Quote of the Day:

"Inflict the least possible permanent injury, for the enemy of to0day is the customer of the morrow and the ally of the future. "

- Sir Basil H. Liddell-Hart

"To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing; to contemplate the beautiful thing, that is enough for one man's life."

-T.S. ELiot

"You need power, only when you want to do something harmful, others, love is all you need to get everything done."

- Charlie Chaplin

1. N. Korea highlights economic feats ahead of plenary meeting

2. Previewing North Korea’s Strategic Moves in 2024

3. S. Korea to push for DNA tests on descendants of separated families

4. Defense chief calls for vengeance in event of N. Korean provocation

5. S. Korea says is in talks with Poland on arms deals amid worries about possible cancellation

6. S. Korea, U.S. discuss strengthening cooperation in U.S. arms maintenance

7. Seoul to push for establishment of state-run North Korea human rights center

8. S. Korea calls NK followers 'internal threat' in military educational material

9. UNHCR calls for China to ensure 'humanitarian space' for NK asylum seekers

10. South to prosecute North's human rights violators after unification

11. K-Power: South Korea’s emergence as ‘global pivot state’ attracts US allies

12. Chinese state media urge citizens to remember Christmas Eve Korean war victory

13. Kim Jong-un’s plan for future of North Korea 'revealed by hidden clue in photo'

1. N. Korea highlights economic feats ahead of plenary meeting

Magical data from the regime?  As a friend and colleague in Korea has said to me, the other miracle in Korea is the fact that the people in the north continue to survive after 7 decades of the ultimate oppression and economic failure.

N. Korea highlights economic feats ahead of plenary meeting | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 26, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean state media outlets on Tuesday ran articles on recent economic and industrial developments in what appeared to be efforts to highlight the country's economic accomplishments this year ahead of a key party meeting expected to take place this week.

The North's state media earlier reported the country will convene the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers' Party late in December to review this year's state policies and set policy goals for next year. It did not elaborate on when the meeting would be held.

Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper for its domestic audience, introduced efforts to increase production in the steel industry, such as the establishment of a new blast furnace at Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex, and an induction furnace at Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex.

The newspaper also said the province of South Hamgyong has accomplished "feats that stand out" in terms of economic development and improvements in people's livelihoods by upholding decisions made at an earlier key party meeting.

North Korean officials attend a ceremony marking the launch of an energy-efficient blast furnace at Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex on Dec. 20, 2023, in this photo released the next day by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The Korean Central News Agency has also been running articles on the establishment of various facilities -- ranging from the development of a new tractor to modernized facilities at a pharmaceutical plant -- in the agricultural and industrial sectors this week.

In contrast to major defense achievements the reclusive regime has accomplished this year -- such as launching solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and a military reconnaissance satellite -- the North has suffered economic difficulties coming from yearslong COVID-19 border closure and international sanctions.

The North Korean economy saw its gross domestic product slip 0.2 percent on-year in 2022, shrinking for a third consecutive year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

An official at Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said the North is likely to review this year's policy and set out guidelines for the new year in the upcoming key meeting.

"While the North has not disclosed a date, it is expected to convene the meeting between Tuesday and Thursday based on previous cases," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"Some notable aspects will be its message for the South and overseas counterparts as well as to what extent it will touch on its plan for weapons development. We are also keeping tabs on changes in organizational affairs."

This file photo, taken from footage from the Korean Central Television on Dec. 12, 2023, shows a new factory in Sinuiju that was built to manufacture various medical and disinfection products. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · December 26, 2023

2. Previewing North Korea’s Strategic Moves in 2024

A useful run down of possibilities though I think nuclear powered submarines are a long way off.

Conclusion:

In contrast to its unprecedented ballistic missile launches in 2022, North Korea will likely focus on developing new ballistic missile programs that can be considered as a direct threat to security of the United States.

According to the five-year plan to develop strategic weapons announced at a Workers’ Party Congress in early 2021, North Korea aims to develop tactical nuclear weapons, a new intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic gliding flight warheads, nuclear-powered submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite.

In 2024, North Korea will likely focus on successfully developing its indigenous military reconnaissance satellites and nuclear-powered submarines that would boost its asymmetrical military capabilities against South Korea.

On November 15, North Korea said it had successfully tested new solid-fuel engines designed for intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Based on its missile test activities, North Korea may focus on developing a nuclear-powered submarine and a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, advancing its ability to target the U.S. mainland. With this, North Korea will likely develop hypersonic weapons and multi-warhead missiles to cope with the overwhelming U.S. military assets.

North Korea will also focus on providing munition support to Russia.

Due to the ongoing Ukraine War and Israel-Hamas War, North Korea may know that its ballistic missile launches will not have the same effect as they had years ago. In this context, North Korea will focus on developing advanced new nuclear weapons to raise the ante for future negotiations with the U.S. Meanwhile, Pyongyang will lay the groundwork for some future scenarios in which Kim can have another summit meeting with Trump if he wins the presidential election. Biden’s re-election would mean no dialogue and negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea for another four years.

Meanwhile, the tensions on the Korean Peninsula will worsen as the two Koreas are no longer bound by the 2018 military agreement that halted military activities near the inter-Korean borders.

All told, 2024 looks set to be another tense year of aggravated security conditions on the Korean Peninsula.

Previewing North Korea’s Strategic Moves in 2024

thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin

Expect North Korea to continue to advance military ties with Russia, push forward key advanced weapons programs (like nuclear subs), and generally shun diplomacy with the U.S. and South Korea.

By

December 25, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Sep. 13, 2023.

Since the breakdown of the 2019 Hanoi Summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has openly beefed up its missile capabilities. Also, with the election of Yoon Suk-yeol, the conservative South Korean president, in March 2022, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been aggravated by the explicit power game between the two sides.

In light of the current security environment, this article forecasts how North Korea will likely behave toward the United States and South Korea in 2024.

Explicit Military Cooperation Between North Korea and Russia

Amid the strengthened South Korea-U.S. alliance, North Korea showed its clear intention to enhance ties with Russia to keep its leverage on the Korean Peninsula. This was made explicit at the summit between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 13, 2023.

In the past few months, Kim’s diplomacy has fully focused on strengthening ties with Russia, including hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Considering his vow to faithfully fulfill agreements made with Putin, Kim will likely continue to support Russia in 2024, which will give Washington and Seoul no chance to renew the stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang.

Putin’s plan to completely suppress Ukraine in a short period has been impeded by the unexpected resistance of Ukrainians. To continue the “special military operation” in Ukraine, Putin needs munitions from like-minded leaders, and Kim is one of them. Although North Korea has denied accusations that it is supplying munitions to Russia, there have been numerous reports to the contrary.

According to the White House, North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia in September. The South Korean spy agency believes that North Korea has sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August. Also, the South Korean military suspects North Korea of sending several types of missiles to Russia involving short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank missiles, and portable anti-air missiles.

Now the question is what Putin is giving to North Korea in return for its munitions support. Considering North Korea’s hardship caused by the devastating U.S. and U.N. economic sanctions, Kim could have asked Putin for cash, energy, and weapons technologies transfers. For example, it’s widely believed that Russia provided support to North Korea to successfully launch its first military satellite, which Putin promised to do during his summit with Kim.

North Korea’s Successful Military Reconnaissance Satellite Launch

On November 22, North Korea claimed that it has successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit. According to the North’s space agency, its “Chollima-1” carrier rocket placed the “Malligyong-1” satellite into orbit on the night of November 21. After previous attempts in May and August failed due to technical issues, Pyongyang finally succeeded on its third attempt. Notably, North Korea had originally vowed to try a third launch in October. Given the delay, it is presumed that North Korean missile scientists were working with Russia to send its satellite into orbit successfully.

To better monitor South Korea and other areas, North Korea has vowed that it will launch more spy satellites. However, the South’s spy agency reported the North is unlikely to conduct another satellite launches this year.

To counter criticisms from the United States and its allies, North Korea has reiterated that its military reconnaissance satellite launch is a sovereign right that should not be restrained by outside forces. However, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan strongly condemned the launch.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson called the launch “a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.” She said it “raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond.” She also added that the space launch “involved technologies that are directly related to the DPRK intercontinental ballistic missile program.” (DPRK is an acronym of the North’s official name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.)

On November 30, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned eight foreign-based North Korean agents that allegedly “facilitate sanctions evasion, including revenue generation and missile-related technology procurement” to support the North’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.

In response to the North’s spy satellite launch, South Korean President Yoon approved his National Security Council’s decision on November 22 to partially suspend the military agreement that was reached by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un during the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September 2018. It is the South’s first formal suspension of agreements made with North Korea since the two Koreas made their first agreement in 1991.

According to Seoul, Pyongyang has already violated the 2018 military agreement ceaselessly by conducting military activities near the inter-Korean borders, which are banned under the agreement. If North Korea continues to launch spy satellite rockets or test ballistic missiles, Seoul said it will suspend the remaining clauses agreement and reinvigorate front-line aerial surveillance and live-fire exercises at no-fly zones near the inter-Korean borders.

A day after Seoul made its decision to partially suspend the military agreement, the North Korean Defense Ministry firmly vowed to immediately restore all military measures that were halted under the agreement. It also threatened to deploy powerful and new military weapons to the military demarcation line.

Assuming that the North would successfully obtain useful images of U.S. and South Korean military bases through its reconnaissance satellite, it will ultimately enhance the North’s preemptive and precision strike capability with a more favorable monitoring environment.

Pyongyang Holds out, Hoping for Negotiations With Trump

Amid North Korea’s emphasis on diplomacy with Russia and focus on a military buildup, there has been no sign of interest in resuming stalled talks with the United States.

As U.S. President Joe Biden’s policy on North Korea appears to be an updated version of the Obama administration’s “strategic patience” approach, North Korea has not been interested in renewing the stalled nuclear talks with the United States. Biden prefers a traditional bottom-up approach when tackling security challenges, where working-level officials reach agreement on concrete issues before high-level meetings occur..

The Biden administration has reiterated that it is willing to negotiate with North Korea “anytime, anywhere, with no preconditions” since it finalized its policy review on North Korea, but Pyongyang has not responded to this message. Since the failed Hanoi talks, North Korea has made clear that it will insist on sanctions relief as a preemptive gesture before renewing the stalled nuclear talks.

Unlike Biden, Trump preferred a top-down approach to complicated security issues. Considering Kim Jong Un’s similar preference, Pyongyang would want Donald Trump to be re-elected in the 2024 presidential election so that Kim can again attempt to persuade Trump to lift the economic sanctions against his country.

Despite Trump’s decision to walk out of the Hanoi summit with no deal in February 2019, North Korea still has reason to prefer him to other leaders. Pyongyang might have concluded that other U.S. politicians are likely to pursue the “Libya model,” which pressures the Kim regime to withdraw its nuclear weapons first before the normalization of relations with the United States. Due to the ugly fate of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was murdered by rebels, Kim Jong Un will never accept this approach; if he returns to talks with the United States, Kim will continue to insist on a phased denuclearization process with a reciprocal approach.

It is uncertain, however, that a future Trump White House would be interested in dealing with North Korea issues, as the degree of North Korean nuclear threats is incomparable with the ongoing Ukraine War and Israel-Hamas War for the United States. In this context, Pyongyang will focus on developing more powerful nuclear weapons to raise the ante for future negotiations with Washington.

No Inter-Korean Dialogue

Ever since Yoon assumed the presidency, Pyongyang’s attitude toward Seoul has been crystal clear. Due to Yoon’s hawkish overture on North Korea – which is no different from his conservative predecessors’ – Pyongyang ruled out the possibility of negotiating with Yoon early in his presidency.

During U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Seoul in November, he met his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik and signed a new version of the Tailored Deterrence Strategy agreement. This was the first revision in a decade to effectively address the North’s growing nuclear programs.

According to Shin, the new document demonstrates the United States’ firm commitment to the South’s security. In the event of a North Korean nuclear attack, the U.S. would use its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear assets. No further details were elaborated.

As Yoon boosts his efforts to strengthen the trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan to cope with the growing missile capabilities of North Korea, Pyongyang’s adamant attitude toward talks with Seoul will not change unless Yoon shifts his stance on North Korea preemptively.

Although the Yoon administration has left room for inter-Korean talks, Pyongyang clearly showed its displeasure against Seoul’s two-pronged approach.

Considering Yoon’s preference for dealing with North Korea’s missile threats by relying on U.S. strategic assets, Yoon will not actively seek diplomatic means to make Kim return to the negotiating table. Rather, he and his team will seek to further advance U.S. extended deterrence, which the Yoon administration sees as the most powerful and effective policy to tackle North Korea’s growing aggression.

Like Biden, Yoon’s approval ratings are low. According to polls and media predictions, the main opposition Democratic Party will likely retain its majority in the South Korean National Assembly following the legislative elections in April 2024. If so, Yoon’s lame duck will begin, which would also give North Korea no reason to seek dialogue with Seoul until the next president takes office in May 2027.

Conclusion

In contrast to its unprecedented ballistic missile launches in 2022, North Korea will likely focus on developing new ballistic missile programs that can be considered as a direct threat to security of the United States.

According to the five-year plan to develop strategic weapons announced at a Workers’ Party Congress in early 2021, North Korea aims to develop tactical nuclear weapons, a new intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic gliding flight warheads, nuclear-powered submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite.

In 2024, North Korea will likely focus on successfully developing its indigenous military reconnaissance satellites and nuclear-powered submarines that would boost its asymmetrical military capabilities against South Korea.

On November 15, North Korea said it had successfully tested new solid-fuel engines designed for intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Based on its missile test activities, North Korea may focus on developing a nuclear-powered submarine and a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, advancing its ability to target the U.S. mainland. With this, North Korea will likely develop hypersonic weapons and multi-warhead missiles to cope with the overwhelming U.S. military assets.

North Korea will also focus on providing munition support to Russia.

Due to the ongoing Ukraine War and Israel-Hamas War, North Korea may know that its ballistic missile launches will not have the same effect as they had years ago. In this context, North Korea will focus on developing advanced new nuclear weapons to raise the ante for future negotiations with the U.S. Meanwhile, Pyongyang will lay the groundwork for some future scenarios in which Kim can have another summit meeting with Trump if he wins the presidential election. Biden’s re-election would mean no dialogue and negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea for another four years.

Meanwhile, the tensions on the Korean Peninsula will worsen as the two Koreas are no longer bound by the 2018 military agreement that halted military activities near the inter-Korean borders.

All told, 2024 looks set to be another tense year of aggravated security conditions on the Korean Peninsula.

Authors

Contributing Author

Mitch Shin

Mitch Shin is a Young Fellow at The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy and a regular columnist for The Korea Times.

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thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin

3. S. Korea to push for DNA tests on descendants of separated families

S. Korea to push for DNA tests on descendants of separated families | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 26, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Tuesday it will push to conduct DNA tests on descendants of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in a bid to use their gene information for potential family reunions with their relatives in North Korea.

The move comes as more aging separated family members in South Korea have died without having a chance to meet with their long-lost relatives in North Korea amid strained inter-Korean ties.

A plan to conduct DNA tests on children and grandchildren of separated families is part of South Korea's new road map on the improvement in North Korea's human rights situation.

This file photo, taken Sept. 8, 2022, shows an official at the Korean Red Cross checking a collection of video messages by South Korean families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The video letters were produced for delivery to the separated families' kin in North Korea. (Yonhap)

The blueprint laid out a short-and long-term vision and plan to address human rights violations in North Korea and allow more North Koreans to get access to outside information.

Currently, the government has carried out gene tests on separated families in a bid to set up a gene information database so that it can be used for finding their kin in North Korea after their deaths.

The number of surviving separated family members came to 39,881 as of the end of November, with 65.6 percent of the total aged 80 and older, government data showed.

The ministry said it plans to actively encourage descendants of separated families to receive gene tests starting next year and provide support for DNA tests on separated family members living abroad.

The divided Koreas have held 21 rounds of reunions since the landmark summit of their leaders in 2000, bringing together more than 20,000 family members who had not seen each other since the war. The two sides last staged temporary family reunions in 2018.

In 2022, South Korea proposed holding talks with North Korea to try to discuss family reunions, but the North has yet to respond to the offer.

This undated file graphic, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows a map of North Korea with images of people. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

South Korea said it also seeks to allow North Korean defectors to apply for DNA tests if they want, as they can be viewed as separated family members in a broad sense.

To publicly raise the issue of six South Koreans detained in North Korea, the ministry said it plans to regularly request North Korea confirm their fates and repatriate them back home.

The six South Koreans, including missionary Kim Jong-wook, are under yearslong detention in North Korea, with their whereabouts in the North being unknown.

Separately, the estimated number of South Koreans abducted to North Korea following the Korean War is 516 as of the end of 2022, but many of them are believed to have died.

Meanwhile, the ministry said it will support civic groups' efforts to promote the inflow of outside information to North Korea.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea has further tightened state control on people's ideology by adopting a new law in 2020 that calls for punishing people for bringing and disseminating outside culture and information.

A ministry official said the government's planned support for civic groups would have nothing to do with activists' campaigns to send leaflets carrying message critical of the North Korean regime across the border.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · December 26, 2023

4. Defense chief calls for vengeance in event of N. Korean provocation

​More strong words from the MINDEF.

Defense chief calls for vengeance in event of N. Korean provocation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 26, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense chief on Tuesday instructed Navy officials to mercilessly bury North Korean sailors at sea in the event of another North Korean provocation.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remark as he inspected the new 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate, which was deployed for operations to the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday.

Shin told Navy officials and sailors to "mercilessly bury (the enemy) at sea if the enemy stages yet another provocation" after he paid tribute to 46 fallen sailors at the memorial monument at the headquarters of the Navy's Second Fleet.

In 2010, North Korea torpedoed the 1,200-ton-class Cheonan corvette near the western Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors. A Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang torpedoed the Cheonan warship, but the North has denied its involvement in the incident.

The new Cheonan is the seventh warship produced as part of South Korea's plans to procure eight new frigates designed to replace its aging fleet of 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton corvettes.

The 122-meter-long frigate has a helicopter deck, and is equipped with anti-ship and ship-to-ground missiles, anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as hull mounted and towed array sonar systems to better detect enemy submarines.

The ROKS Cheonan frigate is seen in this undated photo provided by the Navy on Dec. 23, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 26, 2023

5. S. Korea says is in talks with Poland on arms deals amid worries about possible cancellation

S. Korea says is in talks with Poland on arms deals amid worries about possible cancellation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · December 26, 2023

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is in talks with Poland to ensure the multiple arms contracts signed between Korean companies and the Polish government will be carried out as agreed despite the change of the leadership in Warsaw, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

Concerns are growing as the new Polish government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, signaled a revision to some of the arms contracts inked under the preceding government, citing overspending of the budget.

South Korean defense firms have clinched about US$13-14 billion worth of arms sales contracts with Poland this year, which include plans for deliveries of rocket launchers, fighter jets, tanks and self-propelled howitzers.

"We are continuing consultations with the Polish government through diplomatic channels to make sure that what was agreed between the two countries will continue to be implemented regardless of the change of the government," a foreign ministry official said.

"We have not heard of anything related to the defense contracts with Poland that has made any impact or influence," the official said.

On Sunday (local time), a Polish foreign ministry spokesperson said the "scope of some of the contracts may need to be reviewed to answer to current security needs," in response to a question from the Voice of America (VOA) about the issue, the VOA reported.

Last year, the value of exports contracts with Warsaw reached $17.3 billion, accounting for 72 percent of the entire arms exports in the South Korean defense industry.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · December 26, 2023

6. S. Korea, U.S. discuss strengthening cooperation in U.S. arms maintenance

S. Korea, U.S. discuss strengthening cooperation in U.S. arms maintenance | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 26, 2023

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States have agreed to make efforts to expand the participation of South Korean companies in the maintenance of U.S. military equipment in the Indo-Pacific region, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The two sides discussed such efforts during logistics policy talks in San Diego last Wednesday, attended by Lee Gap-su, head of the ministry's logistics management bureau, and Christopher J. Lowman, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for sustainment.

During the talks, the two sides shared the need to expand the use of logistics capabilities of U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, citing changes in the security environment, supply chain uncertainties and increasing regional conflicts, the ministry said.

It said the U.S. military will be able to reduce maintenance time if they receive maintenance in South Korea, noting that it would also minimize gaps in the operation of combined South Korea-U.S. assets.

South Korean defense companies also took part in the talks, including LIG Nex1, Hanwha and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, according to the ministry.

The talks took place on the sidelines of a maintenance symposium hosted by the Pentagon in San Diego from Dec. 19 to Dec. 22.

This file photo, taken Jan. 31, 2023, shows the South Korean flag flying outside the defense ministry's headquarters in central Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · December 26, 2023

7. Seoul to push for establishment of state-run North Korea human rights center

Important initiatives to support a human right upfront approach.

Excerpts:

“There is no difference in our position between the unification and foreign ministries,” the ranking official said. “We will continue to work together in terms of maintaining our stance on the issue.”

Developing government networks with North Korean defectors’ communities — not just in South Korea but also overseas — is included among other projects laid out in the roadmap.

Their firsthand experience as the victims and witnesses of North Korea’s rights violations can help establish the facts regarding its state violence and build cases to bring those responsible to justice at the International Criminal Court or the South Korean judiciary if given the chance, according to the ministry.

Activists working to improve the rights of North Koreans are also expected to receive more government support, the ministry added.

“As President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a meeting on Nov. 28, the truth is the fundamental force needed to bring improvements in North Korea’s human rights,” the official said. "We will focus on spreading the truth for that goal.” the official said.

Seoul to push for establishment of state-run North Korea human rights center

The Korea Times · by 2023-12-11 16:59 | North Korea · December 26, 2023

People pay their respects to the statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, Dec. 17, in this photo released the day after by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Seoul is pressing ahead with the establishment of a state-run museum as part of its effort to raise awareness on human rights abuses under the Kim regime, officials said on Tuesday. Yonhap

In new roadmap, officials say they will confirm site, develop content next year

By Jung Min-ho

South Korea is pressing ahead with the establishment of a state-run museum as part of its efforts to raise awareness on North Korea’s human rights abuses despite budget shortages caused by the main opposition party.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, officials at the Ministry of Unification said they will use next year’s project budget of 4.6 billion won ($3.5 million) for land purchase, construction design and content development among other activities.

“We are on the verge of signing a contract for a site at Magok-dong (in southwestern Seoul),” a high-ranking official said. “We will do our best to break ground as soon as possible.”

The ministry proposed a project budget of more than 10 billion won to begin construction in 2024, but it was later slashed by lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Apparently undeterred by the absence of the party’s full cooperation, officials said they will push for a total budget of 26 billion won over the next three years to finish the construction of a North Korean human rights center by 2027.

The ministry brought up the idea of building a museum dedicated to the issue several years ago, but it failed to gain traction amid a thaw in inter-Korean relations during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. After a protracted delay, a Seoul-based NGO, Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, opened its exhibition facility for that theme on Nov. 15 with support from the ministry.

Visitors look at books displayed at the privately run North Korean Human Rights Museum in central Seoul, Nov. 15. Yonhap

Deadly cost of slips of the tongue in N. Korea

Expanding such efforts is one of the strategies included in the ministry’s new comprehensive roadmap to promote the rights of ordinary people in the North. Officials said human rights stand as a core issue directly connected to its constitutional vision for unification: one based on the basic free democratic order.

To this end, officials said they will continue to step up efforts to improve human rights in the North, particularly by strengthening international collaboration.

Beijing’s recent decision to resume its practice of forcibly deporting North Korean escapees after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic border restrictions was a reminder for Seoul that it would need to garner a more united voice from other countries against the obvious violation of international law.

The ministry said it would continue to bring up the issue at every diplomatic opportunity until the Chinese government permanently stops the “grave abuse” of human rights. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised cooperation at the press briefing.

“There is no difference in our position between the unification and foreign ministries,” the ranking official said. “We will continue to work together in terms of maintaining our stance on the issue.”

Developing government networks with North Korean defectors’ communities — not just in South Korea but also overseas — is included among other projects laid out in the roadmap.

Their firsthand experience as the victims and witnesses of North Korea’s rights violations can help establish the facts regarding its state violence and build cases to bring those responsible to justice at the International Criminal Court or the South Korean judiciary if given the chance, according to the ministry.

Activists working to improve the rights of North Koreans are also expected to receive more government support, the ministry added.

“As President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a meeting on Nov. 28, the truth is the fundamental force needed to bring improvements in North Korea’s human rights,” the official said. "We will focus on spreading the truth for that goal.” the official said.

The Korea Times · by 2023-12-11 16:59 | North Korea · December 26, 2023

8. S. Korea calls NK followers 'internal threat' in military educational material

The regime's political warfare strategy's most important lines of effort include subversion of the ROK government and society and of the ROK/US alliance.

Subversion

• The undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution.
• As in: "the ruthless subversion of democracy"
• Ideological War – a choice between:
• Shared ROK/US Values
• Freedom and individual liberty, liberal democracy, free market economy, rule of law, and human rights
• Kim family regime (KFR) “values”
• Juche/Kimilsungism/now "KIMJONGUNISM," Socialist Workers Paradise, Songun, Songbun, Byungjin, and denial of human rights to sustain KFR power
• nK engages in political warfare and active subversion of the ROK and the ROK/US alliance

 Political Warfare: Political warfare is the use of political means to compel an opponent to do one's will, based on hostile intent. The term political describes the calculated interaction between a government and a target audience to include another state's government, military, and/or general population. Governments use a variety of techniques to coerce certain actions, thereby gaining relative advantage over an opponent. The techniques include propaganda and psychological operations (PSYOP), which service national and military objectives respectively. Propaganda has many aspects and a hostile and coercive political purpose. Psychological operations are for strategic and tactical military objectives and may be intended for hostile military and civilian populations. Smith, Paul A., On Political War (Washington: National Defense University Press, 1989), p. 3. https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a233501.pdf

S. Korea calls NK followers 'internal threat' in military educational material

The Korea Times · December 26, 2023

The cover of the defense ministry's new education document for mental combat strength is shown in this file photo, Dec. 26. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

The defense ministry has described followers of North Korea's ideology and system in South Korea as an "internal threat" in its latest basic educational material for soldiers, in a departure from the previous liberal government that did not outline such threats.

The conservative Yoon Suk Yeol government has taken a hard-line stance on North Korea amid its evolving nuclear and missile threats, compared with the preceding Moon Jae-in government that sought for reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea.

The basic material published Tuesday said there are forces inside South Korea that follow North Korea "uncritically," while remaining silent on the regime's human rights abuses and economic woes.

"As for internal threats, there are those from forces that seek to shake the foundations of liberal democracy by following North Korea's ideology and system against the Republic of Korea's constitution," it reads, using South Korea's official name.

The new educational material for soldiers also called the North Korean regime and its military South Korea's "enemy," renewing the description it made of the North in the 2022 Defense White Paper published early this year.

The ministry is set to distribute the new educational material to military units from the end of this month.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has called for strengthening troop education amid heightened tensions over North Korea's continued saber-rattling, highlighted by its recent launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 26, 2023

9. UNHCR calls for China to ensure 'humanitarian space' for NK asylum seekers

China must end its complicity in north Korean human rights abuses and allow refugees passage to the country of their choice. But I know that is not going to happen.

UNHCR calls for China to ensure 'humanitarian space' for NK asylum seekers

The Korea Times · December 26, 2023

A Chinese security guard on duty near plainclothes policemen checking identity at the gate into the South Korean consulate in Beijing, China, Monday, Oct. 6, 2003. AP-Yonhap

The United Nations' refugee agency has recommended China ensure "viable and effective humanitarian space" for North Korean refugees, according to a report posted on the website of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made the recommendation as China is set to undergo a universal periodic review (UPR) in January. UPR is a mechanism that calls for each U.N. member state to go through a peer review of its human rights record every 4.5 years.

The recommendation came amid reports that China has repatriated North Korean defectors despite the possibility that they could face harsh treatment.

"UNHCR recommended that China ensure that persons of all nationalities, including those from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) seeking asylum in China, could have access to asylum procedures; and take all measures to ensure viable and effective humanitarian space for those asylum-seekers ... who might be determined to be in need of international protection, including issuing them with identification and documentation to legally reside in China," the document reads.

DPRK stands for the North's official name.

China has been accused of sending back North Korean refugees based on its view that they have illegally crossed the border into China for economic reasons. Their advocacy groups, however, have urged China to treat them in line with the international principle of non-refoulement.

Slated for Jan. 23, China's UPR is expected to look into controversial issues, including human rights issues in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Since the first periodic review in 2008, all 193 U.N. member countries have been reviewed three times. The fourth cycle of review started in November last year. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · December 26, 2023

10. South to prosecute North's human rights violators after unification

Tuesday

December 26, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

Published: 26 Dec. 2023, 18:48

Updated: 26 Dec. 2023, 18:49

South to prosecute North's human rights violators after unification​

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-12-26/national/northKorea/South-to-prosecute-Norths-human-rights-violators-after-unification/1944689

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at a forum in Seoul on Dec. 18. [NEWS1]

The perpetrators of human rights violations in the North will face criminal punishments once the two Koreas are unified, said the government in Seoul on Tuesday.

“We will hold accountable these perpetrators in the North once the two Koreas are united and we can hold relevant judicial proceedings,” said the Unification Ministry in announcing the updated government plan to address North Korean human rights violations jointly with the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry on Tuesday.

The plan is updated every three years and announced by the unification minister once a bipartisan committee at the National Assembly approves it. The last plan the Moon Jae-in administration announced expired at the end of 2022.

The Democratic Party has not responded to repeated requests by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the Unification Ministry to recommend members to the committee to approve a new plan for 2023 onward, according to the Unification Ministry, hence its decision to announce an updated plan jointly with the other ministries on Tuesday.

The plan includes a deeper interview process for North Korean defectors to record in detail the human rights violations they had experienced in the North. According to the ministry, this will add to records the South Korean government can use to hold human rights violators in the North accountable.

The joint ministerial statement also included plans to raise awareness of the egregious human rights violations in the minds of North Korean residents.

“We will inform North Korean residents of the human rights situation they face by improving their access to information,” said the ministries in their statement, adding that they will support private organizations’ projects and activities to feed various content and information to the people of North Korea.

Following the escalation of tensions between the two Koreas, marked by the North’s continued ballistic missile launches, the Unification Ministry warned in September that it is considering resuming loudspeaker broadcasts at the border.

The broadcasts ended in April 2018 with the enactment of a law during the former Moon Jae-in administration.

However, the law articulates that the president of South Korea can announce a short-term hiatus of the law’s application, enabling a legal resumption of the loudspeaker broadcasts.

An amendment that banned activists from flying leaflets across the border from the South since 2020 was recently ruled unconstitutional in Seoul. 

The plan announced by the ministries on Tuesday also stressed a need to raise awareness of the human rights situation in the North with the public in South Korea.

The National Unification Advisory Council’s survey in May this year found that seven out of 10 people in their 20s and 30s in Korea were positive about raising awareness about North Korean human rights violations.

The ministries also vowed to update the official records on the separated families.

Many separated families from the 1950-53 Korean War are in their 80s or 90s, with around 39,000 surviving. Another 94,000 died between 1988 and Nov. 30 this year, according to the Unification Ministry.

“We will continue to conduct the DNA surveys,” said the Unification Ministry, adding that it will continue to stress to the North Korean regime the need to prioritize the separated families’ reunions.

The last reunion was held in 2018, when 833 family members in South Korea could participate in the reunion in the North organized by the two Koreas, according to the ministry.

The ministry will also collect the DNA information of the second and third generations of separated families to ensure a means for the extended families to reconnect in the future.

“Ultimately, we want a future where the residents of two Koreas can travel freely across the Korean Peninsula,” said the ministry.

BY PARK HYUN-JU,ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]

11. K-Power: South Korea’s emergence as ‘global pivot state’ attracts US allies

It is good to see some of our political leaders who do ont usually focus on Korea to take a positive view of the alliance.

Excerpt:

“If that kind of alliance and partnership really carries forward, they're going to be a global juggernaut,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific, told the Washington Examiner.

K-Power: South Korea’s emergence as ‘global pivot state’ attracts US allies

Washington Examiner · December 26, 2023

Few countries have gained as much geopolitical street cred in as many places over the last two years as South Korea.

“Yeah, they are good, absolutely,” a senior European official said at the mention of the Korean democracy.

WORLD'S TWO MOST IMPORTANT SHIPPING CANALS NOW FACING SERIOUS DELAYS

For much of its history, South Korea’s foreign policy outlook has been dominated by the persistent threat of renewed conflict with North Korea — the communist regime whose invasion of the south in 1950 triggered an intervention from the United States under the auspices of the United Nations. Now, under a president eager for his country to function as a “global pivotal state,” the Northeast Asian democracy plays a key role in trans-Atlantic military and economic security calculations.

“It's a very important country nobody was talking about,” the senior Baltic official said. “South Korea [was viewed] only as a good example of resisting the evil north, [its] evil neighbor, but not very much in public. All the other big, big boys were more visible, definitely more visible.”

British King Charles III and Queen Camilla pose with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee during a formal farewell at Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023.

Ben Stansall /AP

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has made his presence felt around the world over the last year — especially in Washington, D.C., where he delighted a White House audience with his rendition of Don McLean’s “American Pie” during a state dinner in April. He has also made state visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and, most recently, the Netherlands — where he declared a “semiconductor alliance” that includes a $755 million deal between Samsung and ASML, the Dutch company that manufactures the equipment needed for the production of computer microchips.

“If that kind of alliance and partnership really carries forward, they're going to be a global juggernaut,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee for Asia and the Pacific, told the Washington Examiner.

That deal could make it easier for Samsung to comply with the export controls that President Joe Biden’s administration has imposed in order to curtail China’s access to high-end microchips, analysts say. And it could offset global reliance on chips produced by Taiwan, the island democracy that dominates the high-end semiconductor market but faces growing threats of violence from China.

“From the perspective of the U.S., that relationship is also meaningful because ... chips that are made in South Korea are probably an important margin safer than chips that are made in Taiwan or in China,” American Enterprise Institute visiting fellow Chris Miller, an economic historian and author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, told the Washington Examiner. “If you think of wanting to have a bit more diversified manufacturing base, globally, of chips, Korea is an important part of that.”

South Korea already has emerged as a crucial player in the Ukrainian military’s supply chain. Inaugurated in the first months of a war in Europe that soon exposed a Western ammunition shortage, Yoon first agreed to backfill European shipments to Ukraine and then reportedly provided more "artillery ammunition for Ukraine than all European nations combined," albeit through an indirect delivery process coordinated with the U.S.

“They were hesitant, but, I think, the last straw for them was when North Korea started to send artillery shells for Russia,” the senior European official said.

Those ammunition shipments built on a rash of arms deals that have seen South Korea move into the top ranks of global weapons exporters. Poland has made plans “to purchase over $3 billion in South Korean arms to replace equipment sent to assist Ukraine,” according to Congressional Research Service estimates, including almost 700 of the howitzers and about 1,000 tanks.

“There's a vacuum in terms of where to go for high-quality defense equipment because the Europeans have so underinvested in themselves,” Waltz said. “South Korea has, rightly, from their perspective, tried to fill that void. And you're starting to see that from Estonia to Poland and other places.”

Yoon returned to the U.S. in August for a trilateral summit with Biden and their Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — a sea change from 2019, when South Korea threw a wrench into an intelligence-sharing mechanism due to a controversy over imperial Japanese human rights abuses during the occupation of Korea before and during World War II.

"The Chinese have noted the actions that we have taken,” Kurt Campbell, the lead White House official for the Indo-Pacific and Biden’s nominee for the No. 2 job at the State Department, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his Dec. 7 nomination hearing. “The thing that I think they recognize has the potential, the most significance in changing the security architecture of Asia, is if Japan and South Korea can finally and fundamentally put their animosity behind them to focus on the future in everything — energy, technology, security, people-to-people education.”

South Korea and Japan also have attended the last two NATO summits, along with Australia and New Zealand. As recently as two years ago, it was possible to wonder if the popularity of K-pop or a television show such as Squid Game would translate into "a more active role in contemporary international politics,” as a former CIA analyst mused in Foreign Affairs magazine. Within months, Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine upended the conventional wisdom in capitals around the world — and revealed South Korea to be perhaps the most underestimated member of the U.S. alliance network.

“It’s in the U.S. interests to have countries that we're basically aligned with having stronger bilateral relationships with each other,” Miller said. “It's hard business if the U.S. has to constantly get all the ducks in a row and push all the allies to think strategically. And I think it's a good sign that you have countries like the Netherlands, like Korea … taking these issues more seriously.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

And, for the Western officials most wary of threats from Russia, South Korea stands as an example of the long-term return on investment U.S. policymakers should keep in mind as they debate whether and how to continue aiding Ukraine.

“South Korea, I think, is the best example of how … it pays off when the U.S. and the free world will come behind the country which struggles against communists' invasion,” the senior European official said. “It doesn't matter whether it's a czar or a communist empire or a Russian president.”

Washington Examiner · December 26, 2023

12. Chinese state media urge citizens to remember Christmas Eve Korean war victory

Chinese state media urge citizens to remember Christmas Eve Korean war victory

By Phoebe Zhang South China Morning Post2 min

December 25, 2023

View Original

“[The soldiers] fought for nights of peace for the new China, with their blood and their lives,” the post said.

The battle took place about a month after China entered the war in 1950. The Chinese forces, sent to aid North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, surprised United Nations troops led by the US in the northeastern part of North Korea and fought in freezing weather for weeks.

Although China suffered much heavier casualties than the US, coalition forces were pushed back to the 38th parallel, ensuring that the Korean border was largely unchanged when the fighting ended almost three years later.

Beijing, which calls the conflict on the Korean peninsula the “war to resist US aggression and aid Korea”, attaches special importance to the battle, hailing it as a key victory over US forces.

In another video, which was picked up by multiple state media outlets, including China Daily and state broadcaster CCTV, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning is shown explaining the battle.

“During the battle, the enemy forces lost 36,000 troops, including 24,000 US troops that contained an entire US regiment. Walton H Walker, commander of the US Eighth Army, lost his life after his truck rolled over in an accident. Then US Secretary of State Dean Acheson called the result of the battle ‘the longest retreat in US military history’,” she said.

Mao made the remarks at a press conference in April to refute South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s description of the battle to US Congress the day before.

In that speech, Yoon said that over the past century, the US had faced many threats and challenges but had always led the world in defence of freedom, and that at the Battle of Lake Changjin, the US 1st Marine Division miraculously broke through a wave of 120,000 Chinese troops.

The social media posts featuring the video of Mao were flooded with comments supporting her account of the battle.

“An evening of peace isn’t given by Santa Claus, but traded by many martyrs with their lives and blood,” one commenter said. “We must show respect to the heroic Chinese soldiers.”

The Korean war was the only direct conflict between Chinese and American troops. In recent years, Chinese authorities have repeatedly played up the 1950s conflict as a symbol of national pride amid an intensifying rivalry with the US.

Christmas is not a public holiday in China, which is home to 68 million Christians, who account for 5 per cent of its population. However, it has become a popular holiday among young people since the 1990s.

With the rise of online nationalism and a boycott of Western cultural values, there have been yearly calls – sometimes from authorities – discouraging the Chinese public from celebrating Christmas.

This year, a few schools sent out notices boycotting the holiday. The Shengli Elementary School in the northeastern city of Harbin called for students and parents to “promote Chinese traditional holidays” and avoid giving each other gifts at school or decorating classrooms.

Another junior school in Yuzhou in the central province of Henan said instead of celebrating Christmas, students should commemorate the birth of the late chairman Mao Zedong, who was born on December 26, 1893, by reciting his poetry and writing essays.

13. Kim Jong-un’s plan for future of North Korea 'revealed by hidden clue in photo'

Photos at the link: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/kim-jong-uns-plan-future-31748620

Simply a matter of positioning.

Kim Jong-un’s plan for future of North Korea 'revealed by hidden clue in photo'

Mirror · by Zesha Saleem · December 25, 2023

Experts believe a hidden clue in a photo of Kim Jong-un has exposed his plans for the future of North Korea, in what has been described as an "unprecedented move."

At first, the photo doesn't seem unusual, showing the dictator and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, visiting a regime air force base. However, she's unusually photographed standing in front of him, partially obscuring the camera’s view of his left side.

According to The Chosun Ilbo, a newspaper in neighbouring South Korea, it was an “unprecedented” move that pointed to her being Kim’s heir apparent. The article said: "Ju-ae has appeared in many photos in the state media and always appeared either next to or behind her father, but in this picture she is the main character. It is unprecedented in the status-obsessed North to publish a photo with Kim Jong-un in the background."

The photo in question raised questions as blocking the camera’s view of Kim Jong-un is a major taboo in North Korea. In 2019, the dictator’s personal photographer was fired over the faux pas, according to another South Korean newspaper, Daily NK.

His camera flash had momentarily obscured the view of Kim Jong-un’s neck for TV audiences - an offence considered "damaging" to his "supreme dignity." Experts agree that depicting Kim Ju-ae this way is proof of her special status.

However, this was not a one-off photo. Another image from the same set, shows the duo from behind, with his daughter once more in the foreground as they watch an aerial display. It’s one of several clues that’s led South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to believe she’s being groomed for power.

Another giveaway is the way she’s being referred to in regime propaganda. According to reports, she’s been dubbed the "Morning Star General" and has gone from being a "beloved" child to a "respected" child.

Mr Madden – a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC – said the photo wasn’t definitive proof, however, and that Kim Jong-un had stood back in pictures before. (

Image:

KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)

Cho Tae-yong, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, is among those now convinced. He told KBS: "Looking at what has been said so far, I think we should now consider Kim Ju-ae as the successor and verify it."

Meanwhile, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho noted the “escalating level of protocol” around the girl, and said: "If we look at these things, we cannot rule out the possibility of her succession to power, given that they are putting her on the main stage so early."

Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, explained the significance of the newly-published picture.

He said: "Kim Ju-ae standing in the foreground of the photo ahead of Kim Jong-un is certainly notable and extraordinary.

"We are accustomed to seeing North Korean officials and close aides paying Kim Jong-un a high degree of deference by giving him space and staying a few paces removed. So we can say with some precision that the positioning in this photograph indicates that the daughter is a figure worthy of respect."

Mr Madden – a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC – said the photo wasn’t definitive proof, however, and that Kim Jong-un had stood back in pictures before. He said: "In 2014, Kim Jong-un was photographed taking notes from a factory manager with other officials during a visit to a defence industry plant.”

Nonetheless, the analyst believes there’s a push within the country to show Kim Ju-ae as a special figure, citing sources in the country with access to ideological indoctrination materials. He said: "Early internal publicity efforts in support of the ‘respected daughter’ as a special elite figure are under way.”

But he still thinks her role is more akin to that of a first lady. He said: "This does not preclude her being Kim Jong-un’s successor, but would more accurately describe the role she is currently playing in North Korean politics."

Mirror · by Zesha Saleem · December 25, 2023

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com