PN's Voice 72

Peace Network Korea
PN's Voice 72, 18-02-2016
peace-network@hanmail.net
Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Peace Network

PN's Voice No. 72   18. 02. 2016 
Small steps, Road to peace

S. Korea & U.S. Begin THAAD Talks

The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that South Korean and U.S. officials have begun talks over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea. "I can confirm that the joint working group (JWG) has met and that consultations are ongoing. The JWG is working 'expeditiously but meticulously,' so no timeline has been established for when consultations will be complete," Cmdr. Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, told Yonhap News Agency. Urban didn’t elaborate or given any further details, only saying that the working group was formed to "review all aspects regarding the potential deployment of a THAAD system to South Korea.

Shortly after North Korea's Feb. 7 missile launch, South Korea and the U.S. jointly announced they would begin official discussions on the possible placement of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system in South Korea. That ended a period of more than a year of indecision and uncertainty by Seoul over how to deal with the issue amid Washington's desire to deploy the system and China's intense opposition to it. The North's twin provocations of its fourth nuclear test on January 6th and then a missile test a month later gave Seoul justification for the decision.
Source : KBS News, The Korea Herald


Park Warns 'Regime Collapse' Awaits NK

South Korea’s president has warned that its Northern neighbor that it faces “regime collapse” if it does not abandon its nuclear programme. Park Geun-hye made the remarks during a speech in parliament while defending her decision to shut down a jointly run factory park in North Korea amid a heightened standoff over North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch. Park said South Korea needed to take unspecified “stronger and more effective” measures to make North Korea realize its nuclear ambitions would only result in speeding up of its “regime collapse.”

It is unusual for a top South Korean official to touch upon such a government collapse in North Korea because of worries about worsening ties between the rivals. Additionally, it is a clear departure from Park’s so-called Trustpolitik approach to North Korea

Park’s comments are certain to anger North Korea as they were made as the country marks the birthday of late dictator Kim Jong-il. Park repeated her government’s argument that much of the money South Korea paid to North Korean workers at Kaesong had flowed to the ruling Workers’ party leadership in charge of weapons programmes. Seoul officials said North Korea was able to divert the money because the workers in Kaesong were not paid directly. Instead US dollars were paid to the North Korean government, which siphoned off most of the money and paid only as much as it wanted to the employees in North Korean currency and store vouchers, according to a statement from Seoul’s’ unification ministry.
Source : The Guardian


SK Intelligence: N. Korea is Preparing for Terror Attacks on S. Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military and intelligence agents to intensify preparations for terror attacks on South Korea, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday, citing information from Seoul's state intelligence agency.

The North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for such disruptive acts including cyber attacks on the South, Rep. Lee Chul-woo said after an urgent meeting between the ruling party and the government over North Korea.
The government told lawmakers that there is a possibility that the North will wage terrorist attacks using poisons or kidnapping South Koreans. The North's potential move comes as South Korea has vowed to take bone-numbing measures against the North in response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.
Source : Yonhap News


NGO Joint Statement on the Closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex

Lastly, please find attached a link to a statement, signed by Peace Network and a number of other South Korean NGOs, calling for the reversal of the South Korean government’s decision to close the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
Source : Peace Network

Link to the Statement
Hier download als PDF



PEACENETWORK

Seoul, Mapo-gu, Mangwon-dong 423-2 (World Cup Gil 25, 55), 5th floor, Peace Network
Tel: +82 2 733 3509






PeaceNetwork_Korea: alle Beiträge