Quotes of the Day:
“If you have reason to suspect that a person is telling you a lie, look as though you believed every word he said. This will give him courage to go on; he will become more vehement in his assertions, and in the end betray himself."- Arthur Schopenhauer
“The consummation of forming an army is to arrive at formlessness. Victory in war is not repetitious, but adapts its form endlessly. . . . A military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius."- Sun Tzu
“What I fear is not the enemy’s strategy but our own mistakes." - Pericles
1. North Korea Puts on Show of Missile Might as Kim Jong Un Snubs U.S.
2. T-shirt with portrait of Kim appears at N. Korea's public event for 1st time
3. North Korean soldier in blue generate buzz on social media
4. Shirtless soldiers lie on broken glass, smash bricks with hands as Kim Jong Un vows ‘invincible’ military
5. Kim Jong-un Speaks in Front of Missiles
6. UN Rights Report Warns Of N. Korea 'Starvation Risk'
7. U.S. to host virtual meeting on countering ransomware attacks from N. Korea, others
8. N. Korean spy worked at Blue House, says a defector
9. DPRK accuses US of inciting tensions
10. South, U.S. security advisers reiterate willingness for talks with North
11. S. Korea, U.S. agree to mull new defense dialogue on regional policy cooperation
12. In land of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game,’ a hero rises
13. This Is Our Best Look Yet At North Korea's Hypersonic Missile
14. North Korea continues to seek sanctions lifting, recognition as nuclear state
15. Unpacking Claims of Secret North Korean Intelligence Operations
1. North Korea Puts on Show of Missile Might as Kim Jong Un Snubs U.S.
This was quite a convention/exhibition that is providing a lot of social media fodder-from Kim's fashion statement in sandals to the skydiver in his blue suit with the helmet that someone dubbed "rocketman," to the Che Gueverra-like Kim Jong-un T-shirt, to the martial arts demonstration to the array of missile sn and military hardware on display (are they real or are they memorex - mock-ups?) . Kim Jong-un has shown us soft and hard power in his event that looks like it is designed to compete with the AUSA convention in DC this week. And then there is the interesting rhetoric from the speeches (and reports of speeches).
North Korea Puts on Show of Missile Might as Kim Jong Un Snubs U.S.
The firepower display at an event in Pyongyang included an apparent hypersonic missile
“Recently, the United States has frequently sent signals that it is not hostile to our state, but its behavior provides us with no reason why we should believe it,” Mr. Kim said in a speech at a national defense exhibition on Monday, according to North Korean state media.
Mr. Kim spoke on a podium flanked by missiles for submarines, rocket launchers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, photos from the event showed. He praised North Korea’s rocket scientists for their efforts to build what he called a “world-class defense capability.”
Recent missile tests by North Korea have further darkened prospects for a shift to dialogue with the Biden administration, which has said it is willing to hold talks at any time with Pyongyang.
During the past month, North Korea has staged about half a dozen missile launches, including a new antiaircraft missile, two ballistic missiles launched from railway cars, and what it called its first hypersonic missile. Such weapons can fly around five times the speed of sound, making them much harder for most missile defense systems to detect and destroy.
Photos from the defense show in Pyongyang showed a missile with a flatter tip, typical of hypersonic missiles.
In addition to a pick up in missile tests, North Korea appears to have restarted operations at its plutonium-producing reactor, which could allow it to expand its nuclear-weapons arsenal, the International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier this year.
Mr. Kim said Pyongyang needed to keep developing its arsenal of weapons to face the threat from the U.S. and South Korea, which recently tested its first submarine-launched missile.
“South Korea has been unhesitant on several occasions in disclosing its ambition for securing military supremacy over us under the preposterous excuse of deterring [the] threat from us,” he said.
South Korea’s director of national security, Suh Hoon, is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Tuesday.
Mr. Kim criticized military coordination between the U.S. and South Korea, including joint exercises, which North Korea frequently describes as an obstacle to dialogue.
Mr. Kim also acknowledged a “difficult” domestic economic situation but said other parts of the economy were of secondary importance to the defense industry. North Korea has largely closed itself off during the pandemic, sharply reducing the limited trade it has with China and other nations.
“I stress once again: It is our party’s invariable priority policy and goal, and unwavering will to possess and further strengthen a military capability which no one would dare challenge,” Mr. Kim said.
2. T-shirt with portrait of Kim appears at N. Korea's public event for 1st time
If the photos do not come through please go to the link to view them. I wonder when the communist/socialists wannabees will adopt this T-shirt like they have adopted Che's - though I suppose they will have to wait until Kim Jong-un is martyred for the socialist revolutionary cause of north Korea.
T-shirt with portrait of Kim appears at N. Korea's public event for 1st time | Yonhap News Agency
By Choi Soo-hyang
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- A T-shirt with a printed portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted during a public event in Pyongyang for the first time, state media showed, amid the reclusive regime's push to rev up an image of being a "normal state."
According to footage released by the North's official Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station on Tuesday, an orchestra conductor was clad in the white T-shirt with Kim's face printed in black and white on the front at a defense expo the previous day.
North Koreans are hardly seen wearing such clothes, which could get dirty, as the Kim family is deified as sacred figures in the North with their portraits treated as a subject of worship.
In 2019, the North's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, ran a story praising a ship engineer for his "heroic act" of saving the portraits of Kim and the country's two late leaders from a sinking vessel.
The appearance of the Kim T-shirt comes as North Korea tries to present itself as a "normal state" to the international community amid a deadlock in nuclear negotiations with the United States.
The rare exhibition was held to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, during which the North showcased a series of new weapons, including a "hypersonic" missile and the Hwasong-16 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
At the expo, Kim delivered a speech and ordered the country's military capabilities to be beefed up, calling it their "first and foremost task."
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. North Korean soldier in blue generate buzz on social media
And here is the soldier in the blue skin tight parachute uniform. But the pointed helmet does give him a look of "rocketman" as someone on social media dubbed him.
If the photo does not come through please go to the link.
North Korean soldier in blue generate buzz on social media
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, poses for a group photo with fighter pilots who made the demonstration flight at the opening of an exhibition of weapons systems in Pyongyang, Oct. 11. AP-YonhapA North Korean soldier clad in a super-tight blue outfit in a state media photo has generated a buzz on social media, with some calling him ''a superhero,'' ''a captain DPRK,'' or ''a rocket man.''
He was among nearly 30 soldiers who posed for a photo with leader Kim Jong-un during an exhibition of weapons systems on Monday. North Korea published photos of the event the following day.
They all mostly wore olive green uniforms, the most common color for North Korean military uniforms. Only two of them wore different colors ― the one in the blue outfit and the other in a navy-blue uniform, which isn't that unusual. Kim put on a dark suit.
Some Twitter users in South Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere joked about his appearance, saying he looks like a ''human cannon ball,'' or the North Korean equivalent of Captain America.
Others called him a ''superhero,'' a ''captain DPRK,'' the official acronym for North Korea, a ''rocket man,'' or a member of (non-existent) North Korean space forces.
North Korean state media didn't identify the man. But Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, tweeted that ''It seems he's the parachutist.''
Other North Korean photos showed Kim watching a group of jets flying in a formation during an air show ahead of the exhibition. The official Korean Central News Agency said a ''top notch parachutist showed landing skills, fluttering red party flag in the (October) sky'' before the exhibition's opening ceremony.
Photos of an earlier air show in North Korea showed parachutists wearing similar blue tight outfits. (AP)
4. Shirtless soldiers lie on broken glass, smash bricks with hands as Kim Jong Un vows ‘invincible’ military
Shirtless soldiers lie on broken glass, smash bricks with hands as Kim Jong Un vows ‘invincible’ military
North Korean state media on Tuesday released footage of Kim Jong Un smiling and clapping as shirtless soldiers participated in an exhibition intended to showcase the muscular power of the country’s troops, as well as weapons Pyongyang has developed to launch nuclear strikes.
The video footage showed uniformed soldiers striking their bare-chested colleagues with wooden posts and breaking apparent slabs of concrete placed on soldiers’ stomachs with a mallet. Others had bricks smashed over their heads.
One particularly dramatic sequence showed a shirtless soldier breaking out of chains and lying on broken glass before a slab of concrete was placed on his stomach and smashed.
The extraordinary videos were part of a “self-defense” exhibition on Monday in which totalitarian North Korea showcased its latest nuclear and other weaponry, including a version of the “hypersonic” weapon that Pyongyang said it tested last month. Analysts have expressed doubts over that weapon’s capabilities.
In a speech, Kim said he was building an “invincible” military to counter what he called persistent U.S. hostility, and not to renew hostilities with South Korea.
“The U.S. has frequently signaled it’s not hostile to our state, but there is no action-based evidence to make us believe that they are not hostile,” Kim said Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. “The U.S. is continuing to create tensions in the region with its wrong judgments and actions.”
The exhibition marked the 76th anniversary of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party. It was the first event of its kind since Kim took control of the impoverished country in late 2011, according to South Korean officials.
Read more:
5. Kim Jong-un Speaks in Front of Missiles
Yes the missiles make a nice backdrop and put the exclamation point on his rhetoric.
Kim Jong-un Speaks in Front of Missiles
Back in late September, North Korea launched what it called a hypersonic missile, although doubts were raised as to whether it had actually moved at hypersonic speeds. It was the third of four weapons tests by North Korea in the month of September.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un spoke earlier this week on the occasion of the seventy-sixth anniversary of the nation’s Workers' Party. According to NK News, Kim spoke the same day in front of nuclear missiles at what was described as the “Self-Defense 2021” meeting.
“The United States has been frequently signaling that it's not hostile to our country, but there has been no behavioral ground to believe that it is not,” Kim said in his remarks, per the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as cited by Yonhap News Agency.
“Kim made a speech to a gathering of officials, the KCNA news agency said. State media showed Kim addressing a room full of officials, with no major social distancing, masks or other Covid measures apparent,” per the caption of a YouTube summary of the anniversary speech, posted on the channel of The Guardian. “Kim urged officials to focus on improving citizens' lives in the face of a 'grim' economic situation.”
Kim, in the footage, continues to look thinner than he has in the past, a transformation that has drawn attention worldwide.
The missiles that were visible at the event included what North Korea calls its “hypersonic” missile, as well as its Hwasong-16 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). South Korea and the United States are “analyzing” the weapons that were displayed, per Yonhap.
Also in remarks this week, North Korea’s foreign ministry cited the nation’s continuing ties to Russia.
“Even in the face of adverse environment caused by the global pandemic and the vicissitudes of international situation, the DPRK and the Russian Federation are ... continuously strengthening strategic cooperation with regard to the issue of bilateral relations and other international issues,” the ministry said this week.
Back in late September, North Korea launched what it called a hypersonic missile, although doubts were raised as to whether it had actually moved at hypersonic speeds. It was the third of four weapons tests by North Korea in the month of September.
The Pentagon stated at the time that that particular missile “does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies.” The United States continues to declare frequently that it would like North Korea to return to the diplomatic table.
“Given the detected speed and other features of the ‘hypersonic missile’ North Korea said it test-fired yesterday, it appears to be at an early stage of development that would require considerable time for actual deployment,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs said in a statement at the time of the launch.
More recently, North Korea reopened its hotline communication channel with South Korea, following two months of non-communication between the sides.
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for the National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
Image: Reuters
6. UN Rights Report Warns Of N. Korea 'Starvation Risk'
This is possibly a major inflection point for the Korean peninsula. I know I am the little boy who has cried wolf too many times but I urge everyone to be vigilant to the possibility of growing internal instability and the decisions that could be made by Kim Jong-un. It could lead to a catastrophic outcome.
UN Rights Report Warns Of N. Korea 'Starvation Risk'
Barron's · by AFP - Agence France Presse
Text size
North Korea's most vulnerable are "at risk of starvation" with the economy worsening due to a self-imposed coronavirus blockade, and UN sanctions imposed over the country's nuclear programmes should be eased, a UN human rights expert said Wednesday.
The impoverished nation has been behind a rigid blockade since early last year to protect itself from the pandemic, with the economy suffering and trade with key partner China dwindling to a trickle.
In June, state-run KCTV admitted North Korea was facing a "food crisis", sounding the alarm in a country with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed the population.
The same month, leader Kim Jong Un said the food situation was "getting tense".
Ordinary North Koreans are "struggling on a daily basis... to live a life of dignity", and the worsening humanitarian situation could "turn into a crisis", Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN special rapporteur on human rights, said in his latest report.
Pyongyang is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which have seen rapid progress under Kim.
Quintana said such restrictions should be eased to protect the country's most vulnerable in the face of a severe food shortage.
"The most vulnerable children and elderly are at risk of starvation," he said.
"Sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council should be reviewed and eased when necessary to both facilitate humanitarian and lifesaving assistance."
The report comes about three months after the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation said North Korea was facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes this year, and could experience a "harsh lean period".
Pyongyang has stayed away from talks on its nuclear programme since the collapse of a second summit between Kim and then US president Donald Trump in Hanoi and has rebuffed South Korean efforts to revive dialogue.
Under President Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives, while saying it will seek denuclearisation.
But this week Kim blamed Washington for tensions on the peninsula, and insisted Pyongyang's weapons were for self-defence and not aimed at any particular country.
cdl/slb/axn
Barron's · by AFP - Agence France Presse
7. U.S. to host virtual meeting on countering ransomware attacks from N. Korea, others
north Korea's all-purpose sword is a significant threat.
Excerpts:
The official also explained North Korea was part of the reason for the emphasis on the four areas of discussion in the upcoming meeting.
"Because while we can work to try to shape actors -- you know, as you've said, North Korea is famously difficult in that way -- what we do control is ourselves," the official said.
"So, we really are in our own way both saying we're going to enforce these and work with partners around the world on that, as well as ... leverage international cooperation to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem."
U.S. to host virtual meeting on countering ransomware attacks from N. Korea, others | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Officials from more than 30 countries, including South Korea, will discuss ways to counter ransomware attacks from countries, including Russia and North Korea, in a U.S.-led virtual meeting this week, a U.S. official said.
The virtual meeting, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, comes after a series of recent ransomware attacks on U.S. businesses and government offices from perpetrators believed to be based in other countries, including China, Russia and North Korea.
"While the United States is facilitating this meeting, we don't view this solely as a U.S. initiative," a senior U.S. administration official told reporters in a telephone briefing Tuesday.
"Many governments have been indispensable in organizing the meeting, and four countries in particular have volunteered to lead and organize specific thematic discussions: India for resilience, Australia for disruption, the U.K. for virtual currency and Germany for diplomacy," the official added.
The official said the two-day "counter ransomware initiative" meeting will discuss a wide range of issues, ranging from efforts to improve each country's national resilience in cybersecurity to disrupting and prosecuting ransomware criminals.
It will also discuss North Korea's malicious cyber activities, the official noted.
The official also explained North Korea was part of the reason for the emphasis on the four areas of discussion in the upcoming meeting.
"Because while we can work to try to shape actors -- you know, as you've said, North Korea is famously difficult in that way -- what we do control is ourselves," the official said.
"So, we really are in our own way both saying we're going to enforce these and work with partners around the world on that, as well as ... leverage international cooperation to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem."
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. N. Korean spy worked at Blue House, says a defector
Interesting but not at all surprising.
N. Korean spy worked at Blue House, says a defector
Posted October. 12, 2021 07:17,
Updated October. 12, 2021 07:17
N. Korean spy worked at Blue House, says a defector.
October. 12, 2021 07:17.
by Jong-Yeob JO, Jin-Woo Shin jjj@donga.com,niceshin@donga.com.
The BBC reported that a former high-ranking spy and defector testified that a North Korean agent had been dispatched and worked at the Presidential Office in South Korea and worked for five to six years at the Blue House. The defector, who worked as a senior colonel for North Korea’s top intelligence agency, also said that the Cheonan navy ship attack and Yeonpyeong island bombardment was carried out at the orders from the top and “treated with pride.”
The BBC interviewed Kim Kuk-sung (alias), who worked at North Korean spy agency for 30 years, defected from North Korea in 2014 and currently works for the South Korean intelligence. According to BBC reports, Kim said that a North Korean agent was dispatched and worked at the Presidential Office in South Korea. He returned safely and worked at the 314 Liaison Office of the Labor Party. He said that happened in the 1990s under President Roh Tae-woo (1988-1993) or President Kim Young-sam (1993-1998)’s term.
Kim said that the sinking of the Cheonan navy ship attack and shelling of Yeonpyeong island was no secret to RGB officers and treated with pride and something to boast about. “Operations of such scale could not have been carried out by subordinates. It could not have been done without the direct approval of the leadership,” it reported. BBC said that it was unable to verify the claims but confirmed his identity. However, multiple sources said that Kim’s claims of North Korean spies working at the Blue House for six years in the early 90s were not true.
9. DPRK accuses US of inciting tensions
And Chinese propaganda is carrying north Korea's water.
DPRK accuses US of inciting tensions
Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), speaks during an event celebrating the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, in this undated photo released on Oct 11, 2021 by DPRK's Korean Central News Agency. [Photo/Agencies]
Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, accused the United States of inciting tensions on the Korean Peninsula and called for the boosting of self-defensive capability to counter "hostile forces", state media Korean Central News Agency said on Tuesday.
In a speech on Monday at a defense development exhibition to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Kim made the comments criticizing Seoul and Washington over their combined military exercises and weapons development.
"Recently, the US has frequently sent signals that it is not hostile to our state. But its behavior provides us no reason on why we should believe them," Kim said. "The US is still generating regional tension with its wrong judgment and acts."
Li Nan, a researcher with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Kim's speech serves as a reminder to the US that it must change its policy toward Pyongyang before the two sides return to the negotiation table.
"The US is saying one thing but doing another, so the DPRK felt the need to strengthen its own self-defense forces to protect itself and maintain regional peace," Li said.
Kim's remarks on Monday came less than two weeks after the DPRK tested a new anti-aircraft missile in its fourth missile launch in September.
Kim also slammed the Republic of Korea for being "hypocritical "and having "double standards" for continuing to boost military capabilities, and said the DPRK would respond with "strong actions" if Seoul continues to "infringe upon our rights to self-defense".
Military capabilities
The DPRK leader called on boosting the country's military capabilities to counter hostile forces, but noted the enhancement of its military is not aimed at the ROK, and that the "horrific history" of conflict among the same people should not be repeated "on this land".
"It is because self-defensive power is the root of existence of a state and guarantee of its development," he added.
Zhan Debin, an international relations professor at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, said Pyongyang wants to send a signal that the enhancement of its military is only for the purpose of self-defense, which is not a military threat to Washington and Seoul.
"The name of the exhibition (Self-Defense-2021) and Kim's speech are both indicating the nature of self-defense," said Zhan, adding that Washington and Seoul's pursuit of military superiority on the peninsula has driven Pyongyang to boost its capacities.
Li said Kim's speech was also aimed at uniting the country and boosting domestic morale.
"It's a demonstration of advanced military forces in the country," he said. But Li added "the uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula are increasing" amid a stalemate in DPRK-US talks.
Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.
10. South, U.S. security advisers reiterate willingness for talks with North
Of course.
But it is almost like we are negotiating with ourselves. It is Kim who refuses to negotiate which could be because he is in a position of weakness.
Wednesday
October 13, 2021
South, U.S. security advisers reiterate willingness for talks with North
Suh Hoon, South Korea's national security adviser, left, shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, ahead of bilateral talks in Washington on Tuesday. [KOREAN EMBASSY TO THE UNITED STATES]
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stressed that Washington holds “no hostile policy” towards North Korea and reiterated Washington’s stance that it is always ready to engage in negotiations with Pyongyang, in talks with his South Korean counterpart Tuesday.
Suh Hoon, director of the Blue House National Security Office, in bilateral talks with Sullivan in Washington confirmed the U.S. stance that it is ready to engage in negotiations with North Korea “anytime, anywhere without preconditions,” according to Seoul’s National Security Council (NSC).
The two sides agreed to continue working closely on concrete ways to engage with North Korea and bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table, following an impasse in denuclearization negotiations since 2019.
Suh told reporters after the talks with Sullivan that the United States “expressed strong support for inter-Korean dialogue to make a breakthrough in the Korean Peninsula situation and Covid-19 pandemic.”
The two sides also agreed that “practical progress” could be made if they could get Pyongyang to engage “more actively” in inter-Korean and North-U.S. dialogue.
Suh said that they “shared the view that diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea are very important for the reduction of security threats on the Korean Peninsula, economic stability and denuclearization.”
Pyongyang officials have indicated openness to improving inter-Korean relations in recent weeks, on the condition that the South withdraws what it claims to be its “hostile” policies toward the North, likely in reference to sanctions and joint military drills with the United States.
While Pyongyang last month restored inter-Korean hotlines, seen as a step toward improving relations with Seoul, it has so far remained mum to Washington’s offer of dialogue.
President Moon Jae-in, speaking to the United Nations General Assembly last month, proposed that the two Koreas, the United States, and possibly China, formally declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War which ended with an armistice agreement. The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war.
Suh confirmed Tuesday that he had explained to Sullivan Seoul’s efforts toward an end-of-war declaration and intentions to closely consult with Washington on the issue. The United States does not appear to have given a concrete answer on the issue.
However, Suh did say he “confirmed that the U.S. government is also greatly interested in and determined to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
Such coordination leaves open the possibility for future humanitarian support for North Korea, such as coronavirus vaccine supplies, which may allow for an atmosphere more conducive toward dialogue.
The White House NSC said that Suh and Sullivan “held detailed discussions on the current security situation in the region and called on the DPRK to enter into serious and sustained diplomacy towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," referring to the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Sullivan stressed the need for North Korea “to refrain from escalatory actions” but “reaffirmed U.S. support for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation,” said NSC spokesperson Emily Horne in a statement.
North Korea conducted a series of missile launches in recent weeks, including a newly developed hypersonic weapon in late September.
The advisers “both emphasized the important role of the U.S.-ROK [Republic of Korea] alliance as the linchpin of peace, prosperity and security in northeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific,” Horne added.
They further “acknowledged the important steps taken to broaden and expand” the South Korea-U.S. relationship following President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Washington in May for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, and “committed to deepening cooperation in critical areas such as advanced technology, secure and trustworthy 5G, resilient supply chains, and global health.”
The remark on 5G networks and supply chains come amid intensifying rivalry between the United States and China in technology and security matters.
Seoul’s NSC also said that the two sides are working on follow-up measures since the Moon-Biden summit on cooperation in areas including vaccines, climate change, new technology and semiconductor supply chain.
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
11. S. Korea, U.S. agree to mull new defense dialogue on regional policy cooperation
The alliance must think regionally and globally.
S. Korea, U.S. agree to mull new defense dialogue on regional policy cooperation | Yonhap News Agency
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider establishing a new bilateral working-level defense dialogue aimed at promoting cooperation between their regional policy initiatives, an informed source said Wednesday.
The U.S. floated the idea of instituting the unofficial dialogue channel during the allies' biannual defense talks, called the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue, last month, as Washington pushes to rally its regional democratic allies to counter China's growing assertiveness.
"The South and the U.S. have reached an understanding over the consideration of the working-level dialogue platform to find linkage between the latter's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the former's New Southern Policy," the source told Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity.
"But the two sides have yet to reach any decision on when and whether this will be launched and how this will be developed," the source added.
The U.S. has been pushing for the Indo-Pacific Strategy to promote what it calls the rules-based regional order, which it believes could be undermined by China's increasing assertiveness.
On its part, Beijing has been pushing for the One Belt One Road initiative -- a grand geopolitical strategy to connect China with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Europe and Africa through "land and maritime silk roads."
The issue of the proposed dialogue body is expected to be discussed when Seoul and Washington hold their annual defense ministerial talks, the Security Consultative Meeting, in Seoul later this year.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
12. In land of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game,’ a hero rises
Interesting political (and cultural) analysis of South Korea.
Excerpts;
Still, perceptions of unfairness and injustice are widespread. Shin is convinced that Korea has indeed reverted to a more damaging lifestyle than was the case previously.
“Before the 1990s, we had a more paternalistic, corporate state model with lifetime employment,” Shin said. “But people [after the Asian financial crisis] have experienced a more brutal capitalist economy. That kind of change is stark.”
Even so, there are cultural issues at play.
“South Korea is a very tight-knit society, so people can feel this disparity much more easily than in other countries,” admitted Shin, noting that locals are “passionate and emotional.”
This means that, while Parasite and Squid Game may massively magnify the issue, the perceptions their plotlines are based upon have emotive force.
“Squid Game is made about the archetypal Korean personalities that people think have got stuck in ‘Hell Joseon,’” said Lisa Espinosa, who covers Korean film for Han Cinema. “There is this perception that Koreans have to break themselves out of it.”
In land of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Squid Game,’ a hero rises
In equality-obsessed South Korea, a fiery working-class warrior wins the ruling party’s presidential ticket
SEOUL Cometh the hour, cometh the man: In the class-centric South Korea that has birthed Oscar-winning blockbuster Parasite and Netflix sensation Squid Game, a champion has emerged.
An outspoken, can-do leftist who promotes the controversial concept of universal basic income, or UBI, Lee Jae-myung confirmed his weekend victory to be the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, or DPK, after a challenge from the runner up was quashed on Monday.
With the incumbent Moon Jae-in constitutionally limited to a single term, a presidential election will be held next March. The winning candidate enters office in May.
Lee, a former human rights lawyer and the current governor of Gyeonggi – the prosperous province surrounding the capital, Seoul won with 50.29% of all votes cast in primaries, leaving former journalist and ex-prime minister Lee Nak-yon (no relation) with 39.14%.
Not untypically for the Gyeonggi province governor, who operates within a swirl of near-constant strife, his win was not without controversy. The other Lee appealed the results.
None other than President Moon ordered a prosecution probe into a very South Korean scandal. There have been long-simmering allegations that Lee passed on privileged information to a crony, enabling the amassing of massive profits in Seongnam when the presidential candidate was mayor of that city, south of Seoul, in 2014.
If – as looks likely – Lee’s Teflon skin deflects the allegations, he may bring just the right mix of personality and policies to win the presidency next year. Lee is no champagne socialist. A member of the old-school working class, he is widely seen as a tough, gutter fighter of a politician who gets things done without much caring for legal niceties.
And many want things done – for in defiance of its outward trappings of prosperity, today’s South Korea is a land where many believe that society is desperately unfair. It is those beliefs that have spawned the classist fictions that are Parasite and Squid Game – both of which have captured the insecurities of middle-class angst globally.
‘Parasite’ has shone new light upon South Korean cinema – and magnified social inequalities in the country. Screenshot: YouTube
Poor, angry, tough
Don’t be fooled by the genteel gray hair and business suits. Lee comes from a rough place. In local parlance, the 56-year-old was born with a “dirty spoon” rather than a “golden spoon” in his mouth.
Born the seventh of nine children at a time when Koreans customarily had sprawling families as a counter to a high infant mortality rate, Lee, during South Korea’s breakneck, corner-cutting industrialization drive, labored in factories in the industrial city of Seongnam south of Seoul.
Today a center of the IT industry, it was formally a gritty pot pourri, a town where unfortunates evicted from Seoul and migrants from the countryside gathered. On the shop floor, Lee suffered a debilitating arm injury which he now leverages as a sign of his working-class origins.
Naturally bright, he took advantage of South Korea’s burgeoning education system to study law and climb the socio-economic ladder. In a country that uses continental, rather than common law, bar passers can choose between becoming judges, prosecutors or lawyers.
Lee chose to be a lawyer, specializing in human rights. In that, he followed the late Roh Moo-hyun (president from 2003-2008) and Roh’s disciple, Moon Jae-in (who took power in 2017 and leaves office in 2022).
Like many members of today’s DPK, Lee aligned himself against the authoritarian regime of Chun Do-hwan, the general who seized power via a coup in 1980 and stepped down when South Korea democratized in 1987. Lee has said that a speech by Roh persuaded him to enter politics.
He did that in 2010, winning the mayor’s office in Seongnam, where he thrust through a series of admired welfare reforms. These included free uniforms for school children, free post-natal care and UBI.
UBI, which he subsequently handed out to provincial residents after winning the Gyeonggi governorship, became his flagship policy. It is one of his presidential pledges, as is the provision of 1 million new homes.
President Moon Jae-in was also a lawyer, specializing in human rights. Photo: Handout
Lee is seen as a no-nonsense can-doer.
During the pandemic, he evicted students from a local college to provide bed space – a move which some praised and some criticized for overlooking legal niceties. He also took flak for being discriminatory when he mandated the testing of third-world migrant workers in Gyeonggi.
Lee is a charismatic, if blunt, speaker who likes to refer to the imagined effect of carbonated drinks unclogging digestive systems as a political metaphor.
Professionally, he fits the mold of South Korean presidents and presidential hopefuls. Both Roh and Moon were lawyers, and Lee’s primary win sets up a possible battle between him and yet another ex-legal pro, the leading right-wing People’s Power Party candidate and former prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl, now fighting his own primaries.
Lee has overcome prior scandal allegations with bravura. Dogged by rumors of an affair with an actress, who claimed he had a birthmark on his nether regions, Lee had a medical check-up to disprove the contention, and remarked, when the allegation resurfaced: “Do I need to drop my trousers again?”
That has not been the only rock in his road. He was barraged with criticism when a phone call to his sister-in-law became public. Lee’s language was laced with vulgarities.
For DPK mandarins, Lee Nak-yon might have been a safer choice. A sophisticated mid-lefter, the ex-prime minister had long political experience and connections in the capital. Not so Lee Jae-myung, whose political experience has been provincial.
Still, the DPK could not have found a candidate more closely in synch with the zeitgeist.
The sparkling city of Seoul is home to 10 million people – and widespread angst about class inequality. Photo: Robert Koehler
Farewell, ‘Korean Dream’
Korea confounds many. Its national psychology may be captured in a comparison with its bigger neighbor: “While Chinese are capitalist socialists, Koreans are socialist capitalists,” a retired conglomerate chairman told Asia Times.
Viewed through a macro lens, South Korea, which became the world’s tenth richest country in 2020, is extraordinarily successful.
It boasts top-tier national infrastructure, a world-class export portfolio bristling with global brands, a surging startup scene and a popular culture sector that is the region’s envy.
Its cityscapes are characterized by endless, identical apartment complexes that scream equality, and it is rare to see a shabbily dressed person on the streets of a society that appears relentlessly middle class.
Yet on the micro front, there is a surging belief in inequality, reflected, in popular culture, in the Oscar-winning Parasite, the record-smashing Netflix show Squid Game and the rich-poor romance storyline that underwrites so, so many of Korea’s soap operas.
Parasite, which contrasts two households – a scheming clan of underclass grifters and a privileged family of indolent ultra-rich – captured the fears of not just middle-class Koreans, but the world’s bourgeoise. Squid Game, which pits fearfully indebted characters against one another in a savage survival game, reflects stratospheric levels of household debt.
South Korea is partly a victim of its own success.
Having transitioned from agrarian backwater to manufacturing powerhouse within two decades, its economic trajectory was incredibly swift. Amid surging growth, those living in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s were virtually guaranteed decent jobs; amid skyrocketing living standards, they could confidently expect better tomorrows.
Since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the poor but gentler Korea of yesteryear – as seen in this traditional market – has been replaced by a more cut-throat society in which social insecurities loom large. Photo: Tom Coyner
The “Korean dream” – a university education, a stable, white-collar job and an apartment – beckoned to all.
Then, in 1997, the shock Asian financial crisis wiped out lifetime employment while exposing the corrupt relationships that had united government, finance and business. Korea exited the crisis with a V-shaped recovery and a recession-proofed economy, but subsequent economic maturity, slowing growth and conglomerate offshoring saw white-collar jobs dwindle.
That generated social stresses. Moreover, in an effort to accelerate the economy out of the crisis, Seoul had loosened all conditions for mortgage and credit cards. As job competition became savage, South Koreans seeking to enter top universities spent massively on cram schools – banned under authoritarian governments.
Meanwhile, apartment prices in the Seoul metropolitan area continued to soar. Prosperous South Koreans prefer to speculate in brick-and-mortar rather than capital markets. This situation pushed those desperate to mount a rung on the property ladder at almost any cost in debt. As of last year, failure to reign in metropolitan real estate prices has been an Achilles heel of the DPK.
The result of all the above was massive debt burdens.
According to recent reports, household debt now stands at 103% of national GDP. By contracts, that of the US is 79.5% and the UK, 90%. That makes Koreans the seventh most indebted people among 43 countries followed by the Bank of International Settlements.
This combination of factors – elite power abuse; an overeducated populace piling into an under-performing job market; rising debt combined with rising home prices – shattered the Korean dream. Many young Koreans now refer to their country as “Hell Joseon.” The latter word references a pre-modern Korean kingdom.
While the homelessness, drug addiction, begging and violence seen among youth in many Western cities is largely invisible in Korea, social discontent is bubbling away. This is seen in high youth under-employment, the OECD’s highest overall suicide rates, a fall-off in marriages and births and a demographic plunge.
Assessing Lee
Given these many issues, Lee – who has been compared to Donald Trump for his unconventionality and to Bernie Sanders for his leftism – may be the man in 2022.
The classist horror/fantasy/drama Squid Game is Netflix’s biggest property ever. Photo: Netflix
Two questions are germane. Do enough South Koreans believe they, indeed, live in a highly unequal society that needs fixing? Or – given a situation where older, more conservative voters might consider the inequality complaints of the young to be those of a pampered demographic – could Lee find himself a Jeremy Corbyn/Bernie Sanders-type figure who is too radical for the mainstream?
“I don’t know if Lee is the man to fix things, but the DPK thought that a gentleman like Moon could soothe things over but Moon, this conciliator, now seems lost,” said Kim Sung-nam, a college instructor based in Seoul’s port city of Inchon.
“This man comes from an underclass background, he did not have the upper middle-class upbringing that a lot of social elites come from, and his bend-the-rules thuggishness may get things done.”
Noting that the former city of Seongnam where he cut his political teeth as a wealth redistribution politician today enjoys generous tax revenues from the IT sector, one voter questioned how feasible Lee’s plans are on the national level.
“The big question is whether his policies are viable,” said Shin Hee-seok, a lecturer at the Catholic University of Korean and a human rights activist. “How will he finance these extravagant plans – and is this the best way to address the wealth gap?”
And is narrowing the wealth gap the best battleground to fight an election on?
Still, perceptions of unfairness and injustice are widespread. Shin is convinced that Korea has indeed reverted to a more damaging lifestyle than was the case previously.
“Before the 1990s, we had a more paternalistic, corporate state model with lifetime employment,” Shin said. “But people [after the Asian financial crisis] have experienced a more brutal capitalist economy. That kind of change is stark.”
Even so, there are cultural issues at play.
“South Korea is a very tight-knit society, so people can feel this disparity much more easily than in other countries,” admitted Shin, noting that locals are “passionate and emotional.”
This means that, while Parasite and Squid Game may massively magnify the issue, the perceptions their plotlines are based upon have emotive force.
“Squid Game is made about the archetypal Korean personalities that people think have got stuck in ‘Hell Joseon,’” said Lisa Espinosa, who covers Korean film for Han Cinema. “There is this perception that Koreans have to break themselves out of it.”
13. This Is Our Best Look Yet At North Korea's Hypersonic Missile
This convention/exhibition could be more effective than a parade. And cheaper too.
This Is Our Best Look Yet At North Korea's Hypersonic Missile
The Hwasong-8 missile was just one of North Korea's most advanced weapons on display at a glitzy Kim Jong Un-hosted event.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was on hand to review the weapon systems that were on display yesterday as part of the Self-Defense 2021 exhibition held in the capital, Pyongyang, to mark the 76th birthday of the ruling Workers’ Party. Kim took the opportunity to declare that the country was building up an “invincible military” to face off perceived aggression from the United States. The North Korean leader also pointed to military developments in the South and described his country’s efforts in this direction as being “to prevent war itself and to literally increase war deterrence for the protection of national sovereignty.”
North Korean State Media
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un addresses officials in front of the road-mobile Hwasong-16 intercontinental ballistic missile.
Attracting the most interest at the Pyongyang exhibition was what North Korea claims is a new hypersonic missile, apparently intended to carry a nuclear warhead. The first test of this weapon, called the Hwasong-8, was reported late last month. As predicted, the weapon comprises a ballistic missile carrying a boost-glide vehicle. Previously, the North Koreans had released only one photo of this weapon, but we now have the chance to get a better look at the boost-glide vehicle, in particular, which appears broadly similar to that used on China’s DF-17 missile.
However, the North Korean boost-glide vehicle is still, for all intents and purposes, a "shape," and we have no idea as to whether it has been tested in flight after separation from its ballistic missile carrier, or what other kinds of test articles might exist to support the program. As the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said last month, “It appears to be at an early stage of development that would require considerable time for actual deployment.” That said, it is evidence, at least, of North Korea’s grand ambitions to enter an exclusive club of nations with hypersonic missile capabilities, as well as developing ever more advanced rockets in general, including the apparent introduction of factory-furnished liquid-fuel “ampoules” for increased reliability and stability.
Perhaps the other standout item was an apparently new weapon displayed among an array of known submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) designs. The new missile is significantly smaller than the previous SLBMs, especially the Pukguksong-5 first revealed in January this year, but its position in the display and black-and-white markings suggest that it, too, is intended for submarine launch. Unusually, the new missile features a distinctive grid-fin arrangement at the base, similar to that found on certain Soviet-era short-range ballistic missiles. The compact possibilities offered by folding grid-fins could have resulted in their choice for a submarine-launched weapon.
It should be noted that Pyongyang has a new missile submarine of some description currently under conversion, in addition to the ones it has used for testing in the past. Smaller weapons would of course mean a single boat could potentially carry more of them, while the shorter range such a weapon would offer would not necessarily be an issue for targets in South Korea or Japan, for example.
Another new missile type shown is an apparent short-range ballistic missile, the so-called “March 2021” SRBM, displayed alongside the previously known KN-23 and KN-24. The new weapon reportedly flies on a depressed trajectory, on a lower and flatter profile, which reduced the time between launch and impact, like the Russian-made Iskander. Of the earlier pair, we now also know that the KN-24 has the official name Hwasong-11NA. We have seen the KN-24 in the past, of course, when it was shown publicly for the first time at a parade in January before examples were fired into the Sea of Japan in March this year.
The huge Hwasong-16 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that made its public debut during a military parade in October last year was also on show, on its 11-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicle. According to experts, however, this missile is yet to be test-fired.
KCNA
Kim in front of the Hwasong-16.
Another recently revealed North Korean missile included in the array at Self-Defense 2021 is a surface-to-air missile (SAM), displayed alongside what appeared to be two new types of air-defense radars. This was our closest look yet at the new SAM, which features a two-stage configuration and no fewer than four sets of control fins.
Other missiles on display included another ICBM that was tested in 2017 and the rail-mobile ballistic missile that was first revealed last month, and which you can read more about here. Another recently revealed system, a ground-launched cruise missile, was shown outside of its launch canister, while its five-round wheeled TEL was also on display.
As well as all these missiles, various other kinds of conventional weapon systems were shown, including antitank guided missiles, small arms, and a main battle tank, which we have profiled in the past. Outside the exhibition halls, there was also a flypast by military jets, plus a demonstration of martial arts, and a lycra-clad parachutist trailing an enormous flag.
While not all the weapons displayed at Self-Defense 2021 have been tested, and there are question marks about the practicality of fielding some of the missiles in particular, it seems clear that Pyongyang aims to apply pressure on both South Korea and the United States, while negotiations about its nuclear weapons program remain stalled. At the same time, officials in Pyongyang are aware of the value of high-profile weapons programs, exhibitions, and parades for domestic consumption, especially at a time when sanctions are hitting hard and the COVID-19 pandemic is compounding an already precarious domestic economy.
North Korean State Media
North Korean militia and personnel in hazmat suits during a parade in the North Korean capital last month.
While the Biden administration has made it abundantly clear that it is willing to resume talks with North Korea, offering to discuss lifting sanctions if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons, these overtures have so far been rejected. Instead, North Korea has doubled down on reinforcing the very same capabilities that it’s being encouraged to give up. At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes that North Korea has likely restarted its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, which is believed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.
In the meantime, a growing arms race is developing between North and South Korea, too, with new missiles, in particular, seeming to surface with regularity. Indeed, the past few months have seen an almost tit-for-tat situation on the peninsula, with each new development on one side seemingly met by a response in kind from the other.
With a generally more modern feel than previous events of this kind in North Korea, Self-Defense 2021 also marked a prominent reversal compared to the style of the previous parade in the capital, in which missile systems and other key weapon systems took a distinct back seat. Overall, the latest exhibition provides ample evidence of the remarkable expansion of North Korea’s military capabilities — and especially its development of an increasingly wide variety of missile systems.
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
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14. North Korea continues to seek sanctions lifting, recognition as nuclear state
Sometimes the simplest things are true. These are the two main near term objectives. And they both support the long term regime strategy to dominate the peninsula. We must understand that.
Every time we read analyses of north Korea and speculation by some pundits about what they think Kim wants, we should think about the three main objectives - lift sanctions, recognition as a nuclear state, and dominate the Korean peninsula.
North Korea continues to seek sanctions lifting, recognition as nuclear state
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks a defense development exhibition held in commemoration of the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Sunday, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day.
Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
North Korea has doubled down on its ambition to be declared a nuclear state, while urging the United States to change its "hostile" policy toward the country, and offer sanctions relief.
The country's leader Kim Jong-un made the remarks in a speech at a defense development exhibition to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Sunday.
In the speech, Kim accused Seoul of being "hypocritical" and having "double standards" for continuing to boost its military capabilities while talking ostensibly of "peace, cooperation and prosperity."
Expressing "strong regrets," Kim said the North will respond with "strong actions" if South Korea continues to "infringe upon our rights to self-defense."
His remarks come as the North has recently been ramping up accusations that the South and the United States have been employing "double standards" in reference to the allies' criticism of the North's missile launches as provocations while justifying their own as "deterrence."
Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, said the North Korean leader's speech boiled down to his ambition to gain the country recognition as a nuclear-armed state.
"Given that North Korea stresses the double standards, Kim's speech means South Korea and the U.S. should not take issue with Pyongyang's weapons development as it is part of the North's self-defense," Park said.
Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, also said Kim was indirectly urging the international community to acknowledge his country as a nuclear state.
"North Korea's focus on double standards is linked to Pyongyang's push to gain recognition as a nuclear state," Shin said.
Park said the North Korean regime would continue to test-fire its newly developed weapons to monitor responses from the U.S. and South Korea.
At the same time, Kim's speech indicates North Korea is not ready to accept a U.S. proposal to hold talks without preconditions.
"His speech means a rejection of the U.S.'s unconditional talks," Park said.
Shin noted that Pyongyang see sanctions imposed on it and combined military exercises between Seoul and Washington as the Joe Biden administration sticking to a hostile policy.
Kim Song, North Korea's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, also defended his country's "self-defensive deterrent."
"We will continue to consolidate our self-defensive deterrent for safeguarding the national security in the face of the geopolitical environment of the Korean Peninsula and the balance of power in the region as well as ever-straining international relations," the ambassador said during a general debate session of the First Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, Monday.
The experts believe that as long as North Korea seeks to gain recognition as a nuclear state, South Korea is likely to see its room for engaging Pyongyang diminishing.
"The South Korean government is expected to see its possible role for inter-Korean ties diminish as North Korea's stance is that South Korea should not take issue with Pyongyang's weapons development as Seoul is also seeking to acquire modernized weapons," Park said.
15. Unpacking Claims of Secret North Korean Intelligence Operations
Some Interesting points. But I would not discount human intelligence operations as described in the conclusion. The north may be better able to conduct covert human intelligence operations in some countries around the world despite sanctions and travel bans. But I absolutely agree with the author that cyber espionage is something that the north is focused on and that we must prepared to defend against.
Conclusion:
While firm collaborative evidence proving a North Korean spy operated within the Blue House during the 1990s has yet to surface, defector testimony from high-level North Korean officials offers a broader picture of the reclusive country’s intelligence capabilities. In recent years, the U.S. government has reported an increase in broad North Korea-led cyber espionage efforts targeting global industries such as finance, banking, aerospace, defense, health care, and even COVID-19 vaccine testing labs. Compared to the 1990s and early 2000s, present-day sanctions and travel bans on North Korean persons likely restrict Pyongyang’s ability to plant covert agents abroad in a traditional sense, but cyberspace remains a viable domain for infiltration and information collection for highly trained North Korean agents.
Unpacking Claims of Secret North Korean Intelligence Operations
North Korean intelligence capabilities, tactics, and targets have evolved over the decades.
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Believed to be the highest-ranking North Korean military official to ever defect to South Korea, Kim Kuk-song recently confirmed claims of Pyongyang’s involvement in several clandestine operations against Seoul from the early 1990s to 2010. One of the most shocking claims involves a North Korean agent who allegedly infiltrated and worked at the Presidential Office of South Korea in the 1990s for roughly six years before returning to North Korea. While it’s difficult to verify all his claims spanning 30 years, Kim’s testimony illustrates the evolution of North Korea’s intelligence capabilities and targets.
Under a protective alias, Kim spoke with the BBC about his 30 years of working within the North’s intelligence collection agencies, which confirmed previous claims from South Korean media that a North Korean senior colonel “in charge of conducting intelligence operations” defected to South Korea in 2015. Kim claimed that Kim Jong Un ordered the creation of a “terror task force” to assassinate enemies of the Workers’ Party, including defectors resettled in South Korea. Pyongyang has refuted such claims. He also confirmed accusations of North Korea’s involvement in the global drug trade and several controversial attacks on South Korean territory, such as the 2010 sinking of the ROK Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors, and the 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, which injured 16 South Korean marines and three civilians. For decades, North Korea has vehemently denied responsibility for both attacks.
While the world mostly remembers former Soviet and Chinese spies, North Korea has also dispatched its own team of covert agents abroad to infiltrate foreign governments. Perhaps the most famous case was the 1968 assassination attempt on then-South Korean President Park Chung-hee by a team of disguised North Korean agents. Although a thwarted attempt, this operation claimed roughly 100 lives and South Korean authorities apprehended the spies only 350 meters away from their target.
North Korea has also sought less conspicuous methods for infiltration. During the late 1970s to mid-1980s, Pyongyang pursued a global abduction scheme targeting South Korean, Japanese, and other foreign nationals to provide linguistic and cultural training to North Korean spies preparing for overseas operations. This program was highly successful as it provided trusted and trained agents with valuable knowledge from the outside world to support their mission objectives. Japan, in particular, was a successful target for North Korean infiltration and espionage as Pyongyang leveraged existing communist ideology and anti-Japanese sentiment among ethnic Koreans living in Japan to help formulate pro-North Korea organizations. These groups acted as de facto embassies and later hubs for money laundering schemes and intelligence operations. Spy missions remained a key role in Pyongyang’s attempt to covertly engage with the outside world and potentially influence foreign politics.
North Korea has actively tried to infiltrate and influence many levels of the South Korean government. Reportedly ranked 22nd in the country’s political hierarchy, Lee Sun-sil was a North Korean agent who established and operated a secret branch of the North’s ruling Worker’s Party inside South Korea for 10 years in an attempt to strengthen domestic support of communist ideology during the 1980s to 1990s. Pyongyang also dispatched honeytrap spies to seduce South Korean military officials into divulging classified information and acting on behalf of North Korea’s political interests.
In 2001, Won Jeong-hwa posed as a North Korean defector to enter South Korea with the goal of extracting sensitive information from military officers and assassinating key figures with toxic chemicals. She maintained romantic relationships with more than three officers, including an army first lieutenant with whom she shared an apartment and regularly received classified military information briefings. Although unable to complete all objectives as she reportedly failed to assassinate a key target, Won operated without detection for about seven years. The key target was later identified as Hwang Jang-yop, the architect of the North Korean Party’s political ideology known as Juche, or self-reliance, who defected to South Korea in 1997. Until his death in late 2010, he remained a major assassination target of the Kim regime.
According to information from the South Korean Ministry of Justice, Seoul apprehended 49 North Korean spies operating inside South Korea from 2003 to 2013. Despite political “breakthroughs” with Pyongyang during the early 2000s, such as the 2007 inter-Korean summit, North Korea chose not to recall its foreign agents and cease intelligence collection operations against South Korea. This raises concerns for all past and future inter-Korean and North Korean-U.S. summits as the current leader of North Korea has yet to demonstrate any major policy divergence from his father or grandfather.
While firm collaborative evidence proving a North Korean spy operated within the Blue House during the 1990s has yet to surface, defector testimony from high-level North Korean officials offers a broader picture of the reclusive country’s intelligence capabilities. In recent years, the U.S. government has reported an increase in broad North Korea-led cyber espionage efforts targeting global industries such as finance, banking, aerospace, defense, health care, and even COVID-19 vaccine testing labs. Compared to the 1990s and early 2000s, present-day sanctions and travel bans on North Korean persons likely restrict Pyongyang’s ability to plant covert agents abroad in a traditional sense, but cyberspace remains a viable domain for infiltration and information collection for highly trained North Korean agents.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
