China Gives Japan, Korea Ultimatum On Hosting US Missiles After INF Collapse
Posted in: China, HAARP, Japan, Political science, South Korea.	Leave a comment
The major Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun revealed this week that Chinese officials issued a stern to warning to Japan and South Korea against any move to host intermediate-range missiles on their soil.
Citing both Japanese and US sources, the newspaper said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued the message to his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in August — an action apparently triggered by President Trump's announced official withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia.
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor, via Wiki Commons
Given a key administration criticism of the INF is that it doesn't account for developing technology and advanced missiles of major powers like China, Beijing is said to be worried over the fallout of a potential new US-Russia arms race for southeast Asia.
According to the report:
With the INF now invalidated, Beijing is concerned that Washington plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Japan and South Korea where they would be capable of reaching China.
Foreign Minister Wang reportedly told then Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono: "If the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Japan, that would have a major effect on Japan-China relations" — a message also relayed in a separate bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
Japan's Kono reportedly responded firmly with "Chinese missiles are capable of hitting Japan, so China must first work toward reducing its arsenal."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) meeting Japanese counterpart Taro Kono in Tokyo on April 15, 2018. Via Reuters
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And further: "Kang told Wang that China should first end its retaliatory measures against South Korea for the deployment of the U.S. military's Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, the sources said."
The revelation comes at an interesting moment, given US-South Korea relations reached a low-point this month after the Trump administration in negotiations with Seoul demanded a $4.7 billion annual price tag to keep 28,000+ US troops in South Korea.
Simultaneously, China has signed a defense agreement with South Korea promising to develop greater security ties. The agreement lays out a near-term plan to "foster bilateral exchanges and cooperation in defense".
"More And More Robots Are Coming" – South Korea Embraces Job-Killing 'Friends'
Posted in: Artificial intelligence, Automation, Labor, Robotics, South Korea, The Future.	Leave a comment
"The impact of automation in manufacturing and service sectors will increase income inequality from already high levels to crisis levels.
Middle- and low-income families in the country will be wiped out, depressing consumer spending and economic growth."
The collision of demographics and automation will potentially reshape South Korea's economy by 2030.
A new analysis via Bloomberg shows the collision of these forces could trigger economic disruptions that might lead to a decade of financial volatility.
South Korea has one of the fastest aging populations in the world, and to counter these upcoming demographic challenges, corporations and the government are investing billions of dollars into building "smart factories" where automation and artificial intelligence will replace human workers.
Already South Korea has embraced robots in its manufacturing sector. About 3 million people, or about two-thirds of the workers in manufacturing, are at serious risk of losing their jobs to robots in the next decade.
A new wave of investments in automation, artificial intelligence, and fifth-generation wireless networks could expedite the transition of robots replacing workers in smart factories.
The collision of automation in the workplace isn't just going to reshape factories in South Korea — it will also lead to massive job losses in the service sector.
Services account for 70% of the South Korea economy, and this means job losses could be double or triple of what is expected in the manufacturing sector by 2030.
The most impacted service jobs are likely to be retailing, food services, and transportation.
The impact on the workforce is going to be so high that the government has already started creating "learning factories," where about 50,000 people by 2022 will be reskilled to work on robots.
South Korea has 631 #robot workers for every 10,000 human employees@wef via @Ronald_vanLoon #Robotics #IoT #Automation #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #SmartCity #Manufacturing #AI #Videos
cc @evankirstel @AkwyZ @jblefevre60 @kkruse @chboursin
pic.twitter.com/5vr9DCHcrG
— Harold Sinnott 🇺🇸 (@HaroldSinnott) November 4, 2019
Jeong Jong-pil, a professor teaching factory automation at South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University, told Bloomberg that the country's demographic challenges are some of the drivers behind the rush to automate factories. "There's no way to meet productivity targets without automation…That's why more and more robots are coming."
South Korea is about to usher in a period of radical change, which will be one of the most important trends across the world that will reshape developed and emerging market economies by 2030.
Russian-Chinese Air Patrol Near S.Korea Was 'Show Of Force' To US Hawks
Posted in: China, Military, Political science, Russia, South Korea, USA.	Leave a comment
Via Southfront.org,
The recent violation of the South Korean airspace during a joint patrol of Russian and Chinese strategic bombers, resulting in scrambled South Korean jets reportedly firing hundreds of warning shots, may have been a message to US hawks. On Tuesday, a group of Russian and Chinese warplanes, including strategic bombers, conducted a joint patrol mission near South Korea's territory under the annual cooperation plan, the Chinese Defense Ministry's official spokesman Col. Wu Qian said on Wednesday:
"As far as the air incident is concerned, I would like to reiterate that China and Russia are engaged in all-encompassing strategic coordination. This patrol mission was among the areas of cooperation and was carried out within the framework of the annual plan of cooperation between the defense agencies of the two states. It was not directed against any other 'third state,'" the Chinese military official said during the presentation of the white paper headlined 'China's National Defense in the New Era.'
The Defense Ministry said further:
"As far as the practice of joint strategic patrols is concerned, both sides will make a decision on the matter on the basis of bilateral consultations. Under the strategic command of the heads of states, the armed forces of the two nations will continue developing their relations. The sides will support each other, respect mutual interests and develop corresponding mechanisms of cooperation," he added.
Two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95MS and two Chinese strategic bombers Xian H-6 carried a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea.
South Korean said that a Russian plane breached the republic's airspace near the Dokdo (Takeshima) islands, which are disputed by Seoul and Tokyo. In response, South Korea's F-15 and F-16 fighter planes were scrambled.
On Wednesday, Yoon Do-han, a spokesman for the South Korean president, told reporters that a Russian military attaché in Seoul had conveyed Moscow's "deep regret" about the incident and had said that the Russian plane mistakenly deviated from its flight plan.
The news agency Interfax quoted the press officer of the Russian Embassy in South Korea, Dmitry Bannikov, as saying that Russian officials had seen reports on Mr. Yoon's comments, and that "there are many things in them that aren't true."
"The Russian side did not issue an official apology," Mr. Bannikov noted, according to the agency.
That appeared to leave open the possibility that the Russians were apologetic in private. Such apologies are beyond the general attitude of states in similar cases. Taking into account this and the Chinese statement, it appears that Russia and China do not see South Korea as a potential enemy. Rather they see it as an equal partner on the international scene.
China and Russia demonstrated that they are ready to employ jointly their strategic bombardment capability in the event of a confrontation.
Crucially, the July 23rd incident happened a day ahead of meeting between US national security adviser John Bolton with South Korean officials.
Bolton was set to meet with South Korea's chief of National Security Office Chung Eui-Yong, Defense Minister Jeong Kyung-doo, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha in Seoul to discuss issues including denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and ways to strengthen the South Korea-US cooperation.
Above: Newly published Russian media footage showing clips of Russian bombers encountering South Korean fighter jets during the air patrol
Of course, Bolton is among the most hawkish voices of the Washington establishment that calls for a further confrontation with China and Russia.
SHOCK as 'Mystery Craft Splits Into Six Vehicles' Before VANISHING Into Thin Air
Posted in: South Korea, UFOs, Video.	Leave a comment
sputniknews.com
Kim at first thought it was an ordinary passenger plane flying a stone's throw from his, but quickly dismissed the idea.
Passenger Lucas Kim was left baffled while on board a plane traveling from Seoul, South Korea to Thailand, when he caught a glimpse of what he first thought was some mysterious "craft" split into six pieces that was hurtling towards the Earth just outside his window, before vanishing away.
As he first saw an "object" flying parallel to one of the wings, he promptly filmed it, trying to zoom in on the flickering light, which seconds later appeared to dismantle, thereby forming six different dots moving along in twos.
Although Lucas first assumed that another plane was proceeding with its journey side by side with his, he quickly ruled this out, since "it was rare to see another plane flying next to your own". Upon closer examination, he discovered that the "pulsating greenish-yellowish light" that the video depicted in poor quality was not a plane, but six separate vehicles.
"That was the only time I have seen something like this", Kim was quoted by Pen Newsas saying.
Viewers have told Lucas that they think the mysterious sight is best explained by reflected light from his own plane's wing; however, this explanation doesn't seem convincing enough to him.
"You can believe anything you want, but I truly think I encountered a UFO", the South Korean native noted later.
"The word UFO does not mean it's 100% alien, it simply means flying objects that we don't recognise", he added.
Another type of conspiracy theory was also brought up, with Kim assuming that it could be "some crazy Russian spy plane". Yet the extra-terrestrial life supposition tops his list of versions:
"I am a Christian and I'm sure God gave us all of this universe to explore", he added.
"So I don't think there are other thinking species like us out there, but there might be different animals on other planets".
North and South Korea Steer Toward Peace Despite Heavy US Foot on the Brakes
Posted in: Nuclear war, Nuclear weapons, Peace, Political science, Politics, South Korea, USA, War.	Leave a comment
"We had lived together for five thousand years but apart for just 70 years. Here, at this place today, I propose we move forward toward the big picture of peace in which the past 70-year-long hostility can be eradicated and we can become one again." — South Korean President Moon Jae-in
Elliott GABRIEL
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his counterpart from the South, President Moon Jae-in, made a powerful show of unity with the signing of the Pyongyang Declaration on Wednesday, underscoring their pursuit of "mutual reciprocity, common good and shared prosperity," a cessation of tension, and an explicit call for "Korean autonomy and the principle of self-determination."
The document seems intended to send a clear message to the United States that the two sides "confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula" and ending its 70-year division, despite Washington's insistence that Pyongyang unilaterally abandon its nuclear arms and ballistic missiles as a first step in confidence-building measures.
The joint declaration's Action Plan for Denuclearization appeared intended to bring the U.S. back to the table, and pledges the verifiable and irreversible shutdown by the North of its missile engine test site at Tongchang Village and the Yongbyon nuclear site – "contingent on corresponding measures by the U.S.," as Moon noted.
The statement also underscores the two sides' commitment to gradually beginning a process of economic integration, joint industrial and tourism sites, and the construction of east-to-west road and rail links – all of which remain impossible given the strict controls under U.N. Security Council resolutions and U.S. policy on doing business with the North. The two leaders also pledged to withdraw 11 guard posts from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which continues to divide the two countries that technically remain in a state of war.
During a joint press conference following talks with his North Korean counterpart, Moon noted:
Our society can be reshaped into a nation that exists solely for the people, as we depart from the privilege, corruption and disregard for human rights that have been spawned by the threat of war and ideological confrontation."
"We had lived together for five thousand years but apart for just 70 years"
In a speech before an audience of 150,000 North Koreans at Pyongyang's May First Stadium – the first-ever speech by a South Korean head of state in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, as the North is officially known) – President Moon gave what both sides hope will go down in history as a de facto declaration that the Korean War has come to an end and given way to "the principle of autonomy for our people, whereby we ourselves determine our own fate."
Using unprecedented language for a South Korean head of state, the former human-rights lawyer declared:
During my stay in Pyongyang, I have witnessed the city's remarkable progress. Deep in my heart, I have recognized what kind of country Chairman Kim and his compatriots in the North want to build. I have keenly realized your wholehearted longing for reconciliation and peace for all Koreans. I have seen the indomitable courage in your determination to stand on your own feet even in the face of hard times, all the while maintaining the pride of the Korean people.
Our people are outstanding. Our people are resilient. Our people love peace. And our people must live together.
We had lived together for five thousand years but apart for just 70 years. Here, at this place today, I propose we move forward toward the big picture of peace in which the past 70-year-long hostility can be eradicated and we can become one again."
On Thursday, the two leaders continued to display their mutual affection with an unscheduled hike along with their wives to the top of the legendary Mount Baekdu, a volcanic mountain on the border with China and the highest peak on the peninsula.
Upon returning to Seoul, Moon made clear that the onus was on the United States to continue the positive forward momentum in achieving denuclearization and a formal end to war on the peninsula, and that Kim desires another meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang. Kim also reportedly expressed his hope that he could hold a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
An earlier visit by Pompeo to the DPRK capital scheduled for August was abruptly called off by Trump following prickly correspondence between the two sides and a general impasse in U.S.-DPRK diplomacy
"Tremendous things" or stagnant waters ahead?
Trump greeted the Moon-Kim summit with optimism in line with his general approach of boosting his administration's progress addressing the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Speaking from the South Lawn of the White House following the signing of the declaration, Trump said:
We had very good news from North Korea, South Korea. They met, and we had some great responses. I got a tremendous letter from Kim Jong-un. As you know, it was delivered three days ago. We're making tremendous progress with respect to North Korea … A lot of tremendous things."
"And now we're — the relationships, I have to tell you, at least on a personal basis, they're very good," he added.
When asked the status of the reciprocal measures Kim desires as a first step toward denuclearization, the U.S. leader responded vaguely:
Well, we'll see what he's looking at. We'll see. But in the meantime, we're talking. t's very calm. He's calm; I'm calm. So we'll see what happens."
Yet Washington's "calm" has extended to its attitude toward augmenting its "maximum pressure" policy toward Pyongyang. The DPRK has expressed its dissatisfaction with U.S. policies since the June Singapore summit, including Washington's insistence that any goodwill gestures – such as U.S. acquiescence to an end-of-war declaration or relaxed sanctions – would come as a reward, rather than prerequisite, for the DPRK making moves like disclosing its nuclear and missile facilities.
Pyongyang has denounced such demands for unilateral disarmament as "double-dealing … gunboat diplomacy" and "gangster-like" attempts to "browbeat" the DPRK into submission.
Moon has repeatedly stressed his hope to jointly announce with Washington an end to the Korean War by year's end, a move he has said he hopes to discuss next week at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Yet Washington has looked askance at any agreement that could potentially alter the present security arrangement in Northeast Asia, given the importance of the U.S. military presence in the peninsula in the framework of its broader strategic considerations, especially vis-à-vis rivals Russia and China.
While Moon has pledged that he and Kim don't feel that an end-of-war declaration would affect the presence of U.S. in the peninsula, Washington remains fearful of the possibility that the formal end to hostilities would make it nearly impossible to justify the continued existence of United Nations Command (UNC) in the face of pressure by its regional foes.
The UNC, created by a 1950 UN mandate at the dawn of the Cold War, is the U.S.-dominated multinational body that acted as the main war-fighting institution during the Korean War. It eventually served as the primary enforcer of the armistice signed in 1953, and remains a main body ensuring U.S. hegemony in the region vis-à-vis a rising and assertive China.
The U.S. has boosted the importance of UNC as Seoul has clamored to take back wartime operational control of its troops from the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, which likewise falls under Pentagon jurisdiction. Under current treaty obligations, should diplomacy fail, the South's military will remain firmly subordinate to Washington.
Such factors, along with the continued sanctions on Pyongyang, make the Moon government especially vulnerable to Washington's pressure and ensure Seoul's subordinate role in the U.S.-dominated Asia-Pacific security architecture.
The hard work of achieving the lofty pronouncements of the Pyongyang Declaration remains a task for the Korean people, yet Washington unfortunately remains a gatekeeper and final authority whose motivation to back Kim and Moon's roadmap toward peace remains dubious at best.
Russian Warship Carrying $133 Billion in Gold Discovered Off South Korea
Posted in: Gold, History, Russia, South Korea.	Leave a comment
theantimedia.com
Written by Tyler Durden
(ZHE) — A South Korean marine exploration company claimed Tuesday to have discovered Dmitrii Donskoi, an armored cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1880s, reportedly transporting a cargo of gold worth an estimated $133 billion in today's dollars.
Launched in St Petersburg in August 1883, the Dmitrii Donskoi was designed as a commerce raider and fitted with both a full set of sails and a coal-fired engine. The ship spent most of its career operating in the Mediterranean and the Far East and was deployed to Imperial Russia's Second Pacific Squadron after the Japanese fleet destroyed the majority of Russia's naval power in the Far East in the opening salvoes of the 1904 Russo-Japanese War.
The Dmitri Donskoii was sunk in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese war.
The squadron was then intercepted by the Japanese fleet in May 1905 and decimated at the Battle of Tsushima. Assigned to protect the transport ships at the rear of the formation, the Dmitrii Donskoi managed to evade the attacking force, but was later intercepted steaming for the Russian port of Vladivostok.
According to the Telegraph, the Dmitrii Donskoi was carrying the fleet's funds and went down with 5,500 boxes containing gold bars as well as a separate haul of 200 tons of gold coins. The gold was being stored in the ship's holds to stop the Japanese seizing it. Shinil Group estimates the gold would have a total value today of just over $130 billion.
The ship then disappeared for over a century, however it now appears its remains may have been found.
According to Aju Business Daily, the Shinil Group, a South Korean exploration company, has indicated that it found the ship Sunday less than a mile off the Jeodong port in Ulleungdo, a South Korean island located between the Korean peninsula and Japan, at a depth of 1,423 feet in the Sea of Japan.
"We found the body of the Dmitrii Donskoi 434 meters deep in seas 1.3 kilometers off Ulleung Island at around 9:50 a.m., Sunday," Shinil Group said.
On Sunday, an expedition team mobilized two human-crewed submarines as it discovered what it believed to be Donskoi. The team confirmed later that the body and cannons of the ships captured via a high-definition video camera are consistent with the ship's schematics.
The submarines found the ship's name on its stern on Sunday, along with several cannons, deck guns, an anchor, two chimneys, three masts, a wooden deck and armored sides.
"The body of the ship was severely damaged by shelling, with its stern almost broken, and yet the ship's deck and sides are well preserved," the company said.
"Our discovery has finally put a stop to a controversy over Donskoi's existence and sunken location. We'll soon go ahead with procedures to rescue the ship," Shinil group added.
Shinil did not say if gold bars or coins were discovered. The group plans to recover the gold later this year with the help from companies in China, Canada, and the U.K. Here is video from the moment the ship was identified:
The exploration firm estimates that there could be as much as 200 tons of gold ($133 billion) on the Dmitrii Donskoi. Shinil pledged to invest 10% of the treasure on Ulleung Island, which is a popular tourist destination for South Koreans. It has also worked out a deal with Russia, the rightful owner of the sunken ship, which Russia has said it would use the money for investments in railroads connecting Russia with South Korea via North Korea.
As for the $133 billion of gold on the sunken ship, it is anyone's guess if it exists. But if it does, then it would undoubtedly dwarf the recent discovery of $17 billion in booty off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia.
The company said it is aiming to raise the ship in October or November. Half of any treasure found aboard the vessel would be handed over to the Russian government, which if the preliminary estimates are accurate, would amount to just over $66 billion. A portion of the rest of the treasure will be donated to joint projects to promote development in north-east Asia, the company said, such as a railway line from Russia to South Korea through North Korea.
De-Dollarization: Chinese Refiner Replaces US Imports With Iranian Crude
Posted in: China, Economics, Iran, Oil, Sanctions, South Korea, USA.	Leave a comment
Via FinancialTribune.com,
An independent Chinese refiner has suspended crude oil purchases from the United States and has now turned to Iran as one of its sources of crude, media reports cited an official from the refiner, Dongming Petrochemical Group, as saying.
The source said Beijing is planning to slap tariffs on US crude oil imports and replace them with West African and Middle Eastern crude, including crude from Iran, Oil Price reported. China has already said that it will not comply with US sanctions against Iran and it seems to be the only country for now in a position to do this.
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US crude oil exports to China reached 400,000 barrels per day at the beginning of this month, but now Beijing is planning to impose a 25% tariff on these as part of its retaliation for Trump's latest round of tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods. The retaliation began with tariffs on 545 US goods worth another $34 billion, but Reuters reports that oil tariffs will be announced at a later date.
Energy analysts seem to believe that these oil tariffs are more or less a certainty, and now expect a reshuffle of crude oil imports to Asia. With China turning to Iran for its crude, US oil could start flowing in greater amounts to another leading importer in the region, South Korea.
"If China retaliates with tariffs on US crude, that could improve South Korea's terms of buying US crude … because the US would need a market to sell to," an analyst from the Korea Energy Economic Institute said.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Embassy in Iran this weekend rejected media reports that the country had suspended oil purchases from Iran under pressure from the United States.
The US has pressed South Korea and some other nations to cut down its purchase of Iranian oil to zero or face so-called secondary sanctions. The deadline is Nov. 4 when the 180-day grace period ends.
In May, the US announced its exit from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, formally dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and plans to reinstate harsh sanctions on the OPEC member.
The country is the third-biggest buyer of Iranian crude in Asia, buying Iranian crude at an average daily rate of almost 300,000 barrels since March this year.