First edit - took the name out of the title... I get emails all day long from Yahoo! News. I have a news 'pull' that keys on any mention of Korea in a news article that sends the headline and the first sentence to me in email form. For weeks, I've been getting articles about Robert Jenkins and his situation. Here's a link to the most recent one Link . There's another here Link . I know that I'm not alone is saying that Robert Jenkins should be in US custody right now. Health is...

I get news alerts everyday from Yahoo for anything that has the key word Korea in it. Being a Korean linguist, I like to stay on top of the news and this is one good way to see what's going on there. Well, I got this news article recently and I thought I'd share it here. You can get the entire article here - [Opinion] Speech Law of Korea and the U.S. . It's a pretty good article about how the laws covering the freedom of speech in Korea have been changed, modified, restricted and opened...

North Korea still has not made any comment acknowledging Bush' re-election. Big surprise and big deal, right? The Chosun Ilbo has a short article detailing this here - N. Korea Still Not Acknowledging Bush Re-election . Could it be that Kim Jong Il thinks that Kerry won? Check it out here - Kim Jong Il's Blog .

Well, the court martial lasted all of two days or so. And it went down pretty much as predicted. In a plea bargain agreement, Jenkins got a light sentence for pleading guilty to desertion and aiding the enemey. You can get more information here - U.S. Deserter Sentenced and Army Sends Deserter Jenkins to Prison In a nutshell, he got 30 days jail and a reduction to E1 with a dishonorable discharge. The article reports that the jail time may be suspended. I wrote an article a wh...

After more than half a century of guarding freedom's frontier, the United States Forces Korea (USFK) have pulled the last security elements off the front line. Check this article out for more information - Big Changes in JSA as USFK Transfers Duties to Korean Military . This marks a continued effort by USFK to realign the troops on the peninsula. A few years back, USFK pulled most of the 2nd Infantry Division troops back a little and relinquished control and responsibility for securit...

OK, I was happily skimming through articles in Blog Navigator when I came across an article on OhMyNews! . You can check it out here - U.S. Reservists Wary of Reactivation . I'll only cut and paste parts of it, so to get the full view, go read it. start rant The article really got me going because it seems that the author is trying to make Reservists out as complete victims. Now, I do feel for Reservists getting call ups. It's a tough, tough situation. No doubt. But, get...

I first heard about this tragic news yesterday. You can read about it here - S.Korean media want minister out over DMZ shooting . My heart goes out to the families of the Soldiers involved. The reason cited for this attack was verbal abuse from senior Soldiers. Now, verbal abuse happens to greater and lesser degrees in all the military workplaces I've encountered. It can be as little as wisecracks or jokes. It can quickly escalate up to and beyond the point of a group insulting a...

I found out earlier this year that someone was trying to donate sections of the Berlin Wall to our post. Apparently, legal wranglings have kept it from happening for a while (years), but those were finally resolved. And today, I got the chance to stand on both side of the Berlin Wall. It's still hard to believe how something as simple as standing in two spaces, just meters apart, can be so significant. We have three sections. They are not chunks. They are not bricks. These are full s...

The Base Realignment And Closure Committe published its list today. And it looks like the Presidio of Monterey and Defense Language Institute are safe for another year. Much to the chagrin of the real estate speculators and doomsayers in the Korean school. The base has been on the initial list every year since long before I was a student here but has always survived. Even during the lean years after Ft Ord closed down. And yet, every year the people that work on base get worked up ov...

Been surfing Korean websites today. Found a really interesting article that I'll either translate it or, more likely, find an English link later about SK revealing that the reason for the 1998 North Korean missile launch really included the launching a satellite. The comments on that one are GOLD! One guy demanded that the SK president of the time period be immediately brought before a Korean court and be sentenced to death. Really. But, while clicking through links, I found this. Ju...

I just got an email at work that is being circulated through military circles, as well as through the press. You can read the details here - Anheuser-Busch Honors U.S. Troops With Heroes Salute . The gist is that Anheuser-Busch is offering free admission to its theme parks between 7 Feb and 31 Dec 2005 to active duty military, active reservists, U.S. Coast Guard, National Guardsmen and as many as three direct dependents. According to the press release, this program was to be kicked ...

A good friend of mine forwarded this story to me yesterday - North Korea campaigns against long hair, untidy attire . Apparently, North Korea wants its masses to leave well groomed, tidily dressed corpses after they starve to death. Also, we all know that long hair leads you downt he corrupting path of capitalism and democracy, and they don't want any of that up there. HAHA! My favorite part, and the only part I'll quote here, is this gem - "Not only health and hygiene but also intelli...

I just got home from setting flags on the graves at the base cemetery. When I turned on the computer, I found an email from my dad. He forwarded me the link to a story about himself and his four brothers. All five served during the Vietnam War. And all five made it home. Pretty damn amazing. Belpre brothers all served in Vietnam I ask you to take a few minutes and read the article. This is a story about my dad, my uncles, my family. As a child, I knew very little about my dad...

So, a few days back, I posted about a Reservist that was being activated and how he was surprised and didn't want to report. You can check it out here - Being A Reservist Is A Two-Way Street . Well, I found this while surfing around the net - Kaua'i man sues over recall to active duty . Another guy trying to get out of being activated to serve in the Army. But there's a big difference here. and I totally support this man in his effort to fight being activated. Why? Well, this guy i...

I just found out about this program today. You can find more information at the Freedom Team Salute Program site. Basically, it allows any Army Soldier, whether they be active duty or reserves/national guard, to recognize the people that support them in a special way. Active duty Soldiers can recognize one spouse and two parents and the reserve and national guard Soldiers can also recognize their outside the Army employer. Veterans can also go to the site and nominate themselves....