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"When a man unprincipled in private life[,] desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper . . . despotic in his ordinary demeanour — known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty — when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity — to join in the cry of danger to liberty — to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion — to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day — It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may 'ride the storm and direct the whirlwind."
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1. Talking Points: North Korea - Part 1 Encouraging Different Mindset in North Korea: Introduction
2. Readout of Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner's Trilateral Call With Japan and the Republic of Korea
3. Peace and Security Virtual Forums on Human Rights, Civilizational Values, and Korea Reunification
4. North Korea Warns with the Fifth ICBM Test
5. North Korea and Russia clash with US, South Korea and allies over Pyongyang's latest missile launch
6. U.S. deploys B-1B bombers near Korean Peninsula after N.K. ICBM launch
7. Yoon calls for strengthening surveillance, reconnaissance against N. Korea
8. S. Korea, Japan resume high-level economic talks after nearly 8 years
9. Former USFK base in Incheon fully returned to S. Korea
10. N Korea’s military provocations boost S Korea’s nuclear arsenal push
11. Call for immediate action on S. Korea-U.S. integrated nuclear defense strategy
12. S. Koreans more accepting of foreign nationals than N. Korean defectors, study finds
13. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ The government distributes coal as winter sets in…, but only 15% of what people need…Robberies of firewood and coal are common
14. Number of Korean arms importers triples in 2023
15. N. Korean economy shrinks for 3rd consecutive year in 2022
16. Hoeryong security officials launch crackdown on Chinese phone users for year-end bribes
1. Talking Points: North Korea - Part 1 Encouraging Different Mindset in North Korea: Introduction
At the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS) we are pleased to announce our inaugural paper in our new "practitioner to practitioner" series.
Ambassador Thomas Schäfer was posted twice to Pyongyang as the German Ambassador to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or North Korea, and is the most qualified practitioner with direct knowledge of and experience with the North Korean regime to provide the recommendations included in this three-part series.
The PDF of this paper can be accessed here: https://apstrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Talking-Points-North-Korea_Thomas-Schaefer_2023.pdf
The full paper can be accessed online here: https://apstrategy.org/2023/12/19/talkingpoints_korea_part1/
CAPS home page is here: https://apstrategy.org/
Practitioner to Practitioner Series
Talking Points: North Korea - Part 1
Encouraging Different Mindset in North Korea: Introduction and Recommended Talking Points on Agriculture, Food Security, Private Foreign Investment, Private Economic Activities, and Enterprise Reform
December 20, 2023
Ambassador Thomas Schäfer
CAPS Advisory Board
DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE
Editor’s Note:
The three-part “Talking Points: North Korea” series is the inaugural publication in the Center For Asia Pacific Strategy’s “Practitioner to Practitioner” series, which seeks to provide practical and actionable policy recommendations for practitioners from practitioners.
Talking Points: North Korea Series
by Ambassador Thomas SchäferPart 1:
Encouraging A Different Mindset In North Korea: Introduction And Recommended Talking Points On Agriculture, Food Security, Private Economic Activities, And The Enterprise Reform
Part 2:
Talking Points On Private Foreign Investment And Special Economic Zones
Part 3:
Military Spending, Objectives Of Nuclear Armament, Nuclear Negotiations, “Hostile Policy,” A Peace Treaty, And An End-Of-War Declaration
Introduction
Contrary to what Pyongyang’s propaganda wants us to believe, North Korea is not a “monolithic” country with everybody wholeheartedly following the Workers’ Party’s line to the letter, but composed of different interests and social groups that pull into different directions. That there are different views in the elite, has occasionally been admitted to foreigners residing in Pyongyang. There have also been internal policy discussions that have been reflected in official media, albeit only to some extent and at certain times. The leadership is under pressure as not only the elite, but ordinary North Koreans are well aware of the huge gap between official propaganda and reality, and of the fact that life in neighboring China and South Korea is far better than their own. General discontent and differing opinions within the elite provide an opportunity for the international community to exert some influence on policy discussions among North Koreans.
Based on its overall motto “From Practitioners to Practitioners“, the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy aims to provide actionable recommendations and solutions. In the case of secluded and self-isolating North Korea, one of the challenges of the international community is to make the best use of the scarce opportunities of interaction with North Koreans. This paper contains proposals for suitable topics and –in the form of talking points (in bold type) followed by background information- for possible ways to present them. The suggested topics in the realm of economic policy including agriculture, private economic activities, enterprise reform, foreign investment, special economic zones have all been controversially discussed in the country’s leadership in the last twenty years. Talking about them might help relaunch such discussions.
In addition, some talking points are suggested that might be raised in the course of security policy discussions. Even if these points refer to statements or policies by Pyongyang in the past, the interlocutor’s answer might help shed a light on fundamental North Korean attitudes.
Depending on the context, it is suggested to actively address human rights – or particular cases – although Pyongyang has often reacted with protests and refusals to talk whenever the topic was brought up. The regime in Pyongyang cares about its image abroad, and the North Korean population should not get the impression that the trampling of human rights in North Korea is of minor interest to foreign countries. Moreover, in the case of North Korea, appeasement tactics generally do not work.
This paper is based on the author’s experience who has had countless conversations with North Koreans. As North Koreans often try to evade delving into details or even skip some topics altogether, the talking points were selected with a view to help provoke substantial talks about North Korean policy choices. They are suggestions only and should be complemented and adapted to the specific situation. Their objective is not only to get information but to encourage the voices in North Korea that advocate reforms.
North Korean officials are well trained in trying to unsettle or divide foreign interlocutors by flattery, brusqueness or even insults. In most cases, it seems best to ignore flattery, react seriously to insults while remaining friendly in general – and speak one’s mind, as any other reaction would be interpreted as weakness. Being persistent might help.
Talking Points on Agriculture and Food Security
Donor Fatigue
We acknowledge the efforts DPRK is making in order to become self-sufficient. We understand that it is a policy decision taken a long time ago. However, the stagnation of agricultural output for decades – even before DPRK was sanctioned – as well as the lack of efficiency, transparency, and access, have led to donor fatigue.
Lack of Transparency and Access
Compared to projects elsewhere, aid organizations working in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have enjoyed very little access to relevant information and to the project sites. Better access and greater transparency through an open dialogue would improve project implementation, facilitate the identification of further needs, and enhance trust.
Kitchen Gardens
In general, kitchen gardens seem to be the best maintained and best-yielding plots of land in DPRK, as people can directly reap the benefits of their labor. They are examples of efficiency, but very small. The experience of other countries proves that expanding them would considerably improve food availability: in the Soviet Union, while constituting only 2-4 percent of the arable land, kitchen gardens produced between 25 and 33 percent of the total food requirements. In the DPRK, the (international) Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission estimated in 2008 that the average cereal in kitchen gardens was more than double the national average. In the Soviet Union and China, increasing the size of kitchen gardens produced excellent results. Why doesn’t DPRK follow suit?
Sloping Lands
In the DPRK, usufruct rights are not only granted for kitchen gardens, but are also at least de facto allowed on hillside slopes. It is evident that also there production increases considerably if user groups can reap direct and uncontested benefits. Could usufruct rights on sloping lands be expanded?
Marketing of Agricultural Surplus
Other countries have experienced important increases in agricultural output by allowing farmers to use goods produced in excess of the state quota as they see fit. The opportunity to sell such produce at market prices would eliminate black markets, reduce corruption, enhance living standards in the countryside and improve food supply in the cities.
Continued at the link: https://apstrategy.org/2023/12/19/talkingpoints_korea_part1/
2. Readout of Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner's Trilateral Call With Japan and the Republic of Korea
Readout of Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner's Trilateral Call With Japan and the Republic of Korea
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Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner spoke today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Heo Tae-keun and Japan Director-General for Defense Policy Kano Koji. The officials discussed and strongly condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile launches on December 17 as a violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Assistant Secretary Ratner reaffirmed U.S. extended deterrence commitments to the defense of Japan and the ROK. The officials also praised the announcement that the U.S., Japan, and the ROK have fully activated a real-time DPRK missile warning data sharing mechanism and established a multi-year, trilateral exercise plan.
These achievements underscore the progress of the U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral relationship since the historic Camp David Summit and are emblematic of the three countries' commitment to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
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3. Peace and Security Virtual Forums on Human Rights, Civilizational Values, and Korea Reunification
When the videos for the 3 forums become publicly available I will post them.
Peace and Security Virtual Forums on Human Rights, Civilizational Values, and Korea Reunification | GPC 2023 - Global Peace Foundation
globalpeace.org · by Eric Olsen · December 14, 2023
Peace and Security Track Examines the Stabilizing Presence of the UN Command and the Role of Faith Traditions and Civil Society in Advancing Reunification
The Global Peace Foundation has recognized that any enduring peace or sustainable development is contingent on security, political stability, and a social infrastructure that provides for basic human needs. Three virtual forums hosted during the 2023 Global Peace Convention, “One Family under God: Vision for National Transformation and a Civilization of Peace,” addressed Peace and Security and the urgent priority of building domestic and international support for a free and unified Korea.
The first forum in the Peace and Security Track, “United Nations Command and United Nations Support for a Free and Unified Korea,” convened on November 27. Among the founding principles of the UN Charter, adopted in 1945, were “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war [and] to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights [and] the dignity and worth of the human person.”
The forum hosted a panel of experts to evaluate the role of the United Nations Command as a stabilizing international force with channels of communication open with both North and South Korea. Panelists noted that the manner of reunification—military action, regime collapse, or peaceful, gradual integration—was unpredictable. But it was important to discuss international responses to what could be either an abrupt or drawn-out process of reunification.
Experts analyze the role of the UN Command on the Korean peninsula. Clockwise from top left: Swiss Major General Urs Gerber, Major General (Ret.) Curtis Scaparrotti,Major General (Ret.) Kwang-Hyun Chang, and CEO of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy Hee-Eun Kim.
Every speaker stressed the political and social complexity of resolving the division and credited the UN Command as an important presence since the armistice ending the Korean War in 1953. Major General (Ret.) Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of US Forces in Korea, noted that the UN Command includes 17 nations and has years of experience with the North Korean regime.
Swiss Major General Urs Gerber, reflecting on a recent visit to a lighthouse off the coast of Brittany, said the lighthouse is an apt comparison with United Nations Command. “It’s stable, it’s safe, it’s predictable. And it guides all vessels, whether they’re civilian fishermen or military, into the harbor safely.” What the United Nations Command can provide “is to be a stable rock in a stormy environment.” Gen. Gerber headed the Swiss delegation of the Neutral Nation Supervisory Commission at Panmunjom.
Other panelists reaffirmed that the objectives of the United Nations have remained unchanged: the achievement by peaceful means of a unified, independent, and democratic Korea under a representative form of government.
What the United Nations Command can provide “is to be a stable rock in a stormy environment.”
The ROK government has also consistently supported a strategy of unification, peace, and democracy throughout eight different administrations and continues to advocate the same principle until today, noted Hee-Eun Kim, founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy in Washington. Ms. Kim also served at the UN Command and the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.
The final panelist, Major General (Ret.) Kwang-Hyun Chang, served as chief of staff to the first ROK Army and as senior Korean officer on the Military Armistice Commission. Colonel (Ret.) Maxwell, Vice President at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation, served as moderator.
Finding common ground
The second Peace and Security panel, “Best Practices for Peace and Security in the Great Civilizations,” also hosted virtually, underscored the fundamental civilizational values and shared ethical values of faith traditions that can advance understanding and collaboration for social progress.
Thought leaders from Japan, India, Afghanistan, and the U.S.—from Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Judeo-Christian traditions respectively—offered historical critiques of these traditions and their effectiveness to influence their respective societies to embrace peace.
Scholars from diverse faith traditions explore common values that support peaceful societies. Clockwise from top left: Dr. Juichiro Tanabe, Dr. Markandey Rai, Dr. Aziz Sadat, and Dr. Emanuel Pastreich.
Dr. Juichiro Tanabe, assistant professor at the Center for International Education at Waseda University in Tokyo, argued that Buddhist insights of interdependence and the causes of suffering can be applied to international relations. He said a “western monolithic view of peace” has been imposed and that Buddhist concepts and practices of inner peace—reflective self-awareness and insight –have been underdeveloped, yet profoundly influence how we think, how we manage our emotions, and how we view and interact with others.
Other speakers said that history, including present-day conflicts, makes clear that faith communities need to go beyond ritual observances in the cause of peace. “One cannot exploit and pollute the water and soil and say that you are peaceful,” said GPF India President Dr. Markandey Rai. “Only by practicing and realizing those principles of equality, non-violence, truthfulness and tolerance, by seeing the world as one family and that we are the creation of one God, can peace come.”
Dr. Aziz Sadat, former president of the Afghanistan National Institute for Peace and Justice and the founder of the Afghanistan Ministry of Peace, said religion can play a positive and negative role in international and domestic life. He said peace, tolerance, and the dignity and rights of all are fundamental to Islam and Islamic civilization. Yet, conflict arises not only due to religion but through disputes within and between families and when politicians exploit religious, ethnic, or tribal identity.
“Only by practicing and realizing those principles of equality, non-violence, truthfulness and tolerance, by seeing the world as one family and that we are the creation of one God, can peace come.”
Dr. Emanuel Pastreich, Founder and President of the Asia Institute, said he grew up with almost equal exposure to Jewish and Christian, specifically Catholic, values and observances and has become “quite aware of the potential in both traditions for peacebuilding.”
He noted that Western war planning reflected militaristic and apocalyptic biblical influences, yet overlooked parts of the Bible that emphasize love, charity, and faith above codes and laws in the pursuit of common good as the primary means of resolving conflicts.
Yeqing Li, a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation, served as moderator.
Freedom and human rights in a divided Korea
The third forum of the Peace and Security track, “Freedom and Human Rights for Free and Unified Korea,” met on December 2, stressing a “human rights upfront” strategy to pressure the Kim regime and as a strategic approach to advancing peace and a process of eventual reunification.
Human rights advocates and North Korean escapees presented grim evidence of abuses and rights violations in North Korea. Clockwise from top left: Greg Scarlatoiu, Eiko Kawasaki, Kuk-han Moon, and Hyun-seung Lee.
Moderator Kenji Sawai, a program specialist for Northeast Asia Freedom and Human Rights at the Global Peace Foundation, observed that North Korean weapons and terror strategy has been exported to conflicts elsewhere in the world. The root of all terror “consists of the violation of the universal rights which God gave to all members of the human family,” he said.
It is well established that North Korean weapons and terror strategies have supported regimes in Iran and Syria, and terrorist activities of Hamas, Hezbollah, and insurgent groups in Africa, said Mr. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. Saying that the North Korean regime perpetuates itself through overwhelming control, coercion, surveillance, punishment, and information control, Sarlotaeu said the agents of change are the North Korean people, and information from the outside needs to reach them to empower them to bring change. He urged greater action by governments, the United Nations, and International Criminal Court to address ongoing human rights violations in North Korea.
Ms. Eiko Kawasaki, chair of Action for Korea United – Japan and founder of Korea of All, described how she repatriated to North Korea as a Korean living in Japan, hearing promises of “paradise on earth.” Instead of paradise, she was shocked to discover “a dark, dictatorial country where people are incredibly poor and have no freedom or human rights.” She spent 43 years in the DPRK before defecting to China and returning to Japan in 2004, leaving behind family members.
Ms. Kawasaki is working to hold North Korea accountable before the International Criminal Court and filed and won a civil case against North Korea in the Tokyo High Court awarding 100 million yen for each plaintiff who suffered detention and denial of rights under the North Korean regime.
The agents of change are the North Korean people, and information from the outside needs to reach them to empower them to bring change.
Also addressing the forum, Mr. Kuk-han Moon, the President of North Korea Human Rights International Association, and Mr. Hyun-seung Lee, a Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation and North Korean escapee, detailed the brutality and inhumanity the have led to mass starvation, indefinite detention, and extreme physical abuse of innocent Koreans living in the North.
Mr. Moon has rescued dozens of North Korean refugees, arranging hiding places in China. In June 2001, he broke into the UN Human Rights Commission office in Beijing with seven family members of defector Gil-su Chang, drawing the attention of the global community. He urged support for a planned the Seoul World Expo on Korean Reunification and North Korean Human Rights 2025.
The 2023 Global Peace Convention also hosts the International Forum on One Korea to explore the regional and global impact of the economic integration of a free and unified Korea.
Learn more about the 2023 Global Peace Convention and GPF’s One Korea Global Campaign.
globalpeace.org · by Eric Olsen · December 14, 2023
4. North Korea Warns with the Fifth ICBM Test
North Korea Warns with the Fifth ICBM Test
csis.org · by Critical Questions by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim Published December 19, 2023
Photo: Rodong Sinmun
At 8:24 a.m. (KST) on December 18, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The missile, which was later confirmed to be a solid-fuel Hwasong-18, flew on a lofted trajectory and traveled 1002.3 kilometers (about 623 miles) before it fell into the waters. The test came in about 10 hours after the country fired a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) to mark the twelfth anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death and after the arrival of the U.S. nuclear-powered warship USS Missouri (SSN-780) at the naval base in Busan, South Korea. This marks North Korea’s fifth ICBM test this year, following the previous Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-17 tests in February and March, respectively, and two solid-fuel Hwasong-18 tests in April and July.
Q1: Why did North Korea fire the ICBM?
A1: In addition to testing requirements to advance its weapons capability, North Korea is presumably timing this test to the recent outcome of the second U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Nuclear Consultative (NCG) Group held last week, in which Washington and Seoul sternly warned that the North’s nuclear attacks against the United States and its allies “will result in the end of the Kim regime.” Both sides agreed to finalize the NCG guidelines on the planning and operation of their shared nuclear strategy and conduct nuclear operation exercises during the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercise in August 2024.
Q2: How did South Korea, the United States, and Japan react?
A2: South Korea and the United States had detected signs of North Korea’s planned ICBM launch early on as South Korea’s Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo openly raised such a possibility last week. Both countries probably shared that information with Japan as three countries are starting to operationalize the real-time sharing of the missile warning data this month.
The ICBM test triggered U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral consultations per the Camp David Commitment to Consult. The national security advisers, as well as the top foreign ministry officials of the three countries, condemned North Korea’s two ballistic missile tests as multiple violations of the UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) (e.g., Resolutions 1695 and 1718). By contrast, China showed no urgency in its approach to North Korea’s missile tests, calling on dialogue and consultations. In the wake of the ICBM test, the agreement reached between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and North Korean vice foreign minister Pak Myung-ho to deepen their countries’ bilateral ties suggests that Beijing seems more interested in pulling North Korea closer than reinforcing the UNSCR.
Q3: Will North Korea continue provocations?
A3: Probably. North Korea could ratchet up tensions by testing a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile test (IRBM) or launching more military reconnaissance satellites as the country heads into the plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee this month. In addition, there is very little likelihood that North Korea will engage in diplomacy. The country seems to be receiving assistance from Russia now in exchange for its support for the latter’s war in Ukraine. Moreover, North Korea is not interested in the denuclearization objective of such talks. Pyongyang will most likely await the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November 2024.
It is certain that the North Korean officials who deal with Washington, such as North Korean foreign minister Choe Son-hui, have read the recent Politico report about Trump possibly accepting North Korea as a nuclear weapon state and are intrigued by it (although Trump quickly denied the report). But even if Trump gets reelected, the chance that Kim Jong-un will positively respond to Trump’s overture for another summit seems not high, at least for the initial years of the Trump administration, because North Korea has Russia on its side now that helps the country to evade sanctions. Kim also may not have an appetite to meet with Trump because of his embarrassment from the collapse of the Hanoi summit. As long as the war in Ukraine continues to facilitate North Korea-Russia military cooperation, Kim will avoid any summit diplomacy with the United States.
Q4: What does this mean for U.S. policy going forward?
A4: The Biden administration must use North Korea’s missile tests as a pretext to accelerate its coordination with South Korea and Japan on (bilateral or trilateral) extended deterrence and trilateral joint military exercises.
The United States must consider whether the short-run priority of stopping North Korea-Russia arms transfers should inform policy more than the long-term goal of denuclearization for the sake of the war in Ukraine and because of possible technology transfer from Russia to North Korea in military satellites, nuclear-powered submarines, and ICBM capabilities. Historically, the Soviet Union/Russia has been stingy with providing such technology, and North Korea has usually acquired it through third parties and reverse-engineering. But Russian president Vladimir Putin may be desperate for ammunition that North Korea possesses, and as a result, North Korea may have exacted a higher price than just food and fuel. In addition, there is no guarantee that Russia can control the scientists and technology know-how from seeping into North Korea.
Victor Cha is senior vice president for Asia and holds the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Ellen Kim is deputy director and senior fellow of the Korea Chair at CSIS.
Critical Questions is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
© 2023 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.
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csis.org · by Critical Questions by Victor Cha and Ellen Kim Published December 19, 2023
5. North Korea and Russia clash with US, South Korea and allies over Pyongyang's latest missile launch
Excerpts:
The 10 countries — Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States — said silence from the Security Council “sends the wrong message to Pyongyang and all proliferators.”
They urged North Korea to abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, “and instead invest in feeding the people in North Korea” and engage in diplomacy. They also urged all Security Council members to overcome their prolonged silence and uphold the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva called attempts to condemn Pyongyang “a one-sided approach.”
She warned that the situation is escalating “to a dangerous brink,” pointing to both Pyongyang and Seoul justifying their hostile moves as self-defense. And she accused the United States of deploying its massive military machine in the region, saying this looks “more and more like preparations for an offensive operation,” even though the U.S. says it has no hostile intentions.
Evstigneeva said Russia again calls for a peaceful settlement of all issues on the Korean Peninsula through political and diplomatic means “without external pressure.”
Wood, the U.S. deputy ambassador, countered that U.S. military exercises are defensive and it’s North Korea that has violated U.N. Security Council resolutions — not South Korea, Japan or the U.S. And he said the United States has tried repeatedly to have an unconditional dialogue with Pyongyang but it has refused.
North Korea and Russia clash with US, South Korea and allies over Pyongyang's latest missile launch
BY EDITH M. LEDERER
Updated 9:20 PM EST, December 19, 2023
AP · December 20, 2023
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea and Russia clashed with the United States, South Korea and their allies at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday on Pyongyang’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, which it called “a warning counter-measure” to threats from the U.S. and other hostile forces.
North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said this is “the most dangerous year” in the military-security landscape on the Korean Peninsula, pointing to stepped up U.S.-South Korean military exercises and the U.S. deployment of nuclear-powered submarines and other nuclear assets to the area that have raised a “nuclear war danger.”
The U.S. and nine allies pointed to five North Korean ICBM launches, over 25 ballistic missiles launches and three satellite launches using ballistic missile technology this year, violating multiple Security Council resolutions and threatening “the peace and stability of its neighbors and the international community.”
In a statement read just before the council meeting by U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood, surrounded by diplomats from the other countries, the 10 countries condemned the latest ICBM launch on Dec. 18 and all launches before it.
Kim urged the international community to think about North Korea’s security concerns, calling its counter-measures an “absolutely reasonable, normal and reflective response” in exercise of its legitimate right to self-defense.
He warned the U.S. and South Korea that if they continue “with their reckless and irresponsible military threat,” North Korea’s armed forces “will never remain an onlooker to it and the provokers will be held entirely responsible for all the consequences.”
North Korea will also “continue to build up its strategic power of a more advanced type to contain and control any threat from the U.S. and its followers with immediate, overwhelming and decisive counter-measures,” Kim warned.
The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. And the two veto-wielding council members have blocked any council action, including media statements, since then.
The 10 countries — Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States — said silence from the Security Council “sends the wrong message to Pyongyang and all proliferators.”
They urged North Korea to abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, “and instead invest in feeding the people in North Korea” and engage in diplomacy. They also urged all Security Council members to overcome their prolonged silence and uphold the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva called attempts to condemn Pyongyang “a one-sided approach.”
She warned that the situation is escalating “to a dangerous brink,” pointing to both Pyongyang and Seoul justifying their hostile moves as self-defense. And she accused the United States of deploying its massive military machine in the region, saying this looks “more and more like preparations for an offensive operation,” even though the U.S. says it has no hostile intentions.
Evstigneeva said Russia again calls for a peaceful settlement of all issues on the Korean Peninsula through political and diplomatic means “without external pressure.”
Wood, the U.S. deputy ambassador, countered that U.S. military exercises are defensive and it’s North Korea that has violated U.N. Security Council resolutions — not South Korea, Japan or the U.S. And he said the United States has tried repeatedly to have an unconditional dialogue with Pyongyang but it has refused.
AP · December 20, 2023
6. U.S. deploys B-1B bombers near Korean Peninsula after N.K. ICBM launch
The new normal. Sustained high level interoperability exercises to sustain readiness and demonstrate strategic reassurance and strategic resolve to support deterrence.
(LEAD) U.S. deploys B-1B bombers near Korean Peninsula after N.K. ICBM launch | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 20, 2023
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with more details; REPLACES photo)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- U.S. B-1B strategic bombers took part in a joint aerial exercise that South Korea, the United States and Japan held over waters around the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday in a show of force after North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The exercise took place over waters east of the southern island of Jeju, where the air defense identification zones of South Korea and Japan overlap, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, amid heightened tensions in the wake of the North's firing of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM into the East Sea on Monday.
South Korean F-15K, U.S. F-16 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets escorted two B-1B bombers in a formation flight, photos of the exercise released by the JCS showed.
"This exercise was planned ... to strengthen the three countries' capabilities to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, including its firing of a solid-fuel ICBM, and to demonstrate the strong resolve for joint response," the JCS said in a release.
U.S. B-1B strategic bombers are seen being escorted by South Korean F-15K, U.S. F-16 and Japanese F-2 fighter jets in a combined air exercise over waters east of the southern resort island of Jeju on Dec. 20, 2023, in this photo provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The latest deployment marked the 13th time a U.S. strategic bomber, including the nuclear-capable B-52H, has been deployed to the Korean Peninsula or its nearby area this year, according to the JCS.
The B-1B, which is no longer nuclear capable, has previously been deployed to the peninsula area five times this year, according to the defense ministry.
The trilateral air exercise also marked the latest of its kind since the three countries held the first-ever standalone one in October, involving a U.S. B-52H bomber, over waters south of the peninsula.
Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have recently bolstered security ties in the face of evolving military threats from North Korea. The Hwasong-18 launch on Monday marked the North's fifth ICBM launch this year.
On Tuesday, the three countries fully activated a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time and approved a multiyear plan for trilateral military drills.
In August, President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to operationalize the system by the end of this year and hold "annual, named, multi-domain" trilateral exercises on a regular basis at their Camp David summit.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 20, 2023
7. Yoon calls for strengthening surveillance, reconnaissance against N. Korea
We must be able to obtain unambiguous warning of a north Korean attack.
Yoon calls for strengthening surveillance, reconnaissance against N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · December 20, 2023
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol called Wednesday for strengthening surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to deal better with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Yoon made the remark as he presided over a meeting of the presidential defense innovation committee, noting the North's recent launches of a spy satellite and an intercontinental ballistic missile.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the third meeting of the presidential defense innovation committee at the presidential office in Seoul on Dec. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
"North Korea's provocations will continue according to their timetable, so we must always have a full readiness posture," he said during the meeting at the presidential office, which was attended by Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, top military leaders and civilian committee members, including former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.
"During this third innovation committee meeting, I ask you to discuss ways to dramatically strengthen our military's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which are meant to prepare against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," he said.
South Korea has been stepping up its surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear program.
Early this month, South Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, before successfully conducting its third test flight of a solid-fuel space rocket.
"We must share with the United States our surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which will strengthen in the future, and use the real-time missile warning data sharing system between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to effectively deter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats," Yoon said.
Yoon also called for measures to drastically shorten procedures for procuring weapons and other military hardware, saying the application of standard government procedures, which seek to ensure fairness and prevent corruption, will only lead to the deployment of outdated weapons.
"This is not only a waste of finances but security incompetence," he said.
During the meeting, the defense ministry reported plans to diversify weapons procurement methods and integrate overlapping verification and analysis steps in current procurement procedures, according to the presidential office.
Under the plan, the government expects to halve the average time required for weapons procurement from 14 years to seven years, it said.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · December 20, 2023
8. S. Korea, Japan resume high-level economic talks after nearly 8 years
More good news for the bilateral ROK-Japan relationship.
S. Korea, Japan resume high-level economic talks after nearly 8 years | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · December 20, 2023
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Japan will hold bilateral economic talks later this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday, in the resumption of the dialogue that had been stalled for almost eight years over a historical feud.
The talks will take place in Seoul on Thursday, led by Kang Jae-kwon, South Korean deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, and Keiichi Ono, Japan's senior deputy foreign minister, the ministry said in a press release.
The two sides will assess the bilateral economic cooperation and discuss issues of mutual concern, including cooperation in economic security policy and regional and multilateral cooperation, the ministry said.
"We expect the resumption of the economic dialogue to serve as an occasion for the bilateral ties to further develop into a future-oriented cooperative relationship," the ministry said.
The two countries launched the economic dialogue in 1999 as a channel to discuss comprehensive economic cooperation, but it had not been held since the last session in Tokyo in January 2016.
The lull came as the Japanese government unilaterally postponed the meeting in late 2016, when a girl's statue symbolizing Korean victims of Japan's sexual slavery during World War II was erected in front of the Japanese Consulate in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan.
The meeting remained suspended as the bilateral relations between Seoul and Tokyo further deteriorated over a host of thorny issues stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea and Japan agreed to resume the dialogue in July this year amid a significant warming of the bilateral ties after South Korea decided in March to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor on its own without Japan's contribution.
Seoul's proposal for the resolution led to the resumption of reciprocal visits by the countries' leaders and the agreement to revive key high-level exchanges, including diplomatic dialogue channels.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, ahead of their bilateral talks in the southeastern port city of Busan, in this file photo taken Nov. 26, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · December 20, 2023
9. Former USFK base in Incheon fully returned to S. Korea
Fond memories of Cmap Market. From bringing 121 X M151 Jeeps to turn in there at the railhead in return for 82 new HMMWVS in 1986, to using the facilities there for logistics support when we trained with the 5th ROK SF Brigade in Bupyeong.
I had not seen this number before:
So far, the USFK has handed over 69 out of 80 bases under the relocation plan, while some parts of Yongsan garrison and bases in Gyeonggi Province have not yet been returned.
"The government will continue consultation with the United States to expedite the scheduled return of U.S. military bases by taking into account comprehensive social, economic and environmental issues," the ministry said.
Former USFK base in Incheon fully returned to S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · December 20, 2023
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military in South Korea fully returned its former base, Camp Market, to the Asian country Wednesday, the defense ministry said, as part of a broad relocation scheme to consolidate its bases across South Korea.
The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) handed over about 257,000 square meters of land in Camp Market near Seoul to South Korea, four years after returning some 216,000 square meters of land in the base in the first phase.
The agreement was made in a meeting of the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement Joint Committee, which governs the legal status of the 28,500 American soldiers stationed in South Korea.
"As the rest of the site of Camp Market, which was used for a bread factory and warehouse, has been returned, the return process of a total of 473,000 square meters of land has been completed," the defense ministry said in a joint statement with the ministries of foreign affairs, environment and land.
"It is expected to give momentum to the Incheon government's development plan for the site," it added.
The site of Camp Market, a former U.S. military base, in Bupyeong, about 25 kilometers west of Seoul, is seen in this photo taken Dec. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
The former site of Camp Market in Bupyeong, about 25 kilometers west of Seoul, was previously used as a weapons factory for the Japanese military during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula before being taken over by the U.S. military in 1945.
South Korea opened part of the returned site of Camp Market to the public in October 2020 for the first time in 81 years. Decontamination work is currently under way in other parts of the former military base.
The return is part of a broad relocation scheme to consolidate U.S. bases across South Korea into two garrisons in Pyeongtaek, 60 km south of Seoul, and Daegu, 237 km southeast of the capital, with the aim of enhancing defense readiness and operational efficiencies in the face of North Korean military threats.
So far, the USFK has handed over 69 out of 80 bases under the relocation plan, while some parts of Yongsan garrison and bases in Gyeonggi Province have not yet been returned.
"The government will continue consultation with the United States to expedite the scheduled return of U.S. military bases by taking into account comprehensive social, economic and environmental issues," the ministry said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · December 20, 2023
10. N Korea’s military provocations boost S Korea’s nuclear arsenal push
Ah... now we are seeing the desired effects of the regime's political warfare. This is what Kim wants to see - a ROK push for nuclear weapons to undermine the ROK/US alliance as well as trilateral cooperation.
Rather than focus on obtaining nuclear weapons, the ROK (and the alliance) must focus on defeating the regime's political warfare strategy. One way to do that is to not do what the regime desires.
N Korea’s military provocations boost S Korea’s nuclear arsenal push
The current US support and measures leaves a significant security gap for S Korea, expert says.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/sk-nuclear-push-12202023013144.html
By Lee Jeong-Ho for RFA
2023.12.20
Seoul, South Korea
Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023.
Ints Kalnins/Reuters
When South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested the potential of Seoul acquiring nuclear capabilities, the United States promptly set up the Nuclear Consultation Group, or NCG. This initiative is aimed at addressing Seoul’s security concerns, in the hopes of preventing them from developing into a significant security dilemma for Washington, namely a nuclear domino effect across Asia.
However, North Korea’s deployment of spy satellites and subsequent launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) has led to increasing skepticism in Seoul regarding the dependability of Washington’s deterrence strategy, fueling a louder call for South Korea to develop its own nuclear arsenal. Experts noted that this sentiment will likely intensify unless the U.S. sufficiently addresses South Korea’s security concerns.
Signs are already evident. A poll released by Gallup Korea earlier this year shows around 78% of South Koreans are in favor of the country developing its own nuclear weapons.
Prominent politicians, such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the ruling party for 2027, have also been vocal about the issue.
Oh on Tuesday, for instance, stressed that South Korea would need its own nuclear arsenal, calling bolstering the cooperation with the U.S. under nuclear umbrella “only a temporary measure.”
Oh’s remarks are widely viewed as his attempt to align with the aspirations of South Korea’s conservative base, advocating for the nation to become a nuclear power.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had previously brought up the idea of the country going nuclear if its security situation with North Korea deteriorates. While these remarks were not a policy announcement, they sparked an intense debate within the South’s domestic political circles. With the by-election in April next year and the presidential election for 2027, this high-stake nuclear debate is only likely to continue in the country.
Washington’s dilemma
The U.S.-South Korea bilateral announcement to establish the NCG, agreed in Washington in April, is a clear indicator that shows Washington’s strategic effort to mitigate South Korea’s inclination towards developing its own nuclear arsenal.
In the traditional sense, South Korea’s potential pursuit of nuclear weapons may destabilize the nuclear arms race in East Asia, which could become a security dilemma for Washington.
“The tense atmosphere concerning Taiwan would justify … Japan would also be willing to become part of the ‘nuclear group’ not to feel disadvantaged in case a war occurs,” researchers of London-based King’s Think Tank noted in April, adding that having a nuclear South Korea could lead to the nuclear “domino effect” in East Asia.
Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Korea's presidential office believes while the NCG reflects the U.S.’s understanding of the complex security environment in the region, it needs to bear real substance if it is to mitigate the growing voices in the South advocating for nuclearization.
“North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ICBM launches target the U.S., but the U.S.’s capability is reciprocated for retaliation, effectively neutralizing the Pyongyang threat,” said Cheon.
“But this leaves a critical question unanswered: Is there an adequate countermeasure for North Korea’s nuclear weapons and short-range missiles specifically aimed at ROK? Currently, no such equivalent countermeasure exists in ROK, highlighting a significant security gap here,” he added by referring to South Korea as its former name.
He stressed the importance of filling such a gap, adding that’s where the NCG must come into play.
“It’s not enough to simply just continue deploying strategic assets in the Korean peninsula, but a more nuanced approach is needed,” he noted.
“The NCG should focus on developing and discussing more effective strategies and collaborative measures to address the specific challenges posed by North Korea’s targeted missile threats, to fundamentally ease Seoul’s security concerns,” the pundit explained.
Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.
11. Call for immediate action on S. Korea-U.S. integrated nuclear defense strategy
This assessment is fundamentally wrong. The north did not conduct an ICBM launch in response to ROK/US actions. It conducted the launch to create a dilemma for the alliance and to try to drive a wedge in the alliance but the ROK demanded its own nuclear weapons or other demands of extended deterrence which will have a negative impact on the alliance. We must understand the regime's political warfare strategy and not be misled by analysis that balmes the north's actions on the alliance. We must have a clear understanding of the nature of the regime and its objectives and strategy.
Excerpt:
These provocations appear to be North Korea's reaction to the bolstered South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence framework and a demonstration of its military capabilities.
Call for immediate action on S. Korea-U.S. integrated nuclear defense strategy
donga.com
Posted December. 19, 2023 08:39,
Updated December. 19, 2023 08:39
Call for immediate action on S. Korea-U.S. integrated nuclear defense strategy. December. 19, 2023 08:39. .
On Monday morning, North Korea escalated tensions by launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), believed to be the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 type, into the East Sea. The missile, launched at a steep trajectory, reached an altitude exceeding 6,000 kilometers and covered a distance of approximately 1,000 kilometers. Experts suggest that if launched on a standard trajectory, this missile could strike targets across the continental United States, spanning over 15,000 kilometers. This launch follows a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) test conducted the previous night, covering 570 kilometers, marking the first back-to-back missile tests by North Korea this year.
These provocations appear to be North Korea's reaction to the bolstered South Korea-U.S. extended deterrence framework and a demonstration of its military capabilities. In a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., South Korea and the U.S. convened a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to develop nuclear strategy planning and operational guidelines by June next year, addressing potential nuclear threats from North Korea. They also agreed to incorporate these strategies into the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises in August, a significant shift from focusing solely on conventional warfare. North Korea, feeling the pressure, has condemned the outcomes of the NCG meeting as a blatant provocation and has threatened a preemptive and devastating response.
The rapid succession of North Korea's missile tests, showcasing both short and long-range capabilities within 10 hours, is seen as an attempt to undermine the U.S. nuclear shield and display its ability to target U.S. strategic interests in the Korean Peninsula and the U.S. mainland. During these tests, North Korea explicitly threatened the U.S. nuclear submarine USS Missouri, stationed in Busan, and claimed the capability to strike the entire U.S. mainland. Notably, North Korea is expediting the development of solid-fuel ICBMs, capable of unexpected attacks, to counter the South Korea-U.S. nuclear strategies.
This latest series of aggressive moves by North Korea, a direct challenge to the South Korea-U.S. joint defense initiatives, has heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, especially in the wake of the dissolution of the 9·19 military agreement between North and South Korea. With the upcoming U.S. presidential election adding a layer of political uncertainty, the regional stability in Northeast Asia is at risk of further destabilization. Traditional deterrents like the threat of "overwhelming retaliation and punishment" are proving less effective against North Korea's aggressive posturing. In response, South Korea and the U.S. must expedite the implementation of their 'integrated extended deterrence' strategy. This includes fast-tracking the formation of a South Korean Strategic Command in alignment with the U.S. Strategic Command and enhancing military response capabilities and cooperative operational systems.
한국어
donga.com
12. S. Koreans more accepting of foreign nationals than N. Korean defectors, study finds
Troubling? Yes. Could this impact unification? Possibly. However, polls are always to be taken with a grain of salt. But this is something the ROK government must take for action and ensure more effective integration and assimilation.
S. Koreans more accepting of foreign nationals than N. Korean defectors, study finds
Posted on : Dec.19,2023 18:14 KST Modified on : Dec.19,2023 18:14 K
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1121061.html?utm
The biggest difference in the attitude towards social minorities could be seen in the public and private spheres
(Getty Images Bank)
A study has shown that South Koreans feel closer to foreign migrants than North Korean defectors. In addition, the percentage of Koreans willing to mix with social minorities such as foreigners or sexual or gender minorities in public or work environments is on the rise. At the same time, many report being reluctant to accept them as neighbors or friends.The 2023 “Korean Social Trends” report released on Friday by Statistics Korea shows the results of the 2022 Korea Social Integration Survey administered each year by the Korea Institute of Public Administration. The survey collected responses from 8,294 people aged 19 and older nationwide in September and October.The survey found a level of acceptance of North Korean defectors of 40.3 points, lower than the level of acceptance of foreigners living in Korea (44.6 points). The disparity in the level of acceptance for the two groups increased from 2.8 percentage points in 2021 to 4.3 percentage points in 2022.Social acceptance level was calculated by taking the average of respondents’ feelings about each social minority on a temperature scale (0 to 100 degrees, where 0 is very cold and 100 is very warm) and converted to a 100-point scale.When asked to what extent they were willing to accept different types of minorities in a relationship as neighbors, coworkers, close friends, spouses, or not at all, 22.2% of people responded that they wouldn’t be able to accept any relationship with North Korean defectors at all, which was significantly higher than the people who responded similarly about foreign nationals (10.0%).The percentage of people who responded that they were willing to accept North Korean defectors as neighbors, coworkers, and friends was at 77.1%, which was also significantly lower than the result for foreigners (88.7%).The biggest difference in the attitude towards social minorities could be seen in the public and private spheres. While the percentage of those who say they are willing to accept North Korean defectors as coworkers has increased from 20.0% in 2013 to 34.2% in 2022, the percentage of those who stated that they would be able to accept them as neighbors or close friends dropped from 57.5% to 42.9% over the same period.“This shows that even though South Korean society has grown significantly in recognizing diversity in general, the acceptance of minorities is not yet high,” said Ha Shang-eung, a professor of political science at Sogang University who conducted the analysis of the social integration survey for Statics Korea’s report.By Ahn Tae-ho, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
13. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ The government distributes coal as winter sets in…, but only 15% of what people need…Robberies of firewood and coal are common
How will the Korean people in the north survive? They will demonstrate that they are among the most resilient people in the world. But will we see indications of instability or just actions to try to survive?
＜Inside N. Korea＞ The government distributes coal as winter sets in…, but only 15% of what people need…Robberies of firewood and coal are common
asiapress.org
(FILE PHOTO) A woman walking home after taking water from a community well in a village. There’s many people drinking water without boiling it first in order to save on gas costs. Taken by “Mindeullae” in January 2015 in a central region of North Korea. (ASIAPRESS)
In severely cold North Hamgyung Province, government agencies and enterprises distributed coal to their employees earlier this month. The distributions are slightly larger than last year when low supplies forced many people to suffer through cold winters, so people are breathing a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, there are frequent robberies of coal because the distributions alone are not enough. A reporting partner in Hoeryong provided more details. (KANG Ji-won)
◆ 200 - 250 kilograms of coal only provides heating for one month
“Starting in December, government agencies and enterprises handed down coal for cooking and heating. There were differences in how much coal people got depending on the workplace. Places of authority, like the police and state security offices, got one ton of coal per person; however, ordinary enterprises generally handed just 25 kilograms in 6-8 bags. For example, a shoe factory in Hoeryong handed out 200 kilograms per person, while a cigarette factory handed out 250 kilograms per person.”
According to a defector originally from North Hamgyung Province, a single household needs 1.5 to 2 tons of coal for cooking and heating purposes during the winter. Despite the coldness of last year’s winter, people only got 150 kilograms, so many had to spend the deathly cold winter with other families or entire families stayed in one room.
Two years ago, workers were given 500 to 800 kilograms of cola each, which means that this year’s distribution is not even 15% of what they need. Two hundred to 250 kilograms of coal is not enough for a family to survive on for even one month, but people are nonetheless welcoming the distributions.
◆ Companies have no money to pay for coal transport
The distribution of coal involved people taking “coal slips,” which are government certified statements of payment issued to government agencies and enterprises, to mining or coal companies to exchange them for coal. Coal companies would then submit these coal slips to banks or government agencies to receive payment at a later time.
A major issue, however, has been the transport of coal from mines. The reporting partner explained:
“Each coal slip allows companies to give each laborer around 700 kilograms of coal. However, companies have no money to transport coal from mines. That’s why they are forced to sell the coal to cover the costs of borrowing a vehicle and to pay for fuel. Ultimately, each laborer only gets the remaining coal, equal to 200 to 250 kilograms.”
Companies sell the coal to wealthy wholesalers for 90 yuan per ton, and these wholesalers sell the coal retail for 32,000 North Korean won (around 26 yuan) per 250 kilograms. At one market in Hoeryong in mid-December, the price of one ton of coal was around 106 yuan. The reporting partner said that coal is circulating in large amounts in markets.
※ 1 yuan is around 181 South Korean won
“It’s gotten so cold that there’s a lot of people who are prioritizing the purchase of coal over food. There are even people who are heating up water in their coal stoves, placing the heated water in PET bottles, and then putting the bottles under their bed covers for heating at night. There’s a lot of people stealing coal and firewood from storage areas at night, so the authorities told neighborhood watch units on December 7 to intensify security.”
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
Map of North Korea ( ASIAPRESS)
asiapress.org
14. Number of Korean arms importers triples in 2023
A partner in the Arsenal of Democracy.
Number of Korean arms importers triples in 2023
The Korea Times · December 20, 2023
This file photo shows a Redback infantry fighting vehicle developed and exported by Hanwha Aerospace. Korea is solidifying its position as a major player in the global arms market, as its exports are estimated to exceed the $10-billion mark for the second consecutive year. Courtesy of Hanwha Aerospace
Korea expands presence in global arms market as exports estimated to reach $14 billion
By Jung Min-ho
Korea is solidifying its position as a major player in the global arms market as its exports are estimated to exceed the $10-billion mark for the second consecutive year, with the number of importers having tripled.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, Korean companies signed nearly $14 billion worth of weapons deals so far in 2023. This figure was a little shy of a record high of more than $17 billion the previous year, which was largely attributed to $13 billion worth of contracts with Poland.
Given that arms exports to the European nation accounted for 72 percent of last year’s total, this year’s performance has been impressive and is a positive sign for Korea’s prospects as a rising weapons maker and exporter, according to officials.
Ministry officials told reporters that one of the biggest accomplishments this year was to triple the number of Korea’s partner countries to 12. New importers include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and three members of NATO ― Norway, Estonia and Finland. The number of armament types exported from Korea increased from six to 12.
With another set of megadeals with Poland gaining traction, the size of its arms exports will likely surpass the $20-billion mark for the first time next year, officials said.
The government previously estimated that reaching that figure would be possible within this year. An official said a delay in additional sales contracts with Poland was the main reason for missing the goal, adding that the second round of deals could be finalized as early as the first quarter of 2024.
“Given that Poland is a key partner in the defense industry, we will try our best to reflect its demand on local production,” the official said.
Last year, Poland signed deals with Korean weapons manufacturers to procure K-2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers, K-239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and FA-50 light attack aircraft to bolster its defenses amid growing tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, the companies have expanded their global presence. Earlier this month, Hanwha Aerospace clinched a $2.4 billion contract to sell 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles to Australia. In February, Korea Aerospace Industries, the nation’s only full-scale aircraft maker, signed a $920 million contract to sell 18 FA-50 light attack aircraft to Malaysia.
In close cooperation with the government, Korean arms makers aim to carve out a five percent share of the international export market by 2027 to become the fourth-largest defense exporter after the U.S., Russia and France.
Achieving that feat may not be impossible as the rising demand for weapons, prompted and accelerated by wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, opens new opportunities for Korean companies as top exporters such as the U.S. and Russia struggle to produce enough for themselves and their allies, according to experts.
Many countries in Eastern Europe, armed mostly with Soviet-era weapons, are now seeking to replace them. Others in the West and Southeast Asia are trying to diversify the sources of their arms amid geopolitical uncertainties, they said.
“With the proven quality of its military hardware and the ability to deliver them fast, Korea is in a good position to continue to expand its presence globally,” a defense company official told The Korea Times.
The Korea Times · December 20, 2023
15. N. Korean economy shrinks for 3rd consecutive year in 2022
I am reminded of Billy Preston- "nothing from nothing means nothing."
N. Korean economy shrinks for 3rd consecutive year in 2022
The Korea Times · December 20, 2023
North Koreans pay tribute in front of the statues of the country's late founder, Kim Il-sung, left, and his late son and successor, Kim Jong-il, at Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang, Dec. 18. Yonhap
The North Korean economy shrank for the third year in a row in 2022 amid international sanctions and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.
The North's real gross domestic product (GDP) inched down 0.2 percent on-year last year, following a 4.5 percent drop in its GDP in 2020 and a 0.1 percent decline in 2021, according to the data from Statistics Korea.
The fall came as the production from its mining and manufacturing industry tumbled 4.6 percent on-year and the output from the agricultural and fishery sector skidded 2.1 percent.
The North's nominal GDP stood at 36.2 trillion won ($27.84 billion) last year, which came to a mere 1.7 percent of South Korea's GDP of 2,161.8 trillion won.
North Korea's nominal gross national income (GNI) came to 36.7 trillion won, and its per capita GNI stood at 1.43 million won, or nearly one-thirtieth of South Korea's.
The communist county is facing international economic sanctions for its weapons program and closed its borders from January 2020 to September 2023 to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
North Korea's total trade value surged 122.4 percent on-year to $1.59 billion last year, compared with Seoul's $1.42 trillion.
The North's exports jumped 93.9 percent on-year to $16 million and imports spiked 126.1 percent to $1.43 billion.
China was North Korea's top trading partner, accounting for 96.7 percent of the North's total transactions with the outside world, followed by Vietnam with one percent and Argentina with 0.8 percent, the data showed.
Pyongyang's grain production amounted to 4.51 million tons in 2022, down four percent from a year earlier.
North Korea's population stood at 25.7 million last year, up 90,000 from a year earlier. It compared with South Korea's 51.67 million in 2022.
North Korean men had a life expectancy of 71.9 years last year, while women were expected to live to 78.3 years.
South Korean men, in comparison, were expected to live to 79.9, and the female life expectancy was 85.6.
South Korea's statistics office has published general information on North Korea since 1995 to shed light on its economic and social conditions, and it plans to provide more information by presenting new indices, such as natural disasters, diseases and smoking rate. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · December 20, 2023
16. Hoeryong security officials launch crackdown on Chinese phone users for year-end bribes
Money (and information) gets into north Korea through this channel.
Hoeryong security officials launch crackdown on Chinese phone users for year-end bribes
At the top of their target list are remittance “brokers” who make money using Chinese mobile phones
By Lee Chae Un - 2023.12.20 1:31pm
dailynk.com
Hoeryong security officials launch crackdown on Chinese phone users for year-end bribes | Daily NK English
Hoeryong Youth Station (Flickr, Creative Commons, siyang xue)
Officials with the Hoeryong branch of the Ministry of State Security have launched a sweeping crackdown on users of Chinese mobile phones to collect money for year-end bribes for their superiors, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Friday that the Hoeryong branch of the Ministry of State Security “recently declared a major cleanup campaign to root out the use of Chinese mobile phones.” He added that local residents “know only too well that this is a shakedown for the officials to fulfill their year-end tasks.”
At the end of each year, North Korean security agents regularly conduct crackdowns to gather the cash to pay their superiors, the source added.
In particular, agents are working hard to ramp up fear to extract bigger bribes, even using the term “major cleanup campaign” to describe their crackdown on Chinese-made mobile phones.
At the top of their target list are remittance “brokers” who make money using Chinese mobile phones.
“Remittance brokers are prime bait for the officials because they’re the only ones with money,” the source said. “The security officials are seeking out remittance brokers to openly ask for money, which puts them in a tight spot because the officials demand too much cash.”
In fact, two security agents recently asked a remittance broker operating in Hoeryong for RMB 20,000 (around USD 2,800).
“I’m starving and exhausted, and now I’ve got to take harassment by security agents just to make a living moving a bit of money,” the broker complained, according to the source. “I have no idea how I will survive.”
Security officials are even seeking out retired remittance brokers to ask for money if their names are on the list of Chinese mobile phone users, the source said.
Security officials use threats to get what they want
In fact, some officials threaten their victims with exile if they refuse to accept their demands.
According to the source, security officials in Hoeryong visited one person last week to demand RMB 5,000 (around USD 705), even though the individual, who had his phone confiscated, has been unable to make money for six months.
“I have no money because I’ve been unable to make remittances,” he told the officials, who responded: “Do you want to be exiled into the mountains so you can come to your senses?”
The source claimed that “security officials demand thousands of yuan without even blinking an eye. It’s highway robbery. Yet we have no choice but to put the money together somehow because we have no idea what detriment we’ll suffer if we don’t give them what they want.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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Lee Chae Un
Lee Chae Un is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. She can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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De Oppresso Liber,
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