|
Quotes of the Day:
"To be defeated and not submit, is victory;
to be victorious and rest on one's laurels, is defeat."
- Jozef Pilsudski
"The true measure of all our actions is how long the good in them lasts... everything we do, we do for the young."
- Elizabeth II
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
- George Bernard Shaw
1. South Korea, Japan scramble jets in response to Chinese, Russian warplanes – Moscow says airspace not violated in joint patrols
2. Unification minister voices hope for 'warm breeze' in frosty inter-Korean ties during Panmunjom visit
3. N. Korea releases book slamming Yoon's policies on Pyongyang
4. U.S. working to improve early warning system against N. Korean missile launches: U.S. commander
5. Kim Jong Un’s ‘Precious Child’ Shows World Regime Here to Stay
6. Korea invests 2 trillion won in developing next-generation launch vehicle
7. Unification minister sends signals to North from JSA
8. North Korean trade officials in China envious of anti-lockdown protests
9. Human rights situation has only worsened during Kim Jong-un’s 11 years in power
10. S. Korea, US to co-host 2nd Summit for Democracy
11. Korea's ties to U.S., China not a zero-sum game: Kagan
12. Here’s how the soldiers assigned to shoot down ballistic missiles from North Korea stay sharp
1. South Korea, Japan scramble jets in response to Chinese, Russian warplanes – Moscow says airspace not violated in joint patrols
Note this excerpt:
It was the first time that Russia and Chinese military aircraft landed in each other’s airfields as part of a joint air patrol, the ministry said.
South Korea, Japan scramble jets in response to Chinese, Russian warplanes – Moscow says airspace not violated in joint patrols
- Both countries’ militaries reported two Chinese H-6 bombers nearing their airspace on Wednesday and said they scrambled fighter jets in response
- ‘Russian missile carriers and Chinese bombers carried out patrols over the waters of the Japanese and East China Seas’, Russia’s defence ministry said
Compiled by SCMP’s Asia desk
+ FOLLOW
Published: 2:32pm, 30 Nov, 2022
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3201523/south-korea-japan-scramble-jets-response-chinese-russian-warplanes?utm_campaign=dfn-ebb&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sailthru&SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d
Russian and Chinese strategic warplanes, including Tupolev-95 long-range “Bear” bombers, conducted joint patrols over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, the Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
Russia said that “at certain stages of the route, strategic missile carriers were accompanied by fighters of foreign states.”
“An air group consisting of Tu-95MC strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and strategic bombers XIAN H-6K of the PLA Air Force carried out air patrols over the waters of the Japanese and East China Seas,” the ministry said.
It said Russian and Chinese aircraft “acted strictly in accordance with the provisions of international law” and that no foreign airspace was violated.
It was the first time that Russia and Chinese military aircraft landed in each other’s airfields as part of a joint air patrol, the ministry said.
The Tupolev Tu-95, known by Nato as “Bear”, along with the Tu-160, is the backbone of Russia’s long-range air attack nuclear forces. It was designed to drop nuclear bombs on the United States in the Cold War.
Chinese H-6 bombers fly in formation in 2019 during a parade to commemorate the Communist Party’s 70th anniversary. Photo: AP
Earlier on Wednesday, South Korea and Japan both said they had scrambled fighter jets in response to the Chinese and Russian warplanes nearing their airspace.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said two Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered South Korea’s air defence zone off the country’s southern and northeast coasts starting at around 5.50am.
They re-entered the zone hours later from the Sea of Japan, known in South Korea as the East Sea, joined by six Russian warplanes, including TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighter jets, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which said in a statement that the aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Defence Ministry said two Chinese bombers and two suspected Russian planes flew above the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, with the country’s Air Self-Defence Force scrambling fighter jets in response.
The two Chinese H-6 bombers flew through the Tsushima Strait in southwestern Japan from the East China Sea to the Sea of Japan in the morning before heading northwards, the ministry said.
The two suspected Russian aircraft reversed their direction from southwards and headed for the North above nearby waters, it added.
The ministry said it was collecting further information and was trying to find out the intention behind the flights.
On May 24, China and Russia flew six strategic bombers over waters near Japan, according to the ministry, in what Japan’s defence minister said at the time he believed was a protest against a Quad summit, involving Japan, the United States, Australia and India, that was held the same day in Tokyo.
Reporting by Reuters, Kyodo
2. Unification minister voices hope for 'warm breeze' in frosty inter-Korean ties during Panmunjom visit
Based on Kim Yo Jong's recent statements it will remain icey cold for a long time to come.
Unification minister voices hope for 'warm breeze' in frosty inter-Korean ties during Panmunjom visit | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 29, 2022
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL/PAJU, Nov. 29 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Kwon Young-se made his first visit to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom as Seoul's top point man on Pyongyang on Tuesday.
He expressed hope for "even a warm breeze" to help warm frosty relations between the two Koreas as he toured Panmunjom, which often served as the venue for inter-Korean talks.
"We hope to sit down (with the North Korean side) right here in Panmunjom to start discussions on inter-Korean issues soon ... we hope North Korea responds to our offer," he told pool reporters. "The only way to resolve the problem of inter-Korean relations is to restore broken trust through steady dialogue."
The Armistice Agreement that effectively ended the 1950-53 Korean War was signed at Panmunjom and the two Koreas held more than 370 rounds of dialogue there from historic Red Cross talks in 1971 to a summit meeting in 2018, he noted.
He stressed that the South Korean government "holds no hostile intention" toward Pyongyang but warned that it will not tolerate any military provocations or nuclear threats.
Kwon said, however, "If the North continues to develop missiles and nuclear weapons and stage provocations as it is doing now, it will only add difficulties to maintaining its regime, let alone achieving prosperity."
Since the launch of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration in the South in May, the North has sharply escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula with a barrage of missiles amid growing concerns it could carry out a seventh nuclear test.
Pyongyang has fired 63 ballistic missiles this year alone, including 8 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 29, 2022
3. N. Korea releases book slamming Yoon's policies on Pyongyang
That is a pretty quick turnaround for a book since President Yoon has only been in office since May. But this takes the wind out of the sails of the Unification Minister's hope for a warm breeze from the north.
N. Korea releases book slamming Yoon's policies on Pyongyang | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · November 30, 2022
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has published a book criticizing the South Korean government of President Yoon Suk-yeol and its policies, according to a propaganda outlet Wednesday.
The Pyongyang Publishing House issued the 67-page book with three chapters of harsh criticism and characterization of the Yoon administration as the "most dangerous government recklessly racing in the most dangerous times," according to DPRK Today, a North Korean propaganda website.
"This race is undoubtedly headed toward the eventual destruction of Yoon Suk-yeol and his gang," it said.
The North accused the Yoon government of "worshipping" the United States and called it a "traitor" that has "sold the dignity and interests of South Koreans" to Japan as well.
Pyongyang also lambasted Yoon's "audacious" proposal designed to help improve its economy in exchange for denuclearization.
"We cannot help but be dumbfounded by Yoon Suk-yeol and his gang for foolishly dreaming of exchanging nuclear weapons for economic cooperation," the book added.
4. U.S. working to improve early warning system against N. Korean missile launches: U.S. commander
This must always be a work in progress. And this is why we should strive for an integrated missile defense by including Japan.
U.S. working to improve early warning system against N. Korean missile launches: U.S. commander | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 30, 2022
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- The United States is working to further improve its missile warning system, the commander of U.S. Space Command said Tuesday, following a barrage of North Korean missile tests that included multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches.
"We are looking at how we integrate a sensor architecture that gives us as much warning as possible in terms of any type of missile activity out of North Korea," Gen. James Dickinson said in a webinar hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, a Washington-based research organization.
Dickinson said the Space Command is currently working to integrate existing U.S. assets into "an architecture where we can provide both the United States and our allies and partners as much advanced warning as possible," adding, "We are also looking at how we can incorporate commercial sensors in the same respect."
His remarks come after a recent series of North Korean missile launches.
Pyongyang fired over 30 ballistic missiles since late September, also conducting its 10th ICBM test of the year on Nov. 18.
Since the start of the year, the North launched an annual record of 63 ballistic missiles, far exceeding the previous record of 25 in 2019.
The U.S. Space Force established its first regional component command at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command last week, a move apparently aimed at enhancing the U.S.' missile defense capabilities in the region.
Gen. Dickinson noted there had already existed a "coordination relationship" between the Space Force and INDOPACOM even before the establishment of the Space Force Indo-Pacific Command, but said the relationship will now mature more.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · November 30, 2022
5. Kim Jong Un’s ‘Precious Child’ Shows World Regime Here to Stay
I think the press and pundits are making too much of this speculation about succession. But I think is enjoying how his "bring your daughter to missile launch day" has generated all this attention on the regime. Now he has a new tool with which to distract us.
Kim Jong Un’s ‘Precious Child’ Shows World Regime Here to Stay
- Daughter’s debut sends signal about leadership’s longevity
- Move part of North Korean effort to shore up leader’s rule
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-29/kim-jong-un-s-precious-child-shows-world-regime-here-to-stay?srnd=us-politics&sref=hhjZtX76
North Korea hasn’t said whether she has any siblings. Her age remains a mystery. The world doesn’t even know her name. The important thing is that she’s the “most beloved” daughter of Kim Jong Un.
The young girl, who South Korean authorities believe is named Ju Ae and about nine years old, has suddenly been featured in North Korean state media alongside her all-powerful father. She most recently accompanied Kim on a photo op to celebrate the successful launch of the country’s most powerful ballistic missile -- prompting “stormy cheers of ‘Hurrah!’,” according to a Korean Central News Agency dispatch published Sunday.
Despite all the mystery, the events sent clear signals to both the North Korean public and the wider world: First, the Kim regime is here to stay. Second, the ruling family won’t be bargaining away its nuclear arsenal any time soon.
Both points were driven home when Kim brought his daughter along to observe the launch a new intercontinental ballistic missile believed capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads anywhere on the US mainland. Photos released by state media included a shot of Kim looking down on his child with the rocket looming behind them.
The debut was remarkable on several levels. While parading heirs before the public has been a feature of hereditary monarchies the world over, the Kim family has been far more reluctant to reveal potential successors during its almost 75 years in power
Kim Jong Un didn’t make his official debut until he was around 26. Before Ju Ae’s first appearance in state media on Nov. 19, North Korea hadn’t even acknowledged Kim had children. It’s still not known whether the regime views his “precious child” as Kim’s heir, or whether that status would belong to the older brother she’s rumored to have.
Money Distilled: What market moves mean for your money
Get John Stepek's daily newsletter
Sign up to this newsletter
“The optics of Kim and his daughter observing the launch together seem to underscore recent messaging that the nuclear program is no longer conditional, and now involves the next generation as part of this success,” said Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington. In September, Kim told North Korean lawmakers he would “never give up” his nuclear weapons while pushing through a law that would allow “automatic” strikes if his leadership was threatened.
Since taking power a decade ago at 27, Kim has defied predictions that his regime would falter. Instead, he boasts an increasingly diverse stockpile of weapons designed to target the US and its allies in Japan and South Korea. The reports featuring Kim’s daughter show he also has a possible heir to bequeath them to.
“It is the truth taught by history that only when we become the strongest, not the weak, in the present world where the strength in showdown just decides victory, can we defend the present and future of the country and nation,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying Sunday.
The NIS believed Kim may have wanted to assure people that he is responsible for the “security of the future generation,” South Korean lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum told reporters last week after a closed-door briefing with the National Intelligence Service. He added that agency believes that Ju Ae is the second of three children between Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
“Under the North Korean regime, the position of Kim’s children can be compared to that of prince or princess in a dynastic system,” said Cheong Seong-Chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute outside of Seoul.
North Korea’s ability to deliver a nuclear strike on the US and its allies in Asia has grown under Kim Jong Un to the point where there are calls to declare Pyongyang a nuclear weapons state and revamp a decades-old US policy of never allowing that to happen, while seeking the complete, verifiable and irreversible end of its atomic arsenal.
Kim has ignored the US’s calls to return to nuclear disarmament talks now stalled for more than three years.
Sponsored Content
How 41,000 Mangrove Trees Are Boosting the G20’s Digital Economy
MCI
Ju Ae’s debut is only the latest example of Kim’s willingness to share the spotlight with prominent women. Besides frequent appearances with his wife, he has made his sister, Kim Yo Jong, the face of the regime’s response to the US and South Korea. He also recently appointed, Choe Son Hui, to be the country’s first female foreign minister.
Still, it’s too early to say whether Kim Jong Un intends to make Ju Ae his formal heir. Such a move would likely face resistance from the country’s male-dominated political elite, said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a regional issues manager at the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network.
“While Kim himself may be ready to appoint a female successor, those around him may not be, and he cannot altogether ignore the opinions of the country’s top-ranking leadership,” said Lee, who previously worked as an open source analyst for the CIA. “North Korea is a very traditional and conservative society, and Kim may not be confident that a female successor could navigate a male-dominant party, government, and military without jeopardizing regime security.”
(Updates with analyst comment. A previous version corrected spelling of name for leader’s daughter)
6. Korea invests 2 trillion won in developing next-generation launch vehicle
Korea invests 2 trillion won in developing next-generation launch vehicle
donga.com
Posted November. 30, 2022 07:59,
Updated November. 30, 2022 07:59
Korea invests 2 trillion won in developing next-generation launch vehicle. November. 30, 2022 07:59. jawon1212@donga.com.
Starting next year, the government will invest 2 trillion won in developing a next-generation launch vehicle that is more powerful than the Korean launch vehicle “Nuri.” The next-generation launch vehicle is tasked with launching a lunar lander in 2032.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the 'Next Generation Launch Vehicle Development Project' had passed the preliminary feasibility study at the general committee of the National Science & Technology Commission held on Tuesday. The development period will be 10 years, from 2023 to 2032, with a total project cost of about 2.0132 trillion won.
The launch performance of the next-generation launch vehicle will be significantly improved compared to the Korean launch vehicle Nuri. The Nuri has the ability to launch 3.3 tons into a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 kilometers, but the next-generation launch vehicle will be able to send 10 tons. In terms of thrust, the Nuri is 300 tons, and the next-generation launch vehicle will be 500 tons stronger. Thrust will increase with the new engine. A “multi-stage combustion cycle engine” with 10% higher fuel efficiency than Nuri’s gas generator engine and no performance degradation caused by soot will be developed. In the future, re-ignition and thrust control technologies will also be developed to make upgrading to a reusable launch vehicle easier.
Unlike the Nuri, which the Korea Aerospace Research Institute previously developed, an integrated company will be systematically selected for the next-generation launch vehicle and participate in all stages of launch vehicle development and operation, such as design, manufacturing, assembly, test, and launch. The plan is to allow private companies to secure development capabilities for independent launch vehicles after the project ends.
The next-generation launch vehicle will launch a total of three times. In 2030, a lunar orbit performance verification satellite will be launched to check the performance of the launch vehicle, and a lunar lander verification module will be launched in 2031, followed by a lunar lander in 2032. It will also be used to launch a probe that will arrive on Mars in 2045.
한국어
donga.com
7. Unification minister sends signals to North from JSA
Given the north's lack of communications response I am wondering if he might have been using sm=moke signals? (okay, yes, another attempt at humor.)
Wednesday
November 30, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Unification minister sends signals to North from JSA
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/30/national/northKorea/Korea-Unification-Ministry-Panmunjom/20221130184954910.html
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, center, listens to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Griff Hofman of the Military Armistice Commission, second from right, and Korean interpreter Shin Tong-ho, far right, as he tours the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se called on North Korea to return to talks with South Korea during his first visit to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area (JSA) on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters from inside Freedom House — the building on the United Nations Command-controlled side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) across from the grey Panmungak hall controlled by the North — Kwon said South Korea “hopes to sit down (with the North Korean side) right here in Panmunjom to start discussions on inter-Korean issues soon,” noting that the village had previously served as a venue for meetings of leaders from both sides of the peninsula.
The unification minister blamed a “vicious cycle” of deepening tensions in inter-Korean relations on a lack of trust between Seoul and Pyongyang, but expressed his hope that a “warm wind” would thaw frosty relations between the two Koreas and called on the North to respond to the South’s proposals for talks.
Kwon expressed his belief that the only solution to resolve inter-Korean relations “is to restore broken trust through steady dialogue,” but noted the North’s refusal to receive communications from the South was point of concern for the Yoon government.
Kwon also said that the South does not harbor hostility towards the North, and that it will not seek “unification through absorption,” or bringing the territory controlled by Pyongyang under Seoul’s control, but also said South Korea would not “tolerate” the North’s “nuclear threats or armed provocations.”
Although Kwon repeated President Yoon Suk-yeol’s so-called “audacious initiative” of “economic cooperation and diplomatic support, as well as drastic political and military corresponding measures,” if the North “rejoins dialogue efforts and begins discussions on denuclearization,” he acknowledged that Pyongyang might be refusing to engage with Seoul at the moment in order to negotiate from a stronger military position later on — and to force the Yoon administration to change its approach to North Korea.
“I imagine they are not only trying to make technical progress in their missile and nuclear programs, but are also trying to bend the sterner aspects of our government’s North Korea policy in a way that is advantageous to themselves,” Kwon said in response to a reporter’s question about Pyongyang’s missiles launches and other armed provocations, while stating his belief that “our government and the South Korean people will not waver in their steadfast approach” to the North.
Before speaking to reporters, the unification minister toured several historic sites in the JSA, including the Bridge of No Return, where Korean War prisoners were exchanged between April and September 1953; United Nations Command checkpoints no. 3 and 4; and the site of the 1976 axe murder incident, when North Korean soldiers killed two U.S. Army officers sent to prune a tree obscuring the line of sight between the two posts.
The minister also examined up-close bullet holes left on a tower by North Korean soldiers firing at a defecting soldier in 2017, as well as the iconic blue United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission conference buildings that straddle the MDL.
The minister was guided through the JSA by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Griff Hofman of the Military Armistice Commission and Korean interpreter Shin Tong-ho.
The final stops on the minister's tour of the JSA was the commemorative stone and a tree planted by former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their April 2018 summit, as well as the blue bridge and open-air platform purpose-built for the two leaders’ private tea chat during their meeting.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
8. North Korean trade officials in China envious of anti-lockdown protests
Hmmm.... officials envious of popular collective actions?
North Korean trade officials in China envious of anti-lockdown protests
'I get chills down my spine thinking what would happen' back home, one said.
By Hyemin Son for RFA Korean
2022.11.28
rfa.org
As Chinese citizens took to the streets this weekend calling for freedom from their government’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns, two North Korean trade officials stationed in the country said they looked on with envy.
Such acts of open protest would never be tolerated in their homeland, they told Radio Free Asia, and that made them somewhat jealous.
“If there was a demonstration against the coronavirus lockdown policy in Pyongyang, the protesters and their families would be executed right away,” one of the officials said, insisting on not being identified.
“Here in China though, even college students are allowed to protest against the lockdown. The protests have spread, and there’s nothing saying any protesters have been executed,” he said.
North Korea is hard pressed for foreign cash and raw materials from China, so it sends officials from state-run trading companies there to secure business with Chinese companies to either make money or procure goods.
Though they enjoy more freedom and a more comfortable life abroad, Pyongyang and its embassies and consulates keep them on a short leash.
Still, the two men were able to see protests spreading across China over the weekend, unlike compatriots back home.
In particular, the two trade officials said they were amazed that Chinese protesters dared to call for President Xi Jinping’s removal. Even the slightest act of disrespect of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be harshly punished in North Korea.
A second trade official, stationed in Donggang, near the North Korean border, said he had witnessed the protests first-hand.
“I went to Shanghai a few days ago and saw large-scale protests filling the streets all over the city and holding up slogans to urge the ‘Communist Party to step down,’” he said. “I felt envious.”
“I get chills down my spine thinking what would happen if there were similar protests in large cities in North Korea such as Pyongyang or Sinuiju,” he added.
In North Korea, authorities would not only punish the protesters, their relatives as distant as 3rd cousins would also be punished, he said.
“China is also a socialist country and a dictatorship, but when I saw that people who protested against the government's policies were not immediately executed, it made me think a lot,” he said.
“If people in North Korea were to learn that these protests against COVID-19 lockdowns happened in major cities all over China, it would have a great impact on their thoughts about their own situation,” he said.
Translated by Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
9. Human rights situation has only worsened during Kim Jong-un’s 11 years in power
Saying the quiet part out loud. We all believe this to be true and I think there is sufficient evidence to back it up.
Human rights situation has only worsened during Kim Jong-un’s 11 years in power ISHIMARU Jiro
2022.11.30
asiapress.org
A woman walks behindinside the barbed wire along the Yalu River.Taken by ASIAPRESS on the Chinese side of the border in July 2021.
“The biggest thing I regret in my life is not defecting. When will we be able to live as human beings? Everyone here is envious of people in South Korea and China.”
In mid-November, as North Korea continued to fire off a series of missiles, ASIAPRESS communicated with a reporting partner living in the northern part of the country by phone. She is a single mother with two children. When ASIAPRESS asked her about the missile tests, she responded to the question as shown above.
A river flows between the North Korean and Chinese border a couple of kilometers away from her house. She hasn’t been able to even think about defecting across the border with her children because of the fear of being punished if they were caught and forcibly repatriated back to North Korea. For the past two or so years, the river levies have been obstructed with barbed wire, making it impossible for people to even approach the river’s banks. Perhaps she is regretting not having defected from the country before security was tightened along the border.
Kim Jong-un will soon have been at the pinnacle of power in North Korea for 11 years. When the young leader, then in his late 20s, first appeared, many people expressed hope that he would implement new policies aimed at opening the country to the wider world. After his purging and killing of his uncle, the powerful Jang Song-taek, in 2013, an atmosphere of fear permeated the society.
The mood between the two Koreas changed when Kim Jong-un met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in 2018. North Koreans were happy, thinking that finally an era of peace and abundance would arrive. The next year, however, the failure of denuclearization negotiations with the Trump administration led to a quick shift in the inter-Korean atmosphere. The Kim Jong-un regime cutoff relations with South Korea and, using efforts to combat COVID-19 as pretext, enacted strict measures to control the population.
The regime shutdown its borders, prohibiting movement between regions and banned private economic activities as “anti-socialist behavior,” including the hiring of employees, selling bread to sell in markets, and operating restaurants in private homes. Urbanites saw a drastic fall in their cash incomes, plunging them into poverty.
The reporting partner told ASIAPRESS that, “Enforcers stop people at random on the streets to check their clothing, whether they’re wearing masks, and to exam their personal belongings. They even demand to see messages or pictures saved on people’s phones. It’s become natural for (the authorities) to conduct house searches without warrants.”
At the end of 2020, North Korea enacted the “DPRK Law Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture,” which levels jail time of five years on those who just watch South Korean dramas. Even today, ASIAPRESS understands that the authorities continue to arrest mainly young people for violating the law.
North Korea has test launched around 60 missiles since the start of this year. The cost of launching all those missiles is likely in the tens of millions of dollars. ASIAPRESS’s reporting partner didn’t conceal her anger at this, saying during the interview that, “What’s the use of national defense and missiles when they’re starving the people?” The UN has estimated that more than 40% of North Koreans are suffering from malnutrition. Over the last 11 years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, it’s clear that North Korea’s human rights situation has only grown worse.
On November 16, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee (human rights) criticized North Korea’s organized and wide-ranging human rights abuses, adopting a resolution calling on improvements in the country’s human rights situation. These resolutions have been adopted annually for the past 18 years. In its criticism of the resolution, the Kim Jong-un regime said that “(North Koreans) are enjoying genuine human rights that thoroughly correspondent with the ideals and demands of the people,” further saying that the country doesn’t have any human rights issues and claiming that the interference of the US and its subordinate powers in its internal affairs is aimed at overthrowing the country’s government.
While the world’s focus is on North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles, I would like to suggest we show interest in the suffering of North Korea’s ordinary people.
asiapress.org
10. S. Korea, US to co-host 2nd Summit for Democracy
Shared values. South Korea is demonstrating it is a "global pivotal state."
S. Korea, US to co-host 2nd Summit for Democracy
The Korea Times · November 30, 2022
By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korea and the U.S. are two of five countries that will co-host the second Summit for Democracy to be held in March next year via videoconference. The three others are Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia.
According to a joint statement released on Wednesday, the second Summit for Democracy will be held from March 29 to 30, next year.
The U.S. hosted the first virtual Summit for Democracy in December last year under the topics of strengthening democracy, defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption and promoting respect for human rights. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in took part in the first edition.
The second summit will include a plenary session on March 29 and hybrid gatherings on March 30. The co-hosts will each preside over hybrid gatherings participated by leaders of their regions. South Korea, which represents the Indo-Pacific region, will host a session under the theme of anti-corruption.
"This gathering will demonstrate how democracies deliver for their citizens and are best equipped to address the world's most pressing challenges," the joint statement reads.
"From wars of aggression to changes in climate, societal mistrust and technological transformation, it could not be clearer that all around the world, democracy needs champions at all levels. Together with other invitees to the second Summit, we look forward to taking up this call, and demonstrating how transparent, accountable governance remains the best way to deliver lasting prosperity, peace, and justice."
At the session, the presidential office said, South Korea will share its democratization experiences and anti-corruption efforts with the international community and by doing so, it will continue to expand its diplomatic horizon.
The Korea Times · November 30, 2022
11. Korea's ties to U.S., China not a zero-sum game: Kagan
We have to respect the geo-political and economic complexities of South Korea's position in the world.
November 30, 2022
dictionary + A - A
Korea's ties to U.S., China not a zero-sum game: Kagan
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/11/30/national/diplomacy/korea-US-China/20221130165033797.html
Edgard Kagan, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the U.S. National Security Council, speaks at a forum hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. [YONHAP]
Korea's relations with China and the United States do not have to be a zero-sum game, said Edgard Kagan, a senior director of the U.S. National Security Council in a forum in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
"From the U.S. perspective, we do not believe that it is incompatible to have a strong U.S.-ROK alliance that covers more issues... in areas like technology, economic cooperation... with the ROK having a productive relationship with the PRC," said Kagan, speaking at a forum hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center, referring to South Korea and China by the the acronyms for their full names.
"We do not see this as a zero-sum game," said Kagan. "And we do not want to be in the position to telling the ROK or urging the ROK to do things which are antithetical to its interests, because we believe that our real strengths... are our common interests and our shared vision for the region, which I would argue is much greater than it was 20 years ago."
The conference, "Between the Eagle and the Dragon: Challenges and Opportunities for South Korea in the US-China Competition," was joined by other Korea watchers and experts including Sue Mi Terry, director of the Asia program at the center, and Meg Lundsager, former U.S. executive director and alternate executive director of the International Monetary Fund.
The conference took place two weeks after a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a G20 summit. The two were meeting face-to-face for the first time as presidents. They had last met in 2017 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
In the summit with Xi, Biden stressed that their countries' competition should not veer into conflict and that they should maintain open and clear communication with each other, and cooperate on issues such as climate change and global economic instabilities.
Experts at the forum on Tuesday discussed past expectations by Washington of China.
"There was a sense that in doing this, China would see how the rest of the world operated, they'd be part of these rules... that China would be part of this process and it would generate change in China," said Lundsager, recalling China's joining of the World Trade Organization in 2001. "And it hasn't to the extent that it was expected back then... [But] to actually break out into a trade war would be very difficult for both countries."
Kagan stressed that focusing on the U.S.-China rivalry is not going to get the region very far on any of its common goals.
"We have a strong and compelling interest in increasing our cooperation to support a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific," he said. "But this needs to be seen not in the context of U.S.-China competition but in the context of increasingly common interests between the U.S. and the ROK... that is increasingly aligned with what others in the region are seeing and thinking."
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a thorny issue between Washington and Seoul since it was passed in August, was also addressed at the forum.
"I think the reality continues to be that the ROK is going to be one of the major beneficiaries from the Inflation Reduction Act, because of the strength of ROK companies in key technologies linked to electric vehicles, as well as other efforts to decarbonize energy production," said Kagan.
The IRA stipulates that buyers of electronic vehicles are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit only if vehicles are assembled in the United States. Hyundai Motor is building an EV assembly plant in the United States that will be completed in 2025.
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
12. Here’s how the soldiers assigned to shoot down ballistic missiles from North Korea stay sharp
I wonder how these soldiers feel about each north Korean missile test? I bet they are chomping at the bit to shoot down Kim's missiles. They are saying what a good friend of mine says to me pretty much on a weekly basis - "send me in coach."
Here’s how the soldiers assigned to shoot down ballistic missiles from North Korea stay sharp - Breaking Defense
The 100th Missile Defense Brigade and the 49th Missile Defense Battalion at Fort Greely train on and operate the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system for exoatmospheric intercepts against ballistic missiles.
breakingdefense.com · by Barry Rosenberg · November 29, 2022
A Ground Based Interceptor missile is emplaced at Fort Greely, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the US Army.
The 100th Missile Defense Brigade is the only US military unit assigned to shoot down long-range ballistic missiles from North Korea. The brigade operates the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GBMD) system — an array of sensors supporting a fire-control system for missile-launched exoatmospheric kill vehicles to track, intercept, and destroy enemy warheads in their midcourse phase of flight, outside the earth’s atmosphere.
A component of US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, the 100th Missile Defense Brigade is based in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Fort Greely, Alaska. In the coming years, the GBMD mission will evolve as part of the Missile Defense Agency’s recently awarded and similarly named $3.3 billion Ground-based Midcourse Defense program where the current exoatmospheric interceptor will be replaced by the Next-Generation Interceptor.
In this Q&A with Col. Joseph Paladino — commander of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade, US Army Space & Missile Defense Command — and Lt. Col. Christopher Stutz, commander of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion — Breaking Defense discusses their mission and how they train for it and stay sharp.
Breaking Defense: What is the structure of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade and how do you execute the GBMD mission?
Col. Joseph Paladino, commander of the 100th Missile Defense Brigade, US Army Space & Missile Defense Command.
Paladino: The 100th and the 49th Missile Defense Battalion soldiers operate the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense, or GMD. The GMD fire control system, the GFC, is what connects everything from the sensors to the shooter, and it is called the GFC or the GMD fire control system.
There are two nodes, one at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado and one at Fort Greely, Alaska. The 100th Brigade in Colorado operates five-soldier crews within that node, which we call the missile defense element. These soldiers work in conjunction with the crews at Fort Greely, and also receive directions from USNORTHCOM to conduct the mission.
The soldiers at the 49th also work in five-soldier crews. They operate the GFC in what we refer to as the fire direction center or the FDC. I’ll let Chris talk a little bit more about that. They work in conjunction with the brigade in Colorado to perform tasks at the tactical level.
Nominally, under normal conditions, both crews work together during operations: one at the operational level, one at the tactical level. They’re trained to specifically take over the mission and operate independently, so if one of those two nodes were to go down for any reason each node can take over the roles and responsibility for the other and execute their mission in response to any threat to our homeland. We refer to that as failover operations.
Lt. Col. Christopher Stutz, commander of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion.
Stutz: Although our nodes are slightly different, each crew has a director and a deputy director, responsible for analyzing the current situation, making decisions, and communicating with our weapons release authority to prosecute missile defense operations if we have anything that comes our way.
The brigade node looks at the future fight and the operational fight; at our node up here at the 49th, we look at the tactical fight. As Col. Paladino said, both nodes work in conjunction with each other, but they are very comfortable working separately if something happens. It’s how we build redundancy into our system.
Working along with these soldiers are sensor operators. Despite that name, they actually don’t operate the sensors.We have great mission partners across the world to take care of sensors for us. What they do is monitor and analyze the data from space, land, and sea-based GMD network sensors that provide the input to the GFC. They also work directly with the directors and the deputies and give them data and courses of action to prosecute the missile defense operations as they happen.
The remaining crew members are chiefly responsible for various secure communication systems and are responsible for the actions necessary to launch our GBIs [ground-based interceptors]. They monitor the overall health of the system and make tactical recommendations to the director and deputy based on available assets. At any given time, 24/7, both crews, 10 soldiers in two different locations, are ready to defend the nation.
A crew working at the 49th battalion In the Fire Direction Center at Fort Greely, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the US Army.
Breaking Defense: Describe your training regimine.
Stutz: The GMD system trainer, or GST, provides us real-world high-fidelity scenarios that we train on day-to-day to ensure our crews are at the point of the spear and ready to defend the nation at any given time.
These systems are at both Schriever and Fort Greely. Originally they were housed in separate parts of the facilities. We had to bring in additional soldiers to maintain the system while our crews actually trained on the GST, or the crews came in before their shift to train on the GST to make sure that they were warmed up and ready for their shift.
About 10 years ago, MDA provided the ability for the crews to conduct training within the operational nodes themselves. They now have the ability to actually stand watch, and while they’re standing watch they can train on these scenarios that we have on the GST. They’re able to switch to the operational configuration within seconds of any type of missile event happening that they need to take care of in the real world.
The system is also programmable so we can adjust the scenarios we train on every day. As things change in the real world our system keeps pace with it, and our directors and deputies are able to focus the type of training they want their crews to work on.
Paladino: All of our crew members go through a very rigorous training program that starts off with a seven-week course with very high standards. It requires a 90 percent in all written exams, as well as many different practical evaluations.
Once the soldier graduates from that course, they go through a certification program on their individual duty positions based on where they’re assigned on the crew. They train collectively as a crew on training scenarios that are extremely challenging, complex, and dynamic. Certifying the entire crew requires them to rapidly process the threat, make recommendations to the deputy and the crew director, and execute the actions based off of the current USNORTHCOM shot doctrine.
Our crews are certified externally by SMDC every six months. They train on multiple conflict scenarios. As Chris described, the ability to train in the operational node within those 12-hour shifts that each crew sits, probably the first four or five hours of that shift they are doing nothing but training runs and building and maintaining proficiency [while maintaining] the ability to switch over to the operational environment within seconds.
breakingdefense.com · by Barry Rosenberg · November 29, 2022
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
| 
