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Quotes of the Day:
“Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.”
- Ernest Hemingway.
“Only the guy who isn't rowing has the time to rock the boat.”
- John Paul Sartre
“To do the usual thing, to say, the craziest thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.”
- Thomas S. Eliot
1. Israel-Hamas war: North Korea's bloody fingerprints are over October 7
2. Mother devastated as daughter feared to be repatriated back to N. Korea
3. N. Korean people urged to vote as local elections take place
4. China's FM says Beijing will play role in stability of Korean Peninsula
5. Yoon replaces spy agency chief, 2 deputy chiefs en masse
6. Korea, US, Japan stage joint naval drills involving aircraft carrier
7. Korea reaches last lap in race to host World Expo 2030
8. S. Korea, China, Japan agree to expedite preparations for trilateral leaders' summit: FM
9. Japan’s Kishida Seeks Meeting with North Korea’s Kim: Kyodo
10. First lady explains S. Korea's dog meat ban plan to Queen Camilla
11. South Korea’s City of Books
12. National security adviser defends partial suspension of 2018 military accord with N. Korea
1. Israel-Hamas war: North Korea's bloody fingerprints are over October 7
We must keep in the forefront of our minds that north Korea is a global malign actor.
Israel-Hamas war: North Korea's bloody fingerprints are over October 7
North Korea has shown itself to be nothing less than an enemy of Israel. It has close ties with Iran and Syria and has backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
By MICHAEL FREUND
NOVEMBER 25, 2023 22:29
Jerusalem Post
In the seven weeks since Hamas invaded Israel and massacred over 1,200 people, growing international attention has been directed toward the terrorist organization’s primary backers and paymasters, chief among them Iran and Qatar.
The two autocratic regimes, which have provided Hamas with various forms of support over the course of many years, both bear responsibility for the savagery that was inflicted by their Gaza-based client. Largely overlooked, however, has been the role of yet another nefarious dictatorship, one that also deserves to be held to account for the part that it played in the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
While its capital city of Pyongyang may be 8,000 kilometers away, the North Korean regime’s bloody fingerprints are in fact all over the October 7 Hamas atrocities. And Kim Jong Un’s evil Stalinist state must not go unpunished for the chaos that it helped to unleash. Although North Korea’s state-run news agency has vehemently denied any involvement, the facts on the ground indicate otherwise.
How did North Korea help Hamas carry out the October 7 massacre against Israel?
To begin with, Hamas used weapons that were made in the Hermit Kingdom.
On October 19, the Associated Press (AP) reported, based on information provided by South Korean officials, two experts on North Korean arms, as well as the AP’s own analysis of weapons captured by Israel on the battlefield, that Hamas was using Pyongyang’s F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, or RPGs.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspect the guard of honour at Knevichi aerodrome near Vladivostok in the Primorsky region, Russia, September 16, 2023. (credit: Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)
“North Korea has long supported Palestinian militant [terrorist] groups, and North Korean arms have previously been documented amongst interdicted supplies,” arms expert N.R. Jenzen-Jones told AP.
He further added, based on video imagery of the October 7 assault, that the terrorist group was employing North Korea’s Type 58 self-loading rifle, a variant of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. In other words, it is highly likely that at least some of the Israelis who were murdered by Hamas died at the hands of weapons provided by North Korea. Indeed, on October 26, Agence France-Presse quoted an Israeli military official as saying that 10% of the weapons used by Hamas in the attacks had originated in North Korea. South Korean military and intelligence sources concur.
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On October 17, a senior official from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff was quoted by UPI as saying, “Hamas is believed to be directly or indirectly linked to North Korea in various areas, such as the weapons trade, tactical guidance, and training.”
“The official also noted,” the report said, “that North Korean-made 122-mm. multiple rocket launchers were provided to an armed group related to Hamas, and artillery shells marked ‘Bang-122’ – the same as ammunition used by North Korea – were found on the Israel-Gaza border.”
In addition to providing Hamas with the means to murder, Pyongyang may also have assisted with the know-how.
Back in December 2016, Kim Jong Un publicly presided over a military training exercise of North Korean paragliders simulating an assault on the South Korean presidential residence in Seoul. And that tactic is precisely what Hamas utilized as part of its coordinated attack on Israel on October 7.
“There is a possibility that this know-how was passed on to Hamas,” the South Korean official told UPI. His remarks were later confirmed by the South Korean Defense Ministry.
THE RELATIONSHIP between Hamas and North Korea is actually not new and stretches back for years.
Nearly a decade ago, on July 26, 2014, the UK Daily Telegraph reported that Hamas had made a down payment to Pyongyang to acquire missiles and communications equipment as part of a larger arms deal. The paper noted that “Hamas has forged close links with North Korea, which is keen to support groups that are opposed to Western interests in the region.” It also cited unnamed Israeli military commanders as saying that North Korean experts had been advising Hamas on how to build its network of underground terror tunnels based on those that Pyongyang constructed decades ago beneath the demilitarized zone with South Korea.
Prior to that, in 2009, a shipment from North Korea of 35 tons of military materiel, which included rockets, was seized in Thailand. It was later revealed that it had been intended for delivery to Iran, which was planning to smuggle the weapons to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
And last month, in an article on the 38 North website, a publication of the Stimson Center, Dr. Samuel Ramani highlighted the history of “North Korea’s covert alliance with Iran-aligned militias in the Middle East.”
These ties stretch back to the 1970s when Pyongyang provided weapons to Yasser Arafat and training to other Palestinian terrorist groups.
By any measure, North Korea has shown itself to be nothing less than an enemy of Israel. It has close ties with Iran and Syria, has backed Hamas and Hezbollah, and provided arms and know-how to those who seek to destroy the Jewish state.
Kim Jong Un may be pudgy and puerile, but he is perilous too. It is therefore essential that Israel take a more forceful public stand against North Korea and continue to strengthen relations with South Korea, which can serve as an important partner in trying to contain Pyongyang’s Middle Eastern mischief.
And we must raise greater awareness about North Korea’s support for groups such as Hamas, which underlines how Kim’s regime is a force for instability not only in the Far East but around the globe.
Simply put, North Korea has Jewish blood on its hands. It cannot be allowed to act with impunity.
The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his first term of office.
Jerusalem Post
2. Mother devastated as daughter feared to be repatriated back to N. Korea
Just another reason why we need a human rights upfront approach. And we need the international community to hold north Korea accountable as well as China for its complicity in north Korean human rights atrocities.
And we should not 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.
Mother devastated as daughter feared to be repatriated back to N. Korea
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
Activists hold the portraits of North Korean escapees detained in China during a press conference held at the National Assembly, Oct. 31, to urge China to stop sending North Korean defectors back to the North. Yonhap
Rival parties split over motion urging China to stop repatriating NK defectors
Editor’s note
This is a follow-up to the story, “N. Korean defector keeps fingers crossed for daughter detained in China,” published on Sept. 8 by The Korea Times.
By Kang Hyun-kyung
A North Korean defector, who asked to be identified only by her surname Kim, has panicked as the worst-case scenario about her daughter, appears to have become a reality.
She recently lost contact with her daughter, who had been detained in China since 2021.
Kim took this as a sign that her daughter was sent back to North Korea along with hundreds of other North Korean detainees.
“I was told that my daughter was no longer there,” Kim told The Korea Times on Thursday over the phone.
The sobbing mom said her heart sank.
The other day, she said she spoke with a Korean Chinese woman whom she called “auntie” over the phone to ask about her daughter, only to hear that her daughter was no longer at the detention center located in northeastern China.
Her daughter had been working as a waitress at a restaurant owned by the woman when she was arrested by Chinese security forces during a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
“Auntie told me that she went to the detention center to see my daughter as she did regularly. This time, she heard from the corrections officer that my daughter was no longer there,” Kim said. “I think she was repatriated back to North Korea. It’s really difficult to accept it, but that seems to be true.”
Kim said she had the phone conversation with the woman in October, shortly after the news reports that China secretly sent 500 to 600 North Korean escapees back to the North shortly after the end of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The Ministry of Unification confirmed the reports were based on facts.
Kim was devastated.
Then she broke her silence after a brief pause, speaking about how the developments about her daughter tormented her.
“This too shall pass,” she said.
Her voice tapered off, as if she were overwhelmed by pain arising from the realization that her daughter’s life was on the line.
“I will live a life no matter what because I am still alive,” she said. “I pinned my hopes on my daughter, but a miracle didn’t happen, and my poor daughter was sent back to the horrible country.”
A North Korean defector, center, who asked to be identified only by her surname Kim, holds a sign written in Chinese during a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, Sept. 4, to urge China to stop sending North Korean defectors back to the North. Her daughter, who was detained in China at the time of the protest, is believed to have been repatriated back to the North. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
‘This too shall pass’
Oh Chang-hwa, a human rights activist who has helped Kim and other North Korean defectors, said he “double-checked” Kim’s daughter’s whereabouts in a separate phone call with an unnamed broker who had contacted Kim’s family living in the North.
“I was told that Ms. Kim’s brother was coerced by North Korea’s security forces to cooperate with them as they worked on a background check. They asked if the young woman they held was his niece. He said yes because he knew they knew everything about her after interrogating her,” Oh told The Korea Times. “I guess she was tortured.”
Oh said the past several weeks have been particularly tough for Kim and other North Korean defectors because of the news about China’s forced repatriation of hundreds of North Korean detainees.
He said they were devastated again at the news that the National Assembly failed to adopt a resolution urging China to stop repatriating North Korean defectors.
He lashed out at the lawmakers for their “inhumane” nature.
“What kind of politicians are they?” he asked. “They didn’t to live up to their commitment to serve the best interest of their nationals, because of China? Does that make sense?”
Outrage
The two main parties were divided over the motion. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) opposed the parliamentary resolution initiated by lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
If passed, the DPK claimed the motion would further deteriorate South Korea’s relations with China.
The subcommittee consists of eight lawmakers, five from the DPK and three from the PPP.
The ruling party lawmakers slammed their DPK counterparts for their double standard on human rights.
“In the National Assembly interpellation session, the DPK members denounced Cabinet ministers for the failure to stop China from sending North Korean detainees back to the North. But when they sat down at the subcommittee to deliberate the motion, they did the opposite and refused to cooperate with us in passing it,” Rep. Ha Tae-kyung said.
Rep. Kim Kyung-hyup of the DPK tried to justify his disapproval of the motion, saying in a media interview, “I wonder if the U.N. has accurate information about North Koreans detained in China. And I think we need to learn more about China’s internal process to identify how many asylum-seekers were there among illegal immigrants.”
He claimed that not all North Korean escapees in China are defectors.
“I understand that some North Koreans crossed the border for food or to avoid political persecution. But not all of them are defectors; as I understand there are some who come to China illegally to make money. We need to clarify who are economic migrants and who are defectors,” he said.
Lee Yong-hee, a human rights activist and professor of economics at Gachon University in Seoul, voiced worries about the consequences of the unsuccessful parliamentary motion.
He said many North Korean defectors are increasingly feeling insecure about their life in South Korea because of people who sympathize with North Korea.
“During the previous Moon Jae-in government, they witnessed South Korean government repatriated North Korean escapees back to the North against their will. Some politicians bullied the defectors, calling them ‘traitors.’ I’m concerned that the unsuccessful parliamentary motion would pave the way for their distrust of this society,” he said.
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
3. N. Korean people urged to vote as local elections take place
Perhaps north Korea would like to send some election observers to the US. And as noted below there are no indications that freedom and democracy are breaking out in north Korea.
Excerpts:
The newspaper said the election is an "important political opportunity" to elect deputies who are "firmly acknowledged as people who strive to find and do even one thing that is meaningful and good for the state and the people."
In a separate article, the newspaper criticized the U.S. election system as "promoted as a fair election based on freedom and equality" but is actually a "sophism aimed at covering up the true character of a rotten and ailing capitalist society."
The newspaper also claimed there are many requirements for taking part in elections in the U.S., such as race, wealth and the level of intelligence, adding election results in capitalist societies largely depend on bribing voters.
N. Korean people urged to vote as local elections take place
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
This Nov. 22, footage from North Korea's Korean Central TV shows voters standing in front of registers ahead of local elections scheduled for Nov. 26. Yonhap
North Korea called for residents to cast their ballots and "fulfill their duties as members of the republic" as the reclusive regime was set to hold its first local elections featuring more than one candidate Sunday.
Pyongyang was set to hold local elections to pick new deputies for local assemblies of provinces, cities and counties across the nation. In what appeared to be an intention to introduce competition in the election system, some constituencies fielded two candidates.
Under the recently revised election law, the North held a preliminary election to decide on a final candidate for new deputies of local assemblies, after reviewing the qualifications of two candidates. The final candidate was then allowed to meet with voters during their election campaigns.
"Members of the highly dignified republic should fulfill their duties," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said in an editorial, saying, "People can look back at the love and consideration they received from the party and the state through election."
The newspaper said the election is an "important political opportunity" to elect deputies who are "firmly acknowledged as people who strive to find and do even one thing that is meaningful and good for the state and the people."
In a separate article, the newspaper criticized the U.S. election system as "promoted as a fair election based on freedom and equality" but is actually a "sophism aimed at covering up the true character of a rotten and ailing capitalist society."
The newspaper also claimed there are many requirements for taking part in elections in the U.S., such as race, wealth and the level of intelligence, adding election results in capitalist societies largely depend on bribing voters.
The North holds local elections every four years, and the number of seats is determined by the population of each area. But the elections are widely viewed as a formality, as the candidates are selected by the North's ruling party and rubber-stamped into office.
South Korea's unification ministry has said the recent change in the North's election system does not indicate the introduction of free elections in the reclusive regime and is rather seen as an attempt to manage public opinion amid prolonged economic difficulties. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
4. China's FM says Beijing will play role in stability of Korean Peninsula
No war, nor regime collapse and instability and no nukes. The PRC is batting .600 so far. A role in stability means maintaining the status quo with north Korea continuing to provide a strategic dilemma for the ROK and the ROK/US alliance.
China's FM says Beijing will play role in stability of Korean Peninsula
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of their bilateral talks at the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 14. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday said his country will play a role in helping ensure the stability of the Korean Peninsula as he expressed concerns over the current security situation in the region.
Wang made the remarks during his bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Park Jin in Busan, an official at Seoul's foreign ministry said.
During their talks, Park also requested that China play a "constructive" role after North Korea scrapped a 2018 military tension reduction accord with South Korea and warned of more provocations to come.
Park stressed that Seoul's decision to abandon part of the inter-Korean military deal, which came in response to the North's launch of a military spy satellite, was the minimal defensive measure for the safety of its people.
"We clearly made a point about North Korea's attitude of threatening further provocations, saying that it will not be bound by the Sept. 19 military agreement, and shifting the responsibility to us," a foreign ministry official told reporters after the talks.
"Minister Park requested that the two countries work closely and that China play a constructive role, as it is in the common interests of South Korea and China that North Korea stop its provocations and take the path of denuclearization," the official said.
Wang, in turn, expressed "concerns" over the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula and told Park that China will do its part to "help stabilize the situation," according to the official.
Wang arrived in Busan on Saturday to attend a trilateral gathering with Park and his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, set to take place later in the day.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, awaits the start of bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart, Park Jin, in Busan, Nov. 26, where he is visiting to hold trilateral talks involving Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. Yonhap
The talks came days after North Korea said it launched a military spy satellite and successfully placed it into orbit, after two botched launch attempts in May and August, respectively.
In response, South Korea scrapped part of a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction accord. In a tit-for-tat, North Korea said the next day it will immediately restore all military measures it had halted under the agreement.
China has called for all concerned parties to "remain calm and exercise restraint," over the satellite launch, saying it will continue to play "a constructive role" in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
At the talks, the two sides reaffirmed the commitment to developing their bilateral relationship into a "healthy and more mature" one, based on "mutual respect, reciprocity and common interests," according to the Seoul ministry.
Sharing the view that the economic cooperation has been an important driver in the development of the bilateral ties, the ministers agreed to bolster "mutually beneficial and substantive cooperation in light of the changing external environment."
In that vein, Park noted the importance of working together to ensure the stable management of supply chains and the safety of South Korean companies doing business in China, as well as the need to facilitate cultural content, such as games and films.
Park also relayed concerns over the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China and asked for Beijing's active cooperation in helping North Koreans move to desired places, instead of being forced to return home, where they may face harsh punishment.
As Pyongyang's key ally, China does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and regularly repatriates them to their home country.
The two top diplomats discussed efforts to promote high-level communications at all levels, including a potential visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Critics say the relations with Beijing have recently cooled due to what they describe as President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempts to bring South Korea closer to the U.S. and Japan, a departure from the previous Moon Jae-in administration's greater emphasis on China.
During Sunday's talks, Park asked for Beijing's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, and Wang said China "will seriously consider" it, according to the ministry official.
Wang and Park last held talks on the sidelines of the foreign ministers' meeting involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta in July. Wang last visited South Korea in September 2021. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
5. Yoon replaces spy agency chief, 2 deputy chiefs en masse
(LEAD) Yoon replaces spy agency chief, 2 deputy chiefs en masse | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Yoo Jee-ho · November 26, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS details from para 5)
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignations of the chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and his two deputies Sunday, effectively sacking the top three officials at the spy agency in the wake of controversy over personnel affairs.
Yoon accepted the resignations of NIS Director Kim Kyou-hyun, First Deputy Director Kwon Chun-taek and Second Deputy Director Kim Soo-youn, the presidential office said in a statement without giving details as to why they offered resignations and why Yoon accepted them.
The office only said that Kim worked to "reestablish the reputation of the NIS as the country's top security and intelligence agency," and "build a support system with intelligence institutions of friendly nations" during a period of administration change.
Yoon decided to name Hong Jang-won, who previously served as diplomatic minister at South Korea's Embassy in London, to be the agency's first deputy director and have him play the role of acting NIS director, the presidential office said.
Hwang Won-jin, who had been in charge of intelligence on North Korea at the NIS, was named the second deputy director. The presidential office referred to Hong and Hwang as "top-notch experts well-versed in international and North Korean intelligence."
Yoon's decision to accept the resignations of the three officials right after returning from a trip to Britain and France earlier in the day was seen as reflecting his displeasure with controversy around personnel management at the agency.
Yoon has not yet named Kim's successor, whose appointment will be subject to a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.
"Since we have to go through the hearing, we'll need some time to bring in the new head," an official with Yoon's office said. "However, it's not appropriate to have an extended leadership vacuum at the intelligence agency. We'll try to speed things up the best we can."
This Nov. 24, 2023, photo shows Kim Kyou-hyun, chief of the National Intelligence Service, attending a plenary session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Yoo Jee-ho · November 26, 2023
6. Korea, US, Japan stage joint naval drills involving aircraft carrier
Sustained, combined, interoperability, readiness training. The new normal.
Improvised trilateral cooperation indicates a strategic failure of the Kim family regime to drive a wedge in US alliances. And it does not please China as well.
Korea, US, Japan stage joint naval drills involving aircraft carrier
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docks at a port in Busan, Wednesday. EPA-Yonhap
South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly conducted naval drills in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday to bolster their defense posture against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats, the South's Navy said.
The joint exercise took place in southeastern waters off Jeju Island involving the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which has been docked at a naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The South Korean Navy's Aegis combat system-equipped destroyers and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Murasame-class destroyers joined the air defense and maritime exercise, the Navy said.
The drill was held to bolster joint capabilities and combined defense posture of the three nations against North Korea's rising nuclear and missile threat following its launch of a military spy satellite Tuesday, according to the armed service.
The trilateral drill came a day after Pyongyang claimed its reconnaissance satellite took photos of U.S. Army bases in South Korea and U.S. territories of Hawaii and Guam, as well as the USS Carl Vinson, which arrived in Busan on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the defense ministers of the three nations agreed to develop a multiyear joint drill plan and expand the scope of the exercise to better counter the North's threat. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · November 26, 2023
7. Korea reaches last lap in race to host World Expo 2030
Seemslike Korea has gone all in for the World Expo competition.
Korea reaches last lap in race to host World Expo 2030
The Korea Times · by 2023-11-24 16:50 | World Expo 2030 · November 26, 2023
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo walks toward the departure gate at Incheon International Airport, Sunday. A Korean delegation led by Han will make its last case for Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Paris, where the host city will be elected and announced on Tuesday (local time). Yonhap
Tokyo will support Busan’s bid to host 2030 event, Japanese paper reports
By Jung Min-ho
A Korean delegation will make its last case for Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 as representatives of 182 member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), a governing body for the event, are preparing to vote in Paris on Tuesday (local time) to determine the host city.
Before departing for Paris, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo voiced his optimism. The long, unforgettable Expo journey of Team Busan is now coming down to its "final page,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media, Sunday.
“My mind is calm. Since launching a private-public bidding committee on July 8 last year, we have met 3,472 people including heads of state during a 509-day period, flying a distance that would encircle the Earth 495 times,” Han said. “With an unwavering heart, we will do our best to the very end, hoping to bring good news to everyone we are grateful to.”
Busan is competing fiercely with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Italy’s Rome. Each bidder will be given an opportunity to deliver its final presentation at the BIE’s 173rd General Assembly before representatives of the member states vote for the host city by secret ballot.
The bidding committee has not revealed who would be the speakers. Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, and Na Seung-yeon, who played a significant role in winning the hosting rights of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics with her powerful presentation, are among those mentioned as the potential speakers, according to officials.
Mascots dressed up as Boogi the seagull stand atop a line of cycles in front of Le Palais Brongniart in Paris, Friday, highlighting Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. AFP-Yonhap
With three candidates competing to host the Expo, the successful host nation must receive two-thirds of votes to win outright. But that scenario is unlikely as the contest appears to be tight, officials in Korea said.
Top conglomerates continue global efforts for Busan’s World Expo bid
If no candidate gathers two-thirds of votes cast in the first round, the third-place candidate is eliminated and the other two will immediately move to a second round. The host city will then be elected by a simple majority.
The Saudi capital is regarded as the strongest candidate, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman backing the kingdom-led campaign that, in the eyes of the competitors, promises to “shower” public investments in countries in return for their support. Dozens of countries have so far expressed their support for Riyadh, according to Arab media.
Yet Korean officials believe the gap is narrow and the outcome is impossible to foresee.
Under the theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future,” they have attempted to sell the message of hope and vision to developing countries — mostly in Africa as well as Central and South America. They think Korea's extraordinary success story and Busan’s role in it could still be an inspiration for those seeking to emulate that story.
In recent months, Korean officials have concentrated resources on highlighting the Busan Initiatives, through which it offers long-term support for countries by providing training and knowhow rather than, say, financial aid for one-time construction projects.
In an encouraging move for Korean officials, Japan has decided to support Busan’s bid amid improving relations between Seoul and Tokyo, according to a report by Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese daily newspaper.
First opening in London in 1851 and quickly spreading to countries across the globe, the Expo ― also known as the World Fair ― has been a platform for great inventions and creative ideas. Taking place every five years and lasting up to six months, the event draws tens of millions of visitors from all over the world, providing a rare opportunity for the host city to promote its vision for the future and to transform itself.
The Korea Times · by 2023-11-24 16:50 | World Expo 2030 · November 26, 2023
8. S. Korea, China, Japan agree to expedite preparations for trilateral leaders' summit: FM
Excerpts:
"We, the three ministers, reaffirmed the agreement to hold the summit, the pinnacle of the trilateral cooperation system, at the earliest, mutually convenient time and agreed to accelerate the preparations necessary for the summit," Park told reporters at a press session after the talks.
"We will continue efforts to make sure that the holding of a summit will materialize in the near future," he added.
Park said the three countries shared the understanding that resuming the three-way summit is "vital to the restoration and normalization of the tripartite cooperation."
(3rd LD) S. Korea, China, Japan agree to expedite preparations for trilateral leaders' summit: FM | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · November 26, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; TRIMS)
By Kim Seung-yeon and Yi Wonju
BUSAN, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, China and Japan agreed Sunday to accelerate preparations to resume the long-stalled summit among the leaders of the three countries at an "earliest, mutually convenient" time, Seoul's Foreign Minister Park Jin said.
Park made the remarks after holding the tripartite talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Busan, the first such meeting to take place after a four-year hiatus.
"We, the three ministers, reaffirmed the agreement to hold the summit, the pinnacle of the trilateral cooperation system, at the earliest, mutually convenient time and agreed to accelerate the preparations necessary for the summit," Park told reporters at a press session after the talks.
"We will continue efforts to make sure that the holding of a summit will materialize in the near future," he added.
Park said the three countries shared the understanding that resuming the three-way summit is "vital to the restoration and normalization of the tripartite cooperation."
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (C) poses for a photo with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa before their trilateral talks in the southeastern port city of Busan on Nov. 26, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
The trilateral summit has not been held since the last one took place in China's southwestern city of Chengdu in December 2019.
The summit has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and a deterioration in Seoul-Tokyo relations over the issue of compensating Korean victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Talks of reviving the summit gathered momentum amid a dramatic warming of the Seoul-Tokyo relations after South Korea said in March it will compensate the Korean victims on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.
South Korea has been pushing to hold the summit within this year, but the chance of making that happen appears slim at this stage given the short period of time left until the year-end, a senior foreign ministry official said
"You could think of it as that we are looking at early next year and preparing for it," the official said.
Noting on the need to "institutionalize trilateral cooperation into a sustainable system," Park said he highlighted the need to explore substantive cooperation projects that "can be felt by the peoples of the three nations."
Such projects could include people-to-people exchanges, or be related to climate change, health, science technologies and digital transition, the ministry official said.
On North Korea's launch this week of a military spy satellite, Park emphasized that such provocations, along with ballistic missile launches, pose serious threats to peace and stability in the region.
The three sides agreed to continue communications at all levels to help resolve the North Korean issues, Park said.
At the talks, Park also asked for support from Japan and China for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.
Wang pointed out that the three-way cooperation "has never been stopped" even during the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying there is "huge potential, strong demand and a wide range of resources."
"China, Korea and Japan must play a positive role in regional and global development with a more honest attitude," Wang said at the start of the talks.
Kamikawa said the trilateral cooperation has become increasingly important as it "greatly contributes to peace and prosperity" even at a time of many unprecedented challenges, such as climate change and artificial intelligence.
"Whether we can provide resilience with the power to overcome these challenges depends on how we can collaborate with ideas that are not tied to existing methods," she said.
"I would like to return to this starting point and make today's talks an opportunity to restart cooperation between the three countries," she added.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (3rd from L), along with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (4th from L) and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (2nd from L), enters the room for trilateral talks in the southeastern port city of Busan on Nov. 26, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Ahead of the trilateral talks, Park had separate bilateral talks with Kamikawa and Wang.
Park hosted a luncheon meeting for Wang and Kamikawa before the trilateral talks. The three took a stroll together around the venue in Busan's popular Haeundae, where the series of talks took place, according to the senior official.
Wang and Kamikawa arrived in Busan on Saturday.
It marks the first visit by Kamikawa since she took office in September. Wang last visited South Korea in September 2021.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · November 26, 2023
9. Japan’s Kishida Seeks Meeting with North Korea’s Kim: Kyodo
Would Kim agree? Probably not unless there was a huge incentive attached. Where would they meet? Pyongyang? Another country? But this is all probably moot because Kim is unlikely to agree.
Japan’s Kishida Seeks Meeting with North Korea’s Kim: Kyodo
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-26/japan-s-kishida-seeks-meeting-with-north-korea-s-kim-kyodo?sref=hhjZtX76
By Kanoko Matsuyama
November 26, 2023 at 2:28 AM EST
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he’ll intensify efforts to realize a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to Kyodo News Sunday.
The Japanese government is lobbying through various channels to realize the meeting to change the status quo and establish fruitful relations, Kyodo News reported, citing Kishida’s speech at a gathering in Tokyo on Sunday for the issue of North Korean abductions.
Japan officially lists 17 of its citizens as having been kidnapped by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Five of them were freed in 2002.
10. First lady explains S. Korea's dog meat ban plan to Queen Camilla
This must have been an unusual conversation. I wonder if the Queen was holding a little British Corgiin her arms while this took place.
First lady explains S. Korea's dog meat ban plan to Queen Camilla
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · November 26, 2023
Kim invites Prince William to Korea to 'experience unique culture'
By Son Ji-hyoung
Published : Nov. 26, 2023 - 13:50
South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee (left) and the UK's Queen Camilla pose for a photo during President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the UK on Tuesday. (Joint Press Corps.)
First lady Kim Keon Hee told Queen Camilla about South Korea's legislative moves to ban the consumption of dog meat during their meeting in London last week, according to a presidential spokesperson on Sunday.
Touting the move initiated by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the ruling party to ban dog meat sales by 2027, Kim described the proposed legal ban as a constructive step to enhance the awareness of animal rights, spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written statement. Yoon's term ends in May 2027.
"Dog-eating culture still persists in Korea," Kim said as she brought up the issue during her meeting with the queen. Yoon and Kim have six dogs and five cats.
In Korea, there were some 3,500 farms breeding dogs to sell them for slaughter in 2022. Under a special bill that the government seeks to introduce before the end of this year, the entire food industry here -- dog farms, slaughterhouses, distribution centers and restaurants -- would face criminal consequences for participating in the dog meat industry. If the proposed bill passes in the National Assembly, a three-year grace period would extend to 2026.
According to a statement from the spokesperson, Camilla said, "We welcome Kim's efforts and we look forward to her further endeavors."
The animal rights issue was among the topics on which Kim exchanged views with King Charles III and Camilla, along with climate change, literature, health care and well-being.
According to Lee, Kim told the king on Tuesday that there is "huge potential for Seoul and London to cooperate to tackle climate change," as he brought up his food waste reduction project to save surplus food and circulate it through charities to tackle food poverty that was launched during his 75th birthday celebration earlier this month.
From left: Catherine, Princess of Wales, South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee, President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prince William pose for a photo during Yoon's state visit to the UK on Tuesday. (Joint Press Corps)
Kim also invited Prince William, the elder son of Charles and heir to the British throne, to "come to South Korea, experience its unique culture and relish the beauty" during their meeting in London on Tuesday, according to the spokesperson.
William responded that making a visit to the country is a priority, adding that he has received a great volume of correspondence from the people of South Korea.
Yoon and Kim returned to Seoul on Sunday after a weeklong trip to Europe, including a four-day state visit to the UK and a stop in Paris to rally support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · November 26, 2023
11. South Korea’s City of Books
I was wondering why I did not know about this when my wife lived in Munsan in Paju Country in the 1980s . According to the article this was not established until 1998 so I missed it.
South Korea’s City of Books
Photographs and Video by Chang W. LeeText by Jin Yu Young
The New York Times · by Chang W. Lee · November 25, 2023
With some 900 book-related businesses, Paju Book City, northwest of Seoul, is an intentional and euphoric celebration of books and the bookmaking process.
A satellite city 22 miles northwest of Seoul, South Korea, Paju is small, with a population of around half a million. The streets are quieter than those of the bustling capital, the air cleaner and the pace of life half a beat slower.
While many people know the city for its military base, Paju is also home to the nation’s elaborate book publishing hub — officially known as Paju Publishing Culture, Information and National Industrial Park but commonly referred to as Paju Book City. Around 900 book-related businesses, including printing presses, distribution companies and design studios line the streets, and signs reading “Paju Book City” are everywhere.
Every aspect of the Forest of Wisdom, a central attraction in Paju Book City, is designed to promote a love of books.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Visitors are welcome to browse the Forest of Wisdom’s vast collection, and the complex includes a hotel for those who want to spend the night.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
“Even as the world becomes more digital, the charm of books is never lost on readers,” a manager of the Asia Publication Culture and Information Center in Paju said. Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The government opened the publishing hub in 1998, after almost a decade of planning and as part of a larger effort to modernize the nation. South Korea’s book industry used to be dispersed, but, according to Lee Sang-yeon, a manager of one of Paju’s primary cultural facilities, the Asia Publication Culture and Information Center, “the founders of the publishing city thought this scattered, decentralized way of creating books was inefficient.”
In clustering all of its bookmakers in one place, South Korea hoped to better produce and distribute a major part of its culture. Books are a big business in South Korea. Last year, more than 115 million books were sold nationwide, according to the Korean Publisher’s Association.
Paju Book City opened in 1998, with a mission to “actively support culture and arts based on books.” Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Essentially every building in Paju supports book publishing. Photopia functions as a photography production and processing studio.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The Asia Publication Culture and Information Center serves as a social and professional nucleus for local publishers, and draws almost 10,000 visitors annually.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The book city’s mission — to “actively support culture and arts based on books” — can be seen in buildings all over town. Photopia, a serene purple structure curved like an ocean wave, serves as a photography production and processing studio. One publishing company, Dulnyouk, has its headquarters in a towering, geometric structure that resembles the kind of cumbersome transport vehicle found in “Star Wars.” Quaint cafes, where visitors can sip their drinks while reading, dot Paju’s street corners. Everything is designed to preserve and spread a love for books.
At the core of Paju Book City is where Lee works, the Asia Publication Culture and Information Center, a five-story complex that includes an education facility, events hall and exhibition space, and that serves as a social and professional nucleus for local publishers. The center draws almost 10,000 visitors a year.
On the building’s first floor is the Forest of Wisdom, a central library with tens of thousands of books on display and tens of thousands more in storage, according to Lee. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, some more than 25 feet tall, line the walls. Though visitors are not allowed to check out books — fiction and nonfiction, reference texts, picture books and other works — they are welcome to browse the shelves and read in common areas. The seemingly boundless collection means guests include families with children, young couples on dates and groups of older people on social outings. The center includes a hotel for anyone who wants to spend the night.
The Book City Letterpress Museum, in Paju, holds a copy of the world’s oldest extant book, printed with movable type in 1377, during the Goryeo Dynasty.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
An exhibit inside the Letterpress Museum displays traditional printing equipment. Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The museum’s collection includes 35 million metal character blocks.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The publication center also prides itself in preserving ancient texts and the practice of typography. The Book City Letterpress Museum, adjacent to the center’s main building, holds in its collection traditional printing equipment, including 35 million metal character blocks.
Unsurprisingly, schools love to visit Paju. On a Friday afternoon last month, first graders in matching school uniforms read along a flight of stairs, some sitting in pairs, others alone. Elsewhere, a class of high school juniors and seniors discovered the printing and publishing process through a hands-on lesson.
The literary festival that Paju holds each fall has included a typewriting competition.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Contestants are judged on speed and accuracy.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
The Asia Publication Culture and Information Center offers hands-on lessons in the modern printing and publishing process.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Every fall, the center hosts a book festival, bringing together local authors, artists and book lovers. This year’s event, the 12th annual gathering, included art exhibitions, live music, a typing competition — in which contestants, sitting at typewriters row upon row, were judged on speed and accuracy — and, of course, ample opportunity to delight in the culture of books.
“Even as the world becomes more digital, the charm of books is never lost on readers,” Lee said. “Those who love to read books will always come back.”
Paju’s central library has tens of thousands of books on display, and tens of thousands more in storage.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Paju may be close to Seoul, but its book-centered life moves half a beat slower.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Chang W. Lee is a staff photographer for The Times. He was a member of the staff that won two 2002 Pulitzer Prizes: one for Breaking News Photography and the other for Feature Photography. Follow him on Instagram @nytchangster. More about Chang W. Lee
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea and other countries in Asia from the Seoul newsroom. She joined The Times in 2021. More about Jin Yu Young
The New York Times · by Chang W. Lee · November 25, 2023
12. National security adviser defends partial suspension of 2018 military accord with N. Korea
The NSA is right. Defense of the ROK must come first and the CMA did not ensure the defense of the South.
National security adviser defends partial suspension of 2018 military accord with N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 26, 2023
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong on Sunday defended South Korea's decision to partially suspend a 2018 tension reduction deal with North Korea, saying the decision was aimed at "protecting the 20 million people of the greater Seoul area."
Cho made the remarks after President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday approved a motion to suspend a clause in the 2018 accord that calls for setting up a no-fly zone around the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas.
The decision came in response to the North's launch of a rocket carrying a military spy satellite late Tuesday. Pyongyang has vowed to immediately restore all measures under the agreement following Seoul's suspension of the inter-Korean military accord.
"The Sept. 19 agreement is a deal that is immensely disadvantageous for us," Cho said in an interview with Yonhap News TV. "The essence of the partial suspension is restoring our surveillance and reconnaissance activities."
In this file photo, National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong (L) arrives in San Francisco on Nov. 15, 2023, for President Yoon Suk Yeol's three-day visit to the U.S. city to attend the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. (Yonhap)
Cho stressed that the greater Seoul area is within the North's target range and that the 2018 military accord had blocked Seoul from making a counterattack in the case the North appears to be launching a long-range artillery strike.
"It is a purely defensive measure taken at a minimum," Cho said in response to concerns the partial suspension of the military accord may escalate tensions.
Cho made clear that the government has been "keeping the door to dialogue open," saying humanitarian affairs, such as a reunion of separated families or necessary support for the North, could be considered.
"North Korea is not responding to suggestions for talks to talk through these issues," Cho said.
Speaking on a possible trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan, Cho said while such gathering may not materialize this year, he "anticipates" the summit will take place.
Cho added Beijing may consider planning for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul once the trilateral summit takes place.
Cho said Yoon's recent state visit to Britain will "go down in history" as a visit that has made South Korea an "important partner of Britain" to the ranks of countries such as China and Japan.
Cho said while he believes South Korea is still a "follower" in the competition to host the 2030 World Expo, the country has made much progress on the back of Yoon's diplomacy efforts, adding there are people who view the country has a chance.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) meets with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, ahead of their bilateral talks in the southeastern port city of Busan on Nov. 26, 2023. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 26, 2023
13.
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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