation in January last year in retaliation for North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. The broadcasts are loud enough to be heard by North Koreans residing as far as 20 kilometers from the border, according to military officials.
The officials also said the military is planning to start its interrogation of Oh as soon as he has recovered from the gunshot wounds.
U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft, assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron, deploy during Exercise Vigilant Ace 18 at Osan Air Base, South Korea, December 3, 2017. U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Franklin R. Ramos
SEOUL, Nov. 23, 2017 (Yonhap) — The United States is planning to send six F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to a joint air force exercise in South Korea next month in what is believed to be U.S. action to put maximum pressure on North Korea, military officials in South Korea have announced. “Six F-22 fighters from the U.S. Air Force are scheduled to join the joint South Korea-U.S. air force exercise Vigilant Ace from Dec. 4-8,” the officials said.
Video courtesy Lockheed Martin.
The fighters will fly to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and stay at an air base in South Korea throughout the exercise. Up to four F-35A Lightning stealth fighters are also likely to join the deployment, they said.
The U.S. fleet will reportedly engage in enemy infiltration and precision strike drills with South Korean Air Force fighter jets during the exercise.
It would mark the first time the U.S. has deployed six Raptors to Korea at once and is sure to put pressure on North Korea with the overwhelming military force by the allies.
Video courtesy Lockheed Martin.
The Raptor, an air superiority fighter, is capable of flying to key enemy facilities and launching precision attacks under the radar. Its maximum speed is about Mach 2.5
The planned deployment comes as the U.S. steps up the deployment of strategic assets to South Korea in a show of force aimed at pressuring North Korea to the maximum level. Early this month, three U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers were deployed to the East Sea after powerful American fighter jets flew near North Korea in the previous months.
South Korea and the U.S. are escalating pressure, both economic and military, on North Korea in efforts to bring the country back to the table to negotiate its illegal development of nuclear weapons.
The US Pacific Air Forces Office of Public Affairs emphasized the drills are an annual event named VIGILANT ACE 18. VIGILANT ACE is a regularly scheduled flying exercise.
It will involve 12,000 U.S. personnel who will participate along with the Republic of Korea Air Force. The realistic air combat exercise is designed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and Republic of Korea forces and increase the combat effectiveness of both nations.
U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy personnel will train with air assets from the Republic of Korea, flying 230 aircraft at eight U.S. and ROK military installations. VIGILANT ACE is part of a continuous exercise program designed to enhance readiness and operational capability of U.S. and ROK forces.
Previously known as Beverly Bulldog, VIGILANT ACE 18 highlights the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between two nations. It is designed to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and reaffirms the U.S. commitment to stability in the Northeast Asia region.
Thae Yong-Ho, Photo Courtesy Zhang Wei, Voice of America.
On November 2, 2017 House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement urging the administration to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism:
“The North Korean regime’s murderous torture of Otto Warmbier and assassination of Kim Jong Nam are just two examples of a consistent pattern of recent terrorist activities. Before the committee this week, Thae Yong-ho, a high-ranking North Korean defector, endorsed relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terror. So I urge the administration to take quick action. There is simply no reason for further delay of this decision.”
Note: Chairman Royce’s H.R. 3364 – signed into law on August 2, 2017 – required the administration to determine within 90 days whether North Korea meets the criteria for designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
On November 1, 2017, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs listened to the testimony of Thae Yong-ho, the highest-ranking North Korean defector to ever testify before the House of Representatives. Thae joined the Foreign Ministry in 1988 after receiving degrees in international politics and English from Pyongyang and Beijing Universities. His most recent position was in London, where he was minister and deputy chief of mission from 2013 to 2016, when he defected to South Korea.
Thae began his two and one half hour testimony with a prepared statement
Major points:
Thae worked on the frontline of North Korean diplomacy as the former Deputy Chief of Mission of North Korea. He defected to South Korea in 2016.
Thae lived a life of privilege in comparison to the average North Korean who may deal with oppression and hunger. “I went through elite educational courses in North Korea, which could not even be dreamed of by ordinary citizens there. At the age of 14, I was sent to China for a special elite educational program. More than 20 years of the past 55 years of my life, were very privileged by North Korean standards. I lived and worked in foreign countries such as China, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The North Korean system provided me with all kinds of political privileges and economic benefits during this time and, in the course of my last posting, I was fortunate enough to live in the UK with my wife and two sons. Throughout my life, my family members and relatives were all dedicated true communists.”
So why did he defect? His reasons are two-fold. First, his two sons were educated in the UK with complete exposure to freedom of thought and information: “I could not force my sons to pretend to be loyal to Kim Jong Un and the North Korean system and to shout ‘long live the supreme leader Kim Jong Un!,’ ‘long live the socialist paradise of the DPRK’ – like I did all my life.”
Second, Thae lived as “a modern-day slave… leading a ceaseless double-life, which was psychologically difficult. I had to pretend to be loyal to the Kim Jong Un regime, even though my heart did not agree. I often was asked questions by my British friends which caught me flat footed. Trying to justify the North Korean system when, deep down, I knew their concerns were fair and legitimate. They asked me things such as:
How could Kim Jong Un persecute his own uncle?
Why does North Korea continue to appeal for humanitarian aid while pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its nuclear and missile development?
Communism has always opposed a dynastic transfer of power, so how then does the Kim family’s hereditary leadership system prevail so long in North Korea?”
These doubts, of course, could lead to persecution, prison camp or death: “Indeed, if it is discovered that a senior elite may have different ideas or express private dissatisfactions, then he or she could be subject to persecution. And as you all know, even the members of the Kim’s family have been subject to this type of persecution. Such was the case with the killing of Kim Jung Un’s uncle Jang Song Thaek and half-brother Kim Jong Nam. Beyond these high-profile incidents, much more has been going on beneath the surface over the past five years, hundreds of cadres have been persecuted without due process. For example, the families of former North Korean Ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia were sent to prison camps and nobody knows whether they are now alive or dead.”
Thae says changes in NK over the past five years show signs the Kim Jong Un regime is weakening:
Free markets are flourishing, threatening the state owned socialist economic system.
The welfare system of North Korea has long collapsed and millions of civil servants, army officers, and security forces are dependent on bribes and state asset embezzlement for their survival.
The citizens do not care about state propaganda but increasingly watch illegally imported South Korean movies and dramas. Until now, the North Korean system has prevailed through an effective and credible reign of terror and by almost perfectly preventing the free-flow of outside information.
“These changes, however, make it increasingly possible to think about civilian uprising in North Korea. As more and more people gradually become informed about the reality of their living conditions, the North Korean government will either have to change and adapt in positive ways for its citizens, or to face the consequences of their escalating dissatisfaction.”
Understanding the goals and mindset of Kim Jong Un:
Today, Kim Jong Un thinks that only nuclear weapons and ICBMs can help him avert the continuing disintegration of the North Korean system.
He also thinks that the existence of a prosperous and democratic South Korea so close to the border is, by itself, a major threat towards his dynasty.
While Kim Jong Un has already long had the tools to destroy South Korea effectively, he also believes it is necessary to drive American forces out of the peninsula.
And this can be done, he believes, by being able to credibly threaten the continental United States with nuclear weapons.
Recommendations going forward:
It will take some time to assess the effectiveness of the current economic sanctions and campaign of diplomatic isolation. Thae recommends we continue the momentum and even expand targeted sanctions until the North Korean regime comes back to the dialogue table for denuclearization.
Second, strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance: “The US and ROK Governments should enhance the level of their coordination and communication under the slogan of ‘We go together.’”
It is a long established dialogue strategy of North Korea to exclude South Korea while communicating only with the US. The US and South Korean Governments should frustrate this North Korea strategy through strong concerted co-ordination.
Use Soft Power Techniques before military options:
Meet with Kim Jong Un: “It is necessary to reconsider whether we have tried all non-military options before we decide that military action against North Korea is all that is left. Before any military action is taken, I think it is necessary to meet Kim Jong Un at least once to understand his thinking and to try to convince him that he would be destroyed if he continues his current direction.”
Educate the North Korean population to stand up to the regime by disseminating outside information—much more needs to be done to increase the flow of information into North Korea. “The U.S. is spending billions of dollars to cope with the military threat. Yet how much does the U.S. spend each year on information activities involving North Korea in a year?”
Open Chinese borders to defectors: Some 30,000 North Korea defectors have come to South Korea. In China, however, tens of thousands of North Korean defectors are living without papers, under the shadows, and are being physically or sexually exploited. US should do more to stop Beijing repatriating defectors back to North Korea.
Enhance military preparedness: “Frankly, Kim Jong Un is not fully aware of the strength and might of American military power.”
Also, “Kim Jong Un genuinely believes that he can break the sanctions regime apart once he compels Washington to accept North Korea’s new status after successfully completing the development of his ICBM program and putting the new missiles into deployment.”
During the Q&A period of the hearing, Thae answered questions from committee members:
Terror List:
The current regime under Kim Jong Un is a reign of terror comparable to crimes committed by the Nazis. The current sanctions are good, but they are not enough as NK maintains a stockpile of supplies. However, these rations will only be given to the elite. (Malnutrition and famine have already decreased the height of the average North Korean by 10 cm.) Placing NK back on the state sponsored terror list would help drive NK out of the international financial systems and cut off funding for further nuclear development.
Mount Paetku, Portrayed as the birthplace site of Kim Jong Il, Courtesy DPRK Tourism
BRAINWASHING AND THE DESSeMINATION OF INFORMATION:
We must understand that North Koreans truly believe Kim Jong Un and his entire dynasty are divine. North Koreans truly believe this and are brainwashed from an early age. The belief in Kim Jong Un as a god makes it easier to convince North Koreans that they should be willing to die for him. Information smuggled into North Korea to prove he is human would help the citizens to unite against him. For example, North Koreans do not know Kim Jong Un is the third son of his father and it is likely his own grandfather didn’t even know of his existence. He was raised and educated in Switzerland and no one knows the true year of his birth.
Mr. Thae: “The Kim Jong Un regime established a full-scale, stupid brainwashing system depicting Kim Jong Un as a god. So I think we should try to concentrate our efforts to educate North Korean people that Kim Jong Un is not a god. He is just a normal human being.”
DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION
U.S. broadcasting efforts are critical. Information smuggled into the country should include American TV through small devices. Content should be tailored for each class of North Korean citizen. (There are three classes.) Regardless of class, North Koreans need to know “very simple tailor-made content which can tell the basic concepts of freedom, human rights and democracy.” Currently, movies do come in on SD cards, also referred to as nose cards, because young North Koreans conceal them in their nostrils. The risks are that public executions have been held for simply watching South Korea movies.
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in China (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
The Problem of China:
The Chinese government must support economic sanctions against North Korea and stop sending defectors back to North Korea for torture and labor enforcement or even death. The Chinese must open a route to defection which could allow a mass exodus to occur. The Chinese should set up temporary refugee camps to hold defectors safely until they can continue on to South Korea where they will be welcomed.
Also, China continues to trade with North Korea, especially with the purchase of coal, primarily through unofficial smuggling networks. North Korea trucks carrying ICBMs are Chinese-made, supposedly to support the timber industry. China could use these same smuggling routes and techniques to smuggle in information.
HUMAN RIGHTS:
Thae says, “It’s not a paradise…it is the worst inhuman system in human history.” The system of classification is similar to the feudal class system. It is not a socialist welfare system as it portrays itself. Citizens do not know what fair payment is for work. Sometimes salaries do not even cover the cost of food. Sexual exploitation also exists in which young girls are chosen to work for the family.
25 Aug 2010 – “Storax Sedan” underground nuclear test – July 1962 Storax Sedan (yield 104 kt) – shallow underground nuclear test conducted by the United States on 6 July 1962 at Nevada Test Site. The main purpose of the detonation was to asses the non military dimension of a nuclear explosion. Image in the public domain Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream
NUKES:
Who is helping them with developing nukes? North Korea has been studying the development of nuclear weapons since the late 1950s under the tutelage of the former Soviet Union. Thae does not know of the need for any outside help at this time.
The purpose of the nuclear program is to put preserve the regime. Kim believes nukes will guarantee his rule and will drive the US from the Korean peninsula through what is essentially blackmail. He believes that once he can successfully prove he can strike the US with a nuclear weapon, the US will pull out of South Korea. Thae says South Koreans are already moving further away from the DMZ, knowing that most successful missiles are only short range at this time.
ELITE NEED TO BE ENTICED TO DEFECT:
The proliferation of nuclear weapons and the ramping up of terror have caused more elites and diplomats to defect than ever before. Elites need to be enticed to leave through specially arranged deals that will help collapse the regime. Thae estimates that the elite (“the core class”) make up about 25 percent of the total population, which would amount to less than 10 thousand people. He noted that even though many people have a high ranking in society, they still do not have free access to information and would have to be educated. He estimates only 300 to 400 people control the country, and these are the only ones with access to world news, Internet, etc.
EXPEL NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMATS WORLDWIDE
Soft power should be used to pressure other countries to expel North Korean diplomats.
US State Department State Sponsors of Terrorism
Countries determined by the Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism are designated pursuant to three laws: section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act. Taken together, the four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation under these authorities include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.
Designation under the above-referenced authorities also implicates other sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors. Currently there are three countries designated under these authorities: Iran, Sudan, and Syria.
Korea-Sponsored “International Film Festival for Human Rights in North” Flailed (Date: 11/10/2017 | Source: KCNA.kp)
Pyongyang, November 10 (KCNA) — A spokesman of the Consultative Council for National Reconciliation in a statement Friday hit out at the south Korean puppet forces for staging the farce of “international film festival for human rights in the north” in Seoul.
Those who flocked to the festival were without exception pseudo-moviepersons from south Korea and the West who act as a shock brigade in denying the reality of the DPRK, at the instigation of the U.S. and with the financial support from it, the statement said, and went on:
The puppet forces even let “defectors from the north” take part in the festival, fanning up the atmosphere of confrontation with the fellow countrymen in the north.
Their “human rights” racket is an outright challenge and a serious politically-motivated provocation to the dignity and the social system in the DPRK.
This treachery of pushing the confrontation with the fellow countrymen to the extremes under the backstage manipulation of the U.S. is absolutely intolerable.
What should not be overlooked is that the rubbish-like films justifying the hideous crimes against humanity such as the illegal abduction of DPRK citizens were openly screened in the center of Seoul at the tacit connivance of the present puppet authorities allegedly speaking for “candlelight demonstrators”.
The confrontation burlesque dubbed “international film festival for human rights in the north” which Lee Myung Bak and Park Geun Hye group of traitors used to hold has been carried forward. This clearly proves that the group of past conservatives and the present ruling authorities are all the same group of traitors and criminals inciting confrontation with the fellow countrymen.
The puppet authorities do not hesitate to hold the racket for “human rights” campaign to do harm to the DPRK, at the end of getting zealous in their moves to provoke a nuclear war against the north and to put sanctions on it while following the U.S. as a shaggy dog.
The army and people of the DPRK will never tolerate the puppet authorities and the organizations hatching plots against the DPRK and kicking up the racket over “human rights” in the north as they slander and hurt the dignity and social system in the DPRK, which represent the lifeline of its army and people.
The puppet authorities should not run amuck, bearing in mind that their acts of following in the footsteps of the group of conservatives and traitors being pursuant to the U.S. will be rejected by the people and face a bitter final ruin.
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The 7th North Korean Human Rights International Film Festival was organized by the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights in Seoul, South Korea. The annual festival featured a total of 15 films representing directors from seven different nations.
Headliners included Crossing Heaven’s Border, The Propaganda Game and The Lovers and the Despot.
Crossing Heaven’s Border:In the past decade, up to 100,000 defectors have crossed the waters of the Tumen and Yalu Rivers into northeast China to escape from North Korea, the world’s last closed Communist state. Crossing Heaven’s Border reveals the plight of North Korean defectors from the point of view of intrepid South Korean journalists who risk their lives filming undercover for ten months to capture the haunting stories first-hand.
The film is only 57 minutes and is available free through PBS:
The Propaganda Game:This video diary-style documentary follows filmmaker Álvaro Longoria as he visits North Korea and examines the country’s propaganda machine.
The Lovers and the Despot: A famous director and actress are kidnapped by movie-obsessed dictator Kim Jong-il. Forced to play along with a bizarre filmmaking project, they get a second chance at love but only one chance at escape.
Others films shown included A North Korean Diary by Austrian director Luca Paccio, Liberation Day by Norwegian filmmaker Morten Traavik and Latvian director Ugis Olte, and Soyagok, which means serenade in English, of South Korea’s MBC TV.
Today, multiple Japanese news outlets are reporting that South Korea’s invitation of “a former ‘comfort woman,’ who has spoken widely of her suffering from being forced into sex slavery by the Japanese during World War II, to a state banquet it hosted for U.S. President Donald Trump,” has prompted Japan to lodge a diplomatic protest to South Korea.
A “comfort woman” is defined as any woman forced into sex slavery to provide “comfort” at designated “comfort stations” to Japanese soldiers during World War II.
While the extent of the harm done by this practice is continually being revised to this day, most sources quote the number of women affected by this practice to be approximately 200,000, estimating that Korean women were the most victimized, followed by Chinese women, and then Japanese women, although other women living in Asian countries under Japanese control were victimized as well.
In 2015, Japan and South Korea reached a diplomatic agreement that Japan would apologize and provide reparations to South Korea totaling one billion dollars. As part of this agreement, South Korea would in turn discontinue criticism of Japan in the international community and would agree to the removal of a prominent statue.
The Kyodo Times reports, “The attendance of the 88-year-old Korean woman, Lee Yong Soo, at the banquet, which was later confirmed, may complicate South Korea’s ties with Japan and their joint efforts with the United States to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.”
N. Korea fires missile from Pyongyang: S. Korean military
2017/09/15 07:11
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) — North Korea launched an “unidentified” missile eastward from Pyongyang, South Korea’s military said Friday.
“North Korea fired an unidentified missile eastward from the vicinity of Pyongyang this morning,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. It added that South Korea and the United States are analyzing additional information.
S. Korea fires two ballistic missiles against N. Korea’s provocation
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s military said Friday it has fired two ballistic missiles in a swift response to North Korea’s latest provocation.
The Army shoot the Hyunmoo-2 missiles from an eastern site near the inter-Korean border just six minutes after the North’s missile firing from Pyongyang.
One “accurately hit” a simulated target in the East Sea about 250 kilometers away, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official told reporters in a background briefing.
It’s the same distance between the training area and the Sunan airfield in Pyongyang, where the missile was fired.
The other, however, fell into water “in the initial stage,” he added. Related authorities are analyzing the reason.
South Korea’s military fires a Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sept. 15, 2017, in response to North Korea’s missile launch in this photo provided by the Army. (Yonhap)
A defense ministry official pointed out the South’s response came while the North’s missile was still flying.
He stressed that the military was able to take such a quick measure as it detected signs of the secretive North preparing to fire the missile in advance. Related information was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in who ordered the missile training.
The JCS, meanwhile, strongly denounced the North for its brinkmanship.
It’s a blatant violation of the U.N. Security Council resolution against the regime and a serious threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world.
The North will be fully held accountable for all consequences from its provocative acts, the JCS warned in a statement.
This photo taken by the EPA shows International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach speaking at a press conference after an executive board meeting of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Dec. 6, 2017. (Yonhap)
In this Associated Press file photo taken Sept. 29, 2017, North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok (L) and Kim Ju-sik perform their free skating routine during the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Yonhap)
