Daily Kor for December 14, 2009: Soldiers of misfortune

This planeload of weapons from North Korea is big news, not only because it may be disrupting thawing relations between Washington and Pyongyang as the former tries to nudge the latter back toward the six-party talks, but also because it's not certain where these weapons were headed. Anyway, I was wrong in an earlier report that the crew were five North Koreans. They were from Kazakhstan and from Belarus. The guy at right looks like he could be related to Borat, but I'm keeping that observation to myself.

1. Thai authorities probing the Pyongyang-based flight full of weapons that landed in Bangkok say they will charge the five crewmen — four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus (above) — with illegal possession of weapons (Reuters, WSJ)
• US calls on UN members to implement arms embargo on North Korea (Yonhap)
2. Washington and Pyongyang have reportedly agreed to resume stalled four-way talks, which include Seoul and Beijing, aimed at signing a permanent peace accord that would officially end the Korean War (Reuters, Yonhap, Korea Herald)
3. President Lee Myungbak calls on businesses and banks to step up issuance of so-called "microloans" (Yonhap)
4. South Korea and New Zealand open third round of FTA talks (Yonhap)
• English students to be traded for English teachers... ha!
5. Railway union head arrested for illegal strike (Korea Times)
6. Eighteen ROK citizens and Taiwanese residents of South Korea arrested in 4 billion won drug ring (Korea Times)
7. Seoul to make bid for hosting 2012 climate summit (Yonhap, Korea Herald)
8. Seoul to seek transparent distribution of Tamiflu in North Korea (Yonhap)
9. South Korean midfielder Ki Sung Yeung signs with Scottish giants Celtic (CNN, BBC, Yonhap)
10. Mistaking bamboo depicted in advertising literature as a wild form of Asian cannabis, High Times magazine's "Best of 2010" recommends Korea as a top destination for work and travel (UPI)