Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

They would do better to demonstrate in front of the Blue House. That is the source of their problem.

[Real Reality]

Union Threatens Industrial Action Over USFK Layoffs
Kang In-shik, 62, head of the USFK Korean Employees Union, in a telephone interview with the Chosun Ilbo on Sunday.

Q: Why do you think that situation came about?
A: A major factor was the worsening Korea-U.S. relationship. American troops are gradually leaving Korea, with only one or two of 10 departures from Korea being replaced. It's a sign of a deteriorating alliance. By contrast, the U.S.-Japan alliance relationship is much better, and the weight of the U.S. alliance is moving to Japan. The U.S. is concentrating in Japan 100,000 troops and moves are underway to upgrade the self-defense units into self-defense forces. We are becoming more and more estranged from America.

Q: Do you see a shift in our alliance with the U.S.?
A: I feel South Korea is pushing ahead with relations with North Korea and China without prior consultation with the United States with which we have maintained a long-time alliance.
Yoo Yong-won, Chosun Ilbo (April 3, 2005)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200504/200504030025.html

[Real Reality]

Koreans at US Military Bases Protest Job Cut
Kang In-sik, head of the United States Forces (USFK) Korean Employees Union, argued that the USFK's decision to cut some 1,000 base workers by September was largely due to the government's lack of negotiation skills. "If the USFK pushes ahead with the layoff plan, we will take due measures, including a full-scale walkout and hunger strikes," he said, adding that the union will seek cooperation from the Federation of Korea Trade Unions (FKTU), its umbrella union.
By Jung Sung-ki, Korea Times (April 4, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200504/kt2005040417293410220.htm

[chiaa]

I may have written this before, but here it goes anyway.....

I have been told by some ex US miltary guys, that the KUTUSAs (Korean military conscripts assigned to the US army) get their usual 10.000 Won a month from the Korean military. But, the Korean military gets about $1200 a month from the US military for each and every KUTUSA.

RR do you have anything to back this up?

[lastat06513]

I said this the first time the issue was brought up several months ago and according to the Chosun article, the cutbacks date as far as September of last year.
The money that Korea contributes to the USFK is directly linked to the salaries of the KN workers, thus making them feel the burden of any action taken on the budget by Seoul's side. Seoul called the US' bluff and are now paying for it.

[Cthulhu]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Korea Steps Up Military Cooperation With China

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200504/200504040020.html


If you had any doubts about what Roh wants, I think this headline sums it up pretty well.

[peemil]

The Koreans weren't worth it.

[lastat06513]

Ya-ta Boy~~I really want to say thank you for posting that article, it really shows us the true extent of Korea's betrayal of the US.

In the summer of 2003, I went with some students to the War Memorial and at the entrance, there is a wall that lists the names of all the UN soldiers killed during the war. I found 2 of grandfather's cousins' names who died here during the war...one was only 23!

I think this really irks not only me, but alot of other Americans who lost family over here and now find out that the same country that aided North Korea is beginning to do exchanges with South Korea too.

I tell you, it won't be long before Chinese troops occupy YongSan instead of American (just kidding! )

[Real Reality]

Chinese official dons 'Dokdo' pin
The Grand National Party yesterday recruited a Chinese Communist Party official into the Dokdo campaign, at least symbolically...."Korea and China share the same opinions and understandings of many problems."
JoongAng Daily (April 5, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200504/04/200504042242313179900090409041.html

The International Environment and Korea's Economic Development During 1950s-1970s
U.S. Aid
During 1946-1978, Korea received military and economic assistance from the U.S. amounting to a total of $12.6 billion. Given that South Korea's population was 25 million in 1960, this translates into $500 per capita. This makes Korea the largest recipient of U.S. assistance with the exception of Israel and Vietnam.

Normalization of Korea-Japan Relations and the Inflow of Japanese Capital
The amount of grant and preferential loans Korea induced following the 1965 normalization of the ties amounted to $300 million in grants and $200 million in public loans through overseas cooperative organizations (interest 3.5%; repayment in 20 years with a 7-year grace period). In addition, an agreement was reached to induce commercial loans worth a total of $300 million. From today's perspective, a total of $800 million in foreign capital may not seem like much but it was indeed a huge amount of capital considering Korea's economic size and export volume at the time....reparation payment from Japan as a result of the normalization of diplomatic ties between ROK and Japan provided the seed money for Korea's iron and steel industry. A total of as much as $120 million including $70 million in grants and $50 million in public loan went into constructing POSCO (Lim, 1995). The $200 million in government loans were invested in building SOC including the Soyang River dam, Seoul-Busan Expressway and power plants, to improve and expand facilities for railroad, shipment, materialhandling as well as post and communication. The rest $300 million in commercial loans were used for purchasing facilities in the chemical textile industry, fertilizer and cement industry.
by Yoon Je Cho,
Sogang IIAS Research Series on International Affairs, Vol. 2.
http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~gsis/iias/publication/res_series_vol_2/yoon_je_cho.pdf