Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know.”

– Aldous Huxley

“Noting will ever replace the human contact between learner and teacher.”

– Wole Soyinka

“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

– George Orwell, 1984

1. Sold for $270: The Silent Suffering of North Korean Women in China

2. Will North Korean Troops Escape?

3. Stayin’ alive: How North Korea’s Kims have coup-proofed regime

4. Questioned news story sparks latest Japan-South Korea historical brouhaha

5. Russia's ties with N. Korea 'expanding,' including on military: Russian defense chief

6. 5 Chinese, 6 Russian military aircraft enter S. Korea's air defense zone: JCS

7. Why North Korea is a wild card in the power game in Northeast Asia

8. Trump faces a far more emboldened Kim Jong Un this time around

9. S. Korea OKs new defense cost-sharing deal with U.S.

10. Ukrainian PM confirms US$100 mln loan from S. Korea

11. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Unrest Spreads Among Parents of Soldiers Deployed to Russia, Checking on Sons' Safety Through Bribes, Military Says 'Letters Will Come Soon'

12. Seoul’s military aid dilemma

13. North Korea launches more trash and propaganda leaflets into South by balloon

14. North Korean diplomat dodges question at UN about troop deployment to Russia

15. Russia’s defense chief arrives in North Korea for talks on military cooperation

16. Chinese firms use North Korean prison labor to make wigs for global sale: Report

17. Seoul to counter North Korean threats with new missile system

18. North Korean teams hunt for advanced military parts abroad

19. N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia

20. N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia

21. Man arrested for posing as nephew of N. Korean foreign minister in nationwide scam

22. Potential Trump-Kim summit

23. Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea

1. Sold for $270: The Silent Suffering of North Korean Women in China

On Tuesday please remember those who are suffering horrifically in north Korea and China.

Sold for $270: The Silent Suffering of North Korean Women in China

Friday, November 28th, 2024

Help HRNK spread the word!

https://mailchi.mp/hrnk.org/hrnk-sold-for-270-the-silent-suffering-of-north-korean-women-in-china?e=46d109134b

HRNK, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, relies on donations to support our programs and to provide website content and services free of charge without commercial advertising. Your support enables HRNK to continue our important work promoting human rights in North Korea.

Thank you!

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COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA — PRESS RELEASE

November 28, 2024

HRNK Sold for $270: The Silent Suffering of North Korean Women in China

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 28, 2024

Meet Young-sook Lee (a pseudonym), a courageous North Korean woman who fled to China seeking a better life, only to be caught in the horrors of human trafficking. Sold for just 6,000 yuan ($827) because of her age, she was treated as a commodity, forced into a life of exploitation and fear.

For years, Young-sook endured daily abuse, unable to seek help or medical care. Reporting her situation was not an option; revealing her identity as a North Korean escapee would mean forcible repatriation to North Korea by Chinese authorities, leading to even more severe punishment.

In 2012, with the help of a compassionate Christian group, she escaped to South Korea and began rebuilding her life. But countless North Korean women like Young-sook remain trapped, suffering in silence.

This Giving Tuesday, join us at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) in our mission to expose these human rights abuses and advocate for the protection of North Korean women. Your support can change lives.

Learn More and Support Our Mission: https://www.hrnk.org/donate/

* * *

HRNK was founded in 2001 as a nonprofit research organization dedicated to documenting human rights conditions in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as North Korea is formally known. Visit www.hrnk.org to learn more.

Go to Website

2. Will North Korean Troops Escape?

I want to say "No sh*t, Sherlock." But, seriously, I thank Mr. Talbert for highlighting this in the Wall Street Journal.

I speak to too many people who underestimate the power of Radio Free Asia (and Europe/Radio Liberty) and Voice of America.

And I have detailed recommendations beyond this article: "A Psychological Operations Strategy for the Korean Peninsula from Lessons Learned in Ukraine" https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/a-psychological-operations-strategy-for-the-korean-peninsula-from-lessons-learned-in-ukraine/

Will North Korean Troops Escape?

The Radio Free Europe playbook can help.

Nov. 29, 2024 11:07 am ET

Dictator Kim Jong Un poses with troops in North Korea, Oct. 2. Photo: str/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

If Vladimir Putin plans to use North Korean troops as cannon fodder (“ATACMS, Putin and Trump,” Review & Outlook, Nov. 18), the Western alliance would be wise to use the Radio Free Europe playbook to inform the North Korean troops they can lay down their arms and be given safe passage to South Korea.

Kim Jong Un may have ransomed their relatives to secure their loyalty, but it would be worth the effort. History is rife with examples of troops changing sides in the face of a superior enemy and a hopeless cause to which they aren’t committed.

Lloyd Talbert

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

3. Stayin’ alive: How North Korea’s Kims have coup-proofed regime

While everything the regime does is to prevent resistance, coup, and assassination attempts all three are possible and analysis such as this should not be blindly accepted by those who say it is not possible.

In fact none of these experts are saying it is not possible. They are only describing why it has not happened in the past and how the regime tries to prevent it.

If the regime is worried then the regime knows it can happen.

See Dr. Sungmin Cho's work here: "Anticipating and Preparing for the Potential Assassination of Kim Jong-Un," https://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482467975_add_file_7.pdf

Stayin’ alive: How North Korea’s Kims have coup-proofed regime

Tight oversight, brutal control leave military subservient to leaders

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

Premium

By - The Washington Times - Wednesday, November 27, 2024

SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Kwang-jin knows what fear — true fear — feels like.

Once a member of the Pyongyang elite handling finance, he was in the North Korean capital when rumors of a coup circulated in 1996.

“For two or three months, we all felt terror, we could see it in our friends’ dark faces,” he recalled. “There were rumors — whispers in society.”

Unrest was supposedly fermented by North Korean officers who had studied at Moscow’s Frunze Military Academy, but had been recalled after the USSR’s collapse. With post-Soviet Russia seen as a source of contagion, the regime’s shadowy security apparatus cast a wide, deadly net to root out potential malcontents.

People began disappearing. Any link to Russia was perilous: Mr. Kim’s English professor vanished simply because her husband, a doctor, had studied in Russia. She was pressured to divorce him, and he was later executed.

“They were not officers; even exchange students were rounded up,” Mr. Kim recalled. “We all knew what was going on.”

Unlike public executions of common criminals, the killings of Russia-linked elites took place “in secrecy, in a remote area,” he recalled.

Neither the community of outside analysts nor Mr. Kim, who defected in 2003 and now works as an analyst at Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy, have determined for certain that “The Frunze Incident” of 1996-7 even reached the stage where an actual coup was contemplated. More likely, some Frunze graduates, having witnessed the changes sweeping post-Soviet Russia, simply spoke too loudly, Mr. Kim now says.

Today, with some 10,000-13,000 troops deployed in Russia, far greater numbers than Pyongyang has ever dispatched overseas, hope is rising that veterans might become agents for change in the isolated dynasty now ruled by third-generation despot Kim Jong-un.

North Korean troops now serving overseas will have first-hand experienced the relative freedoms and prosperity of Russia compared to their own country, enjoyed freer access to the internet, survived millennial combat and faced the horrors of modern war on the border with Ukraine. In short, some say, they form a new cohort that just might challenge state leadership.

“The regime is worried that soldiers from the isolated country might pick up ’incorrect’ ideas,” wrote a Russian researcher, the Agence France-Presse news service reported.

“Has Kim thought through what happens when these troops… come home to North Korea?” asked a British defense expert on X. “That’s got to be a big societal shift incoming.”

“North Korea coup speculation is back!” read the headline of a recent online article by a South Korean analyst.

But many who have studied North Korea and the Kim regime intensively have their doubts.

“Casualties will definitely have some impact, however, that impact will not be fatal to the stability of the regime,” said Mr. Kim, the think tank scholar. “We have to take note that troops and soldiers dispatched to Ukraine had no hope when they lived in North Korea, as well.”

Historical precedent also shows that military resistance to three generations of ruling Kims has been both modest and unfailingly unsuccessful. North Korea watchers credit the ubiquity, efficiency and ruthlessness of state control mechanisms for coup-proofing the regime.

When Kims crushed coups

In 1948, ex-guerilla leader and Soviet Red Army Major Kim Il Sung took power over newly established North Korea. In 2024, the state is firmly ruled by his grandson, Kim Jong-un. Though it offers fewer rights and freedoms than perhaps any other nation, resistance has been minimal.

There are multiple reasons the Kim regime has avoided the fate suffered by many totalitarian leaders around the region and around the world. Citizens lack access to the arms and organizational networks required to rebel, and are required to spy on one another — even within families.

Pyongyang’s conscript military of some 1.2 million full-time troops boasts plentiful weaponry and strong organization. All military challenges to regime leaders, however, have been systematically crushed.

An early example arose within “The Yanan Faction” of North Korean generals who had fought alongside Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong in the 1940s before returning to Korea after the end of World War II.

Having initiated the catastrophic Korean War in 1950, the first Mr. Kim’s regime survived only because of Beijing’s timely intervention. Fighting ended in 1953, leaving North Korea weak and impoverished.

In 1956, fresh tensions between the China-friendly group and Mr. Kim’s own “Guerilla Faction” flared up. The Beijing-linked faction “marked the only organized anti-Kim Il-sung movement in North Korean history,” wrote historian Jin Guangxi. Mr. Kim mobilized the army and purged the faction’s leaders, compelling survivors to flee to China and marking “the thorough eradication of the Yanan Faction.”

Kim Jong Il, the founder’s son who took power in 1994, is believed to have quashed two separate military challenges to his rule: the “Frunze Incident” and “The 6th Corps Incident.”

The latter also took place in the mid-1990s when North Korea was wracked by famines following the withdrawal of Soviet aid.

The 6th Corps was a large, rear-echelon force based in the country’s northeast, abutting the Chinese border. To this day, it is unclear if its officers plotted a coup or if disputes over the spoils from Pyongyang’s cross-border trade with China ignited the tension.

Key officers were arrested after Pyongyang loyalists stormed the corps headquarters. An unknown number of military officers were executed, some reportedly burned to death.

The 6th Corps was disbanded.

Total control

Keeping with family tradition, Kim Jong-un and his ruling party maintain close oversight over the military, according to Bob Collins, a long-time adviser to U.S. forces in South Korea: “Every officer down to company level has a political officer on his shoulder.”

Rules are strict, and even top generals are not exempt: Army Chief of Staff Yi Yong Gil was purged in the early days of Kim Jong-un’s rule.

“He did not report to Kim Jong-un that some military units were on the move,” said Mr. Kim, the defector. “They have this rule that if a certain unit moves from one place to another, they should get permission.”

Multiple lines — military, political officers, security services — report to the party’s powerful Organization and Guidance Department. The OGD collates colossal amounts of personnel information, including mandatory self-criticism sessions.

“They control and secure loyalty to [Kim Jong-un] and the party,” said Mr. Collins. “It’s personnel management.”

When loyalties are suspect, state agents are not bound by judicial restraint or basic rights in addressing the threat.

“Just having a thought and letting it out of their mouth is as good as a coup for the security services,” observed Yang Uk, a security specialist at Seoul’s Asan Institute.

Fear is a tactic: The 6th Corps’ fate was meant to teach a lesson.

“I think they became a showcase: ‘If you don’t obey the party, you’ll be wiped out,’” said Mr. Yang.

Even if Mr. Kim’s expeditionary troops in Ukraine are exposed to the wider world, their experience is not unique: A handful of North Koreans already operate internationally.

Diplomats work worldwide and thousands of workers have labored in Chinese factories and Russian logging camps. Small military units engaged in the Vietnam and Middle Eastern conflicts in the 1960s and 1970s, in Africa in the 1980s and, some believe, in Syria in the 2000s.

Having a family back in North Korea provides the regime with hostages, and all North Koreans posted overseas are subject to special attention and oversight.

“They regularly summon them home for debriefs and indoctrination,” said Mr. Yang.

But it is not just sticks: Pyongyang also wields carrots, including attractive pay incentives for the troops sent to Russia.

“Those guys who deploy to Ukraine will be compensated,” said Mr. Yang. “I don’t think they are a danger to Kim.”

The Ukraine war “is a great opportunity for them to receive financial returns,” added Mr. Kim Kwang-jin, the think tank scholar. “If they actually lose their lives, their family members can get higher ranks in North Korean society.”

• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.

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4. Questioned news story sparks latest Japan-South Korea historical brouhaha

Excerpt:

Multiple indications suggest the latest flap was based on erroneous Japanese news reports, a development that could leave some diplomatic faces red.

Questioned news story sparks latest Japan-South Korea historical brouhaha

Squabble over mine ceremony highlights challenge for uniting key U.S. allies

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

By - The Washington Times - Tuesday, November 26, 2024

SEOUL, South Korea — It’s an old and long-repeated pattern in Indo-Pacific politics: Japan and South Korea, indispensable U.S. allies in the region, are engaged in yet another squabble over World War II and how to remember a tangled and troubled past.

Multiple indications suggest the latest flap was based on erroneous Japanese news reports, a development that could leave some diplomatic faces red.

Even so, the latest blow-up — concerning the remembrance of wartime laborers in Japanese mines — fits into a feedback loop that has plagued Seoul-Tokyo relations for three decades. The pattern is familiar: A historical wrong, related to Japan’s colonial control of the Korean peninsula for decades ending in 1945, is raised. Japan apologizes. South Korea rejects the apologies as insincere or incomplete. Bad feelings intensify on both sides. Repeat.

It is a trend that can be seen in the long-running tensions of Korean “comfort women” for Japanese soldiers and in grievances over forced labor practices by Japanese authorities at the time.

With significant prodding from the Biden administration, South Korean and Japanese leaders, despite domestic political complications, have sought to break the pattern in recent years, in an effort to promote trilateral coordination between the three democratic allies in Northeast Asia.

But now, yet another controversy has hit the front pages in both countries, shining a fresh light on the potency of historical tensions and the still-precarious state of bilateral ties. It also presents the incoming Trump administration with a tricky diplomatic balancing act to carry off in Northeast Asia.

The flap began Sunday when South Korean officials declined to attend a memorial ceremony at Japan’s Sado Mine complex, where copper and gold were extracted. During World War II, Japan mobilized laborers — including an estimated 1,500 Koreans, who were at that time, colonial subjects — to work in difficult conditions underground at Sado.

Tokyo has long sought to turn the mine complex and other sites of its early industrialization into UNESCO World Heritage sites. For that, it requires the support of Seoul, which has a seat on the World Heritage Committee. Seoul agreed to the designation — on the condition that Japan admit to the use of forced Korean workers, and hold an annual memorial in their honor.

Japan accepted, and on Sunday went ahead with a commemoration at Sado led by Parliamentary Vice Foreign Minister Akiko Ikuina. Ms. Ikuina acknowledged the “dangerous and harsh conditions” Korean laborers endured, but did not mention coercion and did not offer an apology.

Japanese tourism promoters did not skip a beat, immediately promoting on social media a ”new, unique travel destination” in “unseen Japan,” touting the fact that the Sado Mines were now an official UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

But Ms. Ikuina’s presence at the event already raised South Korean hackles: In 2022, according to Japanese press accounts, she visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, a touchstone for Japanese conservatives and revisionists where, among the country’s millions of war dead, 14 Class-A war criminals are also enshrined. Both China and South Korea regularly protest such visits, saying it celebrates Japanese militarism dating back to the war.

South Korean government representatives and families of the laborers boycotted the Sunday ceremony. And on Monday, they held a separate commemoration at the site of a workers’ dormitory at Sado.

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, a likely presidential candidate in 2027, used the incident to attack conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has actively pushed for better relations with Japan and the easing of war-related grievances.

No fan of the government’s policy of upgrading ties with Tokyo, Mr. Lee charged Monday that the “forced mobilization of over 1,500 Koreans has been erased from history” and attacked the Yoon government for what he called “submissive and conciliatory diplomacy.”

The left-leaning Hankyoreh newspaper on Monday echoed Mr. Lee’s cry, calling Seoul’s stance “groveling.”

But a potentially embarrassing new development has cast a new light — it turns out reports Ms. Ikuina had visited the controversial shrine three years ago were wrong. Even as the brouhaha was building, Kyodo News admitted late Sunday that it had misreported her visit, and the media company’s president apologized to Japan’s deputy foreign minister for the error on Tuesday.

Though Seoul “denied that Ikuina’s attendance at the memorial influenced its decision [to boycott Sunday’s event,] Japanese media reports suggest that the news spread within South Korea and could have impacted Seoul’s decision,” Japanese political commentator Rin Nishimura wrote on X.

That analysis is backed by multiple South Korean press reports that came out before Kyodo’s admission: “Scrutiny over Ikuina’s past participation in ceremonies paying respects at Yasukuni Shrine prompted the Korean government to boycott the [Sunday] memorial service,” the Seoul-based newspaper Hankyoreh wrote under a picture of Ms. Ikuina, citing South Korea’s respected Yonhap News Agency for the caption. The government-run KBS radio offered a similar reason in its reporting.

The conservative Chosun Ilbo news website wrote that Seoul boycotted the ceremony “after Japan demonstrated … an insincere diplomatic choice by sending Akiko Ikuina, … who had previously visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in 2022.”

Both sides have tried to contain the diplomatic fallout. The South Korean Foreign Ministry tried to clarify its stance. Contradicting a slew of news stories, the ministry said South Korean officials did not attend Sunday’s event because Japan’s memorial address at the Sado ceremony “fell short of the level agreed upon.”

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called Kyodo’s erroneous report “extremely regrettable.”

The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers, meeting on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Italy on Tuesday, agreed to maintain momentum on bilateral cooperation despite the Sado controversy, Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.

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5. Russia's ties with N. Korea 'expanding,' including on military: Russian defense chief

Don't fear the reaper. We need to use this to our advantage.

(2nd LD) Russia's ties with N. Korea 'expanding,' including on military: Russian defense chief | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · November 29, 2024

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES with more info in paras 7-8, 15-16; ADDS photos)

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- Russia's cooperation with North Korea is "expanding" in various areas, including in the military field, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said Friday in a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang.

His remarks came as Russia and North Korea have been deepening military cooperation under a mutual defense treaty signed in June, with more than 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to fight alongside Russia in its war against Ukraine.

"Today, friendly ties between Russia and North Korea are expanding across all areas, including military collaboration," Russia's TASS news agency quoted Belousov as saying in a meeting with North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol in Pyongyang.

The Russian news agency reported the Russian defense chief arrived in North Korea earlier in the day for a number of "high-level" talks with senior military officials and politicians.

"We are committed to implementing all agreements reached at the highest level," Belousov said.

"We look forward to close and fruitful cooperation with our Korean comrades," Belousov also noted, expressing confidence that their discussion will "further strengthen the Russian-Korean strategic partnership in the defense industry."

This photo, published by the Associated Press, shows Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov (R) visiting North Korea on Nov. 29, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

During the meeting, the North Korean defense chief stressed that combat friendship and cooperation between their countries' armies are the "top priority," TASS also reported.

"Continuously strengthening and developing (combat friendship and cooperation) is the steadfast position of our army," No said, adding that Belousov's trip would contribute to "strengthening the defense and security capabilities" of the two nations and fostering their cooperation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo after signing the "Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation" at the Kumsusan State Guest House in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. The DPRK refers to North Korea's official name. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in Pyongyang in June, which commits the two nations to providing military aid to each other in the event of war.

The visit also follows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's trip to Russia a month ago, during which she had a surprise meeting with Putin.

South Korea's intelligence agency assessed that Choe may have had a "very sensitive" discussion with Putin during the meeting, and raised the possibility of Kim traveling to Russia for talks with Putin.

The Russian defense minister is expected to discuss a potential increase in Russia-North Korea military cooperation in connection with Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Some of the North's soldiers have already entered combat in Russia's western Kursk border region, according to the National Intelligence Service, Seoul's spy agency.

Russia has provided North Korea with anti-air missiles and air defense equipment in return for its troop deployment in support of Moscow's war, South Korea's top security adviser said last week.

Experts have raised concerns that the North's close alignment with Russia could allow Pyongyang to bypass international sanctions by securing rewards from Moscow, including the possible transfer of Russia's advanced weapons technology.

The latest North Korea-Russia exchange follows back-to-back visits to North Korea by Russia's natural resources and sports ministers.

This photo, published by the Associated Press, shows Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov (L) visiting North Korea on Nov. 29, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr

pbr@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · November 29, 2024

6. 5 Chinese, 6 Russian military aircraft enter S. Korea's air defense zone: JCS

You cannot consider Korea as its own separate theater of operations/war. China and Russia certainly do not seem to be treating it that way.

I wonder if part of their intention is to create friction and conflict among our geographic combatant commands and (quasi-combatant commands, e.g., the ROK/US CFC) as well as between allies.

(2nd LD) 5 Chinese, 6 Russian military aircraft enter S. Korea's air defense zone: JCS | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 29, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with Seoul defense ministry's response in paras 9-10)

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- Five Chinese and six Russian military aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the seas off the eastern and southern coasts without notice on Friday, prompting the South to send its fighter jets in response, the South Korean military said.

Between 9:35 a.m. and 1:53 p.m., the Chinese and Russian military planes entered the KADIZ consecutively over the East Sea and the waters off the southern coast, according to an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The Chinese planes reportedly entered the KADIZ near Ieodo Island off the southern coast and flew northward over the waters between South Korea and Japan, while the Russian aircraft approached from the northeast.

They met and flew side by side over waters south of the easternmost islets of Dokdo before retreating.

The aircraft, reportedly including bombers and fighter jets, did not violate South Korea's air space, officials said.

The air defense zone is not territorial airspace but is delineated to call on foreign planes to identify themselves so as to prevent accidental clashes.

This file graphic shows Russian and Chinese aircraft entering South Korea's air defense identification zone. (Yonhap)

The South Korean military detected the planes before they entered the KADIZ and took "tactical" measures by mobilizing Air Force fighter jets in preparation for a potential emergency, the JCS said.

The JCS assessed that the flight was part of a joint air exercise between China and Russia.

Seoul lodged a "stern" complaint against the move, expressing regret and calling for efforts to prevent such actions going forward in separate phone calls with both sides, the defense ministry said.

"The defense ministry strongly requested for an appropriate measure to prevent the recurrence of such actions, which can unnecessarily cause regional tension," the ministry said in a release.

Since 2019, the two countries have sent their military planes into the KADIZ once or twice a year during joint exercises, without prior notice.

Military planes from both China and Russia last entered the KADIZ together in December last year, when they said they were conducting a joint air patrol.

pbr@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · November 29, 2024

7. Why North Korea is a wild card in the power game in Northeast Asia

Is north Korea really a wild card? I would submit it is not if we understand the nature, objectives and strategy of the Kim family regime.

And it certainly will not be if we recognize, understand, EXPOSE, and attack its strategy.

It is only our ignorance or lack of understanding that will make it a wild card.

Why North Korea is a wild card in the power game in Northeast Asia

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5000210-trump-china-trade-war-north-korea/?utm

by Donald Kirk, opinion contributor - 11/22/24 12:00 PM ET

President-elect Donald Trump has been talking tough about China for years. He hates China’s enormous trade surplus with the U.S., and who can blame him? There is no doubt China’s President Xi Jinping has done all he can to guarantee China reaps multi-billions in exports to the U.S., producing the goods with cheap labor while violating or circumventing rules and regulations.

All told, these transgressions would seem to justify Trump’s threat to impose a 60 percent tariff on imports from China — a quantum leap above the 10 percent jump that Trump proposes on imports from much of the rest of the world. The Chinese will scream, U.S.-Chinese relations will grow ever-more tense, and we will wonder how China will retaliate.

The obvious way would be for China to enhance ties with countries from Africa to the Middle East to South and Central Asia to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Critical to China’s ever-growing presence is the Belt and Road Initiative that has provided the framework for aggressive Chinese expansionism with military as well as economic implications. Nowhere is the initiative so dramatic as in the construction of a highway across the high Himalayas into Pakistan, winding up at the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, built and financed by China.

Trump’s incoming foreign policy and defense team, largely untested, might respond with promises to challenge China more or less as the Biden administration has been doing. Optics, however, may be a cover for give and take, for compromise; no one knows for sure. At least one wild card may provide the ultimate evidence of Trump’s determination to thwart China’s exploitation of the rich, ripe, gullible, and still surprisingly free and open American market.

That wild card is North Korea.

It’s all very well for Trump to put on a show of take-no-prisoners bravado, but how is he going to renew his bromance with the unpredictable North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with whom he professed to have “fallen in love” at their summit in Singapore in June 2018, while feuding endlessly with China, the source of most of the North’s oil and half its food? Kim might like to play the Americans against the Chinese, whose power he resents, but he can’t move too far from the orbit of a nation that towers above his northern border up to the last few miles that North Korea shares with Russia, China’s historic rival.

True, Kim has astutely formed what looks like a rock-solid alliance with Russia, meaning he can afford not to go along with all of China’s demands. Unlike Russia, Xi might not want Kim to view South Korea as an “enemy state,” and he may not be happy to hear Kim threatening to inundate the South with nuclear-tipped missiles.

China, remember, is by far South Korea’s largest trading partner, and China has an enormous embassy in Seoul — much larger than its embassy in Pyongyang. Xi and his deputies and aides see China holding sway over both Koreas, just as the Chinese lorded it over the entire Korean peninsula in the centuries before the Japanese defeated the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese war in 1895 (and the Russians in 1905), taking over Taiwan and, within 15 years, turning all Korea into a colony.

If Trump follows through on his loudly stated vows to put China in its place, to stop the Chinese from devouring American markets while threatening American forces from the South Pacific to the South China Sea and beyond, how’s he going to begin to deal with North Korea?

Trump has indicated he believes Kim might like to resume the dialogue that fell apart when the then-president walked out of their second formal summit in Hanoi in February 2019. They did meet again four months later in the truce village of Panmunjom, where Trump, at Kim’s side, took a ceremonial step across the North-South line, but nothing came out of the meeting. Since then, Trump and Kim may have exchanged love notes, but communications between them appear to have stopped.

North Korea’s silence on Trump’s reelection victory, however, indicates that Kim is thinking long and hard about the relationship.

Sure, by reaching a strong mutual defense pact with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Kim has fortified the North in a way that no one had predicted while he and Trump were engaging in summitry, but he has to think through the possibilities of resuming dialogue with Washington. Therein, he presumably believes, lies the possibility that the U.S. may finally recognize North Korea as a nuclear state and give up the mantra of “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.”

Kim’s game would be to play Trump against Putin, while Trump is also playing up to Putin, looking for a deal for quickly ending the war in Ukraine, letting the Russians keep what they’ve got. Maybe they won’t come to terms in a day, as Trump has long said he could do, but soon enough he would love to lay claim to have settled the war. The North Koreans, now a combatant in Ukraine, would be part of the deal. Might Trump and Kim, with Ukraine in mind, agree to talk again?

Maybe, but how could Trump possibly get tough with China, sending American warships through the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, ordering heavy bombers on intimidation flights, while angling for an opening to the North? And how could he maintain what he has wanted the world to believe was at least a courteous, even friendly relationship with Putin while flailing away with Xi?

The Chinese may have no love for Russia, and Xi may resent the tight bond that Putin has formed with Kim, but together the Chinese and Russians are still North Korea’s saviors, guarantors of the North’s survival, as they were during the Korean War.

Trump and his team will have to go through some basic training in the ways and wiles of the Northeast Asian power game. They are likely to find that nothing is so simple as raising tariffs in a stroke or signing a piece of paper declaring “peace” on the Korean peninsula.

One thing for which they are completely unprepared — mentally, psychologically, by background or training — is a second Korean War or a Northeast Asian conflagration that might erupt as tensions rise in a wave of rhetoric beginning with a new trade war.

Donald Kirk has been a journalist for more than 60 years, focusing much of his career on conflict in Asia and the Middle East, including as a correspondent for the Washington Star and Chicago Tribune. He is currently a freelance correspondent covering North and South Korea, and is the author of several books about Asian affairs.

8. Trump faces a far more emboldened Kim Jong Un this time around

He is emboldened to conduct his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies as he always has.

Can we conduct a superior political warfare strategy that focuses on solving the "Korea question: once and for all?

Trump faces a far more emboldened Kim Jong Un this time around

Business Insider · by Tom Porter

Military & Defense

Analysis by Tom Porter

2024-11-28T15:56:16Z

President-elect Donald Trump will find North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, a much tougher and more emboldened character to deal with when he enters office. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? .

Trump has boasted about his chemistry with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The President-elect likely believes he can cajole and pressurize the dictator again.
But this time North Korea's more powerful, and Kim has options.

Donald Trump has long reminisced about the unlikely bromance he formed with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while president.

On the campaign trail, he claimed the North Korean leader missed him and said that relations would improve once he returned to power.

Kim hasn't been so enthusiastic. At a defense expo in Pyongyang this week, he accused the US of an "unchanging aggressive and hostile policy" toward North Korea that has placed the world in the "most chaotic and violent" state since World War II.

His comments suggest that Trump will find Kim a much tougher and more emboldened character to deal with this time around.

The stakes couldn't be higher, with North Korea providing Russia with vital support for its war in Ukraine, and menacing its neighbors with rhetoric and weapons tests.

"Trump comes into his second term with a weaker hand than he had in 2017," Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst with the Eurasia Group, focused on China and northeastern Asia, told Business Insider.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un at the 2019 Hanoi summit. Anadolu/Getty Images

A relationship gone sour

Trump is seeking to gear up his relationship with Kim again, with Reuters reporting Wednesday that he will likely seek new direct talks when he takes office.

However, Kim has long harbored a grudge against the President-elect, according to Bruce Bennet, an analyst with the RAND Corporation.

The grudge goes back to the 2019 Hanoi conference with Trump, where the pair engaged in one of the first face-to-face meetings between a North Korean leader and US president in history. There, Kim overplayed his hand, and Trump walked out.

"Kim was furious and many of his people who had helped arrange the meeting paid severe prices," said Bennet.

"I think it is unlikely that Kim Jong-un will meet with Trump, even if Trump pursues that possibility unless Trump is prepared to offer some serious concessions before the meeting."

North Korea tested its new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasong-19, this week. Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Kim breaks North Korea's isolation

As Trump returns to power, the world is a more complex and dangerous place, and Kim has profited.

Trump's gambit

The President-elect does have some advantages in dealing with North Korea's leader — not least his oft boasted of "chemistry."

"Trump is more likely to use carrots than sticks to achieve his strategic goals on the Korean Peninsula. This means resuming direct leader-to-leader diplomacy with Kim, with whom he has always enjoyed a strong rapport," said Chan.

Trump's pledge to end the Ukraine war could work to his advantage, reducing Russian dependence on North Korea and leading the state to find itself once again isolated.

A deal between Trump and Kim appears to be a long shot, but it's just about possible, said Chan.

Trump could stop short of demanding the denuclearization of North and instead broker a "freeze" on nuclear development and weapons tests.

In return, Trump could offer Kim sanctions relief and a reduction of US troops in South Korea.

"Kim likely sees in Trump a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake his country's relationship with the US, and thereby the wider world," said Chan.

"The potential to achieve his strategic goal of winning recognition as a nuclear state while coming in from the international cold will likely be too great for Kim to pass up, particularly as the Ukraine war winds down."

The nuclear option

Others remain skeptical of Kim's willingness to do business with Trump after the 2019 humiliation.

Trump may have to abandon the flattery and return to the threats and pressure.

For Bennet, the realistic options available to Trump could come down to military pressure and information warfare.

One option is to modernize the nuclear weapons facilities in South Korea the US abandoned in 1991. Another is to launch an information warfare campaign inside North Korea.

Ultimately, events in Ukraine will determine whether Kim wants a new rapprochement.

Neither maximum pressure nor flattery "may not work until the Ukraine war comes to an end," Ellen Kim, a senior fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told BI.

"We have to see how North Korea's relationship with Russia evolves."

Business Insider · by Tom Porter

9. S. Korea OKs new defense cost-sharing deal with U.S.

Will the US honor this agreement? I certainly hope so. This is not something worth damaging the alliance over. We need a strong ROK/US alliance more than we need another billion or two from South Korea.

(LEAD) S. Korea OKs new defense cost-sharing deal with U.S. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · November 28, 2024

(ATTN: UPDATES with details from Nat'l Assembly's approval of ratification; ADDS byine)

By Kim Seung-yeon and Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Thursday approved the ratification of a new defense cost-sharing deal with the United States for hosting American troops, paving the way for the agreement to formally take effect.

The Assembly passed the motion requesting parliamentary approval for the ratification of the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) at its plenary meeting, following the approval of the motion by the parliament's foreign affairs committee earlier in the day.

The consent given at the plenary meeting brings the agreement into effect. No congressional approval is required in the U.S.

Last month, Seoul and Washington inked the five-year deal on determining Seoul's share of its cost for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), just days before the U.S. held its presidential election on Nov. 5.

Under the 12th SMA, which will last until 2030, South Korea will pay 1.52 trillion won (US$1.19 billion) in 2026, up 8.3 percent from 1.4 trillion won in 2025.

The deal came amid speculation that South Korea was seeking to strike an early deal to apparently avoid tough negotiations if former President Donald Trump returns to office. Trump had demanded a hefty rise in Seoul's share to as much as $50 billion during his term, calling the ally a free rider on U.S. military power.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul speaks during a parliamentary session of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 28, 2024. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · November 28, 2024

10. Ukrainian PM confirms US$100 mln loan from S. Korea

A half step for the Global Pivotal State?

What about manning up with lethal aid?

Ukrainian PM confirms US$100 mln loan from S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 29, 2024

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed Friday that Ukraine has received a US$100 million loan from South Korea aimed at supporting the social sector.

In a post on social media X, Shmyhal said the loan is "the first budget assistance" from South Korea to support the social sector.

He said Ukraine also signed an agreement with South Korea granting access to up to $2.1 billion in funding earlier this year.

"I am grateful to the Government of the Republic of Korea for supporting Ukraine during a full-scale war," Shmyhal wrote, referring to South Korea's official name.

In April, South Korea signed a framework agreement with Ukraine to provide the war-torn country with $2.1 billion in long-term, low-interest loans through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund.

This undated file photo released by Reuters shows Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · November 29, 2024

11. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Unrest Spreads Among Parents of Soldiers Deployed to Russia, Checking on Sons' Safety Through Bribes, Military Says 'Letters Will Come Soon'

Nah. It cannot happen. The Regime is too strong and brutal to allow any potential resistance. (Note my sarcasm).

＜Inside N. Korea＞Unrest Spreads Among Parents of Soldiers Deployed to Russia, Checking on Sons' Safety Through Bribes, Military Says 'Letters Will Come Soon'

asiapress.org

A soldier patrolling with a rifle along the Yalu River. Photographed from inside China in October 2023 (ASIAPRESS)

The South Korean and U.S. governments have revealed that North Korea has deployed approximately 12,000 soldiers to Russia. While the Kim Jong-un regime has imposed a gag order to prevent deployment information from spreading domestically, many people are already aware of the troop deployment to the Ukraine war. Additionally, anxiety and unrest are spreading among parents of enlisted soldiers, with many trying to independently determine whether their sons have been deployed to Russia or when they might return. (ISHIMARU Jiro / KANG Ji-won)

◆ Soldier Parents Exchange Deployment Information

According to reporting partners in Ryanggang and North Hamgyong Provinces, while many people already know about the Russian deployment, there's reluctance to freely ask military officials, party members, or administrative cadres due to strict crackdowns on rumor spreading.

In this context, reporting partner A from Ryanggang Province was able to hear stories from several close acquaintances who had sent their sons to the military. One of them had received a message through someone that their son "was being deployed to Russia." The reporting partner described their acquaintances' activities as follows:

"Worried parents are beginning to contact each other and exchange information. Due to this leak about (the Russian deployment), military units are cracking down on soldiers' contact with civilians. Still, many parents are using connections and even spending money to find out if their sons went to Russia.

While this acquaintance knows their son went (to Russia), they don't know when he departed or when he'll return. When they inquired through intermediaries at his unit, they were only told 'We can't disclose information during military missions. Letters will come soon.' Naturally, any parent would be worried."

◆ Are Elite Units Really Being Deployed? "My Son is Just a Regular Soldier..."

The South Korean government has publicly speculated that those deployed to Russia are from the elite "Storm Corps." However, when A inquired, the acquaintance's 23-year-old son was a soldier in a regular unit stationed in Hamhung.

Additionally, reporting partner B from Hoeryong in North Hamgyong Province reported, "An acquaintance's son serving in North Pyongan Province was deployed to Russia, but he's not a special forces member, just a regular infantry soldier."

While unconfirmed information about North Korean soldier casualties from battles with Ukrainian forces is spreading in Ukrainian media, ASIAPRESS has not obtained information about such news spreading within North Korea.

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.

asiapress.org

12. Seoul’s military aid dilemma

Yep, Seoul may be backpedaling due to Trump advisors' comments.

Seoul’s military aid dilemma

donga.com

Posted November. 29, 2024 08:01,

Updated November. 29, 2024 08:01

Seoul’s military aid dilemma. November. 29, 2024 08:01. .

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) officially confirmed for the first time on Oct. 19 that North Korea had deployed a significant number of troops to Russia. This development has shifted the Ukraine war from a distant conflict to a direct security threat for the Korean Peninsula. The presidential office issued a stern warning, pledging to work with the international community to deploy “all available means” in response.

On Oct. 24, President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested for the first time the possibility of providing lethal military aid to Ukraine, departing from South Korea’s previous stance. “We had maintained the principle of not directly supplying lethal weapons (to Ukraine), but this could be reviewed depending on North Korea’s actions,” Yoon stated. He explicitly mentioned the deployment of North Korean special forces to the war as a possible trigger for such aid, effectively drawing a “red line,” an implicit warning that any expansion of North Korea’s deployment or its engagement in lethal activities could prompt the South to provide military assistance.

Despite the warning, North Korea relentlessly expanded its troop deployments. According to the NIS, North Korean forces have been integrated into Russian airborne units for training, with some already participating in combat.

While the gravity of the situation has deepened, South Korea’s stance on providing weapons to Ukraine has notably softened. Ukraine, encouraged by earlier statements from Seoul, sent a delegation led by its defense minister to present a “wish list” of military aid. However, the South Korean authorities remain hesitant, citing domestic challenges and strategic concerns.

The hesitancy appears linked to the return of Donald Trump, who recently won the U.S. presidential election. Trump has consistently advocated for a swift end to the Ukraine war, a stance that South Korea cannot ignore.

With Trump’s officially returning to power soon, Seoul naturally finds itself in diplomatic hot water. And some analysts question why South Korea hinted at crossing its “red line” before the U.S. election results were finalized. Diplomatic insiders caution that such statements, without concrete follow-up measures, risk undermining credibility. “It’s like the boy who cried wolf,” one source said.

Ukraine’s heightened expectations further weigh on Seoul. Failure to deliver on perceived promises could sideline South Korea in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction projects, estimated to be worth $50 billion. “Raising false hopes is worse than refusing outright from the beginning,” a government official admitted.

South Korea’s initial response to North Korea’s troop deployments was deniably half-baked and warranted criticism. However, the stakes are set to rise as Trump’s second term approaches and Ukraine’s requests for military aid grow more urgent. Meanwhile, Russia has issued stark warnings, with its deputy foreign minister cautioning that if South Korean weapons are used to kill Russian soldiers, bilateral ties could be irreparably damaged. The Yoon administration finds itself walking on a diplomatic tightrope, with relations involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine increasingly intertwined. Navigating this complex geopolitical equation may be the most pressing challenge for Yoon’s presidency as his term enters its latter half.

한국어

donga.com

13. North Korea launches more trash and propaganda leaflets into South by balloon

The regime just cannot help itself. It must really believe these actions are going to break the will of the Korean people in the South.

North Korea launches more trash and propaganda leaflets into South by balloon

ROK says DPRK sent some 40 balloons from Thursday, two days after Kim Yo Jong denounced alleged activist leafleting

https://www.nknews.org/2024/11/north-korea-launches-more-trash-and-propaganda-leaflets-into-south-by-balloon/

Alannah Hill November 29, 2024

North Korean balloons found in South Chungcheong Province in May 2024, and anti-South Korean leaflets carried by North Korean trash balloons on Oct. 24 | Images: ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff and Sokeel Park, edited by NK News

North Korea launched some 40 balloons filled with trash across the border from Thursday night, according to the South Korean military, days after the leader’s sister denounced another round of alleged anti-regime leafleting.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said around 30 of the balloons landed in the capital area, including Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul.

“Content found (from the balloons) included propaganda leaflets against South Korea and nothing that posed safety threats,” the military said.

NK News found several propaganda leaflets apparently sent in the latest North Korean balloon launch in the Ahyeon, Seodaemun and Gongdeok areas of Seoul on Friday morning.

The leaflets criticize President Yoon Suk-yeol’s support for trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan and boast of North Korea’s ability to carry out nuclear strikes in retaliation. A couple of the leaflets appeared the same as those sent in a previous launch last month.

Propaganda leaflets found by NK News on Nov. 29 that were likely sent from North Korea by balloon | Image: NK News

This week’s launch followed a statement by the North Korean leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong on Tuesday, in which she accused South Korean activists of committing “despicable acts” by sending anti-regime leaflets across the border on the same day.

In an evening statement released through the Korean Central News Agency, Kim said various propaganda leaflets and items sent by “South Korean scum” were found scattered in several areas near the DPRK’s southern border.

“We strongly condemn the dirty actions of South Koreans who have carried out provocations that contaminate our sacred territory by spraying anti-communist government conspiracies,” she stated.

North Korea used balloons to scatter anti-South Korea leaflets across Seoul for the first time in years in late October, marking an escalation in Pyongyang’s monthslong trash balloon campaign. Previous launches since May saw balloons carry paper waste and even manure into South Korea but had not included political content.

The JCS accused North Korea at the time of escalating its trash balloon campaign by “sending low-quality leaflets criticizing our commander-in-chief.”

“North Korea must immediately cease sending such crude propaganda materials,” the military said.

Pyongyang routinely sent propaganda leaflets into the South during a period of heightened tensions in 2017, including sexually explicit cartoons of former President Park Geun-hye and graphic depictions of violence against then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

But the launches appeared to taper off with the inter-Korean detente in 2018, with the last suspected North Korean leaflets sent that year shifting tone to celebrate Korean unity.

Experts previously told NK News that North Korea’s resumption of propaganda leaflet launches shows it is upgrading its psychological tactics toward the South as relations continue to spiral.

Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the shift represented a tit-for-tat response to ongoing South Korean military operations, particularly Seoul’s resumption of propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts.

“We’re seeing both governments engaged in psychological operations against each other, reminiscent of Cold War tactics,” Cho told NK News.

The latest trash balloon launch marks the North’s first since late October and the 32nd launch this year. Pyongyang has now sent thousands of balloons, framing them as retaliation to anti-regime leafleting by ROK activists.

Edited by Bryan Betts

14. North Korean diplomat dodges question at UN about troop deployment to Russia

Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter accusations.

Excerpts:

“Has the DPRK deployed troops to Russia?” he then asked the DPRK envoy.

Kim avoided a direct answer to the question, refusing to confirm or deny North Korea’s troop dispatch. Instead, he simply said that Pyongyang is “faithful to its obligations” under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty that leaders Kim Il Sung and Vladimir Putin signed in June.

“The Ukrainian crisis was started by the United States and Western forces that ignored legitimate security interests and right of the interior integrity of Russia and pursued NATO’s reckless eastward expansion, under the ambition to maintain the hegemonic world order,” Kim said, repeating the DPRK’s stance justifying Moscow’s invasion.

North Korean diplomat dodges question at UN about troop deployment to Russia

Kim Song says two sides cooperating in line with mutual defense pact but avoids confirming support for Ukraine invasion

https://www.nknews.org/2024/11/north-korean-diplomat-dodges-question-at-un-about-troop-deployment-to-russia/

Ifang Bremer November 28, 2024

North Korean soldiers carry out a drill simulating taking over South Korean border guard posts. | Image: Rodong Sinmun (March 7, 2024)

North Korea evaded a question about whether it has deployed troops to Russia during a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, arguing that the two countries are fortifying ties in line with their recently ratified mutual defense pact.

During the meeting — convened to discuss recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure — U.S. representative Robert A. Wood directly asked DPRK Ambassador Kim Song about reports that North Korea has sent at least 10,000 soldiers to support the invasion of Ukraine.

“The deployment of DPRK troops to help Russia carry out its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people has fundamentally changed the nature of this war, posing not only a growing threat to Ukraine but also an increasing threat to broader European security,” Wood said

“Has the DPRK deployed troops to Russia?” he then asked the DPRK envoy.

Kim avoided a direct answer to the question, refusing to confirm or deny North Korea’s troop dispatch. Instead, he simply said that Pyongyang is “faithful to its obligations” under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty that leaders Kim Il Sung and Vladimir Putin signed in June.

“The Ukrainian crisis was started by the United States and Western forces that ignored legitimate security interests and right of the interior integrity of Russia and pursued NATO’s reckless eastward expansion, under the ambition to maintain the hegemonic world order,” Kim said, repeating the DPRK’s stance justifying Moscow’s invasion.

Russia and North Korea’s new treaty, which the two sides ratified earlier this month, stipulates that they will provide military or other assistance to each other if one of them is attacked, while outlining a range of areas for bilateral cooperation.

According to South Korea, the U.S., NATO and Ukraine, thousands of North Korean troops have joined Russian forces and begun engaging in combat to repel Russian forces from Kursk, amid evidence that Moscow also continues to use DPRK artillery and missiles in its attacks on Ukraine.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have admitted that North Korea is sending troops and arms, but they have both repeatedly defended their right to engage in military cooperation, pivoting away from outright denial.

Christopher Green, an assistant professor at Leiden University, told NK News that the DPRK sidestepped the U.S. question because “North Korea is taking the position that [military cooperation with Russia] is none of the UNSC or the United States’ business.”

In Pyongyang’s view, its military ties concern a “bilateral treaty between Russia and North Korea, which will be interpreted according to the interests of the two sides,” the expert explained. “It’s a non-interventionist sovereignty position.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. said it has information that North Korea is “preparing to transfer even more ballistic missiles” to Russia and that “a large number of DPRK-origin 170-millimeter long-range self-propelled artillery pieces and 240-millimeter long-range multiple rocket launchers are being introduced into the conflict.”

In the face of these developments, Washington reaffirmed its commitment to arming Ukraine during Wednesday’s UNSC meeting.

South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun said during a National Assembly briefing on Thursday that North Korea has already sent around 200 170-milimeter and 240-milimeter artillery systems and around 100 Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

Edited by Bryan Betts

15. Russia’s defense chief arrives in North Korea for talks on military cooperation

Video at the link.

Russia’s defense chief arrives in North Korea for talks on military cooperation

Visit by Andrei Belousov comes as DPRK sends weapons and troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine

https://www.nknews.org/2024/11/russia-defense-chief-arrives-in-north-korea-for-talks-on-military-cooperation/

Anton Sokolin November 29, 2024

Russian and DPRK defense ministers Andrei Belousov and No Kwang Chol at Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport on Nov. 29, 2024 | Image: Russian defense ministry

Russia’s defense chief arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with the country’s top military and political brass, as DPRK troops fight for Moscow in its conflict with Ukraine.

Andrei Belousov was welcomed by a DPRK honorary guard and his counterpart No Kwang Chol at Sunan International Airport upon his arrival, according to the Russian defense ministry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Belousov as his defense minister in May. He replaced Sergei Shoigu, who assumed the position of Security Council secretary.

The ministry noted in a brief announcement that Belousov is set to “hold meetings with the military and military-political leadership of the DPRK,” although it didn’t provide further details.

This marks Belousov’s second trip to North Korea since June, when he visited Pyongyang as part of Putin’s presidential delegation for a summit with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The summit concluded with the two sides signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which elevated their ties to the level of an alliance due to its mutual defense clause.

Putin finalized the pact by signing it into law earlier this month after parliamentary approval, with Kim Jong Un formally ratifying the agreement just two days later.

The welcome ceremony for Russian defense chief Andrei Belousov at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport on Nov. 29, 2024 | Video: Russian defense ministry

At the start of his meeting with No on Friday, Belousov called the signing of the agreement a key milestone in the relationship between Russia and North Korea, while congratulating his counterpart on the recent appointment, according to a video posted by Belousov’s ministry.

“This treaty is intended to play a stabilizing role in Northeast Asia, contribute positively to maintaining a balance of power in the region, reduce the risk of war recurrence on the Korean Peninsula, including with the use of nuclear weapons, and lay the groundwork for a new Eurasian security system.”

He added that Russia-DPRK “friendly ties” are actively developing “in all areas, including military cooperation.”

“I am confident that today’s negotiations will further strengthen the Russian-Korean strategic partnership in the defense sphere.”

No said that strengthening “combat friendship and interaction between the two countries’ armies” is a top priority, pointing to ongoing exchanges of multiple high-level delegations.

The DPRK defense chief added that Belousov’s trip to Pyongyang is a “key moment for exchanging useful and constructive proposals that will strengthen the defense capabilities and ensure the security of both countries, while also fostering friendship, cooperation and development between the armies.”

Belousov’s deputy Alexey Krivoruchko, who is in charge of arms procurement for the Russian military, appeared to participate in the talks, according to the defense ministry footage.

Russian defense chief Andrei Belousov during military talks with DPRK defense minister No Kwang Chol. Belousov’s deputy Alexey Krivoruchko (left), who is in charge of arms procurement, also took park in the talks on Nov. 29, 2024. | Image: Russian defense ministry footage

The official traveled to Pyongyang last July for talks with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, following his earlier trips to North Korea with Putin in June and with Shoigu in 2023.

Chris Monday, a Russia researcher at Dongseo University, told NK News that Belousov’s arrival likely marks “Putin’s asymmetric response to the West’s missile attacks on Kursk.”

“Russia is saying that they are ready to deepen their military partnership with North Korea even if it brings instability to the region,” he added. “It’s a way to punish South Korea for its support of Ukraine, and North Korea wants these meetings to be publicized.”

He pointed to Krivoruchko’s presence at the table as a potential sign of “more arms transfers” between North Korea and Russia, with the Kremlin likely eyeing more tailor-made weapons.

It notably comes after leader Kim Jong Un visited a major arms expo in Pyongyang last week that displayed the country’s newest long-range missiles, as well as new drones that appear based on models that have played a key role in conflicts like the Ukraine war.

It’s possible that the expo is still ongoing and that Belousov could visit to inspect North Korean weapons, much like his predecessor Shoigu did in July 2023.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE & KOREAS

Belousov’s visit comes a month after North Korea began sending its soldiers to Russia to assist with its attempts to repel Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s western region of Kursk. The DPRK has also continued to send weapons to Russia, including one of its largest artillery systems.

Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, associate professor at Tokyo International University Institute for International Strategy, suggested that the Russian defense chief and his North Korean interlocutors will likely discuss “DPRK troops fighting under Russian command and the transfer of defense technologies.”

But he noted that neither Russia nor North Korea are likely to reveal specifics, preferring to stick to broad and vague statements.

The new round of Russia-DPRK military talks notably follows the arrival of a Ukrainian delegation headed by defense chief Rustem Umerov in Seoul this week for talks with ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The two sides agreed to ramp up intelligence sharing about DPRK-Russia military cooperation, but both shied away from providing details about Kyiv’s alleged request for Seoul to provide missiles and radar systems. Neither side commented on whether South Korea will send a monitoring team to Ukraine to analyze the operations of North Korean troops.

Chris Monday, a Russia researcher at Dongseo University, told NK News that Belousov’s trip “offers a counter” to Umerov’s visit to Seoul this week.

“The West’s suspected missile attack on North Korean troops is viewed as a slap in the face,” he added. “Kim will be forced to offer a visible response,” he said.

But at the same time, the expert noted that both Russia and North Korea are facing a problem of “how to escalate enough to stop the missile attacks but not to provoke things enough to sour their relationship with Donald Trump.”

Monday compared ongoing face-to-face contacts between Russian and DPRK officials to “imperial couriers of ancient Rome and Byzantium.”

“Putin and Kim can not use any form of electronics and cannot trust their own administration. Coordination has to be done at the personal level among regime elites,” he said, explaining that the recent DPRK troop deployment may have necessitated Belousov’s direct participation in talks with North Korean leadership.

PLANES & MISSILES

Belousov appears to have arrived in Pyongyang onboard a Tu-214PU-SBUS (tail number RA-64529) belonging to the Russia Special Flight Squadron from Astana, according to NK News analysis of defense ministry footage and Flightradar24 data.

Astana hosted a session of the CSTO — a Russia-led security organization — this week, with key figures like Russian President Putin, Shoigu and Belousov taking part.

Monday added that Belousov, who was initially appointed as defense chief to battle corruption and streamline finances in the military, appears to be in Putin’s good graces given the president’s recent commendation of him in Astana as an astute “economist.”

Russia Special Flight Squadron Tu-214PU (RA-64529) en route from Astana to Pyongyang on Nov. 29, 2024 | Image: Flightradar24

Russia’s successful test-firing of its new Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile at Ukraine on Nov. 21 made Putin “especially proud,” the expert said. “He could not hide his smirk when this was unveiled.

This jet was one of two Tu-214 belonging to the Russian squadron or national air force that flew to Astana from Moscow on Wednesday, according to Flightradar24, along with a slightly older Tu-214SR with tail number RA-64526.

While aviation data shows the Tu-214PU-SBUS is registered as a government jet, it is likely that it is still operated by the Russian defense ministry, which initially ordered the construction of the aircraft.

The jet is an upgrade of the original Tu-214 model, carrying SBUS-214 special on-board communication equipment that allows it to operate as a flying command post, with Ukrainian media christening the plane one of Russia’s “Doomsday” aircraft.

In September, its twin plane with tail number RA-64530 made a rare flight to Pyongyang from St. Petersburg, carrying former defense chief Shoigu for talks with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The plane was also spotted circling in unusual patterns above Moscow on Nov. 21, the day when Russia fired the Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, according to Flightradar24.

Another Russian military jet made a quick round trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, staying on the ground for less than two hours before heading back to Vladivostok, the tracker’s data shows.

The Ilyushin Il-62M (RA-86559) operated by the Russian Air Force has flown to North Korea on multiple occasions during the past year, with its previous trip in late October coming amid reports about the DPRK deploying troops to Russia in a bid to help its war effort against Ukraine.

Edited by Bryan Betts

Updated on Nov. 29, 2024 at 4:05 p.m. with expert comments and details on Belousov’s flight and at 6:07 p.m. with additional information on defense talks

16. Chinese firms use North Korean prison labor to make wigs for global sale: Report

I am at a loss for words. I can't make either a constructive comment or a sarcastic one.

Chinese firms use North Korean prison labor to make wigs for global sale: Report

Investigation finds forcibly repatriated women work up to 20 hours daily and that output is disguised as ‘Made in China’

https://www.nknews.org/2024/11/chinese-firms-use-north-korean-prison-labor-to-make-wigs-for-global-sale-report/

Ifang Bremer November 29, 2024

A North Korean woman in a factory in Hamhung in 2012 | Image: Eric Lafforgue

Chinese firms are using North Korean prison labor to produce wigs and fake eyelashes for export, according to a new report, disguising the finished goods as “Made in China” to facilitate their sale around the world.

The investigation by the Seoul-based nongovernmental organization Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) claims that the prisoners work up to 20 hours per day and that their output could end up on major ecommerce sites like Amazon, China’s Temu and South Korea’s Gmarket.

Its release comes as North Korea and China have ramped up trade in human hair and wigs since 2022, shedding new light on how Chongori Kyohwaso No.12 prison in the DPRK’s northeast has relied on women forcibly repatriated from China for the outsourcing scheme.

Under this arrangement, North Korea transports raw materials from China to the camp, where inmates produce finished goods under forced labor conditions.

“The female Chongori Kyohwaso was noted to have 10 production units, housing between 1,000 and 1,100 prisoners annually. Each production unit typically employed around 100-150 people. Based on these figures, we estimate that female detainees in Chongori could produce about 9,000 wigs for export each year.”

This particular prison makes extensive use of women “due to their skilled hands, or skills such as sewing,” NKHR stated.

“In addition, the Chongori Prison requires young women with good eyesight for wards producing wigs and eyelashes for China, an eyesight intensive labor.”

A drawing by a former prisoner of Chongori depicting eyelashes as produced in the camp | Image: Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights

The goods are produced under a partnership between DPRK state-owned trading companies and Chinese firms based in the Rason Special Economic Zone, located near the border with China and Russia, according to NKHR.

The report explains that the prison is strategically located to facilitate “a steady influx of female repatriates for slave labor. It is also approximately 100 km away from Rason, with road connections between the two locations.”

“Prisoners endure severe violence, including sexual assaults, forced nudity, rapes, forced abortions, beatings and extrajudicial killings,” the report states. “Those who fail to meet these quotas face reduced food rations as punishment, exacerbating existing malnutrition and related diseases.”

Additional hazards include long hours and exposure to dangerous chemicals in unventilated environments, reportedly leading to the death of around a quarter of the prison’s inmate population annually.

“The deceased are desecrated and incinerated on Pulmangsan Mountain, with families left uninformed of their loved ones’ deaths. Profits from goods exported under conditions of slave labor are funneled into Pyongyang, with detention centers retaining 10%,” NKHR claims.

The report is based on interviews with 50 witnesses, “3,000 pages of testimonies, 50 satellite images, drawings detailing sizes and colors of goods, prison layouts, organizational charts outlining chains of command and other documents that were provided by the witnesses.”

Peter Ward, an expert on the North Korean economy at the Sejong Institute, told NK News that prison labor is likely “not that central” to the DPRK’s overall economy.

“But the argument is similar to the era of slavery in the U.S.: It was an evil institution, regardless of whether it was central to the country’s economy or not,” he said.

In light of the issues raised by the report, the expert emphasized that it is “vital” for Western and Chinese firms to work on improving supply chain transparency.

NKHR advised that individuals and corporations avoid sourcing products from the Rason Economic Zone and China’s economic hubs in Dandong and Hunchun, near the DPRK border.

These places “serve as safe havens for the clandestine activities of the North Korean government and its affiliates, many of which connect with numerous dubious Chinese businesses,” the report states.

“If companies do not cease their complicity, the governments of South Korea, Japan, the U.S., and Europe should employ all available policy and legislative measures to end this complicity,” the organization stated.

NK News reporting has shown that North Korea started importing human hair from China on a large scale in 2022, while exporting record numbers of wigs and fake eyelashes. The two countries have used a similar outsourcing scheme for textiles despite a ban on such trade under U.N. sanctions.

Edited by Bryan Betts

17. Seoul to counter North Korean threats with new missile system

Good work.

Seoul to counter North Korean threats with new missile system

A homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitudes.

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2024/11/29/north-korea-south-new-missile/

By Taejun Kang for RFA

2024.11.29

A Hyunmoo-2 surface-to-surface short-range missile being launched into the West Sea from Anheung testing site in Taean, South Korea, Nov. 7, 2024.

(South Korean defense ministry/AFP)

TAIPEI, Taiwan – South Korea has completed the development of a homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile, or L-SAM, system, a move hailed by its president as a “significant breakthrough” in the country’s missile defence system to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The development comes amid heightened domestic security concerns over Pyongyang’s repeated missile launches and its growing military ties with Russia.

The L-SAM, designed to shoot down incoming targets at altitudes above 40 kilometers (25 miles), works in a multi-layered missile defense system, along with the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and M-SAM II air defense systems that intercept targets at altitudes of 40 kilometers or below, according to the South’s defense ministry.

“Even if North Korea attempts a missile provocation, the North cannot penetrate our military’s sturdy defense system,” defense minister Kim Yong-hyun said in his congratulatory address during a ceremony marking the completion of the new system.

“It will have to pay the price – the end of its regime, which is bigger than what it gets through provocation,” Kim added.

South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol called the development of the new system a “significant breakthrough” in the development of countering North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

South Korea is expected to begin production of the L-SAM next year and deploy it to the military during the mid-to-late 2020s.

North Korea has not commented at the time of this writing.

North Korean teams hunt for advanced military parts abroad - Daily NK English

The components in question are crucial for North Korea to enhance its military capabilities but exceed its current technical manufacturing abilities

By Eun Seol - November 29, 2024

dailynk.com · by Eun Seol · November 29, 2024

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on May 29 that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had visited the Academy of National Defense Science the previous day (May 28) to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its establishment. In the photograph, Kim is seen touring the facility. (Rodong Sinmun, News 1)

North Korea dispatched technical teams to Dandong, China and major Russian cities in early November to procure advanced military components like electronic parts and miniature semiconductors that are banned under international sanctions. The roughly ten-person teams from North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science aim to acquire technology beyond North Korea’s domestic production capabilities.

According to a source in North Korea recently, the primary mission of the teams is to acquire cutting-edge parts to improve North Korea’s military equipment, assess their quality and find reliable routes for sourcing them.

The components in question are crucial for North Korea to enhance its military capabilities but exceed its current technical manufacturing abilities.

The teams have already begun working with brokers in those cities to review samples of essential parts (such as miniature semiconductors), find shipping routes and gain export permits.

The source explained that these teams are focused on finding ways to bring those parts safely into North Korea by circumventing the international community’s sanctions network.

Teams operate overseas under pretense of ‘technical training’

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2397 (adopted in 2017) prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea.

However, North Korea has never stopped seeking ways to import parts to bolster its military despite these sanctions and technical limitations, and these teams appear to be part of that push.

“The regime is claiming that the Academy of National Defense Science is sending technical teams abroad to provide ‘technical education,'” the source said. “Regime propaganda frequently claims that technical delegations often go to other countries because the North Korean military is the strongest in the world. As a result, some people take pride in North Korea’s military strength, despite its economic weakness.”

The advanced components and technical documents procured by these teams will be sent to North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science and other military R&D facilities.

Given North Korea’s efforts to diversify its sanctions-evading procurement methods, closer international cooperation may be needed to address the security risks posed by its military advancement.

The technical teams sent overseas by the Academy of National Defense Science plan to return home sometime at the end of this year.

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Eun Seol · November 29, 2024

19. N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia

If only we were executing an aggressive information campaign to exploit this.

This should be a major reporting effort for RFA and VOA.

N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia - Daily NK English

Military source reveals families receive minimal information about fallen soldiers while general public is kept completely uninformed about battlefield losses

By Lee Sang Yong - November 28, 2024

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · November 28, 2024

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on June 20 that "A treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation has been signed" and "Comrade Kim Jong Un signed the treaty together with Comrade Putin." / Photo: Rodong Sinmun, News1

North Korea is enforcing strict secrecy around casualties among its troops fighting in Russia. A source within the Korean People’s Army’s 11th Corps revealed that internal protocols exist to quietly handle soldier deaths, with families receiving limited details and the public kept entirely in the dark.

“Even when troops perish during training, they are interred on a hill close to their base or cremated, with their families merely informed of their death in the line of duty,” stated the source. “Similarly, troops dispatched to Russia are treated the same way. If a soldier sustains injuries in an accident that render them unfit for combat, they are sent back to North Korea instead of receiving medical care in Russia.”

Daily NK recently reported that the North Korean authorities have conducted intensified indoctrination classes for Storm Corps personnel to prepare them to “give their lives for the supreme leader (Kim Jong Un).” This is to say, the authorities view the soldiers as nothing more than “tools to protect the leader to the death.”

The source told Daily NK that “when North Korean soldiers are unscathed, they are warriors who can fight for the leader and earn funds for the state (as mercenaries), but when they are wounded or killed, the government thinks of them as useless.”

Radio silence

Under these conditions, the authorities are concentrating on quelling rumors and related activities to eradicate any potential threats to the system. They are censoring information to leave the public uninformed about battlefield casualties, similarly to their denial of the deployment to Russia, while the Rodong Sinmun newspaper omits such reports.

“The authorities don’t announce anything regarding the deployment per secrecy rules,” the source said. “Because those responsible would have to take responsibility if facts were to get out, there would be fallout, including executions.” This suggests that the authorities might apply the 2023 State Secrets Protection Law to those who violate secrecy surrounding the troop deployment.

Some North Koreans are concerned that the deployment of the Storm Corps to Russia could be a strategic maneuver aimed at invading South Korea, especially since this specialized unit has engaged in intra-unit drills this year that simulate infiltrations into the South.

“Prior to their deployment, they carried out numerous practical drills based on emergency scenarios, with a specific focus on intensive shooting practice,” the source reported. “It is also understood that they rehearsed actions designed to create turmoil in South Korea, such as campaigns to undermine morale by targeting KBS and other South Korean broadcasters, and plans to broadcast the hoisting of the North Korean flag across the South.”

Personnel of the Storm Corps undergo rigorous evaluation and selection based on their physical prowess, loyalty, and spirit. Their service duration ranges from 10 to 13 years, depending on their specific formation, which is longer than that of regular units. They adhere to more stringent regulations and undergo intensive training as an elite special forces unit.

“The Storm Corps is intensifying their ‘one-versus-100’ and ‘one-versus-1,000’ training with rigorous physical exercises and tactical drills that mimic real combat,” the source stated. “North Korea conducts these drills based on the principle that each soldier should be proficient in all tactics of air, land, and sea, encompassing communication, hand-to-hand combat, mountain warfare, disrupting enemy lines, guerrilla warfare, and infiltration.”

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · November 28, 2024

20. N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia

If only we were executing an aggressive information campaign to exploit this.

This should be a major reporting effort for RFA and VOA. If I were at USGMA I would be tasking VOA and RFE/RL reporters to gather information about north Korean activities and especially losses so the Korean services of VOA and RFA could report that information to the Korean people in the north.

N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia - Daily NK English

Military source reveals families receive minimal information about fallen soldiers while general public is kept completely uninformed about battlefield losses

By Lee Sang Yong - November 28, 2024

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · November 28, 2024

Radio silence

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · November 28, 2024

21. Man arrested for posing as nephew of N. Korean foreign minister in nationwide scam

There are grifters everywhere.

Man arrested for posing as nephew of N. Korean foreign minister in nationwide scam - Daily NK English

“He made money by meeting and deceiving wealthy and powerful people in these places until he was caught," a source told Daily NK

By Jeong Seo-yeong - November 29, 2024

dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · November 29, 2024

North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on Oct. 29, 2024, that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui departed Pyongyang for an official visit to Russia the day before and that she was seen off from Pyongyang International Airport by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong Gyu and Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora. (Rodong Sinmun, News1)

A man in his 30s was recently arrested by the Ministry of State Security for scamming people out of money by pretending to be North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s nephew.

A source in Ryanggang province said Wednesday that the man — a native of Sariwon, North Hwanghae province and a graduate of the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies who was identified by his family name of Choe — is undergoing questioning in confinement after being arrested by the Ministry of State Security’s Samjiyon branch on Nov. 8.

Choe orchestrated his scam by exploiting his shared surname with the foreign minister, presenting himself to wealthy individuals as both the minister’s nephew and a human resources official at the foreign ministry. He promised to help their children secure university admissions and government positions in exchange for bribes, ultimately amassing around $60,000 over the course of a year.

His method was straightforward but effective: dressed in expensive suits, he would cultivate relationships with officials and wealthy individuals through lavish spending, using proceeds from his previous schemes to fund his lifestyle. He even hired officials’ drivers to chauffeur him around the provinces, allowing him to expand his operation nationwide while maintaining an air of legitimacy.

“Choi largely carried out his scams in Pyongyang, the border regions of North Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces, and South Hamgyong province,” the source said. “He made money by meeting and deceiving wealthy and powerful people in these places until he was caught.”

When his victims began demanding results, Choe would simply disappear and resurface in a different region. Eventually, several frustrated victims investigated his background and uncovered his true identity as a con artist.

Choe then relocated his operation to Samjiyon in Ryanggang province, continuing his scheme with the same tactics. However, his luck ran out when the Ministry of State Security arrested him after receiving reports from another region where he had operated.

The ministry’s involvement was triggered by Choe’s activities in border regions like Ryanggang and the Hamgyong provinces, far from his registered residence. Authorities suspected he might have made illegal crossings into China, warranting their intervention.

According to the source Choe’s year-long spree of nationwide fraud was made possible by his impersonation of Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui’s nephew. The Ministry of State Security believes victims were reluctant to report him, fearing that his supposed powerful connections would not only protect him from punishment but could also lead to retaliation against them.

The ministry plans to transfer Choe from Ryanggang province to his hometown of Sariwon in North Hwanghae province for further proceedings.

“The investigation extends beyond Choe himself to include the associates who helped establish his credibility,” the source said. “He is certain to face severe punishment.”

Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

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

Read in Korean

dailynk.com · by Jeong Seo-yeong · November 29, 2024

22. Potential Trump-Kim summit

Of course a Trump-Kim summit would be assessed as a success of the political warfare strategy by Kim and he would hope that this advice in the conclusion would not be followed so as to try to drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance.

Conclusion:

A potential summit between Trump and Kim could offer hope for easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but it must be preceded by thorough preparation and close consultation with South Korea. The Yoon administration must play an active role in shaping the discussions and ensuring that any agreement reflects the security concerns of all parties involved. Only through close coordination between Washington and Seoul can a meaningful and sustainable solution be found to the North Korean threat.

Potential Trump-Kim summit

The Korea Times · November 28, 2024

Path forward for South Korea's role in peninsula security

Reports suggest that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering a direct meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, sparking debate about the future of diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula. Such a meeting, especially before Trump assumes office, would mark a bold and unprecedented step. If realized, renewed talks between Washington and Pyongyang could indicate a shift in U.S. policy toward North Korea, emphasizing engagement over confrontation. However, before proceeding, Trump must coordinate closely with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to ensure a unified strategy for addressing the region’s complex security issues.

During his first term, Trump held two high-profile summits with Kim, along with multiple exchanges of personal letters. These efforts were aimed at addressing North Korea’s nuclear program and reducing military tensions in the region. However, despite the dramatic imagery of the meetings and promises of cooperation, tangible progress on denuclearization and peace building remained elusive. Given this history, it is crucial that any future engagement with Kim be approached with careful consideration and a clear strategy to avoid repeating the failures of the past.

Reports indicate that Trump’s team is already prioritizing North Korea, with the appointment of Alex Wong as deputy national security adviser. Wong, who was instrumental in crafting the U.S. approach to North Korea during Trump’s first term, will likely play a key role in any renewed efforts to engage Pyongyang. Trump’s focus on North Korea contrasts with the current U.S. administration under President Joe Biden, which has taken a more cautious and measured approach. This shift in emphasis could lead to a more aggressive pursuit of dialogue, but it also carries the risk of overlooking the lessons learned from previous summits.

One of the most significant lessons from Trump’s past dealings with North Korea is the need for close consultation with South Korea. Seoul is the nation most directly affected by North Korea’s provocations, including its missile tests and nuclear ambitions. South Korea’s security concerns must be central to any discussions between the U.S. and North Korea. For this reason, it is imperative that Trump meet with Yoon before sitting down with Kim. This consultation will ensure that any potential summit with Kim is aligned with South Korea’s strategic interests and that both countries are united in their approach to managing the North Korean threat.

As the situation on the Korean Peninsula evolves, particularly in light of North Korea’s increasing military collaboration with Russia, South Korea’s role becomes even more crucial. North Korea’s support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, coupled with Russia’s assistance to Pyongyang in developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), raises the stakes for regional security. The growing nexus between North Korea and Russia, two nuclear-armed states, could complicate efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and create a more volatile security environment. As such, the U.S. and South Korea must work in lockstep to develop strategies that can deter potential nuclear threats from North Korea while simultaneously exploring avenues for diplomatic engagement.

In preparation for a possible Trump-Kim summit, it is vital that the U.S. and South Korea discuss the meeting’s agenda in detail, particularly regarding North Korea’s nuclear program. The denuclearization of North Korea remains a central goal, but it must be approached with caution. Past talks have faltered over disagreements on the specifics of denuclearization — issues such as timelines, verification, and compensatory measures. Any future summit should focus on clear, actionable steps that can lead to meaningful progress. This is where South Korea’s input is invaluable. As the nation most vulnerable to North Korea’s nuclear threat, South Korea must be involved in every stage of the process, from setting goals to defining the parameters of any potential deal.

Moreover, South Korea should take proactive steps to reduce tensions on the peninsula. The Yoon administration should consider proposing high-level military talks with Pyongyang to discuss measures that can reduce hostilities, such as halting provocative military exercises and ending hostile activities like balloon launches and loudspeaker broadcasts near the border. A shift in South Korea’s North Korea policy, moving toward greater engagement, could help create the conditions for stability and peace.

A potential summit between Trump and Kim could offer hope for easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but it must be preceded by thorough preparation and close consultation with South Korea. The Yoon administration must play an active role in shaping the discussions and ensuring that any agreement reflects the security concerns of all parties involved. Only through close coordination between Washington and Seoul can a meaningful and sustainable solution be found to the North Korean threat.

The Korea Times · November 28, 2024

23. Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea

It is a great view from there. I think perhaps on my next visit during the warm weather I will visit and write a few UPI columns from there.

And I hope Starbucks is ready to move north when there is a free and unified Korea to populate Pyongyang and other cities with Starbucks coffee shops.

Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea

South Korean city brings American coffee giant to observatory overlooking DMZ, seeking to promote freedom — and tourism

https://www.nknews.org/2024/11/starbucks-symbol-of-capitalism-serves-up-lattes-with-a-view-of-north-korea/?t=1732888153#

Ifang Bremer November 29, 2024

A Starbucks sign at the company's newest cafe overlooking North Korea | Image: NK News (Nov. 2024)

South Koreans can now order mocha frappuccinos within sight of North Korean soldiers, following a border city’s unconventional bid to turn Cold War-era tensions into cold brew-driven tourism.

The coffee giant Starbucks opened its newest location at a border observatory in Gimpo on Friday, offering customers the opportunity to sip lattes while looking into a DPRK border village less than a mile away.

The irony of opening an American chain right across from the famously isolated communist state was not lost on Gimpo officials, who called the new Starbucks location “a symbol of robust security on the Korean Peninsula through the presence of this iconic capitalist brand.”

“If you look at it symbolically, isn’t Starbucks a symbol of American capitalism?” Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo said at the grand opening on Friday. “Having Starbucks standing facing North Korea, it’s like capitalism has come right up to the border of the most closed-off society, hoping for mutual exchange and their transformation toward a market economy.”

Gimpo Mayor Kim Byung-soo poses with Starbucks cups in front of North Korea. | Image: NK News (Nov. 2024)

The Aegibong Peace Ecopark is one of several observatories along the roughly 250 mile inter-Korean border where civilian tourists can peer into North Korea, including with binoculars installed onsite.

Like many of these facilities, the Aegibong observatory is located within the Civilian Control Line, requiring visitors to pass through a ROK Marine Corps checkpoint just to reach it, but it is the first observatory to feature a Starbucks.

Dozens of curious customers and Starbucks fanatics flocked to the observatory for the grand opening on Friday.

Jeong-cheol Lim, a Vietnam War veteran who visited on Friday, said the American brand’s presence made him feel more comfortable at the observatory.

“It gives a sense of trust and stability. And when North Koreans look at us [drinking coffee] they can see that these people are living freely and comfortably,” Lim said.

Beyond Starbucks, with tens of thousands of troops stationed in South Korea to deter the North, the U.S. continues to be a major military player on the Korean Peninsula.

Vietnam War veteran Jeong-cheol Lim sipping Starbucks coffee while talking to press | Image: NK News (Nov. 2024)

With coffee cups in hand, visitors made their way to the viewing area to look at the small North Korean farming village on the other side, where the roofs have visible holes, the roads are unpaved and DPRK soldiers appeared to shiver in worn out uniforms.

“Look! I see people,” one visitor excitedly shouted. “They are working the field. I can see dogs too.”

On the North Korean side, soldiers were visible carrying out work to build new fencing, part of the DPRK’s efforts to fortify its border after leader Kim Jong Un called for severing ties with the South earlier this year.

The opening of the Starbucks comes amid elevated tensions on the peninsula, as the two Koreas have restored front-line guard posts and traded barbs about balloon launches across the border, including another by the DPRK the night before.

In response to North Korea’s trash balloon launches this year, South Korea has reinstalled speakers blasting K-pop and radio broadcasts to the North, and the DPRK has responded by reintroducing its own sound systems on the border.

About an hour into the cafe’s opening, DPRK soldiers switched on massive speakers that have been blasting a cacophony of animal sounds, screeching metal and sirens toward South Korea for months, a discordant soundtrack that didn’t appear to bother customers at the grand opening.

A ROK marine controls the checkpoint to enter and exit the observatory where Starbucks opened its new branch. | Image: NK News (Nov. 2024)

The Aegibong observatory has been at the center of inter-Korean controversy in the past, after its annual Christmas light displays drew the ire of North Korea.

While the lights are not currently up, Gimpo is reportedly reviewing a plan to build a 130-foot (40-meter) flagpole at the observatory next year.

The proposal “to promote national pride and patriotism” has attracted controversy due to fears that it could provoke North Korea and further exacerbate tensions by flying the South Korean flag within view of DPRK border towns.

But not everyone is concerned.

“There’s no South Korean flag here at the observatory. Going forward, the government should also make efforts to set up a national flag pole,” the veteran Lim said, posing for photos with a Starbucks cup against the backdrop of North Korea.

Joon Ha Park contributed reporting to this article. Edited by Bryan Betts

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

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

Company Name | Website

Sold for $270: The Silent Suffering of North Korean Women in China

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Seoul to counter North Korean threats with new missile system

A homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitudes.

North Korean teams hunt for advanced military parts abroad - Daily NK English

N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia - Daily NK English

N. Korea conceals combat deaths of troops fighting in Russia - Daily NK English

Man arrested for posing as nephew of N. Korean foreign minister in nationwide scam - Daily NK English

Potential Trump-Kim summit

Starbucks, ‘symbol of capitalism,’ serves up lattes with a view of North Korea