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Quotes of the Day:
"An organization without respect for the truth is like a body without blood, or a brick fence without mortar. An organization without sympathy and love for its principles, its members and its leaders will eventually fail no matter how rich or strong it is today."
– Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938) (Korean freedom fighter)
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
– Charles Dickens
"I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts."
– John Locke
1. N. Korea's ruling party holds workshop to strengthen discipline
2. Gov't unveils Nat'l Cybersecurity Strategy with new focus on N. Korea
3. S. Korea discloses symbol of S. Koreans abducted, detained by N. Korea
4. Cuba's new envoy to N.K. assumes post amid Pyongyang's move to resume diplomacy
5. Japan removes monument for Korean forced labor victims despite criticism
6. Number of NK defectors entering S. Korea nearly triples in 2023
7. North Korean delegation to visit Moscow, Russian lawmaker says
8. Is North Korea Getting Ready for War? No, and the Reason Is Obvious
9. North Korea Does Not Want a War
10. North-South Korea in a dangerous drone duel
11. As North Korea launches missiles and artillery, this island's residents are terrified
12. North Korean tour guide tells backpacker how he feels about America
13. Kim Jong Un craves attention. This time, he should get it
1. N. Korea's ruling party holds workshop to strengthen discipline
It is all about protecting the regime and Kim Jong Un and not about feeding or helping the people in any way.
N. Korea's ruling party holds workshop to strengthen discipline | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 1, 2024
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's ruling Workers' Party has hosted a workshop on party discipline for officials, state media said Thursday, in what appeared to be part of efforts to tighten its grip over its people.
During the three-day workshop held through Wednesday, officials in the "field of party discipline inspection" were encouraged to contribute to "establishing a strict discipline supervision system and a discipline-applying system throughout the whole party," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The workshop also called on participants to carry out their "sacred mission" of discipline inspection as "standard-bearers and frontline soldiers" in building discipline for the party based on the idea of the Workers' Party Central Committee, the KCNA said.
Among key officials who attended the session was Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, it added.
North Korea's ruling Workers' Party holds a three-day workshop on party discipline in this photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 1, 2024. The workshop took place from Jan. 29-31. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
The workshop comes as North Korea has been seeking to tighten its grip on residents to block the inflow of outside information especially as it reopened its border following strict pandemic closures.
North Korea's ruling party discussed an "important measure" to advance the establishment of party principles during a plenary meeting in June last year.
The reclusive country has also adopted laws aimed at strengthening internal control, including a law on "rejecting the reactionary ideology and culture" that bans people from distributing or watching media originating from South Korea, the United States and other countries.
"It seems to be circumstantial evidence that there is growing demand for internal control," an official at South Korea's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said.
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 1, 2024
2. Gov't unveils Nat'l Cybersecurity Strategy with new focus on N. Korea
The all purpose sword is a major threat in armistice and war.
Gov't unveils Nat'l Cybersecurity Strategy with new focus on N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · February 1, 2024
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- The government on Thursday unveiled a National Cybersecurity Strategy calling for strengthening the country's offensive cyber defense operations and building cooperation mechanisms with the international community while keeping a focus on North Korea's cyberthreats.
The 35-page strategy was drawn up jointly by the presidential Office of National Security, the National Intelligence Service, the ministries of foreign affairs, national defense, and science and ICT, and the National Police Agency to serve as the authoritative guideline on cybersecurity issues.
The presidential office in Seoul (Yonhap)
"North Korea is continuing to conduct illegal cyber activities to fund its nuclear weapons and missile development, including through cryptocurrency theft," President Yoon Suk Yeol wrote in the preface, before listing the threat posed by hacking organizations around the world using sophisticated cyber means to steal state secrets and advanced technologies.
"Based on this strategy, our government will respond preemptively to cybersecurity threats and strengthen our cyber capabilities and resilience to safely protect the Republic of Korea," he wrote.
"Moreover, we will contribute to peace and prosperity in the international community while strengthening cybersecurity cooperation with friendly nations that share with us the rules and values of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law," he added.
The vision presented by the strategy is to become "a global pivotal state that fulfills its international role and responsibility while defending the values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law in cyber space."
To fulfill that vision, the strategy calls for implementing five key tasks -- strengthening offensive cyber defense operations, building global cooperation mechanisms, strengthening the cyber resilience of key state infrastructure, securing a lead in the competition for emerging technologies, and strengthening the nation's integrated response capability.
"In order to effectively respond to the malicious cyber activities of threat agents, including North Korea, such as the theft of secrets, dissemination of fake news and other false information, and cryptocurrency theft, simply reinforcing our defense capabilities has its limits," the paper said.
"Therefore, we must change our paradigm to respond offensively to North Korea and other threats and thus upgrade the level of our cybersecurity."
The authors noted the first National Cybersecurity Strategy was released in 2019 but lacked the policy to "look squarely" at North Korea's cyberthreats, "the biggest actual threat" to South Korea, among other things.
The 2019 edition was authored during the previous administration of President Moon Jae-in, who promoted reconciliation with North Korea as a means to achieve denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
hague@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · February 1, 2024
3. S. Korea discloses symbol of S. Koreans abducted, detained by N. Korea
Remember that some 78,000 ROK soldiers who were POWs in north Korea were never allowed to return and instead were made slaves to the regime working to death in the mines. They were given "citizenship" in the late 1950's and allowed to marry. Unfortunately since they were given the lowest status in the Songbun "caste" system their children were sentenced to a life of mining. The regime created a perpetual slave system. One descendant of a POW was heard by his sister pleading to their parents - "why did you even let me be born into this kind of life?"
S. Korea discloses symbol of S. Koreans abducted, detained by N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · February 1, 2024
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Thursday it has created a symbol of South Koreans abducted and detained in North Korea with an image of three forget-me-nots in a bid to raise public awareness of the issue.
The move is part of South Korea's efforts to draw people's attention to the long-pending issue in hope of their safe repatriations, according to the ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs.
The ministry said three forget-me-nots each represent South Korean abductees, detainees and prisoners of the 1950-53 Korean War.
ULKIN, a fashion company, plans to showcase clothes using the symbol for the first time Saturday during Seoul Fashion Week, South Korea's biggest biannual fashion show.
The ministry also said it will register the symbol with copyrighted public records so that more people can easily use the image for various purposes.
Currently, six South Koreans, including missionary Kim Jong-wook, are under yearslong detention in North Korea on charges of committing what Pyongyang claims are anti-North Korea crimes.
Separately, the estimated number of South Koreans abducted to North Korea following the Korean War had reached 516 as of the end of 2022, but many of them are believed to have died.
South Korea says 80 South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) in North Korea have fled to their home country since the war ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.
South Korea estimates that more than 500 POWs had still been alive in the North as of the end of January. Still, North Korea denies holding any POWs.
This image, provided by the Ministry of Unification on Feb. 1, 2024, shows an image of three forget-me-nots as a symbol of South Koreans abducted and detained in North Korea as well as prisoners of the 1950-53 Korean War. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · February 1, 2024
4. Cuba's new envoy to N.K. assumes post amid Pyongyang's move to resume diplomacy
I always forget about Cuba as a member of the axis of totalitarians.
(2nd LD) Cuba's new envoy to N.K. assumes post amid Pyongyang's move to resume diplomacy | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · February 1, 2024
(ATTN: CORRECTS number of N. Korea's diplomatic missions in para 10; UPDATES throughout with more details)
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- Cuba's new ambassador to North Korea has begun his duties, according to the North's state media Thursday, as countries having friendly ties with North Korea have ramped up diplomatic activities in the secretive regime since the opening of its border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was presented with the credentials of Cuban Ambassador Eduardo Luis Correa Garcia from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The letter of credence was received by Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, on Wednesday upon the authorization of the North's leader, it said.
North Korea and Cuba have long maintained a close relationship since they established their diplomatic relationship in 1960.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 1, 2024, shows Choe Ryong-hae (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, receiving a letter of credence from Cuba's new ambassador Wednesday. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Most diplomatic missions in Pyongyang were closed and foreign diplomats stationed in the North were asked to leave Pyongyang as North Korea shut down its border over COVID-19 in early 2020.
Cuba has become the third country known to have presented credentials for a new envoy to North Korea after China and Mongolia since last year, when Pyongyang partially opened its border.
In April 2023, China's new ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, began his official duty after his arrival was delayed for years due to the North's border closure. Earlier this week, Mongolia's new top envoy to Pyongyang submitted a letter of credentials to the North.
In September last year, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang was believed to have raised the number of its staff members. Nicaragua, a country considered to be standing against the United States, is believed to have a plan to open an embassy in North Korea soon.
"North Korea appears to be resuming its diplomacy with countries deemed to have an anti-U.S. stance or nations with which the North has kept friendly ties based on socialism," an official at Seoul's unification ministry told reporters.
Meanwhile, North Korea has shut down nine of its diplomatic missions since the second half of last year amid economic difficulties, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The total number of North Korean diplomatic missions had stood at 44 as of Tuesday.
The North has pulled out of Hong Kong and Libya in recent months in the latest of a series of the shutdown of its diplomatic missions, including Angola, Nepal, Bangladesh, Spain and Uganda.
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 15, 2023, shows the photos hung at the Cuban Embassy in Pyongyang of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung (L), late leader Kim Jong-il (2nd from L) and late Cuban President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · February 1, 2024
5. Japan removes monument for Korean forced labor victims despite criticism
Another point of friction.
Japan removes monument for Korean forced labor victims despite criticism | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · February 1, 2024
TOKYO, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- A Japanese local government has taken down a memorial stone for Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor at a public park earlier this week despite opposition from activist groups.
Authorities from Gunma Prefecture began pulling down the stone on Monday and finalized the removal on Wednesday, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported the next day.
Aerial photographs taken by the news outlet showed the remains of what appeared to the base of the memorial stone smashed into pieces at the site.
The authorities are said to have spared the epitaph of the stone and handed it over to a civic group handling the memorial stone, before tearing down the concrete wall.
The phrase, "Remembrance, Reflection and Friendship," is engraved in Korean, Japanese and English on the epitaph.
The memorial stone was erected in 2004 by a civic group in Japan to promote the public's understanding of the shared past history from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and the friendship between the two neighbors.
In 2014, Gunma Prefecture refused to extend the state approval for the establishment of the stone, claiming a civic activist made inappropriate remarks about the forced labor victims during a 2012 memorial event.
Japan's top court ruled in favor of the Gunma authorities in 2022, but the civic group has filed for separate suits seeking to block the removal.
This photo provided by Kyodo News shows the memorial stone for Korean forced labor victims being dismantled at a public park in the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 29, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
This undated file photo provided by Kyodo News shows the memorial stone for Korean forced labor victims at a public park in the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, before it was torn down. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · February 1, 2024
6. Number of NK defectors entering S. Korea nearly triples in 2023
Graphic at the link: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240131000870
[Graphic News] Number of NK defectors entering S. Korea nearly triples in 2023
koreaherald.com · by Nam Kyung-don · January 31, 2024
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Start your day with a roundup of key stories from The Korea Herald with news and comment on all that’s happening in Korea.
By Nam Kyung-don
Published : Feb. 1, 2024 - 08:00
The number of North Korean defectors who arrived in South Korea came to 196 last year amid a rise in defections by North Korean diplomats and trade officials, government data showed.
The defections by 32 men and 164 women raised the total number of the North’s defectors in South Korea to 34,078, according to the data from Seoul’s Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs.
The figure represented a hike from 2021 and 2022, when the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea fell sharply to 63 and 67, respectively, due to pandemic-related border closures. It marked a dramatic decline from a record high of 2,914 in 2009, according to the Unification Ministry.
Among those who came to the South last year, more than half, or 99 people, were in their 20s and 30s, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
koreaherald.com · by Nam Kyung-don · January 31, 2024
7. North Korean delegation to visit Moscow, Russian lawmaker says
Tightening relations among the axis of totalitarians.
North Korean delegation to visit Moscow, Russian lawmaker says
Reuters
February 1, 20245:06 PM GMT+9Updated 10 hours ago
https://www.reuters.com/world/north-korean-delegation-visit-moscow-russian-lawmaker-says-2024-02-01/
A view shows the Red Square with Lenin's Mausoleum as the Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building in Moscow, Russia June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab
MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A North Korean delegation will visit the lower house of Russia's parliament on Feb 13, state news agency RIA quoted a deputy from the opposition Communist Party as saying on Thursday.
Communist lawmaker Kazbek Taysaev also said that a Russian parliamentary delegation planned to travel to North Korea in March.
Russia has stepped up ties with North Korea and other countries hostile to the United States such as Iran since the start of the war with Ukraine - relations that are a source of concern to the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last year accepted Kim Jong Un's invitation to visit North Korea, though the date of the trip is still unclear. The Kremlin said last month that a Putin visit would take place in the foreseeable future.
The United States has accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells and missiles used in the Ukraine war. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the U.S. accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations.
Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge
8. Is North Korea Getting Ready for War? No, and the Reason Is Obvious
Is North Korea Getting Ready for War? No, and the Reason Is Obvious
If Kim Jong-un is preparing for a war, it is one that he should not want and cannot win. He lacks a plausible theory of victory regardless of how many missiles he tests.
The National Interest · by Patrick M. Cronin · February 1, 2024
If Kim Jong-un is preparing for a war, it is one that he should not want and cannot win.
He lacks a plausible theory of victory regardless of how many missiles he tests.
A single violent act would invariably ignite a punishing reprisal from an armed and ready U.S.-South Korean combined force. If the North Korean navy today were to attempt a deadly sneak attack on a South Korean vessel, like the one that killed 46 sailors in 2010, Pyongyang would be bracing for a stern counterattack. The sinking of ROKS Cheonan, along with the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November of that same year, pressed allied military forces to prepare deadly response to limited aggression.
Mr. Kim's reluctance to pull the trigger on lethal force suggests he understands the military balance of power. Rolling the dice on the notion that the Korean People's Army Strategic Force has found a gaping hole in alliance capabilities or political will would be a tragic miscalculation. Escalation would not end well for the Kim regime, and North Korea's conventional armed forces and economy are ill-equipped for a protracted war.
Deterrence is never guaranteed, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine reminds us. Still, it is instructive that the war of aggression has ground on for two years, at a frightening cost and with little to show for it, without the use of a nuclear weapon.
Vladimir Putin, a strongman's strongman whose military is brimming with strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, has threatened but never used one.
Does deterrence hypnotize Putin? Maybe he understands nuclear weapons are superior instruments for terrorizing but lousy for warfighting. The specter of Russian battlefield nuclear weapons has curbed NATO's enthusiasm to provide aircraft, missiles, and other major arms to Ukraine.
Putin and Kim's efforts to make nuclear weapons look usable have created a symbiotic effect: Putin's threats to use battlefield nukes make North Korea’s acquisition of them more terrifying; Kim’s push to acquire tactical nuclear weapons makes Russian threats seem more credible.
Kim Jong Un sees the peacetime advantages of becoming a permanent nuclear-weapon state. Every new missile is extra insurance against a sudden decapitation strike, tangible proof of Mr. Kim's fatherly determination to protect his people from menacing external actors, and added street cred among the club of nuclear-armed revisionist powers.
Amid Mr. Kim’s decision to focus on arms, not weal or diplomacy, the Biden and Yoon administrations must remain steadfast and open to dialogue. Prioritizing risk avoidance at all costs will invite lower-level provocations; blaming ourselves for the level of confrontation lets Pyongyang evade responsibility.
About the Author: Patrick M. Cronin
Patrick M. Cronin is the Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute. Dr. Cronin’s research analyzes salient strategic issues related to US national security goals in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. His current writing touches on protecting national interests and world order despite intensified great-power competition, the enduring North Korea problem, and other state and non-state challenges. Previously, he was the senior director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
The National Interest · by Patrick M. Cronin · February 1, 2024
9.North Korea Does Not Want a War
North Korea Does Not Want a War
The North Korean government under Kim Jong-un continues to move in a direction that alarms its potential adversaries: South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Pyongyang’s latest actions douse already dim hopes for reconciliation and solidify a status quo of seemingly permanent tension on the Korean Peninsula. But despite speculation to the contrary, Pyongyang’s recent activity does not indicate that Kim has decided to go to war against South Korea.
The National Interest · by Denny Roy · January 31, 2024
The North Korean government under Kim Jong-un continues to move in a direction that alarms its potential adversaries: South Korea, the United States, and Japan. Pyongyang’s latest actions douse already dim hopes for reconciliation and solidify a status quo of seemingly permanent tension on the Korean Peninsula. But despite speculation to the contrary, Pyongyang’s recent activity does not indicate that Kim has decided to go to war against South Korea.
Pyongyang’s drive to develop and deploy various types of advanced missiles, of which the cruise missile tests of the past few days are the latest reminder, understandably causing worry about the DPRK’s intentions. But this is explainable as attempted deterrence rather than preparation to launch an elective war. The DPRK government is responding to the relative weakness of its conventional forces, a steady stream of U.S. nuclear threats, continued U.S. and ROK efforts to negate the DPRK’s second-strike capability through anti-missile defense, and the South Korean government’s interest in “decapitation” of the DPRK leadership.
The North Korean government’s recently enhanced partnership with Russia helps Putin sustain his aggression in Ukraine, boosts DPRK military capability, and strengthens the global anti-U.S. coalition that also includes China and Iran. But it does not necessarily increase the chances of the DPRK launching its own war in the near future. On the contrary, Pyongyang’s shipment of missiles and ammunition to Russia suggests the opposite.
Perhaps the most jarring of recent DPRK actions is its renunciation of the decades-old goal of reunifying both halves of the Korean Peninsula under a single Korean Workers’ Party government. In his January 15 speech to the North Korean legislature, Kim said he would henceforth consider South Koreans enemies rather than “compatriots.” Pyongyang has dismantled the organizations that previously managed cooperation with the ROK.
A possible interpretation is this policy change clears the way for a DPRK decision to make war against a people redefined as antagonists rather than cousins. Equally plausibly, however, it could be a manifestation of an official view that conquest of the South is not feasible and the DPRK should instead focus on self-preservation. Viewed in that light, renouncing reunification would seem to make a bolt-from-the-blue North Korean attack less rather than more likely.
Even carrying out a small-scale, unprovoked lethal attack would be perilous for Kim. One problem is that since 2010, when South Korea suffered fatalities from the sinking of the ROK Navy ship Cheonan and the shelling of ROK-held Yeonpyeong island, South Korean governments have said they will retaliate militarily against North Korean attacks. Instead of gaining political leverage, Kim could expect to lose some of his combat capability and lose face if his punch proved weaker than the South Korean counter-punch.
Another problem is that Kim cannot be sure that a small, one-off DPRK attack would not initiate a chain of escalation that Kim could not control, leading to a general war that would threaten the existence of the Kim regime and the North Korean state.
An oft-discussed scenario is the DPRK opportunistically attacking South Korea while the United States is distracted by another conflict elsewhere. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza will likely continue for most of 2024, and some high-ranking U.S. military officers have warned of the possibility of a war in the Taiwan Strait as soon as 2025. Even with the U.S. preoccupied, however, there would be little for the DPRK to gain by attacking. South Korea’s conventional forces are more than a match for the North Korean military, and the U.S. nuclear arsenal would continue to provide backup.
Those who warn of an impending unprovoked North Korean attack must explain what benefit Kim could hope to gain by taking on militarily superior adversaries. While purposefully spewing belligerent rhetoric, the Kims have not stayed in power for this long by acting suicidal.
About the Author
Denny Roy is a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, specializing in Asia-Pacific strategic and security issues. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. He is the author of Return of the Dragon: Rising China and Regional Security (Columbia University Press, 2013), The Pacific War and its Political Legacies (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2009), Taiwan: A Political History (Cornell University Press, 2003), and China’s Foreign Relations (Macmillan and Rowman & Littlefield, 1998), co-author of The Politics of Human Rights in Asia (Pluto Press, 2000), and editor of The New Security Agenda in the Asia-Pacific Region (Macmillan, 1997). He has also written many articles for scholarly journals such as International Security, Survival, Asian Survey, Security Dialogue, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Armed Forces & Society, and Issues & Studies.
Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The National Interest · by Denny Roy · January 31, 2024
10. North-South Korea in a dangerous drone duel
North-South Korea in a dangerous drone duel - Asia Times
Seoul producing medium-altitude drones to make good on threat to send ten drones for every one Pyongyang flies over the South
asiatimes.com · by Gabriel Honrada · February 1, 2024
South Korea has embarked on a comprehensive drone development program in response to emerging threats from North Korea, fueling a heated and potentially destabilizing tit-for-tat drone race on the Korean Peninsula.
Last month, Janes reported that South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) had announced the production of a Medium-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV) that is expected to enhance the military’s critical reconnaissance capabilities while also helping to boost national weaponry exports.
The Janes report says that production was launched at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Busan and was attended by representatives from DAPA, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The report says that the plan is to deliver the MUAVs sequentially to the ROKAF, with the ADD signing a contract with the Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), LIG Nex1, and Hanwha Systems on December 21, 2023, to initiate production. The project’s total cost is US$352.4 million, according to the Jane’s report.
The Korean Times noted last month that the MUAV can fly at 10-12 kilometers and capture high-resolution images from distances beyond 100 kilometers. According to the Korean Times, the MUAV’s dimensions are 13 meters long and 3 meters high, with a wingspan of 25 meters.
Beyond the MUAV, Yonhap reported last month that South Korea plans to develop an unmanned rotary-wing reconnaissance drone by 2028 to enhance surveillance against North Korean threats. According to Yonhap, DAPA signed a contract worth US$107.1 million with Hanwha Systems to develop the rotary-wing aircraft by December 2028.
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Yonhap notes that the drone is designed to be deployed from warships and Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) units in northwestern islands near the border with North Korea for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Aside from those plans, South Korea has also developed stealthy drones to penetrate heavily defended North Korean airspace.
In September 2023, The Warzone reported that South Korea’s military parade in Seoul showcased a stealthy flying wing drone, which could offer a less detectable means of conducting surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The Warzone report notes that the drone could also be capable of launching electronic warfare attacks or kinetic strikes or even hitting targets directly as a kamikaze drone/loitering munition. In addition to building domestic drones, South Korea has partnered with the US to construct advanced reconnaissance drones.
In November 2023, Asia Times reported that South Korea and US defense contractor Boeing are partnering to develop high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). DAPA hopes Boeing’s collaboration, including on design and UAV technology, will enable South Korean companies to produce advanced drones.
South Korea has also established a drone command to integrate previously disjointed drone units, potentially limiting operational flexibility.
In September 2023, the Korean Times reported that South Korea had established a new drone operations command to strengthen its defense against North Korea’s drone infiltration last year. The Korean Times mentions that the joint unit based at Pocheon is composed of the army, navy, air force, and Marine Corps and aims to deter North Korea’s drone provocations and asymmetric threats.
These developments have been made largely in response to North Korean drone infiltrations. In December 2022, five North Korean drones penetrated South Korean airspace for five hours, with one of them reaching northern Seoul before disappearing from South Korea’s military radar screens and returning to North Korea. The infiltration was so unexpected that South Korea had to scramble everything from fighter jets to attack helicopters and propeller-driven planes.
North Korea’s December 2022 drone infiltrations exposed severe deficiencies in South Korea’s defenses. In a January 2023 article for 38 North, Sukjoon Yoon mentions that South Korea’s Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) architecture cannot be easily adapted to counter small drones in terms of sensors and interceptors because they were designed to intercept larger drones, aircraft and ballistic missiles.
Yoon says that North Korea has recently acquired a new UAV similar to China’s CASC Rainbow CH-4 and the US MQ-9 Reaper, both of which could be used for attack purposes. He estimates that North Korea might have more than 500 drones copied from Chinese and Russian designs.
Furthermore, in a January 2023 International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) article, John Dempsey notes that the North Korean drones used in the December 2022 infiltration match two commercially available drones in China, namely the Trancomm SKY-09 and Chinese-designed UV10.
Dempsey mentions that their dual-use nature puts them below a UN arms embargo on North Korea, with none of their components except a Canadian autopilot on one of the drones being subject to export controls.
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Defense News noted in January 2023 that after North Korea’s drone infiltration the previous month, South Korean officials allocated $440 million for counter-drone efforts, including the development of laser weapons and a jamming system for small drones.
However, Asia Times noted last month that laser weapons have yet to live up to their promise of being an effective anti-drone weapon with negligible cost per shot, as repeated development delays, technology maturity issues, beam quality control problems, need for specialized facilities to maintain sensitive components, and lack of industrial base have prevented their practical use beyond experimental purposes.
Jamming may be less effective against drones with inertial guidance, as such systems can allow drones to maintain course or return to a pre-programmed point even if their command signals are lost.
The Korean JoongAng Daily reported in June 2023 that an anonymous South Korean military official said South Korea is determined to send ten or more drones to overfly targets in North Korea for every drone the latter sends over its airspace. Such an approach may signify a more aggressive South Korean drone doctrine in response to North Korean provocations.
As such, drone incursions over the Korean Peninsula are highly likely to become a regular occurrence, further spiking tensions and raising the risk of a drone-driven North-South clash.
asiatimes.com · by Gabriel Honrada · February 1, 2024
11. As North Korea launches missiles and artillery, this island's residents are terrified
As North Korea launches missiles and artillery, this island's residents are terrified
NPR · by Anthony Kuhn · February 1, 2024
Loudspeakers in a village of Yeonpyeong island, near the Northern Limit Line sea boundary with North Korea, on Jan. 6, a day after North Korean shelling. North Korea fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean border islands on Jan. 5, Seoul's defense ministry said, prompting a live-fire drill by the South's military. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images
YEONPYEONG, South Korea — As tensions between North and South Korea mount, inhabitants of this South Korean island just 7 miles from North Korea's west coast have special reasons to be jittery.
North Korea has lately been lobbing projectiles into the Yellow Sea, known in South Korea as the West Sea, at a frantic pace, including two salvos of cruise missiles (another salvo was fired eastward) and around 350 artillery rounds in the past month.
And Pyongyang recently reiterated that it considers the maritime border just a mile north of Yeonpyeong illegal, sparking concerns that the island could once again become a flashpoint.
In 2010, Yeonpyeong became the first South Korean civilian settlement to be bombarded by North Korean artillery since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
"I'm walking around this village thinking, if a shell falls right now, what shelter should I go to," says island resident Choi Gyeong-il. "I feel so anxious, it's difficult to go about my everyday life."
Kim Jeoung-hee, head of a residents community, opens up a shelter on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, on Jan. 8. Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
Choi says he and other residents keep bags with emergency supplies packed and ready to go in case of another emergency.
Yeonpyeong Island, home to about 2,100 people, used to be part of North Korea's Hwanghae province. Many current residents' parents fled to the island from North Korea during the Korean War.
Yeonpyeong is now one of five South Korean islands in the Yellow Sea administered by the port city of Incheon, 50 miles to the east.
Tensions have risen, in part, due to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recent policy shifts. He has given up on negotiating with Washington and instead is strengthening ties with Russia and China. He has also said he has given up on the prospect of reunification with the South — and he has threatened to subjugate and occupy the South if it attacks the North.
The maritime border between the two Koreas remains in dispute
He also scrapped a 2018 military accord with Seoul that restricted military activity near the border.
"As the southern border of our country has been clearly drawn, the illegal 'Northern Limit Line' and any other boundary can never be tolerated," Kim said in a Jan. 15 speech to his parliament. If South Korea "violates even a hundredth of a millimeter of our territorial land, air and waters, it will be considered a war provocation," he warned.
North Korea has never accepted the Northern Limit Line, which the United Nations Command declared at the end of the Korean War without consulting Pyongyang. North Korea drew its own maritime boundary south of the line in 1999.
The disputed waters between the two Koreas' definitions of their maritime boundaries are considered highly volatile.
A general view shows an unidentified boat before the North Korean coastline as seen from a viewpoint on Yeonpyeong Island, near the Northern Limit Line sea boundary with North Korea, on Jan. 6. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images
Two Yeonpyeong sea battles happened in 1999 and 2002, "when the two navies' vessels got into skirmishes in between the two lines," recalls retired South Korean navy Capt. Yoon Sukjoon, who previously commanded a navy fast attack squadron stationed at Yeonpyeong Island.
Yoon notes that since the 1990s, North Korea has sold fishing licenses to Chinese fishermen, which South Koreans see as violating their territory. North and South Korean and Chinese fishermen come to waters near Yeonpyeong Island to catch crabs.
Yoon believes that launching an attack across the Northern Limit Line could carry huge costs for North Korea, which has other options to provoke and disrupt its southern neighbor.
But, he says, "if Kim Jong Un is looking for a scapegoat for the hostile policy change he declared to the North Korean people, Yeonpyeong or Baekryeong Island could become a target." Baekryeong is west of Yeonpyeong Island.
Yeonpyeong residents are well aware of the risks.
"Whenever there's a thumping sound or an artillery sound, that puts the residents on alert," says island guide An Chilseong. "We become nervous because of the trauma from the 2010 shelling. We have a military base here and well-maintained shelters to escape to, so that's reassuring, but we still feel anxious."
North Korea's 2010 attack is memorialized on the island
Reminders of the 2010 attack are on display at a national security education base on the island, which includes partially destroyed homes, and a peace park with plaques honoring the two service members killed in the attack. Two civilians were also killed.
In January, a woman looks at wrecked homes hit by North Korea's 2010 shelling attack at a museum that displays materials related to the attack. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images
Residents were also reminded of 2010 on Jan. 5, when North Korea conducted artillery drills and the South responded with drills of its own.
Resident Choi Ok-seon says she and other villagers headed to air raid shelters after getting authorities' text messages and hearing broadcasts instructing them to take shelter.
"These past few days, I've been very worried," she says. "There are wars going on in other countries, and I'm concerned Kim Jong Un might really decide to do something."
Some experts believe Kim Jong Un's warlike rhetoric is defensive and aimed at shielding his country from South Korean cultural influences, which have been making inroads in the North.
"Ten years ago, North Koreans defected [to the South] because they were hungry," says retired South Korean Lt. Gen. Chun In-bum. "Now North Koreans are defecting because they want to achieve their dreams. Can you imagine how scary that must be to Kim Jong Un?"
Chun is concerned that Kim's next step could be "a military confrontation, with an actual shooting scenario," near the Northern Limit Line.
South Korean marines patrol the entrance to a beach on Yeonpyeong Island. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images
But he also warns his own government to refrain from rhetorical bluster that could escalate tensions. President Yoon Suk Yeol, for example, has promised to severely punish North Korea for any provocations.
South Korea, Chun argues, needs to distinguish between provocations that directly harm South Koreans and those that don't. And if some South Koreans want to "teach North Korea a lesson," he says, "that's all good. But when you are teaching North Korea a lesson, you need an off-ramp."
Just where that ramp lies, he says, is unclear.
Se Eun Gong contributed to this report from Seoul and Yeonpyeong Island.
NPR · by Anthony Kuhn · February 1, 2024
12. North Korean tour guide tells backpacker how he feels about America
Photos at the link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13025345/North-Korea-tour-guide-backpacker-America.html
North Korean tour guide tells backpacker how he feels about America
- Jesse Romberg, a travel-content creator, visited North Korea for a three-day tour
- His guide gave a startling insight as to how North Korea views the United States
- He described America as having 'hostile policies' and urged the US to 'leave'
By RACHEL SUMMER SMALL FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:41 EST, 1 February 2024 | UPDATED: 10:40 EST, 1 February 2024
Daily Mail · by Rachel Summer Small For Dailymail.Com · February 1, 2024
An American backpacker travelling through North Korea asked his tour guide about the country's relationship with the United States - and was left stunned at the response.
His guide appeared to reflect the viewpoint of the citizens within the totalitarian regime as many viewers pointed out that the guide's narrative wasn't quite reflective of the whole story.
'A once in a lifetime capture of a North Korean party member explaining their perception of the United States,' declared the clip, shared by travel content creator Jesse Romberg, who posts under the username @homeless.backpacker.
'What would you say is the common perception of, let's say, the United States in North Korea, in DPRK?' Jesse implored his unnamed guide - with DPRK short for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is what the nation calls itself.
On a tour of North Korea, content creator Jesse Romberg decided to ask his state-appointed tour guide about the country's relationship to the United States
In Jesse's Instagram Highlights reel from his trip to North Korea, he explained he accessed the country via Chinese tourist agency
'Up to now, we have no history of invasion. Korea - DPRK - has no history of invasion,' the unnamed man began.
'[America] have invaded so many countries. But there's no history of invasion [from DPRK],' he continued.
'We didn't do any harmful things to America but America invaded our country.
'Still they're in the southern part of our country. And still they're pushing hostile policies against our country, and sanctions against our country,' he continued.
'So what we want to say [to the US] is leave our country, lift all sanctions - then we can recover relations… Relations between American and our country will get better.'
Also shedding light on the guide's comments, Jesse explained in another Instagram Story that North Korea doesn't recognize separate nations of North and South Korea, adding the regime sees Korea as one country, with the US 'occupying the southern part of Korea.'
South Korea is internationally recognized as an independent nation.
In speaking about the 'invasion' of Korea, the guide is referring to the Korean War which began when North Korea, led by Kim Il-sung and backed by the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea in 1950.
His guide appeared to reflect the viewpoint of the citizens within the totalitarian regime as many viewers pointed out that the guide's narrative wasn't quite reflective of the whole story
North Korea has been led by the Kim family since 1948, with the current Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un marking the third generation of ruler
Meanwhile, in 1948, the United States had installed Syngman Rheea as South Korea's first president, who also served as an anti-communist leader in the region.
Given the Cold War-era power struggles, North Korea's invasion of South Korea was also seen by the United States as an existential threat to democracy.
Ten days after the invasion, the United States descended on the Korean peninsula. The United Nations also got involved, backing South Korea, and China sent troops backing North Korea.
The ensuing struggle took the lives of close to three million Koreans, with at least half of those being civilian deaths. Close to a million Chinese soldiers were also killed, while the US tallied 54,000 casualties.
When a truce was called in 1953, the border between North and South Korea remained essentially unchanged.
South Korea continues to be an ally of the US, and the US maintains a strong military presence in the country.
Meanwhile, the Kim family has continued to rule over North Korea, with Kim Il-sung's grandson, Kim Jong Un, currently reigning as Supreme Leader.
The country is viewed as one of the world's most brutal totalitarian regimes. Citizens cannot leave the country without the permission of the government, on punishment of death.
Speaking out against the government can also be punished by death - making it the prospect of questioning one of its citizens about international relations on camera rather fraught.
@homeless.backpacker
A once in a lifetime capture of a North Korean party member explaining their perception of the United States #northkorea #northkorea #dprk #kinjongun #pyongyang
♬ original sound - Homeless Backpacker
The 'sanctions' on North Korea that the guide referred to have mainly been upheld as the country has insisted on developing its nuclear program.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations: 'North Korea's leadership, under successive Kims, considers nuclear weapons the sole means to guarantee its survival.
'[The capital city of] Pyongyang points to US military bases in the region, as well as the war games the United States regularly holds with its allies, as a threat to its existence.'
Some viewers bickered in the comments section of Jesse's TikTok about the veracity of the guide's statements, with most seemingly readily buying into the guide's narrative painting North Korea in a more benevolent light.
'Really good to know another side of the story,' one wrote, with another echoing: 'Well said. Honestly, that's a viewpoint I never considered.'
Another pushed back: 'It was a CIVIL WAR, educate yourself.'
In Jesse's Instagram Highlights reel from his trip to North Korea, he explained he accessed the country via Chinese tourist agency.
On the train ride from China to North Korea, Jesse recalled that he didn't see a single car, stating: 'Every person has only a bicycle. And run down buildings, with children bathing in brown river water.'
It's thought that around 60 per cent of North Korea's nearly 26 million residents live below the poverty line.
'Now fast forward. Suddenly we are in Dubai,' Jesse continued, referring to the opulence of Pyongyang.
'It's important to note that this was a full on propaganda tour,' he wrote of the experience, adding, 'The government creates the entire itinerary and shows you only what they allow to show.'
Daily Mail · by Rachel Summer Small For Dailymail.Com · February 1, 2024
13. Kim Jong Un craves attention. This time, he should get it
Excerpts:
Kim may be seeing a window of opportunity to influence the U.S. presidential campaign so as to deal directly with the next president, which could again be Donald Trump. Trump's potential return could give Kim another shot at a high stakes deal with the U.S., this time with more familiarity with his negotiating partner, a strengthened nuclear stature and geopolitics on his side.
In recent years, Kim has watched how the U.S. has responded to the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict and has undoubtedly taken note of how the two simultaneous wars have challenged Washington in terms of resource allocation, materiel support, political tensions and partner nation participation.
Kim is thus aware that a third conflict would further stretch U.S. resources and demand realistic policy prioritization. Consequently, Washington cannot afford to ignore Kim's new stance on unification and his gestures about preparing for war. Kim may not be planning to invade South Korea but the U.S. must not let itself be caught off guard again.
OPINION
Kim Jong Un craves attention. This time, he should get it
North Korea may not be planning for war, but U.S. must not be caught off guard
Soo Kim
January 31, 2024 05:00 JST
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Kim-Jong-Un-craves-attention.-This-time-he-should-get-it?utm
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang on Jan. 15: Kim declared that unification with South Korea was no longer possible. (KCNA via Reuters)
Soo Kim, previously a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency analyst, is principal technical adviser on defense acquisitions and sustainment at policy consultancy LMI in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Earlier this month, Kim Jong Un shattered any illusion that his government might still be seeking peaceful reunification with South Korea.
Speaking to the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang on Jan. 15, Kim declared that unification was no longer possible and said Seoul should now be seen as the "invariable principal enemy" with whom he has "no intention of avoiding war."
Unsurprisingly, the North Korean leader's proclamation has ignited tense discussions among Korea watchers about the security situation on the peninsula and the potential for imminent conflict.
For some, concerned that the regime is indeed preparing for war, the situation is now more dangerous than it has been since the Korean War ended in 1953. Other observers are less alarmed and see Kim's move as typical North Korean behavior aimed at seeking the world's attention.
In dealing with a country like North Korea, where policy intentions are shrouded in deception, secrecy and ambiguity, it is important to weigh the merits of both sides of the argument.
It is also worth considering that while North Korea may not be going as far as planning an all-out war against the South, the situation on the peninsula has indeed taken a turn for the worse.
Kim's announcement signals a break from decades of North Korean policy on relations with the South and appears to further justify Pyongyang's long-held belligerent stance toward Seoul. North Korea may now resort to provocations short of war to stir anxiety in the region in the hopes of extracting benefits for itself.
Kim's remarks may mark the first official public instance of the North Korean regime calling the South public enemy No. 1, but the sentiment has long been demonstrated and communicated via acerbic rhetoric toward Seoul and its top leadership, occasional provocations directed against South Korean territory and weapons testing in the waters between the two Koreas.
The Kim regime has long strictly forbidden access to South Korean popular culture and imposed severe punishment on any North Korean caught consuming or disseminating South Korean movies, music or literature, lest the population be exposed to the harsh reality of the significant political, economic and social gap between the two sides of the peninsula.
In jettisoning aspirations for a reunion of the two Koreas, Kim is effectively demarcating Seoul and Pyongyang as separate entities, giving the North greater justification to act more aggressively.
In openly designating South Korea as his primary adversary, Kim has provided a domestic and international rationale to intensify his aggressive stance against Seoul.
The abandonment of the goal of reunification is a historic and unprecedented step to assert Pyongyang's supremacy over Seoul, as reflected in the demolition of a symbolic unification monument that depicted two women together holding up an emblem with a map of the Korean Peninsula.
National Liberation Day celebrations near the Arch of Reunification in Pyongyang in 2005: The arch was recently demolished. © Reuters
Kim's decade-long focus on expanding his country's nuclear weapons program continues to raise concerns about the true extent of his ambitions. In recent years, Kim has conditioned the international community into accepting and tolerating weapons testing as a fact of life that now carries few palpable costs for the regime.
This month alone, Pyongyang fired hundreds of artillery rounds into waters near its disputed border with Seoul, test fired its first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile and conducted the first flight test of a new strategic cruise missile.
North Korea's declarations that it will exponentially increase its nuclear arsenal and expand production capacity indicate a long-term strategy and challenge assumptions that Kim has been seeking only a small nuclear force.
As tensions continue to rise, the region appears headed toward greater uncertainty. Kim's departure from his father and grandfather's unification playbook allows him to pursue his own approach to dealing with South Korea, in line with today's security realities and North Korea's nuclear status.
The implications extend beyond inter-Korean relations as his moves are bound to impact Pyongyang's relations with the U.S. and potentially even the configuration of global geopolitics.
Kim may be seeing a window of opportunity to influence the U.S. presidential campaign so as to deal directly with the next president, which could again be Donald Trump. Trump's potential return could give Kim another shot at a high stakes deal with the U.S., this time with more familiarity with his negotiating partner, a strengthened nuclear stature and geopolitics on his side.
In recent years, Kim has watched how the U.S. has responded to the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict and has undoubtedly taken note of how the two simultaneous wars have challenged Washington in terms of resource allocation, materiel support, political tensions and partner nation participation.
Kim is thus aware that a third conflict would further stretch U.S. resources and demand realistic policy prioritization. Consequently, Washington cannot afford to ignore Kim's new stance on unification and his gestures about preparing for war. Kim may not be planning to invade South Korea but the U.S. must not let itself be caught off guard again.
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
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