New South Korean Defense Nominee Takes the Hard Line, Vows Air Strikes On North Korea Next Time

Feeling the heat, the South Korean President swung from one side to the other when he nominated a new Defense Minister who is now saying that if North Korea attacks the South again, he will call for air strikes in retaliation. This is a sharp contrast to the former South Korean defense minister who went to the Barack Obama school of defense....you cry and then ask your enemy why he doesn't like you.

Here's the details from Breitbart:

President Lee Myung-bak's choice for new defense minister outlined a tough new military policy toward North Korea on Friday, saying South Korean jets will bomb the North if it stages another attack like last week's deadly artillery barrage.
Lee's government is suffering intense criticism that its response to North Korea's Nov. 23 shelling of a South Korean island was weak, and over the stunning revelation that the South's spy chief dismissed information in August indicating the North might attack the front-line island of Yeonpyeong.

Lee's nominee, Kim Kwan-jin, told a parliamentary confirmation hearing that North Korean aggression will result in airstrikes. He said South Korea will use all its combat capabilities to retaliate.

"In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy cannot provoke again," Kim said. The hearing is a formality as South Korea's National Assembly does not have the power to reject Lee's appointment.

South Korea really has been "dove like" for a long time - the North has literally gotten away with murder on those people and the leadership has rarely even strongly condemned the behavior but I guess when the people start to get restless, the President decided to get a hawk in place.

Personally, I see North Korea as a lot like Iran - all bark, no bite. If the South were to retaliate and do it decisively and unmercifully, I think you would see the North back down like a bunch of little wussies. Even though the North Korean military is funded and supplied by China, I am sure that China isn't giving them the good stuff so I think a real battle situation would reveal that the Koreans have a bunch of shit that is outdated and not kept up. The trump card with North Korea has always been the mental status of their leader - if he's as nuts as we suspect then it really wouldn't matter because he has the bodies to throw into the fight - an army as large as any in the world.

SKorea defense nominee vows airstrikes on North


SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - President Lee Myung-bak's choice for new defense minister outlined a tough new military policy toward North Korea on Friday, saying South Korean jets will bomb the North if it stages another attack like last week's deadly artillery barrage.
Lee's government is suffering intense criticism that its response to North Korea's Nov. 23 shelling of a South Korean island was weak, and over the stunning revelation that the South's spy chief dismissed information in August indicating the North might attack the front-line island of Yeonpyeong.

Lee's nominee, Kim Kwan-jin, told a parliamentary confirmation hearing that North Korean aggression will result in airstrikes. He said South Korea will use all its combat capabilities to retaliate.

"In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy cannot provoke again," Kim said. The hearing is a formality as South Korea's National Assembly does not have the power to reject Lee's appointment.

Kim said it will be difficult for North Korea to conduct a full-scale war because of its weak economy and worries over the success of a plan to transfer power from leader Kim Jong Il to his young, untested son, Kim Jong Un.

Despite the bold declarations, questions have been raised about Lee's readiness—and even willingness—to stand up to the North. The president has been criticized for leading a military whose response to the attack was seen as too slow and too weak. The North fired 170 rounds, compared with 80 returned by South Korea.

Satellite photos showed only about 10 South Korean rounds landed near North Korea's army barracks along the west coast, according to the office of lawmaker Kwon Young-se, who said he saw the images provided Thursday by the National Intelligence Service.

Also Friday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North Korea has boosted the number of multiple-launch rockets capable of hitting Seoul. Yonhap, citing an unidentified South Korean military source, said North Korea's rockets have increased by 100 to about 5,200. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could not confirm the report because it involves military intelligence.

Yonhap also reported the Defense Ministry said planned live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong could occur by the end of this year.

Kim and other senior South Korean officials have warned the North will likely strike again. Kim said Friday that North Korea's leadership and military are South Korea's "main enemy."

China, which is North Korea's only major ally, has pressed for an emergency meeting of the six nations that previously negotiated over the North's nuclear program: the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.

North Korea walked away from the six-party disarmament-for-aid talks in April 2009 but has said it now wants to restart them. Washington, Tokyo and Seoul are wary of talking with the North, and their top diplomats planned to meet in Washington on Monday to plot a strategy on dealing with the country.

Although it won't be part of that meeting, China said Thursday it would keep a "close watch" on the talks and sounded upbeat about what they could achieve.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement that China hoped the meeting would "ease tensions and promote dialogue." She said she also hoped the three countries would consider China's proposal for the emergency six-nation consultations. Earlier Thursday, Jiang said that Russia had expressed interest.

Meanwhile, President Lee said he believes there are signs of change in North Korea, citing the presence of private markets and a growing number of defections to South Korea.

"What should be noted is the change of the North Korean people rather than the change of its leaders," Lee said in comments on the presidential website.

Breaking: North Korea And South Korea Trading Artillery Attacks

Okay, as of now they are basically firing warning shots at each other but this could put tensions between North Korea and South Korea over the top. And considering the mental state of the North's leader, who knows what could happen by morning.

The latest from Sky News:

North And South Korea In Sea Border Clash

North and South Korea have exchanged artillery fire near a disputed sea border off the west coast of the peninsula.
South Korea's presidential Blue House said both sides were firing into the air and there were no casualties, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The South called a meeting of top national security officials.
On Tuesday, North Korea had declared a no-sail zone in the Yellow Sea waters, in a sign that it might fire artillery or short-range missiles, media reports said.
The area is near a contested sea border between the rival Koreas that was the site of a brief naval clash in November between the states, which are technically still at war.
A South Korean ship was pockmarked with bullet holes and a North Korean vessel limped back to port in flames after that fire fight.
About a month before that clash, North Korea raised regional security concerns by firing short-range missiles off its east coast.
Destitute North Korea in recent weeks has signalled that it is ready to reduce the security threat it poses in North Asia by saying it could end its year-long boycott of international nuclear disarmament talks.
Analysts said the latest moves may be an attempt by Pyongyang to increase its leverage and win concessions to lure it back to the table in the disarmament-for-aid talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US.
The exchange rattled stock markets, with Seoul's main exchange extending losses and the won wiping out early gains against the dollar.

Taliban Warn South Korea Not To Send More Troops To Afghanistan

The Taliban have warned South Korea of "bad consequences" if 350 more troops are sent into Afghanistan according to the report at Breitbart but what I'd like to take a closer look at here is the whining by the Taliban about the South Koreans "breaking their agreement" with the Taliban.

From the story:

Taliban militants in Afghanistan on Wednesday warned the South Korean government not to send soldiers to Afghanistan, saying Seoul must be prepared for "bad consequences" if the troops are deployed.
Earlier this month South Korea announced that it will send around 350 troops to Afghanistan next year to support a group of civilian engineers helping with reconstruction.

And here's the portion about the agreement from 2007:

"On one hand this act is against the Afghanistan independence, on the other hand, it will break their promise they made in 2007 in return to the freedom of 19 of their citizens," the militants said in a statement e-mailed to media.
In 2007, South Korea was forced to withdraw around 200 troops from Afghanistan following a hostage crisis that began on July 19 of that year when 23 South Korean missionaries were captured and held hostage by Taliban militants in Ghazni Province in southern Afghanistan.
Two male hostages were executed before the deal was reached between the Taliban and the South Korean government, as a result of which the 21 remaining hostages were released.

Okay, it's never pretty to see a bunch of jihadis whining like little girls but let's take a look at this - the Koreans withdrew 200 troops from Afghanistan back in 2007 and for that (and reportedly a bunch of cash) the South Korean hostages were returned by the Taliban (after they offed two of them). Where in that do we see....."YOU WILL NEVER SEND MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN"????? The Taliban must be on the same page as American Democrats who interpret the General Welfare clause of the Constitution to mean anything they want it to mean.

Also, the U.S. just announced that 30,000 more troops would join the fight in Afghanistan and the Taliban made a few grumblings but when South Korea announces 350 new troops, they are threatened by the Taliban. See? This is what you get when you EVER give in to the Taliban on anything. It will never end.

Finally, we have seen over the past three years how the Taliban in Pakistan violated at least half a dozen peace agreements. The Taliban would sign the agreements and within one month, they were back killing civilians and military troops along with bombing facilities - so...now the Taliban is so sensitive to the other side supposedly breaking agreement terms? It's sometimes hard to tell if the Taliban are more evil or more stupid.

Taliban warns S. Korea against sending troops to Afghanistan+

KABUL, Dec. 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Taliban militants in Afghanistan on Wednesday warned the South Korean government not to send soldiers to Afghanistan, saying Seoul must be prepared for "bad consequences" if the troops are deployed.
Earlier this month South Korea announced that it will send around 350 troops to Afghanistan next year to support a group of civilian engineers helping with reconstruction.
"On one hand this act is against the Afghanistan independence, on the other hand, it will break their promise they made in 2007 in return to the freedom of 19 of their citizens," the militants said in a statement e-mailed to media.
In 2007, South Korea was forced to withdraw around 200 troops from Afghanistan following a hostage crisis that began on July 19 of that year when 23 South Korean missionaries were captured and held hostage by Taliban militants in Ghazni Province in southern Afghanistan.
Two male hostages were executed before the deal was reached between the Taliban and the South Korean government, as a result of which the 21 remaining hostages were released.
"Now that South Korea wants to break its promise and step on Afghans' independence just to make its American allies happy, we think it will be immoral and a big blow to their government credibility," the statement said. "They should also be prepared for any bad consequences."

North Korea Says It Cannot Guarantee The Safe Sailing Of U.S. Ships

North Korea, fresh off the latest round of missile firings, has responded to South Korea's decision to join in a ship inspection program that the U.S. initiated a few years ago by calling the South's decision a "declaration of war" and also, is threatening the safety of U.S. ships in the area of five islands off the Korean coast. I've come to the conclusion that the North Koreans haven't been selling nuclear technology information to the Iranians for the typcial monetary remuneration...no, it appears the Iranians have traded their own brand of world defiance for the Koreans' assistance. Seriously, look at the complete about-face by the North Koreans in the past 12 months - from disarming their nuclear weapons to openly inviting war and threatening to strike the United States. A coincidence that this all started when it became apparent that the United Nations had lost all control of Iran's nuclear proliferation? I think not.

Here's some of the details from the article at Breitbart:

North Korea on Wednesday called South Korea's decision on Tuesday to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative "a declaration of war" against it and warned it will respond militarily to any attempt to inspect its ships.

North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's '"full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.

Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.

So what is next? Will the Obama administration actually follow through on its threat of using the PSI ship stoppage? Will the South Koreans continue to feel reassured that America will stand by them if they decide to stop a North Korean vessel? I, personally, cannot see the U.S. coming anywhere near a North Korean ship - in fact, I think we will probably see the following: the North Koreans will PURPOSELY sail a suspect ship into international waters and literally INVITE an interdiction and we will more than likely see the U.S. steer clear of anything to do with that ship.

Barack Obama's personality is one of avoiding conflict - he bailed on his career as an attorney...a vocation that is based on conflict and confrontation, for a "career" as a community organizer. He headed up a committee on Afghanistan yet never made a single trip to that country to observe the military conflict there. Let's face it...Obama's whole campaign was based on some sort of political guerilla warfare, jihad if you may - his use of intimidating "under the radar" caucus tactics won him the nomination over Hillary Clinton. Name one time where Obama has gotten into the face of anyone. When Nicarauga's Daniel Ortega stood up at that podium and slammed America for what seemed hours....Barack Obama sat there. And took it.

So no, I don't see any follow through on any tough talk here but I do predict that North Korean continues to stick that sharp stick in the side of America and South Korea. One more prediction - in the next month or so, you will see South Korea rescind its decision to join the ship inspection initiative as they will have, by then, seen how they have been left out in the wind by Obama.

LEAD: N. Korea warns of military response to inspection of ships+

North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's '"full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The PSI, launched in 2003 by then U.S. President George W. Bush, is an international effort to interdict the transfer of banned weapons and weapons technology.
South Korea has had observer status in the PSI, but the previous government had refrained from full membership so as not to anger the North. It announced its participation after North Korea carried out its second nuclear test on Monday.
North Korea argued it is no longer bound to the armistice, saying that South Korea's participation in the PSI violates international law and denies the armistice.
Once the armistice loses its binding force, the Korean Peninsula "is bound to immediately return to a state of war from a legal point of view and so our revolutionary armed forces will" resort to corresponding military actions, the statement said.
The statement did not elaborate on what the military actions might be.
Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.

South Koreans Chase Off Somali Pirates From North Korean Freighter

I'm not sure it would have happened if the roles were reversed, but today a South Korean warship sent a Lynx helicopter to the aid of a North Korean freighter that was being pursued by Somali pirates - the pirates ended up turning tail and fleeing from the scene. Here's some of the details from the story at Breitbart:

South Korean snipers hovering in a helicopters Monday chased away pirates pursuing a North Korean freighter, while a Russian warship freed eight Iranian citizens held hostage for more than three months.
The two dramatic rescues in the Gulf of Aden come as piracy grips the lawless coast off Somalia.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the 4,500-ton-class warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel shortly after receiving a distress call that it was being chased by the pirate ship.

The pirate vessel gave up chasing the North Korean vessel and sped away after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots, the statement said.

I'm sure the North Koreans, in order to show their gratitude, will immediately destroy all of their nuclear weapons. What? You don't think so?! LOL.

SKorean warship rescues NKorean vessel off Somalia

The pirate vessel gave up chasing the North Korean vessel and sped away after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots, the statement said.
The incident took place 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of the Yemeni port of Aden, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Somalia and Yemen are separated by the Gulf of Aden.
The high seas drama was a rare instance of recent cooperation between the two Koreas. Relations have badly frayed since a conservative government in Seoul took power last year with a vow to get tough on the North over its nuclear program. Pyongyang has responded by cutting ties and halting or restricting key joint reconciliation projects.
Piracy has been exploding off Somalia's ungoverned coast in recent years, with bandits stalking the high seas and bringing in millions of dollars in ransom.
Owners of ships plying the pirate-infested waters off Somalia's coast have balked at having firearms onboard, despite an increasing number of attacks where bullets pierced hulls or rocket propelled grenades whooshed overhead.
The reason is twofold: Owners fear pirates would be more likely to continue shooting once on board if they confronted weapons, and the company might be held liable for deaths or injuries inflicted by someone on the vessel.
The pirates almost always get paid—and their wealth is all the more shocking in light of Somalia's stunning poverty. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging the arid country into chaos.
Nearly every Somali public institution has crumbled.
Last year, dozens of ships were hijacked and an estimated $1 million per boat was paid in ransom for their release, according to analysts. Each pirate is believed to get on average $10,000 for a successful hijacking.
Ship owners typically air drop the plastic-wrapped cash into the sea.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the helicopter, also armed with missiles and machine guns, circled above the pirate ship that was about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away from the North Korean freighter.
The South Korean helicopter guided the North Korean ship to a safer area and the ship later sent a thank you message to the South Korean vessel several times, the statement said.
The 6,399-ton North Korean ship was carrying iron ore and was sailing from the Red Sea to India, a South Korean JCS officer said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.
The South Korean ship has been operating off Somalia since last month on a mission to protect South Korean cargo ships from Somali pirates.
A number of other countries, including Japan, have dispatched naval vessels to patrol the dangerous waters and protect shipping amid a spate of pirate attacks.

South Korean Officials and Families In Yemen To Recover 4 Dead Are Hit By Another Suicide Bomber

You know, you almost couldn't make this stuff up. I'm still shaking my head here. I blogged a few days ago about the al Qaeda suicide bombing in Yemen that hit a convoy of South Korean tourists, killing four of the South Koreans. So today, some South Korean officials, investigators and even family members in Yemen to recover the bodies of their loved one are in a convoy that is ALSO hit by a suicide bomber. This time, the suicide bomber claimed no victims or even injured. Unbelievable. Here's from the report from Breitbart:

A suicide bomber on Wednesday struck a convoy carrying South Korean officials sent to Yemen to investigate a bombing earlier in the week that killed four tourists from the country.
The three-car convoy was carrying South Korean officials and investigators sent to look into a suicide bombing on Sunday that killed four South Korean tourists and their Yemeni driver at a historical site. No one was hurt, officials said.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday's attack and said the convoy was also carrying relatives of the victims of Sunday's attack. They were in the country to recover the bodies of those killed in that attack and were headed to the airport for a flight to return to South Korea when the bomber struck.

The bomber walked into the road between two of the vehicles and blew himself up as the convoy was traveling to the airport outside the capital, San'a, the Yemeni official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. The blast shattered the windows of the vehicles.
Yemeni authorities said al-Qaida was behind Sunday's suicide bombing near the ancient fortress city of Shibam and that 12 suspects were arrested.

Apparently, al Qaeda forces in Yemen just don't care much for the South Koreans huh? If I was the South Korean government I might be asking about some leaks there in the Yemen security force as it seems a bit odd to me that just this one convoy today got hit - I know al Qaeda is clever but picking out a small convoy that just happens to carry South Korean officials?

Suicide bomber hits South Korean convoy in Yemen

The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday's attack and said the convoy was also carrying relatives of the victims of Sunday's attack. They were in the country to recover the bodies of those killed in that attack and were headed to the airport for a flight to return to South Korea when the bomber struck.
Yemen, an impoverished country in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, is Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland and has long been a center of militant activity.
A Yemeni security official said South Korea's ambassador to the country was also in the convoy hit Wednesday, but in Seoul, the Foreign Ministry denied that.
The bomber walked into the road between two of the vehicles and blew himself up as the convoy was traveling to the airport outside the capital, San'a, the Yemeni official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. The blast shattered the windows of the vehicles.
Yemeni authorities said al-Qaida was behind Sunday's suicide bombing near the ancient fortress city of Shibam and that 12 suspects were arrested.
After that attack, South Korea instructed its overseas diplomatic missions to strengthen security measures and said it would set up a body to consult with Middle East countries and other nations prone to attacks to exchange information on terrorism.
The South Korean ambassador met later Wednesday with Yemen's foreign and interior ministers.
In June, South Korea will begin importing natural gas from Yemen. But Yemen's poor security has limited trade between the two nations—it totaled $246 million in 2008. The South Korean government has also sent $4 million in aid to Yemen since 1991, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
Efforts by Yemen's government have failed to root out al-Qaida and other Islamic militants.
Militants have carried out several deadly attacks on tourists, foreign diplomats, the U.S. Embassy, other Western targets and military installations in the country.
In January 2008, suspected al-Qaida militants opened fire on a convoy of tourists in Hadramut, killing two Belgians and their Yemeni driver. A suicide bomber detonated his car among tourists at an ancient temple in central Yemen in July 2007, killing eight Spaniards and two Yemenis.
Yemen was also the site of the 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 American sailors.

4 South Korean Tourists Killed In Terrorist Bombing In Yemen

Don't ask me what South Korean tourists are doing in the likes of Yemen but four of them today were killed in a terrorist suicide bombing of their convoy. The deaths have been confirmed by South Korean officials in Egypt. Here's some of the details from the article at Breitbart:

Yemen security officials say four South Korean tourists were killed in a suicide bombing in southern Yemen.
They say the tourists were traveling in a convoy in the southern province of Hadramout. A South Korean diplomat at the country's embassy in Cairo also says the tourists were killed in the attack Sunday.
Al-Qaida has maintained a strong presence in Yemen that is the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden.

Yemen is gradually becoming a free for all for terrorists - it has been documented that a great many of al Qaeda in Iraq's jihadists made a shift to Yemen when things started going south for them in Iraq and also, when al Qaeda #2 al-Zawahiri called for an assault on Yemen.

It's my belief that al Qaeda still longs for a central operating base in this part of the Middle East - their jewel would be Iraq but they would certainly accept a Yemen or a Jordan. Let's face it, it isn't exactly convenient for the al Qaeda corporate to run operations from mountain top caves in Pakistan. As for the South Koreans, they have paid some heavy prices for mingling with the likes of al Qaeda and the Taliban. My guess is that Yemen will join the list of countries not suggested for travel by the South Korean government.

Official: 4 South Koreans killed in Yemen bombing

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - Yemen security officials say four South Korean tourists were killed in a suicide bombing in southern Yemen.
They say the tourists were traveling in a convoy in the southern province of Hadramout. A South Korean diplomat at the country's embassy in Cairo also says the tourists were killed in the attack Sunday.
Al-Qaida has maintained a strong presence in Yemen that is the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden.

Yemen has cooperated with the U.S. in fighting terrorism, but its government has struggled to confront Islamic extremists.
The officials say the attack occurred near Shibam—a 16th century UNESCO World Heritage site. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to release the information.

U.S. Asks South Korea To Send Withdrawing Iraqi Troops To Afghanistan

The U.S. has asked South Korea to help out in Afghanistan by sending its troops, who have been stationed in Iraq, to the challenging front in Afghanistan. Problem is...South Korea doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea. Here's some of the details from Breitbart:

The United States has asked South Korea to send troops that had been stationed in Iraq to Afghanistan, a Seoul daily reported Tuesday.
The U.S. request was made when South Korean troops were leaving Iraq on Dec. 10-14 to Kuwait on the way home, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper said, citing military sources.
In response, South Korea has not given a clear answer, saying the troops need to be safely withdrawn to their homeland.
And South Korea's Defense Ministry denied the news report. saying "there has not been a formal request" to send troops to Afghanistan.

This is just the latest example of how strained the coalition and U.N. sponsored effort is in Afghanistan. The NATO effort in Afghanistan has been a constant case of tug of war in trying to get countries like France, Germany, Britain, Denmark, The Netherlands and Australia to send more troops to the war in Afghanistan and it's been well documented how Canada has threatened to totally review its commitment there. Only the U.S. has made major commitments to the war with Marines being sent in earlier this year and now a call for up to 30,000 additional troops being scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan in the next six to nine months.

I'm not going to beat up the South Koreans too much in that they haven't officially said no to the request yet and at the same time, South Korea has had one of the least direct links to the war in Iraq - at the same time, South Korea does have a history in Afghanistan with an extremely embarassing incident involving South Korean missionaries, mostly women, being kidnapped in Afghanistan by the Taliban and rumors that the Koreans paid for their release.

U.S. asks S. Korea to send troops to Afghanistan

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The United States has asked South Korea to send troops that had been stationed in Iraq to Afghanistan, a Seoul daily reported Tuesday.
The U.S. request was made when South Korean troops were leaving Iraq on Dec. 10-14 to Kuwait on the way home, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper said, citing military sources.
In response, South Korea has not given a clear answer, saying the troops need to be safely withdrawn to their homeland.
And South Korea's Defense Ministry denied the news report. saying "there has not been a formal request" to send troops to Afghanistan.
More than 520 South Korean troops returned home Friday from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil after completing a peacekeeping and reconstruction mission there that lasted four years.
Since the first deployment in September, 2004 to support U.S. troops, about 19,100 South Korean troops have served in the Zayton Division, whose name means "olive" in Arabic.

Taliban: South Korea Paid $4 Million for 21 Hostages

Whoa! The Taliban have announced that they received at least $4 million from the South Korean government for returning the 21 Korean hostages last year. And of course, the Taliban had to get in a little mockery of the West in the announcment as well:

The commander said the Taliban were aware that U.S. and Afghan intelligence were closely watching the hostage negotiations that were taking place between South Korean and Taliban officials inside the compound of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Ghazni province and decided to outsmart them. "It was funny," said the Taliban official, "the intelligence agencies were watching for a transfer of money to us in a Red Cross car in the province." So the Taliban arranged for the secret payoff in Quetta.

Here's an interesting tidbit from all of this. Of the $4 million ranson, 35 percent of the money stayed locally to fund Taliban operations while the remaining 65 percent or about $2.5 million went to the coffers of Taliban Leader Mullah Omar.
The South Koreans to this date, have denied paying any ransom to the Taliban. Yeah, right.

Here's the full story.

A $4 Million Ransom?
The Taliban claims South Korea paid at least $4 million for the release of 21 Christian missionaries held hostage last year in Afghanistan.

Five months after the release of the 21 surviving South Korean hostages who had been captured by the Taliban in July, Afghan insurgents are claiming that Seoul paid a hefty ransom for the Christian missionaries' freedom. In an interview in this week's edition of Afaq, a Pashtu-language magazine published in neighboring Pakistan, senior Taliban leader Ustad Yasir confirmed that a large ransom indeed had been paid. "If we were going to free them without any payment, [the hostage taking] would not have been worth it," he said. "The best way to release them was with a ransom payment." Two hostages were executed before the others were released.
Another senior Taliban commander, who would only speak on condition of anonymity for security purposes, tells NEWSWEEK that the South Korean government paid at least $4 million for the missionaries' release and that it delivered the cash to the insurgents in the Pakistani frontier city of Quetta.

Another Taliban official in Ghazni, who asked for anonymity for similar reasons, tells NEWSWEEK that 35 percent of the money went to fund local insurgent operations in the province and that the rest went to the ruling Taliban council presided over by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. During the tense negotiations the Taliban had demanded the release of some of their senior jailed commanders. But Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government refused to consider releasing them after it ran into heavy international flak for having freed five senior Taliban leaders, including Yasir, in exchange for the release of an Italian journalist last March.