Quotes of the Day:

““You killed six men when you came in. Under our law you are guilty of murder, all of you. Why do you go into this nonsense of law, Colonel? There is no law between you and us. This is war. Don’t you know you will have to kill all of us or we in time will kill all of you? You destroyed the law when you came in, and a new law took its place. Don’t you know that?””

– The Moon Is Down (Twentieth-century Classics) by John Steinbeck

"The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him." 

– Henry L. Stimson

"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." 

– Tom Clancy

1. N.K. leader oversees submarine-launched cruise missile test: state media

2. S. Korean military sees N. Korea's claimed submarine-launched cruise missile test as 'exaggerated'

3. Rising N.K. threats raise questions over U.S. policy efficacy

4. Unification minister says designating day for defectors also meaningful for N. Korean people

5. 'North Korean official killed by protesters in China'

6. S. Korea-Russia relations hit new low following defense minister's remarks on Ukraine aid

7. North's Kim alludes to food shortages in call for regional development

8. First public center exposing NK human rights to open in Seoul

9. US urges N. Korea to refrain from 'threatening' activity, return to diplomacy

10. Kim Jong Un boosts underwater nuclear threat, urges fast submarine build

11. Whistleblower: State security officer in Russia is stealing workers’ money

12. N. Korea and Russia intensify cooperation to prevent workers from defecting

13. Why a scandal over a Dior handbag is consuming a key U.S. ally

1.  N.K. leader oversees submarine-launched cruise missile test: state media

The execution of the 7 decades old playbook continues but with new tools.

Was it real or an "exaggeration?"

Excerpts:

The flight time translates to two hours, three minutes and 41 seconds, and two hours, four minutes and five seconds, respectively. The KCNA did not give further details, including whether the missiles were launched from a submarine or a barge and how far they flew.

The South Korean military said Sunday it had detected the North's launch of several cruise missiles at around 8 a.m. over waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where a shipyard to build a North Korean submarine is located.

...

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday it is weighing the possibility that North Korea might have "exaggerated" information on the missile's flight time, adding that it is analyzing details of the launch platform.

(3rd LD) N.K. leader oversees submarine-launched cruise missile test: state media | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · January 29, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the test-fire of submarine-launched cruise missiles and reviewed a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine, state media reported Monday.

The new Pulhwasal-3-31 strategic cruise missile precisely hit an island target after flying over the East Sea for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, suggesting the test involved two missiles.

The flight time translates to two hours, three minutes and 41 seconds, and two hours, four minutes and five seconds, respectively. The KCNA did not give further details, including whether the missiles were launched from a submarine or a barge and how far they flew.

The South Korean military said Sunday it had detected the North's launch of several cruise missiles at around 8 a.m. over waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where a shipyard to build a North Korean submarine is located.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's firing of submarine-launched cruise missiles the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The Pulhwasal-3-31 is a new cruise missile that the North test-fired for the first time Wednesday. Just four days after the first launch, North Korea conducted the missile tests under the leader's supervision and disclosed that they were submarine-launched cruise missiles.

Cruise missiles, powered by jet engines, fly low and maneuver, making them hard to detect and intercept.

Kim stressed Sunday that "the nuclear weaponization of the navy is an urgent task of the times and a core requirement for building the state nuclear strategic force," the KCNA said.

"He set forth the important tasks arising in realizing the nuclear weaponization of the navy and expanding the sphere of operation of the state nuclear deterrence in a diversified way," it said.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday it is weighing the possibility that North Korea might have "exaggerated" information on the missile's flight time, adding that it is analyzing details of the launch platform.

The latest launch came as North Korea has been diversifying missile launch platforms to deliver nuclear weapons in a bid to bolster its capabilities to stage a surprise attack and evade the existing missile defense system.

The North's leader also discussed issues related to the building of a nuclear-powered submarine and other new types of warships.

In September last year, North Korea unveiled what it claimed was its first tactical nuclear attack submarine capable of carrying out an underwater nuclear attack. At that time, Kim announced a plan to build more submarines, including a nuclear-powered sub.

A nuclear-powered submarine is on the list of high-tech weapons that the North's leader vowed to develop during a key party congress in 2021, along with a hypersonic warhead, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) overseeing the country's test-fire of submarine-launched cruise missiles the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

South Korea's unification ministry condemned North Korea for wasting scarce resources for the development of weapons while turning a blind eye to people's livelihoods.

"The North unveiled a policy to develop the regional economy over the next decade. But even after 10 years, the improvement of livelihoods would be nothing but empty talk as long as the North squanders a shortage of resources for weapons development and provocations," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing.

North Korea has ramped up weapons tests in the new year in what appears to be an effort to strengthen its capabilities to deliver nuclear warheads. Earlier this month, the North fired a solid-fuel hypersonic missile and launched what it claimed was an underwater nuclear attack drone.

During a year-end party meeting, Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other" and vowed to "suppress" the whole territory of South Korea in the event of a contingency.

At the latest parliamentary meeting, Kim called for revising the country's constitution to define South Korea as the North's "primary foe" and announced the country will abandon its decadeslong policy of seeking reconciliation and unification with the South.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's firing of submarine-launched cruise missiles the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · January 29, 2024

2. S. Korean military sees N. Korea's claimed submarine-launched cruise missile test as 'exaggerated

S. Korean military sees N. Korea's claimed submarine-launched cruise missile test as 'exaggerated' | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 29, 2024

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Monday it is putting weight on the possibility that North Korea's latest purported test of submarine-launched cruise missiles is "exaggerated," noting that a detailed analysis is under way with the United States.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday it had detected the North's launch of several cruise missiles at around 8 a.m. over waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where a shipyard to build a North Korean submarine is located.

On Monday, the North's state media reported the country test-fired the submarine-launched strategic cruise missile, "Pulhwasal-3-31," with the missiles flying for 7,421 seconds and 7,445 seconds, suggesting the test involved two missiles.

"(We) are putting weight on the possibility that the North's claimed flight time is exaggerated. Further details are being analyzed by the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States," JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told a regular briefing.

Lee declined to elaborate on the missile's launch platform, citing the ongoing analysis.

The latest launch of the Pulhwasal-3-31 came days after the North claimed to have test-fired the missile for the first time last Wednesday, although it did not provide any details of the launch at the time.

Lee said there has to be considerable technological development to launch an identical missile from a different platform, raising questions over the apparent change in the missile's launch platform in a short span of time.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's firing of a claimed submarine-launched cruise missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · January 29, 2024

3. Rising N.K. threats raise questions over U.S. policy efficacy

If one of Kim's objectives for his recent actions is to influence the outcome of elections then this is one indication that he may be having an effect.

On the other hand, these criticisms are not new and it is easy for north Korea to act (or not act) in ways to generate such criticism.

(News Focus) Rising N.K. threats raise questions over U.S. policy efficacy | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 30, 2024

By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's bellicose rhetoric, persistent weapons tests and pursuit of sturdier military ties with Russia are raising questions over whether it is time for the United States to recalibrate its policy and take a more creative approach.

After taking office in early 2021, the Joe Biden administration unveiled a "calibrated, practical" approach to Pyongyang, put out diplomatic feelers to the intransigent regime and emphasized its readiness to engage in dialogue "anywhere, anytime without preconditions."

But its approach has been hamstrung by the North's insular stance in the midst of COVID-19, its deepening distrust towards South Korea and the U.S., and America's heavy focus on handling more urgent geopolitical challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine, observers said.

Calls for Washington to pay more heed to evolving North Korean threats have risen as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's rhetoric against Seoul and his regime's tests of apparent nuclear weapon delivery platforms raised the specter of potential armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Concerns have also been deepening over the dwindling space for diplomatic engagement with the North as Pyongyang has been turning to its traditional partners, Russia and China, in a way that has lessened its appetite for diplomacy with the U.S. or the South.

The Biden administration is credited with strengthening deterrence efforts with Seoul and Tokyo and tightening the enforcement of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but North Korean threats have continued unabated.

This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Joe Biden speaking at a "Sunday Lunch" event at the Brookland Baptist Banquet Center, part of the Brookland Baptist Church, in West Columbia, S.C., on Jan. 28, 2024. (Yonhap)

"It's unfortunate the U.S. government doesn't seem to have any creative North Korea policy besides finger wagging," Josh Rogin, a columnist, wrote in an op-ed on The Washington Post published Thursday. "The Biden administration has bolstered ties with (and between) Japan and South Korea, but alliance management is hardly sufficient."

At the start of the Biden administration, questions lingered over whether its approach toward the North would be a replica of a "strategic patience" approach that commentators said was pursued by the former Barack Obama administration.

Strategic patience refers to the U.S. waiting patiently until the North shifts towards denuclearization while heaping pressure on it through sanctions, diplomatic isolation and other measures.

The Biden administration's repeated dialogue overtures to the North under the "no-hostile-intent" mantra helped ease worries about the potential revival of a strategic patience approach, but concerns have reemerged amid a recent rise in tensions on the peninsula.

"I think the Biden administration's approach is inadequate because it hasn't adjusted to address North Korea's new posture, and it has already demonstrated itself ineffective in changing North Korea's behavior," Frank Aum, a senior expert at the United States Institute of Peace, told Yonhap News via email.

"Of course, the Biden administration argues that it is engaging seriously, beyond just rhetoric, by reaching out numerous times to North Korea to engage but to no avail."

Aum described the Biden administration's stance on the North as one similar to the Obama administration's second-term "pressure-based" approach that "used diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions and military deterrence measures."

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 16, 2024, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un delivering a speech at the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly held in Pyongyang the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

During Obama's first White House term from 2009-2012, his administration sought to engage with the North -- an endeavor that led to the 2012 "Leap Day" deal under which the U.S. agreed to offer nutritional aid in return for Pyongyang's moratorium on nuclear and missile tests. But his policy took a shift after the deal broke down due to the North's subsequent rocket launch.

"Biden is maintaining the pressure-based approach, but he is open to talks 'without preconditions,'" Aum said. "But of course, there are preconditions in Biden's approach -- i.e., denuclearization has to be on the agenda, and talks have to start at the working level to demonstrate that North Korea is serious -- and North Korea is not interested in meeting those preconditions."

Commenting on Biden's approach to the North compared with Obama's formula, Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, took note of changes in the security, political, and geostrategic landscapes in recent years.

Those changes involve Washington's navigation through a change from the former liberal South Korean government to the current conservative one, and ascendant competition with China and Russia, which Cronin said keeps North Korea as a "lower priority."

Against the backdrop of growing instability in the Middle East and other policy headaches, the Biden administration appears to have focused largely on "managing the status quo" when it comes to North Korea, Nam Chang-hee, political science professor at Inha University, said.

"The U.S. does not want to see a major clash on the peninsula flare up," Nam said. "And North Korea may have expectations for how things will unfold should former President Donald Trump return to the White House."

Nam was referring to Trump's presidency during which the former president sought leader-to-leader diplomacy with the North Korean leader, which led to three in-person meetings between them though serious negotiations stalled following their no-deal summit in Hanoi in 2019.

While the rise in tensions on the peninsula has drawn renewed attention to the U.S.' policy approach forward, views on whether tension would spiral into a bigger conflict varied.

The debate on the possibility of war picked up pace after Robert Carlin, a former North Korea analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, and Siegfried Hecker, a renowned American nuclear scientist, recently said they believe the North Korean leader has decided to "go to war."

"That may sound overly dramatic, but we believe that, like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong-un has made a strategic decision to go to war," they said in a joint contribution to 38 North, a U.S. website devoted to analysis about North Korea.

But others differed.

"I think there are many rungs to the escalation ladder that North Korea could climb short of war," Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.

"I would expect they would do that before going to all-out war. Having said that 2024 will be a year of many North Korean military demonstrations/ provocations," he added.

To chart a path for de-escalation at a minimum, experts called for more proactive diplomatic efforts.

"Instead of just preparing militarily, the U.S. and ROK should shift their approach so that they emphasize diplomacy," Aum said. "Right now, the alliance has a very narrow focus on deterrence and is ignoring all the diplomatic tools in their toolkit."

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 29, 2024, shows the North's firing of a claimed submarine-launched cruise missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · January 30, 2024

4. Unification minister says designating day for defectors also meaningful for N. Korean people

Now more than ever we need to get information into north Korea (though I wish we had started doing so decades ago). We need to be creative and use information to both help the Korean people in the north, give them hope and show them the way, and undermine the legitimacy of the Kim family regime

Unification minister says designating day for defectors also meaningful for N. Korean people | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · January 29, 2024

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korea said Monday that designating a day for North Korean defectors would not only be meaningful for those who have settled in South Korea but also those living in the North.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remarks after President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the ministry to designate a day for North Korean defectors in a Cabinet meeting on Jan. 16, noting they are South Korean citizens under the country's Constitution.

"The success of North Korean defectors is a touchstone of our society's capacity for unification, and a message of hope for a free and prosperous future for North Korean residents," Kim said in a meeting with civic organizations on designating such a day.

"It should be a day for the North Korean defectors, by the North Korean defectors and of the North Korean defectors," Kim said, emphasizing the importance of North Korean defectors in South Korean society.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks in a meeting with civic organizations at the government complex in Seoul on Jan. 29, 2024, to discuss designating a day for North Korean defectors. (Yonhap)

Kim said the ministry will better support North Korean defectors to enjoy successful lives in South Korea through policy efforts, including increasing resettlement subsidies for new defectors and expanding mental health services for them in different regions.

Civic organizations that attended the meeting, including defector groups, welcomed ongoing efforts to designate such a day.

"We defectors and leaders of defector groups enthusiastically support and express gratitude as this is nurturing a pro-South Korea sentiment and a growing yearning for unification led by the Republic of Korea," Kim Heung-kwang, chief of the North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, said, calling the move "unprecedented."

South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South and repatriating any North Koreans who stray into the South if they want to return.

The total number of North's defectors in South Korea had reached 34,078 as of the end of last year, according to ministry data.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho (4th from L) delivers his opening remarks in a meeting with civic organizations at the Seoul government complex on Jan. 29, 2024. (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · January 29, 2024

5. 'North Korean official killed by protesters in China'

People want their money. We think of this as slave labor but Koreans actually desire these jobs because the amount of money they're normally allowed to keep (after the regime takes a major share of it) is more than they can make back home and they send this money back to their families.

'North Korean official killed by protesters in China'

The Korea Times · January 29, 2024

North Korean workers gather after lunch at the Hong Chao Zhi Yi garment factory in Hunchun, Jilin province, China, in this Sept. 30, 2017 photo. An official at South Korea's National intelligence agency told The Korea Times, Monday, that "accidents" involving North Korean workers overseas occurred recently due to poor working conditions. This confirmation comes after a scholar claimed at least one North Korean official was killed as a result of protests that erupted in China. AP-Yonhap

Spy agency confirms accidents occurred recently due to back wages

By Jung Min-ho

At least one North Korean government official was killed and three others were seriously injured in China after a series of protests by North Korean workers there earlier this month, an expert at a state-funded think tank claimed on Monday, citing multiple sources.

Asked by The Korea Times about the incident, an official at the National Intelligence Service confirmed that "accidents" involving North Korean workers overseas occurred recently due to poor working conditions. The official declined to elaborate and said only that the agency is now "gathering facts" about the accidents.

According to Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute of National Unification, a North Korean official who had been sent to Helong in China’s northeastern province of Jilin to oversee workers at garment factories there died after violent protests erupted between Jan. 11 and 15. They were reportedly infuriated by the fact that their salaries paid for years had been sent to the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang without their consent or knowledge, he said.

This claim comes after Ko Young-hwan, a former North Korean diplomat, said he was told by his sources in the region that thousands of North Koreans working at clothing factories and fisheries processing plants held protests demanding the payment of overdue wages.

According to Cho and Ko, the workers agreed to end their protest after the party assured them that they would receive their back wages.

If true, it was the first known display of organized defiance against the regime, which would have profound ramifications for the country and beyond.

“The crisis for the regime isn’t over yet, because it cannot pay them the money it promised,” Cho said. “This would continue to remain a political time bomb and may well trigger other workers in China and other countries to take the same action.”

The exact number of North Koreans working overseas is unknown. But the U.S. government estimated in 2019 that about 100,000 North Koreans are working at construction sites, factories, logging camps and other places worldwide. Experts believe most of them are working in China, the North's main patron.

Most North Korean workers sent overseas are from privileged families in Pyongyang. This presents an unprecedented political challenge to Kim Jong-un, the North's 40-year-old ruler, Cho said.

“If the party brings them all back to North Korea, there would be political agitation given the large number of the North Korean elite people involved. If the party doesn’t take any action, they could act together to escape. It’s a tense time now," Cho said.

In another stunning revelation, South and North Development, a research institute that works with defectors from North Korea, recently released a video showing a North Korean school teacher apparently being punished for attempting to create a political party for democracy between 2021 and 2023.

When asked about the video, an official at the Ministry of Unification told reporters that it could be a sign of growing frustration among North Koreans against the totalitarian regime.

The Korea Times · January 29, 2024

6. S. Korea-Russia relations hit new low following defense minister's remarks on Ukraine aid

Not unexpected.

S. Korea-Russia relations hit new low following defense minister's remarks on Ukraine aid

The Korea Times · January 29, 2024

gettyimagesbank

By Lee Hyo-jin

South Korea's already-strained relations with Russia have worsened further following Defense Minister Shin Won-sik's remarks on offering "full support" to Ukraine. Moscow interpreted this as a potential indication of Seoul providing military aid to Kyiv and warned of a "complete breakdown" of bilateral ties.

Seoul's foreign ministry reiterated Sunday that South Korea maintains its stance of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine. It added that bilateral relations with Moscow will depend on Russia's future involvement with North Korea.

"The government maintains a stance of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine while closely monitoring recent developments in military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and assessing their potential impact on our national security," the ministry said in a statement.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, South Korea has adhered to the policy of providing only financial and humanitarian aid to Kyiv, while remaining wary of its relations with Russia.

"Ballistic missile trade and military technology cooperation between Russia and North Korea constitute a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Such actions pose a serious threat not only to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula but also to global peace," the ministry said.

This statement came as a response to the Russian foreign ministry's comments the previous day.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had suggested that the South Korean military was considering sending weapons aid to Ukraine after rumors circulated of cooperation with Moscow and Pyongyang.

"We firmly reject any attempts by the United States and its satellite countries to make baseless accusations against our country ... We would like to caution Seoul against imprudent steps that could lead to a complete breakdown of once-friendly relations with Russia," she said.

Zakharova was referring to Shin's remarks during a recent media interview, in which he alleged Russia has already assisted North Korea with satellite and space-related technology. The minister anticipated that the military cooperation may evolve into sharing of ballistic and cruise missile technologies.

Shin also said he "personally sees" a need to offer "full support" to Ukraine, although he agreed with the government's current policy of sending only humanitarian and financial aid to the war-torn nation.

Relations between Seoul and Moscow have been tense since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The South Korean government joined the international community's financial sanctions against Russia, prompting Moscow to designate the Asian country as an "unfriendly nation."

Tensions between the two nations escalated further following Russian President Vladimir Putin's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September last year.

South Korea speculates that Moscow has provided advanced military technology to Pyongyang in exchange for arms supply.

Russia, which dismissed such claims, has recently blamed South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral military cooperation for destabilizing security in the Northeast Asian region.

The Korea Times · January 29, 2024

7. North's Kim alludes to food shortages in call for regional development

Internal stresses. Will Kim's policies make the conditions worse for the people than the Arduous March of the great famine of 1994-1996?

Thursday

January 25, 2024

 dictionary + A - A 

Published: 25 Jan. 2024, 18:09

North's Kim alludes to food shortages in call for regional development

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-01-25/national/northKorea/Norths-Kim-alludes-to-food-shortages-in-call-for-regional-development-/1967096

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends an expanded meeting of the politburo of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers Party Korea in Pyongyang this week. [NEWS1]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for economic development outside of Pyongyang in his address to the politburo, alluding to the nationwide food shortage, the country's state media reported on Thursday.

“Today, failure to satisfactorily provide the people in local areas with basic living necessities including condiments, foodstuff and consumption goods has arisen as a serious political issue that our Party and government can never sidestep,” Kim said in an expanded meeting of the politburo of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers Party Korea, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

In the meeting, held from Tuesday to Wednesday, Kim spoke harshly of officials’ lukewarm attitude to the issue and ordered that the North’s so-called “regional development 20x10 policy” be carried out thoroughly as the country continues to face food shortages.

The policy entails building regional industrial factories in 20 cities and counties every year for the next decade.

“Being passive is not constitutionally suitable,” he said, adding, “Can we do this? Yes, we can and will do it. We must do it.”

North Korea has largely refused aid from international organizations since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Statistics Korea's report released last month, North Korea's food crop production, including rice and barley, decreased by 4 percent to 4.51 million tons in 2022.

Food shipments from neighboring China have also fallen, with statistics from China’s customs office recording 130,383 tons of rice in 2022, compared to 500,000 tons of rice and 550,000 tons of fertilizer delivered by Beijing in 2021.

Adding that the country was still experiencing widespread food shortage, the South Korean government said that the North's dietary energy supply decreased by 2.4 percent last year to 1,982 calories per person per day, only 62.8 percent of South Korea's 3,156 calories.

“At present, it is a very urgent immediate task for leveling up the material and cultural living standards of the regional people to adopt a revolutionary strategy and take all measures to make it possible to develop regional industry in a comprehensive and balanced way,” Kim said.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]

8. First public center exposing NK human rights to open in Seoul

Excellent. There are many ways to support the human rights upfront approach.

First public center exposing NK human rights to open in Seoul

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · January 29, 2024

By Ji Da-gyum

Published : Jan. 29, 2024 - 17:46

A North Korean flag flies among flags from many nations participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics at the PyeongChang Olympic Village in Gangwon Province, Feb. 2, 2018. (AP)

Seoul will be home to the first-ever government-run center dedicated to shed light on the North Korean regime's human rights abuses and violations and enhance public awareness of the issue, the Unification Ministry announced Monday.

The Yoon Suk Yeol government is actively working to establish an inaugural public center, forming a crucial component of its comprehensive strategy for addressing the harsh realities of the human rights situation in North Korea.

The Unification Ministry officially signed a land purchase agreement with the Seoul Housing & Communities Corp. on Monday for the construction of the National North Korean Human Rights Center.

Spanning a building area of 2,400 square meters, the center is scheduled to be established in western Seoul's Magok-dong in Gangseo-gu by 2026.

The center is set to serve as a key hub for exhibitions and experiential programs designed to deepen public awareness of the human rights situation in North Korea, according to the ministry.

"The center will present North Korean human rights issues as matters of our own concern, not merely external problems," the ministry said. "It is positioned to play a symbolic role, akin to a declaration of human rights, conveying domestically and internationally that human rights are universal values."

The budget allocated for 2024 is set at 4.6 billion won ($3.4 million), constituting a small portion of the overall project cost of 26 billion won earmarked for three years to 2026.

This year, the ministry will prioritize the formulation of measures to create content that embodies the symbolism and representativeness of North Korean human rights, intending to install them at the center. Furthermore, concerted efforts will be directed towards establishing the foundational design framework for the center.

The ministry in January appointed the sculptor Yoo Keun-sang, who also serves as the president of the Institute for Art and Restoration in Italy, as a special adviser for the envisioned center's establishment.

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · January 29, 2024

9. US urges N. Korea to refrain from 'threatening' activity, return to diplomacy

Falling on deaf ears in the north?

US urges N. Korea to refrain from 'threatening' activity, return to diplomacy

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · January 29, 2024

By Yonhap

Published : Jan. 29, 2024 - 09:10

A report on a North Korean missile launch is being broadcast on a TV screen at Seoul Station in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

The United States urged North Korea Sunday to refrain from further "threatening" activity and engage in "serious and sustained" diplomacy, after Pyongyang fired several cruise missiles, the latest in a recent series of its weapons tests.

A State Department spokesperson made the call, noting that Pyongyang has increasingly engaged in "threatening" and "irresponsible" military activities, including missile launches.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the North launched the missiles from waters off Sinpo, a city on its east coast, on Sunday morning, four days after it test-fired what it said were strategic cruise missiles, named Pulhwasal-3-31.

"We urge the DPRK to refrain from further threatening activity and call on Pyongyang to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue. Our commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad," the official added.

The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.

In a separate comment, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the US will continue to work together with South Korea and Japan to tackle North Korean military threats.

"We are monitoring these activities. We have been very clear on the threat posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea military programs, and our commitment to the defense of the ROK, Japan, and our commitment to uphold regional peace and stability," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency.

"We will continue to work with both the ROK and Japanese governments to address the threats posed by the DPRK," the official added. (Yonhap)

koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · January 29, 2024

10. Kim Jong Un boosts underwater nuclear threat, urges fast submarine build

Can they build them with "Chollima speed."

Kim Jong Un boosts underwater nuclear threat, urges fast submarine build

Current and future threats spur need for N Korea to defend maritime sovereignty, says leader Kim.

By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA

2024.01.28

Seoul, South Korea

rfa.org

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test-firing of submarine-launched cruise missiles and ordered officials to expedite the North’s nuclear submarine development, state media reported on Monday.

“In the morning of January 28, Kim Jong Un guided the test-fire of the newly-developed submarine-launched strategic cruise missile ‘Pulhwasal-3-31’,” said the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Sunday that it detected North Korea launching several cruise missiles around 8 a.m., near Sinpo, where the North’s submarine facilities are located.

Submarine-launched weapons can be deployed covertly, often evading detection systems, potentially offering Pyongyang a more elusive means of deploying its nuclear weapons.

“Nuclear weaponization of the navy is an urgent task of the times and a core requirement for building the state nuclear strategic force,” said Kim Jong Un, cited by KCNA.

Kim “set forth the important tasks arising in realizing the nuclear weaponization of the navy and expanding the sphere of operation of the state nuclear deterrence in a diversified way,” KCNA added.

The North Korean leader also defended the country’s ongoing nuclear development, claiming: “The prevailing situation and future threats urge the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to put more spurs to the efforts for defending maritime sovereignty.”

Kim then called for “immediate tasks” and “state measures” to be executed by relevant sectors and officials to accelerate his country’s nuclear submarine manufacturing.

Although North Korea has yet to possess submarines capable of operating in the blue sea, or deep ocean, recent efforts may dramatically increase the level of nuclear threat to South Korea and Japan due to their geographical proximity.

North Korea has recently put a particular emphasis on boosting its naval capabilities. Earlier this month, North Korea claimed that it had carried out a test of the “Haeil-5-23,” its underwater nuclear system involving drones to face “threats” posed by allies.

South Korea, however, had dismissed Pyongyang’s claim.

“There is a possibility that North Korea’s claims may have been exaggerated and fabricated, based on our comprehensive analysis up until today,” South Korea’s Presidential Office said in a statement last week.

Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.

rfa.org

11. Whistleblower: State security officer in Russia is stealing workers’ money

Whistleblower: State security officer in Russia is stealing workers’ money

State security officers usually come from powerful backgrounds, so even company managers cannot take action against them, a defector and former worker in Russia told Daily NK

By Lee Ho Jin - 2024.01.29 5:00pm

dailynk.com

Whistleblower: State security officer in Russia is stealing workers’ money - Daily NK English

North Korean workers in Russia. (Kang Dong Wan)

Chae Sung Chol, a state security officer attached to a North Korean construction company in the Russian city of Irkutsk, is currently the focus of much criticism from North Korean workers at the company.

Although the United Nations Security Council banned new work permits for North Korean workers abroad through Resolution 2375 – requiring them to return home by the end of 2019 – North Korea continues to send workers to Russia to earn foreign currency through construction-related contracts.

North Korean workers in Russia earn foreign currency through projects assigned to them by the companies with which they are affiliated. On the side, however, they secretly work other jobs and try to collect money for themselves. Chae, for his part, allegedly demands and receives large bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye to these “under-the-table” business activities.

Chae is also cracking down on workers who use cell phones under the pretext of the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act, which was enacted in late 2020. All the while, he carries around a luxury smartphone and enjoys watching South Korean movies and dramas.

According to an anonymous whistleblower who spoke directly to Daily NK about Chae’s abuses, North Korean workers in Russia try to endure the misconduct and behavior of their managers but usually give up on petitioning the government when they realize that such whistleblowing will go nowhere.

Extorting money from workers in the name of the party, leader, and state

The coronavirus outbreak in 2020 was the beginning of another nightmare for North Korean workers in Irkutsk, Russia. Chae was supposed to return to his country but was stranded in Russia when North Korea closed its borders under the pretext of preventing the coronavirus from entering the country.

Realizing that he would not be called in by the authorities for some time and that government officials would have little say over his activities, Chae turned to “robbery.” He demanded payment from North Korean workers, claiming that the money he collected was for the “party, leader and state.” But instead of sending the money to North Korea, he kept it for himself.

Not only that, but every month Chae would meet with workers doing under-the-table jobs to demand payment, threatening to “report everything to the motherland” if they did not pay up. Meanwhile, Chae claimed that he could ensure that they would be “forgiven” for their misdeeds.

Chae cracks down on cell phone users but enjoys South Korean cultural content himself

Chae also used North Korea’s Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act to line his pockets. He preyed on workers who used cell phones. According to the whistleblower, Chae cracked down on workers who used cell phones, saying they were “watching South Korean dramas” or “watching South Korean news.”

He had a large 65-inch TV in his room, connected to Wi-Fi to enjoy South Korean dramas and movies, and even wore a wireless headset to avoid detection, evidence that he was doing “the most impure thing possible. The whistleblower claimed that Chae is a complete hypocrite: He cracks down mercilessly on workers but enjoys the same things he does not allow them to enjoy.

The whistleblower criticized Chae by saying that “he doesn’t even listen to the sent from home [the DPRK], and he says what he wants and acts like a king of a small kingdom.

“Chae may look gentle and kind on the outside, but he is terrible and ruthless to the people he is in charge of,” he continued, adding: “He doesn’t just hold a knife, he’s the worst kind of robber.”

When asked why he wanted to report Chae’s wickedness, the whistleblower said: “I wanted to show the strength of the weak.”

“In Russia, state security officers are called No. 3 [managers are No. 1, while party secretaries are No. 2], but sometimes they overtake No. 2 and even take the money that No. 1 siphons off. Basically, their job is to crack down on non-socialist behavior, but some state security officials don’t hesitate to do unscrupulous things, even stealing the petty cash that workers earn,” Jung Sang Chul (a pseudonym), a former worker in Russia and North Korean defector, told Daily NK.

Asked if workers could submit a petition against a state security officer, Jung said: “It is absolutely impossible.” According to him, state security officers usually come from powerful backgrounds, so even company managers cannot take action against them.

“Some officials crack down on the activities of state security officers, but the main focus of such crackdowns is whether state security officers have properly monitored workers for potential defectors,” Jung said, adding that “officials don’t bother to make trouble for state security officers who steal workers’ money or watch South Korean dramas.”

Meanwhile, the whistleblower told Daily NK that he wanted to “tell the world, everyone on this planet, about Chae’s actions so that he can be brought to justice and to show the power of the weak and oppressed.”

Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com

​12.  N. Korea and Russia intensify cooperation to prevent workers from defecting

I spent Chuseok with an escapee from a Russian work camp. He had only arrived in South Korea 6 months prior. And he has not seen his wife and daughter in 6 years since he had been sent to Russia to work.

N. Korea and Russia intensify cooperation to prevent workers from defecting

North Korea issued orders on Jan. 22 calling on companies in Russia to strictly monitor and control managers' and workers' access to the internet

By Jeong Tae Joo - 2024.01.29 10:51am

dailynk.com

N. Korea and Russia intensify cooperation to prevent workers from defecting - Daily NK English

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on Sept. 13 last year, according to the Rodong Sinmun on Sept. 14. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)

As North Korea and Russia forge closer ties, North Korean and Russian authorities are cooperating more closely than before on matters related to North Korean workers in Russia, Daily NK has learned.

“All the safe houses and routes used by North Korean workers defecting from Russia were discovered after Kim Jong Un met with Putin, and [defectors] are afraid even to visit the UN [refugee agency],” a source in Russia told Daily NK on Jan. 26, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The source said North Korean workers in Russia have been under tighter control since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. In addition, Russian authorities have worked to uncover defection routes, which has discouraged sympathetic Russians from contacting North Korean workers or helping them defect.

According to the source, North Korean authorities issued orders to North Korean companies in Russia on Jan. 22, reiterating the need for companies to report on all their business dealings in the country, to strictly monitor and control managers’ and workers’ access to the outside Internet and Internet searches on their cell phones, and to cooperate with Russian intelligence agencies to track down anyone who attempts to defect.

“Managers of North Korean companies say that tens of thousands of [North Korean] workers will come to Russia to work in various fields, including construction sites. That’s why the North Korean authorities are stepping up ideological training and enforcement for workers currently in Russia and working with Russian intelligence agencies to prevent defections,” the source said.

Given the mood on the ground, the source said, some North Korean workers who recently fled their companies in Russia have gone into hiding and are too afraid of being caught to contact the UN refugee agency in Russia. These workers are doubtful that the agency can ensure their safety.

“Before Kim Jong Un met Putin, the Ministry of State Security only cooperated with Russian intelligence in arresting and repatriating defectors if they were high-ranking or otherwise important to the government. But now the cooperation has increased tenfold, making it harder for ordinary workers to defect,” the source said.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

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13. Why a scandal over a Dior handbag is consuming a key U.S. ally

Why a scandal over a Dior handbag is consuming a key U.S. ally

Hidden camera footage that appeared to show South Korea’s first lady accepting a $2,000 handbag as a gift has left President Yoon Suk Yeol facing mounting public pressure.

NBC News · by Stella Kim and Larissa Gao

The Dior handbag costs some $2,000, but South Korea’s leader could pay a much higher price for the political scandal it has set off.

This crucial U.S. ally has been rocked by deepening fallout from hidden camera footage that appeared to show the country’s first lady accepting the luxury item as a gift. The incident has left President Yoon Suk Yeol facing mounting public pressure that could damage his right-wing party’s chances in crucial legislative elections that come amid rising threats from North Korea.

The video appeared to show first lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a blue-gray purse worth 3 million won ($2,250) from a Korean American pastor, the Rev. Choi Jae Young, during a visit in September 2022. It was secretly filmed by the pastor — an advocate of friendlier relations with the North, toward which Yoon has taken a hard-line approach — and first released by a left-wing YouTube news channel in November.

But the video has re-emerged in recent days to dominate the country’s polarized political landscape.

One of the leading members in Yoon’s own People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, also joined calls for the public’s concerns to be addressed.

A Lady Dior pouch in cloud blue, which costs around $2000, similar to that which is reported to have been gifted to the first lady of South Korea, Kim Keon Hee. Dior

On Thursday, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) called for prosecutors to launch a formal probe into the allegations.

“What the first lady has done has sparked the public anger,” Bae Jong Chan, CEO of Insight K Insitute, a Seoul-based think tank, told NBC News. This fury “is going to last and impact the general election,” he said in a phone interview.

Yoon won the 2022 presidential election, but his PPP is in the minority in parliament, which is controlled by the rival DP. The controversy now threatens to undermine his standing and his agenda.

Yoon's disapproval rating climbed to 63% from 58% in a weekly poll by Gallup Korea that was released Friday. A poll released by the Korean television station YTN on Wednesday found that 69% of respondents believed that Yoon should offer a public explanation. Other polls have shown strong public support for the suggestion that Kim acted inappropriately.

“The president’s office has explained that the real issue here is that the whole thing has been set up with bad intentions and that it was a deliberate trap,” Bae said.

“But the explanation is not enough to soothe the public’s anger. Even though what happened may have been a trap, the video still showed the first lady accepting the luxury bag,” he added.

Choi, the pastor, said in an interview that he met with Kim twice at the office of her art exhibition company, Covana Contents, in hopes of having conversations with her about Yoon’s tough policies toward the North.

Since Yoon was elected in 2022, Seoul has bolstered its relationship with the United States while inter-Korean relations have deteriorated.

Choi said he brought Chanel cosmetics worth 1.8m won ($1,350) to Kim on his first visit to the company, adding that he was surprised that she did not decline the gift.

In the same visit, “I overheard her abusing power by giving favor to someone over a government job,” said Choi, who lectured in North Korea as a scholar and visited the country multiple times. “It was then that I decided that I need to get the evidence to expose her meddling in the government affairs to the public and stop her once and for all.”

“My intention was not focused on exposing the first lady accepting the Dior bag but exposing how she was abusing her position for her vested interests by meddling with government appointments,” he added.

NBC News has not independently verified his claims. Yoon’s office declined NBC News’ request for comment, saying it had no information to share at this time.

Supporters of Yoon said the public should focus more on the role of Choi and what they say was a trap.

“It is very important to remember the context, which is that a pro-North Korea pastor deliberately set up a trap with a spy camera because the whole matter cannot be explained without this,” Ho Joon-suk, a spokesperson for the emergency response committee of the PPP, said in a phone interview.

“I believe that there are two important things that can be done,” he said. “First, we need to explain the whole thing with minute details and secondly, we need to resolve public concern that such things will not be repeated.”

It is not the first time that the first lady has been involved in controversy.

The opposition-controlled parliament decided last month to investigate Kim’s alleged involvement in stock market manipulation 12 years ago.

Yoon’s party rejected the bill, saying that it was a political attempt to drive people’s attention away from corruption probes into the opposition party leader, which he has rejected.

The first lady also issued a public apology after being accused of plagiarism in her doctoral thesis and falsification of professional experience.

NBC News · by Stella Kim and Larissa Gao

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com