North Korea in the News

North Korea is in the news recently.

Over the weekend, a South Korean naval vessel sunk in disputed waters leading some to suspect the North. 46 sailors are still missing and while an official investigation will take some time no one is discounting involvement on the part of the North Korean government.

South Korean Navy searches for survivors and inspects the wreckage.

Meanwhile on the ground, more North Korean civilians are using their cellphones to share information with the outside world. Though the information relayed is closer to facts regarding daily life more than state secrets, experts see these developments as encouraging signs of the technology's ability to cut across the barriers of even the most closed societies.

Much thanks to Yale thi[NK] for the heads-up.

The image is courtesy of Ahn Young-joon of AP.

Supreme Court Battle Quietly Brews As Future Nominations Loom - ABC News

Supreme Court Battle Quietly Brews As Future Nominations Loom - ABC News
An interesting article from longtime PAEC member and chair Tyler about possible upcoming nominations to the Supreme Court. At the center of the piece is Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu who was nominated to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Hearings regarding his nomination will be held this week in committee. A son of Taiwanese immigrants, Liu would be the only active APA federal appellate court judge in the country. What makes the story more intriguing is that according to the ABC News article, Liu is seen as a possible Supreme Court nomination for Obama. Given that Liu is only 39, this could mean that as the possible first Asian American on the court, Liu could serve for a very long time.

You can read more about Professor Liu here.

Thanks for the heads up, Tyler. As always, anyone is welcome to email yalepaec@gmail.com with an interesting story you'd like to see on the blog.