Quotes of the Day:

“The enemy uses economic and political warfare, propaganda and naked military aggression in an endless combination … Our officers and men must understand and combined the political, economic and civil actions with skilled military efforts…” 

- John F. Kennedy (Kennedy letter as reproduce in the DA Office of the Chief of Information, 1962)

“Truth has to be repeated constantly , because Error also is being preached all the time, and not just by a few, but by the multitude. In the Press, Encyclopaedias, in Schools and Universities, everywhere Error holds sway, feeling happy and comfortable in the knowledge of having Majority on its side.” 

- Johann Goethe

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

1. UN Security Council: What's In Blue – DPRK: Open Briefing

2. North Korea slams UN response to suspected ICBM launch

3. North Korea Keeps Testing ICBMs (And We Can't Stop Them)

4. S. Korea releases booklet with details on Yoon's 'audacious plan'

5. S. Korean military says no info on N. Korea's Hwasong-17 ICBM deployment

6. Kim Jong Un doomed to leave isolation, poverty to future generations

7. North's foreign minister calls UN's Guterres 'puppet of the U.S.'

8. Drill called off after fighter jet crashes

9. Communication with reporters must continue

10. Unconvincing rallies for Yoon’s resignation

11. [ANALYSIS] North Korea ratchets up pressure on US

12. Seoul unveils details of 'Audacious Initiative'

13. Tanchon sees rise in homeless children begging for food

14.  G7 demands tougher sanctions on NK after latest salvo

15. [Herald Interview] Ex-deputy chief of US mission urges fresh approach to N. Korea

1. UN Security Council: What's In Blue – DPRK: Open Briefing

This has upset Kim Jong Un.

What's In Blue

DPRK: Open Briefing

https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2022/11/dprk-open-briefing.php?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=November%2020%20Campaign%203&utm_content=November%2020%20Campaign%203+CID_f85377fd491acd59e50cf7eb2a1a5b77&utm_source=Email%20Newsletter&utm_term=DPRK%20Open%20Briefing

Tomorrow morning (21 November), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is expected to brief. Albania, France, Ireland, Norway, the UK, and the US requested the meeting to discuss the DPRK’s latest missile tests. Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are expected to participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure.

The DPRK has carried out a record number of tests involving cruise or ballistic missiles this year. On 18 November, Japanese officials announced that the DPRK had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that travelled some 1,000 kilometres, reaching an altitude of approximately 6,000 kilometres and a speed of Mach 22 before landing about 200 kilometres off the coast of Japan. In a statement, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the missile likely fell in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Japanese officials also noted that the ICBM had sufficient range to reach the US mainland.

US Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the ROK immediately condemned the launch during an emergency meeting on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. According to media reports, Harris said that the US “strongly condemn[s] these actions” and calls on the DPRK “to stop further unlawful, destabilising acts”. At a meeting of the ROK’s National Security Council the same day, ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly called for additional sanctions against the DPRK and the implementation of extended deterrence measures.

In a 19 November statement, DPRK state media claimed that the missile was a Hwasong-17, the DPRK’s most advanced ICBM, and said that DPRK leader Kim Jong-un “solemnly declared that if the enemies continue to pose threats … our party and government will resolutely react to nukes with nuclear weapons and to total confrontation with all-out confrontation”.

This incident followed several other ballistic missile launches this month, some of which took place during the six-day ROK and US training drills known as “Vigilant Storm”, which started on 31 October and involved hundreds of ROK and US warplanes that performed major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations. The drills also marked the first time the US had flown supersonic B-1B bombers over the ROK since 2017. The DPRK tested multiple missiles on 3 November, including a suspected ICBM. On 5 November, ROK military officials announced that the DPRK had fired four short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its west coast. In a 7 November statement, the DPRK military said that its recent missile launches were a simulated attack on the ROK that were intended to “smash the enemies’ persistent war hysteria”.

On 9 November, Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters that the DPRK had fired at least one ballistic missile east towards the Sea of Japan. Hamada said that the missile flew to an altitude of 50 kilometres and covered a distance of 250 kilometres. And on 17 November, the ROK military announced that the DPRK had launched another ballistic missile from the eastern city of Wŏnsan. According to the statement, the missile flew 240 kilometres to an altitude of 47 kilometres at Mach 4 speed. The test took place immediately following a joint missile defence drill conducted by the ROK and the US and hours after DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui criticised a 13 November trilateral meeting between Japan, the ROK, and the US on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, warning of “fiercer military responses” from the DPRK. During the meeting, US President Joe Biden reportedly reaffirmed the US’ commitment to reinforce extended deterrence and defend Japan and the ROK with its “full range of capabilities”, including nuclear weapons.

At tomorrow’s meeting, some members, including the P3 (France, the UK, and the US) and other like-minded states are likely to condemn the recent missile tests, argue that they violate Council resolutions and destabilise the Korean peninsula, and strongly urge the DPRK to engage in denuclearisation dialogue. These members may call on member states to comply with the 1718 DPRK sanctions regime and accuse the DPRK of raising tensions in the region. Some members might criticise the DPRK for expending funds on its missile program while ignoring the humanitarian needs of its people.

China and Russia, on the other hand, might blame the US for escalating the situation and accuse it of not doing enough to incentivise the DPRK to participate in denuclearisation talks. Both members may also contend that sanctions should be eased because of their impact on the humanitarian situation in the DPRK and express their support for a draft resolution circulated by China in October 2021 intended to provide sanctions relief to the DPRK. Some members might question the efficacy of the 1718 DPRK sanctions regime.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be the third time that the Council has met to discuss the DPRK’s missile launches in the last two months. Following the last meeting on 4 November (S/PV.9183), the Council’s elected members issued a joint statement that condemned the DPRK’s missile launches, expressed concern regarding the high number of launches in recent times, and called on the DPRK to fully respect and comply with Council resolutions and refrain from further tests. On the same day, Albania, Ecuador, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Malta, Norway, the ROK, Switzerland, the UK, and the US also issued a statement that strongly condemned the DPRK’s recent missile tests and called on all member states to fully implement the relevant Council resolutions.

Tags: DPRK (North Korea), Insights on Asia

2. North Korea slams UN response to suspected ICBM launch

North Korea slams UN response to suspected ICBM launch – DW – 11/21/2022

DW · by Latest videosLatest audio

North Korea responded to international condemnation of a recent ICBM launch, referring to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as a "puppet of the West."

The UN chief had earlier called on North Korea to "to immediately desist from taking any further provocative actions," soon after the US and its allies issued similar statements of criticism.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said that she considered Guterres to be a "member of the US White House or its State Department," and accused Guterres of failing to uphold the UN charter of maintaining "impartiality, objectivity and equity in all matters.''

She argued that US and South Korea had provoked the action by carrying out large-scale joint military drills in South Korea last month.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said North Korea should 'immediately desist with provocative actions' Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance

North Korea says it tests 'monster missile'

North Korea has carried out an unprecedented number of missile tests this year. They come amid renewed fears that Pyongyang is preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2016.

On Friday, North Korea said it test launched the Hwasong-17, its longest-range missile, which is capable of delivering a warhead to any part of the United States.

It would be the first successful test of the Hwasong-17, although experts have doubted Pyongyang's previous claims of a successful launch.

The Hwasong-17 missile is North Korea's longest-range weaponImage: KCNA/KNS/AP/picture alliance

On Sunday, the Group of Seven (G7) countries, issued a joint statement condemning the North Korean test.

"This reckless act, together with the evidence of ongoing nuclear activities, underscores North Korea's determination to advance and diversify its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities," the statement said.

"It further destabilizes the region, despite calls from the international community for peace and stability," it added.

The UN Security Council also scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday morning at Japan's request.

However, it remains unclear if the Council can impose further sanctions on North Korea given Russia and China — two of the council's veto-holding powers — opposed a similar attempt earlier this year.

Prepared for North Korea's nukes

mk/wmr (AP, AFP, dpa)

DW · by Latest videosLatest audio

3. North Korea Keeps Testing ICBMs (And We Can't Stop Them)

Excerpts:

Early last year, I argued that the failure of the Trump-Moon détente effort would push the debate toward more hawkish options. I speculated that a naval quarantine, along the lines of the US Navy blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, might be the next step. North Korean sanctions-busting relies heavily on water-borne shipping. Blockading North Korean ports would enforce sanctions where China and Russia refuse to act. This would be economic warfare with a sharp edge.

Instead, the debate has swung even further to the right. The current South Korean president, Yoon Seok-Yeol, suggested, as a candidate, that South Korea might preemptively air-strike North Korean missile sites in a crisis. And a large debate over South Korean nuclear weaponization has also broken out. The South Korean conservative party has suggested that South Korea should withdraw from the NPT if the North conducts a seventh nuclear test.

This is the first step toward an independent South Korean nuclear arsenal, for parity with the North. A Southern arsenal need not be large, and the South is also stepping up missile defense efforts. But still, this is momentous. If it happens, Kim Jong Un has only himself to blame. He has relentlessly pushed South Korea into a tight corner where the discussion of more and more radical options is almost inevitable.

North Korea Keeps Testing ICBMs (And We Can't Stop Them)

19fortyfive.com · by Robert Kelly · November 19, 2022

tested an intercontinental ballistic missile this week. It is another among dozens of missile tests this year. This one notably can strike the continental United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to continue this year’s aggressive testing regimen. And a seventh nuclear test is widely expected this year too. As usual, our response options to Northern testing are poor.

Can We Negotiate an Arms Control Deal with North Korea?

North Korea does not belong to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Outsiders have very little concrete detail about the number of missiles and warheads it has. The best way to get a handle on that and, ideally, slow down the pace of testing and building, would be a negotiated deal.

Unfortunately, the record of such efforts is poor. The two Koreas have been talking about nuclear weapons since the early 1990s. North Korea has signed multiple non-binding protocols declaring its support for a denuclearized Korean peninsula. Yet Pyongyang has ignored these and marched toward more and better weapons of mass destruction for decades.

Similarly, North Korea has been an untrustworthy counter-party in previous negotiations, including the Agreed Framework in the 1990s and the Six-Party Talks in the 2000s. President Barack Obama made another effort in 2012, which agreement the North promptly violated. President Donald Trump tried too, but despite three high-profile summits, nothing came of that.

We should always keep talking to North Korea – it is too dangerous to ignore – but there is little realistic hope that North Korea will deal profoundly with its nukes or missiles at this point. Kim has even said they are not an area of negotiation.

Should We Sanction North Korea Yet Further?

North Korea is already pretty heavily sanctioned already. The problem is not so much to add more restrictions, but to enforce them.

China and Russia permit North Korea to cheat on the sanctions, and the world’s democracies have struggled to induce them to enforce the rules. This has worsened, unsurprisingly, since the start of the Ukraine War. Russia is now profoundly alienated from the West and has happily looked the other way at North Korean bad behavior to annoy the West.

China too has generally been unwilling to push North Korea too hard. Like Russia, it finds North Korea a useful geopolitical troublemaker. The more the US and Japan focus on North Korea in northeast Asia, the less they pay attention to Chinese encroachments in southeast Asia. China is a formal treaty of the North, and it is happy to look the other way on North Korean sanctions-busting to prop it up and ensure that sanctions do not provoke a regime collapse.

What Defensive Options Do We Have?

This is where the discussion is now leading. In the conferences I have attended this year in South Korea, there is little talk about a deal or negotiation. It is all about defense now.

Trump and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-In, made a vast outreach effort – the biggest ever in the history of negotiation with North Korea, including six summits. Yet North Korea offered very little in those talks and has been very belligerent this year. So unsurprisingly, the discussion has turned toward increasingly risky kinetic options. Hawkish positions previously considered too extreme are now entering the public debate.

Early last year, I argued that the failure of the Trump-Moon détente effort would push the debate toward more hawkish options. I speculated that a naval quarantine, along the lines of the US Navy blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, might be the next step. North Korean sanctions-busting relies heavily on water-borne shipping. Blockading North Korean ports would enforce sanctions where China and Russia refuse to act. This would be economic warfare with a sharp edge.

Hwasong-17 ICBM. Image Credit: North Korean State Media.

Instead, the debate has swung even further to the right. The current South Korean president, Yoon Seok-Yeol, suggested, as a candidate, that South Korea might preemptively air-strike North Korean missile sites in a crisis. And a large debate over South Korean nuclear weaponization has also broken out. The South Korean conservative party has suggested that South Korea should withdraw from the NPT if the North conducts a seventh nuclear test.

This is the first step toward an independent South Korean nuclear arsenal, for parity with the North. A Southern arsenal need not be large, and the South is also stepping up missile defense efforts. But still, this is momentous. If it happens, Kim Jong Un has only himself to blame. He has relentlessly pushed South Korea into a tight corner where the discussion of more and more radical options is almost inevitable.

Expert Biography: Dr. Robert E. Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly; RoberEdwinKelly.com) is a professor of international relations in the Department of Political Science at Pusan National University and 19FortyFive Contributing Editor.

19fortyfive.com · by Robert Kelly · November 19, 2022

4. S. Korea releases booklet with details on Yoon's 'audacious plan'

I will continue to look for this booklet. So far it is not posted on the English version of the MOU web page.

The audacious plan is described in a little more detail below than what we learned in August.

Kim Jong Un has rejected this plan but not because it is simply a trade economic assistance for denuclearization process. This is actually a threat to the regime when combined with a foundation of deterrence, a human rights upfront approach, an influence campaign, and ultimately the pursuit of a free and unified Korea. Kim fears this plan.

Excerpts:

In August, Yoon publicly proposed an "audacious" initiative to North Korea, promising to offer economic incentives in return for Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization. The North has rejected the proposal as "absurd," vowing not to trade its nuclear arsenal for economic aid.

The recalcitrant regime has sharply escalated tensions on the peninsula in recent weeks with a barrage of missile tests, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the entire U.S. mainland, amid concerns it could conduct a nuclear test.

(LEAD) S. Korea releases booklet with details on Yoon's 'audacious plan' | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 21, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info throughout)

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry said Monday it will create a "strategic environment" for North Korea to return to the negotiating table in a booklet detailing the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's stated "audacious" proposal designed to help Pyongyang improve its economy in exchange for denuclearization.

The government will also provide support for eventually "normalizing" diplomatic ties between the North and the United States, according to the booklet released earlier in the day.

The ministry outlined a three-step approach of providing various corresponding measures to the North, ranging from food and aid exchange programs to inter-Korean trade and investments.

Kwon Young-se, South Korea's top point man on North Korea, urged Pyongyang to cease all provocations and return to nuclear talks, saying such a move will "only deepen its isolation."

"If North Korea comes forward to the negotiating table, we will be able to put on the table the issues that it is concerned with and discuss them based on mutual reciprocity," Kwon said during his opening speech at a seminar on the audacious initiative.

Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, also said the government will continue to deter North Korean threats and dissuade the North from its nuclear development until the reclusive country engages in dialogue.

"We need to continue cooperating with the international community and pressuring the North so that it realizes there is no use developing nuclear weapons," he said. "Our deterrence should be one that prevents the North from using nuclear weapons even if it has them."

In the initial stages, the ministry said it will push ahead with programs to help improve the livelihood of North Koreans, including the Resources-Food Exchange Program (R-FEP), if the North returns to denuclearization talks. The R-FEP centers on allowing the export of the North's mineral resources, currently banned under global sanctions, in exchange for food and daily necessities.

The ministry said it will seek active cooperation from the U.S. and the international community on sanctions to carry out such programs.

Inter-Korean economic exchanges in the second stage will include port and airport modernization, as well as improving the North's infrastructure, power generation and hospitals. In this stage, dubbed the "practical denuclearization" stage, the government will work to build military trust with the North to ease tensions and prevent accidental clashes.

Seoul will also seek to sign a peace treaty with the North, and help Washington and Pyongyang establish diplomatic ties in the final stages of "complete" denuclearization, it said. The two Koreas are still technically at war, as the conflict ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The ministry did not provide details on what exact measures the North must take in each of the steps to receive economic incentives.

"Regarding the question on what constitutes as 'practical denuclearization,' we will work on the details after we start negotiations with North Korea," a ministry official told reporters on the customary condition of anonymity.

In August, Yoon publicly proposed an "audacious" initiative to North Korea, promising to offer economic incentives in return for Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization. The North has rejected the proposal as "absurd," vowing not to trade its nuclear arsenal for economic aid.

The recalcitrant regime has sharply escalated tensions on the peninsula in recent weeks with a barrage of missile tests, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the entire U.S. mainland, amid concerns it could conduct a nuclear test.

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 21, 2022

5. S. Korean military says no info on N. Korea's Hwasong-17 ICBM deployment

S. Korean military says no info on N. Korea's Hwasong-17 ICBM deployment | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · November 21, 2022

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military said Monday it does not have any information indicating that North Korea has deployed its latest Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that was test-fired last week.

After the test-firing Friday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on leader Kim Jong-un's mention of "ICBM units," fueling speculation over the possible deployment of the new ICBM known to put the entire U.S. mainland within range.

"We have assessed the ICBM, fired on Nov. 18, was the Hwasong-17 missile as the North has claimed, and we have no information regarding its operational deployment," Col. Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a regular press briefing.

He added that the intelligence authorities of the South and the United States are conducting an additional analysis related to the issue.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · November 21, 2022

6.  Kim Jong Un doomed to leave isolation, poverty to future generations

Good OpEd from the Donga Ilbo. We need to use the 1 trillion won/$740 million figure in our influence campaign as a matter of routine.

And we should never forget: The root of all problems in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.

I like this conclusion:

What is clear is that Kim is falling into the vicious cycle of repeated misjudgments after telling Mike Pompeo, then director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, in 2018, “I don’t want my children to live life shouldering the burden of nuclear weapons throughout their life.” The opportunity cost that the North Korean economy incurs due to nuclear weapons is reportedly more than 1 trillion won (740 million U.S. dollars) annually. This is a massive burden that the North can hardly afford to shoulder after continuing to post negative economic growth for several years. It is out of the question for the world to lift sanctions against the North without denuclearization. With continued reinforcement of deterrence to the North’s nuclear proliferation, Pyongyang will increasingly fall into the abyss of depleting its national power and resources. Kim Jong Un is advised to realize that he will only leave isolation and poverty to his future generations, including his children.

Kim Jong Un doomed to leave isolation, poverty to future generations

donga.com

Posted November. 21, 2022 07:40,

Updated November. 21, 2022 07:40

Kim Jong Un doomed to leave isolation, poverty to future generations. November. 21, 2022 07:40. .

In news reports on Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been seen hands in hands with his young daughter as he inspected the test-firing of the Hwasong-17, dubbed ‘monstrous ICBM.’ Kim’s child has thus been unveiled to the public for the first time. Three photos released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency show a young girl walking hands in hands with Kim in front of the missile just ahead of test-firing. She is believed to be Kim’s second daughter, Ju Ae, who is nine years old.

Pyongyang may have publicized images of the so-called Paekdu Blood (Kim Il Sung family) members at the site of the ICBM test-firing with multiple intentions. The North seeks to maximize the promotional effect of the successful test launch and emphasize to the North Korean public that its nuclear weapons development aims to ensure the security of ‘future generations’ rather than the ‘regime.’ In the same context, the North’s official Rodong Sinmun daily reiterated Pyongyang’s commitment to strengthen nuclear weapons by saying, “bright smiles and beautiful dreams of future generations.”

According to Korean Central News Agency, the Hwasong-17, which was fired at a high angle, reached a maximum altitude of 6,049 kilometers and flew about 1,000 kilometers. If launched at a normal angle (35 – 45 degrees), the missile is believed to have a max range of more than 15,000 kilometers, including the entire U.S. mainland within its target range. Designed to load multiple warheads, the missile can concurrently strike multiple cities, including Washington and New York. If Pyongyang secures reentry technology permitting the missile to endure high temperatures upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere, the Stalinist country will fully complete the development of a truly monstrous ICBM.

It is shocking to see Kim Jong Un take his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and his young daughter under 10 years old, to the site of a nuclear weapons show. Just like the Rodong Sinmun’s reports reading “Country that possesses the most powerful ICBM on this planet” and “the right for a preemptive strike is not an exclusive property of the US,” Kim might have wished to show off his strong confidence in the completion of nuclear weapons, or display his brinkmanship tactic even by putting his own’s daughter’s life as collateral.

What is clear is that Kim is falling into the vicious cycle of repeated misjudgments after telling Mike Pompeo, then director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, in 2018, “I don’t want my children to live life shouldering the burden of nuclear weapons throughout their life.” The opportunity cost that the North Korean economy incurs due to nuclear weapons is reportedly more than 1 trillion won (740 million U.S. dollars) annually. This is a massive burden that the North can hardly afford to shoulder after continuing to post negative economic growth for several years. It is out of the question for the world to lift sanctions against the North without denuclearization. With continued reinforcement of deterrence to the North’s nuclear proliferation, Pyongyang will increasingly fall into the abyss of depleting its national power and resources. Kim Jong Un is advised to realize that he will only leave isolation and poverty to his future generations, including his children.

한국어

donga.com

7. North's foreign minister calls UN's Guterres 'puppet of the U.S.'

Routine propaganda probably written by the Propaganda and Agitation Department.

Monday

November 21, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

North's foreign minister calls UN's Guterres 'puppet of the U.S.'

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/21/national/northKorea/North-Korea-UN-Secretary-General-Antonio-Guterres/20221121153435113.html

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on Nov. 14. [AP/YONHAP]

The United Nations should remain impartial and should not have condemned a recent missile test by North Korea, the country's foreign minister said. 

On Friday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a statement condemning North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea earlier that day. 

Guterres called on Pyongayng to "immediately desist from taking any further provocative actions, to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, and to take immediate steps to resume dialogue leading to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." 

On Monday morning, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui shot back in an English-language statement released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"I express my strong regret over the fact that the UN secretary-general has taken a very deplorable attitude, oblivious of the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and its proper mission, which is to maintain impartiality, objectivity and equity in all matters," Choe said.

She noted that Guterres called Pyongyang's "legitimate and just" right to exercise self-defense against the United States a "provocation."

"Recently I have often taken the UN secretary-general for a member of the U.S. White House or its State Department," said Choe, adding she warned Guterres consider the Korean Peninsula issue "on the basis of impartiality and objectivity."

She claimed that "a series of provocative nuclear war rehearsals, staged by the U.S.-led allied forces with involvement of nuclear strategic assets in and around the Korean peninsula all the year round, brought the present touch-and-go situation of confrontation to the peninsula." 

The United States and Korea held Vigilant Storm war games earlier this month, which included F-35 fighters, while the United States pledged to reinforce extended deterrence to South Korea and Japan in a joint statement on Nov. 13 in Phnom Penh. 

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to utilize its full range of military assets, including nuclear weapons, in defense of allies. 

Choe said Guterres "shifted the blame" to North Korea, rather than the United States, calling the situation "deplorable." She then called the UN chief a "puppet of the U.S." and warned of "clear counteraction" as North Korea watches the United States and the UN Security Council's next moves. 

On Saturday, North Korea state media reported that leader Kim Jong-un had watched over the "successful" launching of its "new-type" Hwasong-17 ICBM from the Pyongyang International Airport the previous day. He was accompanied by his daughter, who made her first public appearance. 

The Hwasong-17 has a range of around 15,000 kilometers, which would put the United States mainland within its range. 

Choe's remarks came ahead of the 15-member UN Security Council's emergency meeting on North Korea's latest ICBM launch scheduled to take place Monday in New York. The meeting will also be attended by South Korea as a related country.

The Security Council has often been unable to reach consensus on matters related to Pyongyang, as China and Russia, two of the five permanent veto-wielding members, has traditionally sided with North Korea. 

On Sunday, the foreign ministers of the G7, or Group of Seven, countries issued a statement calling on the UN Security Council to take "significant measures" in response to North Korea's ICBM launch. 

The ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States condemned "in the strongest terms" the North's ICBM launch and said that its actions "demand a united and robust response by the international community, including the need for further significant measures to be taken by the UN Security Council." 

They called on the North to "abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease immediately all related activities."

In a press briefing in Washington Friday, Vedant Patel, a U.S. State Department deputy spokesman, told reporters that U.S. President Joe Biden in his bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali earlier this month "raised concerns about the DPRK's provocative behavior." 

He referred to the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Biden noted that all members of the international community "have a vested interest in encouraging the DPRK to act responsibly."

Patel added that Beijing also "has a responsibility to make clear to the DPRK that Pyongyang should not engage in unlawful nuclear or ballistic missile tests." 

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]

8. Drill called off after fighter jet crashes

Unless there is a maintenance issue requiring a stand down should they halt exercises? There will be losses in combat and they will have to fight through them. Yes, a risk analysis is required. What is the trade off between short term and long term risk. I do not know the answer to that and it is only something the ROK leadership can determine. My experience working under some great commanders such as BG Frank Toney, is when a mishap occurs you have to immediately return to training so as not to allow such mishaps hold you back and become problems. He was of the "when you fall off your horse you get right back on" school of throught." 

Monday

November 21, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Drill called off after fighter jet crashes

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/21/national/defense/Korea-Air-Force-KF16/20221121185217384.html

A helicopter on Monday flies over a mountainous area in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, near where a KF-16 fighter jet crashed after suffering an engine malfunction on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The Air Force has postponed a biannual air exercise this week in the wake of a jet crash, officials said Monday.

The Soaring Eagle exercise was set to begin Monday, but the Air Force decided the reschedule it after a single-seat KF-16C fighter jet crashed during a mission on Sunday.

The jet, which was from the 19th Fighter Wing, suffered an engine malfunction at 8:05 p.m. and crashed in a mountainous area approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of Wonju, Gangwon, according to the Air Force.

In a text to reporters, the service said that the pilot was unharmed after ejecting from the plane, and that he is receiving treatment at a military hospital. 

The Air Force also said there was no damage on the ground from the accident.

The Air Force halted the operation of all jets with the exception of surveillance and emergency assets — essentially grounding most fighter jets.

The Soaring Eagle exercise previously took place in June. 

Approximately 200 Air Force personnel and about 70 warplanes, including F-35As, F-15Ks, KF-16s, F-4Es, F-5s, and E-737 early warning and control aircraft were mobilized for the drill, which first launched in 2008.

Sunday’s crash is the latest in a series of Air Force accidents this year that have downed fighter jets.

In August, a F-4E fighter jet crashed during a mission over the Yellow Sea.

The jet was an F-4E Phantom belonging to the Air Force’s 10th Fighter Wing.

In April, a midair collision of two KT-1 trainers in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang killed four people.

Each aircraft carried a trainee pilot and a civilian flight instructor, and all were discovered dead after ejecting from the planes.

In yet another accident, a F-5E fighter jet that took off from Suwon Air Base on Jan. 11 crashed into a hill in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, killing the pilot. 

The spate of crashes is likely to add more pressure on the Air Force to address safety issues.

While an Air Force official who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo on condition of anonymity after April’s fatal crash said the service would set up a flight accident countermeasure headquarters headed by the Air Force deputy chief of staff to investigate aircraft issues, it remains unclear what steps have been taken.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

9. Communication with reporters must continue

​I have to question the President's advisors. He must defend freedom of the press and engage with the media.

Monday

November 21, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Communication with reporters must continue

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/21/opinion/editorials/Yoon-Sukyeol-doorstep-interview-stop/20221121194347707.html

In a stunning decision, President Yoon Suk-yeol suspended his iconic “doorstep interviews” with the press, which started from his inauguration on May 10. The president has had 61 doorstep interviews with reporters in the presidential office except for the five-day national mourning period for the Itaewon tragedy. The presidential office cited a recent scuffle with an MBC reporter over the president’s earlier decision to ban him from boarding the presidential airplane for the APEC and G20 summits in Southeast Asia.

It is regrettable that President Yoon stopped the casual — and daily — conversations with the media when he reports to work. The unprecedented interviews he had were a brand effectively representing the conservative president in the new presidential office at Yongsan.

Past presidents also tried to boost their communication with the public, but stopped short of Yoon’s doorstep interview. Former president Kim Dae-jung introduced the “conversation with people” to help comfort Koreans struggling to survive the 1997-98 foreign exchange crisis. His successor Roh Moo-hyun did not shun pointed questions from journalists and even had a verbal fight with junior prosecutors when cameras were rolling. But there were limits to straight Q&As. Lee Myung-bak had a weekly radio address, but it was simply one-way communication. Park Geun-hye was criticized for her careful choreographing of the sequence and details of questions and answers. Moon Jae-in was attacked for a critical dearth of opportunities for direct questions and candid answers.

President Yoon must have had trouble having doorstep interviews because he could not prepare for unexpected questions from reporters in advance. His lack of a political career worsened the situation, as seen in his nonchalant rebuttal of mounting criticism on his appointments of unqualified top officials in his administration. “Did you see any better ministers in the previous administration than now?” he asked reporters. The MBC reporter certainly showed disrespect for the president, but it cannot serve as an excuse for the presidential office to set up a wall in the lobby and stop the doorstep interviews. That will backfire.

The interviews must continue. In the West, doorstep interviews are interviews aimed to pressure a head of state to provide candid answers to questions from journalists. Yoon’s presidential office could consider the idea of allowing reporters to access the president on his way to the helipad as in the White House. Or Yoon could drop by the pressroom in the presidential office for Q&A. He left the Blue House to depart with the imperial presidency of the past.​

10. Unconvincing rallies for Yoon’s resignation

It is going to be. along four and a half more years for President Moon.

Monday

November 21, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Unconvincing rallies for Yoon’s resignation

Majority opposition lawmakers have abandoned the legislature — despite the urgent task of reviewing the proposed budget for next year to prepare for a global recession — for street protests against the prosecution arrested key confidantes of Democratic Party (DP) Chair Lee Jae-myung. Since the arrests of Jeong Jin-sang, vice chief of staff to Lee, on bribery and corruption charges following another key aide, Kim Yong, deputy head of a DP-affiliated think tank for taking bribes, seven lawmakers loyal to Lee have joined the anti-government candlelight vigil over the weekend. DP floor leader Park Hong-keun said that the lawmakers just took political action on individual levels. But it cannot be appropriate for lawmakers to participate in a massive rally to protest the Yoon Suk-yeol administration when the elected president is just six months in office.

DP lawmakers went on the podium at the rally. They joined the chants demanding President Yoon surrender his seat over his inability to prevent the Itaewon tragedy and his stern determination to bring the DP head to justice due to his alleged corruption. Mentioning the Itaewon tragedy and prosecutorial probes, Rep. Yoo shouted “a broken train must be retired” to demand President Yoon step down.

Such a move can only come out of arrogance from a supermajority party holding 169 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The president has not committed a major folly deserving impeachment. Although his approval rating is low, that does not justify the call to bring down an elected president. The DP only tries to politicize the Itaewon tragedy to defend its chairman in peril.

The charges on Kim and Jeong — the two confidantes of Lee — are grave. Kim has been accused of receiving 847 million won ($630,677) from Yoo Dong-gyu, former planning director of Seongnam Development Corporation (SDC), Jeong 140 million won from figures related to the Daejang-dong development project. They have been flatly denying the allegations. The two are considered closest to Lee.

After Jeong’s arrest, Lee posted on his social media page the message that the truth will prevail. Lee criticized the prosecution for manipulating the case. But Jeong’s crime counts specified in the arrest warrant are concrete and convincing. Such a vehement counterattack by the head of the DP does not make sense.

To tackle worsening external and internal conditions, lawmakers must deliberate and pass next year’s budget before the Dec. 2 deadline. The fact-finding of the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon should be thorough to come up with preventive measures.

But the DP must not link the prosecution’s investigations to its budgetary review. Opposition lawmakers must commit to their duty in the legislature.

11. [ANALYSIS] North Korea ratchets up pressure on US

​I disagree. Kim is executing his playbook. ​His actions are not putting pressure on the US. He may be trying to but we do not have to feel the pressure or let it bother us (and doing so just plays into his hands). They indicate the pressure he is under for his failing political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies. Everyday we do not provide concessions or try to appease him is one day closer to his strategic failure.

[ANALYSIS] North Korea ratchets up pressure on US

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

A Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile is raised on a launcher in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Saturday, a day after the test-firing. Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea has continued to increase pressure on the United States, with the reclusive state successfully test-firing the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its arsenal, living up to a threat made by its foreign minister, who warned of fiercer military responses.

In addition, its leader has revealed for the first time that his country runs military units in charge of ICBMs, in an apparent move to show that its long-range missile technologies and deployment capability have reached a significant level. The latest revelation heightens the U.S. government's concerns as Washington faces limitations in dealing with new threats from the North while juggling challenges posed by the Ukraine-Russia war and fierce economic competition with China.

According to South Korea's military, a Hwasong-17 ICBM, launched at a lofted angle, traveled some 1,000 kilometers at an altitude of 6,100 kilometers, reaching a top speed of Mach 22, a specification that Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada believes could reach the U.S. mainland if launched on a normal trajectory.

"As North Korea successfully tested its Hwasong-17 ICBM on a lofted trajectory, it can conduct a nuclear test or launch the missile at a normal angle in order to further pressure the U.S., while showing off its ICBM capabilities," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.

Although many believe that North Korea has not secured technologies to enable its ICBMs to carry multiple warheads and conduct assisted reentry into the atmosphere, its gradual progress in the development of ICBMs is drawing attention from the U.S.

"Every single time they launch, they learn, and that's concerning," John Kirby, the NSC coordinator for strategic communications, said in a press briefing, Friday (local time).

"Even if the launch is a failure or only partially successful, they still learn, their program still grows and it gets to improve, and, of course, that's destabilizing not just to the (Korean) peninsula but to the region itself."

Making the U.S.' situation worse, North Korea is scheduled to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the successful launch of the Hwasong-15, believed to be theoretically capable of hitting targets anywhere on the U.S. mainland.

"Although it is not clear if North Korea will opt for another ICBM launch with a range capability allowing it to strike anywhere in the U.S., Washington would be unhappy with it and feel pressure," Shin said.

​               ​

In addition, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un unprecedentedly unveiled the operations of its ICBM units.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim ordered the development of strategic weapons and more intensive training for the ICBM and tactical nuclear weapons units in order to flawlessly take on their important strategic duty in any situation and at any moment.

However, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, Monday, it did not have any information on the ICBM units.

Amid mounting threats from North Korea, the U.S. has little room to handle them, according to diplomatic observers.

"There are no available options for the U.S. to deal with the North Korean challenges because tough sanctions on the country have already been put in place," Shin said.

When a trilateral summit between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, last week, they agreed to urge China to play a role in pressuring Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions.

"That's why the U.S. urges China to do something to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue," Shin added.

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

12. Seoul unveils details of 'Audacious Initiative'

A little more on the Audacious Initiative. When I find the english version I will compare i to my recommendations here:

"A Three Part Plan To Enhance President Yoon’s North Korea Strategy: Toward A Free And Unified Korea"

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/a-three-part-plan-to-enhance-president-yoons-north-korea-strategy-toward-a-free-and-unified-korea/

Seoul unveils details of 'Audacious Initiative'

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

This photo released on Nov. 19 by the North Korean government shows its launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Nov. 18. Yonhap

Unification minister says he still believes denuclearization of Korean Peninsula is possible

By Jung Min-ho

Seoul proposed that Pyongyang get an unconditional, partial lifting of sanctions if the reclusive state returns to nuclear disarmament talks "with sincerity."

The Ministry of Unification on Monday unveiled the detailed plans for the "Audacious Initiative," a road map by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to the denuclearization of ― and sustainable peace on ― the Korean Peninsula.

The three-phase policy package promises the North Korean government an unprecedented level of economic support, most notably for modernizing its infrastructure, in exchange for ultimately giving up nuclear weapons.

Yet in an effort to resume negotiations with the North, which have been stalled for more than two years, the ministry said that, as the first step, it will ask for nothing but North Korea's participation with sincerity while offering to suspend international sanctions on its mineral exports.

Asked whether the proposal would be feasible, given that it requires the agreement of other countries such as the United States, a high-ranking ministry official told reporters that he is highly optimistic.

"We have already asked for understanding and cooperation [from other countries]. I believe there won't be any problem," the official said.

The ministry said in a statement that the measure of suspending sanctions is part of a resources-food exchange program that it seeks to implement with North Korea when it returns to talks. If reached, the North would be able to import medicines, fertilizers and other products with the money from the exports. At that stage, the ministry said it will also press forward with projects to support its medical, farming and forest industries.

In the second stage, the Yoon administration promises to help Pyongyang modernize its power supply systems, improve its airports and harbors, provide advanced farming technologies, build international networks in finance and develop other infrastructure it needs. In return, North Korea should take concrete steps toward denuclearization.

In the last stage, in which the denuclearization must be achieved, the Yoon administration would expand trade with North Korea to all possible areas, help it restore relations with the U.S. and seek a bilateral arms control deal for a lasting peace on the peninsula.

Cho Joong-hoon, spokesman for the Ministry of Unification, speaks during a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Newsis

The "Audacious Initiative" is different from the policies of South Korea's previous conservative administrations as it does not require anything specific, such as a promise for denuclearization, in order to resume talks and offers more comprehensive, long-term not just economic but also political support, the ministry said.

It is also different from the policies of the previous liberal governments as some core values, such as improving human rights for ordinary North Koreans, will never be compromised. The North, also, will never get away with any of its provocations, the ministry added.

The ministry also vowed to make progress in the areas where it can without agreement from North Korea, such as improving the support system for North Korean defectors and lifting its decades-long ban on public access to North Korean media content in the South.

"We will improve the transparency of our North Korea policy even if that takes more time," the ministry said. "We will keep our national dignity and core values while being flexible and practical as we push for the policy."

On Friday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters in its latest major weapons test. Intelligence reports show that it may be on the brink of conducting its seventh nuclear weapons test.

Speaking at a seminar for the "Audacious Initiative" later that day, Minister Kwon Young-se urged North Korean leaders to return to the negotiation table, saying security tensions created by their weapons tests "will only accelerate the North's isolation and darken its future."

"Among many reasons for the current state of the two Koreas' relationship, one is a lack of trust. If the North reacts positively to our offer for talks, we will audaciously implement not just diplomatic but also political and military measures. We seek to build trust through all this and make the North realize that giving up its nuclear arsenal is the optimal path [for its future]," he said. "If the South and the international community, united based on universal values, stay on the course for peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula and the world, I think we can achieve the denuclearization of North Korea."

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

13. Tanchon sees rise in homeless children begging for food

​But I fear the suffering will be greater than the Arduous March and there will be no relief valve due to KJU's policy decisions. Instability could be on the horizon.

Tanchon sees rise in homeless children begging for food

“These days, with the number of homeless growing, it reminds me of the Arduous March...," a source told Daily NK

By Lee Chae Un - 2022.11.21 8:32am

dailynk.com

FILE PHOTO: A photograph of two homeless people in Hyesan taken in early 2020. (Daily NK)

The number of homeless children begging for food on the streets is on the rise in Tanchon, South Hamgyong Province, Daily NK has learned.

“There are more children kkotjebi in Tanchon these days,” a source in South Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Wednesday, using a North Korean term to describe homeless people.

“People with nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep or roaming around train stations, markets and the streets, but neither the city party committee nor people’s committee are taking measures to deal with it,” he added.

According to the source, particularly noticeable about the homeless found throughout Tanchon as of late is that most appear to be in their teens.

Various kinds of children are wandering the streets, from children who might have parents or homes but ran away to the streets when they could no longer endure the hunger, to children abandoned by their parents.

However, the source said local residents can spare little interest in the street children as they themselves are suffering economic difficulties and food shortages so severe that buying food from markets or street vendors is a challenge.

“For everyone nowadays, putting three meals on the table is almost like a war,” said the source.

“The children have nothing to eat or anywhere to sleep and are shivering in the cold, but people can only sympathize with them. They can’t solve their hunger,” he added.

In fact, even on the streets, the homeless are reportedly having a tough time even scoring one meal a day with few people helping them. The homeless could usually provide for their meals through begging on the street, but nowadays, with scoring even a single meal through begging proving difficult, the homeless now wander around homes near marketplaces, readily burglarizing the empty ones.

“These days, with the number of homeless growing, it reminds me of the Arduous March, although there’s no bodies of people who’ve starved to death on the streets,” said the source.

“Even though children who — at their age — should be running around playing carefree under their parents’ protection are reduced to being kkotjebi, living vagabond lives and even engaging in habitual theft,” he continued, adding, “The state is just ignoring them, causing discontent among ordinary people.”

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com​

14. G7 demands tougher sanctions on NK after latest salvo

Not simply tougher sanctions. Tougher sanctions ENFORCEMENT. And hold China and Russia accountable for their complicity in sanctions evasion.

G7 demands tougher sanctions on NK after latest salvo

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on Nov. 14. AP-Yonhap

The G7 nations on Sunday slammed North Korea's "reckless" launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile and called on the U.N. Security Council to take further "significant" action to halt the tests.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations said repeated launching of missiles by North Korea "further destabilizes the region, despite calls from the international community for peace and stability."

The missile North Korea test fired on Friday appeared to be its newest ICBM with the potential range to hit the U.S. mainland.

The G7 statement called for "a united and robust response by the international community, including the need for further significant measures to be taken by the U.N. Security Council."

The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States. A representative of the European Union joined in on the statement.

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, accompanied by his daughter during the test firing of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasongpho-17 at Pyongyang International airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Nov. 18. EPA-Yonhap

So far this month, North Korea is believed to have fired 30 short-, medium- and long-range missiles, including Friday's launch which landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone west of Hokkaido.

North Korean state news agency KCNA claimed that the missile fired Friday was a Hwasong-17, its latest variant and one it asserted is "the strongest strategic weapon in the world."

KCNA said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the latest launch in the company of his daughter.

A series of test launches in October included a likely ICBM that flew over and past Japan, prompting warning sirens to sound in northern Japan.

North Korea has launched more missiles in 2022 than in any previous year.

The UN Security Council has passed nearly a dozen resolutions imposing sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile activity since 2006.

North Korea tested six nuclear bombs between 2006 and 2017, and has vowed to never cease its nuclear program.

The G7 statement reiterated demands that North Korea's nuclear program must be verifiably dismantled and said the reclusive nation "will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon state." (AFP)

The Korea Times · November 21, 2022

15. [Herald Interview] Ex-deputy chief of US mission urges fresh approach to N. Korea

You know my "fresh approach:" human rights upfront, an influence campaign and pursuit of a free and unified Korea.

[Herald Interview] Ex-deputy chief of US mission urges fresh approach to N. Korea

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · November 21, 2022

President Joe Biden walks with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan across West Executive Avenue at the White House, Monday, April 11, 2022, en route to the West Wing. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

WASHINGTON -- A yearslong impasse in bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea suggests the need for the Joe Biden administration to venture for unexplored ways in order to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiation table, a former deputy chief of US mission in Seoul said.

“At this point, the ball really is in North Korea’s court. The US and South Korea have shown what they’re prepared to offer,” said Mark Tokola, vice president of the Korea Economic Institute of America, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Nov. 1. “But there are some things we could do that we haven’t done.”

The former US foreign service official who was stationed in Seoul from August 2009 to July 2012 suggested that the US could hold conventional arms talks with the two Koreas to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, forge a new format of multilateral negotiating framework or, most importantly, start with an economic dialogue.

The suggestions came as Pyongyang has been unresponsive to the Biden administration’s repeated public and private overtures to “meet without preconditions,” while accelerating its military buildup and continuing nuclear saber-rattling.

At first, the three parties -- the US and two Koreas -- according to Tokola, could negotiate on levels and locations of armaments including artillery, missiles, helicopters and tanks, as well as seek “military-to-military dialogue and mutual observation of exercises” by holding conventional arms talks.

“Even if the results were modest, this might be one way to reduce tensions on the peninsula apart from talks on denuclearization. Conventional arms talks between NATO and the Warsaw Pact reduced tensions in Europe and might serve as a model,” he added, referring to the 1992 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

Notwithstanding North Korea’s stubborn adherence to nuclear weapons, the US could seek to hold different types of multilateral negotiations with different parties involved from the past.

“We could get other countries involved. I’m not sure we’ve tried enough to bring in other players. North Korea is unwilling to talk to South Korea and the United States, (but) maybe they talk to Mongolia, European Union, Switzerland ... and Vietnam,” Tokola said. “North Korea could have a new approach. So, getting more players involved could assist.”

For instance, Mongolia has been considered a key potential mediator in light of its relatively amicable relations with the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan, and its successful and peaceful transition from a communist state to a democracy. North Korean state media in September also reported that Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit Mongolia at his convenience.

“There is an argument for including Mongolia in this possible six-party framework. It is in the region, after all, and as a mineral-rich country bordering China, is situated similarly to North Korea.”

Tokola also suggested that negotiations to pursue North Korea’s signing of the Chemical Weapons Convention -- which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction -- could be an important stepping-stone to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Three UN member states -- Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan -- have neither signed nor ratified the multilateral treaty that entered into force in 1997.

“I think it’s probably as important or maybe more important than conventional arms talks with North Korea,” Tokola said. “It’s not difficult to sign because so many countries have. If we tried to urge a lot with South Korea and China for North Korea to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention, that would be a good step towards reducing tensions.”

Tokola said, however, the “idea of a multilateral negotiating framework should be considered as a possibility” although Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine has made it impossible to revive the Six-Party Talks.

Mark Tokola, vice president of the Korea Economic Institute of America (Korea Economic Institute of America)

Economic dialogue

Tokola said the US could entice North Korea with a renewed economic approach, given that the framework of exchanging denuclearization measures in return for sanctions relaxations “has failed.”

“The economic offers to North Korea are generally good, but we could be more specific,” he said. “We could talk about trying to help them join the World Bank or the IMF (International Monetary Fund). So there are different topics we could discuss.”

In the US-North Korea Agreed Framework signed in 1994, North Korea agreed to freeze operations and construction of its nuclear reactors in return for a package of economic, energy and diplomatic benefits from the US, including construction of light-water reactor power plants. But the deal failed.

Tokola underscored that the US should make specific proposals to help the Kim Jong-un regime fix systemic flaws in its economic system or carry on economic reform.

“It’s going to be more than just offering them food or offering them something substantial. I think it needs to be kind of systematic or reform-minded,” he said. “If that was accelerated to help North Korea more with property law or commercial law or things they can actually use to develop economically, that could provide some kind of opening.”

Tokola viewed that the Kim regime still seeks economic reform, despite current steps backward in the goal and old-fashioned ways to renew industries and revitalize the faltering economy.

The North Korean leadership is aware of systemic problems in its economy “which is fundamentally broken,” but it has not figured out how to fix the problems that have aggravated the economic backwardness.

“Kim Jong-un’s long-term survival depends on the North Korean economy succeeding. He told his own people that ‘you judge the North Korean state by whether it makes your lives better,’” Tokola said. “Well, it’s not right now, but I think it’s probably more important than the nuclear side in the interim.”

But North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly underscored that his country will never give up on nuclear weapons, and therefore “there will be absolutely no denuclearization first and no negotiation to that end” in his key policy speech in September.

------

The Korea Herald conducted a series of interviews with former senior US officials and experts in Washington from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 on the occasion of the 54th South Korea-US Security Consultative Meeting. This is the last in a series of interviews. -- Ed.

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · November 21, 2022

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com