South Korea Ambassador visits Raj Ghat, pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi

Chang Jae-bok, South Korea's ambassador to India, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi on Thursday, August 19. According to an official announcement, the Ambassador also handed President Ram Nath Kovind his letter of credence. He also paid a visit to the National Gandhi Museum.

South Korea ambassador paid a visit to Raj Ghat and met President Kovind

At the National Gandhi Museum, the ambassador met Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter and the museum's chairwoman, and discussed the relevance of Gandhi's nonviolence and peace teachings in today's world, according to the release. South Korean President Moon Jae-in had also visited the memorial and paid his respects during his official trip to India previously in 2018. 

How is the Afghanistan crisis a warning to South Korea?

The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan underscores the urgency for South Korea to gain full operational control of its military, the head of the country's ruling Democratic Party said on Wednesday. The messy withdrawal of US soldiers from Afghanistan highlights the need for South Korea to regain full operational control of its military, according to the leader of the country's ruling Democratic Party. "The Afghanistan crisis should be used as an opportunity to further nurture the will and ability of a strong independent defence by recovering wartime OPCON," Rep. Song Young-gil wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

South Korea and North Korea relations 

In a war, the chief of US Forces Korea, presently Gen. Paul LaCamera, would command the joint US and South Korean force. South Korean President Moon Jae-administration in's has sought to speed up the process of taking full control of the military. As per reports, he stated, that they need not only the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance but also an attitude of self-defence that our country will protect itself, and that the Republic of Korea is at a level that cannot be compared with North Korea in terms of its military power. He was citing the South's F-35 fighter jets and other advanced hardware.

ROK-U.S. alliance

He reportedly further stated that far from being able to invade the South, the survival and maintenance of the system is desperate in North Korea. The remarks come as US and South Korean troops undertake scaled-down joint military drills that will last until August 26. Pyongyang was enraged by the drills last week, saying that they would spark a "security crisis" on the peninsula. By May 2022, the South Korean administration had aimed to complete the transfer of wartime operational responsibility. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in the transfer plans, and no formal schedule has been established.

IMAGE: @BLEDSTRATFORUM - Twitter