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Japan, South Korea. China news

Submitted by soryang on Thu, 09/25/2025 - 7:27pm

Takaichi is to the right of where Abe was politically. I share Tim's view of Ishiba, better than most.

The Rebuild Korea venture from the US is of the same ilk as Gingrich and Chang. During my years on the road, I used to listen to John Bachelor and Gordon for comic relief.

This is a good article below. Worth a read. How tactful of the SCMP not to post a photograph of these demos that show how plentiful the US flags really are. Many of the right wing demonstrators carry US Flags and the Taeguki (South Korea flag) together. They always have China Out and Stop the Steal signs in English. Why is that? I wonder what will happen when Xi comes to the APEC meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, at the end of October. The latest I heard was that Trump may/will meet with Xi there, and that Putin probably would not go. I'm actually apprehensive about the security there under the circumstances.

South Korea vows ‘strong action’ against anti-China protests amid efforts to reset ties

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday directed law enforcement to “take strong action” against the increasingly disruptive rallies, which had led to merchants and residents complaining of noise, abuse and declining tourist traffic.

Kim told police to “closely monitor the protests, and do everything possible to maintain public safety and order so that merchants, residents, and Chinese nationals in the affected areas do not experience growing inconvenience or anxiety in their daily lives”.

The rallies in Myeongdong, a major shopping district in central Seoul that hosts the Chinese embassy, have often been noisy and sometimes become violent.

For more than three months, hundreds of “hate China” demonstrators have been rallying and marching through Myeongdong, an area popular among tourists, including those from China.

These demos looked to me like they were getting smaller recently; in some cases perhaps with only a few dozen people in contrast to the first ones I saw in Myeongdong which appeared to be in the hundreds. Myeongdong is an important retail business attraction in Seoul. Nothing like having loud mouthed haters marching around with bullhorns and sound trucks harassing people.

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Submitted by soryang on Fri, 09/26/2025 - 5:05am
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In 1997 the South Korean economy collapsed due to the IMF crisis.

Korean Crisis and Recovery

In stark contrast to this remarkable achievement, the honor student of economic growth was down on its luck in the late 1990s when it suddenly faced a financial crisis and its economy crashed. In 1997, consecutive bankruptcies of several large chaebol (Korean industrial conglomerates), coupled with financial crises or foreign exchange instability in Thailand and other East Asian countries, weakened investor confidence in Korea. As a result, foreign banks refused to roll over credit lines to Korean financial institutions and foreign investors pulled out of Korea en masse. By mid-December 1997, Korea's foreign exchange reserves were almost depleted. Korea, like a number of other economically vulnerable crisis-hit countries, had no choice but to ask for a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund. The crisis led to a sharp contraction of economic activity in 1998—a negative 6.7 percent growth, the worst in modern Korean history. Many Koreans considered the 1997 crisis to be the most critical national crisis since the Korean War in the early 1950s, and the worst national disgrace since the 1910 Japanese Annexation.

They are not going back to that. This is most important financial issue currently between the two allies.

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語必忠信 行必正直

Submitted by soryang on Fri, 09/26/2025 - 9:34pm
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@soryang

Great pictures on this progressive party demonstration in front of the US embassy in Seoul. The signs say Repulsive coerced investments in US rejected, Apologize for jailing Korean workers, and Stop Trump. It's an overnight demo. The US embassy is on Gwanghwamun (plaza) in central Seoul.

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Submitted by QMS on Fri, 09/26/2025 - 7:18am
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.
the trumpers are insane
gangsta style extortion
may not work there

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Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by soryang on Fri, 09/26/2025 - 8:22am
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@QMS

...to pay his banker/investment friends off who were about to lose their butts on investments they made in Argentina. The US is not getting anywhere with China, so they coerce their allies for money.

I'm kind of surprised by the South Korean reaction, but I guess I shouldn't be, because President Lee, although very courteous and amiable in appearance, is tough as nails. He's survived several specious felony prosecutions, a hunger strike, an assassination attempt, and a continuing attempt by the Yoon/MAGA cabal to destabilize his government and remove him and the democrats from office. His Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is very tough also. He's the one being interviewed by Bloomberg.

I've seen on the more opinionated political South Korean media that the US is also trying to muscle South Korea on national security issues to gain more leverage. They were told according to these reports, "if you want to remove US Forces Korea from South Korean bases, go ahead, we won't be bullied like this." In other words, they are calling Trump's bluff.

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語必忠信 行必正直

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 09/26/2025 - 8:36am
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@soryang
.
seriously
any country that stands-up to the hegemony
in an attempt to retain national sovereignty is
good in my book. Hope it is not just window dressing.

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Zionism is a social disease