India - South & North Korea Thread

[sampat]

Multiple China towns sprouting in Korea (in strategic important locations) part of BELT and Road project.
Current Korean Government is very docile to China.
1) No further deployment of THAAD
2) no US Missile defence
3) No trilateral US-Japan-Korea Alliance

[darshan]

India arrests South Korean CEO, 11 others for gas leak at LG Polymers
https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indi ... ers-311551

Indian police have arrested 12 LG Polymers officials, including its South Korean chief executive, an officer said on Wednesday, two months after a gas leak at the company's south India chemical plant killed 12.

The arrests were made under a case of culpable homicide filed against the company's South Korean parent, LG Chem Ltd, when the leak occurred in May, police commissioner Rajiv Kumar Meena said.

This week, a government-appointed committee recommended that the plant be shifted away from human habitation and called for action against the top employees. It said LG Chem had been negligent and warning systems were not working.

Meena said three government officials had also been suspended for negligence.

[wig]

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world ... -us-119006

North Korea's Kim boasts of his nukes amid stalled talks with US
Kim's comments show he has no intention of abandoning his weapons as prospects dim for resuming diplomacy with the United States
extracts

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country's hard-won nuclear weapons were a solid security guarantee and a “reliable, effective” deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported on Tuesday.

further

Kim said in his speech on Monday that his country has tried to become “a nuclear state” with “an absolute might” to prevent another war and that it has now built such a deterrent, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

“Now, we've changed to a country which can defend itself reliably and unwaveringly against high-intensity pressures and military threats and blackmailing by imperialistic reactionaries and hostile forces,” Kim said.

“There won't be any war on this land again and our national security and future will be guaranteed firmly and permanently because of our reliable, effective self-defensive nuclear deterrent,” Kim said.

[Aditya_V]

North Korea's nukes are supplied by the Chinese but none can state that publicly as it would mean Soko, Japan and USA will forced by thier public to abandon all forms of business with China, which no one willing to do. It suits the CCP H&D that a small nation is able to shake and rattle all 3 of these countries while they act as a peace maker.

[wig]

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/analysis/202 ... -1958-2021
this is from an obituary of Elleman, Michael

extracted

Among Mike’s contributions to the non-proliferation field was his investigation in 2017 into why North Korea was able to achieve success in its first-ever test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. After detailed investigation of the data and interviewing former Soviet engineers, Mike concluded that North Korea had obtained cast-off Soviet-era RD-250 rocket engines, probably from the Yuzhmash missile factory in Dnipro, Ukraine, bordering the break-away Donbass region. He found corroborating evidence about a Ukraine connection, but did not rule out the alternative possibility that North Korea had obtained leftover RD-250 engines that had been stored in Russian warehouses. Mike's thesis, written up in a leading New York Times story, became an international cause célèbre. Internet trolls attacked Mike mercilessly, going after his family as well, to the point that he found it prudent to quit social media. He never abandoned his hypothesis, however, or his intellectual integrity.

[Kashi]

It would mean Soko, Japan and USA will forced by thier public to abandon all forms of business with China.

They'll abandon all forms of business with each other before China. Already SoKo has passed a law dropping Japan as a defense partner and rescinding the authority of their intelligence service NIS to cover domestic matters including NoKo defectors and espionage.

[darshan]

LG is shutting down their shop for cell phones. SoKo should have nudged to bring in Jio to take over LG assets on friendly terms to keep chinese phones out of India. Keeping chinese phones within china itself is as good as providing weapons.

India, South Korea hold talks, explore new domains in defence cooperation
https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indi ... ion-373710
....Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) G Satheesh Reddy formed part of the Indian delegation during the talks, the statement read.
....

[kvraghav]

Why would SoKo do that? We have to understand SoKo is more close to China than India. India is just a cash cow to them and treat us the same way as Chinese treat us. They are only here to help Samsung, LG, Hyundia and Kia and nothing else.

[Cain Marko]

LG is shutting down their shop for cell phones. SoKo should have nudged to bring in Jio to take over LG assets on friendly terms to keep chinese phones out of India. Keeping chinese phones within china itself is as good as providing weapons.

India, South Korea hold talks, explore new domains in defence cooperation
https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indi ... ion-373710
....Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane, Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar and Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) G Satheesh Reddy formed part of the Indian delegation during the talks, the statement read.
....

They're only shutting production in soko facility. All the mobile production will be moved to their hub in vietnam.

[wig]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58838834
Drugs, arms, and terror: A high-profile defector on Kim's North Korea


extracted from the above

North Korea may be one of the world's poorest and most isolated countries, but previous high-profile defectors have warned that Pyongyang has created an army of 6,000 skilled hackers.

According to Mr Kim, the previous North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, ordered the training of new personnel in the 1980s "to prepare for cyberwarfare".

"The Moranbong University would pick the brightest students from all over the country and put them through six years of special education," he says.

British security officials believe that a North Korean unit known as the Lazarus Group was behind a cyber-attack that crippled parts of the NHS and other organisations around the world in 2017. The same group is believed to have targeted Sony Pictures in a high-profile hack in 2014.

Mr Kim says the office was known as the 414 Liaison Office.

"Internally, we dubbed it "Kim Jong-il's Information Centre."

He claims it had a direct telephone line to the North Korean leader.

"People say these agents are in China, Russia, and Southeast Asian countries, but they also operate in North Korea itself. The office also safeguards communication between North Korean spy agents."

Drugs for dollars
Kim Jong-un has recently announced the country is once again facing a "crisis" and in April he called on his people to prepare for another "arduous march" - a phrase that has come to describe a disastrous famine in the 1990s, under Kim Jong-il.

Back then, Mr Kim was in the Operations Department and was ordered to raise "revolutionary funds" for the Supreme Leader. That, he says, meant dealing in illegal drugs.

"The production of drugs in Kim Jong-il's North Korea peaked during the Arduous March," he says. "At that time, the Operational Department ran out of revolutionary funds for the Supreme Leader.

"After being assigned to the task, I brought three foreigners from abroad into North Korea, built a production base in the training centre of the 715 liaison office of the Workers' Party, and produced drugs.

"It was ICE (crystal meth). Then we could cash it to dollars to present to Kim Jong-il."

His account of drug dealing at this time is plausible. North Korea has a long history of drug production - mostly heroin and opium. A former North Korean diplomat to the UK, Thae Yong-ho, who also defected, told the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2019 that the country had engaged in state-sponsored drug trafficking and was trying to fix a widespread domestic drug addiction epidemic.

[ricky_v]

not india related, recently came across the documentary michael palin in north korea, its a 2 part documentary focusing mostly on pyongyang and the dmz, pretty nifty look at the country even if this is some sort of a potemkin village situation, the country has a weirdly anachronistic look to it, the clothes, physique, mannerism quite different from what one usually encounters

searched for it online, could only find it on dailymotion, so its a bit of a laggy platform

part 1

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x82kffn

part 2

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x82kfif

[sanman]

Why Lil Kim in NoKo Doing Nukr With Nukes?

[sanman]

[sanman]

[Rakesh]

https://x.com/ShivAroor/status/1863954670919758104 ---> BREAKING: South Korea declares emergency martial law after President accuses country's main opposition party of anti-state activities and sympathizing with North Korea.

[Rakesh]

To the American apologists on BRF...read and weep...

VIDEO: https://x.com/hu_nair/status/1863983535507275987 ---> “India ‘one of the worst autocratisers’: V-Dem report on democracy” - source The Hindu reporting about @vdeminstitute 2024 Report just before India conducted history’s largest election. Meanwhile South Korea is classified as “Liberal Democracy” @vdeminstitute.

[sanman]

This South Korean leader must have very poor judgement to declare martial law over a mere political dispute.

I've a feeling that this S.Korean leader was brought into power with help of US NeoCons & Deep State, which wanted him to fulfill a similar purpose as Pakistan's military dictatorship in supplying weapons to Ukraine war.
Now that Biden NeoCons are leaving office, this has left their Asian puppets in an uncertain precarious situation, and they're now panicking.
They're like a cat up a tree, not knowing how to extricate themselves from their predicament.

[Vayutuvan]

This South Korean leader must have very poor judgement to declare martial law over a mere political dispute.

I've a feeling that this S.Korean leader was brought into power with help of US NeoCons & Deep State,
[youtube...]O2rDUJOjnUQ[/youtube]

Yoon is a conservative and a well-educated attorney. The opposition is China pasand. But both are supposedly very corrupt. It is like Trump being the US president and Dems going after him during 2017-20 period.

[sanman]

Yoon is a conservative and a well-educated attorney. The opposition is China pasand. But both are supposedly very corrupt. It is like Trump being the US president and Dems going after him during 2017-20 period.

Yes, I do realize he's right-wing, and traditionally their side had ruled by military dictatorship.

But how does an educated man impulsively declare martial law?
There's a difference between being a product of elite schooling, and being a genuinely educated or erudite person.
I think this guy is about as educated as Indira Gandhi.

[Manish_P]

To the American apologists on BRF...read and weep...

VIDEO: https://x.com/hu_nair/status/1863983535507275987 ---> “India ‘one of the worst autocratisers’: V-Dem report on democracy” - source The Hindu reporting about @vdeminstitute 2024 Report just before India conducted history’s largest election. Meanwhile South Korea is classified as “Liberal Democracy” @vdeminstitute.

The dictator Mudi shud rejine!

[Manish_P]

Kya dictator banega re tu!


South Korean Prez lifts martial law after backlash

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on early Wednesday announced the removal of emergency martial law, following a vote by the National Assembly calling for its termination.

[SSridhar]

Have been following East Asia for some time. Over all, the opposition in the Korean Parliament has effectively shut down the President from functioning as his party does not have the majority. I think Yoon imposed the martial law more in frustration than with a desire to become dictatorial. He is not Mrs IG. Things are murky but he would have taken the decision only in consultation with his party. The Opposition does not have two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and impeachment motion can pass only when a handful of Yoon's party members support it. Can he keep the flock together?

If one looks at SoKo from an Indian PoV, not an American, Yoon is a better bet as he defies China. He almost normalized the very prickly relationship with Japan so that a united front can be created against the China/NoKo combine. Let's make no mistake that despite October 21, 2024 China will remain our immediate, clear and biggest danger.

[Cyrano]

Ssridhar garu,
SoKo doesn't appear often on our foreign policy agenda, there haven't been high profile state visits or cooperations. Besides buying some arty mil equipment, this has been a low profile relationship.

Is there a reason for this? Or may be I'm not as tuned in as you and have missed imp stuff.

[SSridhar]

Cyrano ji,

You are right, but things are changing. See this for a comprehensive idea of the relationship.

Even with ASEAN, our attention was inconspicuous. It was only after the 'Look East' and later the 'Act East' policies, that we began to have interactions commensurate with our size & potential. This, in spite of the fact that all these countries from Indonesia to the Philippines have had extensive Indic influence, Funan, Champa, Sri Wijaya, Majapahit et al. and yet, we have not exploited that influence. So also is SoKo.

[Cyrano]

Thanks Saar,

Dunno to what extent other ASEAN countries appreciate ancient civilisational references these days... Quite variable I'd think, but we should keep at it to decolonise their minds.

Instead of running to EU for mfg tech with FTAs (ironically it's due to our historical post colonial reflex !) which is itself now asking China for ToT, there are a bunch of areas where India - SoKo can work together given SoKo demographics and the juicy access to indian market we have given them for decades now.

[tandav]

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/14/asia ... index.html

Meanwhile, thousands of the president’s supporters gathered in downtown Seoul, with many waving US and South Korean flags, chanting slogans and holding up signs in support of the embattled Yoon.

Is the South Korea Coup == Bangladesh Coup by a US Deep State Asset?

[wig]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-ne ... 25556.html

North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time
extracts

State media on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built.

displacement of submarine

The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons.

“It would be absolutely threatening to us and the U.S.,” Moon said.

[A_Gupta]

Not to do with India. But as part of the necessary diversification of attention as well as markets away from the US.
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion- ... Q6UC65XFE/

A joint crackdown by U.S. immigration and investigative authorities on undocumented individuals at a Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia resulted in the arrest of over 300 Korean employees, technicians, and workers. This marked the largest single-site operation in U.S. history. Scenes of individuals restrained with chains or cable ties, alongside the deployment of military vehicles and helicopters, resembled a military operation. The incident has severely undermined trust in South Korea’s efforts to contribute to the U.S. economy through large-scale investments.

President Donald Trump had invited Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun to the White House several months ago to express gratitude for the factory investment. During President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to the U.S. late last month, he pledged an additional $150 billion factory alongside a $350 billion investment fund. Despite South Korea’s alignment with U.S. manufacturing revival policies, this crackdown has caused shock. Cutting off electric vehicle subsidies promised by the former President Joe Biden’s administration and conducting such a ruthless operation is unacceptable for an ally. Even prominent U.S. media outlets criticized the lack of prior notification to a close ally.

The Trump administration’s simultaneous pressure on investment and large-scale visa crackdowns is contradictory. While Korean companies have reportedly dispatched personnel to U.S. factory sites on non-work visas—a practice driven by tight construction deadlines and difficulties in obtaining timely work visas—the U.S. authorities’ failure to issue visas on schedule has forced such measures. Questions arise: Why target Korean factories when Taiwan and others are also building plants in the U.S.?


Now, South Korean companies face heightened anxiety over policy uncertainties tied to U.S. political shifts. Fundamental doubts emerge: What does the U.S. mean by “alliance,” and are investment benefits guaranteed across administrations?

Fortunately, after three days of negotiations between the South Korean and U.S. governments, the detained individuals are expected to return home via charter flights. However, this is not the end. The government must recognize the severity of the situation and respond swiftly. It should convey domestic concerns—such as “Should we continue investing in the U.S.?”—to U.S. authorities and demand strong guarantees to prevent recurrence. Institutional safeguards, including streamlined visa issuance, are urgently needed to address uncertainties in U.S. investments.

[A_Gupta]

Korean fears:
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion- ... OKZ2HIWFI/

South Korea's strategy post-North Korea-China-Russia alliance

The de facto alliance between North Korea, China, and Russia is not a surprising development, but it undoubtedly unfolds in a way unfavorable to South Korea. Kim Jong-un likely received the highest protocol treatment, restoration of strained North Korea-China relations, and substantial practical support in exchange for his prominent role in the victory day event. With strengthened leverage in negotiations with the U.S., North Korea may actively pursue direct talks on the Korean Peninsula issue while excluding South Korea under the "hostile two-state theory." There is a real possibility of a U.S.-North Korea agreement that runs counter to South Korea’s national interests. To prevent this, the best diplomatic strategy would be for South Korea to prove its value and utility to the U.S. through actions, not words, thereby encouraging the U.S. to voluntarily respect and consider South Korea’s position.

[A_Gupta]

Koreans suspect Trump wants to steal Korean intellectual property.

https://www.chosun.com/english/industry ... V7ZY6HOBY/

[drnayar]

Not to do with India. But as part of the necessary diversification of attention as well as markets away from the US.
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion- ... Q6UC65XFE/

Fortunately, after three days of negotiations between the South Korean and U.S. governments, the detained individuals are expected to return home via charter flights. However, this is not the end. The government must recognize the severity of the situation and respond swiftly. It should convey domestic concerns—such as “Should we continue investing in the U.S.?”—to U.S. authorities and demand strong guarantees to prevent recurrence. Institutional safeguards, including streamlined visa issuance, are urgently needed to address uncertainties in U.S. investments.

America had guarantees and warrantees with Gaddafi , Saddam Hussein etc before they outlived their usefulness..are the soko s that naive ?!!

[S_Madhukar]

Can’t blame them. US helped a lot after WW2 and the missionaries too and their society feels some gratitude… lots of dual nationals as well and after winning Oscars etc they must feel they are part of the gora family … but they have even less cards than Japan

Well… just imagine how Bharat was knocked around all these years …

[Vayutuvan]

GDP (PPP) 2025 estimate
• Total Increase $3.365 trillion[8] (14th)
• Per capita Increase $65,112[8] (28th)

GDP (nominal) 2025 estimate
• Total Decrease $1.790 trillion[8] (13th)
• Per capita Decrease $34,642[8] (28th)

(From Wikipedia)

If nominal increases and PPP decreases it is indicates weakness in that real wages are falling.

[Vayutuvan]

As far as India is concerned, SoKo supports Shittistan; same as Japan.

[A_Gupta]

South Korea’s refineries in crisis. One reason is India.
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion- ... VESRRWNS4/

South Korea’s refining industry, launched in 1964, became an export powerhouse by 2024, selling petroleum products to 67 countries and earning $50.3 billion (approximately 69 trillion won)—7.4% of the nation’s total exports that year. Though entirely dependent on imported crude oil, the industry grew into a key export driver. The formula for success—large-scale preemptive investments to expand production facilities and secure price competitiveness—proved effective.

The core lies in refining capacity: 3.36 million barrels per day, ranking fifth globally and third in Asia.

The global refining landscape is reshaping, with India, China, and the Middle East expanding capacity while U.S. and European plants close. Middle Eastern countries, leveraging price competitiveness, are increasing refining capacity, led by Iraq, while China continues facility expansions.

India stands out. Once a net importer of petroleum products, it became a net exporter in 2016. In 2023, India exported $97.3 billion worth of products, surpassing South Korea and emerging as a global exporter. This rise stems from expanded refining capacity: from 2.8 million barrels per day in 2004 to 5.17 million in 2024 (an 85% increase). India plans to add up to 2.4 million barrels per day by 2028.

Technological innovation accompanies this growth. Reliance Group’s Jamnagar refinery complex in Gujarat, the world’s largest, processes over 200 types of crude oil and scores 21.1 on the Nelson Complexity Index—a global leader, far exceeding South Korea’s 7.25–9.8 range. By utilizing by-products to produce high-value petrochemicals cost-effectively, India secures strong competitiveness. Additionally, India’s large-scale imports of Russian crude oil, priced $10–14 per barrel below international rates due to sanctions, ensure price advantages for the foreseeable future.

[Tanaji]

As far as India is concerned, SoKo supports Shittistan; same as Japan.

Which is bizzaire given the amount of business their companies do in India, from tvs to cars and everything in between.

They have always been racists towards brown skin but the support of Pukis is strange… I wonder what gives, they can’t be a big market for them.

[A_Gupta]

IMO, no matter how strong South Korea is military-wise, Seoul will be catastrophically damaged in the first day of any war with North Korea. South Korea cowers under the American umbrella and trips over itself while trying to fulfill Massa’s wishes.

[Vayutuvan]

I wonder what gives, they can’t be a big market for them.

I think it is due to the US influence. Just like Japan. US has 65K+ soldiers in SoKo.

[A_Gupta]

Interesting headline in the Chosun, English:

Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead after South Korea visit

https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en ... 6BKW2JRXI/