Quotes of the Day:

"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."

 Pope John Paul II

"I belong to a nation which over the past centuries has experienced many hardships and reverses. The world reacted with silence or with mere sympathy when Polish frontiers were crossed by invading armies and the sovereign state had to succumb to brutal force."

 Lech Walesa

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." - Socrates

1. N. Korean provocations prove S. Korea, U.S. moving in right direction: Amb. Cho

2.  North Korea’s New ICBM Is A Nuclear Game Changer

3. Eight US B-2 bombers stage ‘Elephant Walk’ to warn Pyongyang

4. [ANALYSIS] North Korean leader's daughter makes second public appearance

5. N. Korea shows no signs of imminent nuclear test ahead of major anniversary: ministry

6. Space command for USFK: Care must be taken to not cause backlash from China

7. Revelation of Kim Jong Un’s daughter at missile test sparks buzz among North Koreans

8. ＜Interview with a N. Korean＞ (1) “It’s ridiculous that the government launches missiles while its people remain starving”

9. No kimchi? Poor harvests, lower incomes mean North Koreans may go without staple dish

10. South Korean navy training group arrives in Hawaii

11. Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

1. N. Korean provocations prove S. Korea, U.S. moving in right direction: Amb. Cho

I  agree with Ambassador Cho. I think he is making the correct analysis but this will certainly go against many of the pundits. But I think Kim is desperate because his political airfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies are failing. 

N. Korean provocations prove S. Korea, U.S. moving in right direction: Amb. Cho | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 29, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are moving in the right direction when dealing with North Korea, South Korea's ambassador to the U.S. Cho Tae-yong insisted Monday, arguing North Korea's recent rhetoric against the allies prove the effectiveness of their joint efforts.

Cho made the remarks while meeting with reporters in Washington, about 10 days after Pyongyang staged its 10th intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test of the year.

"North Korea's sharp reaction is an evidence that the efforts by South Korea and the U.S. are making progress," Cho told the meeting, noting the North has fired an annual record of 63 ballistic missiles this year, far exceeding the previous record of 25 in 2019.

"South Korea and the U.S. are working very closely together where they immediately share information on any provocation that takes place and hold consultation on counter actions," the South Korean diplomat added.

Cho said the allies are also working to further strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence.

North Korea has blamed U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises for provoking its recent missile launches, accusing them of being war rehearsals.

The South Korean ambassador dismissed the North Korean claim that Pyongyang's missile tests had been provoked, saying it will not win any response or support from the international community.

Seoul and Washington have said their joint military drills are "purely defensive in nature."

Amb. Cho reiterated that Seoul still remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang.

"As the government explained in detail under its audacious plan, should North Korea return to the dialogue with sincerity, we too will engage in dialogue aimed at improving the countries' relations and establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 29, 2022

2. North Korea’s New ICBM Is A Nuclear Game Changer

Implement Ted Galen Carpenter's recommendations and it is game, set, match - Kim Jong Un victory.  

His political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies will be judged a resounding success. The sad fact is that if these concessions are made (if this appeasement is executed) Kim will not act in the way Mr. Carpenter hopes: Kim will double down and continue to even more aggressively execute his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies.  

Even worse, these recommendations will lead to conflict as we abandon South Korea. Kim will continue to develop advanced warfighting capabilities with the long term objective to dominate the peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.

I cannot disagree with these recommendations more strongly. These are very dangerous.

Excerpts:

Washington’s strategy needs to change on both fronts. It is now imperative to conduct a comprehensive dialogue with Pyongyang to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries. Among other steps, that process must include a peace treaty (replacing the 1953 Armistice), finally ending the state of war on the Korean Peninsula, the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions against Pyongyang, and the establishment of formal, bilateral diplomatic ties.

The United States also must transform its security relationship with South Korea. It was a relatively low-risk venture to provide a military shield to a weak client state in the context of the Cold War. Whether correctly or not, U.S. viewed the DPRK as little more than a puppet of the Soviet Union and Communist China. In that context, a new war on the Peninsula would have had far wider importance than being merely a fight between two small, rival Korean states. It would have been the opening salvo in an escalating East-West confrontation. Such a stark ideological struggle no longer defines a far more complex geopolitical environment. Although its economic importance to the United States has grown, South Korea’s strategic relevance has declined.

North Korea’s New ICBM Is A Nuclear Game Changer

19fortyfive.com · by Ted Galen Carpenter · November 27, 2022

For more than three decades, the United States has sought to make the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) an international pariah. The primary goal of that strategy of isolation has been to force Pyongyang to abandon its ongoing nuclear weapons program, but an important secondary goal is to throttle the country’s ballistic missile program.

It is increasingly clear that Washington’s strategy has failed on both counts.

The DPRK’s small but steadily expanding nuclear arsenal renders the first objective utterly obsolete. North Korea’s mounting number of missile tests demonstrates the increasing irrelevance of the second objective.

Like it or not, North Korea is fast becoming a full-fledged nuclear weapons power with a capable missile delivery system.

The latest ICBM test is a game-changer in two respects. First, it underscores the futility, indeed absurdity, of Washington’s isolation strategy. The United States is now in the untenable and dangerous position of having no formal relationship—much less a tolerably cordial one—with the world’s latest nuclear weapons power. Second, the prospect of a DPRK fleet of ICBMs in the next few years significantly alters the risk-benefit calculation of the U.S.’s extended deterrence commitment to the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Soon, North Korea will be capable of launching a nuclear strike against the American homeland in the event of a conflict that has spiraled out of control.

Washington’s strategy needs to change on both fronts. It is now imperative to conduct a comprehensive dialogue with Pyongyang to normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries. Among other steps, that process must include a peace treaty (replacing the 1953 Armistice), finally ending the state of war on the Korean Peninsula, the lifting of U.S. and international sanctions against Pyongyang, and the establishment of formal, bilateral diplomatic ties.

The United States also must transform its security relationship with South Korea. It was a relatively low-risk venture to provide a military shield to a weak client state in the context of the Cold War. Whether correctly or not, U.S. viewed the DPRK as little more than a puppet of the Soviet Union and Communist China. In that context, a new war on the Peninsula would have had far wider importance than being merely a fight between two small, rival Korean states. It would have been the opening salvo in an escalating East-West confrontation. Such a stark ideological struggle no longer defines a far more complex geopolitical environment. Although its economic importance to the United States has grown, South Korea’s strategic relevance has declined.

Until recently, U.S. leaders also felt comfortable offering a military guarantee to the ROK to deter an attack from Pyongyang, secure in the knowledge that the DPRK could not strike the U.S. homeland. We no longer have that luxury.

It is time to phase out the “mutual” military alliance with South Korea. At the time that alliance was established in the early 1950s, the ROK was a war-ravaged, poverty-stricken country incapable of providing for its own defense. Today it is one of Asia’s most successful and prosperous “economic tigers,” with an economy estimated to be at least 40 times larger than that of its communist rival. South Korea is now fully capable of building whatever military forces are needed to defend its security—including a nuclear deterrent. Seoul’s continuing military dependence on the United States has been a policy choice to save money. It is not even remotely a policy necessity. U.S. leaders need to inform their South Korean counterparts that the defense gravy train will no longer operate

Even more important than ending the ROK’s free-riding ways is to drastically change Washington’s stance regarding an independent nuclear arsenal for that country. Generations of U.S. officials have robotically embraced an insistence on nuclear nonproliferation as a global policy, regardless of circumstances. Washington insists the membership in the global nuclear weapons club must remained closed—despite India’s and Pakistan’s forced entry in the 1990s and North Korea’s steady emergence as a de facto nuclear weapons power. It is a policy that is detached from reality. To the extent it works at all, it guarantees that rogue states will have such weapons, while stable, nonaggressive democratic countries remain nonnuclear—and heavily dependent on the United States for their defense.

It is an unhealthy situation both for the United States and its security dependents. It is especially unhealthy in the case of South Korea. The ROK is betting Washington will honor its security commitment even at the risk of a North Korean strike on the American homeland. But such an extended deterrence promise is inherently less credible than a robust primary deterrent. A South Korean nuclear arsenal would be far more likely to deter North Korea than a fraying promise from Washington that the United States will risk mushroom clouds sprouting above multiple American cities to deter DPRK military aggression against the ROK.

We must not dither and then try to adjust Washington’s obsolete Korea policy in the midst of a crisis. The imminent prospect of North Korea having a nuclear arsenal in the form of warheads on ICBMs requires a drastic, immediate policy transformation.

Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at 19FortyFive, is the author of 13 books and more than 1,100 articles on international affairs. His latest book is Unreliable Watchdog: The News Media and U.S. Foreign Policy (2022).

19fortyfive.com · by Ted Galen Carpenter · November 27, 2022

3. Eight US B-2 bombers stage ‘Elephant Walk’ to warn Pyongyang

Will an elephant walk at Whiteman really have an influence effect on Kim Jong un?

Eight US B-2 bombers stage ‘Elephant Walk’ to warn Pyongyang

https://www.donga.com/en/home/article/all/20221128/3789349/1

Posted November. 28, 2022 07:33,   

Updated November. 28, 2022 07:33://www.donga.com/en/home/article/all/20221128/3789349/1

The U.S. issued a warning message against North Korea by staging a show of force by deploying B-2 Spirit strategic bombers capable of loading nuclear warheads on Saturday. The move comes as Pyongyang has been widely advertising the successful test fire of its new ‘Hwasong-17’ intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

The U.S. Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing posted on Facebook ‘Elephant Walk’ of eight B-2 bombers, a concurrent sortie exercise of fully armed bombers, at the Whiteman Airbase in Missouri. “Team Whiteman executes B-2 Spirit Elephant Walk and Fly-off as the grand finale of Whiteman's annual Spirit Vigilance exercise,” the post read. “This routine training ensures U.S. Air Force airmen are always ready to execute nuclear operations and global strike.”

Elephant Walk is an exercise aimed at sortieing fighter jets in the shortest time in the event of a situation through taxiing aircraft in close formation right before takeoff. Equipped with stealth function, the B-2 bomber can load nuclear warheads, including 61 and B83, and thus constitutes one of the U.S.'s three strategic bombers. “It is a strong warning message against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un” Bruce Bennett, a senior researcher at the U.S. military thinktank Rand Corporation, told Voice of America.

In the U.S., there is growing skepticism about the possibility of China persuading North Korea to halt the latter’s provocations. According to the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, President Joe Biden said he was ‘optimistic’ as he pressured Chinese President Xi Jinping to dissuade North Korea from conducting nuclear tests or missile tests. However, (the reality) does not seem to be the case. “China and Russia’s protection is making Kim Jong Un bold, and Pyongyang is mocking global response ahead of its nuclear tests,” the newspaper said. “Washington should dump its trust in the UN and focus on mobilizing allies (to respond to the North).”

weappon@donga.com

4. [ANALYSIS] North Korean leader's daughter makes second public appearance

I just think this speculation is way too premature and I think we are just playing tight into Kim's hands with so much focus on it.

[ANALYSIS] North Korean leader's daughter makes second public appearance

The Korea Times · November 27, 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un listens to his daughter Ju-ae during a photo session with military officers and other contributors to the development of the Hwasong-17, the biggest and longest-range North Korean ICBM, at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this photo released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

Kim Ju-ae may eventually be announced as heir apparent: expert

By Jung Min-ho

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, made her second public appearance during an event where her father praised military officers for their progress in developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The daughter, whom South Korean intelligence officials believe to be his second child, was revealed to the public for the first time a week ago in the Nov. 18 photos, showing her with Kim inspecting the launch of the Hwasong-17 missile ― North Korea's biggest, longest-range ICBM designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads.

In photos released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Ju-ae, who is wearing a long black coat, can be seen linking arms with her father as they celebrate the test. The state-run broadcaster described Ju-ae, who obviously resembles her parents, especially mother Ri Sol-ju, as a "precious jajeboon," a term of respect for a child.

The same day, North Korea's official newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, described her as "the most beloved jajeboon."

The unusual descriptions used by the media suggest that the North Korean leader may have already started grooming her as his successor, according to Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea at The Sejong Institute, a South Korean think tank.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks with his daughter Ju-ae during an event to reward military officers and other contributors for the development of the Hwasong-17, the biggest and longest-range North Korean ICBM, at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this photo released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

"When Ri Sol-ju made her first public appearance with Kim in July 2012, the Rodong Sinmun described her as '(Kim's) wife, comrade Ri Sol-ju' without using any other special title such as precious. It is an exceptional case," Cheong said in an analysis sent to The Korea Times. "Ju-ae was described as 'the most beloved child,' which made it clear that she will succeed him. If a king has multiple children, it is natural that the most beloved one will become the heir apparent."

According to National Intelligence Service reports at the National Assembly, Kim Jong-un has three children, who were born in 2010, 2013 and 2017. The first one is believed to be a son; it is unclear whether the third is a boy or a girl. Information about the children is a source of great outside interest as the ruler has not publicly appointed a successor.

It is important to remember, Cheong said, that Kim Jong-un was regarded as the de facto heir apparent to his father, Kim Jong-il, when he was just eight years old despite being his third child.

"Just as Kim Jong-il chose Kim Jong-un, his third son who most closely resembled his personality, over his first and second ones, as his heir apparent at an early age, I think Kim Jong-un chose Kim Ju-ae, 'the most beloved child,' as his," Cheong said. "Kim Jong-un may feel pressure for putting forward a daughter and not a son as North Korea's fourth leader. So, he seems to have prepared well to pass down the loyalty of North Korean officials and people smoothly … Kim Ju-ae is expected to continue making public appearances with her father from time to time."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae shakes hands with a solder during an event to reward the military officers and other contributors for the development of the Hwasong-17, the North's biggest and longest-range ICBM, at an unidentified location in North Korea, in this photo released Sunday by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

Regime aims to have world's most powerful nuclear force

At the event, Kim Jong-un said he aims to secure the world's most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers who made contributions to the ICBM's development.

Hailing the Hwasong-17 missile as "the world's strongest strategic weapon," he praised the military officers and scientists who made the "wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles," according to the KCNA.

He also said North Korea's "ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful strategic force, an absolute force unprecedented in the century."

Jang Chang-ha, chief of the Academy of National Defense Science, and Kim Jong-sik, deputy head of the Munitions Industry Department of the ruling Workers' Party, were among those promoted.

The launch vehicle for the Hwasong-17 was awarded the title of "DPRK hero."

The Korea Times · November 27, 2022

5. N. Korea shows no signs of imminent nuclear test ahead of major anniversary: ministry

I always wonder if reports like these will actually lead Kim to conduct a test.

N. Korea shows no signs of imminent nuclear test ahead of major anniversary: ministry

The Korea Times · November 28, 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, alongside his daughter wearing a winter jacket, views a new type of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during an on-site inspection of the missile launch at Pyongyang International Airport, Nov. 18, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. YonhapThere is no indication of an imminent nuclear test by North Korea, which commemorates the anniversary this week of declaring the completion of its "state nuclear force," according to South Korea's unification ministry Monday.

The outside world has been closely monitoring the secretive regime's move ahead of the anniversary marking the proclamation on Nov. 29, 2017, in the wake of the first test-firing of the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), less than three months after its sixth nuclear test.

Some observers raised the possibility that Pyongyang may carry out another underground nuclear test on the occasion of the anniversary.

"On nuclear testing, there are no signs indicating the test is imminent, but we believe North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time if Chairman Kim Jong-un decides to do so," he added. "Cho Joong-hoon, the ministry's spokesperson, said at a press briefing, referring to the country's leader."

North Korea's state media outlets stayed mum about the anniversary as of Monday morning amid growing concerns Pyongyang may conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test in the near future.

Earlier this month, the North launched a Hwasong-17 ICBM, seen as being capable of reaching the entire U.S. mainland. It landed in the East Sea, and the North announced that the test was successful. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · November 28, 2022

6. Space command for USFK: Care must be taken to not cause backlash from China

​Someone on the Korea Times editorial board is way too scared of China.

Space command for USFK

The Korea Times · November 28, 2022

Care must be taken to not cause backlash from China

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will incorporate a component command of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) by year's-end to tackle potential military provocations from North Korea. It will be the second space command to be established outside the U.S. mainland, following the U.S. Space Forces, Indo-Pacific, launched under the umbrella of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Nov. 22.

The U.S. military, in its recently unveiled National Security Strategy, said the launch of the new space command is to realize all-domain integrated deterrence.​ ​ Another space force will also be set up in the Middle East in December. "Our approach requires the joint force to think, act and operate differently by synchronizing our operations, re-aligning our posture, and advancing our warfighting capabilities," said Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during a ceremony marking the USSF component launch.

The USSF was founded in 2019 with the mission of detecting and tracing air vehicles and conducting space and cyber wars against missile attacks.

 Subsequently, the U.S. has been stepping up its efforts to host the space command in USFK, proving it is seriously counteracting North Korea's series of launches of ballistic missiles.

On Nov. 18, North Korea fired a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which can, presumably, reach the U.S. mainland, prompting the U.S. to hasten plans to launch the space command at the USFK. Concerns are growing that the recent move will possibly incorporate USFK into the U.S.-initiated missile defense (MD) system and entangle South Korea in the escalating superpower rivalry between the U.S. and China in the Indo-Pacific area.

In fact, the U.S. noted the creation of the Space Force in 2019, was closely related to the MD system as it is aimed at coping with the new style of "future war" against potential missile offensives from China and Russia. The new MD plan was reminiscent of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), nicknamed the "Star Wars program," which was pursued under former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

China has already shown an allergic reaction to the MD system when, for instance, USFK attempted to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and when Seoul and Tokyo signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have recently agreed to share information about North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, further alerting China. The South Korean military has been maintaining that USFK's creation of the space command is irrelevant to the MD system.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration should recognize that the U.S. and Japan have taken different approaches to China from South Korea. China is the largest trade partner for our nation. Yet, Seoul is highly vulnerable to possible retaliations by China as seen in the case of the THAAD deployment. It is time for the Yoon government to adopt a well-conceived policy to tackle the highly sensitive security issue without triggering a backlash from Beijing.

The Korea Times · November 28, 2022​

7. Revelation of Kim Jong Un’s daughter at missile test sparks buzz among North Koreans

Listen to Korean from the north. Those who assess it may be to divert resentment, are likely to have received outside information for some time and are no longer susceptible to north Korean propaganda.

Revelation of Kim Jong Un’s daughter at missile test sparks buzz among North Koreans

rfa.org

Some react positively, but others suspect it was meant to divert resentment over missile tests

By Chang Gyu Ahn and Yongjae Mok for RFA Korean

2022.11.25

In this undated image grab from a video, released on Nov. 20, 2022 by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central Television and acquired via South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter, his first public appearance with one of his children, on the day of the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at a undisclosed location in North Korea. Though the name of the daughter wasn’t officially disclosed, she is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae.” (Video image grab/Yonhap News Agency)

In this undated photo released on Nov.19, 2022 from North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter, in his first public appearance with of one of his children ahead of a test-firing of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in North Korea. Though the name of the daughter wasn’t officially disclosed, she is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae.”(Photo KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

In this undated photo released on Nov.19, 2022 from North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter, in his first public appearance with of one of his children ahead of a test-firing of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in North Korea. Though the name of the daughter wasn’t officially disclosed, she is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae.” (Photo KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

In this undated photo released on Nov.19, 2022 from North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter, in his first public appearance with of one of his children ahead of a test-firing of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in North Korea. Though the name of the daughter wasn’t officially disclosed, she is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae.”(Photo KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

In this undated image grab from a video, released on Nov. 20, 2022 by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central Television and acquired via South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with his daughter, his first public appearance with one of his children, on the day of the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at a undisclosed location in North Korea. Though the name of the daughter wasn’t officially disclosed, she is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae.” (Video image grab/Yonhap News Agency)

In this undated image grab from a video, released on Nov. 20, 2022 from North Koea’s state-run Korean Central Television and acquired via South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter watches her father hugging an unidentified military officer on the day of a test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. It is the first public appearance of Kim with one of his children, and her name is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae”. (Video image grab/Yonhap News Agency)

In this undated image grab from a video, released on Nov. 20, 2022 from North Korea’s state-run Korean Central TV and acquired via South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter stands with her father on the day of the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. It is the first public appearance of Kim with one of his children, and her name is believed to be “Kim Ju Ae”. (Video image grab/Yonhap News Agency)

In this undated photo released on Nov.19, 2022 from North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks as his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter, believed to be “Kim Ju Ae,” watch the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)

For the first time last week, North Koreans got a glimpse of Kim Jong Un’s daughter when newspapers splashed photos of the two holding hands as they watched the country’s latest missile test.

Pictures of the child – identified by South Korean intelligence as 9-year-old Kim Ju Ae, his second child – piqued far more public interest than any news about the successful launch of the Hwasong-17 missile, sources told Radio Free Asia’s Korean service.

Reactions varied widely, the sources said, amid speculation over Kim’s motives for revealing the daughter at this particular time.

Some saw a positive break with the secrecy surrounding the Kim dynasty children that enhanced their humanity, a resident of the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Kim’s Jong Un was almost unknown to his people during the rule of his father, Kim Jong Il.

“Just as there are no parents who do not appreciate a daughter who looks just like them, the residents say that Kim Jong Un, like any normal parent, simply wants to show his cute daughter the launch of a new kind of missile,” the source said.

“Everyone is amazed that Kim Jong Un’s daughter resembles her father, just as Kim Jong Un resembles Kim Il Sung,” the source said, referring to his grandfather and the founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948.

Others were critical of Kim, saying that showing his daughter the missile test exposed her to his violent, immoral side, the source said.

The state-run Korea Central News Agency had a different take.

It declared that the father-daughter appearance at the missile launch epitomized Kim’s devotion to his country and family: Kim had come to personally guide a “historic major strategic weapon test-fire, a crucial milestone in bolstering up the nuclear forces of the DPRK, together with his beloved daughter and wife.”

Distraction?

Some speculated that the daughter’s emergence may have meant to distract the public and tamp down resentment over the missile tests, which are viewed widely – but secretly – as a waste of resources, the source said.

Feelings toward Kim have soured as he focuses on improving the country’s military capabilities while the people struggle to survive in an economy that has not yet recovered from harsh coronavirus restrictions and is still subject to international nuclear sanctions.

“This time, people only talked about his daughter, not the missile,” the source said. “It seems intended to divert residents’ anger and antipathy toward the missile launch.”

Women in the northwestern province of North Hamgyong were quite interested in Kim Ju Ae’s apparel, a resident there said on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisal.

“Women who have children of the same age as Kim Jong Un's daughter were also interested in the white cotton clothes and the shoes she wore,” she said.

The second source said that people are now contrasting Kim Jong Un and his father, and curiosity is growing as they wonder how many more children he might have.

“It is not easy to know the information about the great leader’s family,” she said. “Even if you know something, it is a secret that you should never tell others. In breaking this convention, there must have been a purpose to [Kim] revealing his daughter himself.”

The public appearance might have been to reveal Kim Ju Ae to the international community, and to normalize missile launches to the North Korean public to the point that they are events that can be attended by children, South Korea’s Unification Minister Kwon Young-sae told a Seoul-based media outlet.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

rfa.org

8. ＜Interview with a N. Korean＞ (1) “It’s ridiculous that the government launches missiles while its people remain starving”

Again, let's listen to the Korean people in the north.

Excerpt:

◆ My biggest regret is not defecting

―― So, the government is cracking down hard on people?

The government is suffocating them. The reason it’s cracking down on the families of defectors is because they’re living well thanks to the money they receive from abroad. Everybody is envious of them.

The biggest thing I regret is not defecting. Other people probably think the same. Controlling us is how those in power stay in power; it’s not to protect us. Everybody’s facing difficulties. What could I say to make you understand? You can’t understand.

The leadership needs to strengthen national defenses for themselves, but they could help us living here at the bottom of society to live better lives.

＜Interview with a N. Korean＞ (1) “It’s ridiculous that the government launches missiles while its people remain starving”

asiapress.org

North Korean state media reported on November 20, 2022, that Kim Jong-un was accompanied by his daughter during a visit to the test launch site of the “Hwasong 17.”

North Korea has conducted at least 60 missile tests just this year, including the test launch of a new ICBM called the “Hwasong 17” on November 18. The country claims that its continued missile tests are protests against joint US-ROK military exercises and part of the nation’s strategy to build up its self-defense capabilities.

Meanwhile, the North Korean people are suffering terrible economic distress. The country faces a humanitarian crisis, with vulnerable classes such as the elderly, sickly and the young dying of starvation or disease. What do North Koreans think about the Kim Jong-un regime conducting so many missile tests? An ASIAPRESS reporting partner living in the northern part of the country gave his honest appraisal of the situation. (KANG Ji-won / ISHIMARU Jiro)

ASIAPRESS smuggles Chinese cell phones into North Korea to maintain communication with its reporting partners. The reporting partner interviewed below is a businessperson who lives in the northern part of the country. ASIAPRESS interviewed him on November 18, right before North Korea test fired the long-range ballistic missile “Hwasong 17.”

◆ Nothing indicates the outbreak of war

―― North Korea continues to shoot off missiles. How is the government explaining this to its people?

They’re just saying the missile tests are a response to war exercises by the US and South Korea, and telling people that they need to “stay alert and mobilized.” The only orders given have instructed neighborhood watch units to strengthen their security, namely by operating guard posts (checkpoints). There’s been no other emergency mobilizations at all. The authorities have also announced that they’re inspecting wartime emergency supplies, but there’s been nothing more than that.

―― Do people worry about the outbreak of war?

People don’t really worry about that, even if we’re to say that war was to break out immediately.

―― Why is that?

Why not? (If war breaks out) the leadership will be the ones busy. Ordinary people are already busy just trying to survive, so all they’re focused on is how not to starve.

A woman walks inside the barbed wire along the Yalu River. Photographed from the Chinese side in July 2021 (ASIAPRESS)

◆ It’s ridiculous that the government launches missiles when people are starving

―― Getting food on the table is extremely hard for people, so what do they think about (the government) shooting off so many expensive missiles?

During lectures, the authorities always talk about how we need to strengthen our military capabilities to protect our sovereignty because of the American threat. Nobody knows, however, how much money is spent (shooting off missiles), or how much rice that money could buy.

I know how much money is being spent, so I can wonder why the government shoots off so many missiles when people are starving, and that if the money was used to improve people’s lives, then they’d work hard and be loyal to the state. I think it’s very strange for (the government) to be making nuclear weapons and shooting missiles.

―― How difficult is it for people nowadays?

What else could it be? What is the most important issue facing people? People (who used) to eat three meals a day now only eat one or two meals because they can’t earn money and there’s no rice to buy. The government claims it’s all because of American sanctions and COVID-19. The government doesn’t provide even basic things for people to survive, and just tells them to work. It’s ridiculous.

―― North Korea’s missile capabilities have improved so much they are world-class. What do ordinary people think about that? Are they proud?

All of those things – nuclear weapons, bombs, and even missiles that strike the US – aren’t to protect us, right? The government says that (our military capabilities) are to ensure we don’t become slaves and to make us a strong country, and that we must strengthen our military capabilities despite the difficulties.

◆ Nobody needs missiles when they’re anxious about trying to get food on the table

In reality, everybody here is envious of people living in South Korea and China. They can’t even eat two meals a day and it’s getting colder, so they’re worried about obtaining firewood. Do you think people who worry about how they’ll survive care about missiles and nukes? They just worry about when they’re going to eat. Why would they need nukes?

―― Why are people envious of the Chinese?

China’s also a socialist country, but it has a special kind of socialism. Chinese people can travel to other countries and earn money. Individuals can do much of their own business as they please, so if we could do the same it’d be great. But if (the North Korean government) was to do that, the authorities would be scared that they’d lose power. That’s why they’re not opening up the country (like China has).

―― Do you think everyone thinks like that?

Everybody thinks that way. No matter how hard people work, they get nothing (in the way of pay or rations). People wonder whether they’ll be able to eat even one meal each until they die, what’ll they eat for dinner or for breakfast. That’s that difficulties people are facing now. The authorities just conduct crackdowns all the time. They think that the people will stay loyal to the country if they’re ignorant about the world. That’s why the government is preventing people from living freely.

(FILE PHOTO) A photo taken on the Chinese side of the border of N. Korean soldiers at a checkpoint in Sakju County, North Pyongan Province. A soldier with an armband appears to be checking the travel documents of passengers on a bus. Taken in September 2019 by ISHIMARU Jiro.

◆ My biggest regret is not defecting

―― So, the government is cracking down hard on people?

The government is suffocating them. The reason it’s cracking down on the families of defectors is because they’re living well thanks to the money they receive from abroad. Everybody is envious of them.

The biggest thing I regret is not defecting. Other people probably think the same. Controlling us is how those in power stay in power; it’s not to protect us. Everybody’s facing difficulties. What could I say to make you understand? You can’t understand.

The leadership needs to strengthen national defenses for themselves, but they could help us living here at the bottom of society to live better lives.

◆ No knowledge of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

―― Russia is currently engaged in war in Ukraine. How is the government explaining this to the people?

Russia?

―― Russia invaded Ukraine.

I don’t know anything about that. I heard there’s a civil war in Russia. They don’t give us the details here. I heard there was a lecture for cadres saying that a military, no matter how good its equipment is, is useless if the soldiers lack spirit. There’s been no lectures (regarding the war) for ordinary people.

―― Russian President Vladmir Putin threatened the use of nuclear weapons, causing concern throughout the world.

I don’t know anything about that. But if he used nukes, wouldn’t that mean the end of the world? (continued in the next installment)

asiapress.org

9. No kimchi? Poor harvests, lower incomes mean North Koreans may go without staple dish

It goes without saying that this is going to be a tough winter for the Korean people in the north.

No kimchi? Poor harvests, lower incomes mean North Koreans may go without staple dish

americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 28, 2022

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.

It’s a traditional, often communal event that happens every autumn when the weather grows colder, and it is central to Korean culture and cuisine: kimjang, the process of making kimchi, which is the country’s signature dish and a staple of nearly every meal.

But this year in North Korea, the combination of a drop in incomes and poor harvests of napa cabbage and radish – essential ingredients for the fermented, usually spicy dish – mean that there will be very little kimchi produced in the country this year, sources told Radio Free Asia.

“Given that our country is suffering from food shortages, the kimjang is supposed to make half a year’s worth of food for the residents,” a resident of the northern province of Ryanggang said on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“Making kimchi by preparing cabbages, radishes, and various seasonings is an important yearly event, enough to call it the ‘Battle of Kimjang,’” she said, echoing the militaristic terms that the North Korean government assigns to important tasks that require communal labor. “But the poor residents have no choice but to give up their kimjang this year.”

In addition to poor harvests, the problem seems to be related to the COVID-induced closures of trade with China, a vital source of food and goods for North Korea. That in turn has meant thousands are earning far less or have lost their livelihoods entirely.

Though prices have increased in some areas of the country, inflation was less of a problem than dwindling incomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families are poorer this year and simply don’t have as much to spend on food, according to a source in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

In years past, North Koreans could depend on their government-assigned jobs to provide them with ingredients for kimjang, but not so this year, the second source said.

“Some factories are supplying their employees with cabbage and radishes planted on the factory’s property, but it is only about five kilograms [about 11 pounds] per head of household,” she said.

“Kimjang should be finished by the beginning of November at the latest, but many residents can’t even start yet because vegetable farming did not go well this year, and the residents do not have enough money to buy the ingredients,” said the first source.

North Korea has faced this kind of kimchi crisis before.

In November 2020, RFA reported that North Koreans preparing for that year’s kimjang were scouring vegetable gardens to get the discarded cabbages and radishes that were less fresh and not fit to go to market. Sources at that time said that supplies of fresh vegetables were sent to military bases to make kimchi for the soldiers, leaving many citizens to do without.

Family Recipes

There is no set recipe for kimchi. Each family has their own method of making it, and every region of the peninsula has a local version it is known for. Though it can be bought premade in smaller quantities, most families make their own in preparation for the coming winter months.

During the communal act of kimjang, knowledge on how to make kimchi can be passed from maker to maker, or from one generation to another.

In addition to cabbages and radishes, it was difficult for the residents of North Hamgyong province to acquire other ingredients like chili pepper flakes and garlic, the second source said. She said those who were fortunate enough to have the vegetables are trying to make kimchi even if they do not have the proper spices.

“Due to the continuous deterioration of weather conditions, most vegetable farms did not fare well during the fall harvest,” she said. “The heavy rains hurt crops, ruining harvests of cabbages, radishes and red peppers.”

“Red peppers are one of the key ingredients of kimchi, but residents have no choice but to pickle kimchi without pepper,” she said.

There are non-spicy varieties of kimchi made without chili peppers, but the red, spicy varieties are more common.

The second source said that the shortage of vegetables in North Hamgyong should have been solved in 2019, when the country’s leader Kim Jong Un announced that the government would build a large-scale greenhouse farm there to ensure everyone in the province would have access to vegetables.

“But no one has seen where all the vegetables grown in the greenhouse farm are going,” she said, adding that residents of the city of Chongjin who cannot afford to buy fresh cabbages and radishes are trying to make kimchi with dried vegetables, but there aren’t enough of those either.

“At least, Chongjin City faces the sea, so some residents who make kimchi can pickle the vegetables with seawater,” she said.

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americanmilitarynews.com · by Radio Free Asia · November 28, 2022

10. South Korean navy training group arrives in Hawaii

South Korean navy training group arrives in Hawaii

Stars and Stripes · by Kevin Knodell · November 27, 2022

(Tribune News Service) — The Republic of Korea navy's cruise training task group arrived Friday at Pearl Harbor for five days of classes and cultural events for sailors and the South Korean navy's future leaders.

Among the 460 members of the training group are 164 midshipmen from the Republic of Korea naval academy sailing aboard the ROKS Hansando, a newly built training ship.

Joined by the combat support ship ROKS Daecheong, this is the first training cruise for the Hansando after commissioning last year.

Before arriving in Hawaii the training group made stops in Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The group's final port of call in its 110-day voyage will be in Guam before returning home to South Korea.

"It's a meaningful opportunity where our midshipmen can experience and have an opportunity to learn the Indo-Pacific strategy that the Korean government has put out recently," said Rear Adm. Kang Dong-goo, commander of the cruise training group.

South Korea has the world's 10th-largest economy and has become an increasingly visible player on the global stage. Earlier this month the South Korean government unveiled its new Indo-Pacific regional strategy, which asserts the ROK's role as a "global pivotal state" and called for greater engagement with countries around the region as far west as Africa's Indian Ocean coastline.

South Korean officials say that Hawaii itself plays a key role in that strategy. Kang said that exercises such as the biennial Rim of the Pacific and others demonstrate how Hawaii "functions as a connection" between the ROK navy and the United States.

This summer at RIMPAC, the Republic of Korea navy sent its largest-ever participating force to the recurring naval war game. About 1,000 sailors and marines trained on and around the islands, operating aboard the amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado, the destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great and submarine ROKS Shin Dol-seok.

The U.S. has looked to tighten ties with South Korea as its power and influence has grown. The training group's stop in Hawaii takes place amid a turbulent year of geopolitical conflict. The ongoing war in Ukraine has killed thousands and disrupted global food production, North Korea has launched more missiles this year than at any time in the reign of leader Kim Jong Un, and tensions have ratcheted up in the South China Sea as China fights with its neighbors over navigation rights in the critical ocean waterway and Taiwan increasingly asserts its status as an independent nation.

During a dinner at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Nov. 18 commemorating the alliance between South Korea and the United States, Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told assembled American, South Korean and Hawaii state officials that "the ROK-United States alliance has never been stronger, and that comes at a time in place that I continue to describe as probably the most dangerous times we've lived in since World War II."

Honolulu's South Korean Consul General Hong Seok-in said that this week's visit underscores the long connection between the U.S. and Korea, noting that it comes as the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to the U.S. approaches. The first Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii and the islands became a hub for the Korean independence movement. Honolulu entrepreneur Syngman Rhee became the ROK's controversial first president after the end of the country's occupation by Japan.

During the visit, members of the training group will participate in cultural events including a friendly soccer match with Koreans in Hawaii, visits to cultural sites and a reception hosted on the Hansando that will include a K-pop performance.

The Hansando, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, is the Korean navy's first ship built specifically for training. It includes classrooms for midshipmen to participate in workshops and listen to lectures. Officers with the U.S. Pacific Fleet, including its commander Adm. Samuel Paparo, will give lectures to the Korean midshipmen.

"In our past cruise trainings, lectures held during our visits to various nations took place in spaces like hangars. This year, they will be held in our training ship ROKS Hansando's various lecture halls and facilities," said Cmdr. Park Jin-sung, Hansando's commanding officer. "On top of that … simulation rooms containing state-of-the-art training facilities and consoles, ROKS Hansando's participation in our cruise training this year not only amplifies its training and education capabilities for our midshipmen, but it also raises our navy's prestige all around the world."

Also aboard the ship is a showcase room with models and samples of weapons and equipment that have been produced by South Korea's growing defense industry that the crew has showed off to visitors at its various port stops.

"It's very important for (our allies) to learn about Korean defense companies, " said Kang, noting that the Korean government expects to play a larger role in the global arms market as its defense industry has grown.

(c)2022 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

South Korean marines take part in an amphibious raid during a multinational Rim of the Pacific drill at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 30, 2022. (Devin Langer/U.S. Navy)

Stars and Stripes · by Kevin Knodell · November 27, 2022

11. Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

Blunt critique and analysis from NK News. I am glad they did not keep this behind their paywall. However, I have been to many conferences in Korea and have rarely seen Mr. O'Carroll there. I did participate in one conference with him in 2019 but it was a USFK only conference at Camp Humphreys. I have attended 4 or 5 conferences in the past four months in Korea and none were as bad as he describes and I did not see him at any of the ones I attended.  

That said, a good part of his critique is worth considering when organizing conferences (though some of it is common sense, e.g., have a theme and a desired outcome for the conference).

​

Why conferences in Korea are (mostly) a waste of time and resources

https://www.nknews.org/koreapro/2022/11/why-conferences-in-korea-are-mostly-a-waste-of-time-and-resources/?fbclid=IwAR2972ZVIXoKbcVh_AvyJeWNqSEigz-8mpjOKPXQivZqUxkHcjN02K3SzkA

Overfocus on prestige signaling makes for pretty settings but little substance or real debate, experts say

Chad O'CarrollNovember 24, 2022

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Empty chairs in a conference hall | Image: Jonas Kakaroto via Pexels

Conferences on ill-defined themes and hundreds of speakers with little related expertise. Panels crowded with more than a dozen speakers at a single time. Slides overflowing with text. Lineups featuring no women whatsoever.

These are just some of the issues regularly plaguing South Korea’s conference circuit, which despite being an industry worth almost U.S. $10 billion, rarely sparks actual debate or provides information that wasn’t easily available online.

A rigid top-down approach to event management is often why conferences exhibit the same issues over and over again, and the events are envisioned as signaling mechanisms for prestige rather than substantive mediums for dialogue, multiple participants and attendees of conferences in the country told Korea Pro.

Across the board, a culture that values style – not substance – explains why questions and debate are so often overlooked as a key part of proceedings, according to Kim Han-ul, a bilingual MC that has led scores of conferences and panels in Korea.

She said conference organizers in South Korea are mostly concerned with the opening and the closing. “They don’t really care about the middle part, they just care about the first impression and the last impression.” This typically manifests with flashy videos and graphics presented at the beginning and end of conferences, Kim added. 

The focus on style over substance typically means conferences are held at prestigious hotels, and there is an extreme push to get one or more “high-profile” guests — many times from abroad. 

“There is often a requirement in South Korea to get a ‘name’ speaker to attract a crowd,” said a senior retired diplomat often flown out to Seoul to participate in conferences. 

Usually, the name is all that matters and organizers don’t care whether the person “is no longer a player, is out of sync with his/her own country’s policies, and also out of sync with the ROK government’s perspective and what mainstream Koreans are thinking,” they said on condition of anonymity.

Michael Breen, head of public relations agency Insight Communications in Seoul, said that a consequence of this approach is that discussion is often “weak, disappointing or just puzzling from a content point of view.”

Presentations in South Korea often feature an over-abundance of written text on slide designs | Image: Korea Pro

ALL NOISE, NO SIGNAL

South Korean conferences are also jam-packed with speakers and long, text-based presentations that can last an entire working day, several conference participants told Korea Pro.

“There is usually a requirement for panelists to produce a written paper for Korean conferences which can lead presenters to read their papers at great length,” said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. 

As a result, presentations are too long and there’s not enough time for “thought-provoking” discussion, Kim the MC said, adding that Korean conferences don’t typically offer attendees anything they couldn’t easily get online or by downloading the papers written for the conference.

There are “lots of tedious slides and little focus” on the topic of discussion, agreed Jeffrey Bohn of the Seoul-based consulting firm Edge Communications. 

In addition, the large number of participants further compresses time for creativity and genuine back-and-forth. Some conferences feature as many as 13 panelists talking over a single two-hour period, Korea Pro research shows, meaning less than 10 minutes of discussion per person per event.

Klingner of Heritage said he has often participated in or attended panels with a large number of people on-stage. They “generally have four panelists, four commentators and a moderator who either acts as a ninth presenter or summarizes what the audience has just heard,” said Klingner. 

These commentators have “no set parameters” which can lead to some presenting “their own views” or just picking apart other panelists’ arguments, he said. That also means there is seldom any time for questions from the audience, he added.

Worse, “some organizations use chairpersons who try to summarize the comments of the panel members,” said the senior retired diplomat. “That seems like a colossal waste of time, since the audience already knows what it has heard.” 

This also eats into time that could be spent digging deeper into ideas presented or building on interesting themes presented. Instead, “there’s not a lot of time for debate or ideas being challenged or things like that,” Kim the MC said.

Having a dozen or more speakers on stage at once is common in many Korean conferences | Image: Korea Pro

GENDER IMBALANCE

An even bigger problem in the Korean conference industry is the few opportunities for women to present or participate. “Manels” — event lineups or dozen-plus speaker panels composed only of men — are the norm in South Korea, even at higher profile internationally-focused conferences sponsored by the national government.

“Looks like an interesting sunshine policy conference but ..erm.. are there NO WOMEN available to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula? Really??” tweeted former BBC Korea correspondent Laura Bicker in response to a Ministry of Unification event in 2019.

“I just checked out the program for the @ALCChosun conference in Seoul next week and you’ll never believe what I found. OK, you will totally believe what I found. Manel after manel,” tweeted then-Washington Post Seoul Bureau Chief Anna Fifield in 2018 about a Chosun Ilbo event called the Asian Leadership Conference.

Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C., acknowledged an “uneven gender balance” in some key areas, such as foreign policy and national security.

Kim the MC agreed: “When it comes to defense and national security, I think there is unanimous vote that there’s a huge lack of female experts.”

But she and another MC added that gender balance isn’t as much of an issue in other popular conference topic areas, such as those relating to startups, domestic regional issues and urban planning, for example.

The Korean conference industry is not all bad, though, and some interviewees noted that there were aspects that should be praised. 

“They’re able to get all these speakers from different parts of the world to join a conference, I think that is pretty impressive,” said Kim the MC. That’s because, according to a former Korean think tank conference organizer who requested anonymity, event planning staff are “very fast” and “very organized” in terms of coordination. 

In addition, frequent conference participants told Korea Pro that ROK-based events also served a valuable professional purpose. “American experts greatly appreciate the opportunity to engage with Korean experts both during the conference and on the sidelines,” said Klingner of Heritage.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, the Korea Foundation-Vrije Universiteit Brussel Korea Chair, noted that “many conferences these days mix private and public sessions,” explaining he finds the former more helpful for his research interests.

And though it’s possible to keep in touch with ROK-based peers through other means, Yeo of Brookings said that “Korean hosts seem committed to informal gatherings and networks” in a way that doesn’t take place around American events. 

In the U.S., he said, “half the participants may want or need to go home for family obligations, other engagements and so forth.”

Gender balance is seldom thought about in the design and preparation of conferences in South Korea | Image: Korea Pro

PRESTIGE SIGNALING

Observers shared a range of explanations for the problems plaguing Korean conferences.

Factors include the belief that events help legitimize individual programs of work and even entire institutions, as well as promote new government policy initiatives and project “national consensus” levels of support. 

In contrast, interviewees said the quantity-over-quality approach to session design and widespread gender imbalance problems more likely relate to cultural issues in South Korea.

Conferences “are for the organizers to kind of prove that they’re doing something meaningful with their time and money,” said Kim, the MC. The former Korean think tank organizer agreed: “Oftentimes I feel like the meaning of holding a conference is just holding the conference itself.”

The focus is on projecting prestige and high-level connections and signal that “we are doing something and we are working toward something,” said the former Korean think tank organizer. “It’s really like ticking a to-do list.”

Tom Coyner of Sotftlanding Consulting, who has attended dozens of events in the ROK over several years, agreed: “They want to see who spoke and how many people attended and if there was anyone of special relevance/importance in the audience,” he said. 

“In other words, too often these conferences have become primarily sponsor/organizer prestige-building exercises,” Coyner added. “I doubt sponsors ask, ‘Well, how clear were the conference’s objectives?’”

Events in Korea often include valuable informal networking sessions as well as reliable logistics | Image: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

CULTURAL EXPLANATIONS

Another factor contributing to the staid and clunky format of Korean conferences, orthodox speakers and the abundance of manels is the cultural characteristics of the ROK itself.

“The business culture in Korea can still be remarkably top-down and task-oriented in the way you find in the military,” said Breen of Insight Communications. “This would explain the good logistics — but it can also explain poor content in that people responsible lack the experience or are not given the leeway to be creative in developing a program.”

This means that the intended audience for Korean conferences may be the organizers themselves — not the attendees or participants.

“The real audience for any employee is their boss [and] employees will only put consumers first if required to,” Breen continued. “If the bosses are egocentric, want to promote themselves or lack a feel for the issues, the employee will be distracted.”

In addition, the former think tank organizer said that so many of the key decision makers at Korean conferences are in positions for long periods of time and are reluctant to try anything new.

“It’s really the same old people organizing events,” they said. “So there’s no real exchange of views (with younger staff) in terms of who to invite or what kind of discussions or what kind of format would be good.”

This old boys’ club approach to conference planning infrastructure leads to gender imbalances.

“I think this is a serious issue that is visible not only in conferences but also in the wider Korean society,” said a Korean policy insider with experience in both private and public research institutions. 

“The lack of diversity may be more so in conferences because educational/public institutions are very hierarchical and have a seniority system in which women have disadvantages.” But they added that Korean organizers, especially older ones, “don’t even realize that such a problem exists.”

The former think tank organizer agreed: Comments from conference participants about the need for more women were “not taken very seriously” by Korean organizers. 

A Korean cultural focus on seniority is likely contributing to the problem, said Yeo of Brookings.

“There are a number of excellent female analysts and scholars out there, many who might be seen as rising stars or emerging scholars,” he explained. “But they are still operating at the junior level, and conference organizers may pass them over for their more senior (and often male) colleagues.”

And Kim the MC said there was also a structural prejudice against women in areas like military expertise. 

“No matter how experienced you are as a female, there’s that nuance that, oh, you don’t really know what you’re talking about because you’re a woman and you’ve never been to the military,” she said. All South Korean men serve in the army under a national conscription system.

Conferences in Korea normally include a photo session to document the event for posterity | Image: Korea Pro

ESTABLISHING ‘NATIONAL CONSENSUS’

Meanwhile, the South Korean government often sees conferences as a necessary practice to legitimize some policy, statement or trend. 

“The main aim of these events is to gain policy legitimacy … [which is] most visible after the government announces policies that seem distinctive, politically or diplomatically,” said the Korean policy insider.

One such example was when the former Moon Jae-in administration dived headlong into engagement with North Korea, resulting in a flurry of “peace forums” all over the nation — often on large budgets and at significant scale.

“The government uses such events to explain their new policies to professionals as well as the public,” the policy insider explained. “Usually, a large number of people who support the new policies/strategies come to these events and it would seem like there is strong consensus in the society.”

That’s why there are often so many people on stage; the utilization of ambiguous panel topics helps create ties to other panels, enabling the government host to bring in so many speakers to each session.

“These events are also used as tools to distribute rents not only to your supporters but also those who are critical, and to solidify support for your policies,” the insider continued. 

By hosting at expensive hotels, instead of local government halls or venues, organizers can more successfully convince critics of a new policy and change their way of thinking, the insider explained. 

The insider, who has been involved in government-linked events, told Korea Pro that panelists may be paid hundreds of dollars to speak for just a few minutes. Then, surrounded by five-star luxury accommodations and other “big names” around you, one is primed to change their thinking in a way that more aligns with the government, they said.

And though the insider said similar approaches may take place in other countries, “it feels like there are way too many conferences with these characteristics in Korea.”

When new policy goals are established, extended conferences including dozens of speakers can appear to give a sense of consensus | Image: Korea Pro

CHANGING THE SCENE

With so much spent on events and conferences in South Korea, there is a lot of potential for change and growth. As mentioned above, frequent conference participants can find positive attributes — such as implementation, speedy turnarounds and emphasis on networking outside the event — that organizers in other countries could learn from. 

“If we want to see more of these conferences providing more value, I think there should be more debate,” said Kim the MC. That, in turn, could lead to larger portions of the general public being interested, versus the typical audience blend of invited speakers, host staff and fellow industry peers, she said.

Featuring more women would also make sense, she and others said. “If they went out and looked for the best people, many will be female,” said Bohn of Edge Communications. 

And if events don’t start improving, it’s likely that they could become increasingly irrelevant, Coyner of Softlanding Consulting said. “Why leave one’s office, home [or] nation to travel to some place at the expense of time and money when one can get 90% of the value online … often for free or little cost?”

Yeji Chung contributed to this report. Edited by Arius Derr.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com