Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts

Monday, October 31, 2022

Crowd Crush in Seoul Leaves At Least 154 Dead

A human crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea left at least 154 dead and injured at least 152 more.

The cause of the incident, the deadliest peacetime disaster in the country since the 2014 ferry sinking killing 306, is still under investigation. Local outlets reported that it may have been caused by people trying to see a yet-to-be identified celebrity in a nearby club.

 

Thursday, May 31, 2018

US-North Korea Summit Still on Schedule, For Now


The summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Km Jung Un is still scheduled to occur on June 12, though whether it will occur is still a matter of debate. Dealings with the reclusive, repressive regime have been historically fraught with deceit and broken promises, most notably promises to not develop nuclear weapons.

The meeting was previously canceled by Trump earlier this month after North Korean threats to cancel the meeting and the absence of North Korean diplomats from preparation meetings. However, a secret meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in helped to decrease tension between the two countries after North Korea criticized joint US-South Korean military drills (a reason it gave for why it may cancel the meeting). Trump backtracked, saying that the summit, to be held in Singapore, may still happen. US diplomats have continued to make preparations for the summit. However, the unpredictable nature of the North Korean government, as well as the personalities involved in the summit, could once again prevent it from occurring.

At the heart of the issue is the North Korean nuclear program which has been in development for over a decade. North Korea has missiles which can reach far beyond its own borders, threatening US allies such as Japan and South Korea as well as the US itself. President Trump was involved in a diplomatic spat with the North, calling Kim “rocket man” and saying the US nuclear arsenal was far superior than Kim’s. North Korea replied by calling Trump a “dotard.”



Monday, April 30, 2018

Korean Détente? Two Countries Could Achieve Some Form of Peace


In a series of unlikely events, the two Korean leaders talked peacefully and publicly, something that has not occurred since the Korean War in the 1950s. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the border between the two countries on Friday, with Kim stepping into South Korea. The two leaders also announced their commitment to denuclearize the peninsula as well as formally ending the Korean War, which ended de facto in 1953. This comes after Kim’s announcement that the North will stop its missile testing.

These announcements also come after President Donald Trump announced earlier this year that he plans to meet with Kim, in which, if carried out, will make Trump the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean leader. The meeting is currently scheduled to take place sometime next month or in early June.

The prospect for even the peace talks just a few months ago would have been almost unimaginable given the North’s increased frequency of missile tests and the bellicose rhetoric between Kim and Trump, in which the former called the latter a “dotard” and the latter called the former “rocket man.” For now, the insults have stopped, but the prospect of lasting peace is far from certain.

North Korea still possesses nuclear capability and the North may not truly be committed to denuclearization, which it promises only to proceed with if the US does not invade. Trump has implied that military action will not be off the table if the North does not move forward with eventual denuclearization.


Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Winter Olympics End, US Fails to Impress as Politics Took Center Stage


The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea ended n Sunday, following two weeks of sporting events. Norway emerged the strongest nation, winning in both number of gold medals won (14) and total medals won (39). The US came in fourth in both categories, with 9 gold and 23 total. While the American performance was the worst in recent Winter Olympics, the women’s ice hockey team defeated Canada to win the first gold for the US in the sport since 1998.

Politics laid a cloud over this year’s games as well. While the North Korean and South Korean teams marched under a united flag at the opening ceremonies, as well as competed together in women’s ice hockey, tensions remain as North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, continues his nuclear weapons program and testing of rockets. His sister, Kim Yo-jung, made an appearance at the opening ceremony and stood near US Vice President Mike Pence. Some American media outlets were criticized for the positive coverage they gave her given her position as propaganda director for the brutal regime.