Quotes of the Day:
"If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.”
- George Washington, George Washington's Farewell Address
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
- Benjamin Franklin
1. U.S. diplomat coordinating to arrange talks with presidential candidates in Seoul: sources
2. N. Korea holds artillery fire competition: state media
3. Why US is sitting on appointing ambassador to Seoul
4. Phenomenon of learning Korean
5. VANK urges UN to add 'East Sea' on its map
6. A last security option (South Korea)
7. Nuclear niceties (ROK nuclear energy)
8. Pirate attacks on S. Korean ships down amid anti-piracy efforts off western Africa
9. N. Korea's ambassador to China holds talks with Chinese assistant FM
10. Military to fly 20,000 liters of urea to Korea this week
11. Conservation groups look to save flora and fauna in DMZ
12. S. Korea to expand high-level communication with U.S. on chip supply chain cooperation: gov't
13. North Korea’s “Anti-Capitalist” Crackdown: Old Roots but New Vigor
14. Fighting North Korean Human Rights Abuses
1. U.S. diplomat coordinating to arrange talks with presidential candidates in Seoul: sources
Josh Stanton's twitter recommendation:
Joshua Stanton
@freekorea_us
For God's sake, tell them to read the sanctions resolutions & US statutes regulating access to our financial system before they gamble their presidencies on empty promises to Kim Jong-un.
(LEAD) U.S. diplomat coordinating to arrange talks with presidential candidates in Seoul: sources | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 4-5)
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- A senior U.S. diplomat is coordinating a schedule to arrange talks with the presidential candidates of two major South Korean political parties during his visit to Seoul this week, sources said Sunday.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, is seeking to have separate talks with Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party during his planned trip here from Wednesday to Friday, the sources said
Kritenbrink is on his first Asia trip since taking office in September. He will fly to South Korea on Wednesday after a four-day trip to Japan.
Should the talks with Lee and Yoon take place, Kritenbrink could use them to build ties with prominent politicians ahead of the March 9 presidential election.
Just months before the 2017 presidential vote, Joseph Yun, then U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, also visited Seoul and held back-to-back talks with then presidential hopefuls in addition to ones with Seoul diplomats.
In Seoul, Kritenbrink is expected to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Yeo Seung-bae, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, and other senior officials to discuss North Korea and other regional issues.
His visit comes as Seoul and Washington are in brisk talks to bring Pyongyang back to denuclearization talks, which remain stalled since a 2019 Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea ended without a deal.
(END)
2. N. Korea holds artillery fire competition: state media
As some of the military planners in the 1990's used to say the nKPA is an artillery army supported by a scheme of maneuver. The north's artillery has long been assessed as the operational level center of gravity. It is one of the keys to success of the nKPA campaign plan to attack the South. It al provides "A Means to Retaliate, Coerce, Deter, or Terrorize Populations" https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA619-1.html See also Gian Gentile's description of north Korean conventional artillery capabilities here ("problem 2"): https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TL271.html
And of course the nKPA has the advantage of "quantity has a quality all its own" - the ROK and the ROK/US alliance possess far greater quality but the quantity can still inflict great damage upon the South.
From:
Korea Net Assessment 2020: Politicized Security and Unchanging Strategic Realities
CHUNG MIN LEE, KATHRYN BOTTO
On balance, although the North Korean military has a greater quantity of some kinds of conventional military assets like armored combat vehicles and ground troops, the ROK Army’s superior capabilities give it the advantage. That said, the KPA’s superior quantities of artillery batteries, tanks, troops, and other assets would enable it to inflict significant damage on the ROK military and South Korean infrastructure in the type of lightning warfare strategy North Korea would be expected to employ.
(LEAD) N. Korea holds artillery fire competition: state media | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS North Korean propaganda outlet's commentary at bottom)
By Choi Soo-hyang
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has conducted an artillery fire competition to boost the country's defense capabilities as set forth by the "militant policy" of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Sunday.
The competition was held Saturday to inspect "how the mechanized troops of the KPA have conducted drills in order to increase their mobile artillery combat capabilities," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KPA stands for the Korean People's Army.
Pak Jong-chon, a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the ruling party, guided the competition. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the event.
"As soon as the firing orders were given by the commanders of the combined units, gun barrels to annihilate the enemy competitively shelled the target to accurately hit it," the KCNA said.
The unit that won the first place received a "master gunner certificate, medal and badge," and Pak was "greatly satisfied with the competition results," the report said.
It's unusual for the North to unveil an artillery fire competition that was not presided over by leader Kim.
The competition took place as Pyongyang has called on South Korea and the United States to drop "double standards," criticizing Seoul and Washington for defining its military activities as "provocations" while justifying their own as deterrence.
On Saturday, the Tongil Sinbo, a North Korean propaganda weekly, denounced South Korea for holding a joint air exercise with the U.S., calling it a "war rehearsal" that goes against efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea and the U.S. held a five-day annual air exercise last week, in a low-key manner apparently to back ongoing diplomacy to resume dialogue with North Korea.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. Why US is sitting on appointing ambassador to Seoul
Yes, we need to have an ambassador not only for the ROK but also one for north Korean human rights (as directed by Congressional legislation). That said, we have a very strong Korea team working on the issues and it is incorrect to assess that Korean security and the north Korean problem are not a priority for the administration. But it is fair to say the administration has many "priority" issues all over the world.
Why US is sitting on appointing ambassador to Seoul
By Kwon Mee-yoo
About nine months into his presidency, U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to name a new ambassador to South Korea, despite the importance of the post in bilateral relations as well as the significance of Seoul as an important ally in East Asian geopolitics.
"America is back, diplomacy is back," Biden said in February, distancing himself from his predecessor Donald Trump who made "America First" his main policy. However the message hasn't sunk in yet as about half of U.S. ambassadorial posts still remain vacant ― with South Korea being one of them.
According to the American Foreign Service Association, 95 out of 189 positions were vacant as of Nov. 4.
Only seven of Biden's ambassadorial appointees have been confirmed since he took office, while 63 are stalled in the Senate, according to the Partnership for Public Service, Nov. 2.
South Korea falls into the remaining 25 positions that do not have nominations.
Former Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris, who was appointed by Trump, resigned Jan. 20 after President Biden took office.
After Harris's departure, Robert Rapson served as acting chief of mission, before current Charge d'Affaires Chris Del Corso was appointed in June.
Some figures emerged as potential candidates for the ambassadorial post in Seoul in spring and summer, but rumors of their appointment soon died away.
Vincent Brooks, former U.S. Forces Korea Commander, was on the list, but an aide said that he had not received an offer from the Biden administration.
U.S. Ambassador to Albania Yuri Kim, the first Korean-American woman to become a U.S. ambassador, has also been mentioned for the post, considering her expertise on East Asian issues, as well as former U.S. Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell.
With the vacancy being prolonged, a group of Korean lawmakers belonging to the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee asked White House Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell for a swift nomination of the new ambassador to South Korea during their visit to the U.S. in October.
Campbell said he "fully understands" the needs to fill the vacancy.
Meanwhile, some other big names have been taking ambassadorial posts in allies and rivals of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was named as U.S. ambassador to Japan, and seasoned career diplomat and former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns was tapped to take the ambassadorship in China. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was nominated as the country's ambassador to India.
President Moon Jae-in gives former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris a farewell gift at Cheong Wa Dae, Jan. 19, two days before he left Korea after resigning following the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
Experts agreed that diplomacy has not been given top priority in the Biden administration, but no name coming up for the South Korea post for such a length of time is causing concern that it is not taking Korean Peninsula issues seriously.
Park Won-gon, North Korean studies professor at Ewha Womans University, said the delay in appointing an ambassador to Seoul reflects that South Korea is not considered as important as other countries even though the Biden administration is moving slowly in its diplomacy.
"It is partly because the Biden administration is focusing on domestic issues in its first year, with less attention being paid to foreign policy," Park said.
Park emphasized that a U.S. ambassador to South Korea holds significance not just in bilateral relations but in a bigger context.
"Previous assistant secretaries of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs used to be those well aware of North Korea issues, but Biden's pick for the post, Daniel Joseph Kritenbrink, is a China expert, so the ambassador to South Korea this time will have a larger role than before in dealing with the North Korea nuclear issue," Park said.
"There have been some rumors since April, but it is still unpredictable with no visible candidate as of the moment. It could be a signal that South Korea has fallen behind in diplomatic priority."
Sean King, senior vice president at Park Strategies, noted that the previous ambassadorial vacancy in South Korea lasted over a year before Harris was nominated.
"It took former President Trump 17 months to nominate an ambassador to South Korea, so I'm not overly concerned that President Biden hasn't yet sent forth a name for Seoul," King said.
"What's more, U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim (who himself served as ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014) can also function as a more than capable go-between with Seoul until President Biden makes his choice."
Park took a different position on Sung Kim's role as he doubles as the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia.
"Former top U.S. envoy on North Korea Stephen Biegun held important positions in Washington, but Sung Kim is taking the special representative for the DPRK as a dual position, signaling that North Korean issues are not on the Biden administration's top priority list," Park said.
4. Phenomenon of learning Korean
What an innovative idea. Perhap all the Korean restaurants in Annandale and Fairfax county could start competing for Saturday morning language students. A lot better than the Chinese Confucius Institutes.
Phenomenon of learning Korean
By Mark Peterson
Korean language programs are booming all over the world. The K-pop craze, the music, the movies, the dramatic series, are all fueling an interest in learning the Korean language.
At my university, for example, for the first 25 years I was there, we would often have to beg the department chair to allow us to teach a section of 101 even though there were only ten or twelve students enrolled. The minimum requirement was 20. But we'd beg and the chair would usually be understanding and let us carry the course with less than the necessary number of registered students.
Now, the same university, in the last ten years or so, growing each year, has five or six sections of 101 with 20 students in each section! Exclamation point.
The Korean wave in all its manifestations has fueled the rise. Some students love the music, some the movies, and some the dramas. And some like anything and everything Korean.
When I started studying Korean, there were no language textbooks. None. Teachers would put together "mimeo" pages that they would prepare themselves. And no one wanted to study Korean. The few of us who did were considered weirdoes. And we were.
But now, "it's cool" to study Korean. And YouTube is full of foreigners speaking Korean fluently. It used to be that a Westerner in Korea was assumed to be an American, and mostly, that was a correct assumption. But now, it's just as likely that the foreigner is from Uzbekistan or Australia as s/he is from America.
We are witnessing a true internationalization of Korean culture.
In addition to the students in my town that are studying Korean at the University, and in addition to the "Saturday Korean school" mostly for Korean-American children, I recently discovered another kind of classroom where Korean is being taught. It's on Saturday morning at a Korean restaurant! Yes, at a Korean restaurant.
The owner of the restaurant is a Korean-American, a former student of mine. Korean students with native Korean ability could not take language classes ― that was too easy if they spoke Korean already. But such students could take literature and history and culture classes. Sun-woo was one of those students.
His family had a restaurant business and he became the owner/manager of one of their restaurants. He told me that he was teaching Korean on Saturday mornings and one of his employees was teaching the class. I wanted to see what was going on, so I asked if I could come by and sit in on the class sometime. He said, "Come anytime ― Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11:00."
I visited the class and was shocked!, no, pleased. Really pleased. I was able to interview some of the students. They were mostly college graduates in their late 20s and 30s, but there were some children and teenagers. They usually have about 20 students attend, but it varies. There is no formal "credit" given ― it's only a matter of learning what you can learn.
As I suspected, some were there because they liked the K-pop music. Some liked the dramas, and some like the movies. They all wanted to learn the basics of the language. I asked why they didn't get one of the often-advertised programs that one can buy. They responded it was fun to meet with others in a classroom situation.
A Korean language classroom in a Korean restaurant! Amazing! I asked Sun-woo how he got the idea to create such a class and he explained that many people who came into his restaurant had Korean language-learning books and things with them as they came to the restaurant, and they would try their limited language in ordering and chatting with the wait staff in the restaurant. He talked with many of them about Korean language learning opportunities and saw a need that he could help fulfill.
So, the students pay a modest tuition, study from 9:30 to 11:00 and then their tuition includes lunch. (A strategy good for business, too.). And more chatting and language practice over lunch.
I thought that in addition to increased enrollments in universities all across America, and the world, in addition to more high schools offering Korean language course, in addition to an active "heritage school" for Korean-American children and their friends, this!, a Korean school in a restaurant, has to me something unique. I don't know if such is being done in other places ― tell me if you know of any in other cities.
For now, I'm going to claim my home area, Provo-Orem, Utah, (the restaurant is in Provo's sister city next door, Orem), as the most creative approach to Korean language learning in the whole world. I'll hold that claim until someone else tells me of a more-uniquely manifested interest in Korean culture. Until then, I'm giving the award of most creative application of an interest in Korean culture to Yummies Restaurant, Orem, Utah. Stop in if you're in Utah on a Saturday morning. And stay for the bulgogi.
Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.
5. VANK urges UN to add 'East Sea' on its map
Names are important. I have told my map naming convention stories in the ROK many times. Who remembers the distribution of the WGS 84 maps in the 1990's with the Japanese and Chinese names to the ROK/US Combined Forces Command?
VANK urges UN to add 'East Sea' on its map
The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea's poster criticizing the United Nations for its map only using the name "Sea of Japan" to identify the ocean between South Korea and Japan / Courtesy of VANKBy Lee Hyo-jin
The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a civic organization promoting Korean culture and history online, is urging the United Nations to add the name "East Sea" on its map indicating the ocean between South Korea and Japan, criticizing the international organization for referring to the body of water only as the "Sea of Japan."
VANK has produced posters in English denouncing the UN for the misleading information on its official map and has posted an online petition on the website "Bridge Asia."
The group pointed out last month that the UN's geo service map (www.un.org/geospatial) is identifying the waters between South Korea and Japan only as the "Sea of Japan," instead of concurrently using the "East Sea / Sea of Japan" names.
The civic group claimed that the international organization is not following its own principle on the identification of geographic naming.
A resolution adopted at a UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names in 1977 reads, "When countries sharing a geographical feature do not succeed in agreeing on a common name, it should be a general rule of international cartography that the name used by each of the countries will be accepted."
It also reads, "A policy of accepting only one or some of such names while excluding the rest would be inconsistent as well as inexpedient in practice."
The civic group said it sent a letter of protest to the UN in October, but has neither received a response nor seen any modification of the map in question.
"Leaving such misinformation on the UN website will lead to big problems. The Japanese government may use it as a chance to promote the term 'Sea of Japan' among the international community," said Park Gi-tae, head of VANK.
6. A last security option (South Korea)
Interesting conclusion.
Excerpts:
South Koreans want a sustainable peace — not another war — on the peninsula. They also do not want North Korea to use nuclear weapons against its southern compatriots. Above all, they want the divided land to be unified and to prosper.
To achieve such goals, the priority must be placed on deterring North Korea’s aggression, which calls for a maximum use of U.S. extended deterrence. However, once the North’s nuclear threats have exceeded permissible levels, South Korea must demand redeployment of tactical weapons or the NATO-style nuclear sharing from Uncle Sam. If protecting the people from the enemy is the most important duty for a country, decapitation operations are a significant option.
Sunday
November 7, 2021
A last security option
Kim Min-seok
The author, a former editorial writer and director of the Institute for Military and Security Affairs at the JoongAng Ilbo, is a senior researcher of the institute.
In early 2015, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) head entered the defense minister’s office at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul to brief the minister about an advanced SLBM and submarine being developed by North Korea. A few years later, North Korea identified the SLBM and submarine as the “Bukguksong missile” and the “8.24 Yongung” submarine. North Korea recently said it fired an SLBM capable of carrying nuclear warheads from the submarine. If the announcement is correct, North Korea completed the development of the SLBM and submarine seven years after the move was first detected by South Korea-U.S. intelligence authorities — and about 10 years after North Korea started to develop them.
After the briefing, the defense minister was deeply concerned about the possibility of the missile and submarine. At that time, one of the attendees at the briefing gallantly proposed to just “sink them into the deep East Sea by sending our subs before their deployment for a real battle.” The attendee went on to say, “If you were the defense minister of Israel, you would have done that just as the Israeli Air Force raided the Osirak nuclear reactor being built by Iraq to develop nuclear weapons.” As the minister mulled for a second, the official added, “North Korea does not have the ability to find out the reason for the sinking of the sub or salvage it from the deep sea bed.”
The briefing ended with that suggestion. The issue has not been discussed since — as far as I know — but whether the defense minister really ordered the Navy to embark on such mission cannot be confirmed. And yet, that could be our last resort to safeguarding the people from North Korean nuclear weapons.
The decapitation operation plan drawn up by the defense ministry is a last-ditch campaign to deter North Korea from rushing to a nuclear attack, above all, which could kill or injure millions of people in South Korea. For the clandestine operation, the DIA methodically traces the movement of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with help from U.S. intelligence. Apart from his movement through an underground tunnel linking his residence and office, the DIA can track nearly all his travels. Surveillance is better than ever. For instance, a miniaturized insect-or-bird-shaped drone can collect information after being dispatched from a submarine in the sea off the coast of his luxurious villa.
Decapitation methods vary. A fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets or an unmanned drone equipped with air-to-ground missiles can bomb a target, as seen in the assassinations of enemy leaders by the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. It can be carried out by Tomahawks on U.S. subs or cruise missiles on our subs. Their error range is within 3 meters (9.8 feet).
Today, a super-tiny killer done can do the job successfully. The so-called “slaughterbots” armed with artificial intelligence and facial recognition can fly to where enemy leaders gather, silently land on their foreheads, and detonate a 3-gram (0.1-ounce) explosive to break through the skull. In case of emergency, you can send hundreds of ultra-tiny drones on a bigger drone or missile to critically hit targets through an air duct, for example, as effectively demonstrated by UC Berkeley Professor of Computer Science Stuart Russell in 2017.
The allies are not willing to employ a decapitation strategy as they want a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue. They do not want a chaos, like a power vacuum in Pyongyang after a collapse of the regime. And yet, the allies’ ability for decapitation operations help deter North Korea from provoking South Korea in a reckless way.
Decapitation operations or the nuclear umbrella are basically aimed at deterring North Korean nuclear attacks. But presidential candidates of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and opposition People Power Party (PPP) show a big difference on broader security issues. Lee Jae-myung of the DP said he would “demand changes in North Korea’s wrong practices and attitude,” but there is no fundamental difference with the Moon Jae-in administration. For instance, Lee proposed a partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for the North’s gradual denuclearization, as Moon wants. But actually, North Korea is more interested in having nuclear reduction talks with the United States, not denuclearization talks. That suggests Lee has no substantial or effective policy to deal with North Korean nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the PPP, promised to address the North’s nuclear and missile threats by reinforcing our military power and enhancing U.S. extended deterrence. He also wants to fix a proper procedure with Washington to deploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea and regularly conduct a drill to operate them.
South Koreans want a sustainable peace — not another war — on the peninsula. They also do not want North Korea to use nuclear weapons against its southern compatriots. Above all, they want the divided land to be unified and to prosper.
To achieve such goals, the priority must be placed on deterring North Korea’s aggression, which calls for a maximum use of U.S. extended deterrence. However, once the North’s nuclear threats have exceeded permissible levels, South Korea must demand redeployment of tactical weapons or the NATO-style nuclear sharing from Uncle Sam. If protecting the people from the enemy is the most important duty for a country, decapitation operations are a significant option.
7. Nuclear niceties (ROK nuclear energy)
I think the ROK is making a huge strategic mistake in trying to phase out nuclear power.
Excerpts:
Predecessors in nuclear phase-out — like France, Britain and Japan — have gone back to reactors or suspended their plan. The International Energy Agency projects global nuclear generation to surge 22 percent from now in 2030 and 65 percent in 2050. The return to nuclear reactors in principle is due to decarbonization commitments. But another important factor is concerns about energy supply. European countries have turned to Russia after wind power sourcing decreased due to reduced wind in North Sea. Yet Korea plans to reduce reactors’ share in energy sourcing to 6 to 7 percent by 2050 from the current 25 percent.
Korea should raise the share of renewable energy, but yanking it up from the current 6 percent range to 60 to 70 percent over the next 30 years is impossible. Experts say that to meet the goal, a space double the size of Jeju Island would have to be covered by solar panels. Geographic restrictions from inconsistent wind and sunlight are another drawback. The 2050 Carbon Neutrality Commission proposes leveraging a grid network across China and Russia. But that also is not plausible, given the security issues with those countries.
The phase-out policy already shows internal fissures. Chung Jae-hoon, president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, has been calling for the resumption of the suspended construction of the Shin Hanul No. 3 and No. 4 reactors. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party, is also for the idea. Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party’s presidential candidate, backs the phase-out policy, but whether he can achieve his “energy highway” campaign platform without reactors is questionable. When Choo Mi-ae, who ran against Lee in the party primary, proposed signing a contract to uphold the reactor phase-out policy, Lee brushed it aside, saying such a move was not necessary. Under a new president, the nuclear phase-out policy inevitably will be revisited.
But the transition could stoke conflict and confusion. President Moon, who holds the key, must pave the way to lessen the burden on the incoming government before it’s too late.
Sunday
November 7, 2021
Nuclear niceties
Lee Hyun-sang
The author is a columnist of the JoongAng Ilbo.
President Moon Jae-in made an unlikely remark last week about the role of nuclear reactors in achieving carbon neutrality during his summit with Hungarian President Janos Ader. Given the ramifications of the comment, the Blue House first refused to comment on it until it later reluctantly admitted to it. The presidential office added that the president’s commitment to wean the country off nuclear energy remains intact. The explanation is not just incongruous, but also indecent as it could be seen as discourteous to the summit.
Moon’s comment drew the spotlight as it went against his steadfast commitment to phase out nuclear reactors. The inconsistency, however, has come up every time the government tried to pitch Korea’s nuclear reactor technology abroad. On both carbon and nuclear reactor issues, the government is steadfast in the goal of phasing out nuclear reactors, but cannot but accept the reality of the lack of feasibility of the policy.
The Blue House hates to admit it, but the international community agrees that carbon neutrality is impossible to achieve without nuclear reactors. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a laureate of the 2007 Nobel Prize, found in a study of greenhouse gas emissions in the life cycles of various electricity generation sources that a nuclear reactor emits 12 grams (0.4 ounces) of CO2, sharply lower than the 27 grams from solar panels and 24 grams from wind power. Solar and wind farms do not emit carbon while generating power, but the production of panels and rotor blades — and their scrapping — require a considerable amount of fossil fuel.
President Moon Jae-in and Hungarian President János Áder announces a joint statement after a summit in Budapest, November 4. [NEWS1]
Predecessors in nuclear phase-out — like France, Britain and Japan — have gone back to reactors or suspended their plan. The International Energy Agency projects global nuclear generation to surge 22 percent from now in 2030 and 65 percent in 2050. The return to nuclear reactors in principle is due to decarbonization commitments. But another important factor is concerns about energy supply. European countries have turned to Russia after wind power sourcing decreased due to reduced wind in North Sea. Yet Korea plans to reduce reactors’ share in energy sourcing to 6 to 7 percent by 2050 from the current 25 percent.
Korea should raise the share of renewable energy, but yanking it up from the current 6 percent range to 60 to 70 percent over the next 30 years is impossible. Experts say that to meet the goal, a space double the size of Jeju Island would have to be covered by solar panels. Geographic restrictions from inconsistent wind and sunlight are another drawback. The 2050 Carbon Neutrality Commission proposes leveraging a grid network across China and Russia. But that also is not plausible, given the security issues with those countries.
The phase-out policy already shows internal fissures. Chung Jae-hoon, president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, has been calling for the resumption of the suspended construction of the Shin Hanul No. 3 and No. 4 reactors. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party, is also for the idea. Lee Jae-myung, the ruling party’s presidential candidate, backs the phase-out policy, but whether he can achieve his “energy highway” campaign platform without reactors is questionable. When Choo Mi-ae, who ran against Lee in the party primary, proposed signing a contract to uphold the reactor phase-out policy, Lee brushed it aside, saying such a move was not necessary. Under a new president, the nuclear phase-out policy inevitably will be revisited.
But the transition could stoke conflict and confusion. President Moon, who holds the key, must pave the way to lessen the burden on the incoming government before it’s too late.
8. Pirate attacks on S. Korean ships down amid anti-piracy efforts off western Africa
An important contribution to the protection of the global commons by the ROK navy. I know the ROK SEALs have conducted some good operations.
Pirate attacks on S. Korean ships down amid anti-piracy efforts off western Africa | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- Pirate attacks on South Korean ships dropped nearly 30 percent this year mostly due to a decline in cases in waters off the piracy-prone western Africa, the maritime ministry said Sunday.
The number of pirate attacks targeting South Korean ships came to 97 during the January-September period, down 27 percent from the previous year's 132 cases, according to the ministry.
The decline stemmed mostly from a fall in attacks in waters off western Africa, apparently thanks to recently beefed-up anti-piracy efforts off Nigeria.
During the cited period, 28 pirate attacks on Korean ships were reported from the region, down from 44 cases reported a year earlier, the ministry said.
Pirate attacks on Korean ships in the Asian region also dropped 37 percent on-year to 39 from the previous year's 62, the ministry said.
Of them, 20 attacks were reported in the Singapore Strait, a major shipping route for South Korean vessels, making up 51 percent of all pirate-related incidents in the Asian region.
The ministry said most pirate attacks in Asia are robberies, which can be heavily reduced by simply deploying more crew members to look out for threats while their ships are anchored or sailing.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
9. N. Korea's ambassador to China holds talks with Chinese assistant FM
Lips and teeth? But no talks with the actual Foreign Minister. My bet would be if the ROK ambassador asked for a meeting with the FM he would get one and would not be related to meeting with the assistant FM.
N. Korea's ambassador to China holds talks with Chinese assistant FM | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's top envoy to Beijing met with China's assistant foreign minister last week to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties and issues of mutual concern, Pyongyang's foreign ministry said Sunday.
During the talks on Friday, Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao "exchanged in-depth opinions about issues of mutual interest, and agreed to continue enhancing strategic and tactical cooperation down the road," the ministry said.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the North Korean Embassy in Beijing and China's foreign ministry.
It was the latest in a series of meetings between the two countries as Pyongyang and Beijing have increasingly emphasized their close ties amid stalled nuclear talks and an escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.
Late last month, Ri paid a courtesy call on Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi, and North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho also met with Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Li Jinjun on Friday.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
10. Military to fly 20,000 liters of urea to Korea this week
Not a very efficient way to transport this resource but I suppose this illustrates the severity of the crisis.
Sunday
November 7, 2021
Military to fly 20,000 liters of urea to Korea this week
(A driver walks toward parked trucks with an empty bottle of urea solution at a terminal in Yangcheon District, Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]
The government said Sunday that 20,000 liters (5,280 gallons) of urea, the main component of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), will be flown in by military aircraft from Australia this week.
Officials added that Korea is using all of its diplomatic channels to secure urea, not only from China, which is the biggest supplier accounting for more than 60 percent last year, but also Vietnam.
Additionally, starting Monday, all hoarding of urea or DEF will be banned. Anyone that hoards DEF will be faced with a fine of up to 100 million won ($85,000) or imprisoned for up to three years. The government said the crackdown will be applied until the end of the year.
DEF retailers that have stocked more than 110 percent of their average monthly sales will also be considered hoarders, as will retailers who have stock, but not sold any imported or manufactured DEF for 10 days.
The announcement follows a government meeting led by Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki on Sunday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the same day announced that it will suspend a crackdown on vehicles that have illegally tampered with the emissions reduction system until the current urea shortage is resolved.
The ministry in a statement said the decision to suspend is crackdown is so that it could focus on improving the supply of urea, including cracking down on hoarding the emission reduction fluid.
Urea is the main component of DEF, an essential product that cuts emissions in diesel-powered vehicles.
Diesel-powered passenger cars and trucks that were released after Jan. 2015 are equipped with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, which is designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
Cars with the SCR system require DEF, which is injected into the exhaust stream of the vehicles, and stored in a reservoir separate from the fuel tank to help convert nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and water.
Diesel vehicle owners need to fill their DEF reservoirs regularly.
The shortage comes after China tightened export restrictions on fertilizers, including urea, which is extracted from coal, last month.
Korea’s relies on China for urea. According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), China accounted for 66.1 percent of urea imported to Korea. Indonesian supplies came in second at 13.8 percent and Qatar accounted for 10.5 percent.
Many cargo trucks, which were the first to hit, have been forced out of service due to the shortage, which has also impacted heavy machinery at construction sites and parcel delivery trucks.
Even public buses and emergency vehicles are seeing reserves of DEF dry up, although the government said after its Sunday meeting that it has a three-month stockpile of DEF for emergency vehicles.
The government has denied reports that it has been slow to respond to the shortage, noting that its overseas offices have been monitoring the urea situation since late October and that the Trade Minister held a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Korea on Oct. 29.
It also noted that government meetings were held on the issue on Nov. 2 and Nov. 4.
In a statement on Friday, the Trade, Industry and Energy Ministry said it has been communicating with related industries to stabilize the urea supply.
Some people have taken matters into their own hands.
On Friday three containers, each containing 10 liters of DEF, were left front of fire station in Incheon. On the same day, three bottles were also left at a fire station in Jeonju, North Jeolla.
The woman who delivered the bottles in Jeonju reportedly told firefighters that the fire trucks shouldn’t be prevented from operating due to the shortage of urea.
Currently, some 2 million trucks and 2 million diesel-powered passenger vehicles are estimated to require DEF in Korea.
However, trucks require much more DEF, as they need to fill up every 300 to 400 kilometers (180 to 250 miles), while passenger vehicles only need to fill up every 10,000 kilometers.
BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
11. Conservation groups look to save flora and fauna in DMZ
There is nothing like conducting a patrol on the DMZ and flushing a quail from the underbrush right in front of you as you are walking through. It will raise the heart rate for a moment.
One thing that will need to be done is to create very strict walking paths and areas in the DMZ as the landmine threat will never be fully eliminated. There are so many unaccounted for landmines that to clear the DMZ of them would probably destroy the habitats of much of the flora and fauna.
Sunday
November 7, 2021
Conservation groups look to save flora and fauna in DMZ
A flock of red-crowned cranes and a hawk are seen on the plains of Cherwon County, Gangwon, near Korea's demilitarized zone. [YONHAP]
Emblematic of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the demilitarized zone (DMZ) also serves as a unique sanctuary to rare flora and fauna.
But the conclusions drawn by speakers at the DMZ Biodiversity Conservation meeting, attended by the National Institute of Ecology and other environmental groups last week, say that the 160-mile-long treaty zone’s ecological treasure troves are in “dire need of protection.”
“As more areas in the vicinity of the DMZ are allowing civilian entrance for profitable purposes, habitats of endangered animal and plant species are being pushed out,” said Hwang Ho-seop, director of Citizens’ Solidarity for Life and Peace, another environmental group at the meeting.
“The environment encircling the DMZ should be rigorously preserved as the conservation and restoration of the surrounding environment will serve as the foundation for the future of the two Koreas’ relations.”
During the meeting, the National Institute of Ecology identified six zones in the vicinity of the DMZ as ones needing immediate protection measures.
One of the selected areas for conservation was located in Cheorwon County, Gangwon.
Best known for its wintering birds, especially the red-crowned cranes, the plains of Cheorwon County are scheduled to be turned into a Peace Memorial Hall for the Korean War soldiers and an industrial complex, according to Cheorwon County Office.
The plains used to be protected by the DMZ’s Civilian Control Line, which limits urban development and human disturbance in the area.
However, that line has gradually moved northward in the past years to allow more space for tourism and development around the DMZ, and the fair plains have become pockmarked with construction projects.
“If more new buildings are erected in Cheorwon County, the cranes will no longer migrate there,” said Baek Jong-han, president of the Crane Conservation Association.
“Whether it be purchasing the land or designating it as a protected area, the local government and its residents all need to cooperate and hammer out ways to properly conserve the cranes’ habitat.”
Another area that needs immediate protection according to the National Institute of Ecology is located in Hwacheon County, Gangwon.
The county’s evergreen forests are sanctuaries to an endangered deer species called Siberian musk deer.
These deer have almost reached extinction due to uncontrolled poaching, and, according to data collected by the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research, only a few remain in the DMZ.
The other four areas are the Bingae Trail in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi; Togyo Reservoir in Cheorwon County; Jikyeongcheon Trail in Gosung County, Gangwon; and Godungol Trail in Hwacheon County.
To better protect the six areas, the institute proposed that they be divided into three categories — wetland conservation area, wildlife conservation area and ecological landscape protected area — and designate them as such so that they can't be used for a different purpose in the future.
“There are various laws related to nature conservation in the DMZ, but some of those laws conflict with each other and thus have become meaningless,” said Park Jin-yeong, head of the protected area research team at the National Institute of Ecology.
“This is why we need to take other measures to protect endangered areas.”
Containing 2,153 plant and animal species including 30 endangered species, the DMZ is a prominent natural preserve for biodiversity that has largely remained untouched by civilians.
The DMZ is a region on the Korean Peninsula about 30 miles north of Seoul that demarcates North and South Korea. It was established in the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement.
As the DMZ served as a point of communication between officials of the two Koreas in the recent years, such as during the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, its has evolved to signify peace rather than division.
BY LEE JIAN, KANG CHAN-SU [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
12. S. Korea to expand high-level communication with U.S. on chip supply chain cooperation: gov't
This is of course one of the most critical problems we face.
S. Korea to expand high-level communication with U.S. on chip supply chain cooperation: gov't | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will expand high-level communication with the United States to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in ensuring stable semiconductor supply chains, the Seoul government said Sunday.
Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs Hong Nam-ki led a meeting on economic security, a day before the deadline by which the U.S. government asked global semiconductor manufacturers to submit information to help address global chip shortages.
"After the deadline for the submission of information, we plan to further solidify the South Korea-U.S. partnership for cooperation on the semiconductor supply chains through high-level communication with the U.S.' side," the government said following the meeting.
The U.S. Commerce Department's request for information has triggered concerns among global chip makers, as the provision of some information could amount to a disclosure of their trade secrets.
(END)
13. North Korea’s “Anti-Capitalist” Crackdown: Old Roots but New Vigor
Conclusion
The North Korean government always seeks to keep foreign information and capitalist culture out of daily life in the country, and Kim’s emphasis on social control goes back to the early days of his tenure. In many ways, the current crackdown simply amounts to an emphasis on the North Korean state and security organs doing what they were designed to do.
Indeed, crackdowns such as the present one may also come in cycles.[7] Over the past few decades, the state, with some exceptions, consistently relaxed state control over the economy, allowing markets and the space for private initiative to grow. Such a relaxation requires the security bureaucracy to ease authoritarian pressure. These organs naturally seek, however, to expand their power and influence. Thus, although there is little empirical evidence to date, the current crackdown may reflect an effort by these institutions to regain their influence and standing as their relative role and importance have decreased due to a relaxation of economic controls.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also given ammunition to those within the state apparatus who wish to see stronger crackdowns on both economic and social misbehavior; likewise, the strict border controls—notwithstanding their disastrous economic results—may partially stem from the security state using the pandemic to further political interests. Whatever the source, this is likely far from the last such campaign under Kim Jong Un’s tenure.
North Korea’s “Anti-Capitalist” Crackdown: Old Roots but New Vigor
A major crackdown is currently underway in North Korea to root out foreign culture, primarily from South Korea, as well as “capitalist tendencies,” including corruption.[1] The roots of the campaign go back to early in Kim Jong Un’s tenure, but it has become particularly intensive this year, with several new laws and ordinances enacted to strengthen social control. The country’s dire economic situation and COVID-19 border lockdown, perhaps driven by conservative elements within the regime, partially explain the campaign’s renewed vigor this year. Indeed, there is tangible evidence from other parts of the world that many states have used COVID-19 as an opportunity to increase suppression of political threats.[2] However, it is also likely a result of a cyclical dynamic, where the state intensifies social control after periods of relative relaxation.[3]
The Current Campaign: Goals and Methods
To understand the rationale for the current campaign, consider the following example: In early October this year, Daily NK reported on a North Korean government directive to military units to strengthen ideological education following the reopening of the military hotline with South Korea. The general political bureau of the military distributed collective study materials to all military institutions, calling for soldiers to “boldly defeat imperialist schemes to ideologically and culturally infiltrate” the country and “establish a revolutionary military spirit.” In the past, the state would often overlook ideological crimes by military rank and file, a practice the government now seeks to end. This program for ideological education was launched the day after Kim Jong Un announced the restarting of the hotline. Of particular concern are young soldiers who, like young North Koreans in general, are especially likely to consume South Korean dramas, music and other foreign culture. The directive gave examples of young soldiers who had been “blinded by bourgeois ideology and culture,” such as new recruits in one battalion who had been caught performing a “strange dance” during the unit’s downtime, suggesting that it might have come from the popular South Korean pop band BTS or other “K-pop” music.
This case highlights a common dynamic in North Korean crackdowns against foreign culture; as former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho has noted, these tend to become more intense when regime contacts with the outside world increase. When ties warm—even slightly—with South Korea or the United States, the regime’s main enemies, it has to emphasize all the more strongly to the public that the enmity remains and that even though government contacts with foreign powers may be positive, cultural influences from those countries will remain fully off-limits.
But the current crackdown began long before the resumption of the hotline. Kim Jong Un has acknowledged on several instances in the past few months that the country is experiencing substantial economic difficulties, largely because of the self-imposed border lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19.[4] The current campaign partially stems from the state’s fear that the resulting discontent could threaten social stability. In parallel with increasing arrests, the regime reportedly dispatched some 2,000 senior students from its National Security College late last year—where cadres are trained for work in the security bureaucracy—to monitor the ideological tendencies of residents near the border with China. These agents were also supposedly tasked with interviewing residents who were unemployed or lacking food, and convincing them that they could rely upon the party to overcome the current crisis.
Indeed, the crackdown appears to have accelerated significantly late last year and early this year. One milestone was the 12th plenary meeting of the 14th presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament. The meeting adopted the “law on rejecting the reactionary ideology and culture,” which, according to the summary by the Korean Central News Agency:
…specifies the principles to be certainly observed by all the institutions, enterprises, organizations and citizens in further cementing our ideological, revolutionary and class positions by thoroughly preventing the inroads and spread of the anti-socialist ideology and culture and firmly maintaining our idea, spirit and culture.[5]
In practice, the law strengthens punishments and enforcement by the state for actions that were already crimes in North Korea. In the past, corruption and contacts could often make officials turn a blind eye to North Koreans consuming foreign media and culture. The current campaign and the new law compel security agents to be more vigilant against behaviors that, while illegal, have become common in North Korean society. Information materials on the new law reportedly stipulate that distributing movies, recordings, videos or books from South Korea are punishable by life imprisonment in a labor camp or execution.
While many offenders have already received such sentences in the past, the new law seemingly cements and specifies these harsher penalties for a broader range of offenders. Although not outlined by the new law, the government has reportedly also expanded the practice of sentencing families and relatives of offenders to internal exile or labor camp—a practice that has, according to refugee testimonies and sources inside North Korea, become less common over the past few years. The law also famously bans the use of South Korean dialects and singing styles, and punishes parents of children who break the law for not raising them properly.
Moreover, the state appears to have stepped up direct surveillance efforts of electronic communications from TV sets and cell phones. In May 2020, Radio Free Asia reported that authorities were monitoring students’ text messages for South Korean slang and spelling. Overall, arrests for possession, distribution or consumption of foreign culture have reportedly increased greatly around the country. In Pyongyang, all households have allegedly been ordered to report to the authorities how many TV sets they own, and the government has checked for additional TV sets that have illegally been tuned to receive broadcasts from South Korea.
In early 2020, an editorial in North Korea’s state newspaper Rodong Sinmun warned citizens against drinking, debauchery and other acts going counter to “socialist culture and lifestyle.” In February this year, the same outlet reported that North Korean authorities were cracking down on tinted car windows, allegedly because young North Koreans use them to hide their viewing of South Korean dramas. Over the summer, the government reportedly published a list of actions that count as “reactionary” according to the law adopted late last year. This list contains a wide range of behaviors, many of which concern citizens’ clothing styles, singing certain songs and other seemingly innocuous activities that can violate “public morals.”
Although South Korean culture is a main focus of the current crackdown, the repression is broadly aimed at violations that can threaten social stability in the eyes of the state. Therefore, it is not surprising that arrests of those who violate COVID-19 regulations, as well as supposedly corrupt officials, have increased during the same period. A significant number of people—likely tens of thousands, although no definitive information is available—have been sent to labor and prison camps for violating quarantine rules. People gathering in groups of more than three have, for example, been sentenced to hard labor. According to Daily NK, though numbers cannot be confirmed, the camp population has increased by at least 20,000 since March 2020, in response to the stern implementation of the anti-reactionary thought law and violations of quarantine and social distancing rules. Satellite imagery research by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea confirms that camps have been refurbished and expanded over the past few years, though it disputes that wholly new camps have been constructed.[6]
Conclusion
The North Korean government always seeks to keep foreign information and capitalist culture out of daily life in the country, and Kim’s emphasis on social control goes back to the early days of his tenure. In many ways, the current crackdown simply amounts to an emphasis on the North Korean state and security organs doing what they were designed to do.
Indeed, crackdowns such as the present one may also come in cycles.[7] Over the past few decades, the state, with some exceptions, consistently relaxed state control over the economy, allowing markets and the space for private initiative to grow. Such a relaxation requires the security bureaucracy to ease authoritarian pressure. These organs naturally seek, however, to expand their power and influence. Thus, although there is little empirical evidence to date, the current crackdown may reflect an effort by these institutions to regain their influence and standing as their relative role and importance have decreased due to a relaxation of economic controls.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also given ammunition to those within the state apparatus who wish to see stronger crackdowns on both economic and social misbehavior; likewise, the strict border controls—notwithstanding their disastrous economic results—may partially stem from the security state using the pandemic to further political interests. Whatever the source, this is likely far from the last such campaign under Kim Jong Un’s tenure.
- [1]
I am grateful to Christopher Green and Greg Scarlatoiu for rewarding discussions about the topics covered in this article. All opinions and errors are solely those of the author.
- [2]
See, for example, Donald Grasse, Melissa Pavlik, Hilary Matfess, and Travis B. Curtice, “Opportunistic Repression: Civilian Targeting by the State in Response to COVID-19,” International Security 46, no. 2 (2021): 130–165, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00419.
- [3]
This article relies in large part on reports by news outlets such as Daily NK and Radio Free Asia, who often publish stories based on a small number of sources inside North Korea. While claims by such sources typically cannot be independently verified, it is reasonable to assume that if several reports point to the same phenomena, such as increased arrests for possession of foreign culture, these reports speak of a broader dynamic and not just isolated events. At the same time, the reader should note that much of the data in this article comes from sources that cannot be independently verified.
- [4]
See, for example, ”Kim Jong-un admits North Korea facing a ‘tense’ food shortage,” BBC News, June 17, 2021, accessed October 17, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57507456; and “Kim Jong-un warns of North Korea crisis similar to deadly 90s famine,” BBC News, April 9, 2021, accessed October 17, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56685356.
- [5]
“12th Plenary Meeting of 14th Presidium of DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly Held,” KCNA, December 5, 2020, accessed October 14, 2021.
- [6]
See, for example, Joseph Bermudez Jr., Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda Mortwedt Oh, and Rosa Parks, “North Korea’s Long-term Prison-Labor Facility Kyo-hwa-so No. 8, Sŭngho-ri (승호리) – Update,” Report by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, July 22, 2021; Joseph Bermudez Jr., Greg Scarlatoiu, Amanda Mortwedt Oh, and Rosa Parks, “North Korea’s Long-term Prison-Labor Facility at Sŏnhwa-dong (선화동) – Update,” Report by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, August 26, 2021.
- [7]
I am grateful to Christopher Green for pointing this out and for rewarding discussions about this topic.
14. Fighting North Korean Human Rights Abuses
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea is fighting the good fight.
Here are interviews with Greg Scarlatoiu and me from the evening of the HRNK Gala.
Turning the Tables: Interviewee becomes the Interviewer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJjU_RP5Mk
Insightful View for the Korea End of War Declaration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVpN9MIG1xg
Fighting North Korean Human Rights Abuses – InsideSources
A recurrent theme at a lavish Washington dinner marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea was how great it would be if the committee 20 years from now had outlived its usefulness. By that time, Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director, would hope the conditions that make North Korea the world’s worst violator of the rights of its citizenry would have vanished.
A stellar cast of guests at the dinner, talking live or videotaped, spoke of the suffering of the mass of North Koreans living in poverty under the constant threat of arrest, torture, jailing, and worse, but what to do about it? As a former diplomat in Pyongyang told the gathering, even if you’re not on a tour organized by North Korean authorities, you really cannot go anywhere there without being followed. Someone will always lie in wait to report where you are and what you’re doing,
That system might appear spectacularly foolish and counter-productive, but it shows the power of the ruling elite over all its citizens. South Korean culture has penetrated North Korea thanks to the overwhelming power and appeal of K-pop as well as news and views spread via illicit broadcasts, tapes, DVDs, and even telephone and internet links that operate beneath the radar of the all-seeing security apparatus of the ruling Workers’ Party.
The penalties for discovery, however, are so high and the security so tight that breakthroughs may not be as frequent as hopeful observers would claim. Just as North Korea’s legion of security agents has managed to smother Christianity, so they’ve also largely warded off the invidious influence of anything from South Korea, the U.S.. and elsewhere that might seriously undermine the power of the Kim regime.
A deep irony of the work of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, and other groups such as Save North Korea is there may be less freedom for North Koreans now than before Kim Jong Un’s rise to power after the death of his father Kim Jong Il nearly ten years ago. Kim Jong Un has been far more successful than his father and grandfather, regime founder Kim Il Sung, in closing down escape routes.
By now more than 34,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea while thousands more remain in China, constantly eluding Chinese authorities eager to return them to the clutches of the North Korean system. Fixers, once able to get North Koreans through China by massive bribes and contacts, now seem almost incapable of helping anyone. Kim has ordered the construction of formidable physical barriers blocking access to the Tumen or Yalu river borders with China, and North Korean border guards are afraid to take bribes for looking the other way.
Scarlatoiu noted it’s one thing to expose the long record of abuses in North Korea and quite another to stop them. The UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korea’s appalling assault on basic human rights no doubt provided authoritative information based on exhaustive research, but what difference has it made? Those advocating an end-of-war agreement with North Korea, even a peace treaty, have no trouble dismissing the UN report as propaganda.
North Korean diplomats at the UN Human Rights Council denounce what they regard as falsehoods perpetrated by the North’s enemies. Fred and Cindy Warmbier, whose son Otto suffered through a year and a half in a North Korean prison, only to die soon after he was returned home in a coma, denounced the end-of-war idea with the North as “nonsense,” but what can anyone do about the horrors of North Korean life beyond mere words?
Among the greatest impediments to exposing the North’s human rights record is the policy of the South Korean government, afraid of offending Kim Jong Un while promoting dialog. In that spirit, President Moon Jae-in has stopped defectors from firing balloons laden with leaflets over North Korea.
But how long can North Korea betray its own people, denying rights that are routine in any civilized society?
David Hawk, author of “Hidden Gulag,” a ground-breaking study of the North’s vast prison system, was among those hoping that the Committee on Human Rights in North Korea would not have to exist for another 20 years. It was largely due to the efforts of HRNK that the gulag system was revealed. The organization has contributed mightily to understanding and knowledge of what’s really going on there even if it’s still unable to reverse the trend.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
