TR EMERITUS

By Takashi Yokota from Newsweek The two Koreas seemed headed for a dangerous collision ever since international investigators determined that North Korea had torpedoed its Southern neighbor's warship Cheonan. The North's National Defence Commission called the investigations a "farce" and threatened "all-out war" if Seoul and the international community imposed sanctions. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak responded by promising to push for sanctions at the United Nations, to cut off trade with the North, and to resume anti-North propaganda along the demilitarized zone. Adding to the alarm, four North Korean submarines left a naval base along the Sea of Japan, putting the South Korean Navy on high alert. This fracas may not be all it seems, however; because North Korean leader Kim Jong-il seems to be seeking a face-saving way out. Even as the North's fire-breathing generals threatened war, the political leadership is adopting a more diplomatic, if not quite conciliatory, tone. The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which claimed to be speaking on behalf of the entire government, said it would react to sanctions by freezing inter-Korean relations, as well as scrapping the North-South non-aggression agreement. The Foreign Ministry also issued a statement dedicated mostly to blasting the United States, but ending with a claim that its broad aim remains to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Translation: the softer side of Kim Jong-Il's regime wants out of this mess. Seoul, which wants to ease tensions before hosting the G20 summit this fall, made sure to offer the North a way out. In his statement, Lee demanded that Pyongyang "apologize and punish those responsible for the attack," laying down relatively easy terms for the North to resolve the conflict. Pyongyang may be preparing to comply. Even before the North was officially blamed for sinking the Cheonan, the National Defence Commission dimissed Kim Il-chol, its highest-ranking naval officer, citing his "old age." Kim is said to be in his late 70s, but so are many commission members. Observers speculate that Pyongyang may cite Kim's dismissal to claim it has already punished the man responsible, and perhaps to set the stage of an apology. Kenneth Quinones, a former State Department negotiator and a Korean expert, says a "similar dynamic" guided North Korea's response when one of its submarines infiltrated South Korean territorial waters in 1996. Ultimately, moderate elements in Pyongyang persuaded the military hardliners to apologize. And Pyongyang's declaration that it will no longer deal with the South while Lee is in office may be read as a call to China to step in and mediate. Far from escalating, says Quinones, Pyongyang officials "seem to be trying to keep some hope open for negotiations." As long Kim can do so without looking weak, he seems to be serious about finding a way out. Source: Newsweek  Read More →

Chosun Ilbo, 5 June 2010 A two-star Army general is in custody on suspicion of leaking military secrets to North Korea. The man is the first active-duty general arrested on spying charges in decades. A government official on Thursday said the general is "under investigation by the Defense Security Command and the National Intelligence Service. He was arrested on charges of handing military operational plans and field manuals over to the North through a third person for several years." The inquiry now focuses on whether there are more connected moles working in the military, the official added. He "was regarded as an outstanding officer and was thought to be in line for promotion to Army corps leader." The general was reportedly recruited by the North during the Roh Moo-hyun administration through a junior officer who was placed on the reserve list in 1997 after he was found to be involved in what became known as "Heukgemseong" case. The case was one of several campaigns orchestrated by the Agency for National Security Planning, the NIS's predecessor, to engineer the defeat of Kim Dae-jung in the presidential election in 1997. After being discharged from the active service, the junior officer frequently traveled to North Korea and China on business and is suspected of having delivered military secrets which he received from the general. He is also being interrogated.   "Nobody can rule out that important military secrets about the movement of Navy ships were leaked to the North that led to the sinking of the corvette Cheonan in March," the official said. "We're drastically boosting security alertness inside the military to establish discipline." - Chosun Ilbo  Read More →

作者：搜狐教育 2010年6月4日 北京 —— 新加坡经济发展局和人力部成立的联盟联系新加坡今天宣布，首届新加坡电子行业人才选拔会将于6月26日在上海举办。届时将有联发科技、芯科实验室有限公司 以及罗克韦尔自动化有限公司等全球知名企业亲临现场，与广大中国电子工程师面对面交流。 据悉，此次面向中国电子业人才开放的职位将多达250个，涉及集成电路设计师（RF IC Design Engineer）、应用工程师（Application Engineer）、数字设计工程师（Digital Design Engineer）、设备及维护工程师（Equipment & Maintenance Engineer）、高级硬件工程师（Senior Hardware Engineer）等多个职业定向。除了将亲临现场进行招聘的公司外，还将有众多国际和新加坡本土企业在活动官网发布招聘信息，包括松下、安华高科技、英飞凌等。有意应聘者只需登录网站，递交职位申请和简历，就有机会获得海外工作的良机。 电子业是新加坡经济的支柱产业，在其制造业年产值中所占比例超过30%，全国从业人员超过90,000人。尽管近年全球经济大环境并不喜人，新加坡电子业却依旧保持了稳定的增长，并引领着全球电子业的复苏。新加坡经济发展局公布的最新数据显示，新加坡今年第一季度制造业表现抢眼。其中，电子行业累计产值飙升70.2%，成为最大的驱动力。依托于强大的知识密集型产业结构，新加坡已成为电子领域的卓越中心。包括联发科技、芯科实验室有限公司、罗克韦尔自动化有限公司以及松下等在内的诸多国际大公 司都选择在新加坡开设工场和研发机构。新加坡电子业坚实的产业基础和优良的商业环境，为全球人才提供了广阔的发展空间。 谈到首届新加坡电子行业人才选拔会，联系新加坡的大中华区域主任柯志声先生说：“新加坡在世界电子业的领先地位，可从目前境内相关设施数量之多、种类之广泛上显而易见。新加坡致力成为国际电子业中心，不断吸引国际人才是实现这一目标的重要途径。我们希望通过举办专场招聘活动，为中国电子业的优秀人才和在新加坡的知名企业牵线搭桥，为中国的精英提供具有国际化的职业发展平台。” 在联系新加坡的配合下，已有不少中国电子业人才成功立足新加坡。31岁的徐飞就是其中一位。他原是罗克韦尔自动化公司上海研究中心的一位高级工程师，工作稳定。但当他了解到新加坡分公司有空缺职位时，毅然决定前往，并于今年1月，在联系新加坡的协助下顺利落户。在赴新之前，徐飞还有些担心自己不能适应新加坡的工作要求和节奏，但后来发现新同事和上司都非常热情，自己很快融入其中。回顾自己的这一重大决定，他说：“我认为新加坡有国际化的工作环境，可以接触到不同的管理理念，和不同国家的工程师交流。我非常庆幸做了这样的选择。” 听闻联系新加坡这次将在上海举办电子行业的人才选拔会，徐飞激动地表示：“这真的是一个不容错过的良机！我鼓励想尝试新体验、乐于接受变化和挑战的同行们来新加坡工作。这样的经历对事业和个人生活都会有重大的积极改观。” 来源：http://learning.sohu.com  Read More →