Daily Kor for Mon/Tuesday, June 13-14, 2011

If they do successfully miniaturize,
I'd start checking out lipstick tubes.

I've noticed a ramping up of news lately about the danger posed by North Korea. While the likes of out-going US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is bluntly saying the US's NATO partners need to do far more to pull their own weight, his designated successor Leon Panetta tell us North Korea is a "growing and direct threat to the US."

The attention is being focused on Northeast Asia, and stories (see #1 below) of North Korea's possible nuke miniaturization capabilities or its potential for a surprise attack only bolster this impression. Ditto with story #2, about Pyongyang's on-going efforts to earn hard capital through weapons sales to rogue regimes.

1. ROK Defense Minister Kim Kwanjin tells National Assembly committee there is "possibility" North Korea has the miniaturization technology to mount a nuclear warhead (AP via WaPo, Reuters)
• Def Min Kim says chance of "surprise provocation" by DPRK is on the rise (Yonhap)
2. US Navy says two weeks ago in the South China Sea it forced back a North Korean vessel carrying missile technology bound for Myanmar (CSM, VOA, NYT, AP via WaPo, WSJ, Reuters)
• US sought permission to board vessel but was denied (CNN)
3. South Korea announces major push of pay-by-phone services that will include upgrade or installment of 300,000 payment checkouts (Reuters)
4. Seoul says its invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to attend next year's international security summit remains on the table (Yonhap)
5. Kim Jong-il meets Chinese Communist Party's organization department chief in Pyongyang (AP via WaPo)
6. Special National Assembly committee tasked with reforming South Korean judicial system ceases operations in the face of division and strong opposition from prosecutors (Yonhap)
7. Lim Sanggyu, president of Sunchon National University and former Agriculture Minister, found dead in an apparent suicide following reported corruption investigation (AP via WaPo, Yonhap, Korea Times, Joongang Daily)
8. President Lee Myungbak calls for calm approach to college tuition issue (Yonhap)
9. Orion Group chairman Tam Cheolgon indicted on charges of embezzlement (Yonhap)
10. Sweden-based Electrolux renews talks with South Korea's Daewoo Electronics on acquisition of bankrupt appliance maker (Bloomberg)
11. North Korean authorities reportedly in panic mode as they try to find out who these giant condoms belong to (Yonhap)