It’s starting to look like it will be a long, hot summer in rural China. And the tinder is already very dry. A Chinese village has become a tourist attraction after residents fought a pitched battle with police, who retreated after dozens were injured. Local residents say the riots started after police manhandled a group of elderly women protesting at pollution caused by local chemical plants. The unrest is one of a series of recent outbursts of frustration and anger...

Self-explanatory.

The Korea Herald prints this reassuring quotation from an international media mogul: North Korea is just using this (nuclear ambition) as a tactic to get (attention). I don’t think this is something serious . . . . Let’s suppose Iran or any country own one hundred atomic bombs. Can North Korea use it? Can India or Pakistan use it? No. . . . There is no question that these nuclear weapons have become obsolete [because of the likelihood of retaliation]....

The Korea Herald prints this reassuring quotation from an international media mogul: North Korea is just using this (nuclear ambition) as a tactic to get (attention). I don’t think this is something serious . . . . Let’s suppose Iran or any country own one hundred atomic bombs. Can North Korea use it? Can India or Pakistan use it? No. . . . There is no question that these nuclear weapons have become obsolete [because of the likelihood of retaliation]....

The idea behind the PSI was to interdict North Korea’s trade in weapons and dope, but few would doubt that another purpose is to crimp the regime’s foreign exchange receipts. Yet even while the Bush administration has yet to go full-tilt on PSI enforcement, North Korea seems to be doing a fine job of crimping its own foreign trade by losing ships at an alarming rate. They’ve already lost two in the last week alone. First, from off the Chinese...

The idea behind the PSI was to interdict North Korea’s trade in weapons and dope, but few would doubt that another purpose is to crimp the regime’s foreign exchange receipts. Yet even while the Bush administration has yet to go full-tilt on PSI enforcement, North Korea seems to be doing a fine job of crimping its own foreign trade by losing ships at an alarming rate. They’ve already lost two in the last week alone. First, from off the Chinese...

Growing Unrest in China: Publius has the goods. That may explain why they’re suddenly talking about human rights (while continuing their repression). Or why they’re pulling tired stunts like this. UPDATE: The anti-government rioting near Shanghai appears to have gotten much worse, revealing the depths of popular hatred of the government. The New York Times reports: There were conflicting reports about injuries, and Mr. Lu said two elderly women among the protesters had been gravely injured after being run over...

UPDATE: Looks like I was wrong. It appears to be the act of a lone drunk who opted for the Workers’ Paradise. That’s going to be some hangover. ORIGINAL POST: The Chosun Ilbo calls it a defection, but without knowing more than what’s in the article, I’d say a more likely theory is that some North Korean infiltrators were on their way home. South Korean coastal border guards fired some 20 warning shots from a 60 mm mortar, 106 mm...

Growing Unrest in China: Publius has the goods. That may explain why they’re suddenly talking about human rights (while continuing their repression). Or why they’re pulling tired stunts like this. UPDATE: The anti-government rioting near Shanghai appears to have gotten much worse, revealing the depths of popular hatred of the government. The New York Times reports: There were conflicting reports about injuries, and Mr. Lu said two elderly women among the protesters had been gravely injured after being run over...

UPDATE: Looks like I was wrong. It appears to be the act of a lone drunk who opted for the Workers’ Paradise. That’s going to be some hangover. ORIGINAL POST: The Chosun Ilbo calls it a defection, but without knowing more than what’s in the article, I’d say a more likely theory is that some North Korean infiltrators were on their way home. South Korean coastal border guards fired some 20 warning shots from a 60 mm mortar, 106 mm...

All I can really say is, uhhhhhhh: Korea and the U.S. have decided to divide the future security environment on the Korean Peninsula into three or four levels including full unification and use them to draw up a new blueprint for their military alliance. The Defense Ministry said Monday the two nations agreed to the plan in principle. Pending confirmation, the levels include “reconciliation and cooperation”, “peace and coexistence” and “unification.” The new-look military alliance will be unveiled by the...

Human Rights Legislation Update: A slender hope for a watered-down human rights law in South Korea. I suppose the perfect is the enemy of the good. Momentum certainly isn’t going North Korea’s way right now.

Remember this? Well, guess who’s stinking up the place now. Either we’ll soon see environmentalist demonstrators in front of the Blue House, or another transparent excuse for America hatred is revealed for what it is.

All I can really say is, uhhhhhhh: Korea and the U.S. have decided to divide the future security environment on the Korean Peninsula into three or four levels including full unification and use them to draw up a new blueprint for their military alliance. The Defense Ministry said Monday the two nations agreed to the plan in principle. Pending confirmation, the levels include “reconciliation and cooperation”, “peace and coexistence” and “unification.” The new-look military alliance will be unveiled by the...

Human Rights Legislation Update: A slender hope for a watered-down human rights law in South Korea. I suppose the perfect is the enemy of the good. Momentum certainly isn’t going North Korea’s way right now.

Remember this? Well, guess who’s stinking up the place now. Either we’ll soon see environmentalist demonstrators in front of the Blue House, or another transparent excuse for America hatred is revealed for what it is.

Famine Update: This NKZone post by Scott Bruce, consisting of interviews with key WPF officials, is must-reading despite its length. About halfway through the post, I came to this quotation: It was reported in the press a few weeks back that the government had decided to close the OCHA office in Pyongyang. I was assured categorically and repeatedly by authoritative officials from the foreign ministry that there has been no decision to close the OCHA office in the DPRK. They...

Famine Update: This NKZone post by Scott Bruce, consisting of interviews with key WPF officials, is must-reading despite its length. About halfway through the post, I came to this quotation: It was reported in the press a few weeks back that the government had decided to close the OCHA office in Pyongyang. I was assured categorically and repeatedly by authoritative officials from the foreign ministry that there has been no decision to close the OCHA office in the DPRK. They...