Update: Afghan Lord–yes, an Afghan blogger, has photos. Keep scrolling. You can even see a slide show here. ________________________ Today, Afghanistan held its second successful election, marking the completion of the democratic selection of its government by its people. KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans chose a legislature for the first time in decades Sunday, embracing their newly recovered democratic rights and braving threats of Taliban attacks to cast votes in schools, tents and mosques. Violence across the country in the hours...

In what may mark the end, for now at least, of the Franco-German effort to turn Europe into a counterweight to American international power, German voters have ousted 60’s radical-turned-politician Gerhard Schroeder from office. It’s still unclear whether Angela Merkel, who campaigned on a promise to repair ties with Washington, will gain enough seats to win an outright majority with her likely coalition partners. I don’t expect to see dramatic changes in German foreign policy, particularly concerning Iraq, but we...

Kim Moon-Soo on Park Geun-Hye: “Her leadership abilities are limited.” For those not immersed in South Korean politics, the power struggle over the leadership of South Korea’s “conservative” opposition Grand National Party has reopened, in anticipation of the 2007 presidential elections. Park, the daughter of long-time dictator Park Chung-Hee, is the current GNP leader, with a reputation for being a coalition-builder and deal-maker with a reputation for elevating party unity over ideology and principle. It was the excesses of some...

Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon has responded to the House International Relations Committee’s letter to President Roh: In the letter, Ban pledged his government to do its best in thwarting any attempt to demolish or damage the statue, saying such a bid runs counter to the “mature perception of history by South Koreans”. Ban reiterated that Roh had officially opposed destruction of the statue on multiple occasions, saying he was confident attempts by a minority of Koreans to harm the statue...

This is depressing, mostly because many people will die as a result: (Kyodo) _ The World Food Program is asking donor countries to support the U.N. agency’s plan to shift its assistance to North Korea from emergency relief to longer-term development aid, the head of the WFP’s Pyongyang office said Friday. Richard Ragan, the WFP’s director for North Korea, told Kyodo News in an interview in Beijing that the initial response from major donors, which include Japan and the United...

The Donga Ilbo roots out a Japanese collaborator!

The Chinese compromise proposal I mentioned yesterday appears to have gone nowhere. South Korea, ever true to its eros for the middle ground and the path of least resistance, is lobbying the U.S. and Japan to give in: The South Korean delegation reportedly lobbied U.S. and Japanese negotiators on the point when they met for the first time Friday. It is said to have argued that any sovereign state is entitled to light water reactors, either by building them on...

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...

China has purchased the exclusive rights to the North Korean port of Rajin. The Chosun Ilbo seems to think this could be a boon to trade; I’m skeptical. First, North Korea will always insist on isolating most of its population from outsiders and the things they want to sell. Second, North Korea is corrupt and lacks any reasonable semblance of a court system. Third, North Korea has little infrastructure beyond the port itself. Its rails, roads, mines, and factories are...

Freedom House’s human rights conference for North Korea is coming to Seoul. The date is December 10th, to coincide with World Human Rights Day. My own interview of Jae Ku, FH’s Program Director for North Korea, is at the right sidebar.

Lawmaker Loses Seat Over Election Law Violation: This time, it’s the GNP’s turn–a lawmaker from Taegu. The offense was hunting out of season again. Given the national mood and the region, one suspects the GNP will retain the seat in the next bi-election, but national moods in Korea change very quickly.

When Roh came to the United Nations, LiNK was waiting. More here. Update: LiNK link fixed.

Sympathetic observers have been telling us for years that the dissolution of the Public Distribution System North Korea once used to feed its people represented an irreversible step toward economic reform. I’ve tended to believe the view of Andrei Lankov and Andrew Natsios, which is that the PDS essentially began to come apart under North Korea’s economic stress began to take its toll in the years after 1991, when the USSR collapsed. Now, Professor Lankov informs us that North Korea...

Mongolia is allowing NGOs to build a “care center” for North Korean refugees. This is very big news: “Construction will be starting soon, so we need to secure a safe passage to transport them from China to Mongolia,” Sung-ho Kim, executive director of the Rainbow Foundation, told RFA’s Korean service. “As soon as the facility in Mongolia is ready, we should able to accommodate them.” Kim said his group had already been allocated 400,000 pyeong (1.3 square kms) of land...

Talks Update: China is putting forth a new draft in a last-ditch effort to save the talks from breaking down. Hopes are not especially high.

N. Korean Trains Barely Running: Daily NK has an interview with a former engineer who defected, and who claims that no more than 10% of his former colleagues remain at their posts.

Daily NK has : Kang : Now that the special envoy is appointed, I think concrete actions for North Korean human rights improvement must start. I believe much must focus on the rescue of the defectors, assistance to Free North Korea Broadcasting, sending radio into North Korea so we can bring substantial changes inside North Korea. Lef[k]owitz: I will try to use the budget as effectively as possible once the Congress sets the budget. Although it may be different for...

President Roh Moo-hyun, in his keynote address at the 60th plenary session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, said the world “must shake off the mindset and vestiges of imperialism that appear to linger in various forms. He also called for vigilance against a resurgence of “self-centered” major powers. Countries leading the international order today must first undertake a thorough self-examination and reflect on their past and future, Roh said. The presidential spokesman said the remarks were made with...