Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Even as the world awaits new foreign-policy initiatives expected after leadership changes at the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress this fall, Beijing has significantly fine-tuned its policy toward the Asia-Pacific arena. A leitmotif of the far more aggressive foreign and military policies crafted by President and military […]
John J. Metzler PARIS — As the London Olympics set new records for athletic achievements, the Summer Games equally highlight global competitions, both in the field of sport and nationalism. And despite all the naysayers that the London Games would not be ready, the traditional British can-do attitude prevailed (as they did in London 1948), […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com We’ve all seen journalists’ stories about getting stories — tales of facing down danger, of dealing with the bureaucracy, battling censorship, all of that. Foreign correspondents have written numerous books on their adventures in pursuit of news. They have little to say, though, about regurgitating material from “pool […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com JEJU – Schoolchildren here sing a mournful song about a gigantic rock about 90 miles southwest of the island where the souls of fishermen lost at sea find their final repose. The rock cannot really be called an outcropping since it’s actually submerged several meters, but South Korea […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com North Korea’s exports surged more than 84 percent last year to $2.79 billion on the back of bigger shipments of natural resources to China as Pyongyang seeks hard currency to finance its huge political gala events held earlier this year. South Korea’s trade agency says North Korean exports […]
Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com North Korea said its military has entered the map coordinates of certain conservative South Korean media offices and threatened to strike them for insulting its new ruler Kim Jong-Un. The General Staff of the [North] Korean People’s Army said its troops have targeted the Seoul headquarters of the Chosun Ilbo, the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has removed the threat of sanctions from Turkey for its purchase of crude oil from neighboring Iran. The administration of President Barack Obama has exempted Turkey as well as six other countries from financial sanctions on Iran’s energy sector. Officials said the administration determined that Ankara was […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — South Korea has been playing a major role in projects for Turkey’s military. Industry sources said South Korea has been engaged in more than $2 billion worth of projects for Turkey’s military. The sources said the East Asian state was selected by the Turkish Defense Ministry for Seoul’s willingness to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Geostrategy-Direct.com Seoul has approved an ambitious missile upgrade plan for additional 500-600 cruise and ballistic missiles during the next five years, according to a May 22 report in the Chosun Ilbo. “Given the mounting threat of provocations from the North since Kim Jong-Un took power, the [ROK] Defense Ministry reported to President […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com The House Armed Services Committee last week voted 32 to 26 to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons in the Western Pacific in general and in South Korea in particular. The action came in the form of an amendment offered by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) to the fiscal year […]