Hongneung Defense Forum
By 
I’m here in Seoul talking about the outlook for Korea’s defense industrial base:
And yes I absolutely make a Drive By Truckers reference that absolutely no one in the audience caught. A bit more on why I’m bullish about the prospects of South Korea’s defense industry:
My translator was broken so I literally have no idea what the moderator was saying about me. Other than myself the conversation included lots of smart and important people, including the Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea and the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense. Anyway, the really big national security news today from Korea:
Jin, the oldest member of K-pop mega-band BTS, has entered military service – the first of the group to do so.
The 30-year-old posted a photo of himself with his new military haircut before enlisting on Tuesday. “It looks cuter than I expected,” he said.
As South Korea is still technically at war with its hostile neighbour North Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the army.
Jin has begun five weeks’ training at a bootcamp near the North Korean border.
After this, he will reportedly be assigned to a frontline unit. This news sent his millions of adoring fans into a frenzy.