Olympian Gus Kenworthy shares His Trip to one of South Korean Dog Farm, Takes Home one Puppy

This year’s Olympics in Pyeongchang mark the second Winter Games freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy took home more than a medal. After rescuing a family of stray dogs from Sochi in 2014, Kenworthy and his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas opted to take home a puppy they dubbed Beemo after touring a dog farm outside Seoul that the Humane Society International allegedly worked to close due to poor conditions. “Yes, there is an argument to be made that eating dogs is a part of Korean culture. And, while don’t personally agree with it, I do agree that it’s not my place to impose western ideals on the people here,” Kenworthy wrote when posting about his trip. “The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty.”

While the Olympian attempted to separate the concept of raising dogs for consumption in his Instagram post and the reportedly “heart-wrenching” conditions he saw, Kenworthy also tweeted, “Dogs are friends. Not food,” kicking off a backlash from people who felt that, as a visitor from the United States to South Korea, that’s not exactly his call to make. When questioned about the poor conditions facing other livestock animals, including those Kenworthy might find more appropriate to eat, the skier tweeted that dogs constitute a smaller, “more manageable” pool of animals to help. He wrote, “Just b/c 10 things are wrong doesn’t mean working to solve 1 issue is bad b/c it leaves 9 other problems. It’s still positive change.”

11h

Gus Kenworthy

✔@guskenworthy

Just b/c 10 things are wrong doesn't mean working to solve 1 issue is bad b/c it leaves 9 other problems. It's still positive change. The number of raised for food in the US is over 150bill a year. Yes, that DOES need to change but it's a MUCH bigger change to make happen. https://twitter.com/GOATnetsova/status/967080959580475399 …

Gus Kenworthy

✔@guskenworthy

The problem w/ the dogs here in Korea is much more manageable and there are plenty of people in the world who would happily take care of these dogs and show them the love they so desperately deserve.

6:10 PM - Feb 23, 2018 · Yongsan-gu, Republic of Korea

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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Described North Korea's Threats As 'clear and present danger,' Lambast Ally China

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in no uncertain terms Saturday that North Korea presented a "clear and present danger," while also criticizing China for ratcheting up the tension over contested islands in the South China Sea.

His sharp words for both countries suggested he believed China would, out of self-interest, pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile programs even as Washington pushes Beijing to change course in the South China Sea.












Speaking at an international security conference in Singapore, Mattis said the Trump administration was encouraged by China's renewed commitment to working with the U.S. and others to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons. He also said he thought Beijing ultimately would see Kim Jong Un's regime as a liability rather than an asset.

He was, however, unrelentingly critical of North Korea, a politically and economically isolated nation whose leaders have long viewed the United States as a military threat, in part because of periodic U.S. military exercises with South Korea, which the rogue nation sees as preparations for attacks aimed at destroying its ruling elite.

Mattis called North Korea an "urgent military threat." In a question-and-answer session with his audience of national security experts from across the globe, he was asked whether the U.S. might attack the North pre-emptively and without warning South Korea in advance.

"We're working diplomatically, economically, we're trying to exhaust all possible alternatives to avert this race for a nuclear weapon in violation of ... the United Nations' restrictions on North Korea's activities," he said. "We want to stop this. We consider it urgent."

China blocked tough new sanctions against North Korea that the United States pushed in the U.N. Security Council on Friday. However, the Security Council did vote unanimously to add 15 individuals and four entities linked to the North's nuclear and missile programs to a U.N. sanctions blacklist.

Still, Mattis said the U.S. was fully committed to working with its global partners, Reuters reported. "Like it or not, we are a part of the world...What a crummy world if we all retreat inside our borders," he replied.

In his speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue, sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mattis sought to balance his hopeful comments on China with sharp criticism of what he called Beijing's disregard for international law by its "indisputable militarization" of artificial islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

"We oppose countries militarizing artificial islands and enforcing excessive maritime claims unsupported by international law," he said. "We cannot and will not accept unilateral, coercive changes to the status quo."

Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told a news conference later that he believed Mattis had effectively stressed the U.S. commitment to allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

"He was very clear, very strong," said Thornberry, who led a bipartisan congressional delegation on an Asia tour and attended Saturday's Singapore conference.

Overall, Mattis' speech struck a positive, hopeful tone for cooperation and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, where he and his predecessors have made it a priority to nurture and strengthen alliances and partnerships.

"While competition between the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies, is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable," he said. "Our two countries can and do cooperate for mutual benefit. We will pledge to work closely with China where we share common cause.

"While the North Korean regime has a long record of murder of diplomats, of kidnapping, killing of sailors and criminal activity, its nuclear weapons program is maturing as a threat to all," Mattis said. "As a matter of national security, the United States regards the threat from North Korea as a clear and present danger."

The U.S. has about 28,500 troops permanently based in South Korea, a defense treaty ally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

North Korea Launches A Ballistic Missile Just After South Korea Elects A New President

North Korea has launched a ballistic missile, the first launch since newly elected South Korean president Moon Jae-in has taken office.

Both Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe immediately condemned the launch, with Moon expressing "deep regret" that it occurred shortly after the new government was sworn in.

President Trump has been briefed on the latest missile test by North Korea.

A White House statement from press secretary Sean Spicer reads:

"With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil — in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan — the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.

"North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long. South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us. The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea.

NPR's Lauren Frayer reports the exact type of missile is not yet known:

"The U.S. Pacific Command detected and tracked this missile — and says flight data indicate that it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. Those are the missiles the U.S. is most worried about, with the ability to reach the U.S. West Coast.

"U.S. and South Korean military officials are still assessing what type of shorter-range missile this one was."

The missile traveled for about 30 minutes from Kusong, landing in the Sea of Japan. Japanese officials said it reached an unusually high altitude of 1,240 miles, which could indicate a new type of missile.

Abe said, "Japan is closely cooperating with the U.S. and South Korea and analyzing the situation as we firmly respond to the development."

The Associated Press reports:

"The launch also comes as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry."

South Korea’s Parliament Has Voted For President Park Geun-hye's Impeachment

An recent opinion survey showed 78% of respondents supported her impeachment

Following six weeks of street protests and an approval rating that plunged to just 4%, South Korean President Park Geun-hye was impeached Friday by the nation’s National Assembly, signaling an ignominious end to a term that had become mired in a corruption scandal.






The impeachment vote required at least 28 of Park’s fellow Saenuri Party lawmakers to cross the aisle to make up the majority two-thirds of the 300-seat legislature. The final vote was 234 to 56 in favor of impeachment. Park is suspended with immediate effect although the vote needs to be ratified by the nation’s Constitutional Court within 180 days to become permanent.


The nation’s Prime Minister takes over Park’s responsibilities in the interim, though Park had already offered to resign if lawmakers voted against her. If she does, new elections must be held within 60 days. Crowds of banner-waving protesters greeted the verdict with cheers outside the chamber.

“President Park Geun-hye has not only forgotten her duty as the nation‘s leader and administrative chief but also violated the constitution and other laws concerning her public duties,” said opposition lawmaker Kim Kwan-young while presenting the impeachment bill.

Park is the 64-year-old daughter of former South Korean military dictator Park Chung-hee, who is credited with spearheading the East Asian nation’s rapid economic growth of the 1970s and ’80s. She is accused of sharing classified documents with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil.

Two U.S. Fighter Jets flew over South Korea in Show of Might After Nuclear Test By North Korea

Two U.S. B-1 bombers flew over South Korea on Tuesday in a show of force and solidarity with its ally after North Korea's nuclear test last week, while a U.S. envoy called for a swift and strong response to Pyongyang from the United Nations.

Speaking in the South Korean capital on Tuesday, Sung Kim, the U.S. envoy on North Korea, added that the United States remained open to authentic, meaningful dialogue with Pyongyang on ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

"Our intention is to secure the strongest possible (U.N. Security Council) resolution that includes new sanctions as quickly as possible," Kim told a news briefing after meeting his South Korean counterpart.

He said the United States would work with China, North Korea's major diplomatic ally, to close loopholes in existing resolutions, which were tightened with Beijing's backing in March.

"China has been very clear that they understand the need for a new U.N. security council resolution in response to the latest North Korean nuclear test," Kim said.






However, China and Russia, which strongly oppose a recent decision by the United States and South Korea to deploy an advanced anti-missile system in the South to counter the North's missile threat, have shown reluctance to back further sanctions.