|
Quotes of the Day:
“As Sam Sarkisian, John Collins, and Max Boot, among others, have sought to remind us, the United States has a rich and extensive history of experience with irregular enemies. Moreover, that experience was by no means entirely negative. The trouble was and, until very recently, has remained, that such varied experience of irregular warfare was never embraced and adopted by the Army as the basis for the development of doctrine for a core competency. Rephrased, the Army improvised and waged irregular warfare, sometimes just regular war against the irregulars, when it had to. But that task was always here officially as a regrettable diversion from preparation for ‘real war.’”
- Colin Gray
Secretary of the Army Elvis J. Stahr, Jr., defined "special warfare" in 1962 as "a term used by the Army to embrace all military and paramilitary measures and activities related to unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, and psychological warfare." Unconventional warfare primarily encompassed guerrilla operations and subversion to be carried out within enemy or enemy-controlled territory by indigenous personnel, supported and directed by US forces. Counterinsurgency, on the other hand, included all actions, military and political, taken by the forces of the United States alone or in conjunction with a legal government to prevent or eliminate subversive insurgency. Psychological warfare encompassed those activities planned and conducted to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of the enemy, the indigenous population, and neutral or friendly foreign groups to help support US objectives. Unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, and psychological warfare, then, comprised the key elements of special warfare, which according to Secretary Stahr included the capability to fight "as guerrillas as well as against guerrillas and also involves the employment of psychological devices to undermine the enemy's will to resist."
Secretary Stahr's words came from the early 1960's when special warfare, then symbolized by the Special Forces "Green Berets," enjoyed its zenith under the Kennedy administration. During the next decade, the goals of special warfare changed somewhat in form and emphasis, and the concept receded in importance within the Army. The special warfare historian might be excused for noting that that more recent period is reminiscent of the 1950's, when the idea of special warfare struggled for survival. The story of special warfare, then, is a story of the Army, hesitantly and reluctantly groping with concepts of an "unconventional" nature.
- Colonel Al Paddock, U.S. Army Special Warfare: Its Origins Psychological and Unconventional Warfare, 1941-1952
“We must display a mastery of irregular warfare comparable to that which we possess in conventional combat…”
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, 2008
1. Race to freedom: New escape room simulates experience of North Korea defection
2. S Korea, Japan, China fail to set summit date, condemn N Korea
3. North Korea restores border guard posts amid rising tensions over its satellite launch, Seoul says
4. South Korea unveils ‘supersonic’ answer to Pyongyang nuclear threat
5. North Korea vows more satellite launches, beefs up military on border
6. DPRK/North Korea: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the satellite launch
7. N. Korea restoring guard posts, bringing heavy firearms along inter-Korean border
8. N. Korea vows to exercise 'sovereign rights' including satellite launch
9. N. Korea claims S. Korea violated key inter-Korean agreements
10. Voter turnout for N. Korea's local elections at 99.63 pct: KCNA
11. S. Korea, AIIB discuss stronger partnership, new investment chances
12. CFC deputy commander to visit U.N. Command rear bases in Japan
13. N. Korea's Manlikyong-1 equipped with Japanese digital camera
14. Hyesan housewives delighted to have husbands helping out at home
15. How infighting at spy agency led to sweeping leadership changes
16. North Korea all tell, no show with spy satellite photos of U.S., South Korean sites
17. Hawkish response to the North is unavoidable
1. Race to freedom: New escape room simulates experience of North Korea defection
Very interesting. I hope this will help the Korean people in the South understand and appreciate what their brothers and sisters in the north are going through.
However, I am conflicted. Are people in the South capitalizing on and making a game out of what is happening in the north? I hope this is respectfully done. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that this helps with understanding about the situation in the north and leads to wide scale help from the South, to include an understanding among the population why it is necessary to pursue a free and unified Korea..
Excerpts:
But the new escape room in central Seoul, created by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and funded by Seoul’s unification ministry, is marketed as the first of its kind and aims to provide more than just a fun experience with friends.
“When it comes to educational content on North Korean human rights, most of it is delivered through seminars or lectures,” Miri Cha, the creator of the escape room for Citizens’ Alliance, told NK News. “But this serves as a good opportunity for families and friends to go through and think about human rights violations in North Korea in a more meaningful way in which they have never done before.”
...
Cha said she consulted with a professional escape room plot writer and North Korean defectors to make the experience as close to reality as possible.
I am hopeful that this type of event can help people appreciate the situation in the north and alter attitudes of ambivalence in the South. This type of "hands on immersion" might be more effective than classes, lectures, and seminars.
And of course the below excerpt is the very sentiment in the South that this needs to be countered. There are too many among the political opposition who are at best naive about the north, apologists for it, and at worst, supporters of the regime.
Excerpts:
Seoul’s funding of the project received blowback from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sang-hee, who accused the government of supporting anti-communist education that “shames and mocks North Korea with exaggerated content.”
The lawmaker has not visited the escape room, Cha said.
Race to freedom: New escape room simulates experience of North Korea defection
https://www.nknews.org/2023/11/race-to-freedom-new-escape-room-simulates-experience-of-north-korea-defection/
First-of-its-kind installation in Seoul uses interactive storytelling to raise awareness about DPRK human rights
Ifang Bremer | Lina Park November 15, 2023
SHARE
Different sections of the Denbaram Maparam escape room in Seoul, which simulates the experience of escaping from North Korea | Images: Miri Cha, edited by NK News
Portraits of the former North Korean leaders hang overhead as the escape plan rumbles into motion. The would-be defectors move toward the border, where they struggle to deactivate lasers that would alert guards to their presence. Bullets whiz by as they ford through the icy waters of a narrow river crossing.
Their journey follows the path to freedom that thousands of DPRK refugees have taken in recent decades — except for a key difference: Those fleeing are South Koreans, and they’re escaping a shipping container in the middle of Seoul.
The stakes are high in the newly erected escape room near Gwanghwamun Square, a temporary installation that seeks to simulate the experience of defecting from North Korea to raise awareness about DPRK human rights issues with younger audiences.
Escape rooms, themed adventure games where participants collaborate to find clues, solve puzzles and complete tasks to “escape” within a limited time, have been popular since the 2010s.
But the new escape room in central Seoul, created by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights and funded by Seoul’s unification ministry, is marketed as the first of its kind and aims to provide more than just a fun experience with friends.
“When it comes to educational content on North Korean human rights, most of it is delivered through seminars or lectures,” Miri Cha, the creator of the escape room for Citizens’ Alliance, told NK News. “But this serves as a good opportunity for families and friends to go through and think about human rights violations in North Korea in a more meaningful way in which they have never done before.”
Players need to make their way through a Pyongyang apartment to get to the next stage. | Image: Miri Cha
Called “Denbaram Maparam,” meaning winds from the North and South, the escape room experience tells the story of a fictional character named Hyang, a young schoolgirl in her early teens who lives with her parents in Pyongyang. The family’s lives take a drastic turn when Hyang’s father, driven by a sense of injustice, criticizes the execution of North Koreans for watching South Korean movies.
North Korean authorities send her father to a labor re-education camp, while Hyang and her mother are forcibly relocated to Musan along the border with China, a stark contrast to their life in the capital. It is then that the pair decide they must escape to the DPRK.
Cha said she consulted with a professional escape room plot writer and North Korean defectors to make the experience as close to reality as possible.
“The design [of the escape room] took six months, and then it took two months to actually construct,” Cha told NK News.
The five-room escape experience was built in shipping containers, enabling the team to set up shop anywhere. After touring all over South Korea, the escape room now stands at Seoul’s Cheonggye Plaza, a public space between bustling high-rises in Seoul’s downtown office district.
The experience begins in a darkened room, adorned with a banner proclaiming “Long live the great general!” and displaying North Korea’s criminal law.
But the real story begins in the next room, a detailed mock-up of Hyang’s house with portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the wall. Players need to solve puzzles such as deciphering codes before they can move on to the next room.
A room filled with plastic balls where players need to dodge detection lasers recreates when defectors cross the Tumen River into China. | Image: NK News
One room is modeled after a river crossing, with players trudging through a narrow passage filled with plastic balls while simultaneously dodging detection lasers.
“When the lights turned off in one of the rooms, I thought ‘Oh, this is just like my childhood. I used to experience this when I was young,’” Han Su-ae, a North Korean escapee who now makes YouTube videos about her life in the South, told her fans on a livestream after visiting the escape room.
Cha does not recommend that defectors visit the escape room, fearing that the narrative which likely closely mirrors some of their own harrowing experiences could trigger painful memories.
But she said some defectors, “mostly young people,” have decided to take on the experience anyways. Other participants have included elderly Koreans who fled to the South during the Korean War and “stop by to share their experiences of leaving the North with their grandchildren.”
From the outside, the colorful shipping containers don’t give any clues that the experience relates to North Korea or human rights.
“I want visitors to come in without any expectation or preconceptions,” Cha explained.
“In South Korea, the North Korean human rights issue is so politicized, so setting this up was not an easy task,” she said.
The five-room escape experience was built in shipping containers, enabling the team to set up shop anywhere. | Image: NK News
Seoul’s funding of the project received blowback from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Sang-hee, who accused the government of supporting anti-communist education that “shames and mocks North Korea with exaggerated content.”
The lawmaker has not visited the escape room, Cha said.
The escape ends with an exhibition featuring drawings by Kim Hye-sook, a woman who was born in North Korea’s Bukchang prison camp and spent 28 years there before escaping to South Korea.
“I didn’t want people to just do the escape room, have fun and that’s it,” Cha said. “People need to wrap up their thoughts. In this room, staff tell visitors about the seriousness of human rights violations [in North Korea.]”
Slots for the Denbaram escape room are fully booked until its ending date on Nov. 19, but Cha said her organization hopes to set up the experience at a permanent location in the future.
Participants have 60 minutes to make it out of the escape room. While some need a little help from staff, everyone makes it to the other side, a reality that is not guaranteed to those really trying to escape the regime.
“The moment I got out of the last room and into freedom reminded me of the moment I landed in South Korea,” defector-turned-YouTuber Han said on a livestream.
“While playing the escape room game, it made me relive my own experience. I thought to myself, ‘I made it. I need to live well.’”
Edited by Alannah Hill and Bryan Betts
2. S Korea, Japan, China fail to set summit date, condemn N Korea
It is not surprising that they could not get a trilateral statement condemning north Korea.
S Korea, Japan, China fail to set summit date, condemn N Korea
The lack of consensus shows widening gaps between the three neighbors.
By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA
2023.11.26
Seoul, South Korea
rfa.org
South Korea, Japan, and China have not only failed to agree on a date for a landmark trilateral summit of their leaders, but also in jointly condemning North Korea’s latest satellite launch that violated United Nations Security Council resolutions, exposing the widening gaps in reinvigorating that three-party cooperation.
The foreign ministers of the three nations did not hold a joint press conference on Sunday, after their first ministerial talks in four years – a rare occurrence that could signify the differing diplomatic stances among these key Asian geopolitical entities.
“The countries have reaffirmed their agreement to hold the summit, the apex of their cooperative framework, at the earliest mutually convenient time,” South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said in a solo briefing after the trilateral meeting with his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Wang Yi in the South’s port city of Busan.
A South Korean government source, who asked for anonymity due to sensitivity of the matter, told Radio Free Asia that the joint press conference did not take place as Wang had pre-arranged plans. The person did not elaborate.
According to a separate South Korean government official who spoke to RFA prior to the meeting, the primary goal of the ministerial meeting was to set a date for the trilateral summit. The last trilateral summit took place in 2019 in Chengdu, China.
“Efforts will be made to ensure that the summit takes place soon,” Park said, without specifying an exact date. The South Korean minister mentioned his proposal for the three countries to reactivate their intergovernmental mechanism as a means to fortify the framework of trilateral cooperation. However, he did not clarify whether this proposal was agreed upon by all parties.
Whether China would want to continue the trilateral summit platform has become questionable as its emergence as a global power has relatively lessened its focus in the region. The increasing collaboration of South Korea and Japan under the trilateral framework with the United States also has been a source of discomfort for Beijing.
In fact, with South Korea’s current conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, Seoul has been more vocal in criticizing China on the international stage – with concerns ranging from Beijing’s decision to repatriate North Korean defectors back to the Kim Jong Un regime to China’s coercive behavior towards the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan.
North Korea
The three ministers also failed to issue a joint statement in condemning North Korea’s latest provocation, a departure from previous trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings which usually included a consensus on security issues in the Korean peninsula.
“I emphasized that North Korea’s recent so-called military reconnaissance satellite launch, along with its ballistic missile launches and nuclear development, are among the greatest threats to peace and security in the region,” Park said during his solo briefing, without saying what has been agreed with his Japanese and Chinese counterparts.
North Korea launched a satellite last Tuesday, despite international warnings. Rocket technology can be used for both launching satellites and missiles. For that reason, the U.N. bans North Korea from launching a ballistic rocket, even if it claims to be a satellite launch.
The lack of a joint statement is a sharp contrast with the trilateral foreign minister meeting among the U.S., South Korea and Japan in San Francisco, in which the three called the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, including Russia’s technological aid to help the North Korean launch, a “serious threat to international peace and stability.”
Unlike previous occasions, when China’s foreign ministry often expressed its regrets, Beijing refrained from issuing a public criticism of North Korea’s latest launch, as the strategic value of Pyongyang has been raised due to intensifying U.S.-China relations.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday claimed that its satellite passed over Hawaii and observed “a naval base in the Pearl Harbor, the Hickam air-force base in Honolulu,” as well as South Korea’s Busan.
rfa.org
3. North Korea restores border guard posts amid rising tensions over its satellite launch, Seoul says
So it is time to re-introduce US troops to DMZ patrolling. Not establish a new American sector but integrating and rotating them with ROK units across the DMZ to ensure interoperability and increased readiness for small unit combat operations, to deonstratege strategic reassurance and strategic resolve, to overcome ROK demographics and it. s ability to put boots on the ground, and to improve the morale of US infantry soldiers by allowing them to conduct missions that put them eye to eye with the enemy.
North Korea restores border guard posts amid rising tensions over its satellite launch, Seoul says
AP · November 27, 2023
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday North Korea is restoring frontline guard posts that it had dismantled during a previous period of inter-Korean rapprochement, deepening tensions that spiked over the North’s recent spy satellite launch.
The two Koreas each earlier dismantled or disarmed 11 of their guard posts inside their heavily fortified border under a 2018 deal meant to ease frontline military confrontations. But the deal is now in danger of being scraped, as both Koreas openly threaten to breach it amid rising animosities over the North’s satellite launch.
After North Korea claimed to place its first military spy satellite into orbit last Tuesday, South Korea said it would partially suspend the deal and resume front aerial surveillance in response. South Korea called its step “a minimum defensive measure” to respond to the launch that it says involved the North’s intentions of improving its missile technology as well as establishing a space-based surveillance system.
North Korea immediately slammed South Korea’s decision, saying it would deploy powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure. The North said it also won’t abide by the 2018 deal any longer.
In a background briefing for local journalists Monday, South Korea’s military said it detected North Korea building guard posts and trenches at border sites where its dismantled guard posts once stood. The military said it found North Korea deployed troops and heavy weapons there.
The contents of the briefing were shared with foreign media including The Associated Press.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry also distributed to the media four photos that it said showed related activities on the northern side of the border, with North Korean soldiers building a guard post and moving a suspected recoilless rifle to a newly built trench.
After being briefed on the North Korean move, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered the military to keep a close watch on the North and maintain a firm readiness, according to Yoon’s office.
South Korea, the United States and others strongly condemned the North’s satellite launch which they viewed as a provocation that threatened regional peace. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea because the world body regards them as covers for testing its long-range missile technology. North Korea says it has sovereign rights to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls escalating U.S.-led military threats.
On Monday, Kim Son Gyong, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, called the U.S. and others’ condemnation of the satellite launch “such brigandish idea” and “a typical expression of the most hideous and brazen-faced violation of sovereignty that denies the justification of the existence” of North Korea.
South Korean officials said they confirmed the North Korean satellite entered orbit. But they said they need more time to verify whether the satellite is functioning normally.
South Korea suspects Russian technological assistance likely enabled North Korea to send the spy satellite into space. South Korean, U.S. and Japanese officials accused North Korea of seeking high-tech Russian technologies to enhance its military programs in return for shipping conventional arms to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Both Russia and North Korea denied their alleged weapons transfer deal.
AP · November 27, 2023
4. South Korea unveils ‘supersonic’ answer to Pyongyang nuclear threat
South Korea unveils ‘supersonic’ answer to Pyongyang nuclear threat
americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 26, 2023
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
With Kim Jong Un escalating nuclear threats from the North, South Korea has found a cost-effective solution: its homegrown fighter jets.
The country unveiled its first domestically-produced supersonic fighter jet, the KF-21, also known as the Boramae, to the public at the Seoul Airbase, joining an elite group of nations to demonstrate such technology. The KF-21 could boost the allies’ deterrence capability against the likes of North Korea.
The aircraft, introduced at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, and set for mass production in 2026. The homegrown project is a part of a broader plan to strengthen South Korea’s resilience in the face of increasingly intrusive neighbors that include North Korea and China.
“We define the defense industry as a ‘national strategic industry,’ crucial for both security and the economy,” South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a speech at the Seoul Airbase.
“We are committed to cultivating an environment that fosters the continued growth of the defense industry, bolstering its global standing,” he said, adding that the United States ally will aim to “establish a collaborative defense and security framework” among the like-minded nations.
The KF-21 offers a cheaper option to Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 Lightning II, serving both South Korea’s own military needs and the international market. As one of the U.S.’s key security allies, Seoul has already purchased F-35s.
Indonesia has agreed to pay 20% of the US$6.7 billion project cost for the KF-21. The two countries agreed in 2014 to work together to make the next generation jet, even though at one point after that, Jakarta threatened to exit from the project.
South Korea’s unveiling of the KF-21 – with comparable features to the F-35 – may enhance the military preparedness of the U.S. and its allies in Asia, broadening the spectrum of defense capabilities at a lower cost.
South Korea has been actively modernizing its military capabilities: it has achieved milestones like successfully launching its first ballistic missile from a submarine and propelling its inaugural rocket to advance its domestic space program.
Its arms exports last year soared to an unprecedented US$17.3 billion, according to a statement from the Presidential Office on Tuesday. This surge was attributed to substantial contracts, encompassing the supply of K2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft, and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, South Korea is the ninth biggest global arms exporter from 2018 to 2022. Its growth rate of 74% over the previous five years was one of the swiftest in the world.
Seoul has set an ambitious target to take a five percent share of the global arms export market by 2027, aiming to elevate its status to the world’s fourth-largest defense exporter.
americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 26, 2023
5. North Korea vows more satellite launches, beefs up military on border
North Korea vows more satellite launches, beefs up military on border
Reuters · by Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL, Nov 27 (Reuters) - North Korea warned on Monday it would continue to exercise its sovereign rights, including through satellite launches, while its troops were reported to be restoring some demolished guard posts on the border with South Korea.
North Korea's foreign ministry said the launch of a reconnaissance satellite last week was prompted by the need to monitor the United States and its allies, state media KCNA reported.
"It is a legal and just way to exercise its right to defend itself and thoroughly respond to and precisely monitor the serious military action by the U.S. and its followers," the KCNA report said.
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched the satellite on Tuesday, saying it successfully entered orbit and was transmitting photographs, but South Korean defence officials and analysts said its capabilities have not been independently verified.
The launch prompted South Korea to suspend a key clause in a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement and resume aerial surveillance near the border.
North Korea in turn declared it was no longer bound by the agreement and would deploy weapons on the border with the South.
South Korea's defence ministry said North Korean soldiers had been observed bringing back heavy weapons into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) border and setting up guard posts that the two countries demolished under the agreement.
South Korea estimates the North had about 160 guard posts along the DMZ and the South had 60. Each side demolished 11 of them after the military deal signed in 2018 aimed at de-escalating tension and prevent accident military clashes.
Armed North Korean soldiers had been spotted restoring damaged guard posts in several locations since Friday, South Korea's defence ministry said, citing photographs from cameras in the DMZ.
They were also setting up what appeared to be a recoilless rifle - a portable anti-vehicle weapon or light artillery piece - at a fortification, it said, also citing a photograph.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again visited the control centre of the space agency in Pyongyang on Monday morning and viewed fresh satellite photos of the United States' Anderson Air Force base in Guam and other places including Rome, KCNA reported.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was briefed on the latest North Korean activities and ordered military readiness, his office said.
The United States had called an unscheduled meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday to discuss the North's satellite launch.
On Nov. 22, nine members of the Security Council joined the United States in a statement condemning the North's satellite launch for using ballistic missile technology, calling it a violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.
North Korea's foreign ministry said the statement only showed how dysfunctional the Security Council had become, with some member states blindly following the United States in issuing meaningless statements.
Two of the veto-wielding permanent members, China and Russia, have refused to join in any new Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang despite its continued testing of increasingly powerful ballistic missiles.
They did not join in the most recent statement last week.
Reporting by Hyunsu Yim, writing by Jack Kim, Editing by Kim Coghill, Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Reuters · by Hyunsu Yim
6. DPRK/North Korea: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the satellite launch
DPRK/North Korea: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the satellite launch
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/11/23/dprk-north-korea-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-the-satellite-launch/?utm
The European Union strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) launch of a military satellite using ballistic missile technology on 21 November.
This represents a clear threat to international peace and security and constitutes a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit such launches. The DPRK must cease all illegal and dangerous actions that escalate military tensions in the region.
It is critical that all UN Member States, especially Members of the UN Security Council, urge the DPRK to resume meaningful dialogue with all parties, and ensure the full implementation of UN sanctions with a view to the DPRK abandoning all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile programmes and existing nuclear programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease all related activities. In this context, the EU urges the DPRK and Russia to refrain from any exchanges of military equipment, missile technology or ammunition and abide by the successive UN Security Council resolutions which clearly prohibit any arms exports or imports involving the DPRK. The EU reiterates its deep concern about deepening military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK, potentially in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, as well as reports of arms transfers for the use in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and strongly condemns any such transfers.
Immediate DPRK compliance with its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions is the only viable route to sustainable peace and security on the Korean peninsula. The DPRK can never have the status of a nuclear weapon state in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The EU urges the DPRK to refrain from testing nuclear weapons, reaffirm the moratorium in that regard and to return immediately to full compliance with the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, bring into force the Additional Protocol and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The DPRK’s use of resources to support its unlawful weapons programmes exacerbates the difficult living conditions and human rights situation endured by much of its population.
The EU also expresses its deep concerns about any behaviour in outer space which could be threatening or perceived as threatening and could lead to uncontrolled escalation. In line with the recently adopted EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence, the EU will use all available tools, to prevent, discourage and, when necessary, appropriately respond to space threats.
The EU expresses its full solidarity with the Republic of Korea and Japan. The EU is ready to work with all relevant partners in promoting a meaningful diplomatic process aimed at building sustainable peace and security through the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Press contacts
Nabila Massrali
Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
+32 2 29 88093
+32 460 79 52 44
If you are not a journalist, please send your request to the public information service.
7. N. Korea restoring guard posts, bringing heavy firearms along inter-Korean border
Time to restore US troops to patrolling the DMZ side by side with their ROK counterparts.
(2nd LD) N. Korea restoring guard posts, bringing heavy firearms along inter-Korean border | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 27, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with defense chief's visit to Camp Humphreys in last 2 paras; ADDS photo)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has begun rebuilding guard posts and bringing heavy firearms along the border with South Korea after effectively scrapping a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal, the defense ministry said Monday.
Ministry officials disclosed photos showing North Korean troops installing temporary guard posts, carrying what appeared to be recoilless guns and standing guard at night inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
These moves came after the North said last week it would restore all military measures halted under the 2018 tension reduction deal. That decision came after South Korea suspended part of the agreement in protest of the North's successful launch of a military spy satellite.
"Before destroying the GPs, there were observation posts and they are presumed to be rebuilding them. It was made of white wood and painted with a camouflage pattern," a senior military official told reporters on background, referring to a guard post seen in a photo released by the defense ministry on Monday.
"There are only a few guard posts currently undergoing restoration work, but the North is expected to restore all of them as they are essential facilities for surveillance," the official added.
North Korean soldiers are spotted near a guard post inside of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in this photo provided by the South Korean defense ministry on Nov. 27, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Restoration work began on Friday, a day after the North said it was scrapping the deal, officials said.
The Comprehensive Military Agreement was signed on Sept. 19, 2018, at the height of a reconciliatory mood when then South Korean President Moon Jae-in traveled to Pyongyang for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The deal called for demolishing border guard posts within 1 kilometer of the border, banning military drills and maneuvers near the land and sea borders, and establishing no-fly zones along the border, among a series of measures designed to reduce military tensions.
At the time, both sides demolished 10 guard posts each and withdrew troops and weapons from them.
In response to the North's latest move, the defense ministry vowed to keep close tabs on the North's activities to detect signs of provocations along the border.
"Our military will closely monitor North Korea's provocative acts, while maintaining the full readiness to be able to retaliate to North Korea's provocations immediately, strongly and till the end, based on the strengthened combined posture with the U.S.," the ministry said.
North Korean soldiers are spotted carrying heavy arms near a guard post inside of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in this photo provided by the South Korean defense ministry on Nov. 27, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
North Korea's restoration of guard posts has raised speculation that the South Korean military could take further actions in addition to resuming surveillance activities near the border following the partial suspension of the accord.
Gen. Kim Myung-soo, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who took office Saturday, said the South Korean military will take "corresponding measures" in response to the North's latest move, without elaborating on details.
"It depends on the enemy's behavior. It is North Korea that has taken actions and broken trust ... We will take corresponding measures. Not taking an action would be more foolish," Kim said during his first meeting with reporters on Monday.
Later in the day, Defense Minister Shin Won-shik visited the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, to discuss the security situation on the peninsula with Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the CFC, U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command.
During the visit, Shin condemned the North's launch of a spy military satellite and taking steps to restore military measures halted under the 2018 pact near the border, calling for the allies' strong combined defense posture against North Korea's provocations, according to the ministry.
(From R to L) Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), U.S. Forces Korea and the United Nations Command; Defense Minister Shin Won-sik; and Gen. Kang Shin-chul, the deputy commander of the CFC, salute during Shin's visit to the CFC headquarters in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 27, 2023, in this photo provided by Shin's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 27, 2023
8. N. Korea vows to exercise 'sovereign rights' including satellite launch
If they were not building nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to attack targets in the region and throughout the world they would not be sanctioned and they would be allowed to launch satellites for peaceful purposes.
What about the regime's stated existential threat to the ROK's sovereignty? The regime is a threat to the South, the region, and the world.
(LEAD) N. Korea vows to exercise 'sovereign rights' including satellite launch | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 27, 2023
(ATTN: ADDS details in last three paras, photo)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday it will continue to exercise what it called its sovereign rights as it dismissed international condemnation over its latest satellite launch.
North Korea has claimed it successfully put the reconnaissance satellite into orbit and vowed to launch several more satellites within a short span of time.
"No matter what critical statements and harshest-ever sanctions the U.S. and its vassal forces may issue or impose, they can neither check the DPRK's exercise of its sovereign rights nor get what they want," Kim Son-gyong, vice minister for International Organizations at North Korea's foreign ministry, said in an English-language statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Kim defended the satellite launch as a "legitimate" exercise of North Korea's right to self-defense.
This photo, captured from North Korea's Central TV on Nov. 23, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) reacting at the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration in Pyongyang on Nov. 21, right after the North succeeded in placing the military reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 into orbit. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
The statement came hours before the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold a meeting in New York to discuss North Korea's satellite launch. North Korea is banned from any use of ballistic missile technology under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
North Korea "will squarely, unhesitatingly and perfectly exercise its sovereign rights including satellite launch," Kim said.
"If the U.S. and its vassal forces again seek to violate the sovereignty of the DPRK under the pretext of the utterly unlawful 'resolution' of the UNSC, they will be held wholly accountable for any consequences to be entailed by it."
In a separate article, the KCNA said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been briefed on the operational status of the reconnaissance satellite that is set to kick off official surveillance activities next month.
"The fine-tuning process of the satellite is being hastened to end one or two days earlier," it said, raising the possibility of the satellite beginning its official mission earlier than the planned schedule of Dec. 1.
Kim saw satellite images of the U.S. Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, taken earlier in the day, as well as those of Rome, Italy, taken on Saturday, the KCNA said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from R) inspects the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration in Pyongyang on Nov. 22, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 27, 2023
9. N. Korea claims S. Korea violated key inter-Korean agreements
Admit nothing. Deny everything. Make counter accusations.
The ROK executed the agreement in good faith. The regime did not.
N. Korea claims S. Korea violated key inter-Korean agreements | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · November 27, 2023
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea claimed Monday that South Korea has breached a 2018 inter-Korean military accord and other key agreements between the two Koreas, condemning joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as a provocative act that violates the military accord.
The condemnation came as North Korea vowed last week to resume all military measures halted under the 2018 deal and deploy new weapons to the border in response to Seoul's partial suspension of the military tension reduction accord over the North's launch of a military spy satellite.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said Monday that South Korea has been clinging to a scheme to provoke war against North Korea in collaboration with the United States and Japan.
Since the two Koreas adopted inter-Korean summit agreements signed in April and September 2018 and the military accord, South Korea "has violently breached the inter-Korean agreements and constantly trampled peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the paper said.
North Korea said Seoul and Washington conducted around 250 rounds of joint military drills last year alone to prepare for preemptive attacks on Pyongyang and staged such a "war of aggression" about 600 times over the past four years. The North has long denounced the Seoul-Washington military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
"Such a fuss of playing with fire is the manifestation of an extremely provocative and dangerous hostile act that points to the violation of the North-South military agreement," the newspaper said.
The 2018 military accord calls for setting up buffer zones and no-fly zones near the inter-Korean border in a bid to prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas.
Under the deal, the two sides agreed to cease live-fire artillery drills and field training along the border. But the agreement does not include a clause that bans joint military drills between Seoul and Washington.
South Korea and the U.S. have expanded joint military exercises as North Korea has ramped up its weapons tests, including of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.
North Korea launched a military spy satellite Tuesday night after two previous failed attempts in May and August, respectively, and vowed to launch several more satellites within a short span of time.
This file photo, provided by the South Korean Navy on Sept. 25, 2023, shows South Korea and the United States holding a joint naval exercise in the East Sea in a bid to boost their combined defense posture and interoperability. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · November 27, 2023
10. Voter turnout for N. Korea's local elections at 99.63 pct: KCNA
I expect that Kim Jong Un will offer to help the US with elections. (note sarcasm)
I was thinking, are the security services tracking down the .37% that did not vote? But it seems they are accounted for. Those at sea are proliferating weapons around the world and those overseas are conducting illicit activities to gain hard currency for the regime so I guess they have a good excuse. I just don't see why the regime just did not count their votes, since the regime knows how they were going to vote. (again, note sarcasm)
The election committee said 99.63 percent of eligible voters participated in the voting, except those who are in foreign nations or are working at sea, it said.
(2nd LD) Voter turnout for N. Korea's local elections at 99.63 pct: KCNA | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · November 27, 2023
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead to highlight voter turnout; UPDATES with more details throughout)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday the voter turnout for local elections held over the weekend was recorded at 99.63 percent, with its leader Kim Jong-un casting his ballot.
The North held elections Sunday to pick new deputies for local assemblies of provinces, cities and counties across the nation, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The election committee said 99.63 percent of eligible voters participated in the voting, except those who are in foreign nations or are working at sea, it said.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 27, 2023, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un casting his ballot at a polling station in South Hamgyong Province the previous day to take part in local elections to pick new deputies for local assemblies of provinces, cities and counties. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
North Korea's local elections are held 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 hand-picked by the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and rubber-stamped into office.
The North's leader Kim visited a polling station in South Hamgyong Province on Sunday and voted for candidates who ran in the elections in the region, the KCNA said.
The report said he met with the candidates and encouraged them to become "genuine representatives and true servants for the people who strive to defend and realize their rights, interests and requirements."
Kim was accompanied by Premier Kim Tok-hun and key party officials, including his younger sister Kim Yo-jong and Hyon Song-wol, vice director of the propaganda and agitation department, it added.
North Korea has revised an election law in a way that allows two candidates to be recommended in some constituencies for local elections and holds a preliminary election to decide on a final candidate.
The move appeared to be intended to introduce competition into the election system, albeit on a rudimentary level. But Seoul's unification ministry said the North's revision of the election law does not seem to genuinely guarantee people's suffrage.
At polling stations, North Korea set up two separate ballot boxes of different colors -- one for approval and the other for disapproval -- a move that hampers the principle of secret voting as it is easy to see whether people vote for or against, the ministry said.
"This shows the North's election system is far from a democratic electoral system. Rather, the country aims to strengthen its internal grip on people (via elections)," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a regular press briefing.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 27, 2023, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) visiting a polling station in South Hamgyong Province the previous day to take part in local elections to pick new deputies for local assemblies of provinces, cities and counties. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · November 27, 2023
11. S. Korea, AIIB discuss stronger partnership, new investment chances
(LEAD) S. Korea, AIIB discuss stronger partnership, new investment chances | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · November 27, 2023
(ATTN: CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) discussed ways Monday to boost bilateral cooperation on the financial sector and conduct various joint infrastructure projects, the finance ministry here said.
The discussion took place during the meeting between Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and AIIB President Jin Liqun held in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Choo asked for the AIIB chief's support for South Korean companies seeking investment projects with the AIIB, as well as the promotion of partnership between South Korean financial institutions and the AIIB.
Choo also requested the multilateral lender to expand the employment of South Korean staff, the ministry said.
Jin voiced hope for enhanced bilateral ties in the financial and infrastructure realms and personnel exchanges based on South Korea's ample experience of economic development and technology capabilities.
The president also expressed gratitude for South Korea's role in the growth of his organization.
South Korea is the fifth-largest stakeholder of the bank. China is the biggest stakeholder, followed by India, Russia and Germany.
Established in 2016, the AIIB has funded various infrastructure projects aimed at sustainable economic development in the region, and South Korea joined the entity as one of its 57 founding members.
The bank currently has 109 members, representing more than 80 percent of the global population and 65 percent of the global gross domestic product, according to the ministry.
The bank is widely viewed as a counterbalance to U.S.-led multilateral lenders, such as the Asian Development Bank, amid the rising Sino-U.S. rivalry.
This photo, provided by South Korea's finance ministry, shows Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho (R) shaking hands with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun ahead of their meeting in Seoul on Nov. 27, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · November 27, 2023
12. CFC deputy commander to visit U.N. Command rear bases in Japan
Reinforcing President Yoon's words from hsi August 15 Liberation Day speech - these bases are critical to the defense of the ROK.
CFC deputy commander to visit U.N. Command rear bases in Japan | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 27, 2023
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- Gen. Kang Shin-chul, the new deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), was set to visit the United Nations Command (UNC)'s rear bases in Japan on Monday, the UNC said.
Kang will embark on a three-day trip to UNC rear bases near Tokyo, including Yokota Air Base and Yokosuka Navy Base, and other locations, which are designed to provide logistical and other forms of support in case of contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.
He will be accompanied by Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, the deputy commander of the UNC, during his first visit to UNC bases since taking office in early November, the multinational command said.
"This visit will strengthen the relationship between ROK and UNC and in their efforts to maintain peace and deter aggression" on the Korean Peninsula, the UNC said in a release, referring to South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.
The U.S.-led UNC was established in 1950 to support South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, but its role was reduced to overseeing the armistice after its operational control over South Korean troops was handed over to the CFC in 1978.
The UNC is led by a four-star U.S. general, currently Gen. Paul LaCamera, who also heads the CFC and U.S. Forces Korea.
Earlier this month, defense ministers and representatives of South Korea and the UNC member states held their first meeting in Seoul to explore ways to expand security cooperation amid North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.
Gen. Kang Shin-chul, the new deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), speaks during a ceremony marking his inauguration at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 2, 2023, in this file photo provided by the CFC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 27, 2023
13. N. Korea's Manlikyong-1 equipped with Japanese digital camera
No surprise. The regime's illicit activities network (DEpartment or Office 39) can get its hands on anything. I wonder if the globe in the photo below is from National Geographic.
N. Korea's Manlikyong-1 equipped with Japanese digital camera
https://www.donga.com/en/home/article/all/20231127/4580833/1
Posted November. 27, 2023 08:14,
Updated November. 27, 2023 08:14
A Japanese commercial digital camera was reportedly installed on the North Korean military reconnaissance satellite 'Manlikyong-1,’ which the South Korean military recovered after the North’s initial launch failed in May. Even with the magnification device, the maximum resolution was reportedly only good for a large ground object measuring about 5 meters across, according to an analysis. If the same camera were installed on the Manlikyong-1, which North Korea successfully launched into orbit on November 21, it would likely have little military utility. Reconnaissance satellites are supposed to have a sub-meter resolution (identifying an object less than 1 meter across).
According to information gathered by The Dong-A Ilbo Sunday, the Manlikyong-1, which was recovered by the South Korean military from Yellow Sea waters shortly after North Korea's first failed launch on May 31, was equipped with a commercial digital camera made by a Japanese company identified by ‘N.’ That it was an outdated model whose production has effectively ended. An analysis showed that the camera has a maximum resolution of only enough to identify a large ground object measuring 5 meters. At the time, the military said it had ‘little military utility.’
Some observers believe that Russia may have provided not only the launch vehicle technology but also high-performance optics. The U.S., South Korea, and Japan conducted joint drills to deter North Korean nuclear and missile threats in waters near the Korean Peninsula on Sunday.
Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com
14. Hyesan housewives delighted to have husbands helping out at home
Cultural change in north Korea?
Excerpts:
Another woman shared how an incident that deeply moved her. “A few days ago, I went to the market and when I came back in the evening my husband greeted me, telling me ‘you’ve worked hard’ and ‘it’s cold outside, go take a seat over the heater,’ I started crying. It’s the first time he’s said anything acknowledging how hard I’ve worked in the 20 years since we moved in together, and I felt like all of the anger and tension that had accumulated over the years just melted away.”
“There’s a strongly held belief in North Korean society that men should be served and waited on inside the home,” the source went on to explain. “It’s taken for granted that women should do everything in their power to feed their families and otherwise take care of the household. But [perhaps] after witnessing the way their wives scratched and clawed to keep their families from starving to death during Covid, men’s [attitudes] are changing.
Hyesan housewives delighted to have husbands helping out at home
Typically, even physically-challenging tasks like chopping firewood and making charcoal briquettes are done by wives without any help from their husbands
By Lee Chae Un - 2023.11.27 2:59pm
dailynk.com
Hyesan housewives delighted to have husbands helping out at home | Daily NK English
FILE PHOTO: North Korean women are seen on bikes near Sakju County, North Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)
Housewives in the city of Hyesan are in fine spirits after many of their husbands began spontaneously helping with chores after returning from work, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Oct. 23 that “men who had previously done nothing outside their workplaces have, as if by some secret agreement, suddenly started helping their wives around the home after they return from work. In response, Hyesan housewives have been smiling and joking, ‘did the sun rise from the West this morning?’”
The idea that wives are responsible for everything in the home while men just need to focus on performing well at work is a deeply entrenched belief in North Korean society. Even physically challenging tasks like chopping firewood and making charcoal briquettes are usually done by wives without any help from their husbands.
However, the social atmosphere appears to have shifted and now men are stepping up to do housework, much to the elation of their wives.
“To give you just a sense of how hard women work when they marry into their husband’s house, a common way to greet a newly married woman is to joke, ‘I see you’ve started your sentence at the labor camp.’ So [you can understand why] this phenomenon of men leaving work early and helping their wives at home has become a major topic in town.”
Following the Arduous March, women became responsible not just for housework and child-rearing, but also for the household’s economic activities. These men who have not lifted a finger to help their wives in the past have recently made a 180-degree pivot, to the immense surprise of their wives. Many women have returned from spending their day making money in the market to find that their husbands have returned home first and are waiting for them after wiping the floors and even making dinner.
One woman in Hyesan remarked, “My husband only thought about his job and couldn’t live without booze and cigarettes, so I deeply regretted marrying him. But recently, he’s completely quit drinking and smoking and has been doing housework. When I saw him even helping wash the kids up after getting home from work, I wondered to myself ‘is he dying?’ I’ve worked myself to the bone to get us through food shortages and economic hardships for years, and it seems like now my husband has finally grown up.”
Another woman shared how an incident that deeply moved her. “A few days ago, I went to the market and when I came back in the evening my husband greeted me, telling me ‘you’ve worked hard’ and ‘it’s cold outside, go take a seat over the heater,’ I started crying. It’s the first time he’s said anything acknowledging how hard I’ve worked in the 20 years since we moved in together, and I felt like all of the anger and tension that had accumulated over the years just melted away.”
“There’s a strongly held belief in North Korean society that men should be served and waited on inside the home,” the source went on to explain. “It’s taken for granted that women should do everything in their power to feed their families and otherwise take care of the household. But [perhaps] after witnessing the way their wives scratched and clawed to keep their families from starving to death during Covid, men’s [attitudes] are changing.
“During COVID-19, families suffered from dire economic difficulties that threatened their very livelihoods, so much so that it appears to have started to change husbands who had been stuck in their ways for decades and brought new warmth to the household. If things stay this way, I expect there will be fewer young people hesitating to get married.”
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources who live inside North Korea, China and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
Lee Chae Un
Lee Chae Un is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. She can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
dailynk.com
15. How infighting at spy agency led to sweeping leadership changes
How infighting at spy agency led to sweeping leadership changes
The Korea Times · November 27, 2023
This Nov. 1 photo shows Kim Kyou-hyun, director at the National Intelligence Service, attending an audit at the National Assembly in Seoul. Kim, a former diplomat who became the first chief of the spy agency under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, resigned, along with its first and second deputy directors, Sunday. Yonhap
Critics concerned about intelligence void amid intensifying security threats
By Jung Min-ho
After returning from an overseas trip on Sunday, the first thing President Yoon Suk Yeol did was to accept the resignations of the chief of the National Intelligence Agency (NIS) and his two deputies. Yet given the deep, long-running tensions between top agents over the past year, few believe their departure was voluntary.
Despite rising security threats from North Korea, which claims to have successfully launched its first reconnaissance satellite last week, Yoon took the risk of leaving the spy agency’s top post ― held by Director Kim Kyou-hyun ― empty for the time being. Meanwhile, Hong Jang-won and Hwang Won-jin, veteran NIS agents, replaced Kwon Chun-taek and Kim Soo-youn as first and second deputy directors, respectively.
Speaking to The Korea Times on Monday, insiders refused to disclose details of how the infighting and feud within the NIS started and apparently aggravated under Kim’s watch. But one said the bone of contention had nothing to do with ideological differences suspected by some.
Conflicts over personnel affairs are known to have largely caused and deepened the division among NIS leaders ― particularly between Kim, a former vice foreign minister who became the first NIS director under Yoon, and Kwon.
Their discord was first exposed when Cho Sang-joon, a former prosecutor known as a close associate of Yoon, stepped down as the head of planning and coordination at the agency in October 2022, just four months after assuming the post. This came a month after some 20 high-level agents left the organization.
That issue was immediately thrust into the media spotlight. For an organization that regards secrecy as a necessary virtue, this was an embarrassment for the director. After a while, however, his leadership appeared to stabilize ― but not for long.
In June, the appointments of top agents, a list approved by Kim and Yoon, were revoked due to some of the “problematic” officials included. This put the director back in a bind. There was speculation that a former NIS agent close to Kim exerted significant influence over the promotion process.
“Although it is difficult to a get a full picture of what was going on within the NIS because of its secretive nature, it looks bad that its personnel affairs keep appearing in media reports,” Ma Sang-yoon, a professor of political science at the Catholic University of Korea, said.
Speaking to reporters, Rep. Park Seong-jun, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concern over the leadership void at the NIS as North Korea ratchets up tensions near the inter-Korean border, vowing to dispatch more soldiers and new weapons to the area. Pyongyang made the decision after declaring the termination of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in response to Seoul’s partial suspension of the accord.
“Void of intelligence would lead to void of security, which forces us to raise questions over why President Yoon is risking it,” he said.
The presidential office said in a statement that the director played a key role in repairing the tarnished reputation of the NIS and reinforcing its intelligence networks with allies and other friendly countries.
The office is now searching for a successor. Kim Sook, former first deputy director, and Kim Yong-hyun, head of the presidential security service, are known to be among the candidates under consideration. Meanwhile, Hong, the current first deputy director, will serve as acting director at the spy agency.
The Korea Times · November 27, 2023
16. North Korea all tell, no show with spy satellite photos of U.S., South Korean sites
Excellent. Call out the regime.
Sunday
November 26, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 26 Nov. 2023, 17:01
Updated: 26 Nov. 2023, 19:37
North Korea all tell, no show with spy satellite photos of U.S., South Korean sites
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-11-26/national/northKorea/North-Korea-plays-tellandnoshow-with-spy-satellite-photos-of-US-South-Korean-targets/1921588
National Aerospace Technology Administration’s Pyongyang General Control Center on Wednesday. North Korea launched its spy satellite on Tuesday. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]
North Korea touted the capabilities of its recently launched reconnaissance satellite over the weekend, claiming to have successfully captured images of major South Korean and U.S. military bases.
However, Pyongyang has yet to disclose any footage it claims to have taken, raising questions about the quality of the imagery.
Related Article
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Saturday reported that the satellite Malligyong-1 photographed military and industrial targets in South Korea, including Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu, and Gangneung, Gangwon, during its pass over the Peninsula between 9:59 a.m. and 10:02 a.m. the same morning.
The satellite allegedly captured images of the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson, which had recently docked at a military base in Busan.
The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Busan on Tuesday, the same day North Korea launched its reconnaissance satellite.
The satellite capture of the USS Carl Vinson occurred a day after the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Yang Yong-mo, met with U.S. Chief Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti on board the carrier in Busan.
It also claimed to have taken images of Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii, during its passage over the Pacific Island around 5:13 a.m. on Saturday.
The North Korean news agency claimed that the images were viewed by its leader, Kim Jong-un, who visited the National Aerospace Technology Administration’s Pyongyang General Control Center on Saturday, marking his third visit since the satellite's launch on Tuesday.
KCNA claimed that Kim had already viewed images of several South Korean and U.S. military bases on the Peninsula during his second visit to the center on Friday, including photos of Seoul, Pyeongtaek and Osan in Gyeonggi as well as Mokpo in South Jeolla and Gunsan in North Jeolla.
Seoul is home to the office of the South Korean president and the South Korean Ministry of Defense, while Pyeongtaek is the location of Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base in the world.
Osan is the site of a sprawling U.S. Air Force base, Mokpo is the base of a South Korean naval fleet, and Gunsan in North Jeolla plays host to a major air base used by the U.S. and South Korean air forces.
KCNA reported that the spy satellite captured images of significant targets as it passed over the Peninsula between 10:15 a.m. and 10:27 a.m. on Friday.
The North Korean and South Korean authorities and the U.S. Space Force have confirmed that the North Korean satellite has successfully entered orbit.
North Korea had failed in two earlier attempts this year.
However, the spy satellite's imagery quality has yet to be confirmed.
Previous images released by North Korea and satellite components recovered by the South Korean and U.S. militaries from the debris of the failed launches have been subpar.
The camera components retrieved from the first launch in May had an estimated resolution of around three meters.
Reconnaissance satellites need resolutions of 1 meter or less.
When North Korea released images of Seoul taken by a prototype satellite launched in December last year, the grainy photos were widely mocked. The country has not disclosed any satellite images since then.
Neither the South Korean government nor the U.S. have commented on the North Korean claims regarding its satellite images.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, however, on Wednesday speculated that even if North Korea had successfully placed its satellite in orbit, it would take some time before the satellite could properly perform its reconnaissance mission.
Meanwhile, South Korea plans to launch its first domestically developed military reconnaissance satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday.
BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
17. Hawkish response to the North is unavoidable
Excerpt:
Our government must not surrender to North Korea’s possible provocation. It could be tempted to raise tensions — including by launching a surprise attack — out of its conviction that it has nothing to lose or that South Korea and the United States would not want a military clash to escalate to a full-fledged war. The two allies must augment deterrence by mobilizing all strategic assets to effectively deal with the North’s belligerence.
Monday
November 27, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Published: 27 Nov. 2023, 20:19
Hawkish response to the North is unavoidable
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-11-27/opinion/editorials/Hawkish-response-to-the-North-is-unavoidable/1922557
North Korea is ratcheting up tensions on the border after launching its first military reconnaissance satellite on Nov. 21. The photos released by our military authorities show the country has redeployed troops and military equipment at guard posts along the demilitarized zone. The North withdrew from 11 guard posts after the Sept. 19 military agreement in Pyongyang in 2018. But the North’s recent alarming moves were detected on the 11 guard posts it had dismantled at the end of 2018. But the move clearly violates the previous agreement aimed at preventing an armed clash in the heavily-guarded area within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from each side of the DMZ.
North Korea wants to raise military tensions on the frontline after declaring a complete nullification of the military consensus five years ago. Pyonygang puts the blame on the South Korea-U.S. joint drills and the South’s resumption of reconnaissance activities on the frontline in reaction to the North’s launch of a military satellite last week. But Pyongyang’s accusation doesn’t make sense, as it was North Korea that steadfastly escalated tensions by secretly developing nuclear weapons and launching a military satellite.
In the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom in April 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised that he would not give South Koreans “sleepless nights.” But North Korea launched a military satellite last Tuesday after firing all types of missiles since its failed summit with the United States in 2019. If Kim Jong-un repeatedly breaks his own promise, it will only help deepen its isolation from the international community.
Our government must not surrender to North Korea’s possible provocation. It could be tempted to raise tensions — including by launching a surprise attack — out of its conviction that it has nothing to lose or that South Korea and the United States would not want a military clash to escalate to a full-fledged war. The two allies must augment deterrence by mobilizing all strategic assets to effectively deal with the North’s belligerence.
At the same time, our government must use all diplomatic channels available to stop the North from taking an extreme action. China is the only country that can pressure North Korea, though it does not welcome the closer ties among the South, the United States and Japan. Seoul must convince Beijing of the need to avert instability in the Korean Peninsula, as it goes against China’s interests. Seoul must not forget that the six-party talks in 2003 and the UN resolutions on international sanctions on North Korea were possible due to China’s engagement.
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
| 
