Search Results for: The Death of an Alliance, Part

Now, we reach the fundamentals. What, then, is the enduring purpose of this alliance? Let me throw down every reasonable alternative, and we’ll pick them apart one at a time. What are the interests of South Korea and the United States? It’s in the interests of the United States for the region to be peaceful and for trade to flow freely . . . . . . with the notable exception of weapons of mass murder, dope, and counterfeit currency....

A hat tip to an influential official in the U.S. government, who saw this post at usinkorea and e-mailed me this morning to say, “Josh: These continuing developments in South Korea worry people in Washington.” Thanks also to Antti, whom I presume is the Finnish blogger who helped with the translation: Japanese bastards were expelled, and American bastards came in. We thought it was liberation, but they were all same bastards. Kick them out! Kick them out! USFK! Kick them...

How low a point have U.S.-South Korean relations reached? First, we have compelling evidence that North Korea is counterfeiting U.S. currency, a warlike and patently criminal act, at a time when there is supposedly a cease-fire in effect. Then, the ruling party of our supposed ally chooses to disregard the evidence of the criminal act. When our ambassador, the person charged to protect U.S. interests, points out that couterfeiting is, you know, criminal, we get this sort of infantile braying...

You Heard It Here First: The United States House of Representatives’ International Relations Committee is expected to hold a hearing on South Korea-U.S. relations, a source in Washington said yesterday. The source said the hearing will address calls for the removal of the statue of General Douglas McArthur from Incheon, reasons behind increasing anti-American sentiment and the lack of public diplomacy by Washington. I have some fairly good guesses on who the source was . . . if it wasn’t...