Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Wisdom equals knowledge plus courage. You have to not only know what to do and when to do it, but you have to also be brave enough to follow through."

– Jarod Kintz

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

– Muhammad Ali

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

– Eleanor Roosevelt

1. Voice of America: [Washington Talk] “South Korea should provide lethal weapons to counter North Korea’s military deployment… Psychological warfare needs to be expanded”

2. ‘What the f**k to do with them?’ Russian soldiers heard condemning North Korean recruits in intercepted audio

3. Russian troops 'have no idea what to do with North Korean soldiers'

4. North Korean troops are at Russian military training site, videos show

5. Putin’s desperate move to throw North Korean troops into Ukraine won’t bring the battlefield gains he thinks

6. Top S. Korean, U.S., Japanese security officials voice 'grave concern' over N.K. troop dispatch to Russia: White House

7. Zelenskyy says Ukraine expects N. Korean troops to be deployed in battlefield in few days

8. S. Korea, U.S, Japan hope for China's 'constructive' role over N.K.-Russia military cooperation: Seoul official

9. Videos, satellite imagery show N. Korean soldiers allegedly in Russia: report

10. N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise

11. ‘Do not call us North Korea,’ N. Korean delegation claims

12. "Won't people's perception of N. Korean defectors change through us?"

13. North Korea adopts new law on anthem as unification symbol purge continues

14. Opinion There’s hope for North Koreans, if America acts. Just look at me.

15. Putin cagily acknowledges North Korean troop presence; Seoul paralyzed until U.S. election

1. Voice of America: [Washington Talk] “South Korea should provide lethal weapons to counter North Korea’s military deployment… Psychological warfare needs to be expanded”

Eunjung Cho hosts Syd Seiler and me to discuss the north Korean troop deployment to support Putin's War in Ukraine. This is for broadcast into north Korea with the primary target audience of the elite in Pyongyang.

I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Bechtol for our discussion of some of these issues. Although he disagrees with my assessments of the nKPA, and in particular nKPA SOF, our debate helped me flesh out my assessments. While he believes this deployment could be a game changer because of the superiority of nK SOF, we both agree that it is too early to tell and we will have to see how effectively they are employed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imtF989ZKZ8

[Washington Talk] “South Korea should provide lethal weapons to counter North Korea’s military deployment… Psychological warfare needs to be expanded”

views

Premiered 31 minutes ago #WashingtonTalk #VOA #North Korea

Korean Peninsula experts in the United States have suggested that South Korea should provide lethal weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia. They explained that the lethal weapons that South Korea provides to Ukraine, compared to North Korea’s, which is facing a language barrier and desertion, could change the battlefield. They added that it would not only gain trust from European allies, but also earn respect from Russia in the long term. They also suggested that psychological warfare should be expanded as North Korean soldiers are already deserting. Host: Eun-Jung Cho / Interview: Sydney Seiler (former National Intelligence Analyst for North Korea), David Maxwell (vice director, Asia-Pacific Strategy Center)

2. ‘What the f**k to do with them?’ Russian soldiers heard condemning North Korean recruits in intercepted audio

Thank god for SIGINT to give us some indication of what is going on.

There is a lot to parse here but I do not think we can draw any definitive conclusions yet.

The first thing is the timing. How long of a lead time have they had? We are really just getting reports of the nKPA deployment this month. How long ago did nKPA soldiers deploy to the 5 training areas in eastern Russia? How much training have they actually received?

From these intercepts it does not seem as if the Russians were prepared to receive them. (not a very good RSO&I process). And from these limited reports it does not appear that the Russians are very welcoming of the "K-Battalion" or "K-Brigade" (it is a shame they are co opting the "K-Power" moniker that should belong to South Korea!).

These limited reports raise questions about combat support (fires) and logistical support for the Koreans as well as command and control or whether they will be employed as organic units or as replacements integrated into existing Russian units..

We still have a lot of waiting to see how this plays out.

Excerpts:

Russian soldiers have been heard raising concerns about how North Korean soldiers will be commanded and provided with ammunition and military kit, leaked intercepts obtained by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and released on Friday show.

The Russian soldiers talk disdainfully about the incoming North Korean soldiers, codenamed the “K Battalion,” at one point referring to them as “the f**king Chinese.”

...

The intercepts also reveal plans to have one interpreter and three senior officers for every 30 North Korean men, which the Russian soldiers are heard in the audio condemning.

“The only thing I don’t understand is that there [should be] three senior officers for 30 people. Where do we get them? We’ll have to pull them out,” one Russian serviceman says.

“I’m f***ing telling you, there are 77 battalion commanders coming in tomorrow, there are commanders, deputy commanders and so on,” a serviceman says in another extract.

The intercepted audio follows a Thursday announcement from Ukraine’s military intelligence service that a group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area that borders Ukraine and has seen ongoing military operations.

‘What the f**k to do with them?’ Russian soldiers heard condemning North Korean recruits in intercepted audio | CNN

CNN · by Victoria Butenko, Maria Kostenko, Lauren Kent · October 25, 2024

Russian soldiers heard complaining about North Korean soldiers in intercepted audio

01:14 - Source: CNN

Kyiv CNN —

Russian soldiers have been heard raising concerns about how North Korean soldiers will be commanded and provided with ammunition and military kit, leaked intercepts obtained by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine and released on Friday show.

The Russian soldiers talk disdainfully about the incoming North Korean soldiers, codenamed the “K Battalion,” at one point referring to them as “the f**king Chinese.”

In the same extract, a serviceman describes another who has been tasked to “meet people.”

“And he’s like standing there with his eyes out, like… f**k,” the soldier says. “He came here and says what the f**k to do with them.”

The audio was intercepted from encrypted Russian transmission channels on the night of October 23, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence.

Ukraine’s analysis of the intercepts revealed that North Korean troop movements were planned for the morning of October 24, in the area of Postoyalye Dvory field camp in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion earlier this year.

The intercepts also reveal plans to have one interpreter and three senior officers for every 30 North Korean men, which the Russian soldiers are heard in the audio condemning.

“The only thing I don’t understand is that there [should be] three senior officers for 30 people. Where do we get them? We’ll have to pull them out,” one Russian serviceman says.

“I’m f***ing telling you, there are 77 battalion commanders coming in tomorrow, there are commanders, deputy commanders and so on,” a serviceman says in another extract.

The intercepted audio follows a Thursday announcement from Ukraine’s military intelligence service that a group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area that borders Ukraine and has seen ongoing military operations.

In a post on its official Telegram account, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said some North Korean troops, who had received training in Russia’s far east, have made their way to the western Russian region, where Ukraine has maintained a foothold since launching an incursion in August.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he received a report on the deployment of North Korean military personnel from Ukraine’s commander-in-chief.

“According to intelligence, on October 27-28, Russia will deploy its first North Korean troops in combat zones. This is a clear step in Russia’s escalation that matters, unlike all the disinformation circulating in Kazan these days,” Zelensky said, criticizing the BRICS summit staged by Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan.

The Kremlin had initially dismissed allegations of North Korean troop deployments, but on Thursday at the BRICS summit, Putin did not deny that Pyongyang had sent soldiers to the country.

North Korea said on Friday that any troop deployment to Russia to aid the war in Ukraine would conform with international law, state media reported, without explicitly confirming such presence. North Korea had previously dismissed such reports.

“The actual involvement of North Korea in combat should be met not with a blind eye and confused comments, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to comply with the UN Charter and to punish escalation,” Zelensky added.

CNN’s Daria Tarasova-Markina, Gawon Bae and Niamh Kennedy contributed to this report.

CNN · by Victoria Butenko, Maria Kostenko, Lauren Kent · October 25, 2024

3. Russian troops 'have no idea what to do with North Korean soldiers'

Typical bellyaching by soldiers? Or an indicator of something more?

Russian troops 'have no idea what to do with North Korean soldiers'

A pair of soldiers can be heard bellyaching about the so-called 'K-battalion'

By David Averre and Afp

Published: 11:36 EDT, 25 October 2024 | Updated: 18:20 EDT, 25 October 2024

Daily Mail · by David Averre · October 25, 2024

Ukraine's intelligence services have released audio of what they claim to be Russian troops complaining about the arrival of North Korean fighters and squabbling about how they will be equipped.

In one recording, a pair of soldiers can be heard bellyaching about the so-called 'K battalion', referring to them as 'f***ing Chinese' and declaring one of his fellow servicemen had said 'who knows what the f*** we're supposed to do with them'.

Another clip obtained by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (GUR) appeared to expose the lack of communication and planning regarding the North Korean troops' integration with their Russian counterparts.

'He was just talking about the K battalion, I say: ''And who is getting the weapons and ammunition for them? We got rations, and as far as I heard those are for the brigade'',' one Russian soldier moaned.

'He was like ''What f***ing brigade? You're getting everything.'' I just said that I understood everything and went out for a smoke.'

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sounded the alarm that troops from Pyongyang could be deployed to the frontlines alongside Russian forces to fight against Kyiv's defenders as early as Sunday.

Russia's lower parliament meanwhile unanimously ratified a defence treaty with North Korea that was struck between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un during the Russian president's state visit to the North Korean capital in June.

A leaked video allegedly shows North Korean troops in Russia being kitted out with military equipment

A Russian soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

The Ukrainian President has warned that North Korea's involvement could hasten the eruption of World War III

Putin and Kim clink glasses amid the former's visit to Pyongyang

South Korea urged Russia to stop its 'illegal cooperation' with Pyongyang and voiced 'grave concern' this morning after Moscow moved to ratify its defence pact, which stipulates each party must provide assistance if the other faces aggression.

The treaty will now be sent to the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, for approval.

For years, he was the tubby dictator mocked as 'The Little Rocket Man' due to his obsession with nuclear missiles: But now Kim Jong Un has moved us closer than ever to WW3 by sending soldiers to Ukraine

Shortly after Seoul's warning, Zelensky declared that Russia was planning to send North Korean troops into battle against his country as early as Sunday, and urged world leaders to pile 'tangible pressure' on Pyongyang.

South Korea and the United States said that thousands of North Korean troops were training in Russia.

Ukraine said this week that North Korean soldiers had arrived in the 'combat zone' in Russia's Kursk border region.

While stopping short of confirming it had put boots on the ground, North Korea said any troop deployment to Russia would be in line with international law.

'(Seoul) expresses grave concern over Russia's ratification of the Russia-North Korea treaty amidst the ongoing deployment of North Korean troops to Russia,' the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that the South Korean government 'strongly urges the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and the cessation of illegal cooperation'.

Seoul said it would work with allies to 'take appropriate measures' over the move, and the country - a major arms exporter - has suggested it could revise longstanding policy barring it from sending weapons directly to Kyiv.

Zelensky, following a meeting with defence officials on Friday, said North Korean troops could be sent in to fight Ukrainian troops this weekend.

'According to intelligence reports, on 27-28 October, Russia will use the first North Korean military in combat zones,' he said on social media.

'The actual involvement of North Korea in hostilities should be met not with a blind eye and confused comments but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to comply with the UN Charter and to punish escalation,' he added.

A senior official within the Ukrainian president's office said the North Korean troops could be deployed in battle either to the Russian region of Kursk or in eastern Ukraine.

Putin said in an interview aired on Friday on state television that it was up to Moscow how it uses the treaty's clause on mutual military assistance.

'What action we take with this clause - that's still under question. We are in touch with our North Korean friends,' Putin said.

'I mean to say that it's our sovereign decision, whether we use something or not. Where, how, whether we need this, or (if) we, for example, only carry out some exercises, training, passing on some experience - that's our business,' he added.

Seoul and Washington have long claimed that the nuclear-armed North is sending major shipments of arms to Russia.

One of North Korea's United Nations representatives said at the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security that the country was sending neither weapons nor soldiers to help Moscow.

The allegations by South Korea and others are 'nothing more than groundless rumours aimed at tarnishing the image of DPRK', Rim Mu Song said, referring to the North by its official name.

'It is yet another smear campaign devised by Ukraine' to get 'more weaponry and financial support from the US and Western countries'.

North Korean soldiers are seen smashing through concrete blocks in demonstration to Kim and high ranking officials

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aims a weapon as he visits a training base

A new 600mm multiple rocket launcher is test-fired at an undisclosed location in North Korea

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un meet in Pyongyang, June 19, 2024

South Korea's representative flagged videos circulating online of North Korean soldiers in Russian uniforms speaking Korean, but Rim said they 'again totally reject the allegation' of troop deployment.

On Friday a diplomatic official argued, however, that Pyongyang would be well within its rights to deploy soldiers on Russian soil.

'If there is such a thing that the world media is talking about, I think it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law,' said Kim Jong Gyu, vice foreign minister in charge of Russian Affairs.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has called the deployment a 'provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe'.

Yoon also said South Korea will 'review' its stance on providing weapons to Ukraine in its war with Russia, which the country has long resisted.

Seoul has already sold billions of dollars of tanks, howitzers, attack aircraft and rocket launchers to Poland, a key ally of Kyiv.

In June, South Korea agreed to transfer the knowledge needed to build K2 tanks to Poland, which experts have said could be a key step towards production inside Ukraine.

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace has signed a $1.64-billion deal with Poland to supply rocket artillery units.

North Korea has adopted a new national anthem, state media reported on Friday, another move that experts suspect will further leader Kim Jong Un's drive to define his country as entirely separate from, and in opposition to, the South.

North Korea amended its constitution to define the South as a 'hostile' state and last week blew up roads and railways that once connected the two countries.

Daily Mail · by David Averre · October 25, 2024

4. North Korean troops are at Russian military training site, videos show

Video, photos, and imagery at the link.

This is HUGE!! (yes it is significant, but...)

We need to be preparing the psychological operations themes and messages now for when the nKPA forces have their asses handed to them by the Ukrainians. Regardless of how well trained these troops are and their willingness to fight to the death in support of Putin, if the Russians cannot properly support them from a combined arms perspective they are not going to have strategic effects and they are likely to be decimated especially if they are interrogated into Russian units. Based on the limited intercepts we are seeing, it does not appear that the nK forces will be employed in accordance with their strength and training. north Korea and Russia may be making the biggest mistake of all special operations. And that is to employ SOF as conventional infantry based on the assumption that they are the best trained forces. They may be the best trained for special operations but that does not mean they are best trained for conventional combined arms operations. That is a sure path to failure and could lead to the destruction of the 11th Storm Corps.

Therefore we need to be prepared not only for the destruction of nKPA forces and the themes and messages that will be useful in undermining the nKPA remaining in north Korea but also to exploit the likely defection of nKPA forces in Ukraine.

While everyone is worried about the implications of this (and there are serious issues that must be considered) we must not overlook the opportunities that this action provides especially for information and influence against Russia in support of Ukraine and against the north in support of the ROK/US alliance. Fortunately the Ukrainians already appear to be prepared for psychological operations against the nKPA forces. They are not missing the opportunity.

Excerpts:

For the Kremlin, the North Korean troops are a welcome infusion of personnel in a war that has dragged on for two and a half years.

“This is huge. It is a major event, strategically, in the Ukraine war,” said Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries who is affiliated with Syracuse and Georgetown universities.

North Korea has one of the largest militaries in the world with about 1.2 million soldiers, but most are underfed and poorly equipped, and have been used as labor forces rather than for military operations.

But the soldiers sent to Russia were special operations troops, including from North Korea’s elite Eleventh Army Corps, often called the “Storm Corps,” South Korea’s spy agency said this week.

The “Storm Corps” is among North Korea’s best trained and best equipped units, said Go Myong-hyun, senior research fellow at Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy, which is affiliated with South Korea’s intelligence agency.

“Compared to the recruits that are getting sent to battle right now by the Russians in Ukraine, these North Koreans are much better trained and better equipped,” Go said.

Moscow thinks the men are “unpretentious, can master camouflage, are motivated and perfectly trained,” the pro-Kremlin newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote on Wednesday.

...

The Sergeevka compound has historically been defunct but is a fitting location to train a surge of North Korean fighters because of its location and its huge grounds, said McFate.

It is typical for new units to train together before deployment, in this case for North Koreans to understand how the Russian army fights and communicates, he said. “They’re in-processing into the Russian warfare machine,” he said.

It is highly unusual for North Korea to send combat troops abroad, especially at such a large scale and to a major military power like Russia — raising concerns about what leader Kim Jong Un is looking to gain in return.

North Korean troops are at Russian military training site, videos show

Soldiers from North Korea’s elite “Storm Corps” appear to be preparing to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to a Post analysis.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/25/north-korean-troops-russia-ukraine-deployment/

6 min

266

Screenshots from videos shared to social media show what appear to be North Korean troops at a training facility in eastern Russia. (Para Pax/Telegram; Astra Press/Telegram)

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Jonathan Baran

October 25, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. EDT

SEOUL — North Korean troops appear to be on-site alongside Russian soldiers at a military complex in Russia’s far east, potentially preparing for deployment in the war against Ukraine, according to a Washington Post analysis of videos that have recently surfaced on social media.

The videos show dozens of what appear to be North Korean men at Sergeevka military training ground near Vladivostok, a major eastern port city close to the border with North Korea. Satellite imagery provided to The Post by Maxar Technologies shows increased activity at the training area in recent weeks.

Taken together, the videos and images support assertions from Washington, Kyiv and Seoul that North Korean troops are being trained to help Moscow wage its war on Ukraine — a development that could have serious global implications and escalate concerns about the growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Both have obliquely acknowledged the presence of the troops, with a North Korean vice foreign minister saying Friday that if the “rumor” is true, “it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday cited the Russia-North Korea defense treaty signed in June, which states that if one country is subject to an “armed invasion,” the other would provide “military and other assistance with all means in its possession.” The treaty was speedily ratified by Russia’s parliament on Thursday.

The two pariah states now appear to be putting that treaty into action.

The videos analyzed by The Post showed scores of men at Sergeevka, more than 5,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, who appear to be of Korean descent, with audible snippets of Korean phrases in a North Korean accent.

Following World news

Following

In one video, soldiers wearing Russian camouflage and carrying rucksacks and rifles hustle past a concrete lattice fence. “Here they go,” a voice says in Russian.

“Okay, we’re not supposed to film them,” another voice warns.

“There are millions of them here,” the other replies hyperbolically.

Soldiers filmed at Sergeevka facility

0:25

Video released by a pro-Russian Telegram channel shows dozens of what appear to be North Korean armed soldiers at a military training facility. (Video: Para Pax/Telegram)

The Biden administration said this week that a “first tranche” of at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia receiving “basic kind of combat training and familiarization.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday it is likely that at least some of the troops will be sent to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August but has since faced setbacks holding on to its gains. He did not specify in what capacity they would be deployed.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has given a far higher estimate of about 12,000 North Korean military personnel, including three generals. The agency told The Post on Thursday that one group of North Korean soldiers has already arrived in Kursk.

For the Kremlin, the North Korean troops are a welcome infusion of personnel in a war that has dragged on for two and a half years.

“This is huge. It is a major event, strategically, in the Ukraine war,” said Sean McFate, an expert on mercenaries who is affiliated with Syracuse and Georgetown universities.

North Korea has one of the largest militaries in the world with about 1.2 million soldiers, but most are underfed and poorly equipped, and have been used as labor forces rather than for military operations.

But the soldiers sent to Russia were special operations troops, including from North Korea’s elite Eleventh Army Corps, often called the “Storm Corps,” South Korea’s spy agency said this week.

The “Storm Corps” is among North Korea’s best trained and best equipped units, said Go Myong-hyun, senior research fellow at Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy, which is affiliated with South Korea’s intelligence agency.

“Compared to the recruits that are getting sent to battle right now by the Russians in Ukraine, these North Koreans are much better trained and better equipped,” Go said.

Moscow thinks the men are “unpretentious, can master camouflage, are motivated and perfectly trained,” the pro-Kremlin newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote on Wednesday.

The South Korean spy agency said the troops had been given uniforms, weapons and IDs to disguise themselves as Buryats and Yakuts, ethnic minorities from Siberia with similar physical features to Koreans.

Men from those minorities have been mobilized for Putin’s war effort, but The Post could not corroborate the South Korean claims. In another video taken at Sergeevka, first published by the independent Russian publication Astra, a person speaking Yakut approaches a group of men in uniforms.

“Look, guys from North Korea. The allies have arrived. Impressive looking guys! Maybe we’ll end the war,” he says. The men being filmed can also be heard speaking with North Korean accents.

Troops at Sergeevka military training facility

0:31

What appear to be North Korean troops gather around for a smoke break at the Sergeevka military training facility in eastern Russia. (Video: Astra press/Telegram)

There have been meaningful changes at Sergeevka since early September, according to the Maxar satellite imagery.

In images collected Oct. 7, what appear to be trenches have been cut into the ground and new structures have been built. At least 20 additional military vehicles are present at the western edge of the complex. Less than three weeks later, new equipment has been added to a staging area.

Oct. 07

Sept. 06

NORTH

Trenches

and new structures

Additional

vehicles

Satellite © Maxar 2024

Oct. 24

New equipment

Satellite © Maxar 2024

The Sergeevka compound has historically been defunct but is a fitting location to train a surge of North Korean fighters because of its location and its huge grounds, said McFate.

It is typical for new units to train together before deployment, in this case for North Koreans to understand how the Russian army fights and communicates, he said. “They’re in-processing into the Russian warfare machine,” he said.

It is highly unusual for North Korea to send combat troops abroad, especially at such a large scale and to a major military power like Russia — raising concerns about what leader Kim Jong Un is looking to gain in return.

North Korea has previously sent small numbers of technical advisers and has used military assistance to strengthen its relationships with developing countries, including in Africa. But this is the first time North Korean soldiers have been sent into a foreign combat zone.

“North Korea is essentially experimenting with a new form of foreign intervention,” Go said.

The soldiers, if they return home, could bring back valuable front-line experience and insight into the use of modern warfare technologies like drones.

But given the U.S. and NATO estimates of about 1,200 Russian casualties a day, it is unclear whether this infusion of soldiers will have a significant impact on the front lines or if they will be able to survive, Go said.

In a briefing to lawmakers Thursday, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun accused the North Korean regime of sacrificing its citizens to become Putin’s mercenaries.

“Kim Jong Un sold his People’s Army to be cannon fodder for an illegal war of aggression,” the South Korean defense minister told lawmakers.

Baran reported from San Francisco. Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia, Serhiy Morgunov in Kyiv and Jarrett Ley in New York contributed to this report.

266

Comments

By Michelle Lee

Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, covering Japan and the Korean peninsula. follow on X @myhlee

By Jonathan Baran

Jonathan Baran is a video reporter for The Washington Post's Visual Forensics team. He joined The Post in 2019, covering technology, business and culture from the San Francisco bureau and served in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008.follow on X @JHBaran

5. Putin’s desperate move to throw North Korean troops into Ukraine won’t bring the battlefield gains he thinks

I think the headline is likely a correct assessment. Not because the nKPA forces are not good but because the Russians will be unable to exploit any success the nKPA forces might achieve (if they achieve any). And then there are the larger geo-strategic effects that could backfire as well.

Putin’s desperate move to throw North Korean troops into Ukraine won’t bring the battlefield gains he thinks

Former diplomats tell Tom Watling that Vladimir Putin’s deepening ties with North Korea risks damaging relations with China

Independent · October 26, 2024

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The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia to be used in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a sign of desperation from the Russian president that amounts to no more than a quick-fix for frontline losses that is destined to cause longer-term problems, British former diplomats and analysts have warned.

South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence reported that thousands of North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, have recently deployed to Russia to plug gaps in Moscow’s military, with up to 12,000 believed to be ready to be sent.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he expects several of those units to join the fight in the Russian region of Kursk, which Kyiv has occupied since early August, as soon as the weekend.

Emil Kastehelmi, who runs the Black Bird Group, which tracks the war in Ukraine, argues these North Korean troops are unlikely to significantly improve Russia’s position on the battlefield.

“They have no concrete experience of challenges in a modern battlefield, and even quick training by the Russians may not prepare them very well for that,” he says. “However it is arranged, it’s likely that the arriving forces may not be very effective in battle.”

But Mr Putin, facing casualties of hundreds of soldiers a day, is desperate, according to John Foreman, former British defence attaché to Moscow between 2019 and 2022 who specialised in analysing the Korean peninsula.

“It’s a sign of desperation. They had to go to North Korea to bail them out for manpower and ammunition. It shows the weakness in the Russian military industrial complex and that they’re desperate for personnel.”

“If you want to be a great power, you shouldn’t be kowtowing to North Korea,” he adds.

Nevertheless, Russia’s relationship with North Korea has grown significantly since Mr Putin launched his invasion, with Russia casting around for allies.

Mr Foreman says he remembers his North Korean counterpart having “nothing to do” back in 2020. “I couldn’t work out why they had one in Moscow,” he says. “But things have changed in the last four years.”

Ukraine video appears to show North Korean troops at Russian military base (Sourced)

Earlier this year, North Korea began sending artillery shells to Russia to be used in Ukraine. Soon after, it sent ballistic missiles. The supplies helped Moscow regain the initiative on the eastern frontline; Russian forces have seized around 300 square miles of the Donetsk region in 2024. Last month Russian forces advanced at their fastest rate of the entire war, according to western intelligence.

But those gains have come at a vast human cost, with Russia using waves of troops to try and overwhelm Ukrainian defensive lines.

Diplomatically, Mr Putin could also pay a price, with the use of Pyongyang’s troops to bolster Russia’s forces damaging Moscow’s relationship with China, it’s most powerful ally. The Kremlin is rewarding North Korea with greater support, including nuclear technology.

“What we have seen this past week is another escalation in the relationship,” says Edward Howell, the Korea Foundation Fellow with the Asia-Pacific programme at the Chatham House think tank.

“North Korea knows that it has to supply Putin with what he needs in order to benefit both financially and in terms of missile technology.”

That has unnerved South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, and thereby pushed them further towards the US, Mr Howell suggests, creating what Beijing believes is a Nato-style alliance in the Indo-Pacific that is fundamentally anti-China.

“Russia and North Korea don’t care about their global reputation,” says Mr Howell. “But China cares a lot more about its international reputation and status.”

While Beijing is supportive of Russia and North Korea, insofar as they are united in opposing a US-led world order, its primary interest is in retaking control of Taiwan, which it believes is part of its territory.

Russia’s focus on Ukraine, however, is having a knock-on effect on pro-Taiwan alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

“From the get go of Russia and Kim Jong-un cosying up to each other, there’s been a degree of unease for China and others, including South Korea and Japan,” says Sir Laurie Bristow, former British ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020.

“China needs to manage a whole complex series of relationships and interests. They don’t need Russia complicating that further.”

But, ultimately, Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine has become all-encompassing; testing relations with his most senior ally is a gamble he feels he must make.

“Putin’s approach is he needs to win the war and damn the consequences,” says Mr Foreman.

Ultimately, says Sir Laurie, “Putin is now all-in”.

Independent · October 26, 2024

6. Top S. Korean, U.S., Japanese security officials voice 'grave concern' over N.K. troop dispatch to Russia: White House

"Stop with all the negative waves, Moriarty." These comments support Kim Jong Un's political warfare strategy by allowing him to desibed these comments as fear of the great north Korean People's Army, which is certainly one of the effects he desires.

These officials should also be expressing the opportunity that Kim Jong Un and Putin are providing with their misten strategic actions. There is so much that we should be exploiting in this situation. But we need a coherent and consistent information and influence campaign (in support of a superior political warfare strategy) that is flexible enough to grasp the opportunities as they arise and exploit them. Unfortunately our conventional mindset is that we must show concern, condemnation, and a desire to prevent escalation, and indirectly through such comments, we show fear.

(3rd LD) Top S. Korean, U.S., Japanese security officials voice 'grave concern' over N.K. troop dispatch to Russia: White House | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 26, 2024

(ATTN: photo, more info in paras 8-10, 15-16, 23-24)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- The national security advisors of South Korea, the United States and Japan expressed "grave concern" Friday over North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia possibly for use in the war against Ukraine, and called for the two countries to cease such military cooperation, a White House official said.

National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that South Korea's National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, held a trilateral meeting in Washington to discuss the issue and other matters of mutual concern.

The meeting came as Seoul and Washington have confirmed that Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to eastern Russia by ship earlier this month -- a culmination of their deepening military cooperation in the midst of the protracted war in Ukraine.

South Korea's National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik (R) and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan (L) and Takeo Akiba, pose for a photo as they meet for three-way talks in Washington on Oct. 25, 2024 in this photo released by the South Korean government. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"In particular, the national security advisors expressed grave concern over troop deployments by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Russia, potentially for use on the battlefield against Ukraine," he said in a virtual briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name.

"This deployment is the latest in a series of concerning indicators of deepening military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including arms and ballistic missile transfers that are in direct violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," he added.

This photo, taken on June 4, 2024, shows National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby speaking during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington. (Yonhap)

Shin, Sullivan and Akiba called on Russia and North Korea to cease these actions that "only serve to expand the security implications of Russia's brutal and illegal war beyond Europe and into the Indo- Pacific," according to Kirby.

"The three national security advisors reaffirmed their commitment to address common regional and global challenges and to promote security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," the White House official said.

On the eve of the three-way talks, Shin held bilateral talks with Sullivan to discuss the North's troop deployment to Russia and other issues.

"The two officials condemned in the strongest possible terms the DPRK's ongoing support to Russia's brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, including the deployment of troops to Russia as well as the transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia's use of these missiles against Ukraine," the White House said in a readout.

"The DPRK's support is directly increasing the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, undermines the global non-proliferation regime, and has significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region," it added.

In a separate press briefing, Shin said that he and Sullivan discussed how to respond to possible "scenarios" that could unfold as military cooperation between the North and Russia progresses following the North's troop dispatch. He did not elaborate.

Shin stressed that there is no disagreement among Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo over the assessment of the North's troop dispatch to Russia, and that the three sides agreed to work together with the international community to "sternly" deal with a deepening military alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow.

"South Korea, the U.S. and Japan all agreed that North Korea's troop deployment is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and is an act that seriously undermines security in the international community as well as on the Korean Peninsula," Shin said.

"The three countries agreed to sternly deal with close military ties between the North and Russia in tandem with the international community, and work closely together to take necessary measures according to how the situation progresses going forward," he added.

Shin and Sullivan also discussed recent "concerning" actions by Pyongyang, including changes to its constitution to define South Korea as a "hostile" state and the destruction of roads and railways connecting the two Koreas.

"The two officials reaffirmed that the United States and the ROK will maintain a strong combined defense posture in the face of the DPRK's activities in border areas," the White House said, noting Sullivan reiterated America's "ironclad" security commitment to South Korea. ROK stands for the South's official name, the Republic of Korea.

During Friday's talks, Shin, Sullivan and Akiba also reaffirmed their countries' commitment to trilateral cooperation.

"(They) resolved to institutionalize efforts to build a new era of trilateral partnership that will be a force for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond for years to come," Kirby said during the briefing.

They committed to work toward a trilateral summit "at the earliest opportunity," he noted.

Moreover, the officials "strongly" opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, and underscored their commitment to the global maritime order as reflected in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Separately on Friday, Shin and Akiba held bilateral talks and agreed to continue to reinforce bilateral cooperation as well as trilateral cooperation with the U.S. to deal with the increasingly "grave" security situation driven by the North's nuclear and missile provocations and "illegal" military cooperation between the North and Russia, Seoul's presidential office said.

The two sides also agreed to work together to make 2025 a "historical milestone" for relations between South Korea and Japan as next year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties, it added.

On Friday night (Korea time), North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu said via state media that if true, the North's troop deployment would be in line with international law -- a remark seen as an apparent acknowledgement of the deployment.

Seoul's top intelligence agency has confirmed that Pyongyang is expected to send some 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of this year, including around 3,000 troops already dispatched. The White House has also said that at least 3,000 North Korean troops were moved to eastern Russia earlier this month.

Friday's gathering is the second meeting between the three countries' national security advisors since President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a landmark three-way summit at Camp David in August last year. It is also the fifth such meeting of the Biden administration.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (on carpet) inspects an honor guard during a visit to the North Korean Army's 2nd Corps Headquarters on Oct. 17, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim stressed again that South Korea is a foreign country and an apparent hostile country, according to the news agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 26, 2024

7. Zelenskyy says Ukraine expects N. Korean troops to be deployed in battlefield in few days

Perhaps the true test will be coming soon enough.

(LEAD) Zelenskyy says Ukraine expects N. Korean troops to be deployed in battlefield in few days | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · October 25, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with Putin's remarks in last 2 paras)

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday intelligence indicates Russia is expected to deploy the first batch of North Korean soldiers in combat zones within a few days.

Zelenskyy shared the assessment on social media platform X, citing a report from Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"According to intelligence, the first North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed by Russia to combat zones as early as October 27–28," Zelenskyy wrote. "This is a clear escalation by Russia."

Zelenskyy called for "a principled and strong response" from global leaders against Russia's efforts to continue the war with Ukraine.

"North Korea's actual involvement in combat should not be met with indifference or uncertain commentary, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang, to uphold the U.N. Charter and to hold them accountable for this escalation," he said.

South Korea and the United States have said North Korea sent around 3,000 troops to eastern Russia for possible deployment in a war against Ukraine.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (2nd from L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (3rd from L) shake hands during their encounter at a welcome dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2024. (Yonhap)

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny or confirm the deployment, but said his government takes the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty with North Korea seriously, which includes a mutual defense clause. It was signed in June and ratified by Russian lawmakers Thursday.

"But I would like to say that it will be our sovereign decision: whether we will apply something or not, where, how. Whether we need it or whether we will be engaged, let's say, only in conducting some exercises, training and sharing experience. This is entirely our own business," Putin said in an interview with the state-run Rossiya-1 TV channel Friday.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · October 25, 2024

8. S. Korea, U.S, Japan hope for China's 'constructive' role over N.K.-Russia military cooperation: Seoul official

Hope is not a course of action. The fundamental question is what is in China's interest in this situation? Rather than viewing China through our own lens and perception of how we think China should act we need to really understand how China views this situation and how it can and will act in its own interests. It is unlikely that our interests really align regardless of how logical it would seem that neither of us want to see escalation of Putin's War or increased tensions and possible conflict on the Korean peninsula.

Is the dilemma that north Korean troops support to Putin's War creates for the ROK-Japan-US in Chinas's interest?

S. Korea, U.S, Japan hope for China's 'constructive' role over N.K.-Russia military cooperation: Seoul official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 26, 2024

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, the United States and Japan hope that China will play a "constructive" role to help address concerns over a deepening military alignment between North Korea and Russia, a senior Seoul official said Friday.

The official at Seoul's presidential office made the remarks as South Korea's National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, respectively, held a trilateral meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday to discuss the North's recent troop deployment to Russia and other issues.

"We can assume that China might feel uneasy about (the North's) deployment, which is the most serious level of (military) cooperation (between Pyongyang and Moscow)," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"South Korea, the U.S. and Japan hope that China will play a constructive role regarding such illegal acts by North Korea and Russia," he added.

This file photo, provided by the South Korean National Intelligence Service on Oct. 18, 2024, shows recent satellite imagery of North Korean soldiers gathering at a Russian military facility. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Seoul's top intelligence agency has said that North Korea is expected to send around 10,000 troops to Russia by the end of this year, including some 3,000 troops already dispatched earlier this month. Washington has also confirmed the North's troop dispatch this month.

Observers said that with China under growing pressure to serve as a "responsible" stakeholder in global issues, the Asian superpower might not feel comfortable about the North's deployment that could further escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine with security implications for the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The official said that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have discussed measures to respond to various "scenarios" that could unfold in various "phases" as military cooperation between the North and Russia progresses in the wake of Pyongyang's troop dispatch.

"Now, we are at a phase where North Korean troops are engaging in familiarization training in eastern Russia. If you look at the next phase, those troops could move to western (Russia) and be sent to the front lines," the official said.

"They could be sent to the front lines where bullets are raining down or be sent for a rear-area mission to support operations. They could also be assigned to rear-area vigilance missions or tasked with delivering military supplies. Having said this, there are many phases."

As for what the North could get in return for its troop dispatch, the official raised the possibility of Pyongyang getting technological assistance for its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile projects, or for air defense and the production of aircraft, to name a few.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · October 26, 2024

9. Videos, satellite imagery show N. Korean soldiers allegedly in Russia: report

Videos, satellite imagery show N. Korean soldiers allegedly in Russia: report | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · October 26, 2024

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- More videos posted on social media and satellite imagery suggest that North Korean soldiers are at Russia's military training sites for possible deployment in the war in Ukraine, The Washington Post has reported.

Videos and screenshots uploaded on Telegram by a pro-Russian military outlet, Para Pax, show soldiers appearing to be North Koreans at the Sergeevka military training facility near Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, the newspaper reported Saturday.

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies indicates increased activities at the training area in recent weeks, the newspaper said, in what could corroborate the claims by South Korea, the United States and its allies that the North is sending its soldiers to fight alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine.

South Korea and the U.S. have said some 3,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia for possible deployment to front lines. Ukraine has claimed the North is preparing to send about 12,000 soldiers.

This image, captured on Oct. 26, 2024, from a video clip posted on the Telegram channel of Para Pax, a pro-Russian military outlet, shows what it claims to be North Korean soldiers being trained at a military training site near Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Both Pyongyang and Moscow had initially dismissed the reports as groundless. But this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's vice foreign minister did not deny the reports, suggesting their effective acknowledgement of the troop deployment.

The newspaper said one video filmed North Korean soldiers, wearing Russian military uniforms and carrying backpacks, moving past a concrete lattice fence, with the person who was filming them saying, "Here they go," in Russian.

The newspaper also reported, citing Maxar's satellite imagery, that new structures have been built and new equipment has been installed at the Sergeevka training compound.

Earlier this week, Astra, an outlet claiming to be independent Russian media, released a video showing a group of soldiers appearing to be North Koreans supposedly standing outside the military training site in Vladivostok, talking in a North Korean accent.

Last week, a Ukrainian government-affiliated organization revealed video footage of men appearing to be North Korean soldiers preparing for deployment at a Russian military training center.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday his intelligence agency determines that Russia is expected to deploy North Korean troops to the battlefield starting Oct. 27-28.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · October 26, 2024

10. N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise

It is good to see that north Korea is getting the message.

N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise

The Korea Times · October 26, 2024

Korean and Australian air force pilots talk in front of an Australian KC-30A multirole tanker transport aircraft deployed to an air base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in this undated photo provided by the South Korean Air Force, Oct. 24. Yonhap

North Korea lambasted South Korea and the United States, Saturday, for staging a joint air exercise, accusing Washington of driving the Korean Peninsula into an "uncontrollable" situation.

The Freedom Flag exercise kicked off this week to run through next Friday, with the air forces of South Korea and the U.S., as well as Australia, participating.

The two-week joint drill, which is taking place for the first time, replaces regular large-scale air exercises between South Korea and the U.S. — Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, an official at the North's foreign ministry said Freedom Flag is a "very dangerous act of military provocation" aimed at launching a "preemptive" and "unexpected" strike on North Korea.

Pyongyang accused the U.S. of encouraging South Korea's "hostile lunacy" by supporting its sending of propaganda leaflets to the North and continuing to deploy strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. is driving the peninsula into an "uncontrollable" situation, and "if a situation no one wants takes place, the U.S. would have to take full responsibility for it as the prime mover that aggravated tensions in the region," the statement read. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · October 26, 2024

11. ‘Do not call us North Korea,’ N. Korean delegation claims

They are "correct." The country should be called north Korea (with the lowercase "n"). They should also be called Korean people from the north to emphasize the future One Free Korea. As most know, that is how I always try to describe north Korea and the Korean people from the north (which of course upsets editors from both a standard usage perspective and a grammatically awkward perspective). I learned all of this from my Korean counterparts at CFC decades ago when this was the standard way to write north Korea to emphasize that north Korea was not a legitimate nation.

‘Do not call us North Korea,’ N. Korean delegation claims

donga.com

Posted October. 26, 2024 07:50,

Updated October. 26, 2024 07:50

‘Do not call us North Korea,’ N. Korean delegation claims. October. 26, 2024 07:50. by Woo-Sun Lim imsun@donga.com.

As tensions rise with North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, a verbal clash erupted between South and North Korea during the First Committee meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday (local time). When the South Korean delegation referred to North Korea as "North Korea," the North Korean delegation protested, insisting on the use of “DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).”

During the meeting, South Korean counselor Kim Sung-hoon mentioned, “There are videos online showing North Korean soldiers wearing Russian military uniforms and speaking Korean.” In response, Lim Mu Song, director at North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, retorted, “It is shameful for South Korean diplomats, who don’t even know the names of member countries, to talk about international peace and security.” North Korea typically refers to itself and South Korea as "DPRK" and "ROK (Republic of Korea)" respectively in UN meetings.

Meanwhile, the UN and the international community publicly condemned North Korea’s deployment to Russia. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said, “Whether this deployment violates the Security Council sanctions against North Korea is a matter for the Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee to review.”

The North Korean delegation countered these criticisms, calling them "baseless rumors" that damage North Korea's image and harm legitimate and friendly cooperation between sovereign states, as per the UN Charter.

한국어

donga.com

12. "Won't people's perception of N. Korean defectors change through us?"

Northeast Asia soft power through K-pop. (north Korea, Japan - and Chinese American))

"Won't people's perception of N. Korean defectors change through us?"

Singing Beetle's '1VERSE,' brings together diverse talent from N. Korea, U.S., and Japan, redefining K-pop idol scene

By Kim Mi-geon

Published 2024.10.26. 00:10

Updated 2024.10.26. 16:14

“We hope to become part of the universe.”

Singing Beetle's debut group "1VERSE" members (from top to bottom): Seok, Hyuk, Kenny, Aito. /Courtesy of Singing Beetle

On Oct 15., the members of “1VERSE,” a K-pop boy group set to debut under Singing Beetle, shared their story of how they came together. The group is made up of Hyuk (24) and Seok (24), both North Korean defectors who fled in 2013 and 2018, respectively, Chinese-American member Kenny (22), and Japanese member Aito (19). The members of “1VERSE,” with their diverse cultural backgrounds, spoke about how they support and challenge each other as they work toward their shared goal of becoming a successful K-pop group. “1VERSE” is scheduled to debut at the end of this year.

Cho Michelle, CEO of Singing Beetle, founded the agency after leaving SM Entertainment, where she worked in International A&R. When asked about the formation of 1VERSE as a multinational group, particularly including North Korean defectors, Cho explained, “I’ve always wanted to produce a K-pop group, but in the process, I ended up gathering these incredibly talented individuals.” She continued, “I’ve seen many gifted artists in the industry abandon their dreams due to practical concerns, like financial struggles, which has been heartbreaking. Watching people with the talent to create incredible music set aside their ambitions just to get by inspired me to create a space where they could focus solely on their art, free from those burdens. As I brought together individuals who shared that vision, 1VERSE naturally evolved into the global team it is today, regardless of their backgrounds.”

1VERSE members are in the middle of dance practice. /Courtesy of Singing Beetle

Could you please introduce 1VERSE?

Kenny: “Hello! We are 1VERSE, a multinational group consisting of Hyuk, Seok, Aito, and myself. We’re excited to be preparing for our upcoming debut. The name ‘1VERSE’ was created through brainstorming with our team—it represents our desire to share our music and stories, one verse at a time, while also listening to and reflecting the stories of our fans. The ‘1′ in 1VERSE is pronounced ‘uni,’ symbolizing unity, not ‘one.’”

[To Kenny and Aito] How did you feel when you found out the group included North Korean defectors?

Kenny: “It didn’t surprise me at all. To me, North Koreans are no different from anyone else. What surprised me more was that some people found having North Korean members in the group unusual.”

Aito: “I understand why some people might have negative perceptions of North Korean defectors, especially given the tense relations between certain countries. But I thought that through 1VERSE, we might be able to help change how people see them.”

[To Hyuk and Seok] Did you have any concerns when you discovered that members from the U.S. and Japan would join the group?

Hyuk: “Actually, I was excited. I began my trainee journey alone, so whenever I heard that new members were joining, it felt like the group’s image, especially as a global idol group, was coming together—particularly with Kenny and Aito’s addition. I was eager to see the kinds of performances we could create as a team. I had no concerns at all.”

Seok: “I was thrilled, especially about Kenny joining. He’s American and speaks Chinese, which I can speak too. I thought practicing together would help improve my English. I was confident that we would grow closer and form a strong group through training and spending time together. We’ve already shared a lot, and I found out that other members have never tried Pyongyang naengmyeon, so I plan to let them taste it. It’s fantastic.”

How do you think having members from such diverse cultural backgrounds will influence the group?

Hyuk: “Having members from different backgrounds allows us to showcase various performances and styles. But more importantly, being in such a diverse group has taught us to respect and appreciate each other’s cultures. This strengthens our bond and will help us connect with fans worldwide when we perform internationally.”

With multinational members,1VERSE’s training is exceptionally diverse, covering topics such as intercultural awareness, cooking, foreign languages, and critical thinking. CEO Cho explained, “I believe that many misunderstandings and missteps in communicating with people from different cultures—including our fans—stem from a lack of understanding. That’s why our training includes various programs to build social and cultural awareness, ensuring that the members can communicate smoothly with each other and, during global activities, engage with others respectfully, recognizing their cultures and values.” She further noted, “In addition to the company’s curriculum, the members actively contribute suggestions and provide feedback, which continuously enriches the lessons over time.”

The 1VERSE members take classes to develop intercultural awareness, preparing them to become a globally recognized K-pop group. /Courtesy of Singing Beetle

Hyuk, given your limited exposure to music in North Korea, was it a difficult decision to pursue becoming a trainee after defecting?

Hyuk: “I began my trainee journey three years ago, having had no prior exposure to K-pop. The first K-pop song I encountered after fleeing North Korea in 2013 was G-Dragon’s ‘Crooked,’ and I was captivated by the music video. After enrolling in high school here, I joined a music club and started writing rap lyrics, though at the time, it was merely a hobby—I never considered pursuing a career as a K-pop artist. Once I started university, financial difficulties forced me to work in a factory. My life took an unexpected turn in 2018, when a friend informed me that CEO Cho had seen my performance in an educational program and wanted to meet me. Initially, I was skeptical and found it hard to believe. Due to my job, I could only attend trainee classes on weekends, but after nearly a year of training, along with immense support from CEO Cho and the company, I decided to leave my job and became the first trainee at Singing Beetle.”

CEO Cho mentioned that when she first saw Hyuk’s rap lyrics, she was struck by his musical sense and talent, mainly since he had limited exposure to music, K-pop, and the rap genre. She added that his talent really stood out. In fact, a song he composed, “Marshmallow,” was included on TWICE’s subunit MiSaMo’s album.

Seok, unlike Hyuk, you had some exposure to K-pop in North Korea. What was your first impression of it?

Seok: “I didn’t grow up listening to much K-pop but was exposed to older Korean music. When I first heard K-pop, it felt completely different—the lyrics, the rhythm, everything. Even though we speak the same language, I could only understand about 30% of the lyrics at first. But I was drawn to it and worked hard to understand more. Taeyang especially inspired me after hearing his performance of ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips.’ Now, I’m primarily a vocalist in 1VERSE, but I’ve been practicing dancing a lot too. I hope to become an artist who’s just as respected.”

Seok (left) and Hyuk are enjoying themselves while filming. /Courtesy of Singing Beetle

Kenny, you were already familiar with the K-pop trainee system when you joined. How did you support your groupmates?

Kenny: “Initially, facing the camera can be quite intimidating, so I believe I helped the others feel more at ease in that regard. They’ve also mentioned that my positive, upbeat personality has influenced the group well (laughs). Beyond singing and dance practices, we’re involved in various activities, including cooking. I’m even considering a special episode where I cook for the members. Aito enjoys Kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew), so I plan to make that for him.”

Aito, I heard you returned to Japan after leaving your previous agency. What motivated you to pursue the idol path again, leading you to join 1VERSE?

Aito: “Kenny deserves much credit for convincing me to join (laughs). He kept telling me I’d be a great fit for the group. I was also intrigued by the fact that 1VERSE has North Korean defectors, making us unique because it is the world’s first group with members from that background. I decided to join earlier this year, and I’m glad I did.”

(Left) Aito and (Right) Hyuk. /Courtesy of Singing Beetle

/Courtesy of Singing Beetle

As they prepare for their debut, 1VERSE members hope to inspire and empower their fans with the same strength and comfort they’ve found in music. Hyuk shared, “I’m not someone special; I just want to be an artist who can naturally connect with fans through my music alongside the other members.” Seok added, “I never imagined I’d have the chance to become a K-pop idol. My only hope is to be an artist who inspires others and sets a positive example.” Until that day, they promise to uplift each other and work hard to become the artists their fans admire. Kenny summed it up by saying, “We hope to become part of the universe,” expressing their dream of connecting with fans worldwide.

13. North Korea adopts new law on anthem as unification symbol purge continues

But the regime continues to keep a close hold on the details enacted in the last SPA.

Excerpts:

“The plenary meeting adopted with unanimous approval of a decree of the SPA Standing Committee ‘On adopting the Law of the DPRK on the National Anthem (국가),” the short report stated, without revealing any details on what the new law mandates or any changes regarding the song.

The legislation follows North Korea’s shift in how it refers to the song in state media. In April, during the opening ceremony of the Rimhung Street housing project, state television noted the song’s name as the “National Hymn/Anthem of the DPRK (조선민주주의인민공화국 국가),” rather than the long-used “Patriotic Song (애국가).”

This change followed a modification in the song’s lyrics in February, when Pyongyang amended the song to drop the expression “three thousand ri” — which referred to a measurement that included the entirety of the Korean Peninsula.

News

North Korea adopts new law on anthem as unification symbol purge continues

State media did not reveal details of changes but experts assess aim is to make separation between Koreas even clearer

https://www.nknews.org/2024/10/north-korea-adopts-new-law-on-national-anthem-unification-symbol-purge-continues/?utm

Jeongmin Kim | Seung-Yeon Chung October 25, 2024

Kim Jong Un sheds a tear while listening to the national anthem at a military parade | Image: KCTV (July 29, 2023)

North Korea’s rubber stamp legislative body adopted a new law on the country’s national anthem, state media reported Friday, likely as part of efforts to update its legal framework to match new policy on abandoning unification.

According to the Rodong Sinmun, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) discussed and unanimously passed the law during a plenary meeting Thursday, led by chairman Choe Ryong Hae and other senior officials.

“The plenary meeting adopted with unanimous approval of a decree of the SPA Standing Committee ‘On adopting the Law of the DPRK on the National Anthem (국가),” the short report stated, without revealing any details on what the new law mandates or any changes regarding the song.

The legislation follows North Korea’s shift in how it refers to the song in state media. In April, during the opening ceremony of the Rimhung Street housing project, state television noted the song’s name as the “National Hymn/Anthem of the DPRK (조선민주주의인민공화국 국가),” rather than the long-used “Patriotic Song (애국가).”

This change followed a modification in the song’s lyrics in February, when Pyongyang amended the song to drop the expression “three thousand ri” — which referred to a measurement that included the entirety of the Korean Peninsula.

The original title of the national anthem “The Patriotic Song (left)” and the updated version | Images: KCTV (April 17 and 18), edited by NK News

Experts told NK News that the new law represents a sustained effort to update national symbols and language to reflect new inter-Korean policy and purge references to unification with what Pyongyang now defines as a separate, enemy state.

The new law likely “specifies how and where the national anthem should be sung and used,” and potentially new lyrics, Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), told NK News.

“Following recent trends like separating the two Koreas on maps, it seems North Korea is trying to make the sense of separation even clearer by differentiating the national anthem too,” he said. “It appears to be an attempt to establish a new kind of statehood as a groundwork toward ultimately establishing itself as an independent nuclear state, completely separate from the South.”

Hong added, however, that while the title of the song may change officially and legally, North Korean people may still continue to use the decades-old version.

Martin Weiser, an independent North Korea researcher and NK Pro contributor, assessed that the main intention in passing the law will be to “formalize” how the song will be used and perhaps to update the old one entirely.

“That song was, at its core, a unification song for the whole peninsula; it probably did not fit with the new anti-unification policy. Just changing a few words does not change it,” Weiser told NK News.

North Korean soldiers tearing up while listening to the Patriotic Song during a military parade | Image: KCTV (July 29, 2023)

THE PURGE CONTINUES

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the beginning of the year with a speech announcing the abandonment of the goal of reunification with the South and since then authorities have been carrying out a sweeping campaign to eliminate all symbols of unification in accordance with his orders.

The purge began with propaganda outlets going offline and the dismantling of organizations handling inter-Korean ties and was followed by the destruction of the iconic Arch of Reunification in Pyongyang and the renaming of unification-themed places, including Tongil Station in the capital’s subway system.

The title of the new law revealed by state media Friday title suggests Pyongyang is further bolstering its “principle of our state first (우리국가제일주의),” Hong of KINU said, referring to the political thought that first appeared in state media Nov. 2017 and remains one of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s governance ideologies.

“Kim Jong Un really likes keeping up with global trends and pursuing modernity. We’ve seen frequent attempts recently to eliminate things that might appear pre-modern or feudalistic, such as not using the Juche calendar [in the Rodong Sinmun] anymore,” Hong said.

“It seems they’re trying to connect this modern independent statehood with the idea that the North and South are separate, hostile states.”

By contrast, South Korea still uses the term, the Patriotic Song (애국가), for its national anthem that dates back to before the Korean War. However, the song remains a de facto national anthem with no explicit legal definition.

Various state media articles claimed in the past that North Korea’s Patriotic Song was hand-picked by founder Kim Il Sung himself, with anecdotes of the late leader favoring the term “three thousand ri” — now purged from the anthem.

Edited by Alannah Hill

14. Opinion There’s hope for North Koreans, if America acts. Just look at me.

We should express our disappointment in Congress' failure to act.

We need a human rights up front approach but Congress is not helping with its lack of action.

Please go to the link to view President Bush's portrait of Joseph Kim.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/25/congress-reauthorize-north-korea-human-rights/?utm

But more importantly please be inspired by Joseph Kim's and President Bush's words.

Excerpt:

As Bush has said, “The desire for freedom, like the dignity of the person, is universal. … The North Korean people are pleading in silence for their freedom. And the world needs to listen. And the world needs to respond.”

Americans have an opportunity to respond — and provide hope. Congress should reauthorize the NKHRA and share the blessings of liberty with all who cherish it.

Opinion There’s hope for North Koreans, if America acts. Just look at me.

The North Korean Human Rights Act has expired — and Congress must renew it.

A portrait of Joseph Kim by former president George W. Bush. (George W. Bush Presidential Center)

By Joseph Kim

October 25, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EDT

Joseph Kim, a research fellow at the George W. Bush Institute, studies public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Two decades ago, as a homeless child in North Korea, I could never have imagined that one day I would be gifted a portrait of myself painted by a former president of the United States.

It still seems impossible to me that as a 15-year-old, I managed to escape from my oppressed homeland, survive and ultimately thrive in a new country where I didn’t speak the language or understand the culture. Or that I went on to work for former president George W. Bush, became one of the subjects of his “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants” collection and, now, attend Harvard University.

Joseph Kim and former president George W. Bush at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in 2019. (Grant Miller for the George W. Bush Presidential Center).

My story is about hope and resiliency. I worked hard to stay alive, but none of my success would have been possible without the compassion and generosity of Americans such as Bush, who care about the North Korean people. Many North Koreans are resilient, but they need help to survive the totalitarian regime of Kim Jong Un and his family.

I was one of the first North Koreans to enter the United States as a refugee under the North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA), which Bush signed into law 20 years ago, on Oct. 18, 2004. I had escaped across a frozen river into China, where I slept in the mountains and went into towns begging for food to survive. I was rescued by an organization called Liberty in North Korea, and thanks to the NKHRA, I have been able to build a life in freedom and cultivate a deep appreciation for the country that welcomed me.

Following Opinions on the news

Following

However, the law that made it possible for me to journey to the United States and become a proud American has expired. Despite efforts at renewal, this special U.S. commitment to the North Korean people is in limbo. Although it has historically enjoyed great bipartisan support and has been reauthorized three times under both the Obama and Trump administrations, Congress has inexplicably failed to pass it again.

Putin cagily acknowledges North Korean troop presence; Seoul paralyzed until U.S. election

Questions over whether troops would be cannon fodder, border guards or laborers

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

Premium

By - The Washington Times - Friday, October 25, 2024

SEOUL, South Korea – With Russian President Vladimir Putin de facto confirming multiple signals of a North Korean troop presence in Russia and indications rising of their deployment to the war-torn Kursk oblast, Seoul is caught in a bind.

Russia’s State Duma on Thursday ratified a North Korean-Russian strategic partnership that was agreed in Pyongyang in June. On the same day, Mr. Putin addressed the issue of images of North Korean troops in his country that have appeared online.

Though North Korea’s United Nations representative in New York called the troop deployment claims “groundless rumors,” Mr. Putin, speaking at a press briefing at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, admitted that the images “are a serious thing.”

“You may be aware that the Treaty on Strategic Partnership was ratified, I believe, just today,” Mr. Putin continued. “It has Article 4, and we have never doubted the fact that the [North Korean’ leadership takes our agreements seriously. However, it is up to us to decide what we will do and how we are going to do it. …”

Article 4 states that if either nation faces “an armed invasion,” the other party should “provide military and other assistance.”

Whether Pyongyang’s deployment will be to frontlines or rear areas is unknown, but indications are that it will be kinetic.

On Friday, Ukrainian media said North Korean troops had been identified close to the front in Kursk.

South Korea is struggling to forge a response to what now looks to be imminent North Korean engagement in the Ukraine conflict.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday raised the possibility of arming Ukraine.

But with the two U.S. presidential candidates holding differing positions on the Ukraine conflict, Seoul appears to be awaiting the result of the Nov. 5 election in its key ally before committing.

The developments are dredging up memories from South Korea’s own military-industrial history. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be hoping to reproduce Seoul’s massive, and highly profitable, deployment alongside U.S. troops in the Vietnam conflict.

Here come Kim’s men

Over the last week, Kyiv, Seoul and Washington have all claimed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. Numbers range from the White House’s estimate of 3,000 to Seoul’s and Kyiv’s estimates of 12,000 to 13,000.

They are difficult to disguise. Small groups of North Koreans could operate under ethnic cover in the Russian Far East, but large numbers could not: The Russian Army’s only ethnically exclusive units are Chechen.

Last week, two clips from Russia surfaced and have been widely analyzed. One purports to show armed North Koreans moving on an exercise area; another shows Asian troops receiving equipment in a depot.

Data continues to emerge.

South Korean intelligence claims to have identified a North Korean missile officer, formerly photographed alongside North Korean state leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a Russian cap and holding binoculars, standing beside what looks to be a Russian officer. The two are allegedly at the launch site in Ukraine of KN-23 missiles, North Korea’s version of Russia’s “Iskander” tactical ballistic.

Intelligence agencies say that North Korea has, since late last year, been supplying Russia with massive quantities of ammunition and rocketry.

One more clip on social media shows East Asian officers in leather coats — identified but not confirmed as North Koreans – touring central Moscow and having selfies taken with excited Russians.

Though Mr. Putin has essentially admitted the North Korean presence, he gave no indication of what role they will play in the Ukrainian conflict.

They could feasibly be used in combat, used to “backfill” Russian units holding defenses, freeing those units to assault; or used as labor to rebuild the ruined infrastructure in the parts of Ukraine Russia has captured.

Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean general, said it is “impossible” to guess their role but conceded labor units would only require minimal arms.

North Korean loggers in the Russian Far East have been neither armed nor uniformed. However, small numbers of North Korean laborers are believed to have fought in Moscow’s Chechen Wars as mercenaries under Russian command.

Another expert is convinced the North Koreans in Russia are combat troops.

“They are not labor forces: You don’t need labor forces to be armed with gear,” said Yang Uk, a military specialist at the Asan Institute. “I think they are actual combat units.”

Mr. Yang believes North Korea is deploying three infantry brigades and a special forces brigade. South Korean intelligence claims advance parties sent to Russia are special forces.

North Korea’s 11th “Storm” Corps – which was inspected by Mr. Kim in September and October — fields 14 SF brigades: 10 army, two airborne and two amphibious, Mr. Yang said.

He noted that these brigades are more akin to U.S. Army Rangers than smaller, Tier-1 SF such as Delta and SEAL Team 6.

Rangers, trained as shock troops, are unsuited to defensive duties or border guarding, though regular North Korean infantry could undertake those roles.

Mr. Yang speculated that their likeliest area of operations would be the lodgment captured by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk oblast.

This week, a Russian state TV pundit said that the North Korean deployment will likely be, “not on the territory that the West considers the Ukrainian land occupied by us, but on the classical canonical territory of the Russian Federation.”

The Kyiv Independent, which has led many reports of Russian troops in Ukraine, on Friday cited Ukrainian intelligence as saying North Korean troops have been identified near the Kursk front.

South Korea’s dilemma

North Korea is breaking new ground: It has never undertaken a major ex-peninsula expedition. For South Korea, memories are being resurrected.

South Korea sent 320,000 troops to fight alongside the doomed U.S. defense of South Vietnam, and South Korean businesses profited massively as contractors in the war-torn country.

Seoul is estimated to have earned close to $1 billion in U.S. currency over nine years of war: A massive foreign exchange injection for what has since become a world-class industrial powerhouse.

Pyongyang is “hoping for something similar to the considerable economic and military gains that South Korea received for sending troops to Vietnam,” Doo Jin-ho, a Russia expert at the Korea Institute for Defence Analyses, told the Hankyoreh newspaper.

If North Korean troops receive pay of Russian volunteers — $3,000 to $5,000 per month — it would be “a huge boost for the North Korean economy,” Mr. Doo said.

Fighting for Moscow will also secure Russian support for Pyongyang in any future peninsula contingency, he warned.

South Korea’s response to these far-reaching developments has been muted.

On the diplomatic front, Seoul this week summoned the Russian ambassador for a dressing down. Regarding the Moscow-Pyongyang strategic partnership, Seoul spoke out on Friday.

“The government expresses grave concerns that Russia is proceeding with the ratification of the Russia-North Korea treaty in the midst of the North’s deployment of its troops to Russia,” a government official told news agency Yonhap.

A debate is underway regarding whether Seoul should reverse its policy of not arming combatant nations and start supplying weaponry direct to Kyiv.

Mr. Yoon told a Thursday press briefing, “While we have maintained our principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons, we can also review our stance more flexibly, depending on the level of North Korean military activities.”

South Korea’s powerful arms industry has been boosted by the war, selling NATO nations and other democracies with tens of billions of dollars worth of hardware, including tanks, self-propelled artillery and tactical rocket systems.

However, a person familiar with diplomatic affairs told The Washington Times that Seoul is unlikely to forge any significant policies before the outcome of the Nov. 5 presidential election in the U.S. has been decided.

In addition to arming Ukraine, South Korea could apply an economic squeeze on Russia.

Jeffrey Robertson, who teaches Diplomatic Studies at Seoul’s Yonsei University, says that while Korea Inc.’s shipments to Russia have been cut back since the Ukraine War began, exports to the Central Asian “Stans” that offer economic backdoor links to Russia have soared.

• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.

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washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

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