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Quotes of the Day:
“With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.”
-William Lloyd Harrison - abolitionist, suffragist
“No amount of evidence will persuade an idiot.”
- Mark Twain
“Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves. How to evaluate evidence and how to disagree with you.”
- Richard Dawkins
1. West ignorant of what N. Korea really wants: expert
2. At UN, Seoul's envoy highlights rights abuses in North
3. Episode 2: A history of conflict on the Korean peninsula
4. Loudspeaker broadcasts re-emerge as inter-Korean issue
5. Spy agency official's sudden resignation sparks speculation
6. 10,000 missiles will do
7. Biden still discriminates against Korean cars
8. Top court strikes down guilty verdict for ex-defense minister in political meddling case
9. Chinese envoy to U.S.: Don't meddle with Taiwan
10. The trap of wishful thinking
11. N. Korean nuclear test would constitute a 'grave escalatory action': State Dept.
12. South Korean Official Calls for Shift in Its Nuclear Policy
13. North Korea tells local governments to solve own power problems with new hydro plants
14. S. Korea Navy to attend Japan’s international fleet review
1. West ignorant of what N. Korea really wants: expert
A lot of comments in this conference summary that are worth considering from the headline to the proliferation security initiative.
But a former U.S. diplomat said that North Korea has no intention to get rid of its nuclear weapons in exchange for economic incentives or the normalization of diplomatic relations. Joe DeTrani said the reclusive state wants both: to normalize diplomatic relations with the West while keeping its nuclear arsenal intact.
In response to the headline and to reinforce and add to Ambassador DeTrani's comments I would offer these questions for those who think the regime just wants economic assistance, recognition, normalization, etc.
1. Do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned 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?
2. In support of that strategy do we believe that Kim Jong-un has abandoned the objective to split the ROK/US Alliance and get US forces off the peninsula? Has KJU given up his divide to conquer strategy - divide the alliance to conquer the ROK?
These are questions that we must consider to understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime.
West ignorant of what N. Korea really wants: expert
The Korea Times · by 2022-10-26 16:40 | Foreign Affairs · October 26, 2022
Pusan National University political science professor Robert Kelly, right, speaks during a session of the Korea Times Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. At left is Soo Kim, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation who moderated the session. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
North Korea wants normalization of diplomatic relations with West without giving up nuclear weapons: Joseph DeTrani
By Kang Seung-woo
Along with massive economic assistance, the normalization of diplomatic relations with the West ― particularly with the United States ― has long been viewed by countries outside of North Korea as one of the carrots that could persuade the reclusive state from seeking nuclear weapons.
But a former U.S. diplomat said that North Korea has no intention to get rid of its nuclear weapons in exchange for economic incentives or the normalization of diplomatic relations. Joe DeTrani said the reclusive state wants both: to normalize diplomatic relations with the West while keeping its nuclear arsenal intact.
"The North Koreans have been telling us, and certainly they've been telling me from 2003 to 2016, when I've been meeting them officially or track 1.5 meetings with a deputy foreign minister, that North Korea wants to be accepted as a nuclear weapons state and they want normal relations with the United States ― they want both," DeTrani, a former U.S. special envoy for negotiations with North Korea, said during a session of the Korea Times Forum on the theme "New Challenges for Korea-U.S. Alliance," at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. DeTrani, now in Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined the discussion remotely.
According to the former ambassador, North Korea wants to be accepted as a nuclear state like Pakistan, while also stressing that the North has claimed its nuclear program is intended as a deterrent and will not be used offensively.
"We've told them, 'No accepting you as a nuclear weapon state.' It's going to lend itself to a nuclear arms race in the region," DeTrani said, expressing concerns over the possibility of nuclear proliferation or fissile material getting into the hands of a rogue state or a non-state terrorist.
Wi Sung-lac, right, South Korea's former chief nuclear envoy to the six-party talks, and Joseph DeTrani, the U.S.' former special envoy to the six-party talks, participate remotely in a session of the Korea Times Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
"For those reasons, we're talking about complete, verifiable denuclearization in return for what you want," DeTrani continued.
Stressing that it took two and a half years for the six-party talks to come up with a joint statement, he added, "We have to be patient."
As North Korea has been advancing its nuclear program rapidly, skepticism is arising over whether denuclearizing Pyongyang is a realistic goal.
Since 2006, North Korea has conducted a total of six nuclear tests and a seventh is believed to be just around the corner, triggering much talk about accepting it as a legitimate nuclear weapons state. The totalitarian regime has sought to win the recognition from the United States in what appears to be a move to get international sanctions against it lifted.
Korea, US work as a team to thwart North Korean threats: Yoon
Due to the long history of failures to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, some argue that the international community should pursue a more attainable goal of curbing the country's nuclear development and avoiding the use of its existing weapons, in the form of an arms control agreement.
Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at Pusan National University, said it will not be easy to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, citing the lack of options for Seoul.
"It's just not really clear what our other choices are. Negotiations are the best way. And I still think that there is that pathway of small deals that build upward, but it doesn't look like the North Koreans actually want to go the whole way in and denuclearize," Kelly said.
Soo Kim, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, speaks during a session of the Korea Times Forum at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
"So we might get some constraints, maybe we'll get some inspectors to get the North Koreans to cap it at like 200 strategic missiles and warheads or something like that, but they're never going to go to zero," he said. "We could always just sort of accept it. Again, our options are just really poor."
Soo Kim, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation who moderated the session, also said the U.S. as well as South Korea are running out of options when it comes to North Korea.
"So among the Korea watcher community, we call North Korea the land of lousy options, because there just aren't that many creative ideas to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, and to actually convince Kim Jong-un to give up some aspect of its nuclear program," she said.
China is North Korea's ally and can exert influence on the Kim regime, so some panelists insisted on reaching out to Beijing to resume negotiations which has been deadlocked since February 2019 when the U.S. and North Korea failed to reach a nuclear deal in Hanoi, Vietnam.
"Even though it's an extremely difficult suggestion, I would argue that Washington and Beijing and Seoul should try to carve out the Korean Peninsula-related issues ― particularly the negotiation on peace and stability issues," Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's former chief nuclear envoy to the six-party talks, said.
"From the context of general competition rivalry between Washington and Beijing, if that is made possible, we can expand the space of cooperation."
North Korea's cryptocurrency-related cyberattacks have been coming to the fore, as the country has been seeking to secure illegal funds for its nuclear weapons programs through cryptocurrency theft. According to a U.N. Security Council report released in April, the North is suspected of stealing as much as $400 million worth of cryptocurrency in 2021.
"I'm suggesting that we have to think about an international regime for like-minded countries to control these new and really serious illicit activities," Wi said, adding that a good example is the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The PSI is aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), their delivery systems and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern.
"The PSI was initially started by the Bush administration, and was quite effective. So something like the PSI regime is required. I think now is the time to consider to deal with new illicit activities coming from Pyongyang," he said.
The Korea Times · by 2022-10-26 16:40 | Foreign Affairs · October 26, 2022
2. At UN, Seoul's envoy highlights rights abuses in North
The question is will the ROK/US alliance adopt an aggressive human rights upfront approach in dealing with north Korea and the Kim family regime?
And we need to remember that offers of humanitarian assistance is not a human rights upfront approach. We must expose the regime's human rights atrocities and crimes against humanity and make continuous demands on the regime to free the prisoners from the gulags, cease human rights abuses, and ensure all Korean people in the north have their universal human rights respected and protected. And we must ensure that we do not continue to legitimize the regime with a sole focus on nuclear weapons and military threats. We must balance that with a focus on human rights that undermines regime legitimacy and provides substantive help and support (and hope) to the Korean people in the north.
Thursday
October 27, 2022
dictionary + A - A
At UN, Seoul's envoy highlights rights abuses in North
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/27/national/northKorea/korea-pyongyang-north-korea/20221027173622092.html
Lee Shin-hwa, South Korea’s ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights, calls on the international community to stem human rights abuses in the North on Wednesday during a UN meeting in New York. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Seoul’s North Korean human rights ambassador raised Pyongyang’s murder of a South Korean fisheries official in the United Nations on Wednesday, as an example of abuses perpetrated by the North.
“Abductions, enforced disappearances [and] prisoners of war continue to be a deep concern and should be addressed immediately,” said Lee Shin-hwa, South Korea’s ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights, during a meeting of the UN General Assembly Third Committee in New York.
“I also deplore the incident of an unarmed civilian of the Republic of Korea [South Korea] killed by DPRK military in the Yellow Sea in September 2020 and urge the DPRK to disclose all relevant information and ensure such events are not repeated.”
DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“The international community should make every effort to put an end to human rights abuses in the DPRK,” Lee said.
Lee, a professor of political science and international relations at Korea University, also stressed that Pyongyang’s human rights violations have been “sidelined for decades” while it continues to advance its nuclear and missile programs.
“I thus call for global leaders to step up their efforts to address the DPRK’s human rights issue while sparing no efforts to achieve denuclearization of the DPRK.”
An official at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Lee’s remarks reflected Seoul’s stance on North Korean human rights abuses.
In the same meeting, Elizabeth Salmon, the UN special rapporteur on North Korean human rights, urged the international community to end North Korea’s impunity and achieve accountability, including through criminal prosecutions.
“To achieve this objective,” said Salmon, “I would engage with stakeholders including governments and advocate for exploring all available avenues such as universal jurisdictions in domestic courts to guarantee the victims rise to justice.”
Salmon said she would continue to advocate that the UN Security Council refer the situation to the International Criminal Court.
Lee’s remarks at the UN meeting were the latest evidence that the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration is taking a harder stance than its left-leaning predecessor, which largely refrained from criticizing the North for human rights abuses in international settings.
Lee’s position was mostly unfilled for five years under the Moon Jae-in administration.
On Sept. 23, 2020, North Korean soldiers fatally shot a 47-year-old South Korean fisheries official named Lee Dae-jun, who had disappeared while on duty south of Yeonpyeong Island near the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea, the previous day.
At the time, top security officials in the Moon administration blamed Lee for swimming across the border in a defection attempt.
However, the Ministry of National Defense and Korea Coast Guard reversed their account last June – a month after Yoon was elected into office – saying that there was actually no evidence that Lee had been trying to defect.
The issue has roiled South Korean politics ever since.
BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
3. Episode 2: A history of conflict on the Korean peninsula
A podcast I did with Stars and Stripes' Military Matters about a month ago.
https://www.stripes.com/multimedia/podcasts/military_matters/2022-10-27/north-korea-david-maxwell-7810376.html
Episode 2: A history of conflict on the Korean peninsula
Stars and Stripes · by Brian McElhiney · October 27, 2022
(Stars and Stripes)
Buy Photo
While Russia makes headlines with its Ukraine invasion and the threat from China looms on the horizon, North Korea continues to provoke the U.S. and its allies. In recent months, the country has fired ballistic missiles and artillery in the Pacific and is threatening to conduct its first nuclear weapons test since 2017.
On this episode of Military Matters, co-host Jack Murphy speaks with retired Army Special Forces Col. David Maxwell, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on North Korea and U.S. defense policy and strategy. In part one of the interview, Maxwell details the history of the Korean peninsula since the end of World War II and the ongoing conflict between North and South.
That history has been intertwined with the U.S., with the State Department making the decision to initially divide the peninsula at the 38th parallel as the boundary between Soviet and U.S. occupation zones. The U.S., concerned about another outbreak of war, helped stand up the South’s military.
“We deliberately helped develop a Korean military that did not have offensive maneuver capabilities,” Maxwell said. “It was about a 50,000 man constabulary force to really defend against North Korean guerilla attacks, subversion and really maintain a strong police-type presence to defend the country from infiltration and internal attacks.”
When North Korea invaded the South in 1950, kicking off the Korean War, the United Nations established the United Nations Command under U.S. control. The UN Command had operational control of all forces in South Korea until 1978, when the ROK/US Combined Forces Command was established.
“A lot of people think that the U.S. controls Korean forces; that's not the case,” Maxwell said. “It is the Combined Forces Command, and the ROK military is a force provider to the Combined Forces Command, just as U.S. Forces Korea is a force provider.”
North Korea, meanwhile, has three main objectives, Maxwell said. The country’s strategy includes undermining South Korea through political warfare; using blackmail diplomacy including threats to obtain political and economic concessions from the U.S. and South Korea, namely sanction relief; and the development of advanced warfighting capabilities.
“They’ve been pursuing their nuclear weapons since the 1950s, which people don't really realize,” Maxwell said. “They're deathly afraid of U.S. air power. They're deathly afraid of what happened in the Korean War, and they believe they need nuclear weapons to deter an attack, and that the U.S. will not attack a nuclear-armed country.”
You can find Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod.
Follow Jack Murphy on Twitter @jackmurphyrgr and Rod Rodriguez @rodpodrod.
A transcript of the episode can be found here.
Go to www.stripes.com use promo code PODCAST and save 50% on your digital subscription.
Stars and Stripes · by Brian McElhiney · October 27, 2022
4. Loudspeaker broadcasts re-emerge as inter-Korean issue
I have always wondered about the effects of loudspeakers. For three years in the 1980s I was stationed in the vicinity of the DMZ at Camp Greaves and we listened to the speakers from both sides and it was quite loud and irritating until we became numb to the sounds.
But it is an interesting issue since the South Korean forces are no longer broadcasting over the loudspeakers. It appears the regime is trying to create tension any way it can.
Also mentioned in this article are leaflets. Leaflets are not anachronistic. For an understanding of the effects of leaflets on the nKPA please see george Hutchinson's important report here:
Army of the Indoctrinated: The Suryong, the Soldier, and Information in the KPA https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Hutchinson_KPA_web_0426.pdf
Loudspeaker broadcasts re-emerge as inter-Korean issue
The Korea Times · October 25, 2022
South Korean soldiers dismantle loudspeakers in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 2018 photo. Joint Press CorpsBy Kang Seung-woo
The issue of propaganda loudspeakers along the border may re-emerge as an area of disagreement between South and North Korea, in the wake of Pyongyang's claim that Seoul has resumed the use of loudspeaker broadcasts.
Diplomatic observers say the loudspeaker issue could ratchet up tensions further on the Korean Peninsula.
On Monday, while accusing a South Korean naval ship of intruding in its waters, North Korea claimed that the South Korean military has been staging provocations recently, including loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.
However, the Ministry of National Defense said it is no longer operating loudspeakers along the border. Later it added that the South Korean military had recently used a similar broadcasting device ― installed at guard posts ― to notify helicopters for mobilization in operations to put out wildfires or transport emergency patients, a defense official here said.
The loudspeaker issue has been a hot-button issue between South and North Korea, leading to many disputes over the decades. Both sides have deployed speakers to direct propaganda at one another, and the North Korean regime has on many occasions responded sensitively to the matter.
In that respect, the two Koreas agreed on May 1, 2018, to stop all hostile acts including loudspeaker broadcasting and the scattering of leaflets in areas along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to dismantle their means, and to transform the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peace zone in a genuine sense.
"Some North Korean defectors send propaganda leaflets critical of the North Korean regime in a silent way, so I think its warning is aimed at preventing such anti-North Korea propaganda from negatively affecting its regime," said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher from the Korea Institute for National Unification.
Cho also said the former Moon Jae-in administration had been aggressive in keeping the leaflets in check to improve inter-Korean ties, but the current Yoon Suk-yeol government pays little attention to the issue.
"As the current ruling party does not like the anti-leaflet law, it does not care about overt propaganda leaflets if they are deployed legitimately," Cho said.
According to Cho, North Korea's response comes as the propaganda leaflet campaign can sometimes create a similar effect to what is happening in Iran, which is experiencing nationwide protests challenging Iran's authoritarian leadership.
"The North Korean regime is seriously worried about the leaflets because it may negatively affect the regime like the Iranian protests have been," he said.
In the past, the loudspeaker issue has been front and center between the two Koreas.
In 2015, the Kim Jong-un regime threatened to attack the loudspeakers unless the South Korean government stopped its propaganda broadcasts and dismantled the speakers.
The messages from the propaganda speakers, which are critical of the North Korean dictator and the political system of North Korea, are part of a psychological warfare program and Pyongyang has reacted sensitively to such tactics, apparently concerned about the possible effects it might have on its military and people.
The South Korean military said it was not operating the propaganda speakers, but if it resumes its propaganda campaign in accordance with the current circumstances then the situation on the Korean Peninsula could worsen.
"A possible resumption of the propaganda loudspeaker campaign could lead to strong protests from North Korea, which may deteriorate the situation on the peninsula," Cho said.
North Korea is believed to have fully prepared for its seventh nuclear test and many believe that its stirring up of the propaganda loudspeaker issue could serve as a justification for the provocation.
"North Korea's nuclear weapon is an asymmetric threat, so our response, which could match it, would be the loudspeaker campaign," Cho said.
The Korea Times · October 25, 2022
5. Spy agency official's sudden resignation sparks speculation
Intrigue in the intelligence service.
Spy agency official's sudden resignation sparks speculation
The Korea Times · October 27, 2022
National Intelligence Service (NIS) headquarters / Courtesy of NISBy Nam Hyun-woo
President Yoon Suk-yeol dismissed speculation over the abrupt resignation of Jo Sang-jun, head of planning and coordination at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), who is known to be a close confidant to the president.
"It is difficult to disclose the reason for Jo's resignation because it is a personal matter," Yoon told reporters, Thursday when asked about Jo's resignation. "I accepted his resignation because he showed his intention that it will be difficult for him to continue serving, which is very important and burdensome. If it were to be a public matter, we could have told you, but it was a personal matter."
President Yoon Suk-yeol enters his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
According to the spy agency and the presidential office, Jo showed his intention to resign to a presidential secretary on Tuesday, which was reported to both Yoon and NIS Director Kim Kyou-hyun. As Yoon accepted his resignation, the NIS director upheld this so as to relieve Jo from his duties, which took effect on Wednesday.
The resignation sparked several rumors and speculation because it was only back in June that Jo took the role, which is responsible for managing the internal affairs of the spy agency. He was supposed to attend a National Assembly audit regarding the NIS on Wednesday.
Jo is a former senior prosecutor, who served as head of the criminal division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2019 when Yoon was the prosecutor general. After leaving the prosecution in July 2020, he became an attorney for the law firm Yulwoo. During this period, he served as the legal representative for Yoon's wife Kim Keon-hee.
In this context, therefore, Jo was regarded as one of the closest confidants to Yoon among prosecutor-turned-government officials, along with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon.
As reports showed that Jo bypassed NIS director Kim and resigned directly to the presidential office, questions were raised over the reason behind his abrupt decision.
"It is questionable whether the NIS is operating under a proper chain of command," main opposition Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Lim O-kyeong said. "Though the presidential office said it is a personal matter, it is difficult to accept that the person who is in charge of preparing ahead of the audit resigned on the day of the audit. Given that the president has accepted the resignation immediately, it is suspicious that they are hiding some serious problems."
Rumors have it that Jo was sidelined during a power struggle within the NIS, while some other speculation puts forward the possibility that Jo misbehaved in some manner or that it was due to a health issue.
Former NIS Director Park Jie-won believes that Jo resigned because Yoon dismissed the idea of a NIS human resources reshuffle plan proposed by Jo and instead accepted a separate one proposed by Director Kim.
During a radio interview with broadcaster CBS on Thursday morning, Park said submitting different reshuffle plans is "nonsense," and claimed that the presidential office decided to accept the one raised by Director Kim after contemplation.
However, the NIS refuted this in a press release. It said, "Jo resigned from the post due to personal matters, such as health condition" and "a power struggle within the NIS is a groundless rumor."
The Korea Times · October 27, 2022
6. 10,000 missiles will do
Build a long range precision strike capability.
Conclusion:
It is the only way to counter North Korean nuclear threat with less cost than building our nuclear armaments. We must start building up the most advanced non-nuclear capabilities to deter the growing North Korean nuclear threat.
Thursday
October 27, 2022
dictionary + A - A
10,000 missiles will do
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/27/opinion/columns/North-Korea-tactical-missile-conventional-missiles/20221027195814833.html
Nam Se-gyu
The author is a former director of the Agency for Defense Development.
North Korea has carried out a new type of missile test. It fired a missile from a submerged launcher in a reservoir to demonstrate its ability to launch ballistic missiles undetected from under water. The novel concept is a new threat, as Pyongyang showed it can stealthily fire ballistic missiles even without a submarine. After its sixth nuclear test and launch of the Hwasong 15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in 2017, North Korea complied with denuclearization talks to buy time to advance its nuclear weapons program in various aspects. Many kept to the naïve belief that North Koreans would not dare to use nuclear weapons against their own race in the South.
But Pyongyang in September legislated a preemptive nuclear attack philosophy against South Korea. While chanting peace over the last five years, North Korea has been perfecting weapons of mass destruction. It has developed solid fuel-based missiles capable of maneuvering in mid-flight for greater precision and effectiveness in a surprise attack and diversified its launch vehicles.
As a submerged launcher would be hard to detect in advance, questions linger over the plausibility of our preemptive strike system. North Korea’s army could be gloating that they have discovered an inventive way to avoid the Korean preemptive strike Kill Chain system.
According to security experts, a feared seventh nuclear test would be threatening from the symbolic standpoint rather than from a technology aspect. North Korea has carried out six tests and fully demonstrated its nuclear capability. It has already unveiled pictures of miniaturization technology to fit nuclear warheads onto missiles.
Uncle Sam protecting its ally with nuclear arsenals to prevent North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons had been the pillar of the extended deterrence policy of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. The U.S. can protect its territories against nuclear missiles from North Korea. But if the North fires a nuclear missile at the U.S., its nukes cannot survive counter nuclear attacks from the U.S.
The South Korean government was right to specify the capabilities of extended deterrence. The joining of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in naval drills and anti-submarine drills will raise the credibility in the extended deterrence. As former U.S. President Donald Trump said, a “bigger and more powerful nuclear button” would be the best deterrence against nuclear-ambitious North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
But the balance in nuclear terror based on the mutual assured destruction (MAD) would critically weaken if a dictator does not fear the consequences of mass destruction. To ready against the contingency of a failure in deterrence, Seoul must cooperate with Washington to take the initiative in countering North Korean nuclear capabilities.
The South Korean three-pillar strategy based on the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) system can be the most effective means. The Kill Chain aims to strike down North Korea’s nuclear missiles or destroy launchers to prevent a second attack. It can bomb mines used as a nuclear base or tunnels to transport missiles or dams so that underwater launches from reservoir cannot be possible.
The KAMD system unifies the surveillance and inspection capacity of the Kill Chain and uses AI to identify missiles with nuclear warheads for precision strike and defense. Radar and interceptor missiles should be advanced to defend the country from a barrage of mixed missiles from North Korea. A strategic command should be created in South Korea. If When North Korea carries out another nuke test, South Korea must put the three-pillar system into effect and upgrade the system. I propose producing 10,000 precise and powerful conventional missiles within the next 10 years to effectively dissuade Kim Jong-un from using nuclear weapons against South Korea.
It is the only way to counter North Korean nuclear threat with less cost than building our nuclear armaments. We must start building up the most advanced non-nuclear capabilities to deter the growing North Korean nuclear threat.
Translation by the Korea JoongAng Dailt staff.
7. Biden still discriminates against Korean cars
An alliance friction point.
Thursday
October 27, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Biden still discriminates against Korean cars
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/27/opinion/editorials/Korean-cars-Biden-discrimination/20221027200324710.html
The firearms of U.S. trade protectionism targeting China have hit Korean enterprises. Enhanced economic cooperation could now be both opportunities and damaging for Korean companies. The U.S.-China conflict will worsen as Chinese President Xi Jinping enters his third term. Seoul must come up with strong tactics to defend national interests.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told reporters that she was well aware of the concerns by Korean and European electric vehicle (EV) and battery makers, but nevertheless put her foot down that the law (Inflation Reduction Act) “is what it is” and should be implemented in the way it is written. Washington has acted as if it would make provisions for Hyundai Motor through an exception clause or grace period. In a letter to President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to continue discussions in honest and open manner. Vice President Kamala Harris and Yellen during their separate visits to Korea also promised to find measures to ease Korea’s concerns.
President Yoon expressed disappointment, saying Yellen’s thoughts could differ from the U.S. administration. Biden issued a statement, timed with the groundbreaking ceremony for the $5.5 billion construction of Hyundai Motor Group’s EV and battery manufacturing site in Georgia on Tuesday after taking credit for the advance in shoveling. “This plant was announced during my trip to Korea in May, and I am excited the groundbreaking is happening months ahead of schedule,” said Biden. Korean carmakers are being disadvantaged in sales in the U.S. despite building a local factory that can make thousands of jobs and tax revenue for the U.S.
Hyundai Motor aims to activate the factory from the first half of 2025, rolling out 300,000 EVs of Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Genesis. It is spending $5.5 billion for the construction and 8,100 local hires, paying them an average $58,000 annual salary. That much of investment and jobs have been taken away from Korea. The U.S. has intercepted a Taiwanese chipmaker originally heading to South Korea for a $5-billion investment.
The U.S. which proposed cooperation and consortium with Korea on nuclear technology exports has also betrayed Korea. Westinghouse has filed a suit against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. and the Korea Electric Power Corp. in a U.S. court, accusing them of infringing on the U.S. company’s original reactor design and technology.
Such a move goes against a Korea-U.S. summit agreement on cooperating to jointly export reactor technology to a third country.
Korea must be cool-headed about the cold international reality. Korea’s choices are limited. For now, the government must use all possible diplomatic skills.
8. Top court strikes down guilty verdict for ex-defense minister in political meddling case
Top court strikes down guilty verdict for ex-defense minister in political meddling case
The Korea Times · October 27, 2022
Former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin / YonhapThe Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a guilty verdict for former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin accused of political meddling surrounding elections in 2012.
Kim, who served as a defense minister between 2010 and 2014, had been sentenced to two years and four months in prison on charges of ordering the military cyber command to post online comments in favor of the then conservative government around the general and presidential elections in 2012.
The Supreme Court, however, struck down the verdict and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.
Kim, who served in two successive conservative administrations under Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, was indicted in 2018 following the election of the previous liberal government of President Moon Jae-in.
He was accused of collaborating with other senior officials to instruct the cyber command to post some 9,000 online comments favorable to the then government and critical of the then opposition party. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · October 27, 2022
9. Chinese envoy to U.S.: Don't meddle with Taiwan
Speaking in Korea.
Wednesday
October 26, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Chinese envoy to U.S.: Don't meddle with Taiwan
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/26/national/diplomacy/korea-US-China-rivalry/20221026170923105.html
Xing Haiming, the Chinese ambassador to Korea, speaks at a press conference organized by the Kwanhun Club at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday. [NEWS1]
China's envoy in Seoul said Washington should mind its own business when it comes to Taiwan affairs on Wednesday.
“We will never acknowledge Taiwan’s independence,” said Xing Haiming, the Chinese ambassador to Korea, at a press conference at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul. “And we will not accept any external parties’ attempts to get involved in the matter.
“If any external party does try to get involved,” Xing added, “China will not hesitate to resort to all possible measures to respond.”
Taiwan has been in the headlines after a trip by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August, and U.S. military and diplomatic officials have hinted that South Korea could be expected to work with the United States to defend Taiwan.
Xing’s press conference, organized by the Kwanhun Club, an association of journalists, came a week after U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg spoke at the center.
Goldberg addressed some issues involving China, calling Chinese efforts to convince North Korea to stop military provocations worthy of “grade F,” according to the club.
“I don’t accept that assessment,” Xing said, in response to a question from a journalist Wednesday. “Are we supposed to report our efforts to the United States? We have our own positions and ways to manage our foreign relations.”
China, with Russia, vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution at the United Nations Security Council in June that would have imposed a new set of sanctions on North Korea, marking the first division among the five countries with veto power on the Security Council on a sanctions resolution on the North.
Xing said that China is not “turning a blind eye” to Pyongyang's military provocations.
“China does not want any accidental military contingencies to take place on the Korean Peninsula, so of course we want all parties involved to continue to engage in dialogue for denuclearization [of North Korea],” Xing said.
On South Korea’s increasingly difficult position between the China and the United States, Xing emphasized that Beijing has “never asked Seoul to pick a side,” but added that Seoul “had better think through” the effects of some U.S. policies on Korea recently, possibly alluding to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that’s expected to hurt Korean electric vehicle (EV) makers.
“With their recent decision affecting the EV market, can one really say the United States was looking out for Korea?” Xing said.
“The Americans think they are a people chosen by God, and operate on the basis of American exceptionalism and America-first policy,” he added. “If a country, even one of close alliance with the United States, do not follow the American values and system, they deem these actions wrong and show no mercy in retaliating against them. I think many Koreans know what I am talking about.”
Goldberg also addressed the IRA issue during his meeting with the press last week.
“With regard to the Inflation Reduction Act, Korea has voiced serious concerns about electric vehicle incentives outlined in the legislation, and we are committed to continuing discussions on ways to address them,” he said.
Xing, known for his straightforward and often biting comments in interviews, also addressed several issues that have for years challenged Beijing-Seoul ties, such as the U.S.-led antimissile system installed in Korea, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.
“Our position has not changed on Thaad,” Xing said. “The system is a threat to China. The United States has broken the balance of power in the region by installing it in Korea.”
He dismissed a recent controversy over former President Hu Jintao’s dramatic exit from the Chinese Communist Party Congress as nothing more than a simple misunderstanding.
“The media reports have been completely skewed,” he said. “[Hu] is an aged man. He had to step outside for a break. That was all there was to it.”
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
10. The trap of wishful thinking
Excerpts;
Lately, officials at the Korean embassy in Japan and the foreign ministry praise themselves, claiming that Japan’s response has changed dramatically. They seem to have optimism that Japan will soon open its arms and the conflict between the two countries will be addressed.
Would they really do so? Strictly speaking, it was simply sweet talk. The Japanese government and the Liberal Democratic Party still remain stubborn. On the issue of compensation for forced labor, Japan only came to negotiations because of America urging improved relationship with Korea. In other words, Tokyo’s stance of “no compensation” remains unchanged. At the beginning of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Yoon himself declared a “grand bargain” for forced labor compensation and other history issues, export regulation, the military information protection agreement, the patrol plane radar incident and Fukushima seafood issue. None were resolved. Such wishful thinking is a result of the Yoon administration neglecting Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s political style of “knocking on the stone bridge but still not crossing it” and the complex bureaucratic structure in Japan. It is due to the “wishful thinking” of believing what we want to believe, just like during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration.
Thursday
October 27, 2022
dictionary + A - A
The trap of wishful thinking
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/10/27/opinion/columns/South-Korea-North-Korea-nuclear-umbrella/20221027200234873.html
Kim Hyun-ki
The author is the Tokyo bureau chief and rotating correspondent for the JoongAng Ilbo.
Ogawa, captain of Yakult, the winner of this year’s Japanese professional baseball league, took the microphone in front of 30,000 home fans on the day of the victory. At the last moment, he shouted to the fans, “Saranghaeyo!” (I love you in Korean.) They cheered at the Korean greeting.
At a recent editorial meeting of a Japanese newspaper that had maintained a cold tone towards Korea, some attendees said, “Korea is turning favorable toward Japan, so shouldn’t we change our stance a bit?” This actually led to a change in its editorials. That’s an amazing change.
Lately, officials at the Korean embassy in Japan and the foreign ministry praise themselves, claiming that Japan’s response has changed dramatically. They seem to have optimism that Japan will soon open its arms and the conflict between the two countries will be addressed.
Would they really do so? Strictly speaking, it was simply sweet talk. The Japanese government and the Liberal Democratic Party still remain stubborn. On the issue of compensation for forced labor, Japan only came to negotiations because of America urging improved relationship with Korea. In other words, Tokyo’s stance of “no compensation” remains unchanged. At the beginning of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Yoon himself declared a “grand bargain” for forced labor compensation and other history issues, export regulation, the military information protection agreement, the patrol plane radar incident and Fukushima seafood issue. None were resolved. Such wishful thinking is a result of the Yoon administration neglecting Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s political style of “knocking on the stone bridge but still not crossing it” and the complex bureaucratic structure in Japan. It is due to the “wishful thinking” of believing what we want to believe, just like during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration.
When U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Korea in August, Yoon did not meet her and only had a phone conversation because he was on vacation. The office of the President Yoon claimed that it was fully understood by Pelosi. In the sudden phone call, “Pelosi gladly said she appreciated it,” said the presidential office.
President Yoon Suk-yeol answers questions from reporters on his way to the presidential office at Yongsan, October 27. Asked about the growing demand for redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea to counter North Korea’s mounting nuclear threat, he said the government is considering diverse options. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Really? A high-level Japanese official, who met Pelosi when she visited Japan after Korea, said, “Pelosi was very angry with Korea.” It was the opposite of what Yoon’s office announced. The Korean authorities were informed, but they absurdly responded, “Isn’t it because Pelosi is a person with a lot of anger?” Regardless of whether the decision to skip a meeting with Pelosi is right or wrong, this type of wishful thinking only leads to despair.
The same is true for the controversy over South Korea sharing U.S. nuclear weapons and the redeployment of U.S. tactical nukes. When President Yoon said, “We are carefully examining various possibilities,” Washington immediately dismissed his comment. It said nothing has changed in the U.S. policy. The problem is twofold. First, if President Yoon made such a comment with serious changes in his administration’s nuclear policy in his mind, it is a ridiculous mistake.
Did he really think that there is any possibility of America to “reconsider” once he openly talks about his unripe nuclear policy? It is a long shot even if he thoroughly and secretively prepared the logic for Korea’s own nuclear armaments or the deployment of U.S. tactical nukes. Even if his administration had stealthily discussed with Washington ways to deal with international sanctions or pressures on South Korea if Seoul and Washington agreed to one of the two options. But President Yoon said it himself. Second, if he said it without really thinking about it, it is a thoughtless government indeed.
Finally, I want to talk about the promotion activities to host the Busan Expo. While the Yoon administration advertises that Korea would be “the seventh country to host all three mega events, the Expo, the Olympics, and the World Cup,” few countries consider the title important these days. Also, the government says Korea’s hosting of the expo will “contribute to the spread of soft power and the Korean Wave.” But the rest of the world already feels the power of the Korean wave even without the expo.
The Korean government’s wishful thinking is different from global sentiment. I have another concern. Politicians, businessmen and officials who come to Tokyo meet the same Japanese figures and ask for the same thing. Do they think it helps? Too much is worse than not enough. Did they ever think the adverse effect of giving another diplomatic card to Japan?
11. N. Korean nuclear test would constitute a 'grave escalatory action': State Dept.
Kim is likely to test. We need to expose his strategy and demonstrate that it will fail.
N. Korean nuclear test would constitute a 'grave escalatory action': State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · October 27, 2022
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- A nuclear test by North Korea would constitute a "grave escalatory action" that will be met by serious consequences, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday.
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, insisted the U.S. has a "number of tools" to hold North Korea accountable for any future provocations.
"A seventh nuclear test, should it happen, would constitute a grave escalatory action and seriously threaten regional stability, international stability, security in the region, and it would also undermine the global non-proliferation regime and efforts that are being undertaken," he said in a daily press briefing.
Pyongyang conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017. U.S. officials, including state department press secretary Ned Price, have said the North may conduct its seventh nuclear test "at any time."
Patel said the U.S. had a range of tools to hold North Korea accountable, despite its failed attempt earlier in the month at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to impose new U.N. sanctions on the North.
"I am, of course, not going to read out specifically the various tools in our tool belt that we have to hold the DPRK accountable," he said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "But we have a number of tools available."
Patel also called on China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the UNSC and friendly nations to North Korea, to hold Pyongyang accountable when necessary.
Beijing and Moscow have blocked at least three U.S.-led efforts this year to impose fresh UNSC sanctions on North Korea, including the latest attempt this month that followed a series of North Korean missile tests.
"It is, of course, our hope that they will join us in holding the DPRK accountable, but even as recently as earlier this month, we did not see that from the PRC and Russia and instead we saw parroting of disinformation that the U.S. provocations was somehow behind these launches, which is just absolutely not true," said Patel.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · October 27, 2022
12. South Korean Official Calls for Shift in Its Nuclear Policy
When has deterrence not been the main focus of the alliance?
South Korean Official Calls for Shift in Its Nuclear Policy
ByMegan Howard
October 26, 2022 at 9:20 AM EDTUpdated onOctober 26, 2022 at 12:33 PM EDT
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/south-korea-official-urges-shift-on-north-korea-nuclear-policy?sref=hhjZtX76
A South Korea official has suggested a shift in focus of the country’s policy to place more emphasis on deterring North Korea from using its growing arsenal of nuclear weapons instead of concentrating solely on reversing their development, Yonhap reported.
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said Wednesday that his country should work to deter the use of nuclear weapons by sending North Korea a message it would bring an end to Kim Jong Un’s regime.
“We have put our focus on trying to prevent North Korea from conducting additional nuclear tests and advancing its nuclear capabilities, but it’s time to change our strategy,” Lee said in a meeting of the ruling People Power Party’s committee on the North Korea’s nuclear threat.
“The priority should be on deterring the use of nuclear weapons by giving them a clear sense that if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons, it will bring about an end to the North Korean regime and it will disappear completely,” he said.
Such a shift in emphasis, while not a complete turnaround, would mark a new posture for South Korea and its allies, which have been focused on blocking -- and reversing -- North Korea’s development of a nuclear arsenal.
Lee also called for steps to ensure a US commitment on the use of military assets to defend an ally like South Korea and for the nation to strengthen its own defense capabilities.
On Monday, South Korea’s president told parliament that North Korea has finished preparations for a nuclear test, stoking fears that Pyongyang’s first blast of such a device in five years could be imminent.
The US push to isolate Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, coupled with increasing animosity toward China, has allowed Kim to strengthen his nuclear deterrent without fear of facing more sanctions at the United Nations Security Council.
Kim, who last set off a nuclear device in 2017, may be looking to conduct a test to enhance his state’s ability to miniaturize a warhead to fit onto its new missiles designed to strike South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of America’s troops in Asia. Kim is also looking to increase the power of nuclear devices that would be mounted on long-range rockets designed to hit the US mainland.
(Updates with comments, background starting from third paragraph)
13. North Korea tells local governments to solve own power problems with new hydro plants
The regime can no longer support the entire Korean population. When will it be unable to support the entire military? We must be watchful for indicators of internal instability.
North Korea tells local governments to solve own power problems with new hydro plants
The policy has been tried before during the Kim Jong Il era, but few of those power plants are in operation.
By Chang Gyu Ahn for RFA Korean
2022.10.26
rfa.org
North Korea’s central government is ordering provincial cities to solve their own power shortages by building small and medium-sized hydropower plants, echoing a policy from the era of former leader Kim Jong Il, sources have told Radio Free Asia.
But few of the plants built during that time are still in operation, and few local officials want to tackle such projects, knowing they will have to gather the materials and find construction labor themselves, the sources said.
Communist North Korea is chronically short on power, and rolling blackouts are common, even for privileged people in the capital, Pyongyang.
In 2018, North Korea’s power generation capacity was one-twenty-third that of the more prosperous and democratic South Korea, according to data from Statistics Korea, a South Korean government agency.
North Korea’s aging power plants, lack of energy resources and its inefficient transmission and distribution systems are key contributors to chronic power shortages.
The central government under current leader Kim Jong Un is once again falling back on the country’s founding “Juche” philosophy of self-reliance, by telling the local governments to fix their own problems.
“They say this and that about regional development and self-reliance … but the pressure to build a power plant is a task that is deeply agonizing to officials,” a company official in the northeastern coastal city of Chongjin told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“At every meeting, the provincial authorities are forcing large organizations to submit power plant design plans, and they say that they will guarantee the necessary construction materials,” he said.
But the officials know that they will have to acquire the heavy equipment, cement, rebar, and other materials, then they will have to find the necessary manpower themselves, he said.
As many of Chongjin’s state-run companies and organizations are reeling from the economic downturn that coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, few are in any position to build a costly, labor-intensive project like a power plant.
“No organization in Chongjin has stepped forward to build a power plant,” he said.
The source said that many of the power plants built in and around Chongjin shortly after the 1994-1998 famine, during the rule of Kim Jong Il, are no longer in use. Either the water dried out from under them due to poor river management, or flooding washed away their embankments. Many others that should still be in operation, meanwhile, have fallen into disrepair due to age and wear.
Companies and organizations in Chongjin built several plants at that time, but only one of these is still producing electricity.
“Despite the fact that the nationwide power plant construction project of the Kim Jong Il era has failed, the authorities are again promoting this ineffective policy, and advocating we make a ‘head-on breakthrough’ through ‘self-reliance,’” he said.
The central government’s orders are making officials and residents in the eastern coastal city of Tanchon nervous, said a resident there, who requested anonymity to speak freely.
“Officials fear the term ‘self-reliance,’ which basically means they have to fix everything on their own, and the people are worried they will be mobilized every day to build the power plant,” he said.
“Mobilization” is the militaristic term authorities use to justify ordering citizens to provide free labor for government projects.
“Even now, Tanchon residents are providing manpower to build the Tanchon power plant, which began construction in 2017,” he said
Once they begin building more power plants, they will again have to sacrifice to see them to completion, according to the second source.
“They have to pay support funds and donate construction materials such as gravel, stones, and cement. It is powerless ordinary residents who eventually suffer,” he said.
Just as in Chongjin, local organizations built several power plants in Tanchon and its surrounding province of South Hamgyong when Kim Jong Il was in power, but few are producing electricity anymore.
“With Kim Jong Il’s words to build small and medium-sized power plants ‘wherever water flows’ to solve the electricity problem, many people here have suffered for the past few decades,” the source said. “Now that Kim Jong Un is implementing the same policy, we are suffering again.”
Translated by Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
rfa.org
14. S. Korea Navy to attend Japan’s international fleet review
Good news.
S. Korea Navy to attend Japan’s international fleet review
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · October 27, 2022
The South Korean government will dispatch a naval ship and more than 100 personnel to Japan’s international fleet review next month, marking the first time it will participate since 2015.
The Yoon Suk-yeol government has decided to accept Japan’s invitation to the international naval event hosted by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday.
The international fleet review is set to take place on Nov. 6 in Sagami Bay, off Tokyo to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The government of Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited the South Korean government to its international fleet review in January. But the Yoon government made a last-minute decision at the meeting of the standing committee of the presidential National Security Council on Thursday.
The Defense Ministry justified its decision citing the necessity to step up security cooperation with Japan and neighboring countries against mounting threats from North Korea.
“The Defense Ministry would like to underscore that the security implications of the South Korean Navy's participation in the international naval fleet has been considered a top priority in light of the grave security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula caused by consecutive provocations by North Korea,” the ministry said.
The Yoon government sees fence-mending with Japan as indispensable for bilateral and trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan to counter and deter North Korea.
The decision was also made while comprehensively considering the history of the South Korean Navy participating in an international fleet review and related international customs, according to the Defense Ministry.
The South Korean government dispatched naval vessels to the Japanese fleet review in 2002 and 2015. But in 2019, the Japanese government refused to invite South Korea to a fleet review amid worsening bilateral ties.
Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force participated in the South Korean Navy’s international fleet review in 1998 and 2008. But Japan skipped an international fleet review in South Korea in 2018 in protest of the Moon Jae-in government’s request to avoid hoisting the flag Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force on a warship.
Despite the previous cases, the South Korean government had held off on the decision in light of domestic and foreign policy factors, including public sentiment here against the Rising Sun flag.
Anti-Japanese sentiment has been on the rise in South Korea mainly due to historical disputes, including sex slavery and wartime forced labor in the Japanese colonial era.
But the Yoon government does see that the flag -- which will be displayed by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force at the fleet review -- is analogous in appearance to the one used by the Japanese Imperial Army, a senior military official, who wished to remain anonymous, said during a press briefing.
The South Korean official said the two flags are not identical, elucidating that the flag of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force is recognized by the international community, including China.
South Korea’s Navy will dispatch the fast combat support ship Soyang and 137 personnel to Japan’s international fleet review this year.
S. Korea highlights significance
South Korea’s Defense Ministry underscored that the South Korean Navy will join multilateral search and rescue exercises with Japan and 12 other countries that have confirmed their participation in Japan’s international fleet review, as of Wednesday.
The participating countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
South Korea’s 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang is set to enter a port in Yokosuka, Japan, on Tuesday and take part in the search and rescue exercises on Nov. 6 and 7.
South Korea’s Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Lee Jong-ho is set to participate in the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Yokohama alongside navy chiefs of staff from around 30 countries during his visit to Japan next month.
Against that backdrop, the Defense Ministry expects that South Korea’s participation in the search and rescue exercises and the international forum will “serve as a good opportunity for the Navy to strengthen maritime security cooperation with neighboring countries and the international community as well as to promote friendly cooperation with the navies of friendly countries.”
By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · October 27, 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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