Selfies of the old order: US officials in South Korea

[soryang]

(Source- VOA Korea, Washington Talk, Nov. 30) General Robert Abrams, US Forces Korea Commander (left), taking a selfie with retired ROK Army Gen. Baik Sun-yup. On the right is an unnamed Eighth Army official.

US generals and "diplomats" should keep posing with Gen. Baik Sun-yup.

That way South Koreans know where exactly US "values" really are, in support of conservative obstruction of South Korean democracy by the far right pro-Japan faction in South Korea. Gen. Baik Sun-yup is a hundred years old. The patron of the dictator Park Chung-hee represents the passing of the old order in South Korea. US leaders posing with him represent the failure of the US to come to terms with democracy in South Korea. Admiral, er, that is Ambassador Harris, posed with Gen. Baik recently as well. He isn't partial to Japan is he? The VOA's past messaging that US policy toward the current South Korea-Japan dispute is impartial is absurd. VOA Washington Talk's picture of the day belies the program's more deceptive talking points. Soo Kim, former CIA analyst now with the Rand Corporation, stumbled somewhat trying to articulate just what the US position was between South Korea and Japan, reflecting "US values." This appears to be new messaging coming from the US broadcast platform.

It's amazing that the VOA Korea Washington Talk program could go on for twenty five minutes without mentioning the US walkout at Hanoi, the failure of the US to implement the principles of Singapore, the deleterious effects of US and UN sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea, or the onerous and outrageously unreasonable 5 billion dollar demand on South Korea during the military cost sharing negotiations in South Korea. The latter in spite of the fact, that one of the "expert" guests, Colonel David Maxwell has authored a detailed and appropriate criticism of such demands in the recent past.*

*U.S.-ROK Relations, An Ironclad Alliance or a Transactional House of Cards?
by David Maxwell, November 15, 2019
https://www.nbr.org/publication/u-s-rok-relations-an-ironclad-alliance-or-a-transactional-house-of-cards/

In fact, the US negotiating team dramatically walked out from those negotiations in Seoul on Novemeber 19, mimicking Trump's act in Hanoi against Kim Jong Un and his North Korean delegation. To add insult to injury the undiplomatic US Ambassador openly lobbied members of the South Korean National Assembly in a rude and demeaning manner in an attempt to interfere with the internal workings of our ally's democracy. This US diplomatic activity is widely regarded in South Korea as extortion. The litany of provocative acts by North Korea including artillery exercises that violated the 9.19 military agreement with Seoul and the long range ballistic missile artillery launches over the holiday headed up the program. The two US B-52 missions into the Sea of Japan/ East Sea October 25 and November 22 went unmentioned. The latter mission was a joint mission with Japanese F-15s.*

*

Link to tweet

One of the US right wing objectives appears to be returning South Korea to the status of a tribute paying vassal state. The US diplomatic and military establishment is out of their depth trying to implement President Trump's arrogant financial objectives while at the same time, attempting to push an unwanted Indo-Pacific alliance on South Korea. South Korean critics openly compare US leadership in South Korea to the Japanese Protectorate. Hint, to Admiral Harris, this is not a good thing.


(Source- Yonhap News 11.21) Korean War Hero on Birthday. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/PYH20181121124600315

Admiral Harris pays homage to the former Japanese Imperial Army officer who served in Manchukuo on behalf of Japan during WWII. General Baik later led troops against the communist armed forces in the Korean conflict. Recently, the former ROK Army four star general has been rolled out at the forefront of encouraging active duty Armed Forces personnel to oppose the Moon Jae-in administration. How far ROK Army officers might go in their opposition is an open question in light of Saenuri Party (LKP) administration martial law plans in early 2017. One recently defecting LKP Assembly representative used the term "spitting in the well," to characterize South Korean conservative leadership flirting with reactionary generals.

There was a related controversy in South Korea on November 30th, when news media reported that Ambassador Harris in a conference earlier on September 24, at the US Ambassador's official residence, with members of various parties of the National Assembly, questioned whether President Moon Jae-in had surrounded himself with pro-North Korean leftists. This report was confirmed by more than one source present at the meeting according to the conservative Donga.com. A Democratic Party member asked Harris not to speak that way. This overtly ideological approach by Harris to internal South Korean politics is unprecedented and similar to the ideological slant of retired ROK generals and other elements of the far right calling for Moon Jae-in to be removed from office. The US Embassy when questioned about the report refused to comment saying it was agreed by the parties attending the conference that discussions were confidential.*

*해리스 “文대통령, 종북좌파에 둘러싸여있다” 발언 논란
조동주 기자 , 한기재 기자입력 2019-11-30 03:00수정 2019-11-30 03:00
http://www.donga.com/news/article/all/20191129/98601249/1

Update Dec. 2:

Harris' ideological framing of the issues appears to follow the language of a letter he transmitted to President Trump on behalf of LKP Assembly member Ahn Sang-soo in December 2018 disclosed by JTBC News on December 2, 2019. Ahn was present at the September meeting at Harris' official embassy residence. So Harris appears to be promoting the right wing opposition to the democratic administration of Moon Jae-in. The Korea Times has a report which includes criticism by the Democratic Party spokesperson that the former admiral was the most impolite ambassador she has ever met.*

*US envoy under fire for disparaging remarks on ally, By Do Je-hae, Park Ji-won, Dec. 3.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/12/113_279649.html