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Quotes of the Day:
"Find the deepest pleasure in absorbing knowledge and information. Feel like you never have enough."
- Robert Greene
"The absence of war is not peace."
- Harry Truman, 1884-1972, American President [1945-1953]
"'Freedom from fear' could be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights."
- Dag Hammarskjold
1. The AP Interview: Korean leader cites North's serious threat
2. South Korean Conglomerate to Invest $2.5 Billion in U.S. Solar Manufacturing
3. China Halts Visas From South Korea and Japan in Response to Covid Restrictions
4. Unification minister to seek support for Yoon's 'audacious' initiative at Davos forum
5. S. Korea to broaden diplomatic horizons, deepen ties based on shared values: ministry
6. Army Strykers test their firepower for first time near border with North Korea
7. North Korea bans cellphones from public propaganda lectures
8. U.S. monitoring N. Korea, others for potential chemical weapons proliferation: Pentagon
9. [History through The Korea Herald] Is 'reunification of Korea' still a goal, 70 years on?
10. Ex-security chief hid North Korea killing South Korean to shield Moon: prosecutors
11. S. Korea, US to conduct joint drills to respond to N. Korean nuclear attack
12. [ANALYSIS] Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts
13. Missing teenage girls in Pakistan ran away to meet BTS, police say
14. South Korea, U.S. plan February nuclear tabletop drills to deter North
1. The AP Interview: Korean leader cites North's serious threat
We should not forget that when President Moon took office last May he stated that north Korea was the main enemy. This is not a surprise. This is a realistic recognition of the nature, objectives, and strategy for the Kim family regime.
AP and the President cover a lot of grund in this interview.
The AP Interview: Korean leader cites North's serious threat
AP · by ADAM SCHRECK and HYUNG-JIN KIM · January 11, 2023
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s spike in missile tests, growing nuclear ambitions and other provocative acts pose a “serious threat” that could lead to a dangerous miscalculation and spark a wider conflict, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday.
Speaking with The Associated Press at the presidential office in Seoul, the conservative leader reiterated his call for closer security cooperation with the United States and Japan to counter the “dangerous situation” being created by North Korea as he played down the prospect for direct negotiations like those pursued by his liberal predecessor.
“We’ve seen a miscalculation leading to serious wars many times in history,” Yoon said, adding that the North’s advancing nuclear arsenal poses a direct threat to the U.S. mainland as well as South Korea and nearby Japan.
Much of the nearly hourlong interview focused on North Korea, which carried out a record number of missile tests last year and just weeks ago violated South Korean airspace by flying drones across the border for the first time in five years.
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That incursion prompted the South to fire warning shots, scramble jets and fly its own drones over the border.
Days later, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began the new year by ordering the “exponential” expansion of his nuclear arsenal and the development of a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile.
Some experts believe the testing spree is largely meant to modernize an arsenal that North Korea would ultimately want to use as leverage in future dealings with the United States to wrest sanctions relief and other concessions.
“North Korea could have its own internal reasons, but there’s no way for our country or any other country to know exactly why they are conducting such provocations,” Yoon said.
“These unlawful North Korean provocations can only result in the strengthening of (South Korea’s) security response capabilities and a further strengthening of the security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan,” he said.
Yoon, a former top prosecutor, took office in May vowing to take a tougher stance on North Korea. During the presidential election campaign, he accused his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, of being “submissive” to North Korea.
Moon, who met Kim Jong Un three times, was credited with arranging now-dormant nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington and easing fears of war. But he invited criticism that his dovish engagement policy eventually helped Kim Jong Un buy time and perfect weapons technologies in the face of U.N. sanctions.
In a recent newspaper interview, Yoon cited discussions with the U.S. about joint planning potentially involving U.S. nuclear assets.
Asked for further clarity Tuesday, he said the proposed plans include “tabletop exercises, computer simulations and drills ... on delivery means for nuclear weapons.”
“The discussions are under way over the so-called joint planning and joint execution, and I think it’s right for South Korea and the United States to cooperate because both of us are exposed to the North Korean nuclear threat,” Yoon said.
While Yoon didn’t reveal further details, some observers have said he likely wants to stress efforts to boost the viability of the U.S. security commitment to protect its Asian ally from North Korea.
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In a policy report to Yoon on Wednesday, Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup said the South Korean and U.S. militaries plan to hold a tabletop exercise next month to sharpen their response to scenarios where North Korea uses a nuclear weapon. Lee said that South Korea will push for the U.S. to deploy strategic assets near the Korean Peninsula more frequently, according to Lee’s office.
Despite the heightened animosities, Yoon maintained he won’t pursue talks for the sake of talks with North Korea, saying past inter-Korean discussions were often politically exploited by leaders in both countries and failed to eliminate the North’s nuclear program.
Yoon also accused North Korea of cutting off all communication channels with South Korea. Pointing at a white telephone on a desk that he said is meant for a direct hotline with the North Korean leader, Yoon said that “The North is obstructing this line and isn’t coming to dialogue.”
Yoon also voiced his support for Ukraine in its fight to repel Russia’s invasion, which he called “unlawful and illegitimate.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged South Korea to provide arms and other military equipment. The Asian country, a growing arms exporter with a well-equipped, U.S.-backed military, has provided humanitarian aid and other support while joining U.S.-led sanctions against Moscow. But it has stopped short of providing arms directly.
Yoon said Korean laws, as well as domestic public opinion, make it difficult for his government to arm Ukraine while it is at war.
An American official said in November that the U.S. agreed to buy 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine. South Korea maintains that the rounds it was selling were meant to backfill depleted U.S. stocks.
Yoon expressed openness to similar deals in the future, noting the two allies regularly buy military equipment from one another.
“If the conflict (in Ukraine) isn’t resolved swiftly, it could send a message to North Korea that the international community would fail to respond to an act of invasion with the appropriate sanctions or punishment, and that message would further encourage the North to conduct provocations.”
On the domestic front, Yoon appeared to still be shaken by the crowd crush tragedy that killed nearly 160 Halloween revelers in late October in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood.
He described rushing to his office, not far from the neighborhood, soon after hearing the first reports. He said he initially did not know how many people had been killed and only later came to realize the scale of the disaster.
“It’s still hard for me to fully understand how such a huge crowd accident can happen in a country with a (developed) system like ours because of a failure in crowd management, ” he said.
Authorities ordered a sweeping investigation, but no senior officials have lost their jobs so far despite calls by families of the victims and members of the opposition for greater accountability.
Yoon said it was important to conduct a thorough investigation before assigning blame.
“For victims and relatives, the results of the investigation could provide a base to establish the government’s responsibility, so I instructed (officials) to thoroughly investigate the government’s responsibility, even if that means taking a lot of responsibility,” Yoon said.
___
Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
AP · by ADAM SCHRECK and HYUNG-JIN KIM · January 11, 2023
2. South Korean Conglomerate to Invest $2.5 Billion in U.S. Solar Manufacturing
South Korean Conglomerate to Invest $2.5 Billion in U.S. Solar Manufacturing
Hanwha Group’s Qcells plans one of the biggest solar investments in the U.S., the latest example of a rush of money spurred by tax incentives
https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korean-conglomerate-to-invest-2-5-billion-in-u-s-solar-manufacturing-11673432388?utm_source=pocket_saves
By Phred DvorakFollow
Jan. 11, 2023 6:30 am ET
South Korea’s Hanwha Group plans to spend $2.5 billion to build an entire solar-manufacturing supply chain in Georgia, the biggest solar investment spurred so far by the massive tax incentives the U.S. introduced last year.
The investment would allow the conglomerate’s Qcells unit to build new facilities in the Atlanta region that would manufacture 3.3 gigawatts of solar panels a year, the company said Wednesday, enough to supply around 18% of the estimated U.S. demand in 2022. Qcells would also produce on-site nearly all the main components that go into the panels, including solar cells, ingots and wafers—items not currently manufactured in the U.S.
The investment would also be used to add 2 gigawatts of panel-making capacity to the 3.1 gigawatts Qcells already has at a different location in Georgia, the company said. It is starting construction at both sites in the next few months and hopes to have everything online within the next two years, said Scott Moskowitz, the company’s head of marketing strategy.
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Qcells’ announcement is the latest example of the surge in proposed clean-energy investments in the U.S. since the signing of legislation half a year ago offering generous tax credits and other incentives for everything from battery and solar manufacturing to the production of power from wind or hydrogen.
Those incentives have changed the economics of clean-energy investment in the U.S. Qcells’ new 3.3 gigawatt plant alone could earn around $561 million worth of tax credits a year, according to Journal calculations.
More investments may still be to come: Qcells is considering building plants in other parts of the U.S. as well, including Texas, said Mr. Moskowitz. He declined to say how much more capacity Qcells is thinking of building.
“This is just the beginning,” said Mr. Moskowitz. “The U.S. is one of the biggest markets for solar power in the world.”
A machine etching solar cells at the QCells manufacturing facility in Georgia.
PHOTO: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Manufacturers are rushing to take advantage of the incentives, announcing more than $40 billion in investments in plants to make batteries as well as equipment for wind and solar power since the legislation was passed, according to Journal estimates. Companies have made another $40 billion of capital-investment announcements on deploying clean energy, according to the business lobby American Clean Power.
In solar alone, the U.S. is now on track to quadruple its manufacturing capacity from what it was two years ago when President Biden took office, said Ali Zaidi, the White House’s national climate adviser, in a call with reporters discussing Qcells’ investment.
“From a climate perspective, we are in the decisive decade” to curb global warming, he said. The investment announcements represent “the work that is necessary for us to meet the moment.”
Not everyone is celebrating the U.S.’s clean-energy legislation. The incentives are attracting so much investor interest that politicians from Europe and Asia complain that their countries and companies could lose out if money flows to the U.S. instead.
Some energy experts caution that not all the investments that have been announced will actually be implemented, and that some may take longer than expected.
Winning permits for big infrastructure developments often takes years, and many companies are struggling to get clean-energy projects hooked up to a crowded power grid. Delays could mean fewer wind or solar deployments, and thus less demand for components.
“What I’m staying awake at night thinking about is ensuring that the whole system is being built so that it will support the kind of production that is being forecast by Qcells and others,” said John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for clean-energy innovation and implementation, on the call with reporters.
Many details on how the tax credits will be implemented are still to be determined, and some investors are waiting for those before making final decisions on how much money to commit, said David Brown, an energy transition analyst at Wood Mackenzie. In solar, the amount of module capacity that is actually developed could depend on the fine print of rules that give bigger tax breaks to panels produced domestically, he said.
Write to Phred Dvorak at phred.dvorak@wsj.com
3. China Halts Visas From South Korea and Japan in Response to Covid Restrictions
Petty "retaliation" by China?
China Halts Visas From South Korea and Japan in Response to Covid Restrictions
Beijing retaliates against two countries that have limited travel by visitors from China
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-bars-south-korean-visitors-in-response-to-covid-19-rules-11673333943?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
HONG KONG—China suspended issuing several types of visas to South Korean and Japanese citizens in response to travel restrictions the countries have imposed on flights from China to curb the spread of Covid-19.
China’s diplomatic mission in South Korea has temporarily stopped issuing short-term visas to South Koreans for business visits, tourism, medical care, transit and other personal matters, the Chinese Embassy said in a notice issued Tuesday.
The measure was a response to what China said were discriminatory visa restrictions that South Korea had imposed on travelers arriving from China, the embassy in Seoul said. The measure may be adjusted once South Korea scraps those restrictions, it said.
On Tuesday evening, the Chinese Embassy in Japan followed suit and announced that it has suspended indefinitely visa applications from Japanese nationals applying as private citizens.
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The retaliatory moves were the first by China after the U.S., Japan and other countries took steps to limit the number of Chinese travelers. Many countries, South Korea included, have imposed testing requirements on passengers from China.
Several countries have cited what they describe as China’s lack of transparency around the scope of Covid infections in the country as a factor in their decisions. China has called these unacceptable and politically motivated and had warned of countermeasures.
Until this week, China had in place the most stringent restrictions for all arriving travelers—including Chinese nationals returning home. Mandatory quarantine requirements were scrapped on Sunday, removing one of the remnants of Beijing’s effort to eradicate the virus.
South Korea has imposed testing requirements on passengers from China.
PHOTO: KIM HONG-JI/REUTERS
South Korea said in late December it would suspend several types of short-term visas issued in China from Jan. 2 to the end of the month, in an effort to prevent imported Covid infections. Of the types of visits still allowed—including diplomatic exchanges, investment and visits to South Korean nationals by foreign family members—only single-entry visas would be issued.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk, in a briefing on Tuesday afternoon, didn’t say how the country would respond to China’s measures.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had expressed concerns over South Korea’s visa restrictions in a call with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Monday.
South Korea isn’t the only country that has barred travelers from China. Before the new year, Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said anyone arriving from China would be denied entry from Jan. 3, so that the North African country could avoid a new wave of Covid infections. Almost 200,000 Chinese visitors traveled to Morocco in 2018.
Instead of a retaliation, Chinese Ambassador Li Changlin published an essay in a Moroccan publication blaming Western media for misinterpreting China’s Covid policy.
“After China eased the traveling, many countries have responded positively,” he wrote. “They said they wouldn’t adjust the entry policy for passengers from China.”
Watch: China Reopens International Travel, Crowds Line Up at Border
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Tens of thousands of people resumed travels in and out of China on Sunday as the country lifted almost all of its border restrictions, ending three years of strict pandemic controls. Some travelers expressed relief to be reunited with their families. Photo: Tyrone Siu/Reuters
All visa applications for Japanese who wish to visit China—except those for humanitarian purposes—have been suspended, said an official at the Japan Association of Travel Agents, a trade group, after confirming with a Chinese visa service center in Tokyo. The official said the change took effect Tuesday and he wasn’t told how long it would last. Reasons for the suspension weren’t clear, he said.
Toshio Nishioka, a manager at West Japan-China Travel, a China tour specialty travel agent in Osaka, said the suspension was because Japan had recently tightened its own controls. “This is like a couple’s petty fight. But who started it?” Mr. Nishida said. “The one who first pulled out their sword was Japan, as well as South Korea and Europe.”
In a call with a visa-inquiry hotline set up by the Japanese Embassy for foreigners in China, an operator said Tuesday that nonemergency visa applications from Chinese passport holders haven’t been accepted since Jan. 6.
On Wednesday, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said on Twitter that Japan hasn’t limited visas for Chinese nationals, making China’s move nonreciprocal.
Hours before China’s announcement on visa suspensions for Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded to a press inquiry about the move with nothing more than a hint. He said China opposed discriminatory entry restrictions and would take reciprocal measures.
He didn’t confirm or deny the report that China had suspended visa applications from Japan.
Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said Tokyo has protested the Chinese visa-suspension move and called for it to be revoked. He called the move “extremely regrettable.”
Dasl Yoon and Qianwei Zhang contributed to this article.
Write to Wenxin Fan at wenxin.fan@wsj.com
4. Unification minister to seek support for Yoon's 'audacious' initiative at Davos forum
The Unification Minister needs to focus on unification. "On to unification." "Unification On." "UniOn."
Nearly everyone now accepts that Kim Jong Un is not going to agree to denuclearize. It is time to reverse the policy: Unification first, then denuclearization.
The Unification minister should be telling the world this:
The only way we are going to see an end to the nuclear program and military threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a free and unified Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. A free and unified Korea or in short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
Unification minister to seek support for Yoon's 'audacious' initiative at Davos forum | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · January 11, 2023
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- Seoul's Unification Minister Kwon Young-se plans to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos while accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his visit to Switzerland later this month, according to an official Wednesday.
Kwon will be the first Seoul unification minister in 18 years to attend the annual WEF event during Yoon's visit to Switzerland from Jan. 18-19 following the attendance of former minister Chung Dong-young in 2005.
Seoul officials are reportedly in talks with the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other nongovernmental organizations to arrange meetings for Kwon at the event.
He is expected to ask for international support on the Yoon administration's "audacious" initiative to help North Korea improve its economy in return for denuclearization steps.
According to the presidential office, Yoon plans to pay a state visit to the United Arab Emirates at the invitation of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Saturday to Tuesday. He will then travel to Davos to promote South Korean businesses and the country's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se prepares to depart for Germany for a four-day trip from Incheon International Airport in Incheon, just west of Seoul, on Oct. 2, 2022. (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · January 11, 2023
5. S. Korea to broaden diplomatic horizons, deepen ties based on shared values: ministry
The global pivotal state is moving out smartly. The ROK strategy appears to be more than words. This could be a real inflection point for the ROK.
Excerpts:
The drive is part of efforts to achieve the administration's vision of making South Korea a "global pivotal state" through "preemptive and proactive" diplomacy amid lingering challenges, such as "strategic competition" between the United States and China, the Russia-Ukraine war and the coronavirus pandemic.
"We wanted to emphasize that forming solidarity with countries with shared values is very important to our diplomatic strategy," First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong said during a briefing on the ministry's policy vision.
(LEAD) S. Korea to broaden diplomatic horizons, deepen ties based on shared values: ministry | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · January 11, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with foreign minister's comments in last paras; ADDS photo, byline)
By Chang Dong-woo
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to focus efforts on broadening its diplomatic horizons this year by strengthening relations with other nations with "shared values" in overcoming "global complex crises," Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday in its report to President Yoon Suk Yeol on major policy tasks this year.
The drive is part of efforts to achieve the administration's vision of making South Korea a "global pivotal state" through "preemptive and proactive" diplomacy amid lingering challenges, such as "strategic competition" between the United States and China, the Russia-Ukraine war and the coronavirus pandemic.
"We wanted to emphasize that forming solidarity with countries with shared values is very important to our diplomatic strategy," First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong said during a briefing on the ministry's policy vision.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L, rear) talks with U.S. President Joe Biden (R, rear) during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, in this file photo taken Nov. 13, 2022. (Yonhap)
The ministry seeks to further develop the South Korea-U.S. global comprehensive strategic alliance, which was agreed during talks between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden in May, and strengthen three-way security cooperation involving Japan.
Seoul will continue to strive to mend ties with Tokyo this year by seeking "reasonable solutions" to pending issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Cho said the ministry hopes for the revival of the "shuttle diplomacy" with Japan through the process.
South Korea is also eyeing "healthy and mature" relationships with China based on the spirit of mutual respect and reciprocity.
On North Korea, the ministry aims to play a leading role in raising issues related to the North's human rights problems and to strengthen international cooperation to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program.
The government will also seek to resume North Korean denuclearization talks with a "flexible and open stance" and strengthen cooperation with relevant countries for "principled and sustainable" negotiations, the ministry said.
Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) and Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup give a briefing at the government complex in Seoul on Jan. 11, 2023, after making their ministries' policy reports for 2023 to President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Yonhap)
After receiving the policy report, Yoon instructed the ministry to "thoroughly explain" to Beijing Seoul's position on its new entry regulations for visitors from China, as it is a "matter of protecting our nationals based on scientific grounds," Foreign Minister Park Jin quoted the president as saying.
China announced Tuesday the suspension of short-term visa issuance for South Koreans in retaliation against South Korea's strengthened antivirus curbs against arrivals from China since last week.
"It is very regrettable that China has taken retaliatory measures, such as fully suspending short-term visa issuance," Park said during a joint press conference with the defense minister.
On North Korea, Yoon stressed the need to respond sternly against Pyongyang on the basis of a "precise analysis" of comprehensive aspects of the country, including politics, the economy and society, as well as military elements, according to Park.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · January 11, 2023
6. Army Strykers test their firepower for first time near border with North Korea
Army Strykers test their firepower for first time near border with North Korea
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · January 10, 2023
Army Spc. Daniel Howard, a cavalry scout with 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, removes unused rounds from an M-2 Browning machine gun at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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POCHEON, South Korea – A Stryker brigade flexed its firepower for the first time during drills Tuesday in the snowy hills of Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, roughly 16 miles from the border with North Korea.
Around 41 Stryker vehicles from 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team took part in a live-fire exercise that in previous years involved an armored combat team, including M1A2 Abrams tanks.
Last fall, the Army began transitioning to Stryker teams for nine-month rotations to South Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division.
The eight-wheeled Strykers are a “significant improvement in mobility” compared to the vehicles in the armored brigade combat teams, Lt. Col. Michael Filanowski, 8-1 Cavalry Regiment commander, told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
“We have the ability to go pretty much anywhere there’s a road,” he said. “We can move quick, we can move pretty quiet and … we carry more dismounted soldiers, which is better suited for the mountainous terrain of Korea.”
Soldiers from 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team prepare for a live-fire exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Soldiers from 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team conduct a radio check as they prepare for a live-fire exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stri)
Army 1st Lt. Don Sparaco, a Stryker commander with 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, identifies targets for his gunner during an exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Army Spc. Daniel Howard, a cavalry scout with 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, uses a Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System to shoot at simulated targets at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Army 1st Lt. Don Sparaco, a Stryker commander with 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, inspects an M-2 Browning machine gun during an exercise at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Tuesday’s live-fire event was the culmination of six weeks of training that included digital simulations and an exercise, Filanowski said. At the range, crews inside the Strykers identified simulated targets using cameras and thermal optics and remotely fired their mounted MK-19 grenade launchers and M-2 Browning machine guns.
Targets that represented enemy vehicles emerged from the ground up and fell after being hit by the Strykers.
Inside one vehicle, 1st Lt. Don Sparaco, of Suwanee, Ga., identified targets on a monitor for his gunner, Spc. Daniel Howard.
“On the way,” yelled Howard, a cavalry scout from Liberia, West Africa, as he fired the M-2 mounted atop the vehicle.
Sgt. Maj. Rigoberto Torres said the training was an opportunity for the Stryker crews to “gel as one.”
“Once they’re actually out in an engagement, it’s not just one soldier looking through one sight,” he said. “It’s the driver doing his part, the gunner doing his part, the [commander] mapping out wherever they need to go and finding engagement targets.”
The training comes amid renewed threats from North Korea. The communist regime fired more than 70 missiles during 36 separate days of testing last year and flew at least five drones into South Korea’s airspace on Dec. 26.
Based on the training, Filanowski said he is confident that enemy combatants facing his Stryker crews would face “the most lopsided victory of one force over another.”
“The crews … are by far the most lethal Stryker crews in the U.S. Army,” he said. “And with our [South Korean] partners, I have no doubt that we would inflict a devastating loss on any enemy that dared to threaten the sovereignty and security of [South Korea].”
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · January 10, 2023
7. North Korea bans cellphones from public propaganda lectures
Could be useful for memes and mocking the regime. Or just exposing lies.
No clear reason is given, but people suspect authorities want to prevent video recordings from being spread
By Hyemin Son for RFA Korean
2023.01.10
rfa.org
North Koreans are no longer allowed to bring their cellphones into propaganda lectures, which are a regular, mandatory part of life there, sources in the country say.
While no explicit reason has been given, the sources told Radio Free Asia they suspect the government wants to prevent them from recording the content and sending it abroad.
When entering a public hall before a special study session reviewing recent government policy, one resident in South Pyongan province said she had to give up her cell phone for the first time.
“The person who collected the phones was the head of the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea,” said the woman, who insisted on anonymity for fear of reprisals. “She explained that this was to implement an order from the authorities to bar cellphones into any location where the party is conducting a policy study session.”
After the session, the phones were returned to them, she said.
Attending propaganda meetings is required of all citizens. Whenever Pyongyang wants to push a new policy, emphasize certain ideological views or to spread a government-friendly narrative, citizens must gather in public halls or auditoriums and listen to a government official talk, or watch a film.
This is on top of weekly neighborhood watch unit meetings or other gatherings required by their government-assigned jobs.
Some wondered if the ban was due to a special security period before the leader Kim Jong Un’s Jan. 8 birthday, while others complained it was simply another way authorities were trying to control their lives.
Privately, residents complained that there was not anything that could be leaked to the public, since the plenary meeting was public anyway.
“What is it about the party policy meeting that is such a secret that it demands the people’s efforts and repeated struggle?” the source said.
The cellphone ban is not only for special study sessions, but for regularly scheduled propaganda meetings too, a source from the northeastern province of North Pyongan told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
Workers’ cellphones were collected during one such routine meeting at the Rakwon Machine Complex, he said.
“This is the first time that cellphones have been retrieved before entering a regularly held lecture given by the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Party,” the second source said, adding that there was no explanation as to whether the measure was temporary.
“It seems that this measure will continue at all lectures in the future,” the source said. “Residents are criticizing the behavior of the authorities, who they say only care about controlling their lives day and night.”
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
8. U.S. monitoring N. Korea, others for potential chemical weapons proliferation: Pentagon
For years we have been saying the north is estimated to have about 5000 ton of chemical munitions. And of course given he assassinatio of Kim Jong Nam, the regime is not afraid to use chemical weapons.
U.S. monitoring N. Korea, others for potential chemical weapons proliferation: Pentagon | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 11, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- The United States continues to keep a close watch on North Korea and others for possible use or proliferation of illegal chemical and biological weapons, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder also said the U.S. will take all necessary measures to hold any country accountable should they use or spread such weapons.
"When it comes to chem-bio capabilities worldwide, it's something that the Department of Defense monitors very closely," the defense department spokesperson told a press briefing.
The remark comes after Ian Watson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense, highlighted the increasing threats posed by chemical and biological weapons of China and Russia.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
When asked about possible cooperation between China, Russia and North Korea, Ryder said it was something that is definitely "concerning" and "something that we will continue to keep a close eye on."
North Korea is believed to possess one of the world's largest stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.
Pyongyang also used a nerve agent to kill leader Kim Jong-un's estranged half brother, Kim Jong-nam, at a Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.
Ryder said the U.S. will continue to work closely with its allies in the region to counter any potential proliferation of chemical and biological weapons.
"When it comes to things like chemical-biological weapons, there are a variety of tools at our disposal to address," the department spokesperson said, adding, "Those can include non-military capabilities, for example, sanctions and things like that."
The Pentagon spokesperson also noted the U.S. continues to be in discussions with South Korean defense companies to purchase ammunition, but declined to comment when asked if those shells could become part of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.
"So we have been in discussions, and we have talked about this publicly before, with Korea in terms of purchasing non-government ammunition from the defense industrial base," Ryder said.
"Certainly, South Korea maintains a very robust, very capable defense industry, and so (we are) in discussions with the South Korean government in terms of purchasing ammunition to replenish U.S. stocks. But beyond that, I don't have any additional information," he added.
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en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 11, 2023
9. [History through The Korea Herald] Is 'reunification of Korea' still a goal, 70 years on?
Sure that is what the data might show. But that does not mean it should not or will not happen or that it could be prevented. What do we think will come next after the north is defeated in war, or the regime collapses?
Also, this is a function of education as well. Very few people in South Korea are sufficiently versed in understanding north Korea. And the success of deterrence for seven decades has created a complacency in the South where the status quo is believed to go on indefinitely.
And of course there is the fear of costs and effects on the lives of those in the South.
But I would submit that unification cannot be avoided regardless of how much support there is for it.
[History through The Korea Herald] Is 'reunification of Korea' still a goal, 70 years on?
Data suggests once-ironclad resolve to unite Korean Peninsula may be waning among young South Koreans
koreaherald.com · by Yoon Min-sik · January 11, 2023
“History through The Korea Herald” revisits significant events and issues over the seven decades through articles, photos and editorial pieces published in the Herald and retell them from a contemporary perspective. – Ed.
“Re-unification of Korea is goal, Rhee,” says the front page of The Korea Herald, then called The Korean Republic, in its founding edition on Aug. 15, 1953.
To today’s Koreans, this message from the late inaugural President Syngman Rhee may sound like hollow rhetoric. But to those who lived through the forced division of Korea between South and North and the horrors of a war initiated by the communist forces of the North, it must have felt very different.
When Rhee said “unification,” he meant the recovery of the Northern territory by military force if necessary, according to a declassified US diplomatic document.
Fast forward to 2023, and unification remains a national goal. There is even a government ministry decided to it, fittingly named the Ministry of Unification.
This archived photo shows the nationwide people's rally for unification of Koreas that was held across the country in 1954. (National Archives of Korea)
However, compared to 70 years ago there is a wide gulf between political leaders’ and the public’s perceptions on the need for unification, and how to achieve it.
This undated photo of Seoul shows the city ravaged by the 1950-53 Korean War (National Archives of Korea)
Is unification necessary? Answers changed over time
The question, although it may sound simple, brings with it a series of hard questions. Should the two different political systems of North and South Korea be allowed to remain in a loose form of union, or should the South absorb the North into its free democratic system? If so, who should bear the costs? Do people want this to happen in their own generation, or at a future time?
In the post-Korean War days up until the 1960s, animosity toward the communist invaders persisted, affecting all talk of unification.
Such belligerence is shown through nationwide rallies for unification that took place in 1954, during which the people marched in major cities across the country holding picket signs saying, “Unification through Northward Advance.”
This undated photo of Seoul shows the city ravaged by the 1950-53 Korean War (National Archives of Korea)
This undated photo of Seoul shows the city ravaged by the 1950-53 Korean War (National Archives of Korea)
In the aforementioned US declassified document dated Oct. 25, 1959, then-US Under Secretary of State Clarence Douglas Dillon reported to US President Dwight D. Eisenhower that South Korean leader Rhee “emphasized Korean impatience with lack of progress toward unification” and “expressed conviction only way to unify Koreas was by military force.”
According to Professor Kim Jin-hwan of the National Institute for Unification Education, who published a study in 2015 about changes in public perception toward unification, the first public survey on the issue occurred in 1960. It asked around 2,400 South Koreans to choose their preferred method of uniting the two Koreas. Over 61 percent said they were “unsure,” while 19 percent chose “a general election of Koreas under surveillance of the United Nations.”
The first survey asking whether the Koreas should be reunified at all was conducted in 1969 by the Board of National Unification -- a forerunner for the Unification Ministry. It showed that 90 percent of the 2,014 respondents said unification was necessary, with 38.5 percent saying it was possible within the next 10 years.
By the 1980s, public opinion polling had become more common and surveys conducted during this time showed fluctuations in South Koreans’ perceptions, largely affected by hostile events in bilateral relations.
In 1983, the North attempted a terrorist attack on then-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan in Myanmar, then known as Burma. A jointly conducted survey by local DongA Ilbo and Asahi Shimbun of Japan the year after showed that 48 percent of South Korean respondents saw unification as “impossible.”
A change in mood came in late 1980s when the capitalist and communist blocs showed signs of reconciliation. This reached a pinnacle with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union in early 1990s. The 1988 version of the aforementioned DongA-Asahi survey reflected this change, with the percentage of those who “hate North Korea” dropping from 76.5 percent in 1984 to 59.4 percent. Those who thought unification was impossible, however, was 43.6 percent, only a slight dip from four years before.
The 1998 election of then-President Kim Dae-jung -- the first leader in the country’s history from the liberal faction -- sparked expectations for improved relations with the North.
A survey, conducted the following year by the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, showed that while 82.58 percent of respondents agreed to the need for unification, South Korea needed to wait for the right time.
Some 6.25 percent in the 1999 KINU survey were in favor of immediate unification, a drop from 19.3 percent in 1998, while those preferring the Koreas to remained divided also dropped to 7.5 percent.
Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung (left) and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il pose for a photo during the historic 2000 interKorean summit in this file photo. (The Korea Herald)
In 2005, with two consecutive liberal leaders who emphasized improving inter-Korean relations taking the helm in South Korea, 49.2 percent said they wholeheartedly agree to the notion that “unification of the Koreas is the nation’s task that must be accomplished” while another 34.7 percent somewhat agreed.
In more recent years, South Koreans’ urge to unify with the North has waned. More prefer the peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas, according to multiple studies and surveys.
A 2021 report by the KINU shows that the national preference for unification had dropped every year from 37.3 percent in 2016 to 22.3 percent in 2020 -- before rebounding slightly in April of 2021 to 25.4 percent. But the preference for peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas has increased every year in that period, from 43.1 percent in 2016 to 56.5 percent in 2021.
The report also showed that the preference for separate Koreas was particularly high among younger Koreans.
The preference for the separate, peaceful coexistence of South and North among those born after 1991 was 71.4 percent as of 2021, the highest among all age groups. Only 12.4 percent from this group wanted unification, the lowest figure out of any age group.
The group of those born between 1981 to 1990 was also the second-highest in not wanting unification, with 55.9 percent preferring coexistence.
“The trend among the young generation of wanting coexistence with North Korea instead of unification is expected to become stronger in the future,” the researchers wrote.
With this year being the 70th anniversary of the end of Korean War, the data suggests that more Koreans have become accustomed to the existence of a communist state occupying the northern part of the peninsula.
By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Yoon Min-sik · January 11, 2023
10. Ex-security chief hid North Korea killing South Korean to shield Moon: prosecutors
An appeasement never works. "Protecting" north Korea from reporting on this brutal killing did not advance South-north relations.
Ex-security chief hid North Korea killing South Korean to shield Moon: prosecutors
Killing at sea coincides with then-president’s UN address calling for end-of-war declaration
koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · January 11, 2023
Suh Hoon, an ex-national security and intelligence chief, ordered the cover-up of the killing of a South Korean official by North Korean troops at sea in 2020 over concerns the incident would prompt criticism of then-President Moon Jae-in, according to an indictment Seoul prosecutors submitted to the National Assembly.
Seoul prosecutors said in the indictment written Dec. 9 that while Suh was the top national security adviser at Cheong Wa Dae, he told staff to keep the death of the official discreet, saying it could lead to criticism of the then-president Moon and his North Korea policy.
More specifically, prosecutors outlined the following as the main reasons behind Suh’s decision to conceal the official’s death from public knowledge.
There was concern at Cheong Wa Dae national security office that Moon’s appeasement policy on North Korea would come under scrutiny if the official’s death became known, the indictment said.
Just three hours after the official was killed, Moon was also due to give an address at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in which the then-president would call for declaring an end to the Korean War. Moon making a repeated call for declaring the Korean War over would bode poorly in the wake of what North Korea had done to a South Korean government official.
According to findings by prosecutors and state auditors, Moon was first briefed about the official having been seized by North Korea at 6:36 p.m. Sept. 22, 2020, more than a day after he was reported missing near the inter-Korean sea border. Then just hours later at around 9:40 p.m. the official was killed.
It wasn’t until the morning after the killing on Sept. 23 that the president was briefed about his death. His UN address about the end-of-war declaration took place in the early hours of Sept. 23.
Prosecutors said in the indictment that Suh had an administrative staffer delete developments following the killing in the draft of a brief to Moon, and ordered not to include them in briefs to the president.
“North Korea shot dead the missing fisheries ministry official and burned his body. This is going to have a very bad impact on the relations between South and North Korea,” Suh was cited as telling Cheong Wa Dae aides.
At a Cheong Wa Dae national security office meeting held after intelligence authorities confirmed North Korea’s killing of the official, Suh’s call for covering it up was met by some opposition from aides, the indictment said. Some of the aides present at the meeting raised concerns that it would be “impossible to keep the incident from public.” They were not heeded.
The court acceded the prosecutors’ request to arrest Suh on Dec. 3. Then on Dec. 9 prosecutors indicted him based on the accusations.
Alongside Suh, other top officials including then-National Intelligence Service chief Park Jie-won and then-Minister of National Defense Seo Wook were indicted late last year over their roles in the alleged cover-up.
Suh requested bail on Dec. 23, just 20 days after he was arrested. On Wednesday, the Seoul court opened a session deliberating his request for bail.
The late official’s family submitted a written petition earlier this week asking the court to dismiss the former national security adviser’s request for bail.
“Suh, as the head of the Cheong Wa Dae national security office, spearheaded the last administration’s cover-up of the South Korean official’s murder by North Korean soldiers,” the petition read.
“It’s clear from emerging evidence that rather than taking immediate steps to repatriate the employee of the South Korean government, he was only invested in covering up North Korea’s horrible crime. After everything he’d done, he cannot walk free.”
By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · January 11, 2023
11. S. Korea, US to conduct joint drills to respond to N. Korean nuclear attack
The ROK and US must train for every contingency, from major attack on the South, to regime collapse, to the use of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.
S. Korea, US to conduct joint drills to respond to N. Korean nuclear attack
The Korea Times · January 11, 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a New Year policy briefing by foreign and defense ministries at Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of presidential office
By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korea and the U.S. will conduct a joint military drill next month to deal with a possible North Korean nuclear attack. The exercise is part of the two countries' efforts to carry out extended deterrence.
The defense ministry announced the exercise during a policy briefing to President Yoon Suk Yeol, Wednesday, pledging to focus on building an "overwhelming response capability" to deter the North's provocations.
The joint exercise, which will be led by the two countries' Deterrence Strategy Committee, will be a tabletop exercise (TTX) assuming North Korea's use of nuclear weapons, according to the ministry.
The TTX has not been held since September 2021, but Seoul and Washington agreed to hold it annually at a bilateral defense ministerial meeting in November last year, in response to the North's increasing threats.
So far, the allies' TTX was mostly based on discussions on deterrence against North Korean provocations and crisis management, but a defense ministry official said this year's exercise will be "more aggressive."
"By expanding the scope of the exercise, we seek to upgrade intelligence sharing, consultation process, joint planning and joint execution, which are the four main segments of the extended deterrence," the ministry official said.
According to Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup, Yoon said during a briefing, "Peace that relies on the other side's good intentions cannot be sustained, and that cannot be called genuine peace."
Yoon was quoted as saying, "In order to deter North Korea's threats more practically and effectively, we should strengthen cooperation with the U.S. in each segment of the extended deterrence, and strengthen Seoul's three-axis defense system."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, right, speaks during a New Year policy briefing to President Yoon Suk Yeol by the foreign and defense ministries at Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Wednesday. On the left is Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup. Yonhap
This is in line with Yoon's recent comments where he said Seoul and Washington are discussing "joint planning and joint execution" for the practical implementation of U.S. extended deterrence to counter the North's nuclear threats.
The military will also hold an 11-day South Korea-U.S. exercise, called Freedom Shield, in the spring, immediately followed by the final test of a homegrown solid-propellant space rocket and the launch of the country's first military surveillance satellite.
During the briefing, the defense minister told Yoon that the military will focus on building an "overwhelming response capability" to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, as well as pledging to help South Korea become one of the world's top four arms exporters.
The three axes refer to the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict, the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system.
South Korean soldiers hang the country's national flag on a K21 infantry fighting vehicle during the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise between South Korea and the U.S. in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 22. Newsis
Along with the defense ministry, the foreign ministry also delivered a New Year policy briefing to Yoon on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Park Jin told reporters that the president said Seoul should "firmly respond to the North Korean provocations based on precise analyses of North Korea's military, politics, economy and civic circumstances."
The foreign ministry proposed three main tasks for this year: putting South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy into practice, approaching North Korea with a firm principle and making economy-centric diplomatic efforts.
Among them, the foreign ministry stressed the significance and the execution of the Indo-Pacific strategy and pledged to strengthen cooperation with the international community to pursue North Korea's complete denuclearization.
Announced last month, South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy is centered on bolstering the South's role in the international community's efforts to address various regional issues. It is largely seen favoring U.S.-led groupings in terms of the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, but at the same time considers the importance of engaging China.
This is a big shift from the diplomacy of Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who had maintained a stance of strategic ambivalence on conflicting international issues. This resulted in the international community recognizing Seoul as an economic partner, but not necessarily as a key strategic player on the international stage.
Along with the Indo-Pacific strategy, the ministry proposed the concept of "active diplomacy" to overcome global geopolitical competitions, pandemics, supply chain disruptions and other crises. The ministry noted that it will "improve ties with member countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue _ the U.S. Australia, India and Japan _ and actively seek national interests through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework."
Regarding the North Korea approach based on principles, the foreign ministry said Pyongyang's escalating nuclear and missile threats "clearly show" that a North Korea policy which relies on the regime's good will has failed, and unilateral appeasement policies threaten Seoul's national security.
The Korea Times · January 11, 2023
12. [ANALYSIS] Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts
For Chinese economic warfare.
[ANALYSIS] Trade reliance makes S. Korea easy target for China's visa retaliation: analysts
The Korea Times · by 2023-01-11 19:41 | Politics · January 11, 2023
A woman who arrived from China walks into a COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Jan. 5. AP-Yonhap
Seoul-Beijing COVID spat escalates following China's new visa curbs
By Jack Lau
South Korea was the first country to take the brunt of Beijing's visa suspensions in retaliation against coronavirus testing requirements imposed by more than 15 countries as cases spiked inside China after the end of its zero-COVID policy.
One analyst said South Korea was targeted first because it could do little to respond to China's retaliation, mainly because of the country's heavy reliance on trade with China. China is South Korea's No. 1 trading partner.
"I think China believes that South Korea greatly relies on it economically, and therefore when China protests, South Korea will comply with its demands. But this thinking might be an illusion," Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University of China, said.
The South Korean government was unlikely to budge on the entry restrictions and would, like other countries, drop the measures when health authorities could ensure no new coronavirus variants were being introduced from China, he said.
Shi said South Korean lawmakers' recent visit to Taiwan also seemed to have played a part in aggravating China.
The South Korean delegation led by Vice Speaker Chung Woo-taik returned to Seoul after a four-day visit to Taiwan from Dec. 28. During its visit, the lawmakers had a 40-minute meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and exchanged ideas about inter-Korean relations and other diplomatic and security issues. China reacted angrily to the parliamentarians' visit to Taiwan.
Shi said he would not rule out China halting short-term visa issuances involving more countries but could not say which might be targeted and when. But the U.S. tended to be the last country to be sanctioned by China despite being the most antagonistic against Beijing.
Passengers arriving from China pass by a COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Jan. 10. The airport was designated as the only airport from which travelers from China can arrive. AP-Yonhap
Dr. Ryu Yong-wook, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, said China is aware of the limited options South Korea can take.
"There's hardly anything [South] Korea can do to retaliate against Chinese sanctions," he said, adding that the South was one of the "easier" countries to retaliate against.
But he said he doubted the diplomatic spat would affect ties in the long term, because restrictions would likely drop in two to three months. Relations were already at a low point when South Korea's foreign policy objectives did not align with China's, especially as the U.S.-China rivalry intensified.
Buyidao, an account on Chinese social media platform WeChat that is associated with the Chinese nationalist tabloid Global Times, said Wednesday that the fresh entry requirements are an exercise of double standards, and "politicization and weaponization of COVID-19."
The South Korea-China spat went from bad to worse on Wednesday, when Beijing imposed a new visa regulation to further tightened entry requirements on South Korean and Japanese nationals.
The agency said in a statement that it would stop issuing visas at entry ports, a service used by travelers who needed to enter China in an emergency without first applying for a visa at a Chinese diplomatic mission. From Wednesday, South Koreans and Japanese nationals would no longer enjoy visa exemptions when transferring at certain ports.
Before China suspended short-term visa issuances for South Korean nationals, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin, that Seoul needed to have an "objective and scientific attitude" towards China's reopening.
Park said on Wednesday that China's retaliatory move was "deeply regrettable."
"The foreign ministries of both countries have been having a lot of conversations ― both in person and online ― in order to improve the bilateral relationship, but then this thing happens," Ryu said, referring to the visa dispute.
"So I guess it's like throwing cold water on their intention to improve their relationship."
No country besides South Korea and Japan has been retaliated against for imposing new entry restrictions, even though countries including the United States, India, Australia, Greece, Sweden and the United Kingdom have required testing for the coronavirus for travelers from China.
Beijing said Tuesday that they would stop issuing short-term visas, which allow a stay in China for up to 180 days for South Korean and Japanese nationals visiting for leisure, business, transit, medical purposes and "private matters," because the countries had imposed testing requirements on arrivals from China.
South Korea has required a PCR test since Jan. 2 within one day of arrival and a pre-flight test since Jan. 5. It also restricted the number of short-term visas issued, banned additional flights and required all flights from China to land at Incheon International Airport near the capital Seoul. The government will review the measures at the end of February.
"The measures above will be adjusted depending on the cancellation of Korea's discriminatory entry restrictions on China," the Chinese embassy in Seoul said in a statement, Tuesday.
A total of 6,396 people entered South Korea from China between Jan. 2 and Jan. 7 after Seoul imposed a post-flight COVID test, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Wednesday.
Of them, 5,617 were tested and 1,100 travelers returned a positive result for the virus, representing a positive rate of 19.6%, lower than the 21.9% of all foreign nationals entering on short-term visas in the same period.
The South Korean government said its testing requirements were imposed because of a spike in cases in China and a lack of transparency from health authorities there in publishing data on outbreaks. It said the measures were made on scientific grounds.
China has not published its daily caseloads since December last year as it abandoned a long-championed zero-COVID policy of widespread lockdowns and mass testing to control outbreaks that lasted nearly three years.
Jack Lau is a reporter with the South China Morning Post. He is currently based in Seoul, writing for both The Korea Times and the South China Morning Post under an exchange program.
The Korea Times · by 2023-01-11 19:41 | Politics · January 11, 2023
13. Missing teenage girls in Pakistan ran away to meet BTS, police say
A negative example of Korean soft power.
Missing teenage girls in Pakistan ran away to meet BTS, police say
By Sophia Saifi and Kathleen Magramo, CNN
Updated 4:05 AM EST, Wed January 11, 2023
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/11/asia/bts-pakistan-teenage-girls-missing-intl-hnk/
CNN —
Two teenage girls reported missing in Pakistan last week have been found more than 750 miles from home after attempting to travel to South Korea to meet K-pop super band BTS, police in the South Asian country said.
The two girls, aged 13 and 14, went missing on Saturday from Korangi in Karachi city, said Abraiz Ali Abbasi, a senior police superintendent of the area.
During a search of their homes, police found a diary that revealed their plans to travel to South Korea to meet the supergroup BTS, Abbasi said in a video statement.
“From the diary we saw mentions of train timetables and that they had been planning to run away with another friend of theirs … who we then interviewed,” Abassi said.
“We started tracking them aggressively and found out they were in custody of the police in the city of Lahore where they had traveled by train.”
Abbasi said arrangements for the girls to be taken back home to Karachi have been made in coordination with police in Lahore.
And he made an appeal for parents to “please monitor their children’s screen time,” so they’re more aware of what their children are viewing online.
“It isn’t a surprise that two teenagers took this risk because ‘stans’ are capable of doing this for their idols,” said culture journalist Rabia Mehmood, using a colloquial term for loyal fans. “But if we had more safe organized fan-girling spaces, younger fans could engage openly and freely with each other about their favorites instead of taking such risks.”
BTS perform onstage at the Grammy Awards on April 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
K-pop has a huge following all over the world, including Pakistan, with fans spanning age groups and genders. BTS posters and albums are sold all over the South Asian country, while Korean dramas are gaining popularity as well.
The seven-member Korean sensation BTS took a hiatus late last year, as its oldest member began mandatory military service last month. Jin, 30, started his military service on December 13, a commitment expected to last 18 months.
BTS is set to be kept apart until at least 2025 as other members of the group come of age to enter military bootcamps. The band has said they will use this time to pursue solo projects.
14. South Korea, U.S. plan February nuclear tabletop drills to deter North
Somehow I do not think a tabletop exercise will deter Kim. But the Propaganda and Agitation Department will use it as an example of the threat to the north so as to "externalize" Kim's problems and to justify the sacrifice and suffering of the Korean people as Lim "defends" against the threat from the US and the ROK. Let's expose Kim's strategy to inoculate the press, pundits, politicians, and public from the inevitable north Korean propaganda.
South Korea, U.S. plan February nuclear tabletop drills to deter North
Reuters · by Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States will hold tabletop exercises next month as the allies move to better counter the North's nuclear threats, South Korea's defence minister said on Wednesday.
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. U.S. and South Korean officials have also warned the North could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017.
Officials in both capitals said they were in talks to improve joint nuclear planning and implementation, boost information sharing and launch tabletop exercises, but the timing had not yet been finalised.
"We're planning to hold tabletop exercises in February between defence officials on operating means of extended deterrence under the scenario of North Korea's nuclear attacks," South Korean defence minister Lee Jong-sup told a news conference.
In May, the two countries' militaries will stage separate tabletop exercises for the first time, which will be "far more concrete and substantive" than the February programmes for policymakers, Lee said.
Lee's remarks came shortly after the defence and foreign ministries held a New Year policy briefing for President Yoon Suk-yeol, focusing on ways to ramp up South Korea's capability to fend off the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Since taking office in May, Yoon has been pushing to bolster confidence in American extended deterrence - its military capability, especially nuclear forces, to deter attacks on its allies - as Pyongyang strives to secure its capacity to strike anywhere in the United States.
Lee said that unlike in the past, Washington is willing to "drastically expand" the scope of sensitive information to be shared, and to "reflect much more" of Seoul's views in planning and implementation.
"There is a shared need for it between the two sides, given that North Korea's nuclear threat has become serious not only to South Korea but also to the United States," he said.
The allies will also scale up their annual joint field training this year, including holding division-level landing drills for the first time, Lee said.
As part of efforts to step up its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, South Korea plans to launch its first spy satellite this year and four more by 2025, he added.
Yoon pledged to foster "peace through strength," criticising his progressive predecessor's North Korea policy, and urged the military to stand ready to respond to provocations, his office said.
"A peace that's based on others' good faith and therefore unsustainable, we call it fake peace," Yoon told the briefing.
"We will never pursue a war of aggression, but we must be fully prepared to strongly exercise our right to self defence against provocations that threaten our freedom and peace."
Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle and Kim Coghill
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Hyonhee Shin
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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