Search Results for: The Death of an Alliance, Part

We should have called their bluff. South Korea allegedly threatened the United States that it would have to rethink the two countries’ longstanding alliance if Washington refused to offer concessions to North Korea in the recently concluded nuclear dismantlement negotiations, a U.S. expert said. “South Koreans told (the U.S. delegation) . . . if you don’t follow through, get us to the next level, we consider this an alliance issue,” Derek Mitchell, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic...

Roh opens mouth! President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday said the U.S. must overcome old divisions in its mind between “them” and “us” in Northeast Asia, with one side to be supported and the other kept in check. Speaking at a dinner at the Korean Society in New York, Roh said doing so would “help regional peace and security in Asia and the national interests of the United States.” “It could prove uncomfortable for the U.S. government if it listens to...

South Korea’s Minister of Silly Talks, Chung Dong-Young, has opened his mouth again, an occurrence that never seems to end well. This time, he’s left no doubt that South Korea and the United States are much further apart on their positions on North Korean nukes than one would except of nominal allies: Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Wednesday North Korea must have the right to use nuclear energy peacefully for agricultural, medical and power-generation purposes. Chung told the online news...

[Update: Scroll down and read the updates. Mr. Kirk and the CSM have corrected the story to reflect that the HRC did not actually take such a position. Kirk appear to have quoted the complaint, believing it was the HRC’s own position. Thanks to readers Antti and Aaron for asking the specific questions that caused me to contact Don Kirk and ask him for verification. ] When my wife first showed me the the comments of Prof. Kang Jeong-Ju, South...

I just don’t know how long I can make this delicious agony last. In any event, once everyone else starts to declare a trend to be so, spotting it loses a lot of the fun and most of the originality. The death certificate won’t have been signed until we announce a timetable for withdrawing the bulk of our people, but Roh Moo Hyun’s visit seems to have reminded everyone that it’s time to start fighting over the choice of the...

I just don’t know how long I can make this delicious agony last. In any event, once everyone else starts to declare a trend to be so, spotting it loses a lot of the fun and most of the originality. The death certificate won’t have been signed until we announce a timetable for withdrawing the bulk of our people, but Roh Moo Hyun’s visit seems to have reminded everyone that it’s time to start fighting over the choice of the...

Scroll down for updates. Most of it is true and needed to be said–at least privately–but exactly whose idea was it for a Japanese politician to take the lead in criticizing South Korea’s new shift from U.S. ally to “regional balancer?” And in public, no less? Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi reportedly had harsh words for Korea during a recent visit of Korean lawmakers. He said Seoul had been neglecting its alliance with Washington although unity between South Korea,...

Scroll down for updates. Most of it is true and needed to be said–at least privately–but exactly whose idea was it for a Japanese politician to take the lead in criticizing South Korea’s new shift from U.S. ally to “regional balancer?” And in public, no less? Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi reportedly had harsh words for Korea during a recent visit of Korean lawmakers. He said Seoul had been neglecting its alliance with Washington although unity between South Korea,...

One more article that you should really read in its entirety is this piece in Time Asia on South Korea’s pollyannish view of the North. The general facts aren’t anything you don’t already know from reading “The Death of an Alliance” posts here, but it’s makes for great gawk-at-the-trainwreck reading, and some of the man-on-the-street quotes are almost beyond belief. Why add it to the series, then? Because while the media may be late to realize developments, the media catching...

One more article that you should really read in its entirety is this piece in Time Asia on South Korea’s pollyannish view of the North. The general facts aren’t anything you don’t already know from reading “The Death of an Alliance” posts here, but it’s makes for great gawk-at-the-trainwreck reading, and some of the man-on-the-street quotes are almost beyond belief. Why add it to the series, then? Because while the media may be late to realize developments, the media catching...

This morning, the sun rose, flowers opened, the earth rotated, and South Korea offered North Korea yet more money to do something its fertile and depraved minds had not even thought of scant months ago. Then, it publicly pretended that there was nothing to worry about in any event. In other news, waves continue to lap against the shore and glaciers are still crawling downhill. And the day after the U.S. warned North Korea not to test a bomb (or...

This morning, the sun rose, flowers opened, the earth rotated, and South Korea offered North Korea yet more money to do something its fertile and depraved minds had not even thought of scant months ago. Then, it publicly pretended that there was nothing to worry about in any event. In other news, waves continue to lap against the shore and glaciers are still crawling downhill. And the day after the U.S. warned North Korea not to test a bomb (or...

Here is a list of U.S. installations in Korea that are shutting down, courtesy of the Stars and Stripes (HT to the Nomad): Closed and returned to South Korea in 2004: Camp Bonifas (Demilitarized Zone) Camp Liberty Bell (Demilitarized Zone) Closed in 2004, returning to South Korea in 2005: Camp Edwards (Paju) Camp Gary Owen (Paju) Camp Greaves (Paju) Camp Giant (Paju) Camp Howze (Paju) Camp Stanton (Paju) Closing and returning to South Korea in 2005: Camp Page (Chuncheon) Closing...

Here is a list of U.S. installations in Korea that are shutting down, courtesy of the Stars and Stripes (HT to the Nomad): Closed and returned to South Korea in 2004: Camp Bonifas (Demilitarized Zone) Camp Liberty Bell (Demilitarized Zone) Closed in 2004, returning to South Korea in 2005: Camp Edwards (Paju) Camp Gary Owen (Paju) Camp Greaves (Paju) Camp Giant (Paju) Camp Howze (Paju) Camp Stanton (Paju) Closing and returning to South Korea in 2005: Camp Page (Chuncheon) Closing...

“Washington needs to forget its obsession that South Korea has to take sides if the U.S and China are involved in a conflict.” —South Korean National Security Council Spokesman I’ll just let you digest that one. Now, Korea may well reasonably draw that conclusion and make it known to Washington through diplomatic channels that that “Mutual Defense Pact” stuff shouldn’t be taken at face value. In fact, I’ve advocated us informing the South Koreans of the same thing and drastically...

“Washington needs to forget its obsession that South Korea has to take sides if the U.S and China are involved in a conflict.” —South Korean National Security Council Spokesman I’ll just let you digest that one. Now, Korea may well reasonably draw that conclusion and make it known to Washington through diplomatic channels that that “Mutual Defense Pact” stuff shouldn’t be taken at face value. In fact, I’ve advocated us informing the South Koreans of the same thing and drastically...

The (anti-)Unification Ministry, hereafter known as the Ministry of Silly Talks ©, appears to be going into the foreign policy business, but forgot to tell the Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, the United States is sending signals that it may press for U.N. sanctions even over Seoul’s opposition. April 21, 2005 ã…¡ Mixed messages regarding the six-party talks came out of Seoul yesterday, with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon refusing to rule out referring the North Korean nuclear issue to the...

The (anti-)Unification Ministry, hereafter known as the Ministry of Silly Talks ©, appears to be going into the foreign policy business, but forgot to tell the Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, the United States is sending signals that it may press for U.N. sanctions even over Seoul’s opposition. April 21, 2005 ã…¡ Mixed messages regarding the six-party talks came out of Seoul yesterday, with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon refusing to rule out referring the North Korean nuclear issue to the...