Confirmed: North Korea Torpedoed South Korean Ship

The South Koreans have released a report on the recent sinking of one of their ships, based in part on intelligence provided by the United States, which asserts that it was a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine that sunk their ship.

South Korea's military believes a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine sank its navy ship last month, based on intelligence gathered jointly with the United States, a news report said on Thursday.

The Yonhap news report appears to be the clearest sign yet that Seoul blames Pyongyang for what would be one of the deadliest incidents between the rivals since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. It puts more political pressure on President Lee Myung-bak, but analysts do not see it triggering a war.

The military's intelligence arm sent the report of "certain" North Korean involvement to the presidential Blue House soon after the incident, Yonhap quoted a high-ranking military source as saying.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula stay in normal state of unease, and this certainly is not going to help. The constant sabre rattling and threatening posture of the North Koreans is something the people living in the south have learned to accept over time, but this is going to put intense pressure on the South Korean president.

The other part though is to keep an eye and an ear out for what the United States reaction to this provocation is. Given all of the smart diplomacy we have seen from this administration I expect to see Hillary in Pyongyang apologizing to the 'Supreme Leader' for the obvious lack of navigation skills of the South Korean sailors and probably offering to trade a few pounds of enriched uranium for promises that they will not carry out any further attacks.

For those of you who received your entire education in government schools it is important to let you know that the Korean War was never officially ended. There was a ceasefire resolution signed, but the North has always maintained that they will resume hostilities anytime they wish. Every time one of these incidents happen the tension becomes palpable in Korea. I was there when Kim Il-Sung, father of the current leader, died. Our forces immediately went on alert and deployed, realizing we would be nothing more then a speed bump should the North decide to vacation in Seoul. After about 24 hours Clinton ordered us to stand down, which shook all of us by surprise. We left our dispersed battle positions and returned to our barracks. The reasoning was they didn't want us to appear to be provoking the North, which was funny--not in a funny way when your ass is on the line--in that the North was massing everything they had on the border. Returning us to our bases drew up images of Pearl Harbor. Nobody got a good night's sleep for a couple of weeks, but fortunately the situation calmed down. For you Clintonistas who think us standing down was what eased the tension, think again. There was an intense power struggle taking place in North Korea between the new dictator and the military which kept them poised but unable to move.

The conventional wisdom in the wake of this most recent incident and the revelation of the North's involvement will not result in much of a response from the south, but I bet you can be assured 'The Dear Leader' of the North will have plenty to say and all of it will be blaming the United States working in cahoots with the South Koreans to fabricate the whole thing.

You know, like AhmaDinnerJacket does with Israel and the United States.

'Too Many People Are Suffering Because of Me'

I surmise it won't be long before the tolerant left suggests a certain former president near and dear to their hearts does the same thing.

Embattled former President Roh Moo-hyun — a reformist shamed by a corruption scandal that tarnished his image as a "clean" politician — jumped to his death while hiking in the mountains behind his rural home in South Korea, his lawyer said. He was 62.

Roh was hiking in Bongha village when he threw himself off a steep cliff around 6:40 a.m. Saturday, lawyer Moon Jae-in told reporters in the southern city of Busan. He said Roh left a suicide note.

"Too many people are suffering because of me," he wrote, according to South Korean media.

Roh was taken to Busan National University Hospital, where he was declared dead several hours later.

A self-taught lawyer who lifted himself out of poverty to reach the nation's highest office, Roh prided himself on his clean record in a country with a long history of corruption. He served as president from 2003 to 2008.

But he and his family have been ensnared in recent weeks in a burgeoning bribery scandal.

The suicide — the first by a South Korean president — stunned the nation. South Koreans nationwide huddled around TV screens watching news broadcasts.

"I was utterly shocked," said Chun Soon-im, 63, of Seoul. "They say 'hate the sin but not the sinner,' and that's how I feel. The investigation must continue and we must get to the truth, but I cannot help feeling sorry for the man and those left behind."

Shows you the difference between our countries. Our shamed ex-presidents go from impeachment to raking in millions of dollars a year traveling the globe soaking in the idol worship.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

South Korea Military Bans Chomsky Books

Apparently they feel reading the drivel of Noam Chomsky will affect their mental power.

No kidding.

South Korea's Defence Ministry, which maintains a force of about 670,000 troops to fend off an invasion from the communist North, also feels threatened by the likes of American linguist Noam Chomsky.

The ministry said Friday it may punish some officers for harming "the military's mental power" by trying to bring books it considers too leftist onto its bases.

The ministry earlier this year banned 23 books from the country's military facilities include two volumes by Chomsky and the best seller "Bad Samaritans" by a Korean professor at Cambridge University, Chang Ha-joon.

A group of officers said the move was censorship and appealed to the country's highest court to overturn the ban. They argue that since soldiers are free to read the books off base, they should be allowed to bring them into their barracks.

Korea Going to the Dogs

Yuck.

Don't give me any business about cultural tastes. A dog is a dog.

THE Seoul city government is seeking to classify man's best friend as livestock in order to set food safety standards for South Korean lovers of dogmeat.

Somewhere between two and four million dogs are estimated to be consumed in South Korea every year, but the slaughtering and processing is carried out in dirty environments and poses a risks to diners' health.

Since dogs are not currently classed as livestock there are no hygiene regulations on their slaughter, officials said.

"Dogs are consumed in their millions in this country every year. That's a fact. We have to take care of this situation,'' said Lee Hae-Woo, head of the city government's department of food safety.

"We plan to recommend to the central government that dogs are classified as livestock,'' he said.

"This is like a hot potato, but we don't pretend the issue does not exist.''

More like a hot dog.

South Korea's capital has always been ambivalent about dogmeat. To avoid adverse publicity before the 1988 Olympics, the city banned dogmeat and snakemeat as "abhorrent food".

The order is now largely ignored and an estimated 500 dogmeat restaurants operate in Seoul alone.

The reclassification proposal sparked angry reactions from animal activists, who staged street protests and launched online signature campaigns.

"No other country in the world but South Korea gives a legal green light to dogmeat consumption,'' the Korea Association for Animal Protection said in a statement.

"South Korea's motto is globalisation but it seeks to go back to the Stone Age as far as dogmeat consumption is concerned."

Thanks to Hot Air for the link.

Is That a Real Diploma From Yale?

It seems South Korea is a little upset at Yale University because the school vouched for a degree that they had supposedly issued to one of its citizens. This person was hired to be a professor at a South Korean university based on the confirmation from Yale.

Dongguk University made Shin Jeong-ah its art history professor in 2005 after Yale confirmed she had graduated there.

Two years later claims emerged that Ms Shin, the lover of a presidential aide, had never studied there. Yale then said it had confirmed her degree by mistake.

But that statement isn't entirely accurate. At first Yale claimed it was a fake.

When suspicions about her credentials arose two years later Dongguk again contacted Yale. This time the US institution said Ms Shin had not graduated there and claimed the 2005 fax was forged.

Yale officials later admitted the fax had been sent by mistake and apologised.

They are suing for $50 million. And yes, to further show the influence of American pop culture in the world, they are referring to this as "Shingate."

Taliban to Release South Korean Hostages

At least they say they will. Once can only wonder what the payoff was.

Taliban to release SKorean hostages

GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Taliban militants in Afghanistan agreed to release 19 South Korean church volunteers held captive since July 19, a spokesman for the insurgents and the South Korean government said Tuesday.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said South Korean and Taliban delegates at face-to-face talks Tuesday in the central town of Ghazni had "reached an agreement" to release the captives.

In Seoul, South Korean presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-sun confirmed a deal was reached.

"We welcome the agreement to release 19 South Koreans," said Cheon Ho-sun.

No other details on the agreement were immediately available.

Also at Hot Air.