TYPE OF INCIDENT:  Aggravated Assault     LOCATION:  Peace Maker Center, Songtan Entertainment District, South Korea DATE/TIME OF INCIDENT:  241616 JUL 04              PERSONNEL INVOLVED: a. SUBJECT(S):  (1)  YANG, XX; Rank:  CIV; MOS:  None; KID:  Unknown; Sex:  Male; Race:  Asian; Age:  Unknown; Address:  Unknown; Security Clearance:  None; Duty Position:  Unknown; Duty Status:  Unknown   (2)  YANG, XX; Rank:  CIV; MOS:  None; KID:  Unknown; Sex:  Male; Race:  Asian; Age:      Unknown; Address:  Unknown; Security Clearance:  Unknown; Duty Position:  Unknown;   Duty Status:  Off Duty (3)  YANG,...

Another North Korean defector, this one a chemical weapons “scientist,” is telling the BBC how he killed people in gas chambers. Link and video clip here: “The purpose of this experiment was to determine how long it takes for a human being to die – we wanted to determine how much gas was necessary to annihilate the whole city of Seoul.” The South Koreans apparently tried to stop him from talking to the media, and of course, they say it’s...

NK Gulag’s founders, both of them refugees from North Korea themselves, send this message: On behalf of the 23 million North Korean people, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Congressmen and Congresswomen and to the American people who helped pass this landmark legislation. Later, when set free from Kim Jong Il’s dictatorship, the North Korean people will surely remember July 21, 2004.

You could search for a long time to find words more persuasive than this picture, but the words of the North Korean woman in this BBC story come close: I left because there was no food, but also because I wanted freedom. I wanted to be able to live how I wanted to live. The North Koreans are neither robots nor zombies nor programmed automatons. They are human beings just like us, but with a much keener understanding of what...

TYPE OF INCIDENT:  Aggravated Assault     LOCATION:  Peace Maker Center, Songtan Entertainment District, South Korea DATE/TIME OF INCIDENT:  241616 JUL 04              PERSONNEL INVOLVED: a. SUBJECT(S):  (1)  YANG, XX; Rank:  CIV; MOS:  None; KID:  Unknown; Sex:  Male; Race:  Asian; Age:  Unknown; Address:  Unknown; Security Clearance:  None; Duty Position:  Unknown; Duty Status:  Unknown   (2)  YANG, XX; Rank:  CIV; MOS:  None; KID:  Unknown; Sex:  Male; Race:  Asian; Age:      Unknown; Address:  Unknown; Security Clearance:  Unknown; Duty Position:  Unknown;   Duty Status:  Off Duty (3)  YANG,...

It’s as if the South Park guys are custom making this movie just for me.  Don’t expect to see this one on the marquis at Pyongyang.  Hat tip:  Budaechigae.  More here.

Joe Katzman at Winds of Change put up a terrific post about this blog, if you’re interested. Thanks!  My head is so swollen . . . .

It’s as if the South Park guys are custom making this movie just for me.  Don’t expect to see this one on the marquis at Pyongyang.  Hat tip:  Budaechigae.  More here.

Joe Katzman at Winds of Change put up a terrific post about this blog, if you’re interested. Thanks!  My head is so swollen . . . .

AP is reporting that the first 200 North Koreans have arrived in Seoul. Another 260 are coming tomorrow, for a total of 460, more than previously reported.

Don’t miss this must-read commentary by Lee Seon-Min, posted on the Marmot’s site: The North Korean human rights issue has become the �litmus test� for differentiating real and fake progressive in our society. We can guess as to why some �progressive� forces that are servile to the North Korean regime would work so hard to avoid this issue. Excluding them, if other �progressive� forces cannot sincerely respond to the North Korean human rights issue, they could no longer be called...

That’s the claim of at least one defector in today’s Chosun. Its lack of detail is frustrating, but given the obvious safety considerations, understandable. If it’s true, may God protect them.

The NYT thinks North Korea rejected Bush’s offer to reward bad behavior, er, offer inducements in exchange for ending their missile program, but isn’t sure. Normally, I’d say the “sham offer” sounds like a definitive rejection, but I’m willing to play along because David Sanger understands Korea reasonably well. His colleague, meanwhile, is suggesting that the Pentagon isn’t really pulling out 12,500 troops after all, which would be bad news for our Korea policy, if it’s true.

The Korea Herald is now reporting that ROK government auditors don’t see how the Korean Multipurpose Helicopter will leave the ground, financially speaking. [The auditors] also expressed concern that the project may have been preceding without an exact figure for the price of production. According to the BAI, the ministry said it would cost 15 trillion won, but Korea Development Institute expected it to be 30 trillion won. Also, the BAI and the ministry believe that future procurement of other...

AP is reporting that the first 200 North Koreans have arrived in Seoul. Another 260 are coming tomorrow, for a total of 460, more than previously reported.

Don’t miss this must-read commentary by Lee Seon-Min, posted on the Marmot’s site: The North Korean human rights issue has become the �litmus test� for differentiating real and fake progressive in our society. We can guess as to why some �progressive� forces that are servile to the North Korean regime would work so hard to avoid this issue. Excluding them, if other �progressive� forces cannot sincerely respond to the North Korean human rights issue, they could no longer be called...

That’s the claim of at least one defector in today’s Chosun. Its lack of detail is frustrating, but given the obvious safety considerations, understandable. If it’s true, may God protect them.

The NYT thinks North Korea rejected Bush’s offer to reward bad behavior, er, offer inducements in exchange for ending their missile program, but isn’t sure. Normally, I’d say the “sham offer” sounds like a definitive rejection, but I’m willing to play along because David Sanger understands Korea reasonably well. His colleague, meanwhile, is suggesting that the Pentagon isn’t really pulling out 12,500 troops after all, which would be bad news for our Korea policy, if it’s true.