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When the Carrot Doesn't Work, It's High Time to Use the Stick
Benjamin Campbell

Posted on 10/24/2025 6:54:18 AM PDT by Benjamin Campbell

Last year, sensitive information concerning numerous South Korean intelligence agents has been leaked, casting a shadow over the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC) work in China and Russia. This incident prompted the KDIC to recall undercover agents based overseas back home, which put South Korean intelligence activities at risk. Moreover, the leak caused discontent in Washington and Tokyo because it came at a time when the country was expanding military intelligence sharing with the United States and Japan to confront North Korea and China. Have any actions been taken since then to repair the damage and restore the functioning of intelligence services abroad? Unlikely. While the attention of the republic's high officials was focused on the arrest of the former President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea continued to suffer failures. Thus, Baek Won-soon and Lee Sangmin, arrested since the beginning of 2024, became the first South Koreans detained in decades in Russia on spying charges. Later in 2024, another South Korean was arrested in China. It’s also pertinent to remember a foreign policy specialist Sue Mi Terry, who once worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council and was accused of working as an unregistered agent of South Korea. All these facts raise questions about the goals, ethics, and effectiveness of Seoul's approaches. Not only did South Korea attempt to illegally lobby its interests in the United States, it also abandoned its agents abroad which increase the risk of them revealing sensitive information. In the near future, Washington plans to conclude a trade deal with Seoul, under which South Korea will invest approximately $350 billion in the United States in exchange for reduced trade tariffs. This is certainly a significant development in economic cooperation between the two countries. However, Washington should keep a close eye on other areas of cooperation with Seoul, especially in the field of intelligence, and strengthen its influence over its ally.


TOPICS: AMERICA - The Right Way!!; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: anotherstupidvanity; nobodyaskedyou; noobvanity; southkorea; usa

1 posted on 10/24/2025 6:54:18 AM PDT by Benjamin Campbell
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To: Benjamin Campbell

Welcome to Free Republic!


2 posted on 10/24/2025 6:56:05 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: Benjamin Campbell
Hi, newer-than-me.

You write "Not only did South Korea attempt to illegally lobby its interests in the United States, it also abandoned its agents abroad which increase the risk of them revealing sensitive information."

Would you please provide a source for that? Thanks in advance.

3 posted on 10/24/2025 7:00:10 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Benjamin Campbell

“strengthen its influence over its ally”

We can’t even pay our own military or keep federal government offices open.

We can’t even mind our own business.


4 posted on 10/24/2025 7:02:02 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Benjamin Campbell

Trump has enough on his plate to keep both himself and Katie Porker fed.


5 posted on 10/24/2025 7:06:00 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Benjamin Campbell

Everyone spies on everyone.


6 posted on 10/24/2025 7:24:24 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: Benjamin Campbell

later


7 posted on 10/24/2025 7:40:43 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: Benjamin Campbell

My eyes! Here.

******

Last year, sensitive information concerning numerous South Korean intelligence agents has been leaked, casting a shadow over the Korea Defense Intelligence Command (KDIC) work in China and Russia. This incident prompted the KDIC to recall undercover agents based overseas back home, which put South Korean intelligence activities at risk.

Moreover, the leak caused discontent in Washington and Tokyo because it came at a time when the country was expanding military intelligence sharing with the United States and Japan to confront North Korea and China.

Have any actions been taken since then to repair the damage and restore the functioning of intelligence services abroad? Unlikely. While the attention of the republic’s high officials was focused on the arrest of the former President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea continued to suffer failures. Thus, Baek Won-soon and Lee Sangmin, arrested since the beginning of 2024, became the first South Koreans detained in decades in Russia on spying charges.

Later in 2024, another South Korean was arrested in China. It’s also pertinent to remember a foreign policy specialist Sue Mi Terry, who once worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council and was accused of working as an unregistered agent of South Korea.

All these facts raise questions about the goals, ethics, and effectiveness of Seoul’s approaches. Not only did South Korea attempt to illegally lobby its interests in the United States, it also abandoned its agents abroad which increase the risk of them revealing sensitive information. In the near future, Washington plans to conclude a trade deal with Seoul, under which South Korea will invest approximately $350 billion in the United States in exchange for reduced trade tariffs.

This is certainly a significant development in economic cooperation between the two countries. However, Washington should keep a close eye on other areas of cooperation with Seoul, especially in the field of intelligence, and strengthen its influence over its ally.


8 posted on 10/24/2025 7:46:20 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait.)
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To: Benjamin Campbell
Yeah, is is impossible to know what, if anything, is happening, though I suspect that you are correect that it probably isnm't enough or even effective at this point in time. A leak of this magnitude is difficult to overcome, let alone rectify on an immediate basis. It will take a while to repair the damgae done and create a new approach.

South Korea is under attack along with every nation by the CCP, who desire control of the entire world. The elites are also fighting for that absolute control, and in fact may be working hand-in-hand with each other at this stage.

If they succeed then they wll fight against each other, and I seriously doubt that the elites will be up to the task of fighting the CCP. Either way though, neither will make good masters, aas both entities are the definition of pure evil that fall only slightly short of Satan himself.

We are seeing what the world looks like, when the vast majority do not believe in the Lord. It will only continue to get worse, unless people return to the Lord.

The world is reaping what it has sown in this "enlightened" age. of over self-indulgence.

9 posted on 10/24/2025 8:10:25 AM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Benjamin Campbell

Here is something greatly over looked in the “tariff” issue and Trump’s demands on Japan and South Korea, seeking their nations’ investment in manufacturing in the U.S.:

Since 2009 Japanese companies direct investment in manufacturing in the U.S. was more than $300 billion, in automobile plants and other industries. South Korean companies direct investment in manufacturing in the U.S has created over 300,000 U.S. jobs in recent years.

Japan and South Korea have done more than any other coubtries in the world to boost industrial manufacturing in the U.S.


10 posted on 10/24/2025 8:30:52 AM PDT by Wuli (uire)
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To: Wuli

Has anyone ever thought of buying surplus 155 mm howitzer shells from the Norks? O contracting with them to make them for the Ukes? NK could probably use the hard currency from such a deal. I wonder what their build quality is and how many they have?


11 posted on 10/24/2025 8:37:37 AM PDT by desertsolitaire (hite sea. My grandfather shouted warning to anyone who would listen that the Titanic was going to st)
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To: desertsolitaire

I’m thinking outside the box here. And I don’t even know if we buy anything from the Norks now. But since we cannot seem or want to step up the pace of making more shells and faster for the Ukes, why not consider it? Hell, the howitzers too! we then sell them to the Europeans NATO and they give them to the Ukes. Match Russia shell for shell. That’s never happened yet in this invasion. Might make a difference in negotiating leverage?


12 posted on 10/24/2025 8:40:30 AM PDT by desertsolitaire (hite sea. My grandfather shouted warning to anyone who would listen that the Titanic was going to st)
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To: desertsolitaire

South Korea makes NATO 155, North Korea is fighting alongside their ally Russia in Europe and supplying them with Russian calibers, which is what North Korea uses.


13 posted on 10/24/2025 9:03:47 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: desertsolitaire

Russia has been using North Korea for that - supplying North Korean produced artillery ammunition to Russia.


14 posted on 10/24/2025 10:01:25 AM PDT by Wuli (uire)
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To: ansel12

CAN the Nirks make reliable 155mm NATO howitzer rounds and field pieces at large scale if the wanted and were sufficiently motivated to do so? We can’t seem to even come close in the West, to upping our manufacturing to meet what Russia’s invasion forces are throwing every day at the Ukes.
IF? IF? the Norks could make the shells and cubes we need, would they? What would it take to make that a yes answer?


15 posted on 10/24/2025 6:41:49 PM PDT by desertsolitaire (hite sea. My grandfather shouted warning to anyone who would listen that the Titanic was going to st)
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To: desertsolitaire

Are you thinking our North Korean enemy would make the ammunition for us and for the Ukrainians to kill the North Korean troops fighting in Europe?

You are confusing me with these posts about North Korea supplying arms to us and to their battlefield enemy in Europe.


16 posted on 10/24/2025 7:02:08 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12

Hello. I guess I didn’t realize the Norks still had troops over there. I thought it was a short term stunt thing.
I was just looking at ANY means of supplying parity in ability to fire artillery shells in great numbers to the Ukes. I wonder how deeply our US leadership has been doing that?


17 posted on 10/25/2025 9:32:42 AM PDT by desertsolitaire (hite sea. My grandfather shouted warning to anyone who would listen that the Titanic was going to st)
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To: desertsolitaire

They are part of the Russian fighting forces that Ukraine is at war with and that America and our global allies are opposing, but regardless of that, North Korea is our enemy and they don’t make or use American ammo and equipment, they are part of the Russia, Red China, North Korea, Iran dark forces and use the equipment of that world.


18 posted on 10/25/2025 10:13:14 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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