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Quotes of the Day:
"Consensus is the absence of leadership."
- Margaret Thatcher
"Strangely enough, this is the past that somebody in the future is longing to go back to."
- Ashleigh Brilliant
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these."
- George Washington Carver
1. N. Korea sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment, munitions to Russia: White House
2. N. Korea threatens to strike U.S. aircraft carrier
3. New U.S. special envoy for N. Korean human rights issues takes office, plans to visit Seoul next week
4. Pyongyang dismisses speculation over Hamas' use of N. Korean weapons against Israel
5. U.S. brushes aside concerns about potential impact of Middle East conflict on Korean Peninsula security
6. N. Korea 'on pace' to field enough nuclear-tipped ICBMs to break U.S. missile defense: congressional report
7. Unification ministry says many N. Koreans in China believed to have been repatriated
8. Yoon says improved relations between S. Korea, Japan are people's will
9. N. Korea, Russia hold celebrations marking 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties
10. U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Turner to Travel to the Republic of Korea
11. Hamas used North Korean rockets in Israel attack, evidence suggests
12. Korea considers drafting orphans, N. Korean defectors amid population decline
13. [ANALYSIS] North Korea pins hope on Trump's return to White House
14. Korea reclaims nuclear powerhouse status after winning series of global deals
15. South Korea protests to China over suspected North Korea repatriations
16. Drafting a constitution for a Unified Korea
17. Military aircraft carrying S. Koreans leaves Israel
18. China Appears to Have Repatriated North Koreans Despite International Pressure
1. N. Korea sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment, munitions to Russia: White House
Why are we not interdicting under the proliferation security initiative?
(5th LD) N. Korea sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment, munitions to Russia: White House | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 14, 2023
(ATTN:ADDS more details in last 3 paras)
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine, a White House official said Friday, lambasting burgeoning cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as a threat to regional stability.
In a press briefing, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, disclosed the information, amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin might have led to an arms deal.
Kirby also voiced concerns about possible Russian assistance to the North in return for arms support, disclosing the U.S.' observation that Russian ships offloaded containers in the North, which he said "may constitute the initial deliveries of material from Russia."
"Our information indicates that in recent weeks, North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions," he said.
John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, is seen speaking during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington on Aug. 16, 2023 in this captured image. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The White House released imagery showing that between Sept. 7 and Oct. 1, a set of containers were shipped from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia, via MV Angara, a Russian-flagged cargo ship. The shipping containers were then moved via rail to an ammunition depot in southwestern Russia near Tikhoretsk, roughly 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
One of the photos also showed a shipment of about 300 shipping containers at Najin for delivery to Russia on Sept. 7-8 -- an indication that a decision on such an arms transfer was made prior to the rare meeting between Kim and Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a Russian spaceport.
"We condemn the DPRK for providing Russia with this military equipment, which can be used to attack Ukrainian cities and kill Ukrainian civilians, and for the Russians and illegitimate war," Kirby said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The official also raised the possibility that Russia could offer something in exchange.
"We also are increasingly concerned about Russian assistance to the DPRK," he said. "In return for support, we assess that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft, surface-to air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment, or other materials and other advanced technologies."
He stressed that the U.S. is "closely" monitoring whether Russia will offer such military assistance to the North.
"We have already observed Russian ships offloading containers in the DPRK, which may constitute the initial deliveries of material from Russia," he said. "This expanding military partnership between the DPRK and Russia, including any technology transfers from Russia to the DPRK undermines the regional stability and the global Non-proliferation regime.
In response to the expanding military ties between the North and Russia, the U.S. will take a range of steps that include pursuing new sanctions against those seeking to enable arms deals between the two countries, and "aggressively" raising the issue at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), according to Kirby.
Seoul and Washington have said that any arms transfers between Pyongyang and Moscow would be in violation of UNSC resolutions that Russia itself voted for.
The disclosure of information on the arms trade between the North and Russia appears intended to prevent the two countries from engaging in additional arms transactions and warn other countries not to provide arms support to Russia, observers said.
In Beijing this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin are expected to meet on the margins of the Belt and Road Initiative Forum, a massive China-led global infrastructure and energy project, raising questions over whether Putin would seek military support from Xi. The conference on Oct. 17-18 marks the 10th anniversary of the project.
The disclosure also came amid lingering speculation that Iran and North Korea could play a role in replenishing the weapons inventory of the Hamas militant group whose surprise attack last week sparked its escalating conflict with Israel.
During a UNSC session at the U.N. headquarters in New York, John Kelley, political minister counselor at the United States Permanent Mission at the U.N., called on the North to stop its arms transfers to Russia.
He cited a recent analysis of satellite imagery showing a "dramatic" surge in rail traffic along the border between North Korea and Russia. The analysis was done by Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"We again urge the DPRK to cease its efforts to transfer arms to Russia," he said. "We again call on Russia to recommit to the maintenance of peace and security and its obligations to uphold the U.N. arms embargo on the DPRK that Russia itself voted to adopt."
This image, provided by the U.S. government, shows apparent arms transfers between North Korea and Russia. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 14, 2023
2. N. Korea threatens to strike U.S. aircraft carrier
Tough talk. In the immortal words of Bush 43, "bring it on."
N. Korea threatens to strike U.S. aircraft carrier | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened Friday to stage the "most powerful and rapid first strike" against U.S. strategic assets deployed to the Korean Peninsula, in the latest bellicose rhetoric that underscored Pyongyang's concerns about U.S. military capabilities in the region.
The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier docked at the southeastern port of Busan on Thursday for a five-day visit -- the first since September 2022 -- in a show of force against North Korea. The visit came soon after trilateral naval drills involving the United States, South Korea and Japan.
The carrier strike group's visit is part of the U.S. commitment to further strengthening the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the peninsula, as outlined in the Washington Declaration issued in April following the summit of the leaders of South Korea and the U.S.
North Korea denounced Washington's deployment of nuclear strategic assets as an "undisguised" military provocation, warning that the strategic assets have entered the extremely dangerous waters.
North Korea's "most powerful and rapid first strike will be given to the 'extended deterrence' means, used by the U.S. to hallucinate its followers, and the bases of evil in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity," according to a commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea said the country's nuclear doctrine adopted last year allows it to take necessary actions, such as the preemptive use of nuclear arms, in case it judges a nuclear attack against it is imminent.
Last month, North Korea amended the constitution to enshrine the policy of strengthening its nuclear force, as it seeks to increase its nuclear arsenal "exponentially."
The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier docks at a naval base in the southeastern port city of Busan on Oct. 12, 2023, in this photo provided by Yonhap News TV. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
3. New U.S. special envoy for N. Korean human rights issues takes office, plans to visit Seoul next week
Good news. Still curious about the delay but whatever the reason now it is time to get to work.
New U.S. special envoy for N. Korean human rights issues takes office, plans to visit Seoul next week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 14, 2023
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- The new U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues took office on Friday, the State Department said, ending more than six years of vacancy at the post.
Ambassador Julie Turner was officially sworn in and plans to travel to Seoul from Monday to Wednesday next week to meet government officials, civic organizations, North Korean escapees and journalists, according to the department.
During her scheduled meetings in Seoul, she plans to discuss her priorities as the special envoy, joint efforts to promote human rights in the reclusive country and ways to facilitate reunions for separated families, it said.
"For decades the United States has championed efforts to improve respect for the human rights and dignity of North Koreans, including members of the most marginalized communities, and to promote accountability for the DPRK government's human rights violations and abuses," the department said in a press release.
DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In January, President Joe Biden designated Turner, then the director of the Office of East Asia and the Pacific in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, as the special envoy.
The Senate endorsed her on July 27, which coincided with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
At a Senate confirmation hearing in May, Turner introduced herself as a Korean-American adoptee who had a childhood dream to "serve the country that welcomed me."
She enumerated a set of her priorities, including working with South Korea and other allies to "reenergize" international efforts to promote human rights and increase access to uncensored information in the North.
She also pledged to seek to reinvigorate "accountability" efforts at the United Nations against those responsible for human rights violations in the North.
The last special envoy was Robert R. King who resigned from the position in January 2017.
Julie Turner, nominee for U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, speaks during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2023, in this captured file image. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 14, 2023
4. Pyongyang dismisses speculation over Hamas' use of N. Korean weapons against Israel
Pyongyang "doth protest too much." Admit nothing. Deny everything. Make counter accusations.
(LEAD) Pyongyang dismisses speculation over Hamas' use of N. Korean weapons against Israel | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with KCNA's English-language dispatch throughout)
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Friday dismissed speculation that the Hamas militant group used North Korean weapons for its surprise attack on Israel as "groundless," accusing the United States of cooking up a false accusation against the North.
Ri Kwang-song, a North Korean commentator on international affairs, said the U.S. is resorting to its stereotyped smear campaign against North Korea to deliberately link the recent Middle East crisis to the North.
"The U.S. administration's reptile press bodies and quasi-experts are spreading a groundless and false rumor that 'north Korea's weapons' seemed tobe used for the attack on Israel," Ri said in an article carried by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The denial came after Radio Free Asia, a Washington-based media outlet, earlier reported on the suspected use of North Korean weapons by Hamas fighters, citing a video featuring one of the fighters holding what resembles an F-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher manufactured in the North.
In the past, suspicions had been raised that North Korea provided weapons to Hamas. But it remains unclear whether the North directly supplied the F-7 rocket launchers to the militant group, or whether they were provided through transactions involving other countries.
Earlier this week, North Korea condemned Israel for the escalating conflict with Hamas, claiming that it is the "consequence of Israel's ceaseless criminal actions" against the people of Palestine.
Hamas launched rocket attacks on Israel during a major Jewish holiday Saturday, and Israel staged retaliatory strikes against it, leaving thousands of people killed or injured on both sides.
This image, captured from a video shared on the X account War Noir, shows a Hamas fighter holding an F-7 high-explosive fragmentation rocket originally produced in North Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
5. U.S. brushes aside concerns about potential impact of Middle East conflict on Korean Peninsula security
We have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
(LEAD) U.S. brushes aside concerns about potential impact of Middle East conflict on Korean Peninsula security | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 13, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS media report on Iranian funds in last para)
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- A White House official dismissed concerns Thursday that the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group could negatively affect the United States' security commitments to South Korea and other allies.
Since the eruption of the conflict sparked by Hamas' surprise attack last week, questions have lingered over whether Washington can simultaneously address multiple crises, including one in Ukraine.
John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, gave a simple answer: "We're not worried about our ability to do all those things."
"We are a big enough, strong enough nation and we've got global responsibilities to look after our national security interests anywhere and everywhere," he told a press briefing.
John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, is seen speaking during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington on Aug. 16, 2023 in this captured image. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"We're still also supporting Ukraine and their fight against Russia. We're still doing an amazing amount of work in the Indo-Pacific to shore up our alliances and our partnerships and to try to increase stability, security and prosperity throughout the region," he added.
Asked to confirm a recent report on the suspected use of North Korean weapons by Hamas fighters, Kirby said that he does not have information to share on the issue.
Kirby also commented on the status of Iranian funds worth $6 billion, which were transferred to a Qatari bank under a recent prisoner swap deal between Washington and Tehran after having been frozen in South Korea under U.S. sanctions.
He highlighted America's oversight over the money, saying that "not a single dime" of it has been spent. His remarks came as Washington is looking into the possibility of Iran's culpability in the recent Hamas assault that has left at least 27 Americans dead and 14 accounted for.
"What I can tell you is none of it has been accessed. We are watching every dime ... We are watching it very closely," he said, noting the money is intended for humanitarian purposes. "We have oversight over what can be accessed and for what purposes."
He said that although the U.S. has not seen any specific evidence yet of Iran's direct involvement in last week's Hamas attack, Iran is complicit in a broad sense given its history of backing Hamas and other networks.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden told Iran to "be careful" amid speculation that countries or non-state actors against Israel could take advantage of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas to widen the fighting or sow further chaos in the wider Middle East.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed person, that the U.S. reached an informal understanding with Qatar to hold off the distribution of the Iranian funds in question, amid a probe into Tehran's potential involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 13, 2023
6. N. Korea 'on pace' to field enough nuclear-tipped ICBMs to break U.S. missile defense: congressional report
N. Korea 'on pace' to field enough nuclear-tipped ICBMs to break U.S. missile defense: congressional report | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 13, 2023
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is "on pace" to deploy sufficient nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to overcome the U.S. missile defense and may be preparing for a nuclear test to enable tactical nuclear operations, a congressional report showed Thursday.
The Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States issued the final report. It was launched by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 to examine America's long-term strategic posture.
The report gave a detailed assessment of various security challenges from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, among other threats, in the 2027-2035 time frame.
"North Korea continues to expand and diversify its nuclear forces, increasing the threat to U.S. allies and forces in theater and posing a greater threat to the United States and its allies," the report read.
"North Korea is on pace to deploy nuclear-armed intercontinental range missiles in sufficient numbers that could potentially challenge U.S. homeland ground-based ballistic missile defenses," it added.
The commission predicted that for the foreseeable future, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will remain committed to expanding his country's nuclear arsenal and maintaining nuclear weapons as a "centerpiece of his national security structure."
It also raised the possibility of the North conducting yet another nuclear test.
"It is probably preparing to test a nuclear device to facilitate tactical nuclear operations," the report said. "It may maintain a stockpile of a few dozen nuclear warheads."
Seoul officials have said that the recalcitrant regime has already completed preparations for what would be a seventh nuclear test as it has been doubling down on a drive to deploy tactical nuclear weapons.
Tactical nuclear arms refer to battlefield weapons with relatively lower yields, compared with relatively higher yield "strategic" weapons usually carried by longer-range delivery vehicles, such as ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and long-range bombers.
The report said North Korea's national security strategy has two main objectives: ensuring the Kim regime's long-term security and retaining the capability to exercise dominant influence over the Korean Peninsula.
"Since the mid-2000s, the North's strategy to achieve these goals has been to prioritize the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver nuclear weapons to increasingly distant ranges while maintaining a conventional military capable of inflicting enormous damage on South Korea," it said.
The report described the North's chemical and biological weapons programs as being of "great concern," while noting that its cyber forces are "fully" capable of achieving a range of strategic objectives against diverse targets, including those in the U.S.
"North Korea's cyber program poses a sophisticated and agile espionage, cybercrime, and attack capability. North Korea views its offensive cyber capabilities as a cost-effective and deniable tool that it can employ with little risk of reprisal," the report said.
It cited reports that North Korean hackers stole $1.7 billion in 2022 alone.
On the challenges from China and Russia in the 2027-2035 period, the committee warned that the U.S. will face two major nuclear-armed "adversaries."
"Their projected capabilities magnify how complex this competition could become, and combine to pose an existential threat to the United States and its Allies and partners," it said.
This photo, released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 10, 2022, shows a missile launched from an underwater platform in the North. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 13, 2023
7. Unification ministry says many N. Koreans in China believed to have been repatriated
(LEAD) Unification ministry says many N. Koreans in China believed to have been repatriated | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · October 13, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS details)
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Many North Koreans appear to have been repatriated from China, the unification ministry said Friday after a recent news report that about 600 North Koreans have forcibly been sent back home.
"It appears to be true that many North Korean residents in three northeastern Chinese provinces have been repatriated," Koo Byoung-sam, the spokesperson for the ministry, said in a press briefing. "We cannot accurately confirm how many defectors, patients and criminals were included among them."
Koo stressed that North Korean defectors staying overseas should never be sent back home against their will under any circumstances.
"Our government considers this situation regrettable and has sternly raised this issue with China and emphasized our position," the spokesperson said, without providing further details.
Koo said the government will do its best to protect overseas North Korean defectors.
Earlier this week, a local newspaper reported that China forcibly repatriated around 600 North Korean defectors detained in the Jilin and Liaoning provinces Monday night to their reclusive home country via border cities such as Dandong and Hunchun, right after the end of the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Concerns have grown that North Korean defectors could undergo human rights abuses and face harsh punishment if they are sent back to North Korea after it reopened its border in August following more than three years of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights, has estimated that more than 2,000 North Korean defectors are currently detained in China.
Unification ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam speaks during a press briefing on Oct. 13, 2023. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · October 13, 2023
8. Yoon says improved relations between S. Korea, Japan are people's will
Excerpts:
"Communicating with each other will lay solid ground for deepening mutual understanding and promoting friendly cooperation," Yoon said.
Kishida, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Koichi Aiboshi, also called for a stronger partnership between the two countries, saying he is "willing" to work together with Yoon to "open a new era" of partnership.
South Korea-Japan relations have improved significantly under Yoon, after his administration decided in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor without asking for contributions from the Japanese companies involved.
(LEAD) Yoon says improved relations between S. Korea, Japan are people's will | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · October 13, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS details from event hosted by association, Yoon's speech in paras 10-14, photo)
By Lee Haye-ah and Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday that the increasing pace of exchanges between South Korea and Japan shows it is the will of both countries' people to improve and develop the bilateral relationship, according to his office.
Yoon made the remark while meeting with members of the Korea-Japan Friendship Association and the Japan-Korea Friendship Association, who are set to hold a joint conference later in the day to mark the 25th anniversary of a key declaration that called for overcoming the unfortunate past of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, and building new relations.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (front row, C) poses for a photo with members of the Korea-Japan Friendship Association and the Japan-Korea Friendship Association at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 13, 2023, in this photo provided by the office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The 1998 joint declaration, which was adopted by former President Kim Dae-jung and former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, also contained Obuchi's expression of remorse for the "horrendous damage and pain" Japan's colonial rule inflicted on the Korean people.
"The president noted that visits and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries are quickly recovering following the COVID-19 pandemic, and said this is evidence that the improvement and development of South Korea-Japan relations are the wish and will of the two countries' peoples," the presidential office said in a press release.
Yoon also said he believes the two countries will be able to "open a new future over and beyond the period when South Korea-Japan relations were at their best, if they have exchanges, cooperate and build trust."
The president asked the two associations to continue to play a role in promoting mutual understanding and friendly relations between the two countries, including between their provinces and young generations.
The Korea-Japan Friendship Association is led by former South Korean Ambassador to Tokyo Yoo Heung-soo, while the Japan-Korea Friendship Association is headed by former Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura.
During the meeting, Kawamura and other leaders of the association said the effects of improved South Korea-Japan relations are being felt closely by the Japanese people.
They also promised to continually work to improve the bilateral relationship, citing the need for more exchanges between the younger generations, including by possibly resuming a bilateral school trip program.
Participants salute the flag during a conference co-hosted by the Korea-Japan Friendship Association and the Japan-Korea Friendship Association at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 13, 2023. (Yonhap)
Yoon's emphasis on the Seoul-Tokyo cooperation was echoed in a conference co-hosted by the two associations later in the day.
"I and Prime Minister Kishida deeply share the understanding that bilateral cooperation is very important for responding to a global polycrisis," he said in the congratulatory speech, delivered by Foreign Minister Park Jin on his behalf, calling Japan "the closest neighbor and partner" that his country works closely with on regional and global issues.
Taking note of the array of summits the two leaders had this year alone, Yoon highlighted the importance of continued communication between the two sides to move the relations forward, especially the need to further promote people-to-people exchanges.
"Communicating with each other will lay solid ground for deepening mutual understanding and promoting friendly cooperation," Yoon said.
Kishida, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Koichi Aiboshi, also called for a stronger partnership between the two countries, saying he is "willing" to work together with Yoon to "open a new era" of partnership.
South Korea-Japan relations have improved significantly under Yoon, after his administration decided in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor without asking for contributions from the Japanese companies involved.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · October 13, 2023
9. N. Korea, Russia hold celebrations marking 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties
N. Korea, Russia hold celebrations marking 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and Russia have pledged to further develop their relations, as they held celebrations in Pyongyang earlier this week to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the North's state media reported Friday.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il and Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora attended a banquet and watched a documentary film about the bilateral ties on Thursday to mark the anniversary, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Participants in the events touted the bilateral relationship as developing into an "invincible comradeship" and strategic partnership, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit last month to discuss cooperation, the report said.
As part of the celebrations, Im and Matsegora watched the documentary film featuring Kim's latest trip to Russia for talks with Putin and his inspections of key military sites, with North Korea describing the trip as an "epoch-making" opportunity for North Korea-Russia relations.
Meanwhile, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, exchanged messages celebrating the anniversary, according to the KCNA.
Stressing the need to implement the summit agreements, Choe called for close cooperation between the two nations and efforts to further strengthen diplomatic ties, it said.
Lavrov earlier said he plans to visit Pyongyang in October to discuss follow-up measures to the Putin-Kim summit, raising speculation that the move appears to be related to preparations for Putin's trip to North Korea.
The Kremlin said last month that Putin had accepted Kim's offer to visit North Korea during the summit held at Russia's Vostochny spaceport.
Russia, then the Soviet Union, forged diplomatic ties with North Korea on Oct. 12, 1948, recognizing the North as a state for the first time in the world.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 13, 2023, shows a session to watch a documentary film on bilateral ties between North Korea and Russia the previous day to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · October 13, 2023
10. U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Turner to Travel to the Republic of Korea
U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Turner to Travel to the Republic of Korea - United States Department of State
state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson
An official website of the United States Government Here's how you know
Media Note
October 13, 2023
The Department is pleased to announce that Special Envoy for North Korea Human Rights, Julie Turner, was sworn in to office on October 13. Ambassador Turner will travel to Seoul from October 16-18 on her inaugural trip as Special Envoy. Special Envoy Turner will meet with a wide range of government officials, civil society organizations, North Korean escapees, and journalists to discuss her priorities as Special Envoy, opportunities for joint efforts to promote human rights in North Korea, and ways to facilitate reunions for separated families.
For decades the United States has championed efforts to improve respect for the human rights and dignity of North Koreans, including members of the most marginalized communities, and to promote accountability for the DPRK government’s human rights violations and abuses.
state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson
11. Hamas used North Korean rockets in Israel attack, evidence suggests
Thursday
October 12, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 12 Oct. 2023, 18:24
Hamas used North Korean rockets in Israel attack, evidence suggests
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-10-12/national/northKorea/Hamas-used-North-Korean-rockets-in-Israel-attack-evidence-suggests-/1888740
A photo of weapons confiscated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows what appears to be a North Korean F-7 rocket, circled in red. The photo is a screen grab from the IDF's website. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The Hamas militant group used North Korean rockets in its attack on Israel, according to evidence from battlegrounds in the country.
The North Korean 85-millimeter F-7, a surface-to-surface fragmentation rocket, was spotted in a video that showed a Hamas militant appearing to carry the rocket during the group’s attack last Saturday.
A military blogger who uses the handle War Noir on X, formerly known as Twitter, points this out in his post on Sunday.
“One of the members can be seen with an uncommon F-7 HE-Frag rocket, originally produced in North Korea,” reads the post.
The North Korean weapon was also confirmed in photos released by the Israel Defense Forces.
The F-7 rocket was included in the array of weapons confiscated by the IDF from Hamas on Tuesday.
Screen capture of photos posted by military blogger who uses the handle War Noir on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday, shows a Hamas militant carrying what appears to be a North Korean F-7 rocket. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
“North Korean arms have previously been documented among interdicted supplies provided by Iran to militant groups, and this is believed to be the primary way in which DPRK weapons have come into the possession of Palestinian militants,” said N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of the Armament Research Services intelligence consultancy, in speaking with Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
The DPRK is the acronym of the full name of North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“North Korean arms have previously been identified in the hands of the militant factions of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, among other groups,” he added.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed at least 1,200 Israelis, according to the authorities in Israel.
The Palestinian Health Ministry put the death toll of civilians at 1,055 on Wednesday.
Since the outbreak of the war following the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday, several military experts in Korea have posed the possibility that North Korea may try to replicate Hamas’s attack in its potential invasion of the South.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) dismissed the comparison on Thursday.
“Our military is facing an enemy with a different force than Hamas,” said Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, the JCS chairman, speaking Thursday at the National Assembly’s defense committee meeting.
“We are maintaining a firm and decisive battle posture able to end any provocation or invasion by the enemy immediately,” he added, citing South Korea’s multi-layer antimissile plan.
South Korea's so-called “K-3 strategy” is designed to deter North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear weapons threats and is comprised of the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike doctrine, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system to destroy incoming missiles and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) plan, which would target North Korea's leadership and military command.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
12. Korea considers drafting orphans, N. Korean defectors amid population decline
This raises a question I do not know the answer to. Have any escapees from north Korea volunteered to serve in the ROK military? I do agree that they should not be drafted but those who have served in the nKPA could be useful in educating ROK military personnel if they chose to volunteer to serve.
Korea considers drafting orphans, N. Korean defectors amid population decline
The Korea Times · October 14, 2023
Men wait for a physical examination prior to conscription at the Gyeonggi-Incheon Regional Military Manpower Administration in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 1. Newsis
By Lee Hae-rin
The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) has been considering expanding military conscription to orphans and North Korean defectors to compensate for armed forces personnel shortages and the low birthrate, an opposition lawmaker said Saturday.
All able-bodied South Korean men are required to complete nearly two years of military service as the country remains technically at war with North Korea since the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. But orphans and North Korean defectors are not subject to conscription.
The policy study report by the MMA, released by Rep. Ki Dong-in of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, raised the possibility of conscripting orphans and North Korean defectors, citing that available resources have decreased due to the demographic cliff caused by the country's low birthrate.
The report was created by external researchers upon the request of the MMA in 2021.
The report marked “growing concerns over the weakening of combat strength following the shrinking number of troops,” especially considering that North Korea is modernizing its military strength and advancing its nuclear technologies despite an economic crisis.
“Thus, the country should expand the target of conscription for mandatory military service to upgrade its warfare capabilities,” the report said. “Orphans and North Korean defectors’ fulfillment of military requirements should be considered.”
The report pointed out that fulfilling mandatory military service could also contribute to improving equity and fairness related to conscription and help orphans and North Korean defectors’ social integration into society.
Though the report was funded by the MMA’s policy research budget, it noted the conclusion does not reflect the official view of the administration.
Korea is forecast to see its population plummet further. The number of 20-year-old men, which stood at around 330,000 in 2020, is expected to shrink to 230,000 in 2025 and 150,000 by 2040.
The MMA estimates around 600 to 700 orphans and 150 to 250 North Korean defectors would be subject to conscription every year.
The lawmaker said he agreed with the seriousness of the projected shortage of military conscripts but expressed concerns about the policy change.
“Orphans and North Korean defectors are socially vulnerable groups who need to be protected from economic inequality and social prejudices,” Rep. Ki said, urging the government to reach a social consensus before implementing the change.
The Korea Times · October 14, 2023
13. [ANALYSIS] North Korea pins hope on Trump's return to White House
I doubt that Kim will be happy if the former president is elected. He missed the opportunity in 2018-19.
[ANALYSIS] North Korea pins hope on Trump's return to White House
The Korea Times · October 13, 2023
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk before a meeting in the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, in this June 30, 2019, file photo. Analysts recently contacted by The Korea Times said North Korea will likely do what it can to help Trump return to the White House. AFP-Yonhap
Pyongyang clearly wants Biden gone; experts say it will try to influence next year’s election
By Jung Min-ho
Under President Joe Biden, Washington’s North Korea policy has been consistent, with little sign of change. While strengthening security ties with his counterparts in Seoul and Tokyo, Biden has maintained a position of no-concession on the denuclearization issue.
For North Korea, changing the status quo may seem like an impossible task as long as Biden stays in power. His win in the election next year would mean four more years under U.S.-led sanctions that could further weaken North Korea’s economy, which many reports suggest is in the worst shape since the great famine of the 1990s.
Experts contacted recently by The Korea Times said North Korea would hope for Biden’s loss to Trump, the former president and leading contender for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2024. All of them said Kim sees Trump as the better of the two as he seeks to advance his nuclear and geopolitical ambitions. They also said the North will likely try to help Trump win ― possibly by using both legal and illegal means.
There are many reasons for Kim to be excited about the prospect of Trump’s second term. Mark Esper, who served as the Pentagon chief during the Trump administration, said in his memoir that pulling U.S. troops out of South Korea was his second-term priority.
“Withdrawing all U.S. forces completely out of South Korea may not be possible in the short term. But Kim appears to believe that there are areas where Trump could make concessions as long as his proposals meet his interest,” said Chung Sung-yoon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank. “Under Trump, for example, the issue of cost-sharing for defense could reemerge, and a negotiation failure could lead to the reduction of stationed troops, joint military exercises or even no more deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula.”
Experts say North Korea would seek nuclear disarmament negotiations with the U.S. as such talks, if happened, would inevitably give it U.S. recognition as a de facto nuclear-weapons state.
Negotiations with Trump do not necessarily guarantee Washington’s chance of stance. “But with him, North Korea at least can try,” Go Myung-hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank, said.
North Korea’s optimism might not be unfounded. Trump and Kim may have failed to reach a deal during summits in 2018 and 2019, but their relationship may continue to this day.
The two exchanged at least 27 personal letters during the period. After leaving office, Trump told associates that he remained in contact with Kim, according to the book released last year, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.”
Just four months ago, Trump stirred up controversy by posting a message of support for Kim on his Truth Social site, saying “Congratulations to Kim Jung [sic] Un!” after North Korea was appointed to the executive board of the World Health Organization.
This came just three days after North Korea’s botched attempt to put a military spy satellite into orbit, in a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Supporters of Donald Trump, the former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate, attend the Club 47 USA event in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., Oct. 11. Reuters-Yonhap
Security experts, such as Shin So-hyun of the Asan Institute, believe it is possible that North Korean agents may conduct influence operations on social media and other online platforms to help Trump’s campaign. But given the U.S. intensified monitoring efforts following such attempts by foreign states in the past and North Korea’s limited technical ability, it will more likely stick to more familiar tactics ― testing missiles and other types of weapons.
“North Korea may conduct weapons tests to show that Biden’s policy has failed,” Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, said.
The most likely ― and effective ― provocation would be successfully launching a Hwasong-18 solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile, which is believed to be able to hit the U.S. mainland, he added.
North Korea could also proceed with its first nuclear weapons test since 2017, which would certainly make headlines around the world and become an issue among American voters.
If Kim is serious about helping Trump, he could be more creative and strategic, Chung said.
“At the right timing, Kim could send a personal letter to Trump,” he said. “Given the style of his leadership, I think he might even have an interview with a foreign media outlet, sending obvious signs that North Korea is willing to sit down for talks after the election.”
Will North Korea maintain its hostile stance against Washington and Seoul if Biden turns out to be the winner? Experts expressed different views on that question. Chung believes North Korea will likely continue to focus on developing weapons until another opportunity comes, while others said it is expected to try to talk with the Biden administration as it will probably be unable to endure the deteriorating economic situation indefinitely.
“Given North Korea’s foreign relations with Russia and China, I believe it highly depends on the geopolitical situation, including how the war in Ukraine goes,” Go said.
According to a CNN poll released last month, Trump’s national lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the second most popular Republican Party contender for the presidency, widened to 34 points. In a hypothetical rematch with Biden, recent surveys found them in a dead heat.
The Korea Times · October 13, 2023
14. Korea reclaims nuclear powerhouse status after winning series of global deals
Korea is a global pivotal state that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, is a champion of human rights, supports a free and open INDOPACIFIC and seeks to protect the rules based international order.
Korea reclaims nuclear powerhouse status after winning series of global deals
The Korea Times · October 13, 2023
Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Romania / Courtesy of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
KHNP's consortium to sign $1.85 billion deal to refurbish nuclear reactors in Romania
By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea is set to regain its status as a global nuclear energy powerhouse after winning a series of construction and maintainence deals for nuclear power plants abroad over the past year, according to industry analysts Friday. President Yoon Suk Yeol has pushed to rebuild and nurture the nuclear power industry as the nation's main export item after scrapping the previous Moon Jae-in administration's anti-nuclear policies.
Analysts said Korea's nuclear technology is being acknowledged internationally beyond what the majority of locals may think, largely because of its trustworthy reputation for quality and safety.
The latest achievement was the signing of a tripartite consortium agreement between Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), Canada's Candu Energy and Italia's Ansaldo Nucleare for a project in Romania, Thursday. Their aim is to participate in the future retubing and refurbishment project for the Cernavoda Unit 1 Nuclear Power Plant developed by Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN), Romania's state-owned nuclear energy company.
The project will enable Cernavoda Unit 1's license renewal. The total project cost is estimated to reach $1.85 billion. KHNP and other Korean firms participating in the project including KEPCO KPS and Doosan Enerbility will take about 40 percent of it.
"It's a sole race for our consortium with no rivals," an official from KHNP said. "We will submit our proposal in coming January when SNN is expected to request it."
The project target is a 700 megawatt-capacity CANDU-6 unit with a design lifetime of 30 years. The Cernavoda Unit 1 has been operating since 1996 and its license expires by the end of 2026. By extending the license, SNN plans to upgrade and replace the reactor's key components such as pressure tubes, turbines and generator internals from 2027 until 2029.
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power's business export department chief Park In-sik, right, poses with Ansaldo Nucleare's Senior Vice President Giovanbattista Patalano, center, and Candu Energy's Senior Vice President Mattew Ross after signing a consortium agreement with Romania's Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica in Romania, Thursday. Courtesy of KHNP
Candu Energy is the original equipment manufacturer and steward of CANDU technology ― a Canadian pressurized heavy-water reactor design used to generate electric power ― worldwide. Ansaldo is the original designer of the Balance of Plant of Cernavoda Units 1 and 2.
In the project, KHNP, Korea's major nuclear power plant operator, will spearhead construction of infrastructure such as radioactive waste storage. Its role came after it successfully completed a retubing project for Korea's Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2009-11.
"With the unique strengths harnessed, the synergistic partnership will cultivate an environment for a seamless and satisfactory delivery of the project to the client’s satisfaction," said the KHNP official. “Drawing on our large-scale refurbishment project management capabilities gained from the past experiences at Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1, we are happy to partner with Canadian and Italian companies to craft a proposal that aligns with our client’s expectations.”
KHNP's latest consortium came as it had proven the superiority of its nuclear technologies compared to other countries by retubing the Wolsong-1 reactor in the shortest period of time, said Chung Bum-jin, president of Korean Nuclear Society and nuclear engineering professor at Kyung Hee University. When KHNP retubed an aged 700 megawatt-capacity CANDU-6 unit at Wolsong, it took 27 months. Argentina retubed components of the same specifications at the Embalse plant in 37 months. The same job took Canada 46 months at the Point Lepreau plant.
"KHNP's Romanian bid shows Korean nuclear technologies that used to borrow technologies from other countries are now exporting themselves back to the world," Chung said.
KHNP previously signed a contract with JSC AtomStroyExport for the secondary construction of El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt in August 2022. The $2.5 billion deal contracted KHNP to construct 80 buildings and structures in four El Dabaa units and supply equipment. Last June, the Korean firm also signed a $260 million deal with Romania's state-run nuclear operator to build a new tritium removal facility.
Last year the company also bidded for a new nuclear plant project in the Czech Republic and agreed with Poland to build Korea's major power plant model in Patnow.
The Korea Times · October 13, 2023
15. South Korea protests to China over suspected North Korea repatriations
South Korea protests to China over suspected North Korea repatriations
Reuters · by Jack Kim
SEOUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - South Korea said on Friday it had protested to China over the suspected forced repatriation of a large number of North Koreans, who rights groups say face imprisonment and abuse at the hands of North Korean authorities.
Any forced repatriation of North Koreans goes against international norms and South Korea viewed it as regrettable, Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, told a media briefing.
"It appears to be true that a large number of North Koreans in China's three northeast provinces have been repatriated to the North," Koo said.
South Korea had been unable to determine the number of people involved and whether there were defectors among them.
"The South Korean government regrets the situation and raised this matter with the Chinese side in a serious manner, emphasizing our position," he said.
Former North Korean diplomat Tae Yong-ho, who is now a member of South Korea's parliament, issued a statement calling on the foreign ministry to summon the Chinese ambassador to South Korea as a form of protest.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday there were no "so-called defectors" in China, when asked about a report Beijing had deported about 600 North Korean defectors this week despite an appeal by South Korea.
On Friday, the same spokesperson said China would "continue to appropriately handle" the matter according to humanitarian principles as well as domestic and international law.
China has never recognised fleeing North Koreans as defectors and instead calls them "economic migrants".
South Korea's government and international rights organisations have said defectors who are deported back to the North face harsh punishment including detention at labour camps where they are subject to dangerous treatment and conditions.
Human Rights Watch said Chinese authorities had forced back more than 500 North Koreans, most of them women, and it called on governments to denounce the expulsion by Beijing.
The North Koreans were taken in vehicle convoys on Monday night over five separate border crossings into the North, the rights group said, citing a missionary with contacts in the North and China who worked to help defectors.
A North Korean who defected to South Korea in 2001 said a cousin of his, who had lived in China for 25 years, and had a daughter with a Chinese man, was believed to be among those deported this week.
The defector, Kim Hyuk, told Reuters his cousin, Kim Cheol-ok, was detained by Chinese authorities in Jilin province in April and had in recent days called her daughter from prison to say she was about to be sent to back to North Korea.
Reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park and Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Ed Davies, Robert Birsel and Miral Fahmy
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Reuters · by Jack Kim
16. Drafting a constitution for a Unified Korea
Excerpts:
The constitution will be accepted by the people, not on the basis of how famous its drafters are, or how much money and coverage in the media they receive, but rather on the basis of their vision of what humanity is capable of, and how they express that potential in an inspiring manner.
It is essential that the planners of the convention make room for the organic meetings of minds, take the time to read through classic books on governance and to discuss them in an unpressured environment, while at the same time avoiding imposing on the natural process by which the constitution takes form and is then drafted.
Drafting a constitution for a Unified Korea
The Korea Times · October 12, 2023
By Emanuel Pastreich
A successful unification of the Korean Peninsula must be based on a vision for the nation rooted in both universal values and the distinct traditions of the Korean people.
If the establishment of a unified Korea as a constitutional republic is to follow the model offered by the United States, the critical step would be the drafting of a constitution that lays out the contours for that new nation’s government and the principles undergirding it.
That means selecting the best practices and policies, and the most relevant to the needs of the current age, from models for good governance found in the collective wisdom of mankind, and doing so in a manner that is inspiring for the Korean people, and that serves as a model for the nations of the world.
In this respect, the Korean dream advanced by Dr. Hyunjin Preston Moon, a visionary plan for a new nation on the peninsula that brings together the best of West and East, will inspire the drafting of this constitution.
The constitution for a unified Korea will serve as the foundation for the republic, describing concretely the institutional structures and the principles of governance that govern them, thereby establishing a common understanding of the legal process to be followed going forward, while setting limits on the authority of each branch of government that will be essential for stability over the long term.
The constitution should assure a process for understanding the needs of society, the principles of morality and the best way to implement those solutions in policy, while guarding against creeping tyranny by assuring a logical separation of powers.
The United States Constitution is a blending of varied strands of political philosophy. We can observe in the Constitution institutional precedents taken from Greece and Rome, but also from medieval and enlightenment governance in England, France and Germany. A trained eye can detect bits of the Iroquois Great Law, and even of Confucian practice as it was introduced into the Enlightenment debate in Europe on governance.
The constitution of a united Korea should also be a creative work with roots deep in our common past, a text that appeals to universal human values and morals, and that sends out sparks of inspiration to all Koreans, and to all the world, as did the American constitution in 1787.
The intellectual dynamic animating the American Constitution is powered by the synthesis of the political philosophy of the ancient Greeks and Romans with practical precedents in later history for deliberative democracy such as the Magna Carta of 1215, or the Roundheads’ defense of the democratic Parliament in seventeenth-century England.
We can imagine a constitution for a unified Korea that will derive its power from a further synthesis, this time between the tradition of the constitutional republic without a monarch that is put forth in the U.S. Constitution, Korea’s own traditions of good governance and ethical behavior, and the larger mansions of moral philosophy in East Asia, mainly those of Confucianism and Buddhism.
A Korean Constitutional Convention
All of the models for good governance in the Western and Eastern traditions will not mean much if Koreans are not able to hold a constitutional convention in which the greatest ethical and intellectual minds of the age come together for an open debate dedicated to addressing the spiritual and material needs of the people, not personal gain, and if the consensus of those great minds is not written up in powerful and clear language that can inspire citizens for the ages.
The constitution produced by the constitutional convention for a united Korea must have cultural depth and moral power on both the Western and Eastern sides so that it will be accepted by Koreans of the North and the South (and around the world) assuasive, authoritative and universal.
First, we need individuals who are morally upstanding, intellectually informed, dedicated to the public good, and who have a keen sense of their role in long arc of history. That moral stature must be accompanied with an openness to new potentials and eternal creativity.
They need not, should not, be individuals with identical concepts of what government should be. The convention should be a symphony in which different themes and melodies are blended together in the give and take, the debate, and the resulting harmony produced in debates, for example between those favoring a strong central government and those opposed, between those favoring individual rights and those favoring the common good, serves to create a balanced conception of the whole that will rise above the capacity of any one author.
We know that in the American case those at the convention, James Madison, George Mason, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (by correspondence), and Alexander Hamilton, articulated profoundly different perspectives on how government could realize the potential of humanity.
The Constitutional Convention went on in Philadelphia from May 25 to Sept. 17 of 1787, bringing together a group of visionary political figures who were devoted to an honest debate on the strengths and weaknesses of previous traditions of governance. It took months of concentrated debate, draft after draft, to come up with a vision for how the United States of America would be governed in a democratic, transparent, and accountable manner so as to represent the needs of the people and to protect the rights of the minority and to express that vision in a manner that was accessible to citizens.
In the Korean case, it should be a select group of committed Koreans, from North and South Korea, and from the Korean diaspora, who are ready to devote themselves to the drafting of this constitution based on ideals and profound contemplation of the needs of the people, a group that includes people with different perspectives on governance who are capable of creative dialog and compromise.
The constitution will be accepted by the people, not on the basis of how famous its drafters are, or how much money and coverage in the media they receive, but rather on the basis of their vision of what humanity is capable of, and how they express that potential in an inspiring manner.
It is essential that the planners of the convention make room for the organic meetings of minds, take the time to read through classic books on governance and to discuss them in an unpressured environment, while at the same time avoiding imposing on the natural process by which the constitution takes form and is then drafted.
Emanuel Pastreich is president of Asia Society, researcher at Council on East Asian Studies, Yale University and senior fellow at Global Peace Foundation. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.
The Korea Times · October 12, 2023
17. Military aircraft carrying S. Koreans leaves Israel
Military aircraft carrying S. Koreans leaves Israel
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · October 14, 2023
By Ji Da-gyum
Published : Oct. 14, 2023 - 09:23
The South Korean Air Force's KC-330 military transport aircraft takes off from Gimhae Air Base in the city of Busan on Friday to head for Israel for the evacuation of South Korean nationals and other foreigners (Ministry of National Defense).
A South Korean military aircraft is en route to safely bring 163 nationals back home from Israel amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas, Seoul said Saturday.
The South Korean Air Force's KC-330 Cygnus transport aircraft is scheduled to touch down at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday evening, as part of its mission to evacuate South Korean citizens stranded in Israel, according to the joint announcement by the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Yoon Suk Yeol government decided to deploy the KC-330 Cygnus aircraft to expeditiously evacuate South Korean nationals from Israel.
Israel's military on Friday issued extensive evacuation orders affecting approximately 1.1 million people in northern Gaza within a 24-hour timeframe, according to the United Nations.
"The government has decided to dispatch military transport aircraft to Israel to support the return of our citizens at a juncture where we see that the Israel-Hamas military conflict is rapidly escalating, with the imminent likelihood of military operations in the Gaza Strip, and with the cancellation of commercial flights to Tel Aviv," a senior official at the Foreign Ministry said.
The KC-330 Cygnus departed from South Korea for Israel on Friday at noon and arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's primary airport in Tel Aviv, on Friday afternoon local time. Subsequently, the military aircraft departed from Israel early on Saturday.
Around 630 South Korean citizens were residing in Israel, including 520 long-term residents and 110 short-term visitors, according to data provided by South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday.
As individuals eager to return home departed on military aircraft and others left Israel via foreign commercial flights on Friday, the number of South Koreans stranded in Israel now stands at approximately 450 as of Saturday.
The count of short-term South Korean visitors in Israel has dwindled to around 10, while the number of long-term South Korean residents has decreased to 440.
The military aircraft also accommodated 51 Japanese nationals and six Singapore citizens on humanitarian grounds. This was made possible by utilizing the KC-330 Cygnus's full capacity, capable of carrying up to 230 passengers this time.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry emphasized that Seoul offered its support to Tokyo, in a gesture reminiscent of their cooperation during "Operation Promise." In the previous mission, South Korea facilitated the evacuation of both South Korean and Japanese citizens from the conflict-stricken Sudan in April.
This is not the first time the South Korean government has deployed military transport aircraft to evacuate its citizens from countries affected by war and conflict.
The KC-330 Cygnus carried out "Operation Miracle," which brought 400 Afghans fleeing the Taliban-controlled nation to Korea in August 2021, as well as the aforementioned Operation Promise.
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · October 14, 2023
18. China Appears to Have Repatriated North Koreans Despite International Pressure
China Appears to Have Repatriated North Koreans Despite International Pressure
Hundreds are believed to have been forcibly sent back to the Kim Jong Un regime, where they likely face imprisonment and abuse, experts say
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/china-appears-to-have-repatriated-north-koreans-despite-international-pressure-3b0e99df
By Dasl Yoon
Follow
Oct. 13, 2023 3:57 am ET
The North Korean town of Sinuiju, as seen from the Chinese border city of Dandong. PHOTO: PEDRO PARDO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
SEOUL—China appeared to have repatriated a large number of North Koreans this week, despite international pressure given the harsh punishment the returnees likely face back in the Kim Jong Un regime.
Fleeing North Korea is punishable by hard labor, imprisonment in re-education camps or even execution.
Earlier this week, civic and human-rights groups, citing contacts inside China, claimed roughly 500 to 600 imprisoned North Koreans were forcibly sent back to their home country. On Friday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said many North Koreans appeared to have been repatriated from three northeastern Chinese provinces but couldn’t confirm how many.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, asked about the repatriation claims at a Thursday briefing, said there were no North Korean defectors in China, according to Reuters. He added that Beijing has always handled individuals who had illegally entered China according to international law and humanitarianism.
North Korea had sealed off its borders over Covid-19 fears, blocking even its own citizens from returning. But the Kim regime officially reopened in August after having isolated itself for more than 3½ years.
That triggered concern from the U.S., South Korea, the United Nations and human-rights groups, which asked China to refrain from repatriating North Koreans. Roughly 10,000 North Koreans might be hiding in China, according to South Korean government estimates. Some 1,500 of them are believed to be imprisoned after getting caught by Chinese authorities, the U.N. says.
Ties between Beijing and Pyongyang have blossomed in recent years, with the two Communist nations pledging deeper coordination and sharing their dissatisfaction with the U.S. and its allies. In the past, when the two countries’ relations were frayed, China sometimes deported North Koreans to third countries or turned a blind eye as escapees sought refuge elsewhere, according to Yang Moo-jin, a former South Korean Unification Ministry official.
North Korean defectors and human-rights activists stage a rally near the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. PHOTO: AHN YOUNG-JOON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Currently China has no intention of prioritizing a North Korean defector’s free will over the two countries’ border control laws,” said Yang, who is now the president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
More than 8,000 North Koreans have been repatriated in the past, with 98% of the cases sent from China, according to the Seoul-based Database Center for North Korean Human Rights. In contrast, some 34,000 North Koreans have relocated to South Korea in recent decades.
President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have focused on pressuring North Korea on its human-rights violations, a shift from predecessors who kept quieter on the issues as diplomatic talks unfolded with the Kim regime. Both countries in the past year or so have named North Korean human-rights envoys, positions that had remained vacant since 2017. The U.S. envoy, Julie Turner, was confirmed by the Senate in July, though has yet to be sworn into office.
Since taking power in 2011, Kim, the 39-year-old dictator, has cracked down harder than his father or grandfather did on those seeking to flee North Korea. He tightened border controls even before the pandemic and strengthened punishment for illegal border crossings.
The number of escapees annually who have relocated to South Korea has dwindled to the dozens in recent years. Before the pandemic, the total typically hit 1,000 or more a year.
Beijing’s increasing use of facial-recognition technology has suppressed the outflow of North Koreans, by making it extremely difficult for them to avoid being identified and repatriated, said Hanna Song, director of international cooperation at the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, during a U.S. congressional hearing in July.
China’s foremost request to the Kim regime has been returning North Koreans that Beijing considers to be criminals, ever since the two countries resumed some railway trade earlier this year, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers in August. The Covid-19 border closures by both countries had meant the North Koreans couldn’t be sent back as soon as they were caught, said Hwang Ji-hwan, a professor of international relations at the University of Seoul.
A worker cleans a hotel window in the Chinese border city of Dandong. PHOTO: PEDRO PARDO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
“Even if the Yoon administration has been emphasizing North Korea’s human rights violations more, it won’t change China’s stance especially when Beijing’s relations with Washington and Seoul aren’t so good,” Hwang said.
The North Koreans suspected to have been sent back recently include children and were from several Chinese border cities, including Dandong and Tumen, said Peter Jung, the director of Justice for North Korea, the group that first publicized the repatriations early this week.
Separately, Human Rights Watch, citing a South Korean underground missionary with contacts in China and North Korea, said more than 500 North Koreans who were mostly women had been forcibly returned this week. Around 120 North Koreans had been repatriated in August and September, according to the group.
“The forced repatriations will lead to torture and incarceration of North Koreans and those who came in close contact with Christianity or foreign culture and ideology are expected to be executed or sent to prison camps,” said Jung, whose group is a nonprofit humanitarian organization.
Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
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Appeared in the October 14, 2023, print edition as 'Beijing Has Repatriated North Koreans, Groups Say'.
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