Quotes of the Day:

"Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." 

- Leo Tolstoy

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention." 

- Oscar Wilde

"The man who gets angry at the right things and with the right people, and also in the right way and at the right time and for the right length of time, is commended; so this person will be patient... because a patient person tends to be unperturbed and not carried away by feelings." 

- Aristotle

1. Seoul unification ministry hosts int'l forum on N. Korea's human rights

2. What will US Space Forces Korea do?

3. N. Korea remains world's most repressive authoritarian state: State Dept

4. Yoon commits to big spending on nuclear power development

5. China's envoy calls U.S. 'destroyer of international rules'

6. 'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir

7. Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

8. US, South Korea, Japan consolidate efforts against DPRK nuclear tests

9. A North Korean Rail Yard Near Russia Springs to Life

10. [Herald Interview] S.Korea seeks to localize defense systems to deter N.Korean threats

11. Tale of North Korea’s cyberterrorists: How they break into ‘unhackable’ crypto platforms and cash out

12. Moon sued over North Korea killing as ex-top aides sought by prosecutors

13. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ The Kim regime shifts its food policy, suppressing food sales in markets while creating a state monopoly on the food supply

14. Is South Korea’s booming defence industry here to stay?

15. BTS takes on Kim Jong Un

1. Seoul unification ministry hosts int'l forum on N. Korea's human rights

The ministry is on the move. Later in the afternoon the ministry held a private meeting on assessment of 2022, prospect for 2023 and unification planning. I will participate in another private session today with other ministry officials to again outline my recommendations for a foundation of deterrence and defense with a new strategic focus on an human rights upfront approach, a sophisticated influence campaign, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea. We need to come to the realization that the future is not denuclearization then unification but unification and then denuclearization.

Seoul unification ministry hosts int'l forum on N. Korea's human rights | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · December 14, 2022

SEOUL, Dec. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry on Wednesday held an annual international forum on North Korea's human rights situations in an effort to raise public awareness about the problem.

The 2022 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights opened at a hotel in Seoul, under the theme of major pending issues and future tasks in regard to the North's human rights records. It was moderated by Lee Shin-hwa, South Korea's envoy for the North's human rights.

In his opening remarks, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, Seoul's top point man on Pyongyang, stressed, "Improving the human rights (situations) in North Korea is the most urgent historical task given to us."

He added it is a duty to be rightfully carried out by the South for being of "one blood" and a "partner in a unified future" with the North.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for placing importance on the North Korean human rights issue.

He proposed that the U.N. Security Council hold a public debate session on the matter.

The forum, which has been held every year since 2017, brought together experts from home and abroad, including Robert King, a former U.S. special envoy for North Korea's human rights, and Victor Cha, Korea chair and senior vice president of the Center for Strategic International Studies. King and Cha joined the event via video links.

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · December 14, 2022

2. What will US Space Forces Korea do?

Bruce Bennett and I discuss the new component to USFK.

What will US Space Forces Korea do?

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 14, 2022

A US Space Forces Korea patch is unveiled during the activation ceremony at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday.(Joint Press Corps - Yonhap)

By Ji Da-gyum and Joint Press Corps

The US Space Forces Korea, mainly tasked with operating space-based assets and detecting and tracking missile launches, was officially launched on Wednesday amid escalating missile threats from North Korea.

The US Space Force activated its overseas component field command in South Korea, a subordinate unit to the newly established US Space Forces Indo-Pacific as well as a sub-unified command of the US Forces Korea (USFK).

The US Space Forces Korea (SPACEFOR-KOR) said it will be “tasked with coordinating space operations and services such as missile warning, position navigation and timing, and satellite communications within the region” in its introduction brochure. It will “provide space planning and employment expertise, as well as space command and control to the commander of US Forces Korea.”

“One of the many mission areas the new component will focus on is missile warning operations, which provides in-theater near-real-time detection and warning of ballistic missile launches,” the USFK said in a statement released on the occasion of its activation ceremony.

Held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, the ceremony was attended by the USFK Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, Commander of the US Space Forces Indo-Pacific Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir and the newly-appointed commander of the SPACEFOR-KOR, Lt. Col. Joshua McCullion.

“Today marks the next milestone in our ironclad commitment to strengthening the alliance,” Lt. Col. McCullion said at Osan Air Base, where the SPACEFOR-KOR will be headquartered. “Just 48 miles north of us exists an existential threat that we must be prepared to deter, defend against, and – if required – defeat. US Space Forces Korea as the newest component must be prepared with our guardians to uphold the fight tonight readiness.”

Gen. LaCamera said the activation of the SPACEFOR-KOR enhances the US’ ability to “defend the homelands and ensures peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.”

“Because of US Space Forces Korea, the alliance is better able to execute multi-domain operations in the Korean Theater of Operation.”

The SPACEFOR-KOR has become the sixth component available to the USFK. The activation is a critical step in “normalizing the presentation of space forces” on the Korean Peninsula, the SPACEFOR-KOR said in its statement.

The SPACEFOR-KOR will conduct a “mission analysis” to decide on what capabilities it can offer and how many personnel are needed to fully integrate across the command, Brig. Gen. Mastalir told reporters after the ceremony.

US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera presides over the ceremony activating the US Space Forces Korea held on Wednesday at Osan Air Base in the city of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, 65 kilometers south of Seoul. (Joint Press Corp-Yonhap)

The activation of the SPACEFOR-KOR is a “logical step in reorganizing US military forces after the establishment of the Space Force” in 2019, given that a space detachment from the US Air Force has long been assigned to the US Forces Korea, said David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a retired US Army Special Forces colonel.

Space assets and capabilities are an integral part of the defense plan for Korea as they are for all military commands and defense plans around the world, Maxwell said. They provide critical capabilities across the spectrum of military disciplines such as communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, missile defense and targeting, he added.

“The capabilities that will be employed tomorrow are the same ones that were employed yesterday so there is no radical or immediate change. However, the establishment of the Space Force and its Space Commands/Components will improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of space support to the warfighting commands over time,” Maxwell said.

Echoing this view, Bruce Bennett, a defense researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, explained that the “main function of US Space Forces Korea will be to handle space-based assets — mainly satellites.”

“The satellites collect intelligence, warn of North Korean missile launches, provide communications, monitor ROK/US operations, potentially participate in information operations against North Korea, and in the future providing advanced missile defense. … Again, most of these functions are not new,” Bennett told The Korea Herald, using the acronym of South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

“Satellites can detect ballistic missile launches and send that information directly to the missile defense radars so that they can detect North Korean missiles, coordinate with other radars, and obtain an optimal firing solution for their interceptors. This will reduce the number of North Korean missiles able to penetrate the missile defense.”

Yang Uk, an associate research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies think tank, said the SPACEFOR-KOR would be “responsible for controlling and operating space-based assets and therefore it would play a very critical role monitoring and detecting activities related to North Korea’s missile launches and its nuclear buildup.”

“Strengthening US surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities by launching the component field command is also a step further to enable the US Space Force to operate and function aligning with the ‘4D strategy,’” Yang said.

South Korea and the US have established and developed the so-called “4D Operational Concept” or the “Alliance Comprehensive Counter-Missile Operations,” which is a guideline to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend in case of North Korea’s missile attacks.

In a nutshell, Ankit Panda, a senior fellow in the nuclear program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said, “missile warning and tracking would be an important part” of the SPACEFOR-KOR, which will also “help deepen the scope of alliance activities.”

After the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Mastalir said the conversation between the SPACEFOR-KOR and its South Korean counterpart on enhancing partnership in missile warning and missile defense “should take place in the coming months.”

South Korea’s Air Force in early December launched Space Operations Squadron to strengthen its “capabilities to conduct space operations in practice.” The Air Force said the squadron will cooperate with the US Space Forces Korea to enhance South Korea’s capabilities to carry out combined space operations with its ally.

The SPACEFOR-KOR was also launched around three weeks after the US Space Forces Indo-Pacific – the US Space Force’s first overseas combatant command — was activated on Nov. 22.

“The US Indo-Pacific Command has been trying to step up the Space Force’s activities in Asia more generally to support the Biden administration’s efforts to advance integrated deterrence. This is a broader part of that effort,” Panda said.

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 14, 2022

3. N. Korea remains world's most repressive authoritarian state: State Dept

My first thought was a sarcastic or flippant comment that this is no surprise. But that would be insulting to the 25 million Koreans in the north who suffer ona scale none of us can fathom.

We have heard so many reports like this over the years that we become numb to the tragedy in the north. But we must be reminded and not allow ourselves to become complacent because we have successfully deterred a resumption of hostilities for nearly 7 decades. . And we must take action. Human rights up front approach, an influence campaign, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea are more important than ever and the only way we are going to see a solution to the Korea questions, an end to the nuclear and military threats, and the suffering of the Korean people.

N. Korea remains world's most repressive authoritarian state: State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · December 15, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea continues to be one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the state department, said the U.S. will continue to work with its allies to help improve human rights conditions in the reclusive North.

"As it relates to human rights, we remain very concerned about the human rights situation in the DPRK and the U.S. is committed to placing human rights at the center of our foreign policy," Patel said in a telephonic press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The DPRK is among the most repressive authoritarian states in the world and its human rights situation is deplorable, and we are going to continue to work with the international community to raise awareness, highlight abuses and violations and increase access to independent information and promote respect for human rights in the DPRK," he added.

The state department has kept its post of North Korean human rights envoy vacant for over five years.

Patel said he had no personnel announcements to make when asked, but insisted the current U.S. administration remains deeply engaged in efforts to improve human rights conditions in the North.

"This is something that this administration unequivocally has remained deeply engaged on across a variety of personnel," he said, noting a number of department officials, including U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim, have "remained deeply engaged on the DPRK and the challenges that they pose."

"And so this is something that we are going to continue to pay close attention to and work collaboratively on with our allies and partners," added Patel.

With regard to North Korea's increasingly provocative behavior, the department spokesperson reiterated the need for China, the closest friend and largest trading partner of North Korea, to do more to prevent further escalation.

"The PRC has a responsibility to make clear to the DPRK that Pyongyang should not engage in unlawful nuclear or ballistic missile tests, and we continue to be open to engaging with the PRC to manage the very real threat that is posed by the DPRK," Patel said, referring to China by its official name, the People's Republic of China.

North Korea has launched 63 ballistic missiles this year, a new record that far exceeds its previous annual record of 25.

"Our viewpoint is that we must limit the DPRK's ability to advance unlawful ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction program," said Patel.

bdk@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · December 15, 2022

4. Yoon commits to big spending on nuclear power development

We should not forget that South Korea is a (peaceful) nuclear power. It has far superior technical nuclear capabilities than the north.

Wednesday

December 14, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

Yoon commits to big spending on nuclear power development

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/12/14/business/economy/nuclear-ShinHanul-unit-1-Uljin/20221214154509572.html

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang tours the Shin-Hanul 1 nuclear power plant in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, on Wednesday. The nuclear power plant started commercial operation a week ago. [MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND ENERGY]

Korea is committing 400 billion won ($308 million) a year to the development of small nuclear reactors as it doubles its overall annual spending on nuclear energy to 2 trillion won, according to the president. 

“The government will actively support the nuclear energy industry so it can become a major pillar leading our exports and so that Korea can once again be recognized globally as a major nuclear energy power country,” President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday.

His comments were read by Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang at a ceremony celebrating the commercial operation of Shin-Hanul 1, which began on Dec. 7. The president was unable to attend the ceremony, held at the plant in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, as the country is on alert due to extreme cold weather. 

“The operation of Shin-Hanul 1 is not the end but a new beginning,” Yoon said.

In his speech, Yoon said the nuclear power sector in Korea could have been pushed beyond the point of recovery if the “reckless” nuclear energy policies of President Moon Jae-in had continued. 

“The government since inauguration has abolished the nuclear energy phase out policy pushed excessively by the previous administration in order to establish a reasonable energy policy and normalize nuclear energy policies,” Yoon said in the statement. “We now plan to further accelerate the restoration of the nuclear energy ecosystem.” 

In the efforts to reviving the nuclear energy industry in Korea, Yoon said the construction of the two additional nuclear power plants in Uljin – Shin-Hanul 3 and 4 – will start next month. 

“Nuclear energy will be actively utilized in strengthening energy security and achieving carbon neutrality,” Yoon said. 

The Shin-Hanul 1 took 12 years to build.

The nuclear power plant was initially scheduled to start commercial operation in 2017. Its opening was delayed as the Moon government applied stricter safety regulations following an earthquake in Gyeongju in 2016. 

According to the government, the nuclear power plant is the country’s first in which key components are localized, including the APR1400 reactors, control systems and cooling pumps.

The commercial operation of Shin-Hanul 1 is expected to contribute to stabilizing energy supply during winter this year, with demand expected to be high.  

The reactor is forecast to increase the reserve margin, which is the energy produced in excess of estimated demand, from 11.7 percent to 13.3 percent this winter. 

The latest additional nuclear reactor is also expected to contribute to lowering Korea’s energy import reliance, as the electricity generated from the reactor is equivalent to the import of 1.4 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year. 

It operations could help reduce Korea’s trade deficit by $2.5 billion a year. 

Shin-Hanul 2 is near completion and expected to go online around September next year. 

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]

5. China's envoy calls U.S. 'destroyer of international rules'

Counteraccusations.

Tuesday

December 13, 2022

 dictionary + A - A 

China's envoy calls U.S. 'destroyer of international rules'

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/12/13/national/diplomacy/korea-china-us/20221213190312514.html

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during his virtual meeting with Korean foreign minister in Beijing on Monday. [CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

In a virtual summit with Foreign Minister Park Jin on Monday, China's top envoy called the United States a "destroyer of international rules," according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.  

“The actions of the United States obviously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, including China and South Korea, and once again proved that the United States is precisely the destroyer of international rules, not the builder,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted as saying by the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday, alluding to Washington’s legislation this year ptoecting its semiconductor industry.

The statement was released after Wang spoke with Park over a video call on Monday, their first since they met in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in August. 

U.S.-China rivalry in semiconductors was a main topic of discussion then as well.

Washington passed the Chips Act in July, committing $52.7 billion to investment in semiconductor research, development, manufacturing and workforce development in the country.

The law contributed to attracting a $5 billion investment in Texas from GlobalWafers, a Taiwanese wafer maker that initially considered Germany and Korea, according to an interview with the Wall Street Journal by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in September. 

In another piece of legislation considered protectionist around the world, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed by President Joe Biden in August, grants up to $7,500 in tax credits to buyers of electric vehicles (EVs) assembled in North America.

It prohibits subsidies for purchases of EVs made outside the United States or with batteries made with Chinese minerals or components. 

Korea is concerned about that law because carmakers Hyundai Motors and Kia both make EVs in local plants in Korea.

“All countries should stand up and jointly resist this outdated thinking and unilateral bullying of anti-globalization, and jointly safeguard and practice true multilateralism,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

It wasn’t the first time that the Chinese Foreign Ministry released statements criticizing the United States following ministerial meetings with non-U.S. partners. It did so after a foreign ministerial meeting between China and Netherlands and between China and Turkey this year. 

“The ministry’s statements following the meetings need to be understood in the whole context of the discussion that took place, because it can focus on a certain section more,” a Korean Foreign Ministry official told the press in Seoul on Tuesday. 

The statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday also did not mention a discussion between the two foreign ministers about arranging a visit of President Xi Jinping to Korea, which the Korean Foreign Ministry had highlighted in its description of the meeting.

The last time Xi came to Seoul was in July 2014.

Though the previous Moon Jae-in government made multiple requests for Xi to visit, the Chinese government cited Covid-19 concerns. 

Yoon asked Xi to visit Korea during a meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last month.

“We are continuing our communications with China to make [the visit] happen,” a Foreign Ministry official told the press in Seoul on Tuesday. “For this, both countries must have a need for it, and certain conditions should be met. So the ministerial meeting yesterday was part of that process to creating the right environment.”

In the meeting, Wang stressed that China is willing to “promote the healthy and stable development” of its relations with Korea and work closely together on supply chains and other regional issues, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]

6. 'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir

​I have not read the former VP Pence's memoir. I was not planning on it but now I may have to read it (at least for the Korea insights)

'Maximum pressure had worked': Pence's memoir

The Korea Times · December 14, 2022

Kim Yo-jong, top right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, sits behind U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, bottom left, as they watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, in this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo. Yonhap

Ex-US VP and son of Korean War veteran believes 'fire and fury' forced Kim to ask for talks

By Jung Min-ho

North Korea had long been the master of its own game: The regime knew exactly how to get what it wanted through war threats while suggesting it would give up its nuclear weapons while seeming to have no intention of actually doing so.

However, when the Trump administration reacted differently to Pyongyang's renewed bombast and threats with far more serious and realistic consequences involving the world's most powerful military, the North was clearly "shaken" and started seeking negotiations, according to the memoir of former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

"Applying maximum pressure had worked. President Trump's willingness to answer threats with counter-threats of 'fire and fury' had worked," Pence, 63, said in the book, "So Help Me God," published last month. "Kim Jong-un came to the negotiating table and never returned to the missile-testing and nuclear threats while we were in office."

In the 500-page book, which traces his life in politics, Pence, the son of a Korean War (1950-53) veteran, recounts the administration's effort to deal with threats from the North, which was conducting a series of missile tests during his early months in office.

Military tensions reached a peak when North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test on Sept. 3, 2017. It came just a month after Trump's warning that, with further threats, the North "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." Asked whether the U.S. government would take military action later, Trump said, "We'll see."

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence signs copies of his new memoir, "So Help Me God," at Garden Sanctuary Church of God in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the U.S. Dec. 6. AP-Yonhap

Both Trump and Pence were determined not to back down and North Korea might have felt it. North Korea suddenly appeared to try to ease the tension it helped create, Pence recalled. South Korea was going to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang soon, with former President Moon Jae-in eager to make it a "peace Olympics." Pence became increasingly sure of Trump's way of dealing with North Korea.

"Sometimes the most reasonable thing is to be unreasonable … It was clear, though, by his willingness to talk with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, that Kim was rattled by Trump. For years his family had played the U.S. and world leaders perfectly," he said. "Now there was an unpredictable U.S. president, and the North Koreans were worried … When President Trump spoke to our global adversaries, he wasn't afraid to talk trash or make threats, but I always had the impression that it was because he understood who he was dealing with. I think he intuitively knew how to make his point in a way they would understand."

Pence also revealed that he was uncomfortable with Moon's attempt to arrange PR stunts. Pence was worried it would politically benefit North Korea and said that was the reason he deliberately went to the VIP banquet later than scheduled.

"As choreographed by Moon, both the North Koreans and I were at the head table. A group photograph was arranged at the outset of the banquet. Both [Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe and I arrived intentionally late and didn't participate," he said. "It was evident that he [Moon] wanted to politely force a meeting between [North Korea's] Kim Yong-nam and me. That would have been a huge symbolic victory for North Korea. No chance. Moon walked Abe and me and our wives into the banquet hall, guiding us toward Kim. I kept my distance, though, shook hands with every other leader in the room, and then walked out the door."

Pence said the North Korean government was making back-channel overtures to him about having a meeting there. But two hours before a meeting with North Korean officials was set to be held, it was canceled probably because of his refusal to engage with Kim Yo-jong in front of the media's cameras, which possibly "irritated" her brother and North Korean leader Kim.

However, eventually, Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Trump through the South Korean delegation. Kim wanted to speak face-to-face with Trump and, as a precondition of the dialogue, he offered to suspend North Korea's missile tests and nuclear program.

"It was proof that the North Koreans had been shaken. From punishing sanctions to Trump's tough, even shocking talk of 'fire and fury' to our strong posture during the Olympics, the administration had exerted maximum pressure on the Hermit Kingdom, and its leaders were unsure how to react," Pence said. "Weakness arouses evil … Our administration created a pathway for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The Korea Times · December 14, 2022

7. Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

The Chinese are throwing out the blame card an awful lot.

What about China's "own goals" or shooting itself in the foot with its own action?

Chinese envoy blames Korean media for China-bashing

The Korea Times · December 14, 2022

China's Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming speaks at a press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties at the Press Center, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap 

Korean journalists attribute 'THAAD revenge' to growing anti-Beijing sentiment

By Jung Min-ho

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming blamed the Korean media for creating anti-China sentiment among the Korean public, claiming that some media outlets are using China coverage as click bait.

The Chinese envoy's remarks show that there is a striking gap between Korea and China in their perceptions of the reason behind the growing anti-China sentiment in Korea as Koreans believe Beijing's retaliatory measures following the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) has been at the center of Koreans' negative perceptions of China.

At Wednesday's press forum on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Xing voiced concerns that Koreans increasingly perceive his country negatively, saying the media's unfavorable coverage has been "one of the causes."

"I hope you (journalists) will show the truthful and warm side of China, which would help the Korean people understand China and Chinese people objectively and rationally," Xing said at the event co-hosted by the Korea Press Foundation and the Chinese Embassy. "Some media outlets tend to focus on covering negative information to draw attention and get clicks. This would affect the public opinion negatively."

He made the remarks as the Chinese government is still enforcing its unofficial ban on the import of Korean cultural content and many other products such as video games. Known as the "THAAD revenge," the unofficial ban was Beijing's response to Seoul's decision to deploy the U.S. missile defense system in its territory in 2017.

Korean journalists disagreed with the Chinese envoy's view.

They said, although the media may have played some role in shaping the negative image of China, the fundamental responsibility falls on those who decided to take retaliatory action.

"Unless we address the THAAD revenge issue, we cannot explain or resolve China's negative image problem," Park Min-hee, an editorial writer at the Hankyoreh, a Korean liberal daily, said.

According to a survey this year by the Pew Research Center, a U.S. think tank, unfavorable views of China among Koreans have increased substantially over the last several years to hit a historic high of 80 percent.

Unfavorable views of China among Koreans stood at only 31 percent in a 2002 survey by the same organization. But the figure increased steadily before hovering at around 50 percent for some time and then surging to 61 percent in 2017, the year the THAAD revenge began.

In another poll conducted on people in their 20s and 30s by the Dong-a Ilbo, a conservative daily, 78.8 percent of the respondents said they view China negatively. When asked for the reasons, 52.9 percent picked the Chinese government's "overbearing diplomacy and attitude."

"Many Chinese I have met share the view that external factors (meaning the U.S.-led West) and the media are largely responsible for negatively affecting relations between the two countries. I disagree," Yoon Wan-joon, the Dong-a's international news desk editor, said.

As is the case in China, the Korean government makes diplomatic decisions by considering various factors comprehensively, Yoon said. Besides, unlike the Chinese media, Korean journalists tend to focus on criticizing those in power as they should, he added.

None of the Chinese journalists who participated in the discussion mentioned anything about the THAAD issue.

All participants agreed, however, that the two countries need to cooperate to improve their relations and more exchanges between young people would be the key. Chinese journalists also expressed hopes that more cultural exchanges will lead to a healthier, more constructive relationship between the two countries.

Buffeted by the global coronavirus pandemic and geopolitical issues ― particularly growing security threats from Pyongyang ― neither country has been in the mood to celebrate the diplomatically meaningful year so far.

But earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Korea and China held a virtual meeting where they agreed to strengthen bilateral diplomatic ties through "high-level exchanges," including a possible visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, Xing said nothing has been determined yet about the next summit. When asked whether Xi would visit Korea, given that a Korean president visited China for the previous summit, the ambassador said there is no particular order.

The Korea Times · December 14, 2022

8. US, South Korea, Japan consolidate efforts against DPRK nuclear tests

Important trilateral cooperation and a cyber initiative. We cannot stop the nuclear program but we can (and must) crush the regime's cyber capabilities.

US, South Korea, Japan consolidate efforts against DPRK nuclear tests

Unlawful development of weapons along with Pyongyang’s malicious cyber programs are global concern, envoy says.

By Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata for BenarNews

2022.12.13

Jakarta

rfa.org

Envoys of the United States, South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday to consolidate efforts to ensure that North Korea does not dodge U.N. and other international sanctions as it pursues a nuclear and missile program, the officials said.

Senior diplomats from the three allied nations met in Jakarta in the wake of missile launches by North Korean this year, including the firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that came down in Japanese waters a few weeks ago.

At their fifth trilateral meeting on Tuesday, the Japanese envoy said the three countries would also be more vigilant against North Korea’s cyber threats given its intensified malicious activities in cyberspace.

“Pyongyang’s behavior this year has proven yet again that the DPRK represents one of the most serious security challenges in the region and beyond,” said Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea Policy, using an acronym for North Korea’s proper name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Sung Kim, who also serves as American ambassador to Indonesia, hosted his South Korean and Japanese counterparts at the embassy in Jakarta.

Their meeting followed a summit of the U.S. South Korean and Japanese leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit and other international meetings in Phnom Penh in November.

Sung Kim said the threat from North Korea was not only a concern for East Asia or the United States, but a global issue because of Pyongyang’s ongoing unlawful development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, its malicious cyber programs and its violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overlooked his people’s hardships and wasted scarce resources to advance the nation’s nuclear weapons program, said Kim Gunn, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs.

“Pyongyang’s pursuit of nuclear weapons achieved nothing. It has only undermined its own security, prolonged diplomatic isolation and ruined its economy. It is truly regrettable,” the South Korean envoy said, adding that the international community would “not in a million years” drop its decades-long goal of North Korea’s denuclearization.

He also said he hoped China would continue to have a constructive role in pushing North Korea to downgrade its nuclear weapons program.

Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali last month, U.S. President Joe Biden said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Beijing had an obligation to tell North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons testing.

'More vigilant'

During Tuesday’s meeting, Japanese envoy Funakoshi Takehiro said his nation would deepen cooperation at the United Nations and among like-minded countries, while raising concerns about the increased use of vetoes this year against draft U.N. Security Council resolutions related to North Korea.

“In this regard, we will be more vigilant against North Korea’s cyber threats, given its intensified malicious activities in cyberspace,” said Funakoshi, who serves as director general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier this year, China and Russia vetoed a strongly backed U.S. resolution that would have imposed tough new sanctions on North Korea, causing the U.N. Security Council effort to fail, according to media reports.

North Korea has faced nearly a dozen U.N. sanctions imposed over its nuclear and missile tests since 2006.

Japan will examine all options including potential counter strikes, in the wake of North Korea’s escalated missile launches this year, which Funakoshi described as unprecedented.

North Korea’s provocations included the firing of an ICBM that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone on Nov. 18. Japanese officials said its range could exceed 15,000 km (9,300 miles), which would cover the entire U.S. mainland.

Three days later, the U.N. Security Council failed to take unified action over the latest test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea.

Despite the threat, Japan said it remains open to dialogue with North Korea.

“Our commitment to the denuclearization will remain unwavering. North Korea will never be recognized as a nuclear state,” Funakoshi said.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.

rfa.org

9. A North Korean Rail Yard Near Russia Springs to Life

Trade with Russia coming? Activating the rail network to transport north Korean weapons and ammunition to Russia for use in Ukraine?

Images at the link.

A North Korean Rail Yard Near Russia Springs to Life

https://www.38north.org/2022/12/a-north-korean-rail-yard-near-russia-springs-to-life/

• BY: MARTYN WILLIAMS AND PETER MAKOWSKY
• DECEMBER 12, 2022

Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates goods have been delivered from Russia into North Korea’s heavily secured railway yard at Tumangang. In late November and early December, unloaded cargo has been observed sitting alongside trains at least twice. This activity comes about a month after the first train was observed crossing the bridge between the two countries in several years.

North Korea announced in September that it would resume rail traffic with Russia, which had been suspended for almost three years due to the pandemic. Based on this recent activity, trade between the two countries has resumed. The expanded freight handling area at Tumangang also indicates that the North anticipates an increased volume of goods compared to pre-COVID years and could become a more important partner in the future.

Figure 1. Overview of the Tumangang area on December 8, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Train 1

On November 29, an eight-car train (train 1) attached to a locomotive appears at the Khasan Station, which is the final Russian station before the North Korean border. Behind the locomotive, train 1 appears to have two grey-colored cars, two red cars, two more grey cars, a slightly lighter-colored grey car and a final brown car.

Figure 2. Train 1 visible at Khasan Station on November 29, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

A day later, on November 30, satellite imagery captures the same train inside the secure rail yard in Tumangang, North Korea. The same distinctive arrangement of rail cars remains, but the locomotive has departed.

Figure 3. Train 1 inside the secure rail yard in Tumangang on November 30, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

The next morning, on December 1, the train has moved to the tracks adjacent to the rail yard, and the cars have been slightly reshuffled. What were the westernmost two cars are now on the eastern end of the train. The other six cars remain in the same order.

Figure 4. Train 1 moved to tracks adjacent to rail yard on December 1, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com. 

In the rail yard, five piles of goods are visible in an image taken at 10:36 a.m. (0136 UTC). A subsequent image taken at 2:27 p.m. (0527 UTC) shows the piles of goods are slightly smaller, which indicates they are being removed and suggests they were delivered by the train.

The eight railcars remain in position until at least the morning of December 3, and sometime between then and the morning of December 4, they are moved, and train 1 appears once again at Khasan Station in Russia.

Figure 5. Train 1 at Khasan Station on December 4, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com. 

Train 2

On the morning of December 4 at 10:23 a.m. (0123 UTC), four new piles of goods can be seen in the rail yard at Tumangang. A second image taken at 2:14 p.m. (0514 UTC) shows the four piles still in place and four rail cars (train 2) parked on adjacent tracks.

Figure 6. New piles of goods and train 2 visible at Tumangang on December 4, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

The same four rail cars are visible in Khasan Station on the afternoon of December 3 but are gone by the morning of December 4. In the 10:23 a.m. (0123 UTC) image, they do not appear to be in either Khasan or Tumangang, leaving a mystery as to their whereabouts between the afternoon of December 3 and their reappearance in Tumangang in the 2:14 p.m. (0514 UTC) image on December 4.

Figure 7. Train 2 visible at Khasan Station on December 3, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com. 

Train 3

On the morning of December 5, the goods are gone, but train 2 is still in place. It has remained in the same position through the most recent image on the morning of December 8. On that day, several additional rail cars (train 3) appeared alongside it.

Figure 8. Train 2 and train 3 alongside one another at rail yard on December 8, 2022. 

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Train 3 also appears to have entered North Korea from Russia. Rail cars in the same colors and order are visible at Khasan Station in an image from the afternoon of December 7.

Figure 9. Train 3 at Khasan Station on December 7, 2022.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com. 

Tumangang Rail Yard

The secure rail yard was constructed in the second half of 2021. In the same year, the Uiju Airfield on the opposite side of the country was converted into a massive quarantine station for goods from China. It had been assumed that the expansion at Tumangang was for the same reason, albeit on a smaller scale.

The rail yard is surrounded by fencing, and on the outside of the fencing, there are guard huts every 50 meters. Inside the secure area, there is a second layer of fencing around the two main areas of the rail yard and additional guard huts.

It is unclear whether the high security is due to the commodities passing through the facility or because of its proximity to the North Korean border. The facility sits about one kilometer from the Tumangang Friendship Bridge (Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge) railway crossing into Russia, and anyone managing to hide away on one of the trains would only have to endure a short ride until there were in Russia.

Figure 10. Overview of the Tumangang Rail Yard.

Image © 2022 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Conclusion

Based on our observations, it appears the resumption of trade between Russia and North Korea is well underway.

North Korea has also resumed trade with China by rail from Dandong into Sinuiju on the other side of the country. A massive quarantine center has been set up there where goods wait several months before leaving for the rest of the country.

Such a large quarantine area has not been set up in Tumangang, which suggests that the Russian border crossing is unlikely to receive as much cargo as the Chinese rail brings in, but it is another sign of North Korea’s slow opening up to the world as the COVID-19 pandemic lessens.

10. [Herald Interview] S.Korea seeks to localize defense systems to deter N.Korean threats

The development of independent warfighting capabilities.

[Herald Interview] S.Korea seeks to localize defense systems to deter N.Korean threats

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 13, 2022

Minister of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Eom Dong-hwan (Photo courtesy of DAPA)

South Korea is developing homegrown combat weapons, defense and surveillance systems to enhance the military’s deterrence and readiness posture against mounting and persisting North Korean threats, the head of South Korea’s state arms procurement agency told The Korea Herald.

The expeditious completion of the homegrown three-axis defense system — which consists of the Kill Chain preemptive strike mechanism, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) — is essential to that end, he said.

“The government plans to push ahead with 250 discrete tasks, including the development of weapons systems and defense technologies, next year to secure capabilities for the indigenous three-axis defense system to strengthen the South Korean military’s capabilities to counter escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” Eom Dong-hwan, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), said in an interview.

South Korea has specifically sought to build a multilayered missile defense shield to complete the KAMD as North Korea has developed more survivable and maneuverable ballistic missiles, including KN-23, KN-24, and KN-25 short-range ballistic missiles, to penetrate and incapacitate missile defenses.

US-made Patriot missile interceptors and homegrown Cheongung II missiles — which have been deployed in South Korea — can engage incoming ballistic missiles at altitudes up to 40 kilometers. The US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system provides the upper tier of a multilayered missile defense system and is capable of intercepting missiles at altitudes of 40-150 km in their terminal phase.

But South Korea has particularly strived to build up homegrown middle and upper-tier missile defenses — which have not yet developed — against mounting North Korean missile threats.

“The long-range surface-to-air missile, L-SAM, is a weapon system that intends to intercept missiles at higher altitudes than the Cheongung II, and we have been conducting flight tests of guided missiles and missile interception tests aiming to complete system development by 2024,” Eom said.

“Our goal is to mass produce and deploy the L-SAM within two to three years after system development is completed in 2024.”

The L-SAM has been developed to shoot down hostile missiles at altitudes between 50 and 60 km, and then South Korea plans to upgrade the L-SAM to the L-SAM 2.

“A pilot research on the L-SAM 2 has been underway,” Eom said. “If a series of the L-SAM (1 and 2) is deployed, we expect multilayered missile defense systems in the South Korean airspace will be further strengthened.”

South Korea also seeks to precipitate the deployment of the Low Altitude Missile Defense (LAMD) system, which is analogous to Israel’s “Iron Dome” interceptor, in the capital and densely populated areas. The plan aims to counter threats posed by North Korea’s artillery and multiple rocket launchers.

“We’ve carried out policy tasks including expeditious deployment of the long-range artillery interception system in order to strengthen the South Korean military’s system to counter threats posed by North Korea’s long-range artillery to the capital area,” Eom said.

“The government has put efforts to reduce the time required to develop and deploy long-range artillery interceptor systems by minimizing administrative lead time and securing core technologies in advance before starting research and development in earnest.”

South Korea commenced “exploratory development” of long-range artillery interceptor systems this year.

South Korea launches a homegrown solid-fuel space rocket for the first time on March 30 at a testing site of the Agency for Defense Development located in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. (Ministry of National Defense)

Eyes, ears on battlefield

Eom underscored the importance of South Korea’s efforts to domestically secure “cutting-edge military technologies” to complete the homegrown three-axis defense system.

South Korea has pursued locally developing technologies for “surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control which is yet insufficient” to build the Kill Chain system, according to Eom.

Locally developing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities is essential to complete the Kill Chain system.

The Kill Chain — which is the first axis of South Korea’s homegrown three-pronged defense system — intends to detect, locate and select enemy targets for action. The system therefore enables South Korea to conduct a preemptive attack against the enemy in case of contingency scenarios.

“We also endeavor to develop independent ISR capabilities in multiple domains from space to ground,” Eom said, admitting South Korea’s high dependence on the US’ ISR assets.

“In space, a project to develop military reconnaissance satellites (the 425 project) — which is the core of the Kill Chain system — has been underway without a hitch. If satellites are deployed by 2025 after conducting tests and evaluations beginning from 2023, it will contribute to improving our military’s independent surveilling capabilities.”

In the air, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (HUAVs), airborne early warning and control aircraft and Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft have been deployed and monitored the entire Korean Peninsula.

Eom said South Korea is set to mass produce homegrown medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs). Testing and evaluation of the reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle-II to be operated by corps-level units have been in progress.

On the ground, South Korea has operated Green Pine anti-ballistic missile radars to detect and track ballistic missiles while “researching and developing a project to replace imported, obsolete long-range radars.”

South Korea plans to begin to deploy first locally developed long-range radars from 2026, according to Eom.

South Korea’s long-range radars will monitor and detect targets including aircraft in the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) and send data to the Air Force’s Master Control and Reporting Center for air defense. At the MCRC, the Air Force monitors the South and North Korean airspace around the clock and controls and commands all aircraft flying over the Korean Peninsula as well as air defense assets.

In addition, South Korea plans to commence the development of a microsatellite system this December and put dozens of microsatellites in clusters into orbit by 2030.

Eom underlined that the interconnected operation of military spy satellites and ultrasmall satellite constellations will reduce revisit times for satellites, which is the time interval between observations of the same location on Earth by satellites.

“South Korea’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities will be improved if the country can shorten revisit times over the Korean Peninsula by operating high-performance military reconnaissance satellites and microsatellite systems in a complementary manner.”

Eom explained that the DAPA has actively pushed forward various projects, including the 425 project and long-range artillery interception system, to “localize defense and combat systems, setting the goal of localization rate in producing components of each defense project is higher than 70 to 90 percent.”

South Korea’s first homegrown KF-21 fighter takes off for its inaugural test flight Tuesday afternoon at the base of South Korea’s Air Force 3rd Training Wing in the city of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.(DAPA)

KF-21 exports

The DAPA head also stressed that South Korea’s first homegrown KF-21 fighter aircraft will “fill the security vacuum by replacing long-running fighter jets and contribute to defending territorial airspace and national security.”

South Korea in July began a long journey of 2,200 test flights that will run until 2026. Around 120 KF-21 fighter jets will be deployed to South Korean Air Force bases by 2032.

A 4.5th-generation KF-21 Boramae aircraft – which has very low observability compared to a fourth-generation fighter — will be assessed as cut out for the future battlefield, Eom explained, underscoring that KF-21 fighter aircraft will be utilized as the “core combat power of South Korea’s Air Force.”

Eom said South Korea is able to refurbish and upgrade domestic-made KF-21 fighter jets at discretion with proprietary technology, playing up to one of the advantages of domestically developing combat fighter aircraft.

South Korea has been running up against certain limitations when it seeks to upgrade imported foreign fighter jets to meet the military’s needs or arm imported fighter jets with domestically produced weapons. Such a process requires permission from a manufacturing country.

“However, locally developed KF-21 aircraft will enable the development of its derivatives and localization of aircraft equipment and weapons to meet operational needs,” Eom said, adding that KF-21 fighter aircraft can be utilized as a part of a manned-unmanned-teaming (MUM-T) system should South Korea develop unmanned fighter aircraft.

South Korea’s KF-21 will also gain a competitive edge against European rivals in the cut-throat global fighter aircraft market, Eom said.

South Korea is bullish on the potential for exporting KF-21 fighter aircraft.

“KF-21 fighter jet is expected to be competitive against Europe-produced aircraft in terms of aircraft acquisition cost, efficiency of aircraft maintenance and operations and operations and maintenance costs,” Eom said. The operational lifespan of a fighter jet is usually several decades.

South Korea has also gained worldwide recognition for its technology through continuing exports of FA-50 light attack aircraft and T-50 advanced supersonic jet trainers.

“We expect that KF-21 fighter aircraft will have export competitiveness in countries which plan to operate fourth or 4.5th-generation fighter jets instead of fifth-generation fighters as well as countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that have operated FA/T-50 aircraft,” Eom said.

“The competitiveness of KF-21 aircraft will be further enhanced in the export market if we develop its ability to operate weapons by continuously developing domestic aircraft weapons and pursuing system integration as well as reduce costs in mass production by increasing production of aircraft.”

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 13, 2022

11. Tale of North Korea’s cyberterrorists: How they break into ‘unhackable’ crypto platforms and cash out

We really need to a cyber campaign targeting north Korea - to attack the full range of north Korean cyber capabilities. Let's take the gloves off NSA and CYBERCOM and let slip the cyber dogs of war. When we crush the regime's capabilities it might have an effect on other malign cyber actors.

Tale of North Korea’s cyberterrorists: How they break into ‘unhackable’ crypto platforms and cash out

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 12, 2022

(123rf)

This is the second installment of a three-part series shedding light on North Korea’s cryptocurrency thefts and their links to the hermit regime’s nuclear ambitions. -- Ed.

Early this year, a senior engineer at Axie Infinity, a Vietnamese company that runs a popular blockchain-based play-to-earn game, was encouraged to apply for a lucrative job through LinkedIn.

But after the engineer opened a document file with a job offer letter, the network of the Ronin bridge, a platform created by Axie Infinity to transfer cryptocurrencies, was suddenly compromised. Spyware planted in the file enabled hackers to infiltrate the Ronin network and steal cryptocurrencies valued at $625 million in March.

While it may sound like fiction, that is just how the Lazarus Group penetrated Ronin bridge’s IT infrastructure and hacked validator private keys to steal cryptocurrencies. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation in April confirmed that the Lazarus Group is responsible for one of the biggest cryptocurrency heists of all time.

Lazarus Group is an army of North Korean state-sponsored hackers trained for life to pilfer illegal assets to fund the heavily sanctioned regime’s nuclear ambitions that keep leader Kim Jong-un in power. The $625 million the hackers stole from the Ronin bridge was equivalent to how much it cost Pyongyang to launch 31 ballistic missiles in the first half of this year, according to Seoul.

The Axie Infinity case is only the tip of the iceberg in regard to North Korea’s decadeslong history of financial crime. They no longer steal from banks, but now break into cyberspace by manipulating people and stealing money from online financial systems with sophisticated technological know-how.

Millie Kim, a researcher with the North Korea Cyber Working Group, an initiative of the Korea Project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said, “North Korean state-sponsored hackers are adept at tracking developments in the crypto space, especially when it comes to identifying vulnerabilities in the latest blockchain technologies.”

“Part of this has to do with open access to online information, and another part is the strategic placement of overseas workers in IT and cryptocurrency firms to transfer specialized knowledge to hackers,” Kim said.

“Talent cultivation and training of cyber agents at state institutions and other foreign countries provide another crucial means through which North Korea can experience and obtain information about rapidly evolving blockchain technology.”

North Korean state-sponsored cryptocurrency theft is generally categorized into three phases: illegally accessing a network or obtaining prohibited information, laundering ill-gotten cryptocurrencies, and cashing out ill-gotten crypto assets. (The Korea Herald)

For instance, the BlueNoroff hacking group -- a subgroup of Lazarus Group -- “have sophisticated methodologies to infiltrate the victim’s machine and steal the cryptocurrency,” Park Seong-su, lead security researcher of Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team said, adding that “their tactics keep evolving.”

Park said the “BlueNoroff group contacted the victim through social media to get trust” and then “deliver sophisticated malware with multistage infection stages.” Next, North Korean hackers “collect the victim’s general information and monitor how the victim handles cryptocurrency for a sufficient period.”

In general, North Korean cybercriminals “gather organizational information, identify vulnerable individuals and weakness in infrastructure and analyze the behavior of their targets” before deploying advanced social engineering tactics, according to a Chainalysis report carried in the midterm report of the Panel of Experts issued this September.

In addition, the Lazarus Group-affiliated cyberthreat actors have mastered and refined techniques of creating fake personas, establishing fictitious businesses and carefully curating digital identities to “communicate with and gain the trust of their targets.”

North Korean threat actors have created “fake-yet-legitimate-looking accounts” on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter, regularly uploaded content and engaged in personal and curated conversions with their targets. Then, North Korean hackers launch a spear-phishing attack through various channels, including sending emails with malware-ridden attachments or malicious links, an invitation to collaborate through SharePoint and sharing Google Docs links.

North Korea’s fake persona Kim Hyon-woo was used to attack Sony Pictures Entertainment, conduct cyberheists against financial institutions including Bangladesh Bank and target US defense contractors, according to the US criminal complaint unveiled in 2018.

Chart 1 contains connections between (1) the Chosun Expo Accounts used by PARK, (2) accounts used by the alias “Kim Hyon Woo,” and (3) some of the accounts that were used as part of the subjects’ attack infrastructure. Not all of the attack infrastructure accounts discovered throughout the investigation are included, rather only those with certain connections to Chosun Expo Accounts tied to PARK. (US Justice Department)

But how do they operate?

North Korean state-sponsored hackers have mainly used two off-chain tactics: social engineering and malware. Hacking groups have generally used traditional espionage tactics such as advanced social engineering attacks to break into cryptocurrency systems by deceiving and luring victims into inadvertently providing access to their network and classified information or downloading malware-ridden files.

Social engineering is a psychological manipulation technique that exploits human nature and tricks people into giving up confidential information and bypassing security procedures.

One example could be a spear-phishing campaign that scams a specific person or group by sharing information known to be of interest to the target through legitimate-looking emails or electronic communications.

In addition, North Korean cyber actors attacked individuals and organizations including cryptocurrency exchanges and financial services for cryptocurrency theft by disseminating malware-ridden cryptocurrency trading applications, according to the US Joint Cyber Security Advisory issued in 2021.

North Korean cybercriminals “use phishing, social networking, and social engineering techniques to lure users into downloading the malware” dubbed by the US government as “AppleJeus.”

In general, legitimate-looking companies advertise and distribute a modified, trojanized version of a cryptocurrency trading application on their website.

In 2020, North Korean cyber actors targeted institutions in the fields of energy, finance, government, industry, technology and telecommunications for cryptocurrency theft with the AppleJeus malware in over 30 countries.

“Going for cryptocurrencies plays to the strengths of North Korea’s cyber operators, as it leverages skills from across ‘traditional’ intrusion sets as well as those individuals that are doing IT/freelancer work online,” said Joe Dobson, a senior principal analyst at Mandiant, based in Virginia.

Countries targeted with AppleJeus by North Korean state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) actors since 2020. (The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

Money laundering

But running off with cryptocurrency is only the start. North Korea has engaged in multistage and sophisticated laundering processes to cash out the ill-gotten cryptocurrencies.

“The Kim regime has become proficient at mixing and laundering funds to try to obfuscate the origin of its stolen funds,” said Annie Fixler, deputy director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.

North Korean state-sponsored cyberthreat actors have used various tactics to conceal or obfuscate the source of ill-gotten cryptocurrencies and illicit transactions without providing identification or "Know Your Customer" information.

“To launder the funds, they use obfuscation techniques such as mixing, using services like Tornado Cash to create a disconnect between the cryptocurrency they deposit and withdraw, and chain hopping, which is the process of swapping between several different kinds of cryptocurrency in a single transaction,” said Erin Plante, vice president of investigations at New York-headquartered Chainalysis.

In general, North Korea launders stolen cryptocurrencies largely by chain hopping tools, mixers and peel chain techniques.

Chain hopping is a tactic of moving between different types of cryptocurrencies often in rapid succession. A peel chain is a technique of laundering a large amount of cryptocurrency through a long series of small transactions.

A cryptocurrency mixer is a software tool that pools and scrambles cryptocurrencies from thousands of addresses to obscure and conceal the flow of transactions.

“North Korea tends to rely on mixers and blockchain hoping. However, they will always use the path of least resistance,” said Allison Owen, a research analyst at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. “It is critical to continue to look at the horizon to restrict any emerging areas that they can exploit.”

Two Chinese nationals were charged with laundering over $100 million in cryptocurrency — stolen by Lazarus Group from cryptocurrency exchanges — between 2017 and 2019. (The US Treasury Department)

Foreign collaborators

Cybersecurity experts and blockchain analysts also underscored that more attention should be paid to North Korea’s collaboration with foreign countries and nationals in each stage of cryptocurrency robbery.

North Korea also has a history of conspiring with foreign nationals, including Canadian American and Nigerian partners to launder funds from North Korean-perpetrated cyber-enabled heists.

Nick Carlsen, a blockchain analyst at TRM Labs and a former FBI analyst, said such collaboration with foreign nationals is more important in the phases of laundering and cashing out stolen funds.

For instance, over-the-counter brokers “play a major role in each stage” of laundering stolen funds through layering schemes to move and transfer ill-gotten cryptocurrency into different wallets and currencies, according to a report issued in May by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

The OTC system allows parties to buy and sell securities outside of formal exchanges and through decentralized dealer networks.

Two Chinese nationals were charged with laundering over $100 million in cryptocurrency — stolen by Lazarus Group from cryptocurrency exchanges — between 2017 and 2019, the US Treasury Department and Justice Department said in 2020. One Chinese national moved more than $34 million of ill-gotten cryptocurrency through a Chinese bank account and transferred around $1.4 million of bitcoin into Apple iTunes gift cards.

Robert Potter, co-founder and co-CEO of Australian-US cybersecurity company Internet 2.0, also pointed out that “Russia and China have been content to turn a blind eye” to North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft.

“North Korean-linked hackers have used services located in countries all over the world, including China and Russia, to attempt to cash out their ill-gotten gains,” Plante from Chainalysis said.

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · December 12, 2022

12. Moon sued over North Korea killing as ex-top aides sought by prosecutors

Moon sued over North Korea killing as ex-top aides sought by prosecutors

koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · December 14, 2022

Former President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday was sued by the family of South Korea government official Lee Dae-jun, who was killed by North Korean soldiers near the sea border over two years ago. The lawsuit comes as onetime officials at Moon’s Cheong Wa Dae and Cabinet are being summoned by prosecutors one by one for questioning.

Lee Rae-jin, the late official’s older brother, accused Moon of failing to perform his duties as the president and lying about the circumstances surrounding the murder by North Korea.

“The former president didn’t immediately get to work to rescue my brother even after learning that he was in North Korea’s territory,” he told reporters outside the Seoul central district prosecutors’ office.

“The result of that neglect was the brutal murder of a South Korean citizen, who was also an employee of our government.”

Moon as president and commander-in-chief had a “responsibility to respond quickly and communicate with North Korea” when he was briefed that a South Korea citizen was alive in North Korean waters, around eight hours after he was first reported missing, Lee said.

While the official was still alive, Moon’s Ministry of Unification said that the government did not have “any channels for communicating with North Korea.”

“This also turned out to be false,” he said.

Lee said the former president once again “gave his nod to” his government’s response at the time.

In a rare statement on Dec. 1, Moon said he was the one who “made the final call” on the decisions made on the official’s case.

“It was the president (Moon) who gave the final approval on the West Sea case after being briefed by the Ministry of National Defense, the Coast Guard and the National Intelligence Service,” he said in the statement.

“Our government said that my brother died trying to defect to North Korea, and publicized damning claims about his personal life like his financial status to support the narrative that he was a defector. I want to know if the president approved this too,” Lee said.

“In the past two years I’ve done everything to uncover what went down from the time my brother first went missing to his death two days later. I even won the disclosure suit against Cheong Wa Dae but Moon archived those records and made them confidential.”

He said that he was “forced to go to the law and file a criminal complaint against the president” as last resort.

Also on Wednesday, Park Jie-won, who was the director of the National Intelligence Service during the Moon administration, appeared before prosecutors. In June, the NIS filed charges against Park, accusing him of destroying intelligence reports related to Lee’s case while he helmed the spy agency.

“I didn’t get any orders to delete things from President Moon Jae-in. Nor did I order agents at the NIS to delete anything,” he told reporters, denying the suspicions raised against him.

“I would like to make it clear that the NIS isn’t an agency that makes policies or decisions. The NIS simply collects and analyzes intelligence, and then passes that information along to the president and security offices,” he said.

He said that through Wednesday’s questioning, he hoped the “attempts to bring the NIS into the realm of politics would stop.”

“I worked for the NIS to reform it, not to delete records.”

In previous phone calls with The Korea Herald, Park characterized the ongoing investigation of Lee’s death as a “political retaliation” against the preceding administration.

“The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is cracking down on the Democratic Party by portraying Moon as a North Korea sympathizer,” he said.

In a related investigation, Suh Hoon, who served as Moon’s national security advisor in Cheong Wa Dae, was arrested earlier this month and then indicted. Noh Young-min, who was Moon’s chief of staff, and Seo Wook, who was Moon’s Minister of National Defense, were also grilled by prosecutors in the past few months.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)

koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · December 14, 2022

13. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ The Kim regime shifts its food policy, suppressing food sales in markets while creating a state monopoly on the food supply

A dangerous policy that could crush the korean people in the north. Control of the people is all important. Not their survival.

＜Inside N. Korea＞ The Kim regime shifts its food policy, suppressing food sales in markets while creating a state monopoly on the food supply ISHIMARU Jiro

asiapress.org

A building with a sign saying, “Food Store.” There is nothing but empty rooms inside the building, and no rice is in sight. Taken by ASIAPRESS in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, in November 2012.

Twenty five years ago, in 1997, I frequently crossed the China-North Korea border in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, which is in China’s Jilin Province. I was doing reporting on the influx of a large number of starving people crossing over the Tumen River. All of them were wearing shabby clothing and they all looked emaciated. Every one of them I spoke with told me that “many people are dying of starvation because of the collapse of the (government) food distribution system.”

◆ The markets are scarier than tigers

What on earth was happening in North Korea at the time? While staying at a Chinese-Korean farm village near the Tumen River’s banks, I met with as many border crossers as I could. One elderly man, who I interviewed over the course of several days, told me, “Markets are scarier than tigers.”

With a slight grin on his face, the elderly man told me that the collapse of the food distribution system led to the appearance of black markets, which allowed people to buy and sell prohibited items like rice, corn and other foodstuff, along with medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and even livestock. The government was no longer able to control these markets, leading to the start of the collapse of the preexisting governing system.

In 2003, the Kim Jong-un regime finally abandoned efforts to reinstate the food distribution system and legalized the black markets. These markets gradually increased in number and, based on research utilizing satellite imagery of the country, there are now anywhere between 400-500 markets in existence. North Koreans earn cash through market-related commerce, and this has allowed them to navigate their own survival. People’s quality of life improved remarkably compared to the days of the food distribution system, which ensured that most people in the country’s urban centers were able to eat three meals of white rice a day.

A female rice seller waiting for customers. Taken by ASIAPRESS at a market in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, in November 2012.

◆ The regime moves in earnest to revive the state-run food shop network

Now, however, the Kim Jong-un regime is attempting to make big changes to how food is distributed in the country. ASIAPRESS obtained evidence of this back in 2019. State-run food stores, which had been shut down, began operations again across the country, selling food at prices cheaper than in local markets. The quality of the food on sale, however, was not good and stocks were insufficient, so the food stores failed to take over the markets.

※ The Kim Jong-un tried and failed to expand its state-run food store network in 2014 as well.

With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, the situation changed dramatically. North Korea closed its borders, leading to a massive decrease in trade with China, and restrictions on people’s inter-regional movement along with commercial activities meant that urban dwellers no longer had steady sources of cash income.

In 2021, based on reports from ASIAPRESS reporting partners, North Korea’s state-run food stores moved from selling goods “when they’re in stock” to selling five kilograms of food per person once per month. North Koreans without sources of income welcomed the move.

North Korean authorities also gave workers several kilograms of food once per month, but, separately, also sold them food at prices cheaper than in local markets. That being said, the authorities did not offer this benefit to people who failed to come to work, or who had left their assigned place of work. There were people who believed the new system was akin to the reappearance of the old food distribution system; however, this new system was unstable because there were periods stretching over several months in which people didn’t receive even 1 gram of food, or people in different workplaces got different amounts of food.

FILE PHOTO: A man carrying food he bought at a farm on a bicycle. He will then sell the food to a grain wholesaler in the city. Poor urban dwellers generally do this kind of work due to lack of income. Taken by KIM Dong-chul in South Pyongan Province in October 2010.

◆ Where does food sold in markets come from?

But where did the food being sold in the markets come from in the first place? Food sold wholesale in the markets include that which had been distributed to individual farmers from the harvest of collective farms along with food collective farms had stored to make money. There was also food circulating in the markets that had been siphoned off from farms by farm managers or from the military, along with food imported from abroad.

The government needed to increase the amount of food that it had under its direct control in order to exert control over the food distribution network. This past fall, the authorities closely watched collective farms to ensure that none of the food produced there was siphoned off. In September, the start of the harvest season, the military was stationed at farms to stand guard over the fields and storage facilities. Soldiers checked the baggage of people entering and leaving farm areas, and confiscated any agricultural goods they discovered.

Meanwhile, the government has been forcing food sellers in local markets to lower their prices and demanding that they submit documentation certifying where they obtained the food they are selling. ASIAPRESS reporting partners throughout the country have said that there was an announcement by the authorities in November saying, “Grain sales will be suspended in the markets in the future, with all (grain sales) to be centered at state-run food stores.”

◆ A monopoly on the food supply means government control over how people obtain calories

In my view, the Kim Jong-un regime aims to implement a state monopoly over the distribution of food by taking away control over food distribution from the markets. This is the government’s attempt to rule over how people obtain their calories. In essence, the country is reviving a food policy where the government can control the people by controlling how they obtain food.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the market economy exceeded 50% of total economic activity in the country, according to a general consensus among South Korean experts.

“People are working hard to earn their own living. They are not living thanks to the grave of the leader.” This kind of thinking has become the norm among North Koreans over the last 20 years. This thinking, however, is a point of anxiety for the country’s leadership.

“The markets are scarier than tigers.” - This idea has perhaps caused the Kim Jong-un regime a great deal of worry.

※ ASIAPRESS smuggles Chinese cell phones into North Korea to communicate with its reporting partners.

[N.Korea Video Report] 'Doegurikun' the urban poor who delivers grains from farms to market

asiapress.org

14. Is South Korea’s booming defence industry here to stay?

I think it will be but Dr. Cheon and Dr. Park provide some interesting insights.

Is South Korea’s booming defence industry here to stay? | East Asia Forum

eastasiaforum.org · by Sehun Cheon · December 14, 2022

Authors: Sehun Cheon, IDC and Joonsoo Park, KIDA

Defence Expo Korea, an exhibition showcasing the latest South Korean military equipment, took place on 21–25 September 2022. The 2022 exhibition was the largest since it first opened in 2014 and welcomed senior military officers, including defence ministers, from 43 countries. This record attendance may have been a result of South Korea’s arms deal with Poland.

The South Korea–Poland arms deal, signed in July 2022 and worth an estimated US$15 billion, is by far the largest military export deal in South Korea’s history. It marks a huge milestone for the South Korean defence industry and could help gather momentum for South Korea’s arms sales. Deals with Australia, Malaysia, Norway and Saudi Arabia are already in the works.

This stunning achievement was not built in a day. Over the last 15 years, Seoul has implemented wide-ranging reforms to strengthen its local defence industry’s global competitiveness, investing more resources into defence-related research and development. At the same time, South Korean defence firms have made persistent efforts to carve out new markets overseas.

South Korea’s arms sales have grown not only in volume, but also in range. The country has sold warships, submarines, air defence systems and an array of electronic warfare and communication systems. KF-21 — South Korea’s first homegrown fighter jet — flew for the first time in July 2022, making the country one of the few nations to have developed and flown an advanced supersonic fighter. The KF-21 has substantial export potential as it is expected to have better capabilities for its price than comparable fighter jets.

There are various factors, including steady investment in research and development, push marketing and reforms in defence acquisition, behind South Korea’s success. But above all, the success stems from ‘tailored sales’ directed at buyers’ security challenges, as evidenced by the arms deal with Poland.

Seoul’s long-standing ambition to develop its defence industry is aimed at expanding the country’s economic strength and countering persistent military threats from Pyongyang. Self-reliance in defence for the sake of expanding the country’s autonomy in foreign affairs and regional politics has ultimately been the main rationale for South Korea’s strong defence industry.

There is no doubt that South Korea has achieved a high level of success in indigenising its arms procurement and securing arms exports. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, South Korea’s arms exports shot up by 177 per cent over the last five years, raising the country from the world’s 14th to 8th largest arms exporter. South Korea has been the world’s fastest-growing arms exporter over the last five years.

Despite this success, big challenges lie ahead. Even after many years of private and public investment, much of South Korea’s defence technology base is not strong enough to secure its own market. The sector relies heavily on foreign technologies and many key sub-systems are still imported from abroad. Engines for the new KF-21 fighter jet are imported from the United States and other key high-tech defence assets, such as missile systems and precision-guided munitions, also rely heavily upon foreign technologies.

Another challenge for South Korea in sustaining its defence export growth is the country’s short line-up of marketable products relative to those of larger exporters. Mounting insecurity in Europe and Asia means that the high-end arms market will continue to grow and many ‘traditional’ arms producers will be edged out of the industry. In this context, South Korea’s defence industry is likely to lose its competitive edge in the global market unless it further diversifies its products.

In the long run, the sustained growth of South Korea’s arms exports may affect its foreign relations. In 1997, Turkey became the first recipient of South Korea’s K9 howitzers because Germany, which had originally planned to export its self-propelled artillery to Turkey, refused to export arms to the country due to concerns around worsening conflict and human rights oppression. At the time, many European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, put an embargo on arms exports to Turkey.

South Korea’s defence companies have signed arms export deals with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. But the deals could face scrutiny because some European countries have already suspended arms exports to Middle Eastern countries over human rights concerns. Arms exports should not just be regarded as a ‘big hit’ from an economic perspective, but should be cautiously treated as a complicated issue involving foreign affairs and geopolitics.

South Korea’s recent success does not guarantee another boom in arms sales. Russia’s war in Ukraine was an opportunity for Seoul to sign a deal with Poland. For European countries that have hiked defence spending to counter the Russian threat and are hastening to backfill their own military supplies, South Korean defence products may be a realistic alternative as US arms manufacturers struggle to meet demand due to supply chain disruptions and labour shortages.

But it remains to be seen whether South Korea’s defence industry will continue its rapid growth in the coming years.

Sehun Cheon is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Defense Convergence, Seoul.

Joonsoo Park is a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

eastasiaforum.org · by Sehun Cheon · December 14, 2022

15. BTS takes on Kim Jong Un

​:-)

Note the Elvis comparison.

Excerpts:

There are compensations for the enforced tedium, including camaraderie and a sense of duty fulfilled. Nearly half of Korean men in their 20s purport to believe that military service is beneficial to them. Park Jong-tae, whose main responsibility was guard duty, says he is proud of his “small contribution”. He nonetheless suggests most conscripts could do with being given more “meaning and a common goal”.

With luck, Mr Kim will find some of that in Yeoncheon. Anyway, he can at least look forward to resuming megastardom in due course. Asked whether his impending service would kill his career, Elvis replied. “That’s the $64 question. I wish I knew.” If the King is any guide, Mr Kim and his fellow band members should be OK.

​

BTS takes on Kim Jong Un

Serving South Korea may be a tad duller than stardom for Jin

The Economist

Kim Seok-jin is in the globally trendsetting, fabulously lucrative prime of his career. As a member of BTS, the world’s biggest boy band, the 30-year-old has topped charts in many countries, been nominated for a Grammy, addressed the United Nations and met President Joe Biden. Along with “Parasite” and “Squid Game”, his band is the go-to example of South Korean soft power.

Yet on December 13th Mr Kim, or “Jin” as he is called by the many million members of the ARMY, as the group’s fans are known, undertook the same dull rite of passage as most South Korean men. He became the first BTS member to begin military service.

Absent extenuating circumstances, all South Korean men must serve at least 18 months in the armed forces, starting before they turn 28. Mr Kim’s megastardom is arguably such a circumstance. It persuaded South Korea’s parliament to pass a law in 2020 to allow those who “excel in popular culture and art” to postpone their service. And BTS’s seven members could probably have done so indefinitely.

The government had been mulling giving them an exemption similar to that enjoyed by top athletes and classical musicians, who are permitted to do no more than basic training. There was also talk of the pop stars being allowed to carry on making music as part of their service—just as Korean men proficient in science and mathematics are permitted to continue their studies in a government-approved research department or company. Yet Mr Kim and his colleagues appear to have concluded, much like Elvis Presley in 1958, that dodging the draft would be more damaging to their reputations than military service would be dreary. “It’s curtain call time,” Mr Kim, now sporting a regulation crewcut instead of his usual stylish hairdo, told his fans on social media.

The opportunity cost of military service, though exorbitant in his case, is a general burden on South Korean men. The country’s education system is highly competitive; a larger proportion of school-leavers go to university in South Korea than any other country. This makes its graduate jobs market extremely tough, and the enforced career interruption that military service represents—most conscripts take time out to serve in the middle of their degree course—commensurately painful.

Military service also tends to be excruciatingly boring. Fighting across the demilitarised zone (dmz) that separates North and South Korea is extremely rare, and suicide by far the biggest cause of death among Korean conscripts. The only thing 28-year-old Han Seung-joo recalls battling at his station close to the dmz in Yeoncheon, where Mr Kim will do his training, was the weather. “There was a lot of snow shovelling,” he recalled. “We would shovel the snow and look back and there would be more snow.”

Many never get near the front at all. The closest Kim Young-cheol, a 28-year-old construction site manager who served in the auxiliary police, came to action was overseeing political protests. Sometimes conscripts have to rain tear gas on student rioters who may be just a year below them at university. But most protests are peaceful. Mr Han calculated that each 12-hour shift his squad served amounted to 180 hours worth of wasted labour. “All these men were sitting on the bus and just doing nothing,” he said.

Those medically unfit to serve also tend to be assigned humdrum labour. Lee Sang-yup, who has scoliosis, was posted to a primary school to help serve lunch. “It always felt like a waste of time,” he recalls, “I would do everything to get out of it.”

There are compensations for the enforced tedium, including camaraderie and a sense of duty fulfilled. Nearly half of Korean men in their 20s purport to believe that military service is beneficial to them. Park Jong-tae, whose main responsibility was guard duty, says he is proud of his “small contribution”. He nonetheless suggests most conscripts could do with being given more “meaning and a common goal”.

With luck, Mr Kim will find some of that in Yeoncheon. Anyway, he can at least look forward to resuming megastardom in due course. Asked whether his impending service would kill his career, Elvis replied. “That’s the $64 question. I wish I knew.” If the King is any guide, Mr Kim and his fellow band members should be OK. ■

The Economist

16.

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com