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Quotes of the Day:
"The United States of America, when compared to these dictatorships, comes across as lacking in national unity and slow in executing state affairs. But, in the final analysis, the United States exercises the greatest power in the world. And the source of this great power lies in its democratic political system. In the American political system, when an issue comes under deliberation, at first people from all walks of life express their views in an unrestrained manner and a national consensus may appear out of reach. But as the people continue to debate the pros and cons of the various arguments related to the issue at hand, those numerous contrasting points of view gradually coalses into two opposing views, which are respectively subsumed by the two main political camps. By the principle of majority rule one of these two viewpoints is adopted as a resolution of the national legislature. Once the president signs the resolution into law the will of the people is made official and immutable. In effect, democracy is a procedure or method for ascertaining and giving voice to the will of the people rather than the substance of such popular will. Hence, democracy may be defined as the guarantee of free speech, free elections, and majority rule."
– Kim Koo, My Wish, (for Korea), 1876-1949
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”
– Dalai Lama
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether or not it is the same problem you had last year."
– John Foster Dulles
Uncertain Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PRQSSAHm8k
1. U.S. naval chief says utilizing S. Korea's nuclear sub to counter China is 'natural expectation'
2. U.S. naval chief visits HD Hyundai, Hanwha shipyards for cooperation
3. Trump gov't notifies S. Korea of decision to end development cost waiver for U.S. arms purchases: sources
4. Hyundai Motor to invest 125.2 tln won in AI, robotics over 5 years
5. Fuel Reprocessing Agreement Lifts Key Obstacle to South Korea Getting Its First Nuclear-Powered Submarine
6. A.I. Cheating Rattles Top Universities in South Korea
7. Some Korean workers detained in Georgia immigration raid have returned to their jobs at Hyundai site
8. $15 Million Cyber Spoils Seized in Major Blow to North Korean Weapons Funding from U.S. Soil
9. AI boom requires lots of energy. Korea isn't moving fast enough.
10. Korea needs faster and smarter defense AI systems
11. South Korea to spend $33B to support US forces deterring North Korea
12. A witch hunt in the name of tracking ‘insurrectionist’ officials
13. 'Stealth' K3 Tank Will Run On Hydrogen And Looks Like a B-21 Raider Bomber
14. ＜Analysis of N. Korean photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (1) Smuggling Vehicles Fill Even School Playgrounds; Parking Shortage Emerges in Hyesan City (Part 1)
15. ＜Analysis of N. Korean Photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (2) State Smuggling Along Yalu River Captured in Satellite Images; Over 20 Operational Sites Identified (Part 2)
16. Cherishing the memory of the late parachutist general - The Korea Times
1. U.S. naval chief says utilizing S. Korea's nuclear sub to counter China is 'natural expectation'
Summary:
U.S. naval chief Adm. Caudle says it is a “natural expectation” that a future ROK nuclear-powered submarine will help counter China, pushing Seoul from regional to global navy roles. He urges stronger US-ROK maritime cooperation against Chinese gray zone activities, expanded joint drills, shipbuilding collaboration, and counters to North Korean undersea drones.
Comment: This may create some tension in the alliance despite POTROK's statement during his meeting with POTUS that nuclear powered submarines are useful against threats from countries like north Korea and China. POTROK's advisors wanted to walk back that remark.
But the key is development of these capabilities should be for the purpose of countering threats across the spectrum of conflict from throughout the Asia-Indo-Pacific region against both our nations in accordance with the 1953 MUTUAL defense Treaty. As the CNO said, it is only natural.
U.S. naval chief says utilizing S. Korea's nuclear sub to counter China is 'natural expectation' | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Lee Minji · November 16, 2025
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251115002200315?section=national/defense
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- The U.S. chief of naval operations has said it will be a "natural expectation" if Washington anticipates that the South Korean Navy utilizes a nuclear-powered submarine, when built, to help counter Chinese threats.
Adm. Daryl Caudle made the remarks as the United States officially approved South Korea's push to acquire what would be its first nuclear-powered submarine in a joint fact sheet released last week, detailing discussions of summit talks between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 29.
"Utilization of that submarine to counter China, I think is a natural expectation," Caudle told reporters in a group interview on Friday, when asked about the possibility of the nuclear submarine playing a role in countering China and reshaping the South Korean Navy's role in the broader East Asian region.
"With that type of capability, I think with United States would expect that partnership, again, working as an alliance together, to meet our combined goals on what United States considers to be our pacing threat, which is China. I think to a large extent, Korea shares concerns with China as well, and so that capability should be part of that equation."
Washington has been pushing allies to increase their defense spending and contribute to "collective defense" as it seeks to strengthen cooperation with allies amid an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry.
During their summit held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, Lee also openly asked Trump to allow his country to secure nuclear fuel supplies for conventionally armed submarines to better track North Korean and Chinese vessels, saying it would ease the operational burden for U.S. forces.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. chief of naval operations, speaks in a group interview with reporters in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2025, in this photo provided by his office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Given the strategic value of a nuclear-powered submarine, which he said "brings a whole different level of capability for deterrence," the top U.S. naval officer said operating such a vessel will likely put more responsibility on the South Korean Navy, not only regionally but on a global level.
"As they say in the movie Spider Man, with great power comes great responsibility. I think there will be a responsibility for Korea to deploy those submarines globally and move away from just being a regional navy to a global navy," Caudle said.
When asked about where the envisioned submarine will be built -- whether in South Korea or in a U.S. shipyard acquired by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha as Trump wrote on social media -- the U.S. naval chief said it is a matter that should be directed to the White House.
But even with the nuclear submarine project set aside, Caudle underscored the need for a strong partnership between South Korea and the U.S against China's gray zone activities, based on a peace through strength model.
"We see this type of activity around the globe, and we are very concerned about it. That's why our partnership with Korea is so important. There has to be a strong deterrence mechanism, or that type of activity between our two countries," he said. "It's my earnest goal with U.S. Seventh fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet and other joint force partners, along with Korea, to assert that that's not going to be tolerated."
Against such a backdrop, Caudle said conducting combined naval drills in international waters in the Yellow Sea to counter China's threats is "certainly not off the table," without further commenting on operational details. Currently, such exercises are mostly conducted in the eastern and southern waters off the Korean Peninsula.
Caudle, whose trip to South Korea includes visits to shipyards here, anticipated South Korea to "prominently" play a role in helping bolster the U.S.' shipbuilding capacity.
While noting that legal hurdles exist for cooperation on combat ships, he said supply ships, auxiliary ships, consul tankers and car carriers are some types of vessels the two countries can work together on "right away" with little restriction.
When asked about North Korea's move to build up its naval capabilities, Caudle noted while the North is not a naval threat for the U.S., keen monitoring is necessary to fend off its activities considered as threats to South Korea, and mentioned underwater drone technology as one area that requires countermeasures.
"I am concerned with the use of unmanned capabilities under the sea, on the sea and above the sea. It is something we have to watch very closely and build the correct countermeasures to make sure we're not impacted by those evolving technologies."
Adm. Daryl Caudle (L), U.S. chief of naval operations, holds talks with Gen. Jin Yong-sung (R), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in this photo provided by the U.S. Navy. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Lee Minji · November 16, 2025
2. U.S. naval chief visits HD Hyundai, Hanwha shipyards for cooperation
Summary:
U.S. Navy chief Adm. Daryl Caudle toured HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean shipyards in Korea, discussing cooperation to bolster U.S. naval shipbuilding under the MASGA initiative. The firms pledged technology sharing, supply-chain integration, expanded MRO for U.S. vessels, and future new-build programs, reinforcing the defense-industrial alliance with Washington.
Comment: America needs ROK advanced shipbuilding and maintenance capabilities. MASGA.
U.S. naval chief visits HD Hyundai, Hanwha shipyards for cooperation | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Choi Kyong-ae · November 16, 2025
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251116000600320
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- The chief of U.S. naval operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, has visited the shipyards of South Korea's leading shipbuilders -- HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hanwha Ocean Co. -- to discuss shipbuilding cooperation between Seoul and Washington, the companies said Sunday.
On Saturday, HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun met with Caudle at the company's shipyard in Ulsan, 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where he briefed the admiral on the company's world-class shipbuilding technologies. The two also exchanged views on advancing the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) initiative, HD Hyundai said in a press release.
The MASGA project, led by the South Korean government, aims to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry through partnerships with South Korean shipbuilders.
"We will help enhance U.S. shipbuilding capabilities and strengthen the U.S. Navy's combat readiness, while making every effort to ensure the success of MASGA," Chung was quoted as saying.
HD Hyundai said Caudle's visit is expected to accelerate discussions with U.S. counterparts on technological cooperation in naval ship construction and closer supply-chain integration.
Later the same day, the admiral also met with officials from Hanwha Ocean at its shipyard in Geoje, 390 km south of Seoul, for similar discussions.
Hanwha officials briefed Caudle on the company's plan to expand its business from maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work on U.S. Navy logistics support vessels to MRO for combatant ships, and eventually to new-build naval vessel programs, the company said.
"Hanwha Ocean aims to remain the U.S. Navy's most reliable partner and a strong contributor to the Korea–U.S. alliance. We are fully prepared to support the MASGA project and its successful implementation," Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheol said.
In this photo taken on Nov. 15, 2025, Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheol (L) briefs U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle (C, front) on the company's shipbuilding capabilities at a naval ship construction site in Geoje, 390 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Choi Kyong-ae · November 16, 2025
3. Trump gov't notifies S. Korea of decision to end development cost waiver for U.S. arms purchases: sources
Summary:
The Trump administration has notified South Korea it will end waivers on non-recurring development costs for U.S. arms bought via Foreign Military Sales, raising Seoul’s financial burden as it plans $25 billion in purchases by 2030. Japan, Australia and others reportedly received similar notices under the “America First” cost-recovery push.
Comment: Will this be interpreted as a kind of "bait and switch" by South Korea? Why are we doing this now? Do we need to create this friction in the alliance? Two steps forward, one step backward? South Korea is the largest foreign direct investor in the US. Perhaps this is a bureaucratic move that is not coordinated. POTUS can fix this unless this is what we are deliberately doing to all our allies.
Trump gov't notifies S. Korea of decision to end development cost waiver for U.S. arms purchases: sources | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Song Sang-ho · November 16, 2025
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251116000200315?section=national/diplomacy
By Song Sang-ho, Cho Joon-hyung and Lee Jung-hyon
WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has notified South Korea of its decision to abolish a development cost waiver for certain U.S. arms purchases, multiple sources have said, a move bound to raise the financial burden on the Asian ally that has committed to buying more U.S. weapons.
It told the Seoul government in August that it will end the waiver of "non-recurring" costs (NCs) -- one-time expenses associated with the research, development or production of certain defense equipment, according to the informed sources.
The United States' Arms Export Control Act requires the Pentagon to recover NCs for certain weapons sold through the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, as the U.S. government covers the costs with taxpayer money to develop or produce weapons, particularly for the U.S. military.
The law permits the costs to be waived in certain cases, such as advancing U.S. interests in standardizing equipment with allies, like South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand or Israel, and avoiding a situation in which the charge would result in the loss of the weapons sale.
In past FMS cases, South Korea was granted the NC waiver. But the abolition would increase the cost South Korea has to pay to import U.S. weapons at a time when it has committed to spending US$25 billion on U.S. military equipment purchases by 2030.
Sources said that Japan, Australia and other countries are also known to have been notified of the waiver abolition.
The Pentagon did not comment when asked by Yonhap News Agency to confirm the suspension of the waiver.
The Trump administration has been implementing its "America First" policy, doubling down on its agenda for "fair" and "reciprocal" trade with a pledge to be a good steward of taxpayer money
This file photo, released by the Associated Press, shows the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · Song Sang-ho · November 16, 2025
4. Hyundai Motor to invest 125.2 tln won in AI, robotics over 5 years
Summary:
Hyundai Motor Group will invest 125.2 trillion won in South Korea from 2026–2030 to bolster AI, robotics, SDVs, R&D and production, reinforcing its domestic base after a U.S.–Korea tariff deal cut U.S. duties on Korean autos to 15%. The group will also offset 2025 U.S. tariffs on key suppliers there.
Hyundai Motor to invest 125.2 tln won in AI, robotics over 5 years | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Choi Kyong-ae · November 16, 2025
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251116002700320
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday it will invest 125.2 trillion won (US$86 billion) in South Korea over the next five years in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and other future technologies as part of its broader push to strengthen its domestic manufacturing base.
The large-scale investment, aimed at securing the group's "fundamental growth drivers," comes after the release of the Seoul–Washington joint fact sheet detailing their latest trade agreement that reduced U.S. tariffs on imported Korean cars and auto parts to 15 percent from 25 percent.
The investment plan, the largest of its kind in the company's history, was announced shortly after group executive chair Euisun Chung attended a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung, along with a number of other business leaders here, including Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong, to discuss follow-up measures for the tariff deal.
Chung earlier thanked the president for the trade agreement while meeting Lee on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum late last month, the group said in a press release.
The 2026–2030 investment target is more than 40 percent higher than the 89.1 trillion won the company spent on investment over the previous five years, according to Hyundai.
Of the planned amount, 50.5 trillion won will be allocated to future businesses, including AI, software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and robotics. Another 38.5 trillion won will be directed to research and development (R&D) projects, and 36.2 trillion won to production facilities, Hyundai said.
The group also plans to retroactively cover U.S. tariffs imposed this year on key partner companies supplying parts to Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. plants in the United States.
Analysts estimated the tariff reductions could save Hyundai Motor Group around 4 trillion won in additional costs.
The group said it will continue to support South Korea's economic growth through large-scale domestic investment and by expanding assistance programs for partner firms to enhance the competitiveness of the local automotive industry.
This file photo, taken Oct. 31, 2025, shows South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) shaking hands with Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung before a meeting with Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Choi Kyong-ae · November 16, 2025
5. Fuel Reprocessing Agreement Lifts Key Obstacle to South Korea Getting Its First Nuclear-Powered Submarine
Summary:
A ROK/US summit fact sheet quietly approves nuclear fuel reprocessing and authorizes South Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines, likely involving Hanwha’s Philadelphia yard. The deal, part of Trump’s tariff-for-investment strategy, includes massive Korean shipbuilding and defense spending commitments, raising alliance stakes and drawing Chinese nonproliferation concerns in the region.
Comment: I have heard that the Philly shipyard imay not be capable of building a nuclear powered submarine. But I don't know if that is a fact.
Fuel Reprocessing Agreement Lifts Key Obstacle to South Korea Getting Its First Nuclear-Powered Submarine
The understanding, announced in a fact-sheet from President Trump’s October 29 talks in Seoul, bypasses restrictions under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
DONALD KIRK
Nov. 14, 2025 09:38 AM ET
nysun.com
https://www.nysun.com/article/fuel-reprocessing-agreement-lifts-key-obstacle-to-south-korea-getting-its-first-nuclear-powered-submarine
SEOUL – In a breakthrough agreement, Washington has approved the nuclear fuel reprocessing needed to power a South Korean nuclear submarine that President Trump has said will be built “right here in the good old USA.”
The de facto waiver under American nuclear export controls appears in the terse final three sentences of a 2,100-word “fact sheet” on Mr. Trump’s October 29 summit with South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung in the ancient Korean capital of Gyeongju.
The text also confirms the president’s widely reported approval for Korea “to build nuclear-powered attack submarines” for the first time.
The “fact sheet,” however, does not confirm that the first submarine will be built in America – a bone of contention between Washington and Seoul. South Korea’s defense minister, Ahn Gyu-back, has stated that “domestic construction is the most rational approach” while Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that it would be built “in the Philadelphia Shipyards.”
South Korea’s second largest shipbuilder, Hanwha Ocean, and another Hanwha subsidiary last year acquired the Philadelphia Shipyard for $100 million from the Norwegian firm, Aker ASA, and renamed it “Hanwha Philly Shipyard.” Hanwha’s eagerness to build South Korea’s first nuclear vessel shines through a statement provided to TheNew York Sun by the group’s chief strategy officer, Alex Wong.
“Hanwha Philly Shipyard was a centerpiece yard in America’s storied naval shipbuilding past,” Mr. Wong stated. “With new technologies, investment in American workers, and deep partnership with Korea, Philly Shipyard can again become a center for advanced commercial and naval construction.”
Mr. Wong expressed confidence that “our commitment” will “chart the way toward America’s advanced shipbuilding future.”
Those words will be welcomed by Mr. Trump, who has been campaigning to get South Korea and other major trading partners to invest heavily in flagging American industry in exchange for lower American tariffs, generally around 15 percent.
Indeed, the “fact sheet” issued here and in Washington reaffirms what it calls “the historic announcement” in July of the Korea Strategic Trade and Investment Deal, which reflects “the strength and endurance” of the American-Korean alliance.
The deal, it states, “includes $150 billion of Korean investment in the shipbuilding sector” as well as $200 billion “additional Korean investment,” while Washington sets a 15-percent rate for tariffs on most imports – a reduction in previous tariffs on motor vehicles.
Much of the factsheet deals with a fine-tuning of trade and tariff understandings on products ranging from pharmaceuticals to semiconductors. It also addresses Mr. Trump’s demand that South Korea pay as much as $5 billion a year toward the expense of maintaining American forces in Korea.
The agreement states that South Korea would increase defense spending from 2 percent to 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product, which the World Bank estimates will reach $18.6 trillion this year, the world’s 14th highest.
South Korea also promises to spend $25 billion on American military equipment over the next five years while providing “comprehensive support” totaling $33 billion for American forces in Korea. A sign of the difficulties, though, was that the pledge does not give an exact time span. Mr. Trump has said the South should increase by several times the $1.1 billion it’s paying annually for hosting about 28,500 American troops
Messrs. Trump and Lee also “reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearization” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – aka North Korea – “and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” They will, they said, “work together to implement the Joint Statement of the 2018 U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit” in which Mr. Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, agreed to work for a “nuclear free” Korean peninsula.
Mr. Lee made clear, however, that the two sides spent a lot of energy hassling over wording. South Korea’s newspaper Chosun Ilbo quoted him as saying, “It was difficult to bear when people kept tripping us up from behind or demanded quicker concessions” – a frank jab at American negotiators.
Regardless, the shared vision of South Korea as a nuclear naval power marks a huge shift from past policy, in which Washington has stuck to the stringent requirements in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 on the licensing of exports of nuclear material, including reactors and nuclear fuel. The deal amounts to a waiver – though that word does not appear in the statement.
The proposed entry of South Korean nuclear-powered submarines into the Pacific sparked a protest from Communist China, whose nuclear subs roam the Indo-Pacific.
“It is directly tied to the international nonproliferation regime and peace and stability in the region,” China’s ambassador to South Korea told reporters. “We have expressed our concerns through diplomatic channels and hope that Korea handles the matter with care.”
nysun.com
6. A.I. Cheating Rattles Top Universities in South Korea
Summary:
Mass cheating scandals at South Korea’s elite “SKY” universities erupted after students used ChatGPT and other AI tools during online exams, even in AI-related courses. Dozens admitted misconduct; some exams will be re-administered and cheaters receive zeroes. Incidents expose outdated testing methods as AI becomes ubiquitous in Korean higher education.
Comment: Does this foreshadow what is to come in other countries? South Korea has been a first mover in many areas and a cultural leader. Is it leading the way here and what are we going to do about this at universities in the US and around the world?
A.I. Cheating Rattles Top Universities in South Korea
NY Times · Jin Yu Young · November 14, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/world/asia/south-korea-ai-cheating-college.html
As many elite colleges struggle to adapt to the technology, the nation’s most prestigious universities said dozens of students used artificial intelligence tools to cheat.
Listen to this article · 5:09 min Learn more
The entrance of Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, in August.Credit...Tina Hsu for The New York Times
By
Reporting from Seoul
Nov. 14, 2025
Many college students in South Korea are enjoying downtime, relieved to wrap up midterm exams. But the nation's elite universities have been left scrambling after it emerged that testing season was marred by a spate of mass cheating incidents involving A.I.
One high profile incident, at Yonsei University in Seoul, became public on Sunday. Local news media reported that a professor had found that dozens of students may have cheated by using textbooks, computer programs or even ChatGPT during an online midterm examination for a course on ChatGPT. Hundreds of undergraduates took the test, and 40 of them admitted to cheating, the school said.
Within days, similar episodes of mass cheating emerged at two other top-tier schools in South Korea — Seoul National University and Korea University, which also said students had used A.I. to cheat on recent tests. Collectively, the colleges are known by the acronym SKY, which is also a nod to their status in the hypercompetitive world of Korean education.
While the questionable use of artificial intelligence in colleges is becoming widespread, it is rare for a nation’s most prestigious universities to simultaneously be embroiled in A.I. scandals.
Education is still seen as a driver of social mobility in South Korea, which has one of the highest proportions of college graduates among developed countries. For most students, the goal is to secure a spot at the SKY schools.
To do that, they need a top score on an eight-hour college entrance exam testing their knowledge of Korean, math, English and other subjects. On Thursday, more than half a million high school seniors in South Korea sat for the exam, a decades-old tradition that disrupts the rhythm of the entire nation. Flights are grounded, construction is halted and traffic restrictions are enforced, and the public is urged to keep noise at a minimum so the students can concentrate.
In recent years, A.I. has become entrenched in higher education. Over 90 percent of South Korean college students who have some experience with generative A.I. said that they used those tools on school assignments, according to a 2024 survey by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
Some educators say colleges have failed to keep pace.
“A.I. is a tool for retaining and organizing information so we can no longer evaluate college students on those skills,” said Park Joo-Ho, a professor of education at Hanyang University. Since students are already using A.I., he added, they should instead be tested on their creativity, something A.I. cannot replicate.
“The current method of education is already out of date,” he said.
A student at Yonsei University in Seoul in August.Credit...Tina Hsu for The New York Times
Yonsei students taking the “Natural Language Processing and ChatGPT” class were forbidden from using A.I. for the Oct. 15 midterm. It was administered online, and test-takers were told to keep their laptop cameras on so proctors could monitor them. After examining the camera footage, a professor said he found evidence of dozens of students cheating. They will be given a 0 on the test, the school said. On a separate occasion, students at Yonsei were caught sharing test answers on a phone app that uses A.I., the school said.
“It’s inevitable that A.I. will affect our education,” said Ju Yuntae, an undergraduate at Yonsei who is studying physical education. He said he used ChatGPT to find research papers and for help with translating between English and Korean.
“But if students break a pact with their professors to refrain from using it,” he said, “then it is a matter of trust and a bigger issue.”
That covenant also appears to have been broken at Korea University in Seoul. Several students admitted to using A.I. during an online test last month for a class about aging societies, a university spokeswoman said, after one student reported that some had used a group chat to share recordings of their screens and answers throughout the test. Those students will be given a score of 0, the spokeswoman said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Seoul National University said that it had discovered that students used A.I. to cheat in a statistics exam, but did not disclose further details. The exam will be given again, the university said.
In recent years, these schools have set forth some A.I. guidelines. Korea University has an 82-page guidebook that states that “unauthorized use or submission of AI-generated content is considered academic misconduct.” Yonsei’s rules declare that using A.I to “generate the quintessential and creative output of research is prohibited.”
Lee T.H., a graduate student in computer engineering at Seoul National, said he started noticing students using A.I. soon after OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022. He now uses A.I. to speed up his coding.
“Some professors don’t like us using A.I.,” he said. “Some encourage it because it helps solve problems quickly.”
But, he added, “there isn’t really a way you can stop students from using it.”
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul.
A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 16, 2025, Section A, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: ChatGPT Use Is Suspected For Cheating In A.I. Course
NY Times · Jin Yu Young · November 14, 2025
7. Some Korean workers detained in Georgia immigration raid have returned to their jobs at Hyundai site
Summary:
Two months after a U.S. immigration raid detained 475 South Korean workers at Hyundai’s Georgia EV complex, some have returned to resume battery-plant construction for HL-GA Battery. Most were expelled for visa violations. Production targets early next year, but the raid strained U.S.–ROK ties and left workers unwilling to return.
Comment: What will be the long term impact of the Georgia ICE Raid debacle?
Some Korean workers detained in Georgia immigration raid have returned to their jobs at Hyundai site | CNN
CNN · Associated Press · November 14, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/14/us/hyundai-georgia-raid-korean-workers-back-hnk
Manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on September 4.
US Immigration and Customs/Reuters
Savannah, Georgia AP —
Two months after 300 South Korean nationals were detained and left the US following in an immigration raid at Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing site in Georgia, some of those workers have returned to America to resume those jobs, their employer said Thursday.
The September raid shut down work on a battery plant under construction at the sprawling site near Savannah where Hyundai Motor Group began producing electric vehicles last year.
Most of the 475 workers detained were South Korean nationals. US immigration officials said they entered the US with visas that had expired or with visa waivers that prohibited them from working.
The battery plant’s operator, HL-GA Battery Co., said in a statement Thursday that construction has resumed with a mix of new and returning workers. The company thanked the US and South Korean governments, as well as Georgia officials, “for their collaboration in supporting a smooth and timely return.”
“We remain on track to start production in the first half of next year and continue to actively hire local positions to operate the facility,” the battery company’s statement said.
An HL-GA Battery spokesperson, Mary Beth Kennedy, confirmed to The Associated Press that some of the returning workers were among the South Korean nationals detained in September. Kennedy said she did not know how many.
More than 300 South Korean workers were detained in an immigration raid September 4 at the sprawling site where the Hyundai Motor Group produces electric vehicles near Savannah. The workers spent a week at a Georgia detention center before the South Korean government negotiated their release and flew them home.
The roundup by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which released video showing some of the detained workers shackled in chains, sparked outrage and feelings of betrayal in South Korea, a key US ally that has pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in American investments.
The Georgia raid targeted one of the state’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, where Hyundai produces electric vehicles at a $7.6 billion plant. The 475 people detained all worked at the battery plant, which will produce batteries to power Hyundai EVs. It is operated by HL-GA Battery, a joint venture by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution.
The South Korean nationals detained in Georgia were largely engineers and other highly skilled workers who came to the US temporarily to install equipment and perform other specialized work to get the battery plant up and running.
It is unclear how many of the formerly detained workers are coming back. Jongwon Lee, an attorney in metro Atlanta, said he has firsthand knowledge of two Korean nationals who plan to return after the US State Department confirmed that their B-1 business visitor visas were still valid.
But Kihwan Kim, president of the Federation of Korean Associations for the Southeast US, said some of the workers snared in the raid are hesitant to return to the US.
“They don’t have to come to the United States to work after that kind of humiliation,” Kim said. “They can go to other countries.”
South Korea’s government demanded improvements to the US visa system for skilled Korean workers. Last month, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced that US officials had agreed to allow South Korean workers on short-term visas or a visa waiver program to help build industrial sites in America
US President Donald Trump initially defended the immigration raid in Georgia, saying in September that the detained workers “were here illegally, ” When asked about those workers again during an October visit to Seoul, Trump said: “I was opposed to getting them out.”
CNN · Associated Press · November 14, 2025
8. $15 Million Cyber Spoils Seized in Major Blow to North Korean Weapons Funding from U.S. Soil
Summary:
The Justice Department seized over $15 million and secured guilty pleas in a crackdown on DPRK revenue schemes using stolen identities, remote IT jobs, and APT38 crypto heists. Part of the DPRK RevGen initiative, the cases hit 136 U.S. firms and warn companies to vet remote workers more rigorously, closely.
Comment: We cannot afford to allow KJU's all purpose sword to operate without aggressive counter operations.
$15 Million Cyber Spoils Seized in Major Blow to North Korean Weapons Funding from U.S. Soil
hoodline.com · Alec Novak · November 14, 2025
https://hoodline.com/2025/11/15-million-cyber-spoils-seized-in-major-blow-to-north-korean-weapons-funding-from-u-s-soil/?utm
In a significant crackdown on North Korean revenue-generating cybercrimes, the U.S. Justice Department has reported a series of guilty pleas and the seizure of over $15 million concerning illicit IT work and virtual currency heists believed to be aiding the authoritarian regime's weapons program. These activities were in direct violation of U.S. sanctions imposed on North Korea, which aim to thwart the country's development of weapons and military technology.
At the heart of the scheme, North Korean facilitators manipulated the remote employment system to secure IT jobs with U.S. companies, employing fraudulent means such as using stolen identities. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated, "These actions demonstrate the Department’s comprehensive approach to disrupting North Korean efforts to finance their weapons program on the backs of Americans." The guilty pleas involved individuals within the United States who were complicit in these activities, hosting laptops and allowing remote access for the foreign IT workers who were posing, wrongly implying they were working domestically, as noted by the Justice Department.
The civil forfeiture complaints issued lay out the trail of deceit, where a known North Korean military hacking group, APT38, engaged in severe virtual currency thefts from various international platforms in 2023. In its commitment to disrupt these illicit financial flows, the U.S. government acted swiftly to freeze and seize digital assets, intending to return these funds to the rightful owners. FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky reinforced this stance, stating, “These guilty pleas send a clear message: No matter who or where you are, if you support North Korea's efforts to victimize U.S. businesses and citizens, the FBI will find you and bring you to justice. We ask all our private sector partners to improve their security process for vetting remote workers and to remain vigilant regarding this emerging threat,” as noted by the same press release.
The recent legal measures are part of the Department’s DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, which aims to target and disrupt North Korea’s illicit revenue schemes and their U.S.-based facilitators. Just earlier this November, three U.S. nationals pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in the Southern District of Georgia, as evidenced in the case investigations led by the FBI Augusta (Georgia) Resident Agency. Sharing the urgency of these concerns, U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia told the Justice Department they are committed to pursuing individuals that seek to harm the United States.
Alongside the domestic efforts to curb these cybercrimes, international cooperation has played a crucial role, with Ukrainian and Polish authorities partaking in the arrest and extradition of co-conspirators involved in identity theft and wire fraud operations. The comprehensive response showcases a determined global stand against the North Korean government's complex and covert attempts to sidestep sanctions and bolster its controversial weapons programs. More than 136 U.S. companies were impacted by these schemes, a lonely reminder of the pervasive reach and nuanced threats posed by state-sponsored cyber activities.
For further information on the specific cases and the actions taken by the Justice Department, the full report can be reviewed on their official website.
hoodline.com · Alec Novak · November 14, 2025
9. AI boom requires lots of energy. Korea isn't moving fast enough.
Summary:
South Korea’s AI surge is straining power supplies, forcing universities and future data centers to hit electricity limits. Massive GPU deployments would need nuclear-scale power, yet new reactors, gas plants, and grid projects are stalled amid political hesitation and local opposition. Reliance on costly renewables risks higher rates and AI investment moving abroad.
Comment: Is any nation moving fast enough? Graphics at the link.
AI boom requires lots of energy. Korea isn't moving fast enough.
Published: 16 Nov. 2025, 07:00
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-11-16/business/industry/AI-boom-requires-lots-of-energy-Korea-isnt-moving-fast-enough/2453729
Korea JoongAng Daily
AI boom requires lots of energy. Korea isn't moving fast enough.
7 min
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
The Kori-2 nuclear reactor in Busan on Nov. 13 [NEWS1]
As AI research accelerates, Korean universities are facing a growing power shortage — so severe that some have had to restrict energy use by shutting down servers in other labs.
"AI research consumes massive amounts of electricity, and power-related issues are becoming more frequent," said a professor at a university in the Seoul metropolitan area.
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"Even if Nvidia delivers high-performance GPUs as promised, we may not be able to use them due to electricity constraints."
Korea has found itself at the center of a global AI power race. While the announced supply of 260,000 GPUs from Nvidia has eased concerns about AI computing power, a more pressing issue remains: electricity.
Operating a data center equipped with 260,000 GPUs, based on the GB200 model, would require around 600 megawatts of power, including for cooling systems — nearly half the output of an APR-1400 nuclear reactor, Korea’s newest large-scale reactor model.
Experts warn that Korea may be ill-prepared for this surge in demand. While other countries are moving to secure additional nuclear capacity, Korea has made very little effort in that direction following the phaseout policy of the Moon Jae-in administration. The infrastructure needed to transmit electricity, such as power grids, is also not keeping pace.
The United States is restarting shuttered nuclear plants and expanding natural gas power generation to secure electricity for its AI ambitions. Britain has resumed nuclear construction and even Germany — which once pursued a nuclear phaseout — is now reconsidering the option.
“Despite long-held environmental concerns about nuclear power generation, political leaders across the globe are increasingly looking to lift restrictions on nuclear reactors or invest billions in new projects to keep pace with the fast-rising demand for low-carbon energy, which is expected to accelerate as AI data centers grow,” according to a Guardian report on June 1.
“The United States is relying on natural gas to meet the electricity needs of data centers, while China is turning to coal,” Yoo Seung-hoon, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, said.
“The United States is blending energy sources — using solar and energy storage systems as supplemental sources while relying mainly on natural gas,” said Ham Wan-kyun, the CEO of energy consultancy Solution Strategy Partners. He added that Washington provides tax incentives for a wide range of technologies, from small modular reactors to carbon capture, instead of favoring one energy source.
A render of the SK AI data center in Ulsan [SK GROUP]
Korea, by contrast, is heavily tilted toward renewables.
“We urgently need vast amounts of electricity for data centers, and the only energy system capable of supplying it quickly is renewable energy,” President Lee Jae Myung said in a press briefing marking his 100th day in office in September.
He also said there is no available site for a new nuclear plant, and even if construction began now, it would take 15 years before the plant becomes operational.
Under Korea’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector must fall by 68.8 to 75.3 percent from 2018 levels by 2035. That means phasing out fossil fuels, especially coal, and ramping up investment in solar and wind power. The government plans to expand renewable energy capacity from 34 gigawatts to 100 gigawatts by 2030, up from a previous target of 78 gigawatts.
While Seoul did take a step toward nuclear power with the inclusion of two new large-scale nuclear reactors in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, their fates remain uncertain. Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-whan has said any decision on new nuclear plants should reflect public consensus.
Two large-scale reactors are scheduled to begin operation between 2037 and 2038, but in order to meet that timeline, sites must be selected within this year. However, the process is currently at a standstill. Resuming operation for the Kori-2 nuclear reactor in Busan was belatedly confirmed Thursday after the government delayed the decision in both September and October.
The logo for the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment in Sejong on Sept. 30. [NEWS1]
Chung Bum-jin, a professor of nuclear engineering at Kyung Hee University, criticized the delays.
“Experts like the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety have already completed safety reviews,” Prof. Chung said. “Delaying reactivation for administrative reasons is hard to understand. If the government continues to avoid nuclear and relies only on expensive renewables, data centers may look abroad for cheaper electricity.”
Another issue is the high cost of renewable energy. According to BloombergNEF, Korea’s levelized cost of electricity — the lifetime cost of construction, maintenance and operation against the value of the total power output — for solar power stood at $98 per megawatt-hour in 2024 — more than twice the global average of $35. Nuclear power’s rate was about $53.30 per megawatt-hour.
“Given that renewable energy costs significantly more than nuclear, [the current policy] will inevitably lead to electricity rate hikes in the short term,” Korea Electric Power Corporation CEO Kim Dong-cheol said in a press conference on Nov. 5.
Korea’s emission trading system is also putting added pressure on power companies. By 2030, the cost of purchasing carbon allowances is projected to rise by up to 4 trillion won ($2.72 billion).
A bird's-eye view of Naver Cloud's AI data center in Sejong [NAVER CLOUD]
Prof. Yoo emphasized the advantages of gas-fired plants.
“They take only two to three years to build, provide stable 24-hour power and offer flexible output control,” he said. “We need gas generation now, but also must expedite the construction of new nuclear reactors for affordable, long-term power.”
Transmission infrastructure is another bottleneck. According to Rep. Park Jeung of the Democratic Party, 30 of the 54 transmission projects listed in the 11th Basic Plan are either delayed or expected to face delays. A power line connecting plants on Korea’s east coast to the Seoul metropolitan area was originally scheduled for completion in 2019, but is now projected to finish in late 2026 at the earliest.
Local opposition is a major hurdle to accelerating grid construction.
“The first phase of the global AI race will likely be decided by 2030,” said Park Jong-bae, a professor of electrical engineering at Konkuk University. “That means speed is critical in building data centers. Rather than waiting for grid expansion, we should promote regional distribution — directing renewable-powered centers to the Jeolla region and those needing stable, cheap electricity to the Gyeongsang region, where nuclear and thermal plants are concentrated.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY AHN HYO-SEONG [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]
10. Korea needs faster and smarter defense AI systems
Summary:
Warfare is shifting from platforms to algorithms, making “decision dominance” through fast, integrated defense AI essential for Korea. The author urges a unified defense AI cloud, fast-track acquisition including foreign platforms, robust cybersecurity and resilience, specialized AI-military talent, and strong governance to ensure human control while building K-defense AI capabilities.
Korea needs faster and smarter defense AI systems
Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 00:04
Lim Jong-in
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-11-17/opinion/columns/Korea-needs-faster-and-smarter-defense-AI-systems/2455323
The author is an honorary professor at the Graduate School of Information Security at Korea University and a former special adviser to the president on cybersecurity.
The nature of warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift. Tanks, fighter jets and missiles once defined combat power. Today, algorithms are emerging as the decisive factor. AI now interprets battlefield conditions in real time, makes judgments and responds faster than humans. In this new environment, the key advantage is securing “decision dominance,” the ability to sense, decide and act faster than an adversary. In short, building faster and smarter AI systems has become central to national defense and to success on future battlefields.
Autonomous Robotic Dogs walk in the 250th birthday parade on June 14 in Washington. The U.S. Army is marking its 250th birthday with a military parade including roughly 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles and over 50 aircraft. The parade, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, is designed to tell the history of the Army. [AFP/YONHAP]
Major countries have already entered a rapid arms race to integrate AI into defense systems. The United States is building a kill-web architecture in which AI synthesizes battlefield data, analyzes threats and determines optimal responses in real time. Autonomous weapons act as hands and feet, and space-based assets, including clusters of small satellites, function as eyes and neural networks. By sharply reducing the time between detection, decision and strike, the kill-web is becoming a game changer in future warfare.
Speed is the defining feature of this competition. Korea must adopt defense AI technologies quickly if it wants to avoid falling behind. A starting point should be integrating dispersed military data centers into a unified cloud-based defense AI center and accelerating the introduction of AI across all branches of the military.
Existing acquisition systems, built around hardware procurement, cannot keep pace with rapid AI development. Korea needs fast-track acquisition procedures. It would be counterproductive to insist on a strictly military-led or domestic-only approach that slows deployment. In the short term, Korea should adopt proven foreign platforms. Over the medium and long term, it can gradually localize key modules through partnerships with domestic firms. But such imports must come with thorough safeguards to protect data sovereignty, intellectual property and prevent vendor lock-in.
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Security, however, must be considered as seriously as speed. Recent disruptions at the National Information Resources Service, caused by a fire, illustrate how a single shock can disable critical systems. If defense AI infrastructure were attacked, the military’s brain, eyes and limbs could be paralyzed before a conflict even begins. Cyberattacks that exploit weaknesses in AI models could corrupt decisions or cause unintended damage. In the age of algorithmic warfare, defense AI systems and data centers must be treated as primary targets and protected with resilient cybersecurity and recovery frameworks.
Developing a skilled work force is equally important. More GPUs do not automatically translate into more capable defense AI. Without trained specialists who understand both AI technologies and military operations, even the most advanced infrastructure cannot function effectively. Given the rapid evolution and limited life span of GPU technologies, hardware that cannot be deployed efficiently becomes wasteful. The military should establish education programs for AI specialists, create exchange pathways with the private sector and form a dedicated AI corps.
People try the Palantir Maven Smart System during the Defence Security Equipment International Japan at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan May 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Ensuring responsible governance over defense AI is another essential task. Improperly controlled military AI could heighten concerns among the public and allies. Korea must establish operational guidelines, maintain safeguards that guarantee human judgment and intervention, and create an independent review body to oversee defense AI applications.
To build competitive defense AI capabilities, the country cannot afford gaps in any area. Korea must advance model development, expand an integrated AI data center, implement fast-track procurement, adopt and localize foreign platforms through phased strategies, train and secure operational and cybersecurity specialists and create a clear framework for oversight. These efforts must proceed simultaneously and with urgency.
Only through swift but balanced progress can Korea position its defense AI capabilities as a defining pillar of K-defense and prepare for a battlefield where algorithms, not arms alone, determine who prevails.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
11. South Korea to spend $33B to support US forces deterring North Korea
Summary:
South Korea will spend $25 billion on U.S. weapons and $33 billion supporting USFK, raise defense outlays toward 3.5 percent of GDP, and pursue nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. fuel approvals. Ambiguity remains over sub construction location and USFK’s regional role, amid intensifying deterrence against North Korea and concerns about China.
South Korea to spend $33B to support US forces deterring North Korea
Allies say ROK will also purchase $25B worth of American weapons, but offer no details on where nuke sub will be built
Jeongmin Kim | Joon Ha Park November 14, 2025
https://www.nknews.org/2025/11/south-korea-to-spend-33b-to-support-us-forces-deterring-north-korea/
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung gazes at a model of B-2A bomber in the Oval Office during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 25, 2025. | Image: Official White House Photo by Emily J. Higgins
South Korea has agreed to spend nearly $60 billion to purchase U.S. military equipment and support American forces on the peninsula tasked with countering North Korea, the allies announced on Friday.
According to a joint fact sheet released by the White House, Seoul will spend $25 billion on “military equipment purchases” by 2030, as well as provide “comprehensive support for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)” worth $33 billion by an unspecified date.
The readout confirms agreements that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump reached during their meetings in South Korea in late October and at the White House in August, such as ROK’s commitment to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP “as soon as possible.”
It notes that South Korea “pledged to accelerate efforts to strengthen its military capabilities necessary to lead the combined conventional defense against the DPRK” through measures such as the acquisition of advanced U.S. weapons.
“Both leaders … called on the DPRK to return to meaningful dialogue and abide by its international obligations, including by abandoning its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” the fact sheet states.
Trump and Lee also vowed to continue trilateral security cooperation with Japan, reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK and pledged to implement the 2018 Trump-Kim Jong Un joint statement in Singapore, according to the readout.
The White House reiterated that the U.S. has “given approval” for Seoul to build nuclear-powered submarines, as Trump announced after the October summit, and stated that the U.S. “supports” South Korean uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for “peaceful uses,” including to fuel the submarines.
But the fact sheet did not provide any clarification about where such submarines would be built, amid conflicting statements from the two sides in recent weeks about whether construction will take place in the U.S. or South Korea.
While the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to “continue alliance cooperation toward the transition of wartime operational control” (OPCON), the readout did not provide a timeline for the decades-long transition.
Later Friday evening, the South Korean defense ministry released a joint communique on the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held Nov. 4, which appeared to be timed with the release of the fact sheet.
The SCM statement expanded on how the allies will implement the 2018 Singapore declaration by pursuing four main pledges: improving U.S.-DPRK relations, establishing a peace regime on the peninsula, pursuing denuclearization and recovering the remains of U.S. soldiers that fought in the Korean War.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and ROK defense minister Ahn Gyu-back also agreed to work toward conditions-based OPCON transfer and to carry out verification of the Future Combined Forces Command’s Full Operational Capability (FOC) — the second of three phases — next year.
South Korea’s Missile Defense Command launches a Patriot surface-to-air missile during an interception drill | Image: ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (Nov. 6, 2024)
DEFENSE SPENDING AND US WEAPONS
South Korea and the U.S. signed their latest defense cost-sharing agreement in Oct. 2024, ahead of Trump’s election, raising Seoul’s contribution to USFK to $1.13 billion in 2026, an 8.3% increase from this year.
But it remains unclear from the fact sheet whether the newly announced $33 billion in support for USFK will replace the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which covers from 2026 to 2030, or is an entirely separate agreement between the two allies.
Seoul’s pledge to raise defense spending “gradually” to 3.5% of GDP, matching the targets of several European U.S. allies, would mark a substantial jump from 2.3% for the proposed 2026 defense budget ($48 billion). The fact sheet did not provide a timeline beyond stating that South Korea will reach the goal “as soon as possible in accordance with ROK legal requirements.”
The fact sheet did not specify which U.S. military systems the ROK will purchase as part of the $25 billion in planned acquisitions.
However, multiple South Korean outlets have reported that Seoul provided Washington with a comprehensive wishlist seeking 20 additional F-35A Lightning II fighters, upgrades to the F-35A, KF-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15K Slam Eagle fleets and modernization of the Patriot PAC-3 system. Proposed new acquisitions reportedly include surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms like maritime patrol aircraft and airborne early warning and control aircraft, as well as long-range surface-to-air missiles and ship-based ballistic-missile interceptors.
Shin Seung-ki, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), predicted that Seoul will prioritize acquiring weapons systems from Washington that it “urgently needs but cannot quickly develop on its own.”
He assessed that the F-35A remains operationally superior to the still-evolving ROK KF-21 jet, explaining that Seoul still needs U.S. aerial technology to bolster defenses against Pyongyang.
The expert added that South Korea also struggles to quickly produce platforms like the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which are essential for ROK navy operations to track down North Korean and Chinese submarines.
Meanwhile, the SCM joint communique adds that the level of USFK troops and the allies’ readiness posture will be “maintained sustainably.”
The ROKS Shin Chae-ho, the last of South Korea’s Jangbogo-III (KSS-III) class Batch I submarines on duty | Image: ROK Defense Acquisition Program Administration (April 4, 2024)
NUCLEAR SUBMARINE AND URANIUM ENRICHMENT
At a press conference Friday, Lee called nuclear-powered submarines “a decades-long national aspiration of the ROK” and “an essential strategic asset for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” He said delays in finalizing the fact sheet stemmed from the need for coordination “within the U.S. government” on uranium enrichment, reprocessing and other related issues.
Following Lee’s remarks, ROK National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters that most specifics on enrichment and reprocessing “have largely been agreed upon” but provided no clarification on key technical points, such as whether the submarine will use low-enriched or highly enriched uranium, and how much the U.S. will permit for enrichment.
Wi added that consultations continue on adjusting the so-called U.S.-ROK 123 Agreement, which restricts South Korea’s enrichment of nuclear fuel and requires adjustment for submarine development to move forward. He said the AUKUS model — which invoked an exception clause under Section 91 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act — is one of the options under review.
The nuclear-powered submarine “has nothing to do with nuclear arms,” he explained. “It is for a reactor engine intended for military use — a propulsion engine.”
Senior ROK officials have repeatedly stressed that the submarine initiative is not linked to the pursuit of nuclear weapons, apparently aiming to squash potential misunderstanding and criticism after the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration openly floated nuclear armament.
Friday’s announcement follows weeks of controversy over where the submarine will be built. Trump said in October that it will be constructed at the Philly Shipyard, but Seoul officials have since insisted that construction must take place in South Korea.
Lee during the press conference said that U.S. and ROK are exploring measures that would allow U.S. commercial and Navy vessels to be built in South Korea, but did not comment on whether the ROK nuclear submarines will be built there as well. Wi, however, stated unequivocally that discussions have proceeded on the “premise” that they will be constructed in the ROK.
“At one point, the question of where it would be built did arise,” he said. “But according to the records I have, our president clearly said that we will build it here … From start to finish, discussions between Trump and Lee proceeded on the premise that it would be built in Korea, and at no point involved building our submarine in the U.S.”
Ban Kil-joo, an assistant professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, warned that releasing such details in a joint fact sheet could become “a liability” for Seoul, constraining its options during a construction process that could take 15 years or more.
Shin of KIDA predicted that the U.S. will accommodate future requests to build nuclear submarines in South Korea, as Washington will see strengthening Seoul’s naval capabilities as necessary not just to deter Pyongyang, but also Beijing.
ROK and U.S. military personnel during a joint drill in May 2024 | Image: U.S. Forces Korea via Facebook
USFK FLEXIBILITY
For weeks, South Korean media have reported that Seoul and Washington were working to reaffirm a 2006 understanding between the allies, under which the U.S. said it respects South Korea’s position that USFK will not be drawn into “regional conflicts in Northeast Asia contrary to the will of the Korean people.”
The push came as the Trump administration’s new national security team has suggested that Seoul should assume greater regional responsibility or allow more formal flexibility for USFK to respond to a potential Taiwan contingency.
According to local reports, Seoul sought to secure language limiting such expectations, while offering concessions in defense spending and U.S. weapons purchases as part of the broader negotiation package.
The fact sheet released Friday states that the allies will strengthen conventional deterrence against “all regional threats to the Alliance, including the DPRK,” and reaffirmed “relevant understandings since 2006.”
While not directly mentioning Taiwan or China, the language suggests that U.S. and ROK forces could play a role in military contingencies beyond the peninsula.
The readout goes on to stress the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and compliance with the international law of the sea — both likely references to Chinese activities — while emphasizing the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait.
The U.S.-ROK talks on military issues coincided with bargaining over tariffs and nuclear energy, which Lee on Friday described as “an involuntary negotiation” shaped by global shifts and U.S. demands.
“We had no choice but to minimize losses,” he said. “The only leverage we had was to endure — and that was the most difficult part.”
But Lee emphasized that the U.S. reaffirmed its “firm commitment” in continuing to station USFK on the peninsula, linking this to Seoul’s pursuit of OPCON transfer and sharply higher defense spending.
While he did not refer to North Korea directly during the press conference, he repeatedly mentioned China and the impact of its economic and military competition with the U.S.
“Over the next 10 years, the international order will undergo far faster and more profound change than anything we have seen in the past century,” he said. “There are no eternal enemies and no eternal friends. Only national interest is eternal.”
Last updated at 7:35 p.m. KST to include SCM joint statement details.
Edited by Bryan Betts
12. A witch hunt in the name of tracking ‘insurrectionist’ officials
Summary:
Prime Minister Kim’s sweeping ‘Constitutional Order Reform’ probe will scrutinize up to 750,000 civil servants for links to Yoon’s failed martial law, using interrogations and device forensics. Critics warn of rights violations, McCarthy-style purges, demoralized bureaucracy and politicized control before elections, arguing courts should decide insurrection, not investigations threatening governance.
Comment: Korea needs to tread lightly. This will likely blowback.
A witch hunt in the name of tracking ‘insurrectionist’ officials
Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 00:02
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-11-17/opinion/columns/A-witch-hunt-in-the-name-of-tracking-insurrectionist-officials/2455385
Chang Se-jeong
The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok’s plan to create a “Constitutional Order Reform Task Force” under his office, which he reported to President Lee Jae Myung during a Cabinet meeting last week, is an idea difficult to imagine in a liberal democracy. The proposal calls for establishing a central task force and forming investigation teams of at least 10 members in each of the 49 central ministries and agencies, which together employ some 750,000 civil servants. When Kim presented the plan, President Lee approved it, saying it was “something that must be done.” The sudden shift toward a sweeping purge of the bureaucracy, framed as rooting out sympathizers to insurrection, raises questions about what happened to the administration’s early emphasis on unity and pragmatism.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan on Nov. 11. [YONHAP]
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, investigators will scrutinize two groups of public officials: those who allegedly engaged in planning or carrying out the Dec. 3 martial law declaration during the six months leading up to it, and those who, from the time martial law was declared until April 4 — when the Constitutional Court issued its ruling — sought to justify or downplay it, or provided personnel or material support using their official positions. The investigation will involve interviews that resemble interrogations, written inquiries and digital forensics. Officials’ work computers will be inspected, and investigators will “encourage” a voluntary submission of personal mobile phones. Many expect that refusal will lead to suspicion and stigma, making the request effectively coercive.
The government plans to conduct the inquiry through the end of January and carry out personnel overhauls before the Lunar New Year holiday in February. With 750,000 potential targets, frustration is already spreading. Civil servants are also citizens entitled to constitutional rights. Treating them indiscriminately as suspects risks paralyzing the bureaucracy. In a system where promotion is central to career advancement, such scrutiny could turn ministries into places of mutual distrust, backbiting and denunciation. Reports of anonymous accusations and rumors already circulating within the military and police only heighten concern.
Several explanations have been floated for this drastic approach. Some observers believe the administration is trying to reverse negative sentiment after controversy over the Daejang-dong appeal decision. Others interpret the move as an attempt to exert political control over the bureaucracy ahead of the June local elections. Whatever the motives, the costs of a demoralized civil service will ultimately fall on the public.
The former president’s abrupt declaration of martial law was already ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, and he was removed from office. However, the court did not decide on the criminal question of insurrection. Former president Yoon, now detained, continues to contest the charge in court. If the judiciary ultimately determines that an insurrection occurred, those responsible should face legal accountability.
Related Article
Many Koreans remain bewildered by the episode. Even Cabinet ministers reportedly had no idea that Yoon would call a midnight meeting and announce martial law on live television. Former Land Minister Park Sang-woo told the court that Cabinet members themselves “were victims,” a claim that may not simply be self-justification. A number of officials lost their positions and reputations overnight despite having no involvement. Given that the National Assembly voted to lift the martial law within hours, it is difficult to see how the actions of a small group justify treating the entire civil service as potential collaborators.
The People Power Party has denounced the plan as a form of communistic governance, comparing it to a medieval witch hunt, although its limited numbers make it unlikely to stop the initiative. The approach recalls McCarthyism in the United States during the Cold War or the surveillance regime of East Germany’s Stasi, practices incompatible with contemporary liberal democracy.
The Lee administration has recently moved away from some policies of the Moon Jae-in government, as shown by its decision to extend the life of the Kori-2 nuclear reactor. President Lee has also shifted toward a more pragmatic line in foreign and economic policy, acknowledging the limits of a “pro-U.S. but economically China-reliant” strategy and strengthening cooperation with Washington during the bilateral summit. These moves align with national interests. Moon’s drive to “eradicate deep-rooted evils,” however well-intentioned, ultimately fueled division and was judged harshly by the public. A small group of fervent supporters may applaud a similar purge today, but repeating Moon’s error would risk making both the president and the country worse off.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
13. 'Stealth' K3 Tank Will Run On Hydrogen And Looks Like a B-21 Raider Bomber
Summary:
South Korea’s K3 is a next generation stealth tank from Hyundai Rotem and ADD to replace the K2, combining low signature shaping, crew and ammunition separation, active protection and sensor fusion with hybrid then hydrogen fuel cell propulsion, promising quieter, cooler operations but requiring major new logistics and refueling infrastructure.
Comment: Photos at the link. I look forward to the comments from the armored experts on this new tank.
'Stealth' K3 Tank Will Run On Hydrogen And Looks Like a B-21 Raider Bomber
nationalsecurityjournal.org · Jack Buckby · November 16, 2025
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/stealth-k3-tank-will-run-on-hydrogen-and-looks-like-a-b-21-raider-bomber/
Key Points and Summary: South Korea’s K3 Stealth Tank Is Coming
-South Korea’s K3 concept is a hydrogen-powered “stealth tank” that tries to solve the drone-and-sensor battlefield problem by shrinking its signatures.
-Developed by Hyundai Rotem and ADD to replace the K2 Black Panther, the K3 uses B-21-style blended surfaces, crew and ammo separation, active protection, and sensor fusion to be harder to find and kill.
K3 Stealth Tank from South Korea. Image Credit: Industry Handout.
-The radical part is propulsion: hybrid at first, then full hydrogen fuel cells, promising quieter, cooler running. But hydrogen storage, refueling, and maintenance are huge hurdles, meaning Seoul will need major logistics changes before K3s appear in real numbers in the 2030s–2040s.
-National Security Journal presents original photos from our time of the model of the K3 presented in Poland several months back.
K3: Meet South Korea’s Hydrogen-Powered “Stealth Tank”
South Korea is ploughing ahead with radical plans for a next-generation main battle tank powered by hydrogen.
The K3, currently under development by Hyundai Rotem and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), is set to feature full-hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion, significantly reduced acoustic and thermal signatures, and a hull/turret profile with blended surfaces that sort of resembles the design of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
Yes, it’s a tank that looks like America’s next-generation bomber.
For Seoul, the news is significant. It’s not just an evolution of the K2 tank, but a massive leap forward in terms of technology, design, and battlefield dynamics.
A tank like this wouldn’t need to be built if the battlefield environment had mainly stayed the same, but it hasn’t. Tanks are more vulnerable than ever thanks to the rise of drones and sensors – and this remarkable new design is intended to not only be more survivable, but also harder to find.
But is a hydrogen-powered “stealth tank” really viable? And what does it tell us about the role of armored vehicles through the 2030s and beyond?
Here’s What We Know
Hyundai Rotem formally launched development of the K3 program fairly recently – in mid-2025, in fact. The aim was to produce all necessary K3 armored vehicles by 2040 with a view to replacing the current K2 Black Panther.
The company has described the K3’s focus as encompassing firepower, stealthy mobility, and network-enabled situational awareness. In many ways, this is a stealth aircraft compacted into a ground vehicle – and it keeps some of the same visual design cues, too.
Concept renderings released so far show a hull and turret geometry that lock in the blocky, box-like lines and contours one might typically expect from a tank.
Instead, the vehicle features smooth slopes, super-flush panels, and very few protrusions.
K3 Tank from South Korea National Security Journal Photo.
K3 Full Scale Model National Security Journal Photo.
K3 Detailed Model View Image by National Security Journal.
And it’s obvious why: just like aircraft are forced to store their weapons internally, a tank must minimize external protrusions and maintain a slick, sleek exterior that is harder to “see.”
The difference, however, is that tanks cannot fully replicate the “stealth” capabilities of an aircraft like the B-21.
After all, tanks can only maneuver in two dimensions and could always be spotted by sensors and drones.
However, Hyundai Rotem’s pitch is that the K3 is explicitly designed to withstand attacks from above – so not only is it harder to detect on a radar, but it’s also better capable of withstanding drone attacks if and when they do arrive.
Among the measures deployed to ensure the tank is as protected as possible are ammo and crew separation – meaning armored capsules protect the crew from ammunition inside the vehicle – and new active protection systems. Sensor fusion technology will also enhance survivability.
Hydrogen Power: The Big Question On the K3 Tank
While the appearance of the K3 may immediately seem like the most striking aspect of this new tank’s design, its propulsion system is just as interesting. Hyundai Rotem states that the intention is to adopt full hydrogen fuel-cell technology in the long term, and hybrid hydrogen-diesel in the early stages.
According to the firm, hydrogen systems will offer reduced acoustic noise, lower thermal output (due to the exhaust being primarily water), and potentially improved fuel efficiency and mobility.
But the leap from concept to viability is by no means trivial. This is a significant leap in technological capability, deviating widely from the norm and presenting a number of maintenance and sustainment challenges in the near- and medium-term.
Hydrogen storage presents a number of challenges: tanks demand high energy density, ruggedness in extreme terrain, rapid refueling, and reliability on the battlefield.
These are all areas where diesel and gas-turbine power systems have proven themselves perfectly capable. The absence of widespread hydrogen refueling infrastructure makes this design hugely ambitious, adding a major logistical complication to a system that has largely already been perfected.
So while these fuel-cell tanks are technically feasible – though impressive – their fielding will require a major overhaul of supply-chain and maintenance systems. And that’s not going to be easy.
But if they can pull it off, it’ll be worth it. In theory, anyway. From a signature standpoint, hydrogen propulsion could indeed yield tangible benefits.
A cooler exhaust and quieter power-train will reduce IR and acoustic detectability, which is valuable when adversaries use thermal imaging, acoustic sensors, and ISR platforms. There is, however, a tradeoff: performance under sustained combat conditions must not suffer.
Only time will tell if Hyundai Rotem can pull it off.
Early prototypes are expected later this decade, but Hyundai Rotem says actual low-rate initial production is unlikely before the mid-2030s – and most likely some time in the early 2040s.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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nationalsecurityjournal.org · Jack Buckby · November 16, 2025
14. ＜Analysis of N. Korean photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (1) Smuggling Vehicles Fill Even School Playgrounds; Parking Shortage Emerges in Hyesan City (Part 1)
Comment: Extensive photos at the link. What does this tell us about smuggling and the security services? If activities are conducted with state sanction, is it smuggling?
＜Analysis of N. Korean photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (1) Smuggling Vehicles Fill Even School Playgrounds; Parking Shortage Emerges in Hyesan City
2025.11.14
https://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2025/11/society-economy/smuggling-2/
ASIAPRESS took photos of large numbers of smuggling vehicles parked in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province—which faces Changbai County in China's Jilin Province—during reporting along the North Korea-China border region this past September. So many Chinese vehicles had flowed into Hyesan that hundreds could be seen with the naked eye, creating parking shortages throughout the city. We analyzed the situation in downtown Hyesan, photographed with a super-telephoto lens, using satellite imagery. (JEON Sung-jun)
◆Parking locations in downtown Hyesan
Photo 1
Photo 1: Chinese-made heavy equipment, including bulldozers and excavators, loaded on a freight train. They appear ready to depart for other regions after being smuggled in.
Looking closely, people drinking canned beer can be seen next to an excavator. Across from them is a tent fashioned from a bulldozer bucket. It seems to have been created as a resting space for transport personnel during the journey to their destination. This illustrates North Korea's poor transportation conditions.
Photo 2
Photo 2: Smuggling vehicles parked inside the Hyesan Forestry Machinery Factory compound. Container trucks are visible alongside passenger cars.
Photo 3
Photo 3: Identical models of large container trucks (top) and pickup trucks (bottom) parked side by side. Covered vehicles are popular as they don't reveal their contents and offer better theft protection.
Photo 4
Photo 4: While only white passenger cars were there the previous day, cargo trucks and passenger cars are newly parked on this day. They appear to be vehicles smuggled in overnight.
Photo 5
Photo 5: Various types of vehicles parked inside the factory compound. With parking space insufficient, they've even encroached on vegetable plots.
Photo 6
Photo 6: A small vacant lot behind a building is also packed with smuggling vehicles. Next to the vehicles stands a large cargo truck loaded with wrapped goods.
Photo 7
Photo 7: Vehicles are also parked in vacant lots near residential areas. The blue hut visible in the corner appears to be a temporary structure for vehicle security.
Google Satellite Image 1
Google Satellite Image 1: Marked on Google Maps are the locations of smuggling vehicles parked throughout Hyesan's Gangan-dong neighborhood.
◆Hyesan Struggles with Parking Shortage
Photo 8
Photo 8: This is Wiyeon Middle School in Hyesan's Wiyeon-dong. The school playground where children should be playing is completely filled with smuggling vehicles. The parking shortage in downtown Hyesan appears serious.
Google Satellite Image 2
Google Satellite Image 2: Vehicles are parked even in the playground and vacant areas of this school situated on a mountainside.
Photo 9
Photo 9: Large vehicles lined up along one side of the road. This is the entrance to the former Hyesan Textile Factory site, which was demolished last year and is now used as a large parking lot.
Google Satellite Image 3
Google Satellite Image 3: Numerous trucks were gathered next to the Hyesan Textile Factory site, which NK News reported in August this year had been converted into a parking lot for large trucks. (Continued>>2)
※ All photos taken from the Chinese side of the border in September 2025, Hyesan, Ryanggang Province (ASIAPRESS)
Our reporting partners say that areas such as Kim Hyung-jik-gun and Go-eup are active in vehicle smuggling.
15. ＜Analysis of N. Korean Photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (2) State Smuggling Along Yalu River Captured in Satellite Images; Over 20 Operational Sites Identified (Part 2)
Comment: Part 2. Again, extensive photos at the link. How can this be exploited?
＜Analysis of N. Korean Photos＞N.K-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (2) State Smuggling Along Yalu River Captured in Satellite Images; Over 20 Operational Sites Identified
2025.11.14
https://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang/2025/11/society-economy/smuggling-3/
Analysis of the latest Google Earth satellite imagery has captured compelling evidence that large-scale state smuggling is occurring along the upper Yalu River at the North Korea-China border on a far greater scale than previously anticipated. It appears certain that smuggling operations are being conducted on a massive scale, with large heavy equipment, including excavators, carving routes across the river and base camps being established on sandbars in the Yalu River. (JEON Sung-jun)
＜Analysis of N. Korean photos＞North Korea-China Border: Scene of Massive State Smuggling (1) Smuggling Vehicles Fill Even School Playgrounds; Parking Shortage Emerges in Hyesan City
◆24 Sites Along 80km Stretch of Yalu River
Photo 1: Twenty-four smuggling points detected along an approximately 80-kilometer stretch near Hyesan in the upper Yalu River.
Through analysis of Google Earth satellite images taken on July 31 and September 13, 2025, evidence was discovered indicating vigorous smuggling activity through shallow fords along the upper Yalu River.
A total of 24 smuggling routes were identified along just an approximately 80-kilometer stretch between Hyesan and Kim Jong Suk County in Ryanggang Province, with at least five of these locations showing traces of huge smuggling operations using large vehicles. This amounts to roughly one smuggling hub per every 4 kilometers.
◆Heavy Equipment Deployed to Open Smuggling Routes
Photo 2: Heavy equipment on standby at a smuggling location.
Heavy equipment, including excavators, was detected on both banks at smuggling locations. They appear to serve the role of clearing shallow, fast-flowing upstream rapids to allow vehicle passage.
Satellite images even captured excavators actually working in the water. Particularly at locations where large-scale smuggling is underway, multiple pieces of heavy equipment were confirmed on standby for clearing waterways.
Photo 3: Excavator at work securing routes for smuggling vehicles. The water appears too deep for passenger cars to cross.
Most routes appear somewhat too deep for passenger cars to cross, suggesting they are transported across on trailer vehicles. Among photos taken by ASIAPRESS in downtown Hyesan, large smuggling trailer vehicles that appeared to have carried passenger cars were visible. (See photos)
Photo 4 (thumbnail): Trailer vehicle seemingly intended to transport passenger cars. Vehicle securing devices remain in the cargo bed.
◆Using Yalu River Sandbars as Base Camps
Photo 5: Location 16 appears to be where smuggling is most active. About twenty vehicles stand on the sandbar used as a base camp, with a large parking lot visible on the North Korean side.
The most audacious smuggling hub is a sandbar near Kim Jong Suk County. As seen in satellite imagery, one side of the island has been cleared to serve as a smuggling base camp. Access from the Chinese side to the island is through a ford, while a temporary bridge has been constructed on the route from the island to North Korea.
Photo 6: Based on the island, the Chinese side is connected via a ford while the North Korean side is linked by a temporary bridge.
Following the road created by vehicle traffic reveals barbed wire fencing that appears to have been modified to open and close for vehicle passage.
Photo 7: A parking lot converted from farm fields is visible beside the Yalu River fence. Approximately 60 vehicles are parked there.
Past the fence, a large parking lot immediately appears, which seems to have been converted from farm fields based on previous satellite images showing crops growing there. As of September 13, 2025, over 60 large vehicles were parked in this expansive lot.
The scene captured by ASIAPRESS showing large vehicles traveling in convoy through Hyesan's outskirts can be interpreted as vehicles that crossed this way being transported to other regions.
Photo 8: Identical model cargo vehicles from the same manufacturer traveling in convoy out of Hyesan's outskirts. Presumed to be smuggled vehicles departing for other regions after completing procedures such as vehicle registration.
◆Evidence of Smuggling Exports as Well as Imports
Noteworthy is that numerous vehicles heading from the North Korean side toward China have also been detected. (See photos)
Photo 9: Three large trucks lined up facing the Chinese side at smuggling point 6.
Photo 10: Multiple vehicles passing through an opened fence section at smuggling point 15.
Until now, North Korea has focused on smuggling in essential materials such as machinery and equipment, vehicles and parts that fall under UN sanctions through state smuggling operations, but exports appear to be increasing recently.
This past October, ASIAPRESS reporting partners residing in Hyesan also said that state smuggling is not limited to vehicle imports, and that numerous "foreign currency-earning goods" including rare metals, minerals, and pine nuts are being sent to China.
A reporting partner in China's Jilin Province conveyed that "since around August, Chinese border guards have been turning a blind eye to illegal smuggling activities, including providing advance notice of patrol times."
With large-scale smuggling that raises questions about the effectiveness of UN sanctions unfolding recently in the northern North Korea-China border region, the international community's attention and response to this situation is needed.
※ All Hyesan, Ryanggang Province photos taken from the Chinese side of the border in September 2025 (ASIAPRESS)
Our reporting partners say that areas such as Kim Hyung-jik-gun and Go-eup are active in vehicle smuggling.
16. Cherishing the memory of the late parachutist general - The Korea Times
Summary:
Korea honors Gen. Matthew Ridgway with 2025 Korea-America Friendship Award, recalling his daring 1950-51 counteroffensives that saved UN forces, as descendants visit Korean War battlefields.
Cherishing the memory of the late parachutist general - The Korea Times
The Korea Times · ListenListenText SizePrint
By Lee Sun-ho
The memories of the 1950-53 Korean War, while upheld stoutly in history, fade a little by the day in people's minds. But a majority of octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians in Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere who lived during the period of the Korean War can remember Gen. Matthew Bunker Ridgway (1895-1998). He served as the third Commander of the Eighth U.S. Army, in between his predecessor Walter H. Walker and his successor James A. Van Fleet. Ridgway later succeeded Gen. Douglas MacArthur as Supreme U.N. Commander in the Pacific theater.
Ridgway was chosen as the recipient of the 23rd Korea-America Friendship Award for 2025 at the annual function sponsored by the Korea-America Association in Seoul on Nov. 5.
Ridgway served during the fierce combat of the Korean War, from December 1950 through April 1951. His most outstanding service came during that period. Through Ridgway’s successful strategic operations, named "Thunderbolt," "Killer" and "Ripper," he victoriously retook Seoul and managed to trap 300,000 hostile Red Chinese forces and North Korean troops roughly 70 miles south of Seoul. He took a great risk by giving up key territory, gambling that by cutting through the enemy’s supply lines, the hostile forces would be forced to expend their supplies of food and ammunition.
Ridgway’s had a service record as a battle-hardened paratrooper, even while surrounded by enemies, during World War II in Western Europe and the Mediterranean theaters. His reputation for courage, innovation, boldness and leadership, established through a long string of victories, made Ridgway highly regarded by MacArthur, Gen. Omar N. Bradley and Gen. George C. Marshall. As a seasoned 55-year-old, the West Point graduate was a resilient, respected counter-offensive combat leader.
As a legend who served in several key posts and was swiftly promoted to the 19th U.S. Army Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C., he gained the nickname “Old Iron Tits” for his habit of wearing hand grenades attached to his service vest at chest level. Ridgway is cherished for salvaging the U.N. efforts during the five-month span of his assignment to the Korean War battleground. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
It was amazing to see Ridgway’s great granddaughter Julia A. MacKnight join the ceremony, accompanied by her 5-year-old daughter Aubrey Ruth R. MacKnight, to memorialize their ancestor's brilliant accomplishment 75 years ago. His descendants’ visit to the site of his historic victory, the Jipyeong-ri battle memorial site in Gyeonggi Province, was very meaningful. Guided by Korea-America Association members, it took place the day before the memorial event.
Upon congratulating two on their ancestor's achievements, it is appropriate to emphasize the traditional slogan of the Eighth Army, “forward deployed and combat ready.”
The writer (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul, writing since 1967.
The Korea Times · ListenListenText SizePrint
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
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