Quotes of the Day:
"Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength
to be derived by unity." - Vince Lombardi
"Do not try to do too much with your own hands. Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that
you do it perfectly. It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them.
Actually, also, under the very odd conditions of Arabia, your practical work will not be
as good as, perhaps, you think it is."
- T.E. Lawrence, 27 Articles (1917)
“It is not to political leaders our people must look, but to themselves. Leaders are but individuals, and individuals are imperfect, liable to error and weakness. The strength of the nation will be the strength of the spirit of the whole people.”
- Michael Collins
1. Moon says S. Korea not considering diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
2. South Korea: End to Korean War agreed to in principle
3. US, North Korea, China agree ‘in principle’ on formal end to Korean War, South’s president says
4. Australia and South Korea ink $680 million defense deal
5. Historic billion-dollar defence contract with South Korea amid rising regional tensions
6. In Australia, Moon upgrades bilateral ties, denies challenges to China
7. North Korea's Kim at a critical crossroads a decade into his rule
8. Seoul under growing pressure to join Washington-led economic framework
9. North Korea establishes new system to classify inmates in political prisons
10. S. Korea's intel chief says U.S. vaccine support to N.K. could help revive nuclear talks
11. South Korea Has Long Wanted Nuclear Subs. A New Reactor Could Open a Door.
12. On Otto Warmbier's birthday, his legacy lives on
13. Donald Trump claimed he played Elton John's 'Rocket Man' to North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un, video shows
14. North Korean YouTuber Shared What's Real And What's Not In "Crash Landing On You"
1. Moon says S. Korea not considering diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
“Unstable Armistice Regime?” The Armistice is the single most important agreement that has prevented the resumption of hostilities for the last 67 years. Why is that? Because it is managed by military leaders. Political leaders have failed to enact Para 60 - which called for them to come together within 90 days of the signing to solve the Korea question which is the unnatural division of the peninsula.(they did come together a year later in Geneva but failed to solve the problem). Just saying.
The key words also are "agree in principle." But when are we going to talk about and acknowledge north Korea's "hostile policy." It is the one who has a hostile policy of trying to dominate the entire peninsula and bring it under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
Excerpt:
"The United States, China and North Korea have all expressed their agreement in theory, in principle," Moon said, referring to the end-of-war declaration, which he himself proposed. "However, because North Korea is demanding the fundamental withdrawal of the U.S.' hostile policy toward the North as a precondition, we have not been able to enter talks."
"An end-of-war declaration is not the ultimate goal," Moon noted. "On top of signifying the end of the unstable armistice regime that has continued for nearly 70 years, it can serve as momentum to restart talks between the South, North and the U.S."
(2nd LD) Moon says S. Korea not considering diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with Moon's remarks in paras 9-11)
By Lee Haye-ah
CANBERRA/SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in said Monday that South Korea is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics and has not been asked by any nation to do so.
Moon addressed the issue for the first time after the United States announced last week that it will not send an official delegation to the Olympics in February over concerns about China's human rights abuses.
"The South Korean government is not considering (a boycott)," Moon said at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison after bilateral summit talks in Canberra.
"Regarding a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, we have not been asked by the United States or any other nation to join (the boycott)," he said.
Washington's decision has left Seoul in a delicate position as it seeks to balance its relationship with its biggest ally with its close trading relationship with Beijing.
The boycott also throws cold water on Seoul's hopes to use the Olympics as a venue for inter-Korean reconciliation, as during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and to possibly declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.
"The United States, China and North Korea have all expressed their agreement in theory, in principle," Moon said, referring to the end-of-war declaration, which he himself proposed. "However, because North Korea is demanding the fundamental withdrawal of the U.S.' hostile policy toward the North as a precondition, we have not been able to enter talks."
Moon said his government will work until the end to bring the parties to an agreement. During the war, the U.S. fought alongside South Korea to fend off an invasion by North Korea, which was backed by China. The conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
"An end-of-war declaration is not the ultimate goal," Moon noted. "On top of signifying the end of the unstable armistice regime that has continued for nearly 70 years, it can serve as momentum to restart talks between the South, North and the U.S."
Moon's early diplomatic overtures to the North led to an unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in June 2018, raising hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program.
The talks stalled, however, after a second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi in February 2019 ended without a deal.
During the press conference, Moon made clear his state visit to Australia has nothing to do with Seoul's position on Beijing, despite China's anger over the AUKUS security alliance involving Australia, Britain and the U.S.
"South Korea makes its alliance with the U.S. the foundation of its diplomacy and national security, but in economic terms, its relationship with China is also very important," he said.
"China's constructive efforts are required for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and for North Korea's denuclearization," he continued, adding South Korea is working to maintain both relationships.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. South Korea: End to Korean War agreed to in principle
Yes we all agree that the war should be declared over in principle. And of course we all want peace. But what is preventing it from being done in practical terms? north Korea. The north Korean People's Army remains posture for offensive operations , poised to attack South Korea and KimJong-un continues to develop advanced weapons for two purposes - to support blackmail diplomacy (the use of increased tensions, threats, and provocations to gain political and economic concessions) and for warfighting. The advanced weaponry the regime is building, eot include advanced conventional weapons is only for one other purpose: to attack South Korea and to try to fight and win a war that will result in the regime dominating the peninsula in a desperate attempt to ensure the survival of the Kim family regime. Why is it that we never call out north Korea's hostile policy and instead play right into the north Korea and Chinese propaganda lines of responding to the allegations of a US and ROK/US alliance hostile policy? Our policies are focused on deterring and preventing war and defending the ROK from north Korean aggression (which is what the 1950 UN Security Council resolutions were all about - has north Korean aggression or intent of aggression needed?)
And I would just add that we should not forget this statement:
Five million troops and civilians lost their lives in the conflict.
(on both sides)
South Korea: End to Korean War agreed to in principle
Published
7 hours ago
North and South Korea, the US, and China agree in principle to declare a formal end to the Korean War which ended in an armistice, says the South's President Moon Jae-in.
But talks have yet to begin because of North Korea's demands, he added.
The Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, split the peninsula into two.
North and South Korea have technically been at war ever since - backed by China and the US respectively - and locked in a tense relationship.
Having made engagement with the North a cornerstone of his presidency, Mr Moon has long advocated for a formal declaration to the end of the conflict. But observers believe that it would be very difficult to achieve.
Mr Moon, who is currently visiting Australia, was speaking at a joint press conference in Canberra along with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
What does North Korea want?
North Korea consistently objects to the presence of US troops in South Korea; the joint military drills held every year between the US and South Korea; as well as US-led sanctions against North Korea's weapons programme.
But the US has repeatedly said that North Korea must first abandon its nuclear weapons before any sanctions can be lifted.
On Monday, Mr Moon said that North Korea was continuing to make this demand as a pre-condition to discussions.
"Because of that, we are not able to sit down for a discussion or negotiation on the declaration... we hope the talks will be initiated," he said.
The South Korean leader has previously argued that a formal declaration to end the war would encourage the North to give up its nuclear weapons.
President Moon is running out of time.
He leaves office in March after five years of heartfelt pleas to bring permanent peace to the Korean peninsula.
And yet North Korea remains more cut off than ever. The days of handshakes and promises between Pyongyang and Seoul appear to be over. For now.
Trying to bring an end of war agreement to the table is Moon Jae-in's last hope.
But he faces significant challenges. The United States appears to be less enthusiastic about the idea. The Biden administration seems happy to talk about it and of course no-one wants a permanent state of war on the peninsula. But some believe an agreement would reward Kim Jong-un without getting any guarantees in return.
Those in favour say the agreement is a diplomatic gesture - a starting point to give North Korea security guarantees. Those who oppose it say Pyongyang could use it to demand the withdrawal of 28,500 US troops from South Korea and bring an end to the annual US-South Korea joint military exercises.
North Korean state media has also described the idea as "premature".
There's a bigger problem for President Moon. South Korea did not sign the armistice. This end-of-war agreement is not his gift to give to the history books.
He can keep trying to bring all parties to the table, but getting them all to agree to the details would be the diplomatic equivalent of climbing Everest.
What have the US and China said?
During a press briefing in October, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US "may have somewhat different perspectives on the precise sequence or timing of conditions for different steps" for reaching an agreement on a declaration,
Meanwhile, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported last week that top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi had pledged his country's support for "the push for the end-of-war declaration", citing South Korean diplomats in Beijing.
What happened in the Korean War?
The war began with an incursion across the 38th parallel, the boundary between North and South Korea, by 75,000 troops from the Communist North in June 1950.
American troops supporting the South joined the war in the following months and the North Koreans, supported by China and the USSR, were pushed back.
A bloody stalemate ensued and an armistice was signed between the US and North Korea in July 1953.
Five million troops and civilians lost their lives in the conflict.
3. US, North Korea, China agree ‘in principle’ on formal end to Korean War, South’s president says
President Moon is working his way out of the diplomatic conundrum has caused for himself. In the end he will have to be satisfied with an agreement in principle and the realization that we cannot proceed with an end to war declaration until both sides have a negotiated it and that there is an end to the north Korean hostile policy, e.g., a sufficient reduction in north Korean offensive forces postured along the DMZ that are positioned to attack the South.
And the Ministry of Foriegn Affairs is batting cleanup. Despite the politics among the various political factions in South Korea (and in the US too), the ROK government has no intention of contributing to the withdrawal of US troops or disbanding the UNC.
Excerpt:
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Republicans’ letter and said the declaration has “nothing to do with the U.S. force presence in Korea and the status of the United Nations Command.”
US, North Korea, China agree ‘in principle’ on formal end to Korean War, South’s president says
South Korean President Moon Jae-in visits Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, South Korea, June 13, 2017. (Sean Harp/U.S. Army)
The United States, North Korea and China have agreed “in principle” to declare a formal end to the Korean War, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday.
Speaking during a four-day summit in Canberra Australia, Moon said the countries all support the idea of ending the 1950-53 war, though Pyongyang is still demanding "a prerequisite that the U.S. should fundamentally drop its hostile policy."
“The end-of-war declaration itself is not an ultimate goal," Moon said before adding that he hoped the proclamation would generate "significant dialogue momentum" between the countries.
The Korean War ended with an armistice agreement rather than a peace treaty between China, North Korea and the U.N. Command. The agreement was intended to ensure “a complete cessation of hostilities” and to bring about a “final peaceful settlement.”
Moon alluded to the possibility of including China in four-party talks during a speech before the U.N. General Assembly in September.
Since broaching the subject on the world stage, South Korean diplomats have met with their U.S. and Chinese counterparts to discuss the proposition. Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi responded positively to the idea following a meeting with South Korean national security adviser Suh Hoon, the presidential Blue House said in a statement earlier this month.
The U.S. confirmed it was ironing out the details of an end-of-war declaration in recent weeks. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at a press conference Nov. 17 she was “very satisfied with the consultations … on the best way forward to ensure the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Moon, who will step down in May, has pushed to formally end the Korean War before his term ends. Supporters of the plan to end the decades-long impasse argue that such a declaration would normalize relations with North Korea and jump-start denuclearization talks with the communist regime.
In November, 23 U.S. House lawmakers, all Democrats, in a letter to the White House wrote that “while North Korea’s nuclear weapons continue to pose a threat to peace and security around the world, a forever state of war does not resolve this issue, nor does it serve the national interest of the United States and our allies.”
However, critics argue that a declaration would pander to an unchanging Pyongyang and lead to the withdrawal of the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has long called for full withdrawal of the U.S. troops and has denounced the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which it says is a rehearsal for an invasion of its country.
In a separate letter to the White House, 35 House Republicans said they were “gravely concerned” with the plan, arguing that an “end to hostilities should come at the culmination of comprehensive and long-term talks with North Korea after eliminating its nuclear arsenal and demonstrating verifiable improvements on its human rights record.”
“Opening the door for considering for the removal of U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula before the North has fully denuclearized would have disastrous consequences for U.S. national security, erode our combined deterrence, and jeopardize the lives of tens of millions of Americans, Koreans, and Japanese,” they wrote Dec. 7.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Republicans’ letter and said the declaration has “nothing to do with the U.S. force presence in Korea and the status of the United Nations Command.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
David Choi
4. Australia and South Korea ink $680 million defense deal
Very good news here for two of our key alliance partners.
Australia and South Korea ink $680 million defense deal
The Hill · by Monique Beals · December 12, 2021
Australia and South Korea entered a $680 million dollar defense agreement on Monday, the largest ever between the two countries.
Per the agreement, Hanwha, a South Korean defense company, will provide the Australian army with supplies including artillery weapons, supply vehicles and radars, according to The Associated Press.
“The contract that we have signed today, I think, speaks volumes about what we believe are the capabilities of the Korean defense industry,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, per the wire service.
The contract with Hanwha would create roughly 300 jobs in Australia, the AP reported.
Also, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's trip marked the first time a foreign leader has visited Australia since the pandemic began.
Moon and Morrison agreed to forge a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in addition to working collaboratively on clean energy technology and facilitating the supply of critical minerals, the AP noted.
The contract comes as Australia recently announced it would construct nuclear-powered submarines alongside the U.S. and Britain, a partnership known as AUKUS, which China has staunchly opposed.
"China's preference would have been to break Australia, to drive Australia to its knees," he said.
Since the middle of last year, China has blocked some Australian imports in what is thought to be retaliation for Australia repressing foreign investment and asking questions about COVID-19's origins.
The Hill · by Monique Beals · December 12, 2021
5. Historic billion-dollar defence contract with South Korea amid rising regional tensions
I think this is good for the US. Our alliance structure is strengthened when our alliance partners forge strong bilateral relations as well.
Historic billion-dollar defence contract with South Korea amid rising regional tensions
by defence correspondent Andrew Greene and foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic
Posted 13h ago13 hours ago, updated 8h ago
Australia's Defence Force will make history on Monday as it finalises a billion-dollar weapons contract with South Korea, in what is believed to be this country's largest-ever military deal with an Asian nation.
Key points:
- Australia has finalised a deal with South Korea defence giant Hanwha to build military tools in Geelong
- The $1 billion contract is Australia's largest ever defence contract with an Asian nation
- The contract will create at least 300 jobs, according to the plan first announced in 2019
The historic signing will occur during a four-day visit by South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, the first world leader to come to Australia since COVID-19 border restrictions were introduced last year.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Moon will strike several other agreements when they meet in Canberra, including a new low and zero-emissions technology partnership.
Mr Moon is also expected to secure an agreement to help ensure supplies of Australian critical minerals exports for South Korea's tech sector.
This week's visit, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, will see Australian and Korean ties elevated to the status of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The federal government will use the occasion to formalise a $1 billion contract awarded to South Korean defence giant Hanwha to build 30 self-propelled howitzers and 15 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles for the army in Geelong.
As part of the project first announced during the 2019 federal election, Hanwha will partner with the Commonwealth to create an Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence in the Geelong region in a contract the government believes will create at least 300 jobs.
Hanwha is hoping the president's visit will bolster its bid for a much larger defence prize, a $30 billion contract to build new infantry fighting vehicles for the Australian Army.
Senior government figures believe the president's four-day stopover will send a timely message to regional neighbours, dispelling Chinese Communist Party propaganda that Australia is anti-Asian in its strategic approach.
Bill Paterson, a former diplomat who served as Australia's Ambassador to Seoul until 2016, says Mr Moon has calculated it is worth travelling to strengthen ties, despite possible repercussions from a rising China.
"At the end of his single five-year term and in the midst of the pandemic, it has to be quite important to signal a degree of support and comfort with Australia's membership of the Quad and the AUKUS agreement," he said.
"[The] Koreans have obviously taken a view that they want to send a positive signal to Australia both strategically and economically — and are prepared to take some measure of risk in this."
During their visit, the president and first lady will lay wreaths at the Australian War Memorial and the nearby Australian National Korean War Memorial, commemorating the shared sacrifice of both nations during the Korean War.
Mr Moon will also receive a ceremonial welcome from the Governor-General and in Sydney will meet Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet.
South Korea is Australia's fourth-largest trading partner, receiving over $25 billion worth of goods and services in 2020, including $18 billion worth of iron ore, coal, natural gas and beef.
6. In Australia, Moon upgrades bilateral ties, denies challenges to China
Again, strong bilateral relationships are good for the US and our overall alliance structure.
But South Korea continues to walk the tightrope between China and the community of democracies.
Monday
December 13, 2021
In Australia, Moon upgrades bilateral ties, denies challenges to China
Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison hold a joint press conference after their summit at the Parliament House in Canberra Monday. Moon kicked off a four-day state visit to Australia Sunday. [YONHAP]
Korean President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison upgraded the countries' bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to expand supply chain cooperation in a summit in Canberra Monday.
Moon and Morrison held a joint press conference and announced that the two nations agreed to bolster defense and security cooperation, establish a net-zero emissions technology partnership and work towards securing a stable supply of raw materials and critical minerals.
Korea and Australia "share common values such as democracy, human rights and a market economy," said Moon, as he announced that the two countries elevated bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The two countries mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
Regarding cooperation to stabilize the supply chain, Moon said, "Australia is rich in minerals and Korea is a major global manufacturer of batteries and electric vehicles (EVs). We believe that the two countries will play a vital role in the global supply chain going forward."
However, Moon also said that Korea is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics and has not been asked by any country to do so.
Australia joined the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games last week in protest of China's human rights abuses, along with several other American allies and partners such as Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
Moon kicked off a four-day trip to Australia Sunday, the first foreign leader invited to the country for a state visit since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
He is the first Korean president to pay a state visit to Australia in 12 years.
"Together, we will become the global pacesetters in the international community," Moon told reporters, stressing their role as "major players" in the Asia-Pacific amid challenges such as climate change and supply chain disruptions.
This includes "bolstering strategic cooperation for regional stability, peace and prosperity" in areas such as defense and cyber technology, he said, highlighting Australia inking a major arms deal to purchase K-9 self-propelled howitzers from Korea.
The countries also will continue to work together on health issues and post Covid-19 economic recovery, space cooperation and a digital transformation.
They agreed to cooperate toward 2050 carbon neutrality, signing a memorandum of understanding on zero and low emissions technologies, to boost collaboration in areas including the hydrogen economy, solar energy and expanding eco-friendly cooperation.
Australia is rich in raw materials and critical minerals, including iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas, which are expected to complement Korea's efforts to strengthen its electric vehicle and secondary battery industries and support its energy transition. The two sides will collaborate on areas such as clean hydrogen initiatives and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), an emissions reduction technology.
Morrison also announced a travel bubble arrangement with Korea that will begin Wednesday.
Fully vaccinated Koreans and Japanese will be able to enter Australia without a mandatory isolation period for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and after the country closed its borders in March last year. Morrison said the two countries have low coronavirus death tolls and high vaccination rates.
Morrison noted that some 20,000 Korean students study in Australia every year, and said he also looks forward to welcoming back tourists, business travelers and skilled migrants.
"Our comprehensive strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea is underpinned by our joint commitment to defense and security cooperation," said Morrison.
He stressed the two countries are working together "to build those reliable trusted supply chains in these critical minerals and rare earths that we know will power the new energy economy and the global economy into the future."
"Together, we share a view about the liberal democracies in today's world, and particularly in the Indo-Pacific," said Morrison. He stressed the importance of having the rule of law and for countries in the region to have choices in their economy and peace and security.
He added, "We look in forward in particular, President Moon, to the day that the Korean Peninsula will have peace and security long into the future."
Moon said he explained the Korean government's efforts to advance the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, including the idea of an end-of-war declaration, and that Morrison endorsed Seoul's efforts.
In the joint press conference, Moon said that the United States, China and North Korea agree "in principle" on declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War. While noting Pyongyang has been demanding a withdrawal of Washington's "hostile policy" as a precondition for talks, he said Seoul will work toward enabling the resumption of North-U.S. dialogue "as soon as possible."
He said that "an end-of-war declaration is not in itself the ultimate goal" and signifies "the end of the unstable armistice regime that has continued for nearly 70 years that that on the other hand can also serve as momentum to restart talks between the South, North and the United States." It can also "serve as a starting point from which negotiations on denuclearization and a peace regime can begin in earnest in the future."
Moon indicated that his Australia trip did not signify any intent to alienate China, amid increased pressure on American allies to take a clearer stance on issues amid the intensified Sino-U.S. rivalry.
"The Korean government is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, nor have we have received any request from the United States or any other country to take part," Moon told reporters.
Australia and China have faced deteriorating relations, heightened after the recent establishment of the Aukus trilateral security pact with the United States and Britain. Under this pact, the United States will help Australia build nuclear-powered submarine capabilities. Australia is part of another U.S.-led strategic dialogue with Japan and India, the Quad, also aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Referring to Australia's efforts to build its sovereign defense capability, Morrison said, "Korea is an important partner in that journey, both in our security arrangements, but also in the building of our sovereign capability in defense manufacturing." He likewise stressed the importance of Aukus and Quad.
Addressing a reporter's question on such tensions with China, Moon told reporters, "Australia made an independent decision as a sovereign country, and Korea respects Australia's decision. We also understand that Australia is working for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and does not want regional conflicts, and Korea will work closely with Australia on this."
He stressed that his visit "has nothing to do with our position on China."
"South Korea and Australia share the same values and are very similar from a geopolitical point of view," said Moon. "First of all, the alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of diplomacy and security. But on the other hand, economic relations with China is also very important."
Moon said Korea will continue to "build a strong alliance with the United States" and work to "maintain a harmonious relationship with China."
He added another factor is that "China's constructive efforts are needed for denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula." Moon pointed out that there are inevitably issues of conflict and competition with China.
After the summit, Moon attended a state luncheon hosted by Australian Governor-General David Hurley at his official residence.
He later paid respects at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra and was scheduled to have dinner with war veterans.
Korean President Moon Jae-in, accompanied by first lady Kim Jung-sook, lays a flower wreath at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra Monday, as a part of a four-day state visit to Australia. Australia sent around 17,000 troops to fight alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. [YONHAP]
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
7. North Korea's Kim at a critical crossroads a decade into his rule
Yes this is an inflection point for Kim. Combined with COVID, Kim's decisions are driving conditions that could be worse than the Arduous March of the famiine of 199401996 with no prospect of a bailout from the Sunshine Policy. And as we have discussed Kim's focus on cracking down on markets to control the population is removing the relief valves of the markets that has provided the foundation for the resiliency for the people.
North Korea's Kim at a critical crossroads a decade into his rule
NPR · by The Associated Press · December 13, 2021
In this April 2020 file photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Jong Un, center top, attends a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang. AP
SEOUL, South Korea — Too young. Too weak. Too inexperienced.
Since taking power following his father's sudden death 10 years ago, Kim Jong Un has erased the widespread doubts that greeted his early attempts to extend his family's brutal dynastic grip over North Korea.
Early predictions about a regency, a collective leadership or a military coup were crushed by an estimated hundreds of executions and purges targeting family members and the old guard. That ruthless consolidation of power, together with a larger-than-life personality seemingly made for carefully packaged TV propaganda, has allowed Kim to make clear that his authority is absolute.
But as North Korea's first millennial dictator marks a decade in rule this Friday, he may be facing his toughest moment yet, as crushing sanctions, the pandemic and growing economic trouble converge. If Kim can't uphold his public pledge to develop both nukes and his moribund economy, something many experts see as impossible, it could spell trouble for his long-term rule.
The modest economic growth he achieved for several years through trade and market-oriented reforms was followed by a tightening of international sanctions since 2016, when Kim accelerated his pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles targeting the United States and its Asian allies.
After basking in the global spotlight at summits with former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019, Kim is now stuck at home, grappling with a decaying economy worsened by pandemic-related border closures.
Negotiations with Washington have been deadlocked for more than two years after he failed to win badly needed sanctions relief from Trump. President Joe Biden's administration seems in no hurry to cut a deal unless Kim shows a willingness to wind down his nuclear weapons program, a "treasured sword" he sees as his biggest guarantee of survival.
While still firmly in control, Kim appears increasingly unlikely to achieve his stated goals of simultaneously keeping his nukes and bringing prosperity to his impoverished populace. Kim laid out this goal in his first public speech as leader in early 2012, vowing that North Koreans would "never have to tighten their belts again."
How Kim handles the economy in the coming years could determine the long-term stability of his rule and possibly the future of his family's dynasty, said Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seoul's Ewha Womans University.
"The nuclear weapons program, the economy and the stability of the regime are all interconnected. If the nuclear issue doesn't get resolved, the economy doesn't get better, and that opens the possibility of disquiet and confusion in North Korea's society," Park said.
Kim desperately needs the removal of U.S.-led sanctions to build his economy, which has also been damaged by decades of mismanagement and aggressive military spending.
But meaningful U.S. relief may not come unless Kim takes concrete steps toward denuclearization. Despite his pursuit of summitry, Trump showed no interest in budging on sanctions, which he described as Washington's main leverage over Pyongyang, and it's unclear if Kim will ever see another U.S. president as willing to engage with the North as Trump was.
Their diplomacy fell apart after their second summit in February 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korea's demand for a major removal of sanctions in exchange for dismantling an aging nuclear facility, which would have amounted to a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
The two sides haven't met publicly since a failed follow-up meeting between working-level officials in October of that year. Two months after that Kim vowed at a domestic political conference to further expand his nuclear arsenal in the face of "gangster-like" U.S. pressure, urging his people to stay resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance.
But the global COVID-19 crisis has hampered some of Kim's major economic goals by forcing the country into a self-imposed lockdown that crippled its trade with China, its only major ally and economic lifeline.
South Korea's spy agency recently told lawmakers that North Korea's annual trade with China declined by two-thirds to $185 million through September 2021. North Korean officials are also alarmed by food shortages, soaring goods prices and a lack of medicine and other essential supplies that have accelerated the spread of water-borne diseases like typhoid fever, according to lawmakers briefed by the agency.
Talks with the United States are in limbo. The Biden administration, whose pullout from Afghanistan underscored a broader shift in U.S. focus from counterterrorism and so-called rogue states like North Korea and Iran to confronting China, has not offered much more than open-ended talks.
The North has so far rejected the overture, saying Washington must first abandon its "hostile policy," a term Pyongyang mainly uses to refer to sanctions and U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
"North Korea is not going to surrender its nuclear weapons, no matter what," said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Seoul's Kookmin University. "The only topic they are willing to talk about is not the pipe dream of denuclearization but rather issues related to arms control."
Kim may benefit, however, from the Washington-Beijing confrontation, which increases North Korea's strategic value to China, Lankov said. China is willing to keep North Korea afloat by expanding food, fuel and other aid, and that reduces pressure on Kim to negotiate with the United States.
"Instead of growth, North Korea will have stagnation, but not an acute crisis," Lankov said. "For Kim Jong Un and his elite, it's an acceptable compromise."
North Korea has been taking aggressive steps to reassert greater state control over the economy amid the country's pandemic border closure. This rolls back Kim's earlier reforms, which embraced private investments and allowed more autonomy and market incentives to state enterprises and factories to facilitate domestic production and trade.
There have also been signs that North Korean officials are suppressing the use of U.S. dollars and other foreign currencies in markets, an apparent reflection of worry about depleting foreign currency reserves.
Restoring central control over the economy could also be crucial for mobilizing state resources so that Kim could further expand his nuclear program, which would otherwise be challenging as the economy worsens.
While Kim has suspended the testing of nuclear devices and long-range missiles for three years, he has ramped up testing of shorter-range weapons threatening U.S. allies South Korea and Japan.
"Nukes brought Kim to this mess, but he's maintaining a contradictory policy of further pushing nukes to get out of it," said Go Myong-hyun, a senior analyst at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"The U.S.-led sanctions regime will persist, and a return to a state-controlled economy was never the answer for North Korea in the past and won't be the answer now. At some point, Kim will face a difficult choice over how long he will hold on to his nukes, and that could happen relatively soon," Go added.
NPR · by The Associated Press · December 13, 2021
8. Seoul under growing pressure to join Washington-led economic framework
I would submit one of the most damaging strategic decisions by the US in te 21st Century was withdrawal from the TPP. We sacrificed a lot of economic power and influence. Think about how much better off we would be if we had remained leading the TPP.
Excerpts:
On Monday, the finance ministry said it has officially initiated steps to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as a strategic measure to better deal with the U.S.-Sino power struggle. The U.S. formerly led the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a means to contain China's growing influence, but withdrew from the multilateral framework in 2017, under the former Donald Trump administration. China and Taiwan have also applied to join the CPTPP.
The CPTPP, the successor to the TPP, is a free trade agreement between Canada and 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and South America ― Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The CPTPP would be the one of the world's largest free-trade areas by GDP.
"Korea needs the utmost engagement with both the U.S. and China. With Washington, it needs to maintain a strong defense alliance and with Beijing, solid trade relations," Sejong University professor Kim Dae-jong said. "At the same time, Korea needs to join multilateral frameworks such as the CPTPP to expand its trade territory and gain greater leverage."
Seoul under growing pressure to join Washington-led economic framework
Minster of Trade Yeo Han-koo, left, shakes hands with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai at the Korea-U.S. FTA Joint Committee meeting held at Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Nov. 19. Yonhap By Kim Bo-eun
Washington is ramping up pressure on Seoul and other key allies in Asia to become part of a U.S.-led economic framework it is seeking to set up as a means to combat China's growing influence in the region.
Key officials in charge of U.S. economic policy are making a series of visits to Korea in a bid to ensure the country's participation in the initiative, as Seoul has been caught in the middle of the world's two superpowers while seeking its own best interests.
U.S. Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose Fernandez is on a trip to Tokyo and Seoul this week, and is expected to seek Korea's reaffirmation of its participation in the framework in a meeting with his counterpart Choi Jong-moon, Friday.
The U.S. State Department said last week that the under secretary will discuss collaboration on a positive economic agenda for the Indo-Pacific that increases prosperity for U.S., Japanese and ROK citizens, as well as other people across the region.
Fernandez's visit to Seoul will come a month after U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai visited Seoul, in a trip to allies in Asia that included Japan and India, on essentially the same mission. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also visited Japan, Singapore and Malaysia in a similar timeframe, to introduce the new, U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic framework.
Korea, which relies on the U.S. for defense capabilities while China is its largest trade partner, is seeking to increase its leverage, as Korean companies could face problems if the government chooses to prioritize one market over the other.
Recently, voices have grown urging Korea to reduce its trade dependency on China, after experiencing a supply crunch in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), also called "urea water," which resulted from Beijing cutting exports of a key DEF ingredient.
On Monday, the finance ministry said it has officially initiated steps to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as a strategic measure to better deal with the U.S.-Sino power struggle. The U.S. formerly led the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a means to contain China's growing influence, but withdrew from the multilateral framework in 2017, under the former Donald Trump administration. China and Taiwan have also applied to join the CPTPP.
The CPTPP, the successor to the TPP, is a free trade agreement between Canada and 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and South America ― Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The CPTPP would be the one of the world's largest free-trade areas by GDP.
"Korea needs the utmost engagement with both the U.S. and China. With Washington, it needs to maintain a strong defense alliance and with Beijing, solid trade relations," Sejong University professor Kim Dae-jong said. "At the same time, Korea needs to join multilateral frameworks such as the CPTPP to expand its trade territory and gain greater leverage."
9. North Korea establishes new system to classify inmates in political prisons
Another indication of how important these political prisons are to the regime.
Excerpts:
The source, who is based in North Korea, told Daily NK on Friday that the country established the new prisoner classification system in August. He said 60% of the political prisoners who committed the worst crimes in North Hamgyong Province, Yanggang Province, Chagang Province, and North Pyongan Province are sent to Camp No. 16 in Hwasong.
The source said the authorities have expanded some of the facilities at the Hwasong camp as its prisoner population grows due to the new system.
In a column for Daily NK in September based on analysis of satellite photos from 2019, Global Land Satellite Information Center of Kyungpook National University Deputy Director Jeong Seong-hak said prisoner lodgings and other facilities at the camp had been enlarged.
North Korea establishes new system to classify inmates in political prisons
A satellite photo of Camp No. 16, a prisoner camp in Hwasong, North Hamgyong Province / Image: Google Earth
North Korea has established a new system to classify inmates of its political prisons. A source says 60% of the political prisoners in the Sino-North Korean border region convicted of serious crimes are sent to the political prison camp in Hwasong (Myonggan), North Hamgyong Province.
The source, who is based in North Korea, told Daily NK on Friday that the country established the new prisoner classification system in August. He said 60% of the political prisoners who committed the worst crimes in North Hamgyong Province, Yanggang Province, Chagang Province, and North Pyongan Province are sent to Camp No. 16 in Hwasong.
The source said the authorities have expanded some of the facilities at the Hwasong camp as its prisoner population grows due to the new system.
In a column for Daily NK in September based on analysis of satellite photos from 2019, Global Land Satellite Information Center of Kyungpook National University Deputy Director Jeong Seong-hak said prisoner lodgings and other facilities at the camp had been enlarged.
It appears authorities have enlarged the facility once more since 2019 with the recent influx of prisoners.
Why the prisoners were sent to Hwasong was apparently a factor in the facility’s expansion, too.
The camp may have undergone general systemic changes prior to becoming a dumping ground for the border region’s worst political prisoners, including an expansion of prison management personnel.
However, Daily NK has not learned specifics of the new prisoner classification system, including why it was created in the first place.
Since last year, North Korea has designated those who violate its emergency quarantine law and law to eradicate “reactionary” thought and culture as “defiers of party policy” and “especially serious political criminals,” locking them up in political prison camps.
It is highly likely that this move involves material regarding how to classify people who violate the two recent laws. Some observers also say North Korea may have built a system that separately designates violators of the laws as serious political criminals.
The source said if violators are classified as malicious, they will naturally be sent to a political prison camp run by the Ministry of State Security or some other place with especially bad work and living environments. On the other hand, those convicted of “second-class” crimes would get sent to places a bit better, he said.
Moreover, it appears the new system determines prisoner admission procedures, as well as whether to imprison them along with their families. This suggests that with North Korean authorities recently bolstering guilt-by-association laws, they may be dealing with the new issue of imprisoning children.
Meanwhile, the source said a battalion is guarding Hwasong prison camp. A single battalion is composed of three companies and an attached platoon.
The source said about 50 soldiers make up a company, and that each company has additional communications, railway exchange and line maintenance and prisoner reception units. This means the prison already has a thick layer of surveillance.
Mun Dong Hui is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about his articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
10. S. Korea's intel chief says U.S. vaccine support to N.K. could help revive nuclear talks
The US has been offering COVID assistance to north Korea since MArch 2020 in the previous administration. The ROK, Russia, China, and COVAX have all offered vaccine support, But north Korean has refused the offers.
Yes, the regime is "upset" because it assesses it has not received any benefits for its self imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing. But I wish South Korean officials would not contribute to north Korea's propaganda line but also blaming the US for Kim Jong-un's decision making and continued malign behavior. And Park is conducting public diplomacy with the US by trying to put the US in a position to agree to lifting of sanctions. Park's statements are not helpful.
Excerpts:
South Korea and the U.S. are coordinating humanitarian assistance to North Korea, but the reclusive country has also shunned the overtures for talks, demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its regime.
Park said the North could be discontented about not getting any return for maintaining its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests for the past four years.
"The U.S. expressing interest in some way on lifting sanctions related to the livelihoods of (North Korean) people -- such as refined oil imports, coal and mineral exports and daily necessities imports -- could be a clue to resume talks for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said.
S. Korea's intel chief says U.S. vaccine support to N.K. could help revive nuclear talks | Yonhap News Agency
By Choi Soo-hyang
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's intelligence chief said Monday Washington's possible proposal to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Pyongyang could serve as momentum to bring it back to long-stalled nuclear negotiations.
Park Jie-won, the head of the National Intelligence Service, said holding a meeting itself with North Koreans, let alone a dialogue with them, is difficult amid Pyongyang's strict border controls to stave off the coronavirus but the North cannot indefinitely keep its border closed.
"I believe that if the U.S. rather more audaciously proposes providing its vaccines, momentum could be created to bring North Korea back to talks," he said during a forum in Seoul.
North Korea has imposed a strict border lockdown since last year and claims to be coronavirus-free.
The COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution platform, has assigned around 6.7 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to the North, but Pyongyang remains unresponsive to the proposed vaccine assistance.
South Korea and the U.S. are coordinating humanitarian assistance to North Korea, but the reclusive country has also shunned the overtures for talks, demanding Washington first retract what it calls "double standards" and "hostile policy" against its regime.
Park said the North could be discontented about not getting any return for maintaining its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests for the past four years.
"The U.S. expressing interest in some way on lifting sanctions related to the livelihoods of (North Korean) people -- such as refined oil imports, coal and mineral exports and daily necessities imports -- could be a clue to resume talks for the peace on the Korean Peninsula," he said.
Park again urged Pyongyang to respond to calls for dialogue on issues of mutual interest, including Seoul's push to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, and said the "hostile policy" and "double standards" could be among the agenda items.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
11. South Korea Has Long Wanted Nuclear Subs. A New Reactor Could Open a Door.
I think this vanity project would be a strategic error and simply a waste of resources for South Korea. It does not need a nuclear powered submarine.
South Korea Has Long Wanted Nuclear Subs. A New Reactor Could Open a Door.
The country plans to build a small modular reactor for marine propulsion, raising questions of whether it eventually intends to develop a nuclear submarine despite a U.S. treaty.
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The submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho off the coast of Pohang, South Korea, taking part in a celebration of the nation’s 73rd Armed Forces Day in October 2021.Credit...Yonhap/EPA, via Shutterstock
By
Dec. 13, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
SEOUL — The meeting was low-key, a presentation last month by South Korean officials to about 50 villagers gathered in a community hall on the country’s southeastern coast.
The government, the audience was told, planned to build a test version of a small nuclear reactor at a new atomic research complex — the country’s largest ever — that is under construction in the village of Gampo. The modular reactor, to be completed by 2027, would be similar to those that power seagoing vessels like icebreakers and container ships.
But that may not be the only ambition for this advanced technology. The project, nuclear experts say, could potentially allow South Korea to fulfill a long-held dream of developing a nuclear-powered submarine. It’s something that its most powerful ally, the United States, has opposed for decades.
In September, Australia announced that it would build nuclear-powered submarines with American and British help as the allies seek to balance out China’s growing military power. For South Korea, however, any such partnership has been off-limits for nearly 50 years under the terms of a treaty with Washington that blocks it from using nuclear materials for military purposes.
The Australian defense minister, Peter Dutton, left, at an Australian Navy base in October. Australia plans to build nuclear submarines with U.S. and British help.Credit...Richard Wainwright/EPA, via Shutterstock
President Moon Jae-in’s government has been arguing for removing the prohibition, saying building nuclear submarines is crucial to countering North Korea’s ambitions to do the same. The sense of urgency has grown as the North’s progress has deepened concerns about South Korea’s preparedness. The North has tested a series of submarine-launched ballistic missiles in recent years and announced in January that it was working on a nuclear submarine design.
“There will be no better way of chasing, monitoring and deterring North Korean nuclear submarines than by deploying our own nuclear submarines,” said Moon Keun-sik, a retired navy captain who headed an earlier attempt by South Korea to build nuclear-powered subs. “We cannot depend on the United States to do it for us.”
The South Korean reactor project comes amid growing fears of an arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, driven by the superpower conflict between China and the United States. On Monday, Australia announced a military deal with South Korea that was called the largest ever between Australia and an Asian nation.
Lim Chae-young, who headed the reactor project at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, or KAERI, said that “we are not building it with a submarine in mind.” Still, the reactor’s 70-megawatt output is similar to that of early U.S. submarine reactors and would be enough to power South Korea’s next-generation 4,000-ton submarines, said Bryan Clark, a submarine expert at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
A photograph provided by North Korean state media showing the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, visiting a submarine factory in an undisclosed location in July 2019.Credit...Korean Central News Agency, via Reuters
The country operates 24 nuclear reactors, which produce 29 percent of its electricity. It has also built 21 submarines since the early 1990s. But all these vessels are propelled by batteries charged with diesel engines and must surface frequently to get fuel or air for their engines. Nuclear-powered subs can stay underwater for months at a stretch and can move much faster.
South Korea’s first attempt to develop a nuclear-powered submarine, under a covert task force known as 362 that was launched in 2003, was cut short amid controversy.
Mr. Moon, the retired navy captain, headed the task force. By 2004, it had finished a basic design of a submarine reactor with Russian help, according to Kim Si-hwan, who worked on the project as a researcher at the Korean atomic energy institute.
The institute’s technical cooperation with Russia on small reactors goes as far back as 1995. In its 2017 annual report, OKBM Afrikantov, a Russian company that makes reactors for submarines, icebreakers and floating power plants, reported “continued discussion with KAERI on cooperation under the integral reactor project.”
The covert project was abandoned in 2004 after the discovery that the institute’s scientists had secretly enriched uranium in 2000, dabbling in a technology used to make nuclear weapons.
But South Korea has never abandoned its hopes, with the hurdles long being diplomatic, not technological. In 2016, the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative said that, if an arms race broke out in Asia, “both Japan and South Korea are capable of building nuclear-powered submarines or surface vessels.”
When President Moon was campaigning for office a year later, he declared, “It’s time for us to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.”
Shortly after his inauguration in 2017, he asked Washington to help solve the problem of the 1972 treaty, which South Korea had agreed to in exchange for U.S. help in building a nuclear power industry.
President Donald J. Trump meeting with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea in September 2017.Credit...Tom Brenner/The New York Times
According to Moon Chung-in, a former special adviser to Mr. Moon, President Donald J. Trump made a surprising suggestion: Why didn’t South Korea just buy American nuclear submarines? But Washington never followed up on this, nor did it help South Korea secure nuclear fuel for submarines, because of proliferation concerns.
“Without enriched uranium fuel, South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine, even if it was built, would be nothing but an empty shell,” said Lee Byong-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in South Korea.
Mr. Moon’s office declined to comment.
Last year, the South Korean Defense Ministry said it would build six more submarines, the first three powered by lithium-ion batteries. It didn’t clarify the power source for the other three 4,000-ton submarines. But Kim Hyun-chong, who at the time was a deputy national security adviser for Mr. Moon, said that South Korea’s next generation of submarines would be nuclear-powered.
An Australian Collins-class submarine, front, and the British nuclear-powered attack submarine H.M.S. Astute in Australia in October.Credit...Richard Wainwright/EPA, via Shutterstock
“It could be for commercial or other marine purposes, but it is a very plausible basis for developing a nuclear-powered submarine, and the higher level of enriched fuel is a fairly strong indicator of that possibility,” said Toby Dalton, a co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Not everyone thinks that South Korea needs nuclear-powered submarines.
Mr. Clark, the Hudson Institute expert, said diesel-electric submarines were generally smaller, quieter and less costly than nuclear ones, making them suitable for short-range regional operations, such as patrolling littoral waters around the Korean Peninsula. “Seoul has more important capabilities to spend its money on,” he said.
Lee Jae-myung, the candidate for Mr. Moon’s governing party in the presidential election in March, has yet to announce his stance on the matter. Yoon Suk-yeol, the main opposition candidate, said he would give priority to improving South Korea’s satellite and airborne surveillance against North Korea, rather than investing in a nuclear submarine.
“I don’t think we need it right now,” Mr. Yoon said.
But calls for nuclear subs persist.
“If North Korea builds nuclear submarines, it will be a game-changer,” said Yoon Suk-joon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs. “The best way to deal with them is to have our own nuclear subs lurk near a North Korean submarine base, for months if necessary, and follow them when they come out.”
12. On Otto Warmbier's birthday, his legacy lives on
Let us not forget Otto Warmbier. He is why the US cannot lift the ban on travel to north Korea. The regime has provided no evidence that it will not take hostages and torture and murder Americans in the future. As much as I support people to people engagement in support of information and influence activities campaigns, the regime is a threat to any American who travels to north Korea.
On Otto Warmbier's birthday, his legacy lives on
He would have been 26 on Saturday, but has inspired human rights activists and others to oppose the North Korean regime.
Otto Warmbier would have been 26 years old Saturday.
It has been more than three years since Otto was returned home by North Korea and succumbed to his injuries inflicted at the hands of Kim Jong Un's regime.
Otto was a 22-year-old University of Virginia student from Ohio when he was falsely arrested in North Korea in 2016, while on an youth educational tour of the country. He was imprisoned for just over 18 months and in that time officials say he was tortured, left in a vegetative state with severe brain damage.
He died in a Cincinnati hospital in June 2017, just days after he arrived back home.
In the ensuing years since their son's death, Otto's parents, Cindy and Fred, have been waging a global legal battle against Kim's regime for what happened to their son, and to expose its brutal human rights violations.
In 2018 a federal judge found that the North Korean government was "legally and morally" responsible for Otto's death, and awarded the family $500 million in damages.
"We are committed to holding North Korea accountable for the death of our son Otto," the Warmbiers said, "and will work tirelessly to seize North Korean assets wherever they may be found."
Though it will likely be difficult to recover the bulk of Pyongyang's assets, the Warmbiers have taken their legal quest wherever they can in hopes of nailing Kim's regime.
Earlier this year a German court ordered a North Korean-owned hostel in Berlin to close, saying that the five-story, 109-room hotel was an illegal money maker for Kim's regime. Then U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell joined the Warmbiers to press the government to shut the hostel's doors, denying the North Korean government an estimated $500,000 a year in illicit revenue. The hostel's website acknowledges the closure, citing "the embargo against our landlord."
Otto Warmbier
A North Korean tanker ship that authorities said was illegally transporting coal from North Korea was seized by the U.S. Navy last year as part of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against Pyongyang. The ship, the "Wise Honest," was eventually sold at a sealed auction.
Otto's father Fred spoke virtually to a Tokyo symposium on North Korean abductions for foreign citizens.
"I look forward to working with the Biden administration," Fred Warmbier told Japanese media outlet NHK on Saturday, his son's birthday. "This administration will make a point of standing up to the horrendous human rights violations in North Korea."
President Trump, who has made outreach to Kim Jong Un part of his administration's foreign policy strategy, has also reached out to Otto's family. He is said to have “a deep affection” for the Warmbiers and has praised them as “a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength.”
In 2018, Otto’s parents, along with his brother and sister Austin and Greta, were the president's guests at the State of the Union, where they were given an emotional standing ovation.
Trump said "this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor," and noted that he was sent home "horribly injured and on the verge of death." He said the Warmbiers are “powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world and your strength truly inspires us all.”
Last year the president hosted a private dinner for the Warmbier family, as well as some of Otto's friends, at the White House.
On Otto's birthday, his supporters say they will continue to raise the truth and expose the North Korean regime, all in the name of a young man from the Midwest who they say represented American values in pointed contrast to the dictatorship that took his life.
Ben Evansky contributed to this report.
13. Donald Trump claimed he played Elton John's 'Rocket Man' to North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un, video shows
Any truth to this allegation. I would ask if true then to what end? How do we think this would influence Kim directly or support our diplomatic efforts?
Donald Trump claimed he played Elton John's 'Rocket Man' to North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un, video shows
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Former US President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 in Panmunjom, South Korea.
Dong-A Ilbo via Getty Images/Getty Images)
- Former President Donald Trump said he gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a cassette of Elton John's "Rocketman."
- Trump first nicknamed Kim "Rocketman" on Twitter in 2017, and continued to use the nickname years after.
- The former president was speaking in Sunrise, Florida as part of his four-date "History Tour."
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Former President Donald Trump claimed gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a cassette of Elton John's 1972 hit song "Rocket Man," he said during the first night of his four-date "History Tour."
Speaking to a crowd at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday night, Trump said he presented Kim with the cassette and also a machine to play it on. He didn't specify when exactly this was.
"I made sure the machine wasn't made in South Korea," the former president joked.
—Fla.N8tive (@FN8tive) December 11, 2021
"I played it for him quickly and I said, 'I did you a favor because you love sending rockets all over the place,'" he continued.
Trump told the crowd in Sunrise that he relayed to Kim why he chose the unflattering nickname. "'I called you Rocketman — that was great — because I could see you, I could envisage you, sitting like you sit on a horse, on a saddle, sitting on a rocket flying over Japan,'" he said.
At the time, NBC News said, Pompeo "neither confirmed nor denied" that he'd been ordered to bring the CD.
Trump's anecdote on Saturday appears to be the first time the former president has publicly addressed it.
14. North Korean YouTuber Shared What's Real And What's Not In "Crash Landing On You"
North Korean YouTuber Shared What's Real And What's Not In "Crash Landing On You"
On CLAB Girls‘s YouTube channel, a North Korean defector Kang Nara reviewed the hit K-Drama series Crash Landing On You and shared what’s real about North Korea as shown on the show.
Kang Nara shared that she actually had a chance to advise the Crash Landing On You production team on certain North Korean facts and that about 60% of the show’s portrayal of North Korea is accurate.
I got to help them out last summer. They came to interview me at a cafe. It’s a well made show… I would say about 60% of how North Korea is portrayed in the show is actually accurate.
— Kang Nara
According to Kang Nara, Crash Landing On You has recreated the average North Korean residence quite well. She pointed out that the team perfected the small details, like how the dining table comes without chairs so the family has to sit on the floor to eat.
And the curtains… The richer families in North Korea like to show off their wealth by adding lace curtains to their windows. So that was pretty well portrayed… And the kimchi cave! Since rural North Korea doesn’t get electricity, they don’t have refrigerators. They have kimchi caves where they store kimchi and that was also recreated well.
— Kang Nara
As far as the visuals go, Kang Nara playfully commented that captains like Hyun Bin do not exist in North Korea — to which the viewers had a hilarious reaction:
Okay, but captains like Hyun Bin do not exist in South Korea either.
— YouTube Viewer
However, she shared, the four soldiers look and sound almost natural. Their uniforms are also exactly like the ones actual North Korean soldiers wear, adding to the overall realness of the show.
I don’t know where they learned the North Korean dialect, but they are really good at it. Especially that one soldier Pyo Chi Su has it down to a T.
— Kang Nara
Kang Nara also revealed that North Korean women wear their hair tied, as it gets told in an episode. According to her, North Koreans consider it socially unacceptable.
It’s called saseukke when a woman has her hair down. People will comment on it, like ‘That saseukke of a weirdo’ or whatever. It’s considered unacceptable to have your hair down and wild like this. So everyone wears it in a ponytail. That’s why there is a scene that shows Hyun Bin tying Son Ye Jin’s hair. Yeah… Having your hair down is considered a sign of capitalism and not allowed.
— Kang Nara
And while the production team gets most of the North Korean fashion right, there is a scene in which the character Seo Dan (played by actress Seo Ji Hye) looks gorgeous in a trench coat and knee-high boots. Kang Nara quoted that both are rare in North Korea. In fact, she mentioned, such fashionable boots are not allowed at all.
This fashion is all too sophisticated. To be honest, not a lot of people wear trench coats in North Korea… Oh and those boots. Wearing boots like that is not allowed in North Korea. Those are called walenkki in North Korea. Women must wear their boots under their pants, to make them look like regular shoes. If you wear your walenkki to show like that, you’ll be pulled aside for inspection. So that was a big miss.
— Kang Nara
All in all, Kang Nara believed Crash Landing On You to be one of the best K-Dramas by far to depict North Korea as closely and accurately as possible. It’s no wonder the series is growing extremely popular among viewers!
Watch the full video here:
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15.
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.
