Monthly Archive: March, 2005

Asian dictatorships haven’t had an especially good record against the rash of new viruses lately. Now comes word that bird flu has made its way into North Korea, and that the starving nation, which depended on chicken for 13% of its meat supply (how does anyone know this?), has been slaughtering thousands of the birds and burning their carcasses. The latter may be a wise precaution in light of recent reports that starving North Koreans–the vast majority of whom probably...

Asian dictatorships haven’t had an especially good record against the rash of new viruses lately. Now comes word that bird flu has made its way into North Korea, and that the starving nation, which depended on chicken for 13% of its meat supply (how does anyone know this?), has been slaughtering thousands of the birds and burning their carcasses. The latter may be a wise precaution in light of recent reports that starving North Koreans–the vast majority of whom probably...

Hello? Metaphor Abuse Hotline? If truth is the first casualty of war, then grammar is the latest casualty of Operation Tokdo Freedom ©: To catch a tiger, we have entered the tiger’s dens. Having taken the plunge, all we can do is now firmly secure our sovereignty over Dokdo in an international political and publicity battle. No battle ensued. The tigers, having made the fatal error of building their dens at the bottom of a diving pool, drowned before they...

Hello? Metaphor Abuse Hotline? If truth is the first casualty of war, then grammar is the latest casualty of Operation Tokdo Freedom ©: To catch a tiger, we have entered the tiger’s dens. Having taken the plunge, all we can do is now firmly secure our sovereignty over Dokdo in an international political and publicity battle. No battle ensued. The tigers, having made the fatal error of building their dens at the bottom of a diving pool, drowned before they...

The New York Times has another report from the Chinese side of the North Korean border, which is probably the best we can expect under the circumstances. Read the whole thing and make up your own mind, but I don’t draw the same conclusions from the known facts as the Times, as I’ll explain in a moment (emphasis below mine): “The standard of living is improving, not just in Pyongyang, but throughout the country,” said another Chinese businessman who has...

Freedom Marches On: Courtesy of Publius Pundit, here are pictures and a write-up of the massive weekend demonstration against China’s war threats against Taiwan. You might sight a couple of protest babes, too, although IMHO, Taiwan has failed to reach its true potential in the use of this devastating missile-reprogramming weapon. Don’t miss his report on the large pro-democracy protest in Bahrain, either. One can’t help noticing how bellicose China has become about Taiwan since Taiwan began directly electing its...

Full text here. Since 2002, defectors among the flood of refugees from North Korea have detailed firsthand accounts of systematic starvation, torture and murder. Enemies of the state are used in experiments to develop new generations of chemical and biological weapons that threaten the world. A microcosm of these horrors is Camp 22, one of 12 concentration camps housing an estimated 200,000 political prisoners facing torture or execution for such “crimes” as being a Christian or a relative of someone...

The New York Times has another report from the Chinese side of the North Korean border, which is probably the best we can expect under the circumstances. Read the whole thing and make up your own mind, but I don’t draw the same conclusions from the known facts as the Times, as I’ll explain in a moment (emphasis below mine): “The standard of living is improving, not just in Pyongyang, but throughout the country,” said another Chinese businessman who has...

Freedom Marches On: Courtesy of Publius Pundit, here are pictures and a write-up of the massive weekend demonstration against China’s war threats against Taiwan. You might sight a couple of protest babes, too, although IMHO, Taiwan has failed to reach its true potential in the use of this devastating missile-reprogramming weapon. Don’t miss his report on the large pro-democracy protest in Bahrain, either. One can’t help noticing how bellicose China has become about Taiwan since Taiwan began directly electing its...

Full text here. Since 2002, defectors among the flood of refugees from North Korea have detailed firsthand accounts of systematic starvation, torture and murder. Enemies of the state are used in experiments to develop new generations of chemical and biological weapons that threaten the world. A microcosm of these horrors is Camp 22, one of 12 concentration camps housing an estimated 200,000 political prisoners facing torture or execution for such “crimes” as being a Christian or a relative of someone...

Full text here. Since 2002, defectors among the flood of refugees from North Korea have detailed firsthand accounts of systematic starvation, torture and murder. Enemies of the state are used in experiments to develop new generations of chemical and biological weapons that threaten the world. A microcosm of these horrors is Camp 22, one of 12 concentration camps housing an estimated 200,000 political prisoners facing torture or execution for such “crimes” as being a Christian or a relative of someone...

The streets of Seoul are no longer safe for foreigners, according to this report (hat tip to Mark): A local Yahoo-style portal named Daum set up a petition to rid South Korea of “˜low-grade Westerners’. Demonstrations are planned and activists are encouraged to confront Western men who are seen with Korean women. Many foreigners are becoming increasingly worried. Some have already left. The US embassy in Korea has issued a warning urging US citizens to avoid visiting certain parts of...

The Libya ‘Scandal,’ Part III. Wow. Dave at No Illusions has absolutely piled on the research and analysis of this story in devastating detail–a must read. Kessler and Dafner should either explain what evidence supports their increasingly dubious story, or they should resign, and the Post should retract this patent fraud. It’s certainly looking like–to paraphrase a cliche–they rushed to press on false pretenses. The link between those who govern and those who are governed has never been weaker.

More unilateralism from South Korea: The South Korean government will ease regulations on trade and traffic with North Korea, starting from as early as next week. Under the new measures, military inspections will be abolished for vehicles crossing the western section of the inter-Korean border using the road running alongside the Gyeongui railway. The move comes in direct contravention of a U.S. request, in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear declaration and diplomatic walkout, to put the brakes on trade...

The streets of Seoul are no longer safe for foreigners, according to this report (hat tip to Mark): A local Yahoo-style portal named Daum set up a petition to rid South Korea of “˜low-grade Westerners’. Demonstrations are planned and activists are encouraged to confront Western men who are seen with Korean women. Many foreigners are becoming increasingly worried. Some have already left. The US embassy in Korea has issued a warning urging US citizens to avoid visiting certain parts of...

The Libya ‘Scandal,’ Part III. Wow. Dave at No Illusions has absolutely piled on the research and analysis of this story in devastating detail–a must read. Kessler and Dafner should either explain what evidence supports their increasingly dubious story, or they should resign, and the Post should retract this patent fraud. It’s certainly looking like–to paraphrase a cliche–they rushed to press on false pretenses. The link between those who govern and those who are governed has never been weaker.

More unilateralism from South Korea: The South Korean government will ease regulations on trade and traffic with North Korea, starting from as early as next week. Under the new measures, military inspections will be abolished for vehicles crossing the western section of the inter-Korean border using the road running alongside the Gyeongui railway. The move comes in direct contravention of a U.S. request, in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear declaration and diplomatic walkout, to put the brakes on trade...

An advisor to the U.S. Congress said Friday a resolution drafted in 2003 to commemorate 50 years of the Korea-U.S. alliance died a quiet death in the House over anger in Congress at anti-American demonstrations in Korea. Rest the rest here. The advisor, Dennis Halpin, works for Henry Hyde. His wife is Korean, and he met her as a young Peace Corps volunteer. He’s considered one of the House’s go-to men on Korea policy. It’s friends like these that Korea...