Chong K. Yim, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Liaison OfficeChong K. Yim, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Liaison Officer“Almost every Korean male should go through the military service, so it’s easy for Korean society to forget how meaningful job Soldiers are doing. That’s why American Veterans Day reminds me again of the importance of the Army in this society, and things that Soldiers of both countries have done so far.”

The government plans to replace soldiers with maritime police officers to guard coastal areas and, in the process, reduce the number of personnel by 60 percent by 2014, a source who is familiar with the plan told The Korea Times Tuesday.

The source, who is involved in the replacement plan, expressed his concern that it may leave coastal areas vulnerable to contingencies such as infiltration by commandos, drug traffickers and illegal immigrants.

At present, around 11,150 Army personnel, mostly conscripts, are engaged in coast guard duty, but they will be replaced by around 4,500 career maritime police officers, he said.

However, the Army will still be responsible for the coastal areas near the border with North Korea, from the Northern Limit Line (NLL) to Incheon in the West Sea and to Goseong in Gangwon Province in the East Sea, the source added.

“The plan is being pushed ahead after approval from Cheong Wa Dae,” he said. He did not rule out the possibility that the reduction in the number may compromise coastal security.

“The plan is to help the Army concentrate on war-deterrent operations by holding maritime police liable for coastal guard duty,” he said.  [Korea Times]

I really don’t think this is going to make much of difference considering that the North Koreans have been able to penetrate the coastal defenses rather easily before just due to the length and rugged terrain of the peninsula.  I think the biggest question is if there are enough military personnel available to respond after an infiltration is detected such as in 1996?

Valid Veteran and Active Duty Identification to Obtain Free Entree:

• U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card
• U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card
• Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
• Veterans Organization Card (i.e., American Legion and VFW)
• Photograph in uniform
• Wearing uniform
• DD214
• Citation or Commendation

John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind of the sniper attacks that terrorized the nation’s capital region for three weeks in October 2002, was executed Tuesday. Muhammad died by injection at 9:11 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, prison spokesman Larry Traylor said.

He said Muhammad had no final statement and that Traylor didn’t hear him utter any words during the execution.

Muhammad was executed for killing Dean Harold Meyers, who was shot in the head at a Manassas gas station during a spree that left 10 dead across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.- Associated Press

Muhammad deserved to be executed. I feel no sorrow for him, just for his victims and his families. The death sentence was carried unusually fast in Muhammad’s case. Less than 6 years from sentence to execution. Virginia was equally swift with another notable serial killer named Timothy Spencer aka ‘The Southside Strangler’ almost two decades ago.

One of Muhammad and Malvo’s victims was born in South Korea.

In Baton Rouge, Muhammad’s hometown, a woman left work at the Beauty Depot, a supply store, just after 6:30 p.m. and walked toward her suburban utility vehicle. She died on the way.

Hong Im Ballenger, 45, who came to Louisiana after marrying an American GI in Korea, was struck in the head by a rifle bullet. Seconds later, a witness saw a large, blue car driven by a black man ease out of a field about 75 yards from Ballenger’s body. It traveled one block east and picked up another black man, who was holding Ballenger’s purse. The car sped away.

Ballenger was slain with the Bushmaster, and Muhammad and Malvo have been charged with murder.

Hong Im and her husband Jim had three sons.

Three of Virginia’s most notorious murderers, Muhammad, Spencer, and Seung-hui Cho all had Korean-Americans among their victims. Cho killed Mary Karen Read plus 31 others at Virginia Tech and 15-year-old Diane Cho was one of Spencer’s four victims. Spencer was a sadist who tortured his victims before killing them. He tortured and raped Cho in the same apartment her parents and younger brother were sleeping in.

I just felt like pointing this Virginia connection. While I like old detective shows like Columbo and Hawaii Five-0, I don’t keep up with serial killers or read true crime books.

But the vast majority of lawmakers indicted were handed fines and only a handful of secretariats and party officials received jail sentences.

Unlike Korea’s election law that invalidates a lawmaker’s assembly seats when he is convicted of receiving either a fine of more than 1 million won ($863) or a jail term, lawmakers convicted of criminal charges lose their seats only when they receive jail terms. Some people thought prosecutors went light on the lawmakers.

For instance, when the spray settled at the Dec. 18 incident, the governing party asked the prosecutors to investigate two opposition party lawmakers – DP’s Moon Hak-jin and DLP’s Lee Jung-hee – for using force to interrupt the meeting.

Moon was indicted for using a sledgehammer in his failed attempt to break in. On Nov. 4, a local court slapped Moon with a 3 million won fine. They sought a 1 million won fine against Lee for allegedly destroying lawmaker nameplates. A prosecutor who spoke on condition of anonymity explained DP’s Moon was fined because there was no concrete evidence that he destroyed the door leading to the committee room. “After examining video and other evidence we could only prove that he had destroyed a door leading to secretariat room of foreign affairs and trade committee,” the prosecutor said. “DLP’s Lee was also sentenced lightly taking into account the degree of damage caused by her wasn’t that serious.”

National Assembly Secretary General Park Kye-dong said he was deeply disappointed by the court’s decision. “The recent series of skirmishes at National Assembly brought international shame and it greatly disappointed the public that law-enforcement authorities made a decision that falls short of what the public wanted. The public wanted to end violence in the national assembly,” Park said.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

As long as these clowns are allowed to continue to get away with this violence with only small fines to show for it, it will continue.  By the way if I was a Korean lawmaker this is who my aid would be.

Sgt. Lora Kelly, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison HumphreysSgt. Lora Kelly, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys.“The men and women in uniform make sacrifices every day, especially during a time of war. I think Veterans Day serves as a reminder of those who sacrifice.”

Declassified Japanese documents confirm that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said during September 2002 summit talks with Japan that he was afraid the North would end up like Iraq.

NHK also reports that according to summit minutes held by the Tokyo Foreign Ministry, then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi proposed to Kim that if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear program, the global community would compensate them financially.

Kim then reportedly expressed fear of becoming like Iraq but added that Russia and China agreed to North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons.  [KBS Global]

A soldier who went absent without leave was caught by military police in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, after robbing a taxi driver.

The Army identified the soldier only as Kim, a 20-year-old with the rank of private, and he was caught while going into his relative’s house Monday morning.

Kim ran away Saturday evening and changed into clothes he took from a civilian. Kim then took a taxi to Dongducheon and stole 50,000 won from the taxi driver.   [Korea Times via the Marmot's Hole]

To his credit he is a compassionate criminal:

While Kim committed illegal acts, he showed some compassion.

“Kim gave 1,000 won to a civilian for the clothes and gave his cash card with password to the taxi driver,” an Army spokesman said.

Kim was called up in June and stationed at a unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, in August. He was under close watch since he ran away from home a few times during high school.

The military police are interrogating him, checking what motivated him to go AWOL.

All I am wondering is what did he use to hold up these people?  How do you get someone to strip off their clothes for a thousand won?

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed western sea border about 11:27 a.m. (0227 GMT), drawing warning shots from a South Korean navy vessel. The North Korean boat then opened fire and the South’s ship returned fire before the North’s vessel sailed back toward its waters, the statement said.

The clash occurred near the South-held island of Daecheong, about 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers) off the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, the statement said.

The North Korean ship was seriously damaged in the skirmish, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy. Prime Minister Chung Un-chan told lawmakers the ship was on fire when it fled north.

Lee, the commodore, said the shooting lasted for about two minutes, during which the North Korean ship fired about 50 rounds at the South Korean vessel, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) away. He said the South Korean ship was lightly damaged.

Lee said several Chinese fishing boats were operating in the area at the time of clash, but they were undamaged. Chung, the prime minister, described the clash as “accidental,” telling lawmakers that two North Korean ships crossed into South Korean waters in an attempt to clamp down on Chinese fishing.  [Associated Press]

With President Obama set to visit Korea soon during his Asia trip you do have to wonder if this was intentional or not.  However, the problems with the Chinese fishing boats is well documented and maybe this was an unintentional confrontation, but judging by North Korea’s track record, I am skeptical.

______________________________________

This doesn’t appear to have been much of anything compared to prior clashes between the North & South Korean navies:

The divided Koreas clashed Tuesday off their west coast, with no South Korean casualties immediately reported while a North Korean vessel apparently suffered damage, a South Korean defense official said.

“No South Korean casualties were immediately reported,” the official said, adding a North Korean patrol ship prompted the South Korean Navy to fire warning shots after crossing the Northern Limit Line (NLL) where skirmishes turned bloody in 1999 and 2002.

“The North Koreans then fired back,” he said, adding the clash occurred at 11:28 a.m. near Baekryeong island.

“The North appears to have suffered damage,” the official said, declining to be identified because the information was preliminary.  [Yonhap]

Tensions have been building along the NLL for some time, but I doubt the North Koreans would engage on a ship on ship naval battle considering the disparity in the quality of ships between the North and the South.