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Quotes of the Day
"Recognize that your struggle and your suffering is the same as everyone else’s, I think that’s the beginning of a responsible life. Otherwise, we are in a continual savage battle with each other with no possible solution, political, social, or spiritual."
- Leonard Cohen
“The most courageous men are generally unconscious of possessing the quality: therefore, when one professes it too openly, by words or bearing, there is reason to mistrust it.”
- General William T. Sherman, 1876
“It is hard for me to understand a culture that not only hates and fights his brothers but even attacks nature and abuses her. Man must love all creation or he will love none of it. Love is something you and I must have period we must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. Without love our self esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world. Instead we turn inwardly and begin to feed upon our own personalities and little by little we destroy ourselves.”
- Chief Dan George
1. North Korea's missile tests reflect a change of doctrine
2. Unification minister says N. Korea trying to tame S. Korean government, grab U.S. attention
3. Masks return in N. Korea in renewed fight against COVID-19
4. Defector group sends propaganda balloons to N. Korea
5. Fighting for freedom for the world’s most repressed country
6. N. Korea unveils memorial stone for founder in Beijing
7. State auditor notifies ex-Pres Moon of written investigation over death of fisheries official
8. Simple thinking, rough speech and dishonesty (Critique of President Yoon)
9. Latest military hardware shown off on Armed Forces Day
10. North Korea rolls out new software to keep tabs on its officials in China
11. Peace through strength gets bipartisan support
12. What the Constitutions of the Soviet Union and North Korea Can Teach Us about Rights—and the Purpose of a Constitution
1. North Korea's missile tests reflect a change of doctrine
Important analysis that we must consider.
Conclusion:
The international community must not become numb to North Korea's constant missile tests. This is a regime that has never accepted the status quo of permanent division of the Korean Peninsula or the presence of U.S. troops there; of course, Seoul also still nominally aspires to united the Koreas, but it is not a paranoid revolutionary regime with a siege mentality.
It is only a matter of time before Kim escalates tensions with a military skirmish or low-level guerrilla activity. As long as the Kim family regime controls the levers of power in Pyongyang, Northeast Asia will continue to be a potential hot spot for nuclear war.
North Korea's missile tests reflect a change of doctrine
Pyongyang quietly gives up seeking revolt in South in favor of military coercion
Benjamin R. Young
October 2, 2022 05:00 JST
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/North-Korea-s-missile-tests-reflect-a-change-of-doctrine
Benjamin R. Young is assistant professor in homeland security and emergency preparedness at the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of "Guns, Guerrillas and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World."
Since the founding of the North Korean state in 1948, the Kim family regime's primary objective has been the reunification of the Korean Peninsula on Pyongyang's terms. Despite South Korea's rapid economic growth and democratization, the goal of reunification has never disappeared from the North's official discourse.
Kim Jong Un has stuck to this aim too, emphasizing the revolutionary legacy of his elders and the need to achieve the final victory of reunification. Since last year, however, North Korea has subtly changed its rhetoric about how reunification will come about, putting new emphasis on achieving military superiority over the South. Its missile tests over the past week and other military developments this year suggest the new doctrine is having an impact.
Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the North's leadership has sought to remove U.S. troops from South Korean soil and install a sympathetic government in Seoul that would support Pyongyang's aim of reunification under the banner of revolutionary socialism. For nearly 70 years, the official line was that Pyongyang would support a "people's uprising" in the South and would work with the new "people's democracy" to end the division of the Korean Peninsula.
The leadership in Pyongyang believed that the superiority of the North's socialist system and hatred of American "imperialists" would naturally induce the South Korean masses into supporting the creation of a unified state with the Kim family at its helm. In a conversation with Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1971, for example, founding leader Kim Il Sung said: "The main problem in South Korea and the things that have to be solved there are supposed to be the responsibility of the South Koreans. ... We do not want to force anything."
But while much of the Western world was enveloped in lockdowns and civil unrest, the ruling Korean Workers' Party quietly revised its charter in January 2021, removing references to supporting a people's uprising in South Korea.
The regime's policy stance now appears to be to aim to coerce South Korea into an inferior geostrategic position via military dominance. This would be an implicit acknowledgment that a South Korean public enamored with the internet and contested elections might not welcome the possibility of living under a brutal hereditary dictatorship.
With much of the world focused on Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, Kim Jong Un has taken the opportunity to test a number of long-range and short-range ballistic missiles, including launching an intercontinental ballistic in May. Kim has also stated interest in developing tactical short-range nuclear weapons and in April personally observed the testing of a new type of tactical guided weapon.
The North has been investing in the development of short-range hypersonic glide vehicles, which could potentially evade air defense systems in the South. There are also reports that the North is rebuilding tunnels at a nuclear testing ground that it partially destroyed in 2018 during talks with the U.S. government.
Pyongyang's artillery and short-range missiles, along with cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, could quickly turn Seoul into a disaster zone, while the North's underground military facilities would make retaliation from the South increasingly difficult.
North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles might deter the U.S. from directly intervening as Washington faced the dilemma of potentially sacrificing Hawaii for Seoul. Russia and China would likely support their authoritarian ally in Pyongyang with significant military aid and financial assistance, as both are ever keen to limit U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
While the chances of a second Korean War taking place in the near future are slim, the international community must take note of the North's rapid military advancements and the diversification of its missile capabilities.
Missiles are displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang in April: The international community must take note of North Korea's rapid military advancements. © KCNA/Rueters
Rather than a ignite a second war, North Korea is more likely in the near future to use nuclear blackmail to seek a favorable position vis-a-vis the South. Pyongyang may see more opportunity for this as South Korea's population ages due to the country's rapidly declining birthrate.
At an April 2021 military parade, Kim implied that his nuclear weapons could be used for offensive purposes as well as for defense. Putin's nuclear threats aimed at keeping NATO forces out of the Ukraine conflict could embolden Kim to follow suit. Pyongyang may believe that the credible threat of a nuclear attack against U.S. territory could drive Washington to pull its troops out of South Korea and ensnare Seoul into an economic relationship that strongly benefits the Kim family regime.
The international community must not become numb to North Korea's constant missile tests. This is a regime that has never accepted the status quo of permanent division of the Korean Peninsula or the presence of U.S. troops there; of course, Seoul also still nominally aspires to united the Koreas, but it is not a paranoid revolutionary regime with a siege mentality.
It is only a matter of time before Kim escalates tensions with a military skirmish or low-level guerrilla activity. As long as the Kim family regime controls the levers of power in Pyongyang, Northeast Asia will continue to be a potential hot spot for nuclear war.
2. Unification minister says N. Korea trying to tame S. Korean government, grab U.S. attention
Excerpts:
Addressing North Korea's missile launches over the past week, Kwon said, "They may be trying to take charge in the inter-Korean situation and develop their weapons at the same time."
"Their main intention seems to be to tame the new government in South Korea," Kwon said. "And since the North Korean issue has taken a backseat in the United States due to domestic political situations, the North may also want to grab attention from Washington.
"Regardless of their intention, provocations are never ideal for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," Kwon continued. "Our government will mount an even stronger response."
Minister Kwon, I would describe the situation this way:
The regime is conducting a combination of political warfare, blackmail diplomacy, and advanced warfighting strategies with the intent to dominate the Korean peninsula. Expressed another way: Kim Jong-un is executing the seven decades old strategy of subversion, coercion-extortion (blackmail diplomacy), and use of force to achieve unification dominated by the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State in order to ensure the survival of the mafia like crime family cult known as Kim family regime.
Unification minister says N. Korea trying to tame S. Korean government, grab U.S. attention | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
SEOUL/INCHEON, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korea said Sunday he believes North Korea's recent series of missile launches are aimed at "taming" the new South Korean government while at the same time grabbing U.S. attention.
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se made the remark to Yonhap News Agency at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure for Germany for a four-day trip aimed at seeking support for Seoul's peace and denuclearization efforts while joining the celebration for the 32nd anniversary of Germany's unification.
Addressing North Korea's missile launches over the past week, Kwon said, "They may be trying to take charge in the inter-Korean situation and develop their weapons at the same time."
"Their main intention seems to be to tame the new government in South Korea," Kwon said. "And since the North Korean issue has taken a backseat in the United States due to domestic political situations, the North may also want to grab attention from Washington.
"Regardless of their intention, provocations are never ideal for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," Kwon continued. "Our government will mount an even stronger response."
As for the specific nature of South Korea's response, Kwon said "many options" are on table, including working with the United Nations or imposing sanctions with South Korea's allies.
"I hope North Korea will recognize quickly that for the sake of peace on the Korean Peninsula, they need to resolve the issue of denuclearization through dialogue with us," Kwon added.
Kwon's trip to Germany coincides with President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to rally international support for his "audacious initiative," designed to help Pyongyang improve its economy in return for denuclearization steps. North Korea has rejected that idea in a statement by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
3. Masks return in N. Korea in renewed fight against COVID-19
Perhaps there are two reasons for this. The regime still fears the spread of COVID and it has not eradicated COVID (obviously). And if by chance the COVID threat is waning the regime realizes that it must keep a public focus on it to justify its continued implementation of its draconian population and resources control measures to further oppress the Korean people in the north to prevent resistance and any kind of collective action that would threaten the regime. And the "COVID paradox" is that the regime both fears an outbreak and exploits the opportunity to crack down on the people.
This really bears watching. We must continue to observe for indications of internal instability because the COVID situation is adding to the complexity of the situation in the north and we could see conditions in the coming months/year that might rival the Arduous March of the famine of 1994-1996 with the major difference being there is no hope of a bailout from the South and no no relief valve of market activity for the Korean people.
Masks return in N. Korea in renewed fight against COVID-19 | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- Masks have apparently made their return in North Korea in October, with the country's public health experts advising people to don facial protection to guard against the possible resurgence of COVID-19.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), monitored in Seoul, on Sunday released photos of elderly people wearing masks while attending the previous day's celebrations of the International Day of Older Persons.
The Korean Central Television also showed footage of university students in masks in its report of the 76th founding anniversary of Kim ll-sung University.
North Korea had earlier lifted all mask mandates, indoors or outdoors. Photos or broadcast footage from its state media in September showed maskless people at schools or large festivals.
On Sept. 8, however, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un advised people to start putting masks back on in November, as immunity levels could fall along with the drop of temperature that time of year.
But about two weeks later, the KCNA reported that experts are recommending people protect their faces starting in October.
The North disclosed its first COVID-19 case on May 12 after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years and immediately declared a "maximum emergency" virus control system.
Then on Aug. 11, Kim declared victory against the virus, saying Pyongyang's anti-epidemic measures had successfully protected its people.
In an editorial published Sunday, though, the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, called on the people to stay vigilant and not to let their efforts to keep the virus at bay go to waste.
Seoul's National Intelligence Service told the parliamentary intelligence committee Wednesday that North Koreans living in the border region had recently been vaccinated and Pyongyang had tightened its quarantine measures, making it difficult to believe North Korea's declaration of victory over COVID-19.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
4. Defector group sends propaganda balloons to N. Korea
Damn. South Korea, please stop taking action against the escapees (defectors) and their noble efforts to get information into the most isolated country in the world. Rather than trying to prevent their work, you should be providing full support to include funding. This is troubling and sad. The Yoon administration should be working to have the National Assembly revoke the anti-leaflet law. President Yoon stressed "freedom" 21 times in his UN General Assembly address. This is not an example of freedom.
Excerpts:
Police dispatched to the scene seized balloons that the group had not yet sent and took Park into custody for questioning.
Sending such balloons across the border is banned under a law that was legislated to help reduce tensions in the border regions as North Korea has bristled strongly against such balloons and even threatened to shoot them down.
Defector group sends propaganda balloons to N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장재순 · October 2, 2022
PAJU, South Korea, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- An anti-Pyongyang group of North Korean defectors said Sunday they released eight giant balloons carrying face masks, Tylenol pills and other items toward North Korea the previous day.
Park Sang-hak, head of the Fighters for a Free North Korea, told Yonhap News Agency that the balloons also carried vitamin C tablets, booklets outlining South Korea's development over the past 50 years and USBs containing U.S. lawmakers talking about North Korea's human rights situation.
The balloons, which were launched from Paju, north of Seoul, around 10 p.m., also had placards reading, "The humankind condemns Kim Jong-un who is threatening to launch preemptive strikes on the Republic of Korea with nuclear missiles," he said.
The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.
Police dispatched to the scene seized balloons that the group had not yet sent and took Park into custody for questioning.
Sending such balloons across the border is banned under a law that was legislated to help reduce tensions in the border regions as North Korea has bristled strongly against such balloons and even threatened to shoot them down.
Earlier this year, Pyongyang also blamed its coronavirus outbreaks on items flown from South Korea.
South Korea's unification ministry has urged anti-North Korea civic groups to refrain from flying such balloons.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 장재순 · October 2, 2022
5. Fighting for freedom for the world’s most repressed country
When Juche falls, real religion will be important to fill the void and the desire and need of the people for faith. But unlike the last seven decades the people will have a choice in what to believe in.
Fighting for freedom for the world’s most repressed country
christianpost.com · by Arielle Del Turco · October 1, 2022
By , Op-ed Contributor | Saturday, October 01, 2022
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends a welcoming ceremony and review an honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on March 1, 2019. | MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images
“By land, by air, or by sea!” Suzanne Scholte, an American activist, proclaimed. These are the means through which she and others are working to get information to people in the world’s most closed country, North Korea.
It’s a daunting task — one that’s become increasingly difficult in recent years as South Korea has cracked down on efforts to send leaflets or other material over its border to North Korea. The COVID-19 pandemic made movement across the China-North Korea border nearly impossible, but for Scholte and the North Korean defectors who now fight for the rights of those they left behind, it’s a mission that cannot be abandoned.
This week, the North Korea Freedom Coalition, chaired by Scholte, is spearheading “North Korea Freedom Week” in Seoul with seven days of events and meetings. Family Research Council is joining North Korean defectors, leaders of human rights organizations, and influential activists to draw attention to issues in North Korea, which is widely recognized as the most dangerous place to be a Christian.
Scholte has been instrumental in bringing awareness to the plight of North Koreans. Years ago, she started to work with and meet the victims of communist regimes. Her life was forever changed when she met North Korean defectors. She said, “Once I began to understand what they have been through and got to know them, I really fell in love with the North Korean people. Their ability to triumph over this evil regime, to escape and get their freedom, is very inspiring to me.”
But working on human rights in the world’s most repressed regime isn’t glamorous. Upon beginning her work with North Korean defectors, she started to have nightmares about the stories she heard about life there and the harrowing journeys to escape. It was her deep conviction and faith that sustained her. She told the Korea Herald, “I would cry out to God, ‘Why did you put this on me?’ And a few times in my life, I really heard God’s voice. He answered me: 'I was just answering your prayer.' And then I remembered how I had prayed very specifically that God would break my heart for what was breaking His, and I realized what was happening in North Korea was breaking God’s heart.”
Indeed, the terror that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un inflicts on his own people is difficult to comprehend. North Koreans have no rights and no rule of law to offer protection. Society is structured to reinforce Kim Jong Un’s god-like image and tight control. One defector I spoke to in Seoul this week described the situation by saying, “North Korea isn’t even a real county, everything just belongs to Kim Jong Un. He owns anything he wants, he can kill anyone he wants, and he does not want to let [his power] go.”
North Koreans are kept isolated from the outside world, and the regime’s education system and constant propaganda force North Koreans to live with a worldview shaped by lies. These falsehoods are geared toward teaching a fierce respect for Kim Jong Un that is akin to idolatry. And the threat of punishment for anyone who would dare criticize the regime is harsh.
Many of the defectors participating in North Korea Freedom Week believe information — the truth about the outside world, exposure to religion, and knowledge of what free societies look like — is the key to bringing about the end of the Kim regime.
One defector told me that the North Korean regime fears the possibility that people will learn the truth about living standards outside the country and information about religion more than anything else. “Kim Jong Un fears that his deeds will be exposed and that the people won’t treat him like a god anymore.” He described how the regime inculcates people in “Juche” ideology and a hyper-focus on the Kim family as trying to fill a “God-sized hole” in the hearts of North Koreans. When that hole can be filled by Christ, Kim Jong Un’s grip on his people will fade.
Helping North Koreans access information is critical. Scholte believes that it is North Korean defectors themselves who are best positioned to lead efforts to reach their countrymen with the truth. At an event in Seoul on Sunday, she insisted, “No one knows better how to reach the people of North Korea and what the message should be than North Korean defectors.”
Through efforts like North Korea Freedom Week, defectors are hoping to build momentum for their human rights work and ultimately break through the isolated barrier around North Korea with the truth.
Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Arielle Del Turco is Assistant Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council.
christianpost.com · by Arielle Del Turco · October 1, 2022
6. N. Korea unveils memorial stone for founder in Beijing
Kim Il Sung looks like a soviet era military commander. See the photo at the link: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20221002000700315?section=nk/nk
N. Korea unveils memorial stone for founder in Beijing| Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Sunday a memorial stone commemorating feats of its founder Kim Il-sung has been erected in China, an apparent show of Pyongyang's close ties with Beijing.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the official North Korean media monitored in Seoul, said the monumental stone is located in a farm in the Chinese capital.
The unveiling ceremony, which took place Thursday, was attended by Ri Ryong-nam, the North Korean ambassador to China, and Lin Songtian, head of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, along with officials from the Chinese Communist Party and its foreign ministry.
Words engraved on the stone, in both Korean and Chinese, note that the pine tree planted by Kim and former Chinese marshal Ye Jianying on April 20, 1975, "symbolizes the two countries' eternal friendship."
Ye was one of the founding marshals of China and former first vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
Both Ri and Lin paid tribute to Kim and Ye, thanking them for laying the foundation for friendly relations between the two neighbors.
Kim Il-sung's statue stands inside his former school in Jilin, Yuwen Middle School, and the latest piece of commemoration for Kim's feats in China can be seen as Pyongyang's attempt to emphasize its long history of close relations with Beijing, dating back decades to the reign of its founding father.
In congratulating China on its founding anniversary on Saturday, the current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, touted his country's ties with China as an "invincible friendship," adding that he will work with Chinese President Xi Jinping to continue to develop the traditional bilateral relations of friendship.
On Wednesday, Seoul's National Intelligence Service told the parliamentary intelligence committee that Kim and Xi had exchanged eight personal letters.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 유지호 · October 2, 2022
7. State auditor notifies ex-Pres Moon of written investigation over death of fisheries official
As an aside, check out the photo of former President Moon with his beard. He has aged.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20221002003600320?section=news
State auditor notifies ex-Pres Moon of written investigation over death of fisheries official | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김보람 · October 2, 2022
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- The state audit agency has notified former President Moon Jae-in of its plan to question him in writing about his administration's alleged mishandling of the case of a South Korean fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020, party officials said Sunday.
According to officials from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) e-mailed and telephoned Moon at the end of last month to accept the planned written investigation on the case.
The BAI has also sent written inquiries to the former president.
The DP officials, however, said Moon was displeased with the BAI plan and sent back the e-mail.
The state audit agency refused to give any details on the pending issue.
The 2020 death of the 47-year-old fisheries official, Lee Dae-jun, near the western sea border is being revisited under the Yoon Suk-yeol government after the Coast Guard in June overturned its earlier conclusion that he was killed while attempting to defect to the North.
The Coast Guard said it had no concrete evidence behind the conclusion announced during the Moon administration.
Top national security officials of the Moon government, including former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won, former National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and former Defense Minister Suh Wook, have been accused of mishandling the case, including fabricating related intelligence reports.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김보람 · October 2, 2022
8. Simple thinking, rough speech and dishonesty (Critique of President Yoon)
[Lee Kyong-hee] Simple thinking, rough speech and dishonesty
koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 28, 2022
Among all the 12 first ladies we have had since the founding of the Republic, Kim Keon-hee is certainly one of a kind. A few of her predecessors raised eyebrows for occasionally inappropriate activities but none of them faced the level of rumors that shroud Kim.
Suspicion surfaced during the presidential campaign, when there were whispers of Kim’s involvement in Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation and plagiarism of her academic papers as well as illegal business activity by her mother. The irony was that her husband was a star prosecutor. He went after some of the nation’s wealthiest and most powerful, most famously putting two former presidents in prison on corruption charges. Thus, he reached the position of prosecutor general, then jumped into politics and became president himself within a year.
Given his profession it is hard to imagine President Yoon not being aware of the unsavory rumors and allegations surrounding his wife. More importantly, it remains a mystery whether he ever used his influence as an elite prosecutor to shield Kim and her mother from formal charges.
What we do know is that the stained image of the first lady casts a shadow over the president’s own public persona. It feeds a vulnerability that can diminish the crafted perceptions of his integrity and leadership.
There would have been no need for most Koreans to be concerned about the lives of this couple, whether private or public. That is until Yoon suddenly emerged on the center stage of national politics as an icon of justice and fairness. The rookie politician, with no experience in elected office, won a razor-thin victory on the opposition ticket, riding on the widespread voter demand for change of government.
During the campaign, as public opinion raged, Kim apologized for causing political controversy with allegations of falsifying her credentials for college teaching jobs. She pledged that she would “only be a dutiful wife” even if her husband became president. To quell public uproar, Yoon promised he would abolish the office of the first lady. He made good on his word, but only to cause more confusion due to Kim’s offbeat activities.
The reason for recalling the events from the campaign trail of months ago is that, aside from Yoon’s baffling amateurism as a “first-time president” as he put it, the integrity of the first couple keeps coming into question. Most obviously, a string of dubious incidents surrounding Yoon’s hurried relocation of the presidential office and residence, widely believed to have been related with Kim’s intentions, has overshadowed the new administration’s handling of state affairs, tarnishing its image and pulling down the president’s approval ratings.
From his sudden decision to move the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense headquarters and arbitrary selection of the foreign minister’s residence as the new presidential residence, Yoon’s relocation plans flabbergasted many people due to potential security risks and snowballing costs. In addition, Yoon has abruptly instructed to turn the Blue House, the old presidential mansion, into an integrated arts complex “like the palace of Versailles” at the cost of tens of billions of won.
Yoon seemingly has no intention to listen to the opinions of experts and the public in drawing up these plans of national significance which will have long-term consequences. His inexplicable decision-making process invites suspicion that Kim holds sway over him. Some even argue that the couple seek counsel from shaman mentors. The plan to remodel the Blue House into an arts complex is widely seen as Kim’s, considering that she operated an art exhibition company until recently.
The latest imbroglio was a hastily scrapped plan to construct a new state reception house. A fortnight ago, shortly before the presidential couple left for a weeklong tour of the UK, the US and Canada, starting with attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, it was reported that the government’s 2023 budget would include 87.8 billion won earmarked for constructing a state reception hall in Yongsan, near the presidential office.
The nation may need a facility for entertaining state guests fitting its international status, as was explained by the presidential office. But there had been no public debate about the project beforehand. During a parliamentary interpellation session, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said he only became aware of the plan when he saw a newspaper report. He denied the plan was made at Kim’s order. As controversy raged, Yoon withdrew the plan within hours, leaving many people mystified.
The public’s suspicion stemmed from Kim’s remarks during her controversial pre-election telephone conversations with a YouTuber. She said if her husband was elected, she would relocate the state reception hall. Yoon said he regretted failing to explain the rationale of the plan but didn’t comment on why he reversed on his earlier remarks that the old state guest hall could continue to be used, even though he would not move into the Blue House.
The ongoing disputes concerning his hot mic gaffe in New York last week is another incident that puts his honesty in question. It is regrettable that his language remains better suiting a prosecutor than a president, but he is not the first head of state to be accused of verbal blunder. He could have offered a simple apology and tried to end the controversy so that he can devote more of his time and energy on more urgent economic and security issues. The US Congress and President Joe Biden, the apparent targets of Yoon’s vulgar words, do not seem to care.
Instead, Yoon effectively proclaimed war with the press and the opposition by blaming them. He said, “Damaging the alliance with reports that are different from the facts puts the people at great risk.” Then, what are the facts? He should know what he said to trigger a brawl, pushing aside imminent diplomatic issues. But he again remains silent as he has done about the rampant rumors and allegations about his wife.
Lee Kyong-hee
Lee Kyong-hee is a former editor-in-chief of The Korea Herald. -- Ed.
By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · September 28, 2022
9. Latest military hardware shown off on Armed Forces Day
Sunday
October 2, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Latest military hardware shown off on Armed Forces Day
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/02/national/defense/South-Korea-nuclear-weapons-Hyunmoo/20221002165039210.html
President Yoon Suk-yeol observes a military parade at a ceremony marking the 74th Armed Forces Day at the Gyeryongdae military compound in South Chungcheong on Saturday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The South Korean military showed off high-tech weapon systems on Armed Forces Day on Saturday, including the powerful new Hyunmoo ballistic missile meant to counter Pyongyang's nuclear threat.
Earlier that morning, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the fourth such test in the past week, on the heels of a South Korea-U.S. naval exercise and a trilateral anti-submarine warfare drill with Japan.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea launched the missiles eastward from Sunan in Pyongyang between 6:45 a.m. and 7:03 a.m. Both missiles flew around 350 kilometers at apogees of around 30 kilometers and at top speeds of Mach 6.
It was the first time North Korea launched a missile on South Korea's Armed Forces Day.
Around four hours later, Seoul's Ministry of National Defense held a ceremony marking the 74th Armed Forces Day at the Gyeryongdae military compound in South Chungcheong under the theme of "strong defense, robust military based on science and technology." The ceremony was attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and the top military brass.
It was an opportunity for South Korea's military to show state-of-the art weapon systems such as Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and Hyunmoo-II and Hyunmoo-III missiles, a part of the Kill Chain system.
South Korea's thee axis system is comprised of the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, which detects and intercepts North Korean missile-launching capabilities before they can be fired; the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, which would destroy incoming missiles mid-air with a mixture of Patriot and Korean medium-range surface-to-air missiles; and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation plan (KMPR), which would target individuals in North Korea's leadership and military command.
Also on display Saturday were surveillance assets such as anti-artillery radar systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as PAC-2 and PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability) interception systems, K2 Black Panther battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and Korean assault amphibious vehicles (KAAV).
Aerial assets on display included F-35A stealth fighters, F-15K, KF-16 and FA-50 jets, KC-330 tanker transport aircraft, and Apache, Surion and Chinook helicopters.
The military released a video explaining the three-axis system and showed for the first time a clip of the firing of its latest high-power Hyunmoo ballistic missile, described as having "the largest warhead weight."
The name Hyunmoo, refers to a mythical beast described as "Guardian of the Northern Sky." The latest version, a variant of Hyunmoo-4, is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile. Because of its massive size, it is referred to as the "beast" missile and reportedly can carry an estimated 9-ton warhead.
In 2020, South Korea tested a new Hyunmoo-4 short-range ballistic missile that could carry a 2-ton warhead. In comparison, the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile could carry a 500-kilogram warhead. In September 2021, a successful test of the Hyunmoo-4 was conducted from an underwater submarine.
In the Defense Ministry's video, the latest Hyunmoo missile was launched using a cold launch system, in which the engine is ignited after it is propelled out of the water using a gas generator. The cold launch method is usually used for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) launched from underwater.
The image of the missile launch platform was not shown in the video, but the Hyunmoo, with the exception of some variants, is usually a surface-to-surface missile and is launched from a transporter erector launcher (TEL). The warhead is wedge-shaped and intended to destroy underground bunkers.
It was the first time the South Korean military released a video showing the launch a missile that may be used as a means of retaliation should North Korea conduct a nuclear weapons attack.
South Korea’s powerful new Hyunmoo ballistic missile, seen to be able to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons, is highlighted in a new video released by the Defense Ministry to mark Armed Forces Day on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
President Yoon was spotting giving a thumb's up after viewing South Korea's key military assets on display at the ceremony.
In his first Armed Forces Day address, Yoon warned that North Korea will face an "overwhelming response" from the South Korean and U.S. militaries if it attempts to use its nuclear weapons.
"If North Korea attempts the use of nuclear weapons, it will face the resolute and overwhelming response of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and our military," said Yoon. He stressed that North Korea's development and advancement of nuclear weapons "is a direct challenge" to the international community's Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Yoon also criticized North Korea's recent law allowing the use of pre-emptive nuclear strikes. "By adopting its nuclear arms policy into law, it is threatening the survival and prosperity of the Republic of Korea," he said.
Yoon said South Korea's three-axis system can counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats and "will dramatically strengthen our reconnaissance and strike capabilities."
He promised to integrate the country's pre-emptive strike systems operated separately by South Korea's Army, Navy, and Air Forces through a new strategic command and enhance security capabilities in new areas such as space and cyberspace.
Yoon noted that he and U.S. President Joe Biden further strengthened the bilateral security alliance in a summit in May and through encounters in London and New York last month. This included bolstering Washington's extended deterrence, including the "timely deployment of U.S. strategic assets" and strengthening South Korea-U.S. joint exercises "to realize an 'alliance in action' that strongly responds to North Korean provocations and threats," he said.
"Even now, the North Korean regime must make the decision to denuclearize for true peace and joint prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," said Yoon.
He stressed that "a strong national defense force must be supported to protect the universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law."
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
10. North Korea rolls out new software to keep tabs on its officials in China
We need to help Koreans overcome this surveillance. I am sure our smart software engineers can develop the technology to do so. We should keep developing countermeasures and counter-0countermeasures and sending software into the north on whatever electronic devices can carry it and keep the regime having to adapt and give the nascent resistance a fighting chance to communicate.
North Korea rolls out new software to keep tabs on its officials in China
americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · October 1, 2022
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
North Korea is requiring trade officials dispatched to China to install invasive surveillance software on their smartphones and computers to allow the government to track their phone calls and restrict their online access, sources in China told RFA.
Trade officials must install the software, called “Secure Shield” on their phones, so that the government can see who they are calling. A program called “Hangro” monitors their computer use.
“Trade officials must visit the North Korean consulate in Shenyang, install the newly developed software on their cellphones, and receive a memory storage device that contains the software for computers,” a source with North Korea connections in the northeastern Chinese city told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
The order went out last month to all the North Korean trade officials in the three northeastern Chinese provinces of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang, according to the source.
“Once you install the software, its name appears on the main screen. Then a message shows up in the middle of the screen, saying ‘Your cellphone is secured,’” said the source.
“Along with the mobile phone identification number, there is an indication that the phone numbers and call details connected to the phone are being detected in real time,” the source explained.
RFA reported in July that smartphone users who want to access North Korea’s closed intranet had to install an app that allows the Ministry of State Security to see where they have been, what websites they browsed, and whether they downloaded, watched or listened to illegal foreign media.
The expansion of surveillance of officials outside the country is partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced mandatory in-person meetings to move online, where it is thought to be harder to monitor the loyalty of dispatched personnel.
North Korea previously attempted to use surveillance software outside its borders in 2020, according to the source.
“There was a conversion problem in the software because it was made for the North Korean government by a foreign developer, so it didn’t work properly,” the source said.
“The reason for the new software is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now ideological learning sessions and home country meetings for the trade officials are conducted through self-learning and email communication, so the authorities believe that the changes have weakened loyalty to the party among the trade officials,” the source said.
In Dandong, which lies just across the Yalu River border from North Korea’s Sinuiju, every trade official had to go to the consulate for a phone inspection, a North Korea-related source there told RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
They were instructed to install the software on their computers, the second source said.
“The newly developed computer startup program detects the internet connection status in real time and opens a channel to use only North Korean e-mail. You can download instructions from Pyongyang, and access lecture materials and study materials only through North Korean e-mail,” the second source said.
“The software, called ‘Hangro,’ disables external emails from China and the rest of the world. It has become the only email channel where messages can be exchanged between the North Korean authorities and the company,” said the second source.
“North Korean trading companies must pay $350 to the Shenyang consulate to use Hangro,” the second source said.
“The trade officials are complaining saying that the authorities do not trust them and are forcing them to install software on their phones and computers that make conducting business uncomfortable and difficult.”
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americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · October 1, 2022
11. Peace through strength gets bipartisan support
One positive outcome of the north's actions.
Conclusion:
The North’s bold provocation amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use tactical nukes against Ukraine raises alarms. The Yoon administration must deal with the North Korean threat wisely. Fortunately, the Democratic Party stressed that it will fully support the government’s effort to achieve a self-reliant national defense. In a dramatic turn, the dovish party underscored the importance of achieving peace through strength. We welcome the shift as it will certainly help calm the public’s anxiety about security.
Sunday
October 2, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Peace through strength gets bipartisan support
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/02/opinion/editorials/peace-North-Korea-missiles/20221002194817158.html
North Korea fired seven short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on four occasions over a week. Such successive launches of missiles in such a short period of time are unprecedented. The North did so while the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group was conducting a joint drill with the South Korean navy on the East Sea and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was visiting South Korea. That’s not all. The North again engaged in a missile provocation on the morning of October 1, when South Korea was celebrating the 74th anniversary of the founding of the military. That’s also unprecedented. A security expert called it “aggressive military acts demonstrated by a state that completed nuclear armaments.” We are deeply concerned about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s unceasing military threats.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration sent a strong warning to North Korea. The president invited 4,600 people — including National Assembly speaker Kim Jin-pyo and ambassadors from foreign countries that participated in the Korean War — to the ceremony for the first time in six years. That decision carries significance as it reflects the conservative administration’s decision to resume the joint Korea-U.S. military drills that were suspended or scaled down by the Moon Jae-in administration.
In a speech that day, Yoon declared that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, it will face an overwhelming counteraction from the allies. The president proclaimed that his government will raise the level of the alliance by ratcheting up the implementation capability of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (Edscg) between the two allies as long as the North’s nuclear threat remains.
The military showed the firing of powerful surface-to-surface Hyeonmu missiles for the first time after explaining to the audience South Korea’s three-axis missile defense based on a Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) plan. The short-range Hyeonmu missiles that can carry 9-ton warheads are one of the strongest conventional weapons for use against North Korea in times of a nuclear attack. U.S. Air Force fighters also were displayed in the ceremony for the first time.
In the meantime, North Korea is escalating its level of provocation. It has fired missiles 20 times since January and prepares to conduct its seventh nuclear test. We urge Pyongyang to abandon its reckless nuclear development and instead take care of its own people.
The North’s bold provocation amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use tactical nukes against Ukraine raises alarms. The Yoon administration must deal with the North Korean threat wisely. Fortunately, the Democratic Party stressed that it will fully support the government’s effort to achieve a self-reliant national defense. In a dramatic turn, the dovish party underscored the importance of achieving peace through strength. We welcome the shift as it will certainly help calm the public’s anxiety about security.
12. What the Constitutions of the Soviet Union and North Korea Can Teach Us about Rights—and the Purpose of a Constitution
Some constitutional analysis.
Excerpt:
Over time, many countries have come to understand that excessive centralization and an emphasis on “positive” rights in a constitution are a mistake. However, there are still some exceptions — the most extreme of which is likely North Korea. Their Constitution guarantees all of the rights in the 1936 USSR Constitution plus the “freedom of engaging in scientific and artistic pursuits,” among others. And yet, there is no country on the face of the earth today that is less free than North Korea, even as they ostensibly grant citizens many more “rights” in their Constitution than the United States does in theirs. The reasons are much the same as they were for the USSR: concentration of power and utopian visions.
What the Constitutions of the Soviet Union and North Korea Can Teach Us about Rights—and the Purpose of a Constitution | Jack Elbaum
A successful constitution will prevent the centralization of power, not facilitate it.
Saturday, October 1, 2022
fee.org · by Jack Elbaum · October 1, 2022
On December 5, 1936, history was made in Moscow when the Eighth Congress of Soviets approved and Joseph Stalin signed the Soviet Constitution of 1936.
Also known as the "Stalin Constitution," the document was hailed by Soviet leaders as “the most democratic in the world.” It was indeed a revolutionary document — and not even primarily because of its openly socialist ideology. What made it so striking was that it granted more rights — civic, political, and personal — than almost any Western constitution did (or does today, for that matter). Forget the universal right to vote, the five freedoms granted in the First Amendment of the US Constitution, or the right to privacy; the Soviet Constitution guaranteed all of that and more. There was the right to “rest and leisure,” “the right to maintenance in old age and also in the case of sickness or loss of capacity to work,” and the ”right to employment and payment for their work in accordance with its quantity and quality.”
Despite this new, egalitarian Constitution, the next two years were notable for its escalation of terror and Stalin’s campaign “to eliminate dissenting members of the Communist Party and anyone else he considered a threat.” Over 750,000 people were executed and more than a million were put in the Gulag (a system of forced labor camps). This period became known as the Great Purge. In subsequent decades, many more millions of people were killed in famines caused by an utterly inefficient state-run economy, while others were killed for expressing dissenting views. Citizens had no right to protest the government, join a union that was not controlled by the state, or even leave the state without express permission from the government.
All of this was done in the name of creating a better society; and it was done despite the lofty, rights-centered language of their new Constitution. In other words, despite enshrining utopia into law, the USSR ended up being one of the worst and most repressive countries in history.
The question, therefore, must be asked: how could this happen? How could the terror and brutality of the Soviet Union happen under such a seemingly progressive and forward-looking Constitution?
The answer is surprisingly simple — and also instructive for our own times.
The Purpose of a Constitution
The horrors of the USSR were able to take place, despite all of the rights included in their Constitution, for two reasons.
The first reason is that the framework the USSR Constitution outlined — and the structures it put in place — did not prevent the centralization of power. In fact, it actually did the opposite by maintaining the absolute power of the Communist Party, while also granting the government jurisdiction over basically every area of life.
However, the creation of systems designed to keep total power out of the hands of any group is both the purpose and the sign of a strong constitution. It ensures that even if some people would like to violate the rights of others — whether it be for personal gain or ideological reasons — they will not be able to because there are checks on the amount of power any individual or body can accumulate.
The second reason is that the USSR Constitution enshrined a utopian vision into law. The issue, of course, is that it is impossible to achieve utopia — even if one includes it in a constitution.
But what actually makes a constitution utopian?
In order to answer this question, we must make a distinction between two very different ideas about where our rights come from and what government’s role in society actually is.
Many believe, including America’s Founding Fathers, that our rights pre-exist government — that they are either granted by God or simply a fact of nature, depending on your perspective. The government's role is to protect these rights, which are traditionally termed “negative” rights and protect individuals from being subjected to an action by another person or group (such as a government). This approach's most prominent example is the US Constitution.
Others believe that rights are granted by governments and that, as circumstances change over time, governments should grant more rights to people. This group believes that the government’s role is to go beyond protecting individual rights and actually guarantee things to its citizens — those “things” traditionally being termed “positive” rights. This is the “utopian” vision.
In a 2019 essay, FEE's President Emeritus, Lawrence W. Reed, sought to explain the core difference between the two by first writing out a list of things that — from his perspective — are rights and things that are not rights. The former list included things such as one’s life, thoughts, and speech; the latter list included things such as internet access, taxpayer-funded education, and another person’s car.
He explains the key distinction between the two lists.
“In the case of the first list, nothing is required of other people except that they leave you alone,” Reed explained. “For you to have a right to something in the second list, however, requires that other people be compelled to provide that something to you. That’s a monumental difference!”
It certainly is a monumental difference, and it illuminates the reason why positive rights cannot really be termed “rights” at all: they can only be granted to citizens if force is used against another person. But, by terming things that would be really nice to have as rights, it gives the state more power, as well as more legitimacy, to pursue this utopian vision by any means necessary. When taken to an extreme, violating another person’s actual rights can easily be justified as a necessary, short-term evil that will eventually allow utopia to flourish: a true path to tyranny.
In summary, constitutions should 1) provide a stable framework of government by setting up structures to prevent the centralization of power; 2) not be used to promise utopia (i.e. confer positive rights to people that require aggressing against person A in order to secure something for person B.
A polity that ignores one of those facts is doomed to fail; a polity that ignores both is headed for disaster.
Examples From Today’s World
Over time, many countries have come to understand that excessive centralization and an emphasis on “positive” rights in a constitution are a mistake. However, there are still some exceptions — the most extreme of which is likely North Korea. Their Constitution guarantees all of the rights in the 1936 USSR Constitution plus the “freedom of engaging in scientific and artistic pursuits,” among others. And yet, there is no country on the face of the earth today that is less free than North Korea, even as they ostensibly grant citizens many more “rights” in their Constitution than the United States does in theirs. The reasons are much the same as they were for the USSR: concentration of power and utopian visions.
Granted, the USSR and North Korea are extreme examples that most people of sound mind understand are dismal failures. Slightly more controversial, though, is a country like Venezuela, which adopted a new, socialist, constitution in 1999. It was celebrated by millions at the time, but Venezuela fell victim to the same perils of virtually every state-led utopian project that came before it, plagued by a dictator, hyperinflation, and deteriorating civil liberties. According to the 2021 Human Freedom Index, Venezuela is the second least free country in the world.
These contemporary examples should serve as constant reminders of the perils of centralizing power in the name of equality or the promise of utopia. Instead, it seems that a growing number of people are forgetting these lessons of the past, even those who should know better.
When the people of Chile recently voted on a proposed constitution that was “a longer, more woke, and even more socialist version of Venezuela’s,” as described by Daniel Di Martino in National Review, America’s paper of record, The New York Times, framed the proposal as a self-evident good.
After noting in a headline that the proposed Constitution would “Enshrine Record Number of Rights,” the Times went on to list many features of the utopian world that the framers of the proposed Chilean Constitution envisioned: “universal public health care; gender parity in government; empowered labor unions; greater autonomy for Indigenous groups; rights for animals and nature; and constitutional rights to housing, education, retirement benefits, internet access, clean air, water, sanitation and care ‘from birth to death.’”
Who could be against all of that?
Well, the people of Chile, for starters. They overwhelmingly rejected the constitution in a recent vote, avoiding what would have almost certainly led to a massive expansion of state power.
Chileans, it seems, have learned an important lesson: when the state comes bearing gifts, it always comes at a cost. And those costs are usually quite high.
fee.org · by Jack Elbaum · October 1, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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