Two Australians Pose as Pro Golfers Bluffed Their Way to North Korea’s Golf Tournament

Two Australian pose as professional golfers and bluff their way into the 18-hole international tournament in North Korea.

Morgan Ruig and Evan Shay, both 28 pulled of one of the craziest sports prank ever. The two were in a Polo trip in Beijing when they heard about the competition.

The two Australians emailed their application to North Korea, posing as professional Australian Team and wore fake green blazers bearing the National Logo. After the event, Ruig and Shay left two day tournament in North Korea without any problems.

85 participants flew from various parts of the world, to compete in the only golf course in North Korea, the Pyongyang Golf Course.

In 1987, late leader Kim Jong-il opened the Pyongyang Golf Complex; there are stories that the leader shot 11 holes-in-ones on first attempt.

The Australians were guarded by North Korean officials throughout their five-day trip. They were also given a tour of Pyongyang, where they offered flowers at a monument of the country’s infamous leaders.

Performance at the Green

Morgan Ruig told the Courier-Mail newspapaer, “We were very nervous handing our passports over at the border. There are stories of people not coming home.”
“I hit 120 and my caddy told me I had bought great shame to my family.”

“We played very poorly… but we met some very interesting people,” he added.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Ruig said the officials thought it’s “quite funny.”

Despite their poor performance at the tournament, he said the experience was “character building.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it to a light-hearted traveller. It was pretty hardcore but it was an amazing experience.”

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Japan to Speed Up Missile Defense Upgrades

JAPAN – Three government sources said that Japan may fast track about $1 billion of planned expenditure to improve its ballistic missile defenses. This decision is in the heels of missile tests indicating North Korea is close to deploying a more potent medium-range missile.

The disbursements include money to evaluate a new missile defense layer. This will either be Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Ashore or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Aegis Ashore is a land-based variety of the ballistic missile defense system utilized by vessels in the Sea of Japan.

The sources familiar with the proposal said it covers funds to upgrade the range and accuracy of PAC-3 Patriot batteries. The sources requested no to be named since they are not allowed to speak with the media.

However, the same sources noted that the rollout of Aegis Ashore or THAAD could still take years. Further, the companies involved in production of Patriot missile batteries, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Raytheon, are unlikely to supply upgrades much quicker. Most probably, due to limited capacity to speed up already tight production schedules.

The Sankei newspaper reported earlier that up to 300 billion yen ($2.9 billion) of defense spending will be involved in a third auxiliary budget. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration has yet to acknowledge whether it will request legislators to endorse additional expenses before discussions begin on next year’s budget.

Pyongyang’s evident technological advancement on missiles has been sooner than expected. A senior Japanese military commander said earlier this month that this exposes Japan to a heightened threat.

North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time in 1998. Since then, Pyongyang and Tokyo have been wedged in an arms race.

Musudan ballistic missile renders SM-3 obsolete

North Korea has test-fired more than 21 ballistic missiles and managed two nuclear tests so far this year. On June 22, a medium-range Musudan missile achieved a height of 1,000 km (620 miles) on a lobbed arc. At this height, the missiles are beyond the range of SM-3 missiles deployed on Aegis destroyers at the Sea of Japan. The SM-3 missiles are designed to hit warheads at the edge of space.

That puts older PAC-3 Patriot missiles guarding major cities like Tokyo as a last line of defense. Their enhancement program will not provide the initial upgraded batteries until 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Pyongyang’s Rodong missile has warheads that travel at speeds of up to 3 km (2 miles) per second. Meanwhile, payloads on rockets like the Musudan plummet from space at least twice as fast.

Japan plans to obtain a more formidable version of the SM-3 it is jointly developing with the United States. However, it is not known when the first will be deployed.

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Sightseeing in Ultralight Aircraft is Pyongyang’s Latest Fad

Up to a few months ago, a 150-meter (492-foot) tall tower across the river from Kim Il Sung Square is your only option if you wanted a bird’s eye view of North Korea. These days, you can climb aboard an ultralight aircraft – if you have the cash.

Foreign tourism firms are looking to lure visitors with unique things to do besides visit war museums and political monuments. Due to this, a Pyongyang flying club began offering quick flights over some of the capital’s foremost sights.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supports the endeavor. Moreover, he promised to give North Koreans more contemporary and cultured ways to spend their free time.

The tours started late July and are operated by the Mirim flying club from a fancy new facility on an old airfield.

At least 4,000 North Koreans, along with hundreds of foreigners from 12 countries have gone up in the ultralight since, according to officials.

The flights go precisely over some of Pyongyang’s most iconic locations. These include the May Day stadium, Kim Il Sung Square area, the torch-tipped Juche Tower, and the Munsu Water Park.

Before the tour can get off the ground, considerations of sites best not exposed to flyovers were almost definitely a factor. Further, club officials inspect photos taken from the air after each flight.

Viewing the city from almost 6,500 feet while leisurely making your way through the skies offers quite a unique perspective. Tourists and most residents had never been able to achieve these feats before.

Expensive aerial tour

The flights aren’t cheap, though. A 25-minute flight from the airstrip to Kim Il Sung Square and the Juche Tower goes for about $150. Shorter flights, which only fly around the proximate area of the flight club are offered at more affordable prices. Prices start at around $65.

Club officials would not say how much but prices for North Koreans are much cheaper.

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