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Quotes of the Day:
"In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity."
- Albert Einstein
"The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself, The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete."
- Lao Tzu
“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
- Samuel Adams, speech to Second Continental Congress on August 1, 1776.
1. U.S. remains fully committed to defense of S. Korea with extended deterrence: Pentagon
2. Support for Nuclear Weapons Is Growing in South Korea
3. North Korea has 80-90 nuclear weapons: Seoul researchers
4. N. Korea likely to continue provocations despite completely failed economy: Amb. Cho
5. South Korean President Says Country Could Develop Nuclear Weapons
6. S. Korea capable of developing nuclear prototype within six months
7. Japan Should Take Responsibility for 'Comfort Women' Now
8. Report: Donald Trump Wanted to Nuke North Korea and Then Blame It on Another Country
9. Did Crazy Donald Trump Almost Start a Nuclear War with North Korea?
10. S.Korea, U.S. Practice Attacking N.Korea's WMD Facilities
11. Does S.Korea Need Its Own Nuclear Weapons?
12. Police refer 23 people to prosecution after investigating Itaewon crowd crush
13. Biden says 'Katchi Kapshida' on Korean American Day
14. NK human rights groups urge president to allow loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflets
15. A different take on Pak Jong Chon’s supposed sacking
16. N. Korean military targets military wives for ideological “laxness”
17. N. Korea delivered gifts celebrating Kim Jong Un’s birthday to the elite of the elite
1. U.S. remains fully committed to defense of S. Korea with extended deterrence: Pentagon
To date deterrence has worked. I know I sound like a broken record but Sir Lawrence Freedman's statement always applies:"Deterrence works. Until it doesn't."
While President's Yoon's remarks may have appeared to create some friction in the alliance. We should understand that these discussions show that both the ROK and US are committed to deterrence and defense and they are seeking the optimal ways to deter and defend.
Excerpts:
However, from a U.S. standpoint, he said, "Our policy continues to remain focused on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
"A lot of this has to do with the fact, from a regional security and stability standpoint and non-proliferation, in terms of preventing the potential chance for the use of nuclear weapons, and so, from a United States perspective, again, our policy remains very clear on denuclearization," he added.
Ryder also emphasized U.S. extended deterrence provided to South Korea and other allies in the region, which he earlier said includes the "full range of U.S. nuclear capabilities."
"It's important also to remember that the Republic of Korea falls under that extended deterrence umbrella. And so, in addition to the U.S. forces that are assigned there on the peninsula, our allies in the region to include South Korea are part of that," he told the press briefing.
The U.S. currently maintains some 28,500 troops on the Korean Peninsula.
When pressed about the possibility of the U.S. nuclear umbrella failing to deter aggression, the Pentagon spokesperson said, "To date, it has worked and it has worked very well."
(LEAD) U.S. remains fully committed to defense of S. Korea with extended deterrence: Pentagon | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 13, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of a state department press briefing, more information in paras 3, 11-14; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains ready and capable to deter and counter any potential aggression against South Korea under its extended deterrence, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, in apparent opposition to possible nuclear armament of its Asian ally.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier this week that Seoul may deploy tactical nuclear weapons "or possess its own nuclear capabilities" should North Korean provocations intensify.
Yoon's remark followed an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles launched by North Korea. Pyongyang fired 69 ballistic missiles, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles last year, far exceeding its previous annual record of 25.
Defense Department Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder is seen holding a daily press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on Jan. 12, 2023 in this image captured from the department's website. (Yonhap)
Defense Department Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the issue was for the South Korean government to address when asked during a daily press briefing.
However, from a U.S. standpoint, he said, "Our policy continues to remain focused on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
"A lot of this has to do with the fact, from a regional security and stability standpoint and non-proliferation, in terms of preventing the potential chance for the use of nuclear weapons, and so, from a United States perspective, again, our policy remains very clear on denuclearization," he added.
Ryder also emphasized U.S. extended deterrence provided to South Korea and other allies in the region, which he earlier said includes the "full range of U.S. nuclear capabilities."
"It's important also to remember that the Republic of Korea falls under that extended deterrence umbrella. And so, in addition to the U.S. forces that are assigned there on the peninsula, our allies in the region to include South Korea are part of that," he told the press briefing.
The U.S. currently maintains some 28,500 troops on the Korean Peninsula.
When pressed about the possibility of the U.S. nuclear umbrella failing to deter aggression, the Pentagon spokesperson said, "To date, it has worked and it has worked very well."
State Department Press Secretary Ned Price is seen speaking during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on Jan. 12, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
A state department spokesperson stressed the importance of close cooperation between the U.S. and its Asian allies -- South Korea and Japan -- in dealing with the threat posed by North Korea.
Ned Price said Pyongyang poses a threat to the U.S., South Korea and Japan that the three countries "take extraordinarily seriously."
"The most challenging threat to regional peace and security we face at the moment is that from the DPRK, namely, its nuclear weapons program, its ballistic missile program, as well," he told a daily press briefing at the state department, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We discuss these issues -- alliances, effectiveness and readiness -- with our Japanese allies. We discuss them with our South Korean allies. But we are also very focused on the trilateral relationship because we know that with the trilateral relationship in some ways, the sum is greater than its constituent parts," he added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 13, 2023
2. Support for Nuclear Weapons Is Growing in South Korea
The alliance is stronger than it has been in recent years and Kim Jong Un's actions are helping to make it stronger as well as driving imrpvied trilateral cooperation among the ROK, Japan, and the US.
Support for Nuclear Weapons Is Growing in South Korea
The ROK and US will have to strengthen their relationship to weather threats from North Korea.
Words: Bo Ram Kwon
Pictures: Daniel Bernard
Date: January 9th, 2023
inkstickmedia.com · by Sahar Khan · January 9, 2023
In 2021, North Korea boasted that its “ultramodern” tactical nuclear weapons were ready for deployment. At the time, the intensifying US-China strategic competition under the “America First” campaign was fueling China’s nuclear ambitions. Moreover, the US commitment toward protecting its security allies, particularly on providing extended deterrence, waned as former President Donald Trump offered to allow allies to acquire their own nuclear arsenal to reduce “costs.” As a result, public opinion indicated the need to take nuclear matters into South Korea’s own hands, either by persuading the United States to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on Korean soil or develop capabilities of its own. In all, conservatives became more realistic, and progressive elites more skeptical about US security commitments.
The security environment surrounding the Korean peninsula in January 2023 is even more dire. In 2022, North Korea returned to testing a record number of ballistic missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, and has even rehearsed a nuclear attack against the South. The provocations have not only increased in frequency but also in the variety of methods, which makes interception more difficult.
If North Korea conducts its seventh nuclear test, it may choose to mount tactical nuclear warheads on shorter-range missiles that threaten South Korea and other US allies in the region. As if to validate these concerns, North Korea welcomed 2023 by firing four short-range missiles that could “attack any part of South Korea mounted with tactical nuclear weapons.” Moreover, Kim Jong Un recently called for an “exponential increase” in its nuclear weapons arsenal at the Workers’ Party’s policy meeting, indicating that strengthening its nuclear weapons program is a major goal of 2023.
North Korea’s nuclear prowess is growing against Russia’s war in Ukraine, ushering in what Richard Haass has called the “dangerous decade.” World order is now a combination of the traditional geopolitical order and the globalization order, making it more vulnerable to spoiler attempts. As long as strategic cooperation between China and Russia prevails, North Korea is set to take advantage of the rift between US-led democratic and non-democratic leagues to enhance its bargaining position and increase the stakes. It may well have learned from Ukraine that keeping its nuclear weapons is worth it.
NECESSARY DEVELOPMENTS
Last September, Kim Jung Un formally ruled out the possibility of denuclearization talks. Of course, it did not help that the Biden administration’s inward focus on winning the midterm elections and outward focus on winning the strategic competition against China while keeping Russia at bay kept North Korea low among its priorities.
As North Korea is bent on heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula and beyond, the ROK and the United States must continue to make substantive progress in strengthening extended deterrence and alliance credibility.
Public opinion polls in 2022 showed steady or growing support for some form of South Korea’s nuclear armament. Korean and American academics and policymakers have begun to actively exchange views on allowing US allies, such as South Korea, to develop their own nuclear weapons. These efforts were buttressed by US expert recommendations “to accept that North Korea has nuclear weapons” and that “some form of arms-control proposal” is the only realistic option to limit North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and missile systems. Others went further to argue that “direct South Korean/Japanese deterrence is an increasingly better option” and that the United States should let the nuclear debate take its own course in East Asia. However, public opinion polls remain sensitive to how the question and tradeoffs of going nuclear are portrayed in the surveys. Meanwhile, academic research provides evidence that leaders should not fear strong public pressure to use nuclear weapons in an escalating crisis during which North Korea attacks a US ally.
What is reassuring is that these discussions are taking place against the backdrop of a strengthened ROK-US alliance and joint decision-making to make extended deterrence more credible. In addition, the 54th Security Consultative Meeting Joint Communique specified that the United States will utilize “the full range of its defense capabilities,” including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities and advanced non-nuclear capabilities.
The United States also promised to increase the frequency and scale of strategic asset deployments to the Korean peninsula. The allies plan to conduct joint military exercises that include scenarios in which North Korea uses its nuclear weapons. In addition, South Korea and the United States will enhance consultation processes, including the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, and make progress in joint nuclear planning to deter and respond to North Korea’s threats. Such necessary developments were prescribed as early as February 2021.
NAVIGATING ITS COMPLEX SECURITY ENVIRONMENT
On his campaign trail, President Yoon Suk-yeol, who came into power in May 2022, emphasized the need for a bold national strategy to navigate the complex security environment. Developing nuclear weapons was not part of the agenda. Instead, he was determined to broaden South Korea’s diplomatic bandwidth to harness the region as a whole to secure its national interest rather than focus solely on engagement with North Korea.
With aspirations to become a pivotal global state, the Yoon administration published South Korea’s first-ever Indo-Pacific Strategy document, the “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region,” in December 2022. This strategic drive promises to contribute to peace and stability in the region. However, the most significant constraint South Korea needs to overcome, which differentiates its strategy from that of other like-minded nations, is that North Korea remains the primary existential threat.
As North Korea is bent on heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula and beyond, the ROK and the United States must continue to make substantive progress in strengthening extended deterrence and alliance credibility. Much collaborative research must be done in theory development and extracting empirical implications for policymakers.
Bo Ram Kwon is an Associate Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA).
inkstickmedia.com · by Sahar Khan · January 9, 2023
3. North Korea has 80-90 nuclear weapons: Seoul researchers
The KIDA report is in Korean. I could not find an English translation yet. The Korean version is at this link: https://www.kida.re.kr/frt/board/frtNormalBoardDetail.do?sidx=2184&idx=818&depth=2&lang=kr
Below is the Google translation of the abstract of the report.
North Korea has 80-90 nuclear weapons: Seoul researchers
By Thomas Maresca
upi.com
North Korea currently has 80-90 nuclear weapons and is looking to build a stockpile of up to 300, a state-run South Korean think tank said in a new report. Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- North Korea currently has 80 to 90 nuclear weapons and is targeting a stockpile of 300, according to a new analysis by a South Korean state-run think tank.
In a report issued Thursday, the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Defense Analysis estimated that North Korea has produced 4,506 pounds of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium at its Yongbyon nuclear facility. It also possesses a plutonium reserve of between 150 and 172 pounds.
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The combined amount of fissile material would yield between 80 and 90 warheads, the report said. If production capacity continues at current levels, Pyongyang could have up to 166 nuclear weapons by 2030.
The regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is aiming to grow its overall stockpile to 300 warheads, the KIDA report predicted.
At a year-end meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Kim called for "an exponential increase" of the country's nuclear arsenal in order to face off against the "hostile military moves" of the United States and South Korea.
He also ordered the mass production of lower-yield tactical nuclear weapons, which are designed to be used on the battlefield.
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Officials in Seoul and Washington have assessed that the North has completed preparations for a nuclear weapon test, which would be its seventh overall and first since 2017.
The secretive state fired missiles at a record-setting pace last year, including the November launch of the Hwasong-17, a liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile potentially capable of reaching anywhere in the United States.
North Korea also tested a solid-fuel rocket engine in December, which analysts believe is aimed at developing a solid-propellant ICBM that would be more maneuverable and quicker to launch.
In response to the growing threat posed by the North, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said for the first time on Wednesday that Seoul may build its own nuclear weapons or ask Washington to redeploy them on the Korean Peninsula.
"Now that the problem has become more serious, we may deploy tactical nuclear weapons here in Korea or possess our own nuclear weapons," Yoon said at a joint briefing with the foreign affairs and defense ministries. "If that happens, it won't take a long time for us to have one, given our scientific and technological capabilities."
He was quick to add, however, that South Korea was still focusing on more "realistically possible" solutions by continuing to strengthen its security alliance with the United States.
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Northeast Asian Security Situation Analysis (NASA)
Korean keywordNorth Korea, nuclear warheads, quantity estimation, type of nuclear useshare
North Korea formalized South Korea as an 'obvious enemy' in a decision adopted at the conclusion of the 6th Party Central Committee plenary meeting (plenary meeting) held from December 26 to 31, 2022. In addition, while assessing the situation, he expressed his willingness to use nuclear weapons offensively, saying, “The second mission (of nuclear weapons) will also be carried out,” and “the second mission is clearly something other than defense.” He then emphasized the importance and necessity of mass production of tactical nuclear weapons and the need to increase the number of nuclear warheads exponentially.
On the last day of the plenary meeting, a presentation ceremony for a '600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher' was held in the garden of the party headquarters in the presence of Kim Jong-un. Regarding the rocket launcher, Kim Jong-un said, “It is possible to mount tactical nuclear weapons with the whole of Korea in range,” and explained that it plays a role in “overwhelming the enemy as a key offensive weapon.” North Korea defined South Korea as an enemy. It is seeking to maximize the deterrence effect while realizing the threat by emphasizing not only the advancement of nuclear capabilities but also a strong will. And Kim Jong-un also boasted that he would use it when attacking South Korea in front of a multiplexer that operates tactical nuclear weapons.
Therefore, this paper examines North Korea's aggressive use of nuclear weapons and estimates the size of its goal of possessing nuclear warheads to increase exponentially in the future. Based on the evaluation of North Korea's nuclear warhead production capacity, the scale of nuclear warheads currently possessed and future growth trends were also predicted. It comprehensively evaluated the growing North Korean nuclear threat while also confirming the ability to deliver nuclear weapons, including a 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher.
* You can read the original text by selecting Quick View.
About the author
박용한 (Yonghan PARK/Park Yonghan)
- department :
- Security Strategy Research Center (North Korea Military Research Office)
- rank :
- Senior Researcher
- Area of expertise:
- Rapid change in North Korea, stabilization strategy, North Korean military/nuclear strategy, Northeast Asian military power, maritime security, defense policy
- Contact :
- 02-961-1696
View more
Lee Sangkyu
- department :
- Security Strategy Research Center (North Korea Military Research Office)
- rank :
- Current Research Fellow
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- -
- Contact :
- 02-961-1857
4. N. Korea likely to continue provocations despite completely failed economy: Amb. Cho
I have a slightly different take than the Ambassador. I would change the word "despite" to "because of." Provocations will continue because of the failed economy. Kim must generate the external threat through provocations in order to justify the sacrifices and suffering of the Korean people as Kim prioritizes the development of nuclear weapons and missiles over the welfare of the Korean people in the north.
But we need more leaders to state that Kim's strategy is failing. KIm has caused economic failure due to his policies. But Kim's overall strategy is failing as he cannot extort concessions from the ROK, the US, and the international community.
N. Korea likely to continue provocations despite completely failed economy: Amb. Cho | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 13, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is widely expected to continue its provocations this year, presenting a very serious challenge for the entire international community, South Korea's ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong said Thursday.
Cho said part of the reason for North Korea's continued provocations may be because leader Kim Jong-un is not happy with his "utter failure" in developing the North Korean economy.
"I cannot see positive things coming out of North Korea in any case," the South Korean diplomat declared when asked what to expect from North Korea in 2023.
"And we all know that Kim Jong-un is not a happy man these days because North Korea's economy (has been) always bad over the years, but really (is) in shambles these days," added Cho.
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong is seen speaking during a seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, in Washington on Jan. 12, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
The South Korean ambassador was speaking at a seminar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, which was also attended by Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs.
Pyongyang fired a new annual record of 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, compared with a very "distant second" of 25 set a few years ago, according to Cho.
The South Korean ambassador also explained that North Korea's external trade has dwindled to only about 5 percent last year from its peak years in 2011 and 2012, despite Kim's promise to deliver nuclear weapons and economic development to his people.
"He delivered to some extent on his promise to give a nuclear capability to North Korean people. But it was an utter failure for him in terms of delivering economic development to the North Korean people," said Cho.
"So this is a very important challenge for South Korea, for Indo-Pacific countries (and) the whole international community," he added.
Campbell highlighted the importance of close cooperation between like-minded countries to deal with threats posed by North Korea and other global challenges.
"It will be important for our countries to work together on initiatives that respond to the daily needs and challenges of the people from climate change to food insecurity more generally," Campbell told the meeting.
On a similar note, Campbell praised Japan for consulting closely with the U.S. before releasing its new national security and national defense strategies late last year that call for Tokyo to double its annual defense spending to two percent of its gross domestic product.
"When countries sometimes set off on these journeys, they go alone. Not Japan. They have done this in the deepest possible consultation with the United States over months of painstaking discussions," he said.
"I will also say that Japan has consulted very broadly and widely not just with, you know, political folks or strategists here, but across the region as a whole," he added.
Kurt Campbell (second from R), National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, and South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Tae-yong (third from R) are seen taking part in a seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington on Jan. 12, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
Campbell also reaffirmed the U.S.' support for Japan's new national strategies that also call for the country to acquire what it calls "counter strike capabilities."
"I think there is an understanding that the environment around Japan has really changed for the worst for over the course of the last several years," Campbell said, citing North Korean provocations.
"We are confronting a North Korea that continues provocative steps, appears, at this time, disinterested in diplomacy, not only with the United States, but South Korea and Japan, and is on a very provocative path," he added.
The White House official noted there existed "some frustration" when asked about U.S. policy on North Korea due to Pyongyang's disregard for dialogue, but said the U.S., as well as its South Korean and Japanese allies, continue to remain committed to diplomacy.
"I think there is probably some frustration because many of the strategies that we have tried with respect to reaching out, providing opportunities for venues for engagement have generally been ignored," said Campbell.
"I think the hope will be at some point they will get off this path. But I can't tell you that we see any signs of this at this juncture," he added.
Youtube
https://youtu.be/gofLVnztt-g
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · January 13, 2023
5. South Korean President Says Country Could Develop Nuclear Weapons
Although I disagree with the need for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons as well as redeploying US tactical nuclear weapons, I respect President Yoon's decision to discuss the issue. He is clearly trying to do what is best to defend South Korea and that is what we should focus on.
We should keep in mind and emphasize that South Korea is a superior peaceful nuclear power building nuclear power plants around the world. It has superior rocket technology (and is orbiting the moon sending back photos from space that are far superior to anything the north can produce).
I would also like to point out what China and north Korea will do if the South develops its own nuclear weapons or if the US redeploys tactical weapons to the peninsula. There will be Koreans in the South who will vehemently protest either course of action. Now with the limited number of US bases in the South it will not be hard for opponents to mount protests at likely storage locations. the United Front Departments of both China and north Korea (and the Cultural Engagement Bureau of nK) will very likely support these protests and try to whip up and expand existing anti-American sentiment. This will be an opportunity to try to drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance. So while proponents argue that there must be nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula to improve deterrence and defense, the location of nuclear weapons on the peninsula will provide China and north Korea the opportunity to exploit them to subvert the ROK and attack the alliance.
South Korean President Says Country Could Develop Nuclear Weapons
Yoon Suk-yeol is the first leader in Seoul to explicitly raise the prospect in decades
https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korean-president-says-country-could-develop-nuclear-weapons-11673544196?mod=hp_listb_pos2&utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru&SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d
By Dasl YoonFollow
Updated Jan. 12, 2023 9:17 pm ET
SEOUL—South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said the country could develop its own nuclear weapons or ask the U.S. to redeploy them on the Korean Peninsula if the threat from North Korea grows, in the first time a leader of the country has explicitly raised the prospect in decades.
The prospect of South Korea, a nonnuclear state, acquiring its own weapons threatens to destabilize nuclear disarmament efforts and inflame already high tensions with Pyongyang. The idea has long been rejected by the U.S. and previous administrations in Seoul, although polls have shown it is supported by a majority of the public in South Korea.
“If the issue becomes more serious, we could acquire our own nuclear weapons, such as deploying tactical nuclear weapons here in South Korea,” Mr. Yoon said after meeting South Korean defense officials on Wednesday. “But it is important to choose realistically possible options,” he added, saying that the U.S. and South Korea are discussing sharing information and jointly executing plans to deter North Korea’s nuclear threat.
South Korea’s presidential office released the remarks on Thursday, stressing that there had been no change in the country’s policy of abiding by the Nonproliferation Treaty. “In order to effectively deter North Korea’s threats, our government has been focusing on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea extended deterrence,” the presidential office said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shown on TV on Jan. 1, has launched a spree of weapons tests recently.
PHOTO: KIM JAE-HWAN/ZUMA PRESS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s spree of weapons tests and growing nuclear threat have fueled a debate in South Korea over the deployment and development of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. Mr. Yoon has pushed for Washington to allow Seoul to be more involved in the management of nuclear weapons, including planning and joint exercises.
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South Korea is protected under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, an agreement that says Washington will use its nuclear weapons to defend its ally. The U.S. withdrew its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in the early 1990s under a disarmament deal with the Soviet Union, and Washington has rejected calls to redeploy them.
Park Chung-hee, a dictator who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades before his 1979 assassination, had sought to develop nuclear weapons but dropped the plan due to opposition from the U.S., according to documents declassified in 2008. Mr. Yoon made the first significant comments from a South Korean leader on the possibility of nuclear armament since then, said Cheon Seong-whun, a former South Korean National Security Council official.
“Yoon’s remarks signal a paradigm shift in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear threat,” Mr. Cheon said.
When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was elected he promised to take a tougher stance on North Korea.
PHOTO: LEE JIN-MAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Korea’s opposition party condemned Mr. Yoon’s remarks, calling it “absolutely unrealistic” and inappropriate as tensions escalate on the Korean Peninsula. “If we pursue nuclear armament, how would we call on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons?” opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung said on Thursday.
The U.S. remains committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and South Korea has made clear they are not seeking nuclear weapons, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a Thursday press briefing.
“What we are going to seek, jointly together with them, are improvements in extended deterrence capabilities,” Mr. Kirby said.
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The only effective way to reduce nuclear threats on the Korean Peninsula is by curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, an NSC spokesman added.
Robert Einhorn, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former senior State Department official, said it wasn’t clear why Mr. Yoon would discuss a South Korean nuclear weapon now, but suggested it could be to placate domestic supporters, to prod Beijing to rein in Pyongyang, or to pressure the Biden administration for a bigger role in the development of the U.S.’s extended deterrent.
“Senior Yoon administration officials say they support reliance on a strengthened U.S. extended nuclear deterrent, not South Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons, and they say they are working with American officials in an effort to strengthen it,” Mr. Einhorn said.
Support for developing nuclear weapons in South Korea has risen at times of heightened tension with North Korea. A poll by the Chicago Council of Global Affairs showed support stood at about 55% in 2018, when leaders from the two countries engaged in a series of summits. With negotiations stalled and North Korea on a missile-testing spree, support had risen to 70% last year.
Mr. Yoon’s remarks are aimed at signaling to North Korea that South Korea is willing to consider extreme measures if Pyongyang continues to threaten Seoul with its weapons program, analysts said. But it is unlikely that Washington will seriously consider more nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula as an option, they said.
When Mr. Yoon was elected in March he promised to take a tougher stance on North Korea. Last year, North Korea tested a record number of missiles and passed a law allowing pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the South.
Some South Korean lawmakers have called for the U.S. to permanently station nuclear-armed submarines or aircraft carriers near the Korean Peninsula. Others have suggested an arrangement similar to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in which South Koreans would be trained to deliver U.S. nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict. But Washington has rejected such calls.
Mr. Yoon has used increasingly heated rhetoric in recent weeks after Pyongyang flew five drones over South Korean territory last month. He has vowed punishment and retaliation against the North and said the U.S. nuclear umbrella isn’t sufficient to reassure the South Korean public in the face of an increasingly aggressive North Korea.
“The North Korean nuclear threat is not only a threat to South Korea or an issue of the U.S. merely protecting South Korea,” Mr. Yoon said on Wednesday. “It is now a common interest for South Korea, Japan and the U.S.”
Michael R. Gordon in Washington contributed to this article.
Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
Appeared in the January 13, 2023, print edition as 'South Korea Considers Nuclear Weapons'.
6. S. Korea capable of developing nuclear prototype within six months
South Korea is an advanced peaceful nuclear power.
Excerpt:
"The government's principle to comply with the NPT system remains unchanged,” an official from the Presidential Office said on Thursday. “President Yoon's comments show his firm will at a time when North Korea is escalating its nuclear threat."
S. Korea capable of developing nuclear prototype within six months
donga.com
Posted January. 13, 2023 07:49,
Updated January. 13, 2023 07:49
S. Korea capable of developing nuclear prototype within six months. January. 13, 2023 07:49. by Sang-Ho Yun, Na-Ri Shin ysh1005@donga.com,journari@donga.com.
President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks on "the possibility of Seoul's possession of nuclear weapons" led to increased attention to the technological procedures and time period required for Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons. "South Korea already has the reprocessing and enrichment technologies at the level of nuclear states’," said Seo Kyun-ryul, an honorary professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University. "Once Korea decides to develop one, we can make a 20-kiloton prototype in just six months."
Plutonium can be created by reprocessing the spent fuel rods of around 20 nuclear plants in operation and Unit 1 of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, which was shut down in 2019. "Three shifts of 500 highly-skilled technicians a day will be enough to get six kilograms of plutonium within six months," said Mr. Seo. It means Korea can secure nuclear materials to the amount of three nuclear plants if it produces uranium by using laser-enrichment technology at the same time.
In 2000, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute successfully tested the production of weapons-grade uranium using laser-enrichment methods, which led to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s inspection. "A detonator can also be manufactured within a year,” a military source said. Experts say that a supercomputer simulation can verify the prototype without a nuclear test. Professor Seo predicted, "In two to three years after the completion of the prototype, we will be able to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons that are miniaturized to 50 to 60 kilograms, and install them on fighter jets or Hyunmoo missiles."
However, it is widely believed that the option to be nuclear-armed is not feasible. If South Korea breaks the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and starts nuclear development, the country will inevitably face unaffordable economic and diplomatic losses and damaged relations with the U.S. "South Korea‘s attempt to arm itself with nuclear weapons under the NPT system will take a huge toll on its economy caused by economic sanctions," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
"The government's principle to comply with the NPT system remains unchanged,” an official from the Presidential Office said on Thursday. “President Yoon's comments show his firm will at a time when North Korea is escalating its nuclear threat."
한국어
donga.com
7. Japan Should Take Responsibility for 'Comfort Women' Now
Excerpts:
The most effective way to heal the weakest link in the Japan-ROK-US relationship for countering North Korea and China is for Japan to accept legal responsibility rather than shallow deals that allow Japan to dodge it. Japan should emulate its World War II partner Germany in fully embracing accountability. South Korea — including its courts and civil society — must be strong in upholding the rights of Japan’s victims so that Japan and ROK can truly look forward. While championing Japan’s military strengthening, the United States must pressure Japan to take legal responsibility for its crimes, which aligns with the US commitment to the rules-based order.
Overlooking Japan’s legal responsibility for the sake of security fails to address the source of tensions that diminish security. In contrast, Japan’s respect for international criminal law would allow Japan and South Korea to look forward to a brighter future together instead of perpetuating a long-oozing wound. Legal accountability is the only genuinely effective way to strengthen the Japan-ROK link of the US trilateral relationship. True security would be enhanced, not diminished if Japan embraced true accountability for its crimes.
Japan Should Take Responsibility for 'Comfort Women' Now
Legal accountability is the most effective way to heal Japan’s relationship with South Korea and strengthen its relationship with the US.
Words: Grace M. Kang
Pictures: Hakan Nural
Date: January 11th, 2023
inkstickmedia.com · by Sahar Khan · January 11, 2023
Key US security partners Japan and the Republic of Korea are holding consultations to mend fissures from decades of inadequate resolution of Japan’s World War II atrocity crimes against Koreans. Japan’s lack of legal accountability for its sexual enslavement of tens of thousands of Korean women and girls (so-called “comfort women”) degrades the Japan-ROK relationship. This rift also harms US interests because strong Japan-ROK-US trilateralism is critical for security as the United States — with its allies — seeks to counter North Korea’s nuclear threat and China’s rise.
In 2015, Japan and South Korea announced non-legally binding statements that intended to close the sexual slavery issue “finally and irreversibly.” This 2015 Announcement stipulated that South Korea would set up a foundation that Japan would fund for the care of the few “comfort women” still alive, and Japan and South Korea would refrain from criticizing each other at the UN. In addition, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he expected a key symbol of the “comfort women,” a small statue of a girl, to be removed from the vicinity of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Japan provided about $8.3 million to the foundation, avoiding direct compensation to individual victims and instead calling it a “humanitarian contribution.”
South Korean President Park Geun-hye had agreed to the announcement because conservatives have long prioritized ways to improve relations with Japan, a neighbor and important trading partner, and she also wanted to resolve the issue before the elderly victims died. But the announcement hasn’t had the impact either government envisioned — and now Japan blames South Korea for ongoing tensions regarding its brutal enslavement of the “comfort women.”
A SHAKY FOUNDATION FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
The 2015 Announcement immediately provoked outrage from many Koreans and led former ROK President Moon Jae-in to dismantle the foundation. The UN agreed the announcement utterly failed to meet international justice standards against atrocity crimes. Victims, who must be at the center of transitional justice, were not adequately consulted in the deal between the perpetrator state and its former colony. Closing the issue “finally and irreversibly,” with Japan seeking to remove the “comfort women” statues, was the opposite of international standards.
Koreans — and the world — must remember Japan’s crimes as a matter of principle for the sake of the victims and justice. And South Korea’s efforts to improve relations with Japan must be grounded by such principles.
Financial assistance and apologies are merely elements of a long healing, which should include criminal prosecutions, legal responsibility, memorialization, testimonies of the victims and other records for history, and education to prevent such atrocities from happening again — all of which were missing in the 2015 Announcement. In addition, raising the issue at the UN when the perpetrator state refuses to accept legal accountability is imperative. Instead, Japan aggressively shirks responsibility internationally. An example was in September 2021 when Japan protested to Germany against a Berlin district’s display of a “comfort women” statue that Korea Verband, a local nonprofit, had installed to raise awareness about the women.
That a statue in Germany would persist, despite Japan’s diplomatic pressure, is a testament to the divergent paths the two World War II partners have taken. Unlike Germany, Japan veered off the road to full reconciliation with its former enemies. Japan denied the term “sexual slavery,” although the term “slavery” for the mass systematic rape was not hyperbole; it was a legal term established as an international law violation at the time when Japan perpetrated it, based on Japan’s own admission that the women and girls were deprived of their freedom. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel advised Japan in 2015 to “call things by their name.”
Calling crimes by their name strengthens the rules-based order championed by the United States. Instead, Japan compounds victims’ grievances by mixing apologies (including the 2015 Announcement) with denials that the women were coerced, dodging legal responsibility, actively campaigning against victims’ advocacy internationally, and failing to educate its younger generation about the truth of its crimes. These failures contrast sharply with Germany, which embraced its legal responsibility, including through the payment of $90 billion in reparations and pensions to victims of the Holocaust that continue to this day.
Japan blames South Korea for moving the goalposts by not adhering to the 2015 Announcement. The problem, however, is that Japan never paid attention to goalposts long established by international law and standards repeatedly articulated by the UN, which despite its own problems, is considered the foundation of the rules-based international order. The magnitude of Japan’s atrocity crimes — raping victims, including to death; permanently disfiguring victims; and other profound assaults that constituted torture during enslavement — makes them unforgettable. Glossing over them with a shallow deal will never lead to true healing. Indeed, Koreans — and the world — must remember Japan’s crimes as a matter of principle for the sake of the victims and justice. And ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol’s efforts to improve relations with Japan must be grounded by such principles.
Although in flux, ROK courts also understand the claims against Japan for crimes against humanity. On Jan. 8, 2021, Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of 12 “comfort women” and ordered Japan to pay them about $91,800 each. The court determined that Japan could not shield itself by invoking sovereign immunity against jus cogens crimes, which are crimes so significant that they pre-empt other rules of international law. However, in April 2021, the court (with a different panel) ruled that Japan’s sovereign immunity shielded it from another group of “comfort women’s” claims, which reflected current customary international law.
South Korea’s forced labor rulings also have cut both ways. All parties are now awaiting further court decisions on these issues. South Korean courts must be strong and have the courage to evolve customary international law in favor of the “comfort women,” as the Seoul Central District Court did in January 2021, and also correctly hold that a 1965 Japan-ROK treaty that settled claims permanently did not cover sexual slavery. When Japan retaliates, the United States, the UN, and any country that cares about the rule of law must seek to quash it through robust pressure.
JAPAN’S NEW STRATEGY
Although Japan will protest, pressuring it to abide by international law and accept legal responsibility for its crimes aligns with the United States’ emphasis on defending the rules-based order, which Japan’s failure glaringly contradicts. At the same time, the United States enthusiastically supports Japan’s quest to improve its military capabilities. Japan’s accountability and its strengthening military are compatible; indeed, the former enhances the latter because it makes close relations and interoperability between Japan and ROK possible, thereby bolstering the trilateral relationship’s capabilities.
Japan’s rising military strength could perhaps provide the only context in which Japan’s acceptance of legal responsibility could occur.
With the rise of China, China’s interest in Taiwan, and North Korea’s provocations, the United States is correct to welcome Japan’s strengthening military and encourage strong trilateral relations. In December 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that Japan was now “at a turning point” when Japan announced milestone changes to its national security strategy, including acquiring counterstrike capabilities to be able to hit enemies with long-range missiles and ramping up its defense budget to 2% of its gross domestic product over five years, which would make it the third largest in the world after the United States and China.
Japan’s rising military strength could perhaps provide the only context in which Japan’s acceptance of legal responsibility could occur. Right-wingers now enjoying unprecedented military spending, within this context of strength, could possibly accept legal responsibility and transitional justice as a comparatively small concession appropriate for its “turning point,” potentially reassuring former enemy countries that may be wary of its return toward military predominance. By doing so, Japan’s stature could be enhanced, as Germany’s accountability has done for it, and it would be a smart strategy for it to genuinely move on from its dark World War II past.
While strongly supporting Japan’s military strengthening, the United States must lean hard on Japan to accept its full legal responsibility, even though Japan is unlikely to do so. The issue is firstly about perpetrator vs. victim, placing the onus on Japan to rectify its injustice. US pressure is essential because Japan cares about the United States much more than it cares about South Korea.
HOW TO MOVE FORWARD
The most effective way to heal the weakest link in the Japan-ROK-US relationship for countering North Korea and China is for Japan to accept legal responsibility rather than shallow deals that allow Japan to dodge it. Japan should emulate its World War II partner Germany in fully embracing accountability. South Korea — including its courts and civil society — must be strong in upholding the rights of Japan’s victims so that Japan and ROK can truly look forward. While championing Japan’s military strengthening, the United States must pressure Japan to take legal responsibility for its crimes, which aligns with the US commitment to the rules-based order.
Overlooking Japan’s legal responsibility for the sake of security fails to address the source of tensions that diminish security. In contrast, Japan’s respect for international criminal law would allow Japan and South Korea to look forward to a brighter future together instead of perpetuating a long-oozing wound. Legal accountability is the only genuinely effective way to strengthen the Japan-ROK link of the US trilateral relationship. True security would be enhanced, not diminished if Japan embraced true accountability for its crimes.
Grace M. Kang is the author of “Resolving the Japan-Korea ‘Comfort Women’ Conflict: The Most Effective vs. The Most Likely Solution” in the Journal of East Asian Affairs. She is an associate at the Institute for Corean-American Studies, a former US State Department official, a former visiting assistant professor at Seoul National University, and Columbia Law School graduate with long experience in human rights.
inkstickmedia.com · by Sahar Khan · January 11, 2023
8. Report: Donald Trump Wanted to Nuke North Korea and Then Blame It on Another Country
Sigh...
Report: Donald Trump Wanted to Nuke North Korea and Then Blame It on Another Country
Incredibly, this wasn’t the only time he reportedly proposed attacking a foreign nation and then pretending the US didn’t do it.
BY
JANUARY 12, 2023
Vanity Fair · by Condé Nast · January 12, 2023
Last March, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Donald Trump reportedly told a room full of Republican National Committee donors that the US should “put the Chinese flag” on a bunch of military planes and “bomb the shit” out of Russia—and afterward, “we say, China did it, we didn’t do it, and then they start fighting with each other, and we sit back and watch.” Maybe you remember this, because it was a fucking insane thing to say. Or maybe you don’t, because Trump has said and done fucking insane things on a near-daily basis for many years now. Either way, it seems that this was not a one-off, and that suggesting the US attack another country and blame it on someone else is reportedly very much the 2024 presidential candidate’s thing.
In a new section of his 2020 book on Trump, as obtained by NBC News, New York Times correspondent Michael Schmidt reveals that Trump spent much of 2017 suggesting “behind closed doors in the Oval office” that he wanted to attack North Korea. The then president, Schmidt writes in the soon-to-be released afterword to Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President, “cavalierly discussed the idea of using a nuclear weapon against North Korea, saying that if he took such an action, the administration could blame someone else for it to absolve itself of responsibility.”
For his part, John Kelly reportedly attempted to explain to his boss why that probably wouldn’t work, noting that “It’d be tough to not have the finger pointed at us,” but, of course, the then White House chief of staff was using reason and logic, two things that haven’t typically worked on Trump. Still, according to Schmidt, Kelly tried, bringing in “the military’s top leaders to the White House to brief Trump about how war between the US and North Korea could easily break out, as well as the enormous consequences of such a conflict. But the argument about how many people could be killed had ‘no impact on Trump.’” Nor did the threat of economic blowback; according to the book’s update, informed of why all of this would be a very bad idea, the president would still “turn back to the possibility of war, including at one point raising to Kelly the possibility of launching a preemptive military attack against North Korea.”
Last May, less than two months after the former guy reportedly floated the idea of attacking Russia and blaming it on China, we learned that, according to former defense secretary Mark Esper, Trump asked, on at least two occasions, if the military could “shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs,” saying, “They don’t have control of their own country.” Told all the various reasons this idea was a no-go, the then president reportedly insisted that they could do it “quietly,” adding: “no one would know it was us.” Informed that, yes, people would know it was the US, Trump apparently responded that he would simply lie and say the US didn’t do it.
Anyway, all this would maybe be neither here nor there if Trump was simply an ex-president whose patently insane and wildly dangerous notions were in the past, and no longer posed a risk to the United States—but unfortunately, he’s not!
Vanity Fair · by Condé Nast · January 12, 2023
9. Did Crazy Donald Trump Almost Start a Nuclear War with North Korea?
Yes, a bizarre scenario.
Excerpt:
A recent book on Trump’s presidency outlined the scenario that unfolded during the reign of Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly. Kelly claimed that Trump wanted to use a nuclear weapon against the Hermit Kingdom and then blame the act on another country.
Did Crazy Donald Trump Almost Start a Nuclear War with North Korea?
19fortyfive.com · by Brent M. Eastwood · January 12, 2023
How Close Did We Come to Nuclear War Against North Korea Under Trump? – Former President Donald Trump had a humorous and disparaging nickname for North Korea’s supreme honcho Kim Jong Un – “Little Rocket Man.”
But all kidding aside, the war of words between the two mercurial leaders could have sparked a nuclear crisis.
(Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel Here. 19FortyFive publishes new videos every day.)
A recent book on Trump’s presidency outlined the scenario that unfolded during the reign of Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly. Kelly claimed that Trump wanted to use a nuclear weapon against the Hermit Kingdom and then blame the act on another country.
Book Speaks of Potential Nuclear Crisis
This bizarre scenario frightened Kelly and he attempted to talk Donald Trump down from the ledge. The book, Donald Trump v. the United States, by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, outlined Kelly’s concerns beginning in 2017, when Trump was allegedly contemplating potential Armageddon on the Korean peninsula.
Was This a Well-Sourced Book?
Schmidt claims, according to NBC News, that he conducted numerous interviews with staff who worked closely with Kelly from 2017 to 2019, during the former marine general’s tenure as chief in the White House. He also examined quotes from defense officials familiar with policy toward North Korea at the time.
Trump Starts Banging the Drum Against Kim Jong Un
Some of Trump’s rhetoric was publicly used to admonish the North and Kim Jong Un. He said on Twitter in 2017 as Kelly took on his job at the White House that North Korea would be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Trump also told the United Nations that the United States could “totally destroy the North.”
Kelly Claims that Trump Tossed Around the Idea of Nuclear War
But the talk inside the White House from Donald Trump was allegedly even more severe, casual, and matter of fact toward nuclear war, Kelly said in the book.
In the White House, Trump mulled actually attacking the North with nuclear weapons and that the United States could evade blame for the act by accusing another country of war.
Donald Trump Was Difficult to Convince
Kelly was alarmed and told Donald Trump that it would be difficult to convince the world that the United States would be blameless should it fire nuclear missiles at North Korea.
Kelly tried to warn that such an attack would create a blood bath and that even conventional warfare with the North would kill tens of thousands of people. Kelly said in the book that these warnings had “no effect” on Trump.
Did He Want to Press the Nuclear Button?
But the former president was still undeterred and kept looking at ways to go to nuclear war against the Hermit Kingdom.
Kelly said that Trump would need Congressional support for such an attack, which “annoyed” Donald Trump, the book said. Then Trump took to Twitter again in 2018 and warned that his nuclear “button” worked.
Kelly switched his line of advice and reportedly convinced Trump to use direct diplomacy with Kim Jong Un.
Let’s Tread Carefully
This recount may be true, but it should be noted that political memoirs and tell-all books are sometimes driven by the participants’ ego and their desire to make them look as competent and even heroic as possible while serving for presidents.
Nuclear war would be unthinkable and unspeakable to many presidents.
Trump, alternatively, had a penchant for thinking out loud about ridiculous options but not totally carrying out his musings. It is certainly alarming that he would even think of a nuclear first strike.
Donald Trump Chose Diplomacy
If Kelly wants to take credit for keeping Trump’s finger off the trigger, so be it, but Trump did engage in diplomacy with Kim Jong Un. The two leaders met several times, and Trump crossed the border and stood in North Korean territory, the first time an American president took such a step.
Providing Context on ‘Instant Histories’
If his account is completely accurate, Kelly should be given credit for convincing Trump to back down and avert tragedy, but there could more to the story that the book has left out.
This kind of “instant history” books can be inaccurate. Better and more astute historians use official emails, notes, and read-outs of meetings and phone calls as evidence instead of just oral interviews. Unfortunately, it takes years to declassify such records, and instant history journalists want to get their findings to the public as quickly as possible.
Moreover, the book’s author, Schmidt, has made a career of attacking Trump, and that animus should be noted as well.
We should then treat this North Korea case study as one in which cooler heads from aides such as Kelly prevailed.
However, the episode should also be considered with a healthy amount of skepticism, knowing that Kelly wanted to keep the portrayal of himself in the best light possible and that Schmidt has written repeatedly to criticize Donald Trump.
Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
19fortyfive.com · by Brent M. Eastwood · January 12, 2023
10. S.Korea, U.S. Practice Attacking N.Korea's WMD Facilities
Good training.
S.Korea, U.S. Practice Attacking N.Korea's WMD Facilities
english.chosun.com
January 13, 2023 12:16
South Korea and the U.S. are staging massive combined drills to practice seizing North Korea's weapons of mass destruction facilities.
The Defense Ministry here said Thursday that South Korea's armored brigade in the Army Capital Mechanized Infantry Division and the Stryker brigade of the South Korea-U.S. Command Forces have been conducting massive winter drills since Monday. They end on Friday.
They mobilized some 1,200 troops and 158 armored combat vehicles to practice discovering and infiltrating a mock-up North Korean WMD storage facility in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
South Korean and U.S. soldiers conduct a joint drill in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. /Yonhap
A military spokesman here said, "Combat personnel in Stryker and K200 APCs dismounted fast and seized the enemy facility in a surprise move."
A response team in a K216 nuclear/biological/chemical reconnaissance vehicle practiced detecting and handling WMDs and hazardous materials.
Troops also practiced infiltrating enemy lines in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, while a live-fire exercise was also held on another training ground under the command of a South Korean officer. Gunners fired some 200 rounds from tanks' turret machine guns to cover troop movements.
USFK Stages THAAD Missile Defense Drill
USFK Chief Dismisses Fears Over Military Readiness
S.Korea, U.S. Practice Destroying N.Korea's WMDs
N.Korean Missiles Target U.S. Reinforcements
U.S. WMD Disposal Unit Takes Part in Joint Drills
U.S. Stealth Fighters Conduct Precision Bombing Drill
U.S. 'Trains for Nuclear Bombing of N.Korea'
Big Contingent of U.S. Special Forces Joins Regular Drills
S.Korea, U.S. Kick off Big Show of Force
Joint Drills with U.S. Will Be Biggest Ever
U.S. Mulls Big Show of Force in Joint Exercises
N.Korean Commandos Practice Attack on Cheong Wa Dae
N.Korea Says It Could Renew Ties with U.S. Under Trump if Troops Go
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
11. Does S.Korea Need Its Own Nuclear Weapons?
It is hard to argue with this logic. But I think the costs (and negative 2d and 3d order effects) will outweigh the benefits.
Excerpt:
Ideally the South will never have to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Without a North Korean nuclear threat, there would be no reason for it. But what choice does Seoul have when the North continues to develop more powerful nukes, China keeps looking the other way and the U.S.' focus is elsewhere. This is a problem affecting the lives of 51 million South Koreans. The government needs to prepare for the worst and assess the country's ability to produce nuclear weapons and make necessary preparations. That will send a clear message to North Korea and China.
Does S.Korea Need Its Own Nuclear Weapons?
english.chosun.com
January 13, 2023 13:26
President Yoon Suk-yeol in a policy briefing Thursday did not rule out the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea or the country acquiring its own nuclear weapons if the North Korean nuclear threat becomes a lot more serious. Because this was his first mention of Seoul acquiring its own nukes, the remarks were splashed all over the news, but he added that the prospect is "unrealistic." Perhaps the remarks only reflect a determination to consider all options to protect national security at a time when the North has threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons against the South.
The U.S. nuclear umbrella has in some ways always been the foundation of South Korea's national security, but the North Korean nuclear program has become too menacing to entrust the fate of the nation to the U.S. alone. The North is close to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads that can hit two or three U.S. cities simultaneously. That means it would not be easy for the U.S. to extend its nuclear umbrella if it is threatened with the potential loss of millions of American lives. It makes sense to ask which U.S. leader would be willing to do that, which is precisely why North Korea has been so focused on developing ICBMs that are capable of hitting America.
European members of the NATO have either developed their own nukes or come up with a system of sharing them even though they are also under the protection of the American nuclear umbrella. NATO member states also have a say in whether to use nuclear weapons and ensure that such weapons are delivered with their own bombers. But the U.S. has banned any access to nuclear weapons for South Korea.
The U.S.-South Korea alliance is the most successful in the world, but the reality of global politics is that even then nothing can be guaranteed. If North Korea conducts a widespread provocation and threatens to use nuclear weapons, South Korea will be the biggest victim. Since the Korean War, the U.S. has never fought alongside South Korea against North Korean provocation, but recently even U.S. experts have advised South Korea to build up its strength in case the U.S. nuclear umbrella does not open.
The South Korean government has no immediate plans to develop its own nuclear weapons, but Yoon did point out that the technology is more or less in hand already and it would not take very long to do so. But his focus was more on urging the U.S. to find more effective means of suppressing the North Korean nuclear threat. The two allies must first discuss ways to jointly plan for the U.S.' nuclear assets. They need to hold simulations and practice the loading and deployment of those weapons, and discuss a NATO-style sharing of nuclear weapons.
Ideally the South will never have to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Without a North Korean nuclear threat, there would be no reason for it. But what choice does Seoul have when the North continues to develop more powerful nukes, China keeps looking the other way and the U.S.' focus is elsewhere. This is a problem affecting the lives of 51 million South Koreans. The government needs to prepare for the worst and assess the country's ability to produce nuclear weapons and make necessary preparations. That will send a clear message to North Korea and China.
Read this article in Korean
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
12. Police refer 23 people to prosecution after investigating Itaewon crowd crush
Friday
January 13, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Police refer 23 people to prosecution after investigating Itaewon crowd crush
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/01/13/national/socialAffairs/korea-itaewon-crowd-surge/20230113184230725.html
Son Je-han, head of the Itaewon special probe team in the Korean National Police Agency, gives a briefing on the results of the team's investigation to reporters on Friday in Mapo District, western Seoul. [YONHAP]
After 73 days of investigating the deadly Itaewon crowd surge, police on Friday announced that they referred 23 people to prosecutors — but concluded they won’t hold the interior minister or police chief accountable for any charges.
While some other police departments will continue investigating the fire authority and Hamilton Hotel, the special probe team at the Korean National Police Agency said in a press conference that they were effectively wrapping up their months-long probe into the Itaewon tragedy and passing the baton to prosecutors.
The victims’ surviving families slammed the probe team for failing to press charges against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, calling the investigation “irresponsible.”
Throngs of revelers fill up an alley next to Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Oct. 29, as they try to pass by. Among the crowd, 158 people, mostly under age 30, died. [YONHAP]
Based on two on-site joint inspections with the National Forensic Service, some 180 videos retrieved from CCTVs near the tragic site, about 140,000 confiscated goods from relevant organizations and 538 people investigated, the probe team said “suffocation due to crowd pressure and etcetera” was the core reason why 158 people died in the surge.
The probe team stressed that no one seemed to have intentionally pushed anyone in the narrow aisle beside Hamilton Hotel on the night of Oct. 29 as massive crowds of young revelers showed up in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.
A large crowd of people descended on the narrow, steep alley that was just 3 meters (about 10 feet) wide, ending up “simultaneously falling” on top of each other, the team said.
Kim Dong-uk, a spokesperson for the team, said they couldn’t figure out the exact cause and time of death for each victim. But when the team asked Kim Young-hwan, head of the National Medical Center’s trauma center, for advice, Kim was said to have replied that the victims could have died from suffocation, intra-abdominal hemorrhage or "reperfusion syndrome."
Park Jun-young, a mechanical design engineer at Kumoh National Institute of Technology, cited findings from forensic officials in explaining during the briefing that six to 10 victims are believed to have been crushed against each other per square meter (10.8 square feet) from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. that night, experiencing a force of about 224 to 560 kilograms (494 to 1,235 pounds) on average.
The probe team said the Itaewon tragedy was a man-made disaster, blaming the Yongsan District Office, police and firefighters for failing to take precautions.
As a result, 28 people in total were booked, six of whom have been detained on allegations including professional negligence resulting in death. Detainees include Park Hee-young, head of the Yongsan District Office, and Lee Im-jae, head of the Yongsan Police Precinct.
Seventeen people from the police, fire authority and Yongsan District Office have been referred to prosecutors without detention.
BY KIM JUNG-MIN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
13. Biden says 'Katchi Kapshida' on Korean American Day
It may seem insignificant but I have to call out the Joongang Ilbo for making the all too common media mistake. It is attributing something to US Forces Korea that actually should be attributed to the ROK/US Combined Forces Command. Sure USFK personnel use this but so do all personnel ROK and US in the Combined Forces Command. It is the motto to describe the combined command. The Korean press would rather use US Forces Korea to perpetuate the mythical sovereignty issues and make it appear that the USis in command of Korean forces (not the case).
Excerpt:
The U.S. leader also used the famous phrase of U.S. Forces Korea, "Katchi Kapshida" or "Let's go together," in a statement released by the White House to mark Korean American Day.
Friday
January 13, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Biden says 'Katchi Kapshida' on Korean American Day
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/01/13/national/diplomacy/korea-united-states-koreaus/20230113100504903.html
Erika Moritsugu, left, deputy assistant to the president and Asia-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) senior liaison at the White House, and Hannah Kim, AANHPI policy advisor at White House Office of the Chief of Staff, are seen holding a special virtual briefing on Thursday, on the eve of Korean American Day. [YONHAP]
U.S. President Joe Biden underscored the importance of a strong U.S.-Korea alliance on Thursday, saying the countries are stronger when they work together.
The U.S. leader also used the famous phrase of U.S. Forces Korea, "Katchi Kapshida" or "Let's go together," in a statement released by the White House to mark Korean American Day.
"One hundred and 20 years ago today, a group of 102 Korean men, women and children arrived in Hawaii in search of a new start," Biden said in his released statement.
"Today, Korean-Americans continue to shape and unite our country, strengthening every industry and every community and contributing their unique talents to our American story," he added.
Korean American Day is observed annually on Jan. 13.
"From serving our country in uniform and advocating for civil rights, to breaking new ground in arts and sciences, opening new businesses, serving in our hospitals and health centers, and making history for Team USA in the Olympics, the contributions of Korean-Americans enrich our lives every day and lift our nation to new heights," Biden said.
The U.S. leader also highlighted the strengths that the Korean-American community brings to the country and the U.S.-Korea alliance.
"Our nations are growing closer, not just because more Americans are calling Korea home but because generations of Korean immigrants and Korean-Americans who are enriching our culture and proving that diversity is — and always has been — our greatest strength," he said.
"As we come together to celebrate the storied history and accomplishments of Korean-Americans, I want to express my gratitude for all that this community has contributed to our nation. May the stories of Korean-Americans continue to inspire us all of the promise of the American Dream. Together, we are stronger. Katchi Kapshida," added Biden.
Yonhap
14. NK human rights groups urge president to allow loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflets
We need more than loudspeakers and leaflets. We need a comprehensive information and influence activities campaign.
NK human rights groups urge president to allow loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflets
The Korea Times · January 13, 2023
North Korean human rights group "Fighters for a Free North Korea" sends leaflets to North Korea from Paju City, Gyeonggi Province in 2022. Newsis
By Lee Yeon-woo
North Korean human rights groups urged President Yoon Suk Yeol to revise the current government guideline in order to resume loudspeaker broadcasts and let activist send anti-regime leaflets across the inter-Korean border.
Seven North Korea human rights groups from four countries ― South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada ― sent a joint letter to Yoon, asking him to revise the government guideline on the so-called "anti-leafleting law," the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), who also signed on the letter, said on Friday.
The former Moon Jae-in government legislated an amendment to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act, better known as the "anti-leafleting law," which can send anti-Pyongyang leafleters and loudspeaker broadcasters behind bars for up to three years. The law was enacted after North Korea threatened to retaliate against activists sending leaflets across the border.
The law, which went into effect in March 2021, has been criticized by human rights groups overseas for restricting freedom of speech. As the criticism mounted citing the law's ambiguity and restriction of basic rights, the unification ministry publicized the guideline leaving law enforcement authorities with the right to interpret which actions can be punished.
"Your government has been consistently opposed to the anti-leafleting law since taking office on May 10, 2022," the groups said in the letter.
Last May, Yoon said in an interview with Voice of America that he thinks it's not "appropriate for a government to forcibly regulate nongovernmental organizations' human rights activities."
"While your ruling People Power Party (PPP) currently lacks a majority in the National Assembly, the situation will remain unchanged at least until the next quadrennial parliamentary election on April 10, 2024, while there are executive actions that your government can take," the groups continued.
The groups criticized that the current law "is inconsistent with South Korea's international legal obligation to respect fundamental human rights, in particular the right to freedom of expression."
As a result, the groups requested the addition of an interpretive principle in the guideline that nothing in the law shall be interpreted as permitting the violation of human rights, such as freedom of expression and the principle of legality.
They also viewed the reasons for punishment as being groundless. The law criminalizes the action of spreading information as it can "harm or cause grave danger to the lives of South Korean citizens."
"The spreading leaflets itself is not harmful to the South Korean residents living nearby. What causes danger is North Korean's retaliation. So it is an issue of interpretation," Shin Hee-seok, a legal analyst from the Transitional Justice Working Group told The Korea Times.
They also requested the restricted area be narrowed from "south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)," which means all of South Korea, to "areas along the MDL," and asked not to punish leafleters who are in international waters when sending the leaflets. It is legal to send leaflets in a third country under the current law.
"Revising the law at the National Assembly needs approval from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and no one knows when the Constitutional Court will give its decision. So I think the suggestion is quite feasible," Shin said.
Their joint letter was also sent to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as well as the minsters of foreign affairs, justice, and unification.
The Korea Times · January 13, 2023
15. UN council's response to N. Korea's provocations 'deplorable': S. Korean envoy
Good. Hold China and Russia accountable.
UN council's response to N. Korea's provocations 'deplorable': S. Korean envoy
The Korea Times · January 13, 2023
Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook, South Korea's top envoy at the United Nations, speaks during a United Nations Security Council session in New York in this image captured from the U.N. website, Jan. 12. Yonhap
South Korea's top envoy to the United Nations expressed disappointment Thursday that the U.N. Security Council has failed to be united in responding to North Korea's recent provocations violating the council's resolutions against Pyongyang.
Addressing a session of the council, Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said it is "deplorable" that the council has failed to respond properly to the North's "plain, flagrant and repeated violations of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions" during its meetings on North Korea last year.
The North fired around 70 ballistic missiles last year, the most in a single year, including the Nov. 18 firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. The U.S. pushed for formal documents condemning the North's recalcitrance or imposing additional sanctions. But such a drive produced no tangible results in the face of opposition from China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the council. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · January 13, 2023
15. A different take on Pak Jong Chon’s supposed sacking
A rotation to recharge?
A different take on Pak Jong Chon’s supposed sacking
Kim Jong Un simply wanted to “give Comrade Pak Jong Chon a bit of rest," according to a high-ranking source in the country
dailynk.com
Kim Jong Un at the leadership podium during the Party Foundation Day military parade in Pyongyang on Oct. 10, 2020. (KCNA)
Many analysts view North Korea’s sudden sacking of leading military official Pak Jong Chon during a Workers’ Party plenary meeting held late last year as a disciplinary measure.
However, inside North Korea, some people speculate that Pak could return at any time because his sacking was not the result of illegal activity.
In reporting the results of the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee on Jan. 1, rRodong Sinmun and other North Korean media outlets reported that “Pak Jong Chon was recalled and Ri Yong Gil was by-elected as vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission.”
Pak attended the plenary session, sitting on the podium, but North Korea’s Central TV caught him with his head hung low, unable to raise his hand during the vote on organizational matters, which deals with shifts in personnel.
This scene led many North Korea watchers to believe his removal was disciplinary in nature.
According to a high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea, while Pak was indeed removed from his post as vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission, he can continue to play a role in military-related duties even without an official job title because his removal was not a punishment.
The source said it would be difficult to completely exclude Pak from military duties because he is a commander with the rank of marshal and a key military mind with a firm understanding of the strategies and tactics at the heart of North Korea’s artillery and rocket forces.
In fact, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly told high-ranking cadres while Pak was not around that he understood the general suffered from insomnia “because he was tasked with too many things during the 10 years of [Kim’s] revolutionary leadership,” and that he wanted to “give Comrade Pak Jong Chon a bit of rest.”
North Korean authorities intentionally conveyed Kim’s comments to leading officials in the military and munitions industry immediately after the plenary meeting, too.
Upon hearing Kim’s comments about Pak’s dismissal, military cadres were reportedly moved to tears by Kim’s “love and concern.”
The authorities also appear to have taken measures to prevent unconfirmed rumors about the sudden sacking of a long-time Kim favorite, or backbiting that the dismissal was disciplinary.
Last year, Yu Jin — a key player in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs — was sacked as head of the Central Committee’s Munitions Industry Department and alternate politburo member, but he returned as a Central Committee member during the latest plenary meeting.
According to multiple sources in North Korea, Yu continued to shoulder heavy responsibilities connected to the development of strategic weapons even after he was removed as head of the Munitions Industry Department.
Last December, the US Treasury Department added Yu to its list of sanctioned individuals due to his participation in the development of WMDs and ballistic missiles even after his dismissal.
Likewise, Pak could take part in closed-door duties related to North Korean army strategies and tactics or the country’s artillery force.
Ri Yong Gil, who replaced Pak, has experienced ups and downs, including rumors that he was executed in 2016, but he has risen through the military’s top positions thanks to his recognized “loyalty.”
When Ri Pyong Chol was sacked for negligence in the construction of a quarantine facility in Uiju and issues during special food provisions, the man who was dispatched to the scene and resolved the problem just as the party wished was Ri, who was the defense minister at the time.
According to the source, Ri is an official who gets things done — he responds to party policy and immediately puts it into action.
“He got his current position as a person who has quietly protected his position without rancor or pessimism, even in the face of criticism or punishment, regardless of recognition, looking only toward the party,” he said.
About the shakeup in the military leadership, military cadres reportedly say that “only by protecting the Sun [the supreme leader] with your life through absolute loyalty can you become a leading commander of the revolution, regardless of your background, age, position, career or even past accomplishments.”
Given the current mood within the military, loyalty competitions among military cadres will likely intensify.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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dailynk.com
16. N. Korean military targets military wives for ideological “laxness”
The only thing the regime has is ideology.
N. Korean military targets military wives for ideological “laxness”
A recent report detailed how young wives at a frontline military base wore short shorts in front of their parents-in-law in the summer and entered the base in flashy and revealing outfits during special events
2023.01.13 5:00pm
dailynk.com
The North Korean military’s General Political Bureau recently distributed a report summarizing work by the military’s family guidance sections in 2022 and projects planned for 2023 to political departments in each branch of the military on Jan. 2.
The General Political Bureau also announced a vigorous campaign against non-socialist and anti-socialist activity among military families.
A source inside North Korea told Daily NK on Monday that these steps follow Kim Jong Un’s designation of 2023 as a year for strengthening the political, ideological and technological prowess of the military in the sixth plenary session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the end of December.
The report distributed by the General Political Bureau reportedly included examples of non-socialist and anti-socialist activity by military families during 2022, including loose morals among female family members, unfair selection of military wives for art performances, and wives encouraging their husbands to not have children and to leave the army early.
More specifically, the report detailed how young women in families attached to the II Corps, which is stationed at the front line, wore short shorts in front of their parents-in-law in the summer and entered the base in flashy and revealing outfits during special events. Those women were sharply criticized in their family units for disrupting military decorum.
FILE PHOTO: In this undated photograph, North Korean soldiers are seen standing in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)
The report also said that in the VIII Corps, members of the propaganda team and art team misrepresented themselves as officers’ wives in a bid to be selected for the military family art performance, but their forged documents were discovered in the final review. Any further occurrence of such anti-party behavior would be punished harshly, the report said.
“This year, there won’t be any chance of cheating one’s way into a military family art performance. Officials in the propaganda department who have taken advantage of soldiers’ desire for their wives to get a spot in the art performances by taking bribes to arrange that for them must be very anxious right now,” Daily NK’s source said.
According to the source, the report also said that military discipline is being undermined by young military wives urging their husbands to stay childfree or to leave the army early so they can establish themselves in society.
“The family guidance sections in political departments say that harsh discipline of ideological backsliding by military wives is needed to ensure that officers can focus on preparing for battle. But some young wives are telling their husbands they want them to leave the military early,” the source explained.
Since such early resignations could undermine discipline throughout the army, the military is very concerned about ideological laxness among young officers’ wives given the immense impact they have on their husbands, he continued.
“The General Political Bureau’s intention in distributing this report was to sound the alarm about these behaviors and to set them straight,” the source added.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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17. N. Korea delivered gifts celebrating Kim Jong Un’s birthday to the elite of the elite
The haves and have nots. from Orwell's Animal Farm: " All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
N. Korea delivered gifts celebrating Kim Jong Un’s birthday to the elite of the elite
Military trucks and a fleet of buses delivered the goods between midnight and 2 AM each morning from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7
dailynk.com
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be seen speaking at the fourth plenary meeting of the Eighth Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee. (KCNA/Yonhap News)
North Korea rushed to deliver holiday gifts to the families of high-ranking members of the party, government and military on the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un on Jan. 8. The gifts were reportedly delivered secretly late at night to avoid provoking envy among the general population.
A source inside North Korea told Daily NK on Tuesday that the gifts were provided to a thousand or so families of members of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), Cabinet members, and senior members of the military.
On Jan. 2, North Korea reportedly conveyed the plan for the quick distribution of holiday gifts for Kim’s birthday to the ration centers used by members of the first-tier of the Workers’ Party, government and military.
In contrast with the ration centers used by the general public, the first-tier ration centers provide groceries, food products and consumer goods to tier members on a monthly and quarterly basis.
The first-tier ration centers reportedly delivered goods using military trucks with covered beds and a fleet of a hundred buses between midnight and 2 AM each morning from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7.
The buses, which are typically reserved for transporting participants to major events in North Korea, were mobilized to streamline the early morning gift delivery, the source explained. The military trucks are reportedly used for urgently transporting staff and material on orders from the WPK Central Committee.
“The gift packages include some 20 items, including 10 kilograms of pork, 10-14 frozen chickens, 10 kilograms of frozen pollack, 10 kilograms of frozen Pacific saury, 10 kilograms of frozen flounder, apples, tangerines, dried fruit, cooking oil, vinegar, sugar and artificial seasoning,” the source said.
“The presents were delivered in complete secrecy over a few days in the early morning hours. After high-quality frozen chickens, frozen seafood and cooking oils went on sale in the markets during the day on Jan. 7, shopkeepers began spreading the word that holiday gifts had been delivered to high-ranking officials,” he added.
In South Korea, “early morning delivery” is generally used to mean that items ordered on a given day will be delivered early the next morning. But in North Korea, the term refers to delivering goods to members of a privileged class in the early morning hours to avoid attention from the general public.
“In the past, the holiday gifts provided by ration centers weren’t much different from regular rations, so families would pick up their gifts in person. But since these gifts are only given to certain officials, they were delivered en masse in the early morning hours,” the source said.
The source said the Workers’ Party had decided to deliver the gifts in the early hours to hide them not only from the general public but also from cadres who were not among the 1,000 or so families on the list of recipients.
Some families that were not on the list for the gifts on Kim’s birthday complained that “the senior members of the Workers’ Party tell us not to be self-serving even while they exploit their authority to serve themselves,” the source added.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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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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