Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“Men can be divided into two groups: one that goes ahead and achieves something, and one that comes after and criticizes.”

- Seneca

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

- Hannah Arendt

“I want to exist with my own force, like the sun, which gives light and does not suck light.”

- Carl Jung

1. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February- Korea

2. Press Statement of Spokesperson for DPRK Foreign Ministry Issued ("U.S. is now working hard to "demonize" the DPRK")

3. N. Korea warns of 'toughest reaction' to U.S. military drills with S. Korea

4. Families of S. Koreans detained in N. Korea urge U.N. efforts for repatriation

5. North Korea says U.S. drills threaten to turn region into 'critical war zone'

6. S. Korea's top diplomat, U.N. chief discuss concerns over N. Korea's possible nuke test

7. Asked about sending weapons to Ukraine, South Korea doesn’t say no

8. US Nomination of North Korea Rights Envoy Revives Hope for Divided Families

9. Crypto hacks stole record $3.8 billion in 2022, led by North Korea groups - report

10. Why South Korea is debating a nuclear weapons program

11. DP vows to look into allegations of fortune teller's involvement in presidential office relocation

12. Foreign Minister could meet with Japanese counterpart in Munich

13. U.S. extends olive branch after North's 'nuke-for-nuke' comment

14. [EXCLUSIVE] South may place sanctions on North hacking groups

15. 4 South Korean activists arrested for alleged anti-gov't activities upon North Korean orders

16. [INTERVIEW] 'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'

1. Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February- Korea

KOREA

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow

Trending Neutral

Previous Trend:

Neutral

https://www.fdd.org/policy-tracker/2023/02/01/biden-administration-foreign-policy-tracker-february-2023/#Korea

North Korea conducted an unprecedented number of provocations in 2022, test launching more than 70 missiles and rockets. Kim Jong Un concluded the year with a statement that he seeks an “exponential” increase in his nuclear arsenal. He also presented a 2023 “master plan” for economic development, but it does not describe any efforts to end the country’s severe food shortages.

As a result of the declining confidence of South Korea and other countries in the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for reintroducing nuclear arms in the South, either South Korean-produced or a return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons removed in 1991. Yoon has “dialed back” his statement on South Korean nuclear weapons, and the United States has made no statement on the reintroduction of nuclear weapons. However, despite the friction, the United States and South Korea will conduct nuclear-focused tabletop exercises to reinforce extended deterrence.

In Washington, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Censorship and Surveillance Act passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in late December. It provides authorities and direction for influence operations against North Korea. The Biden administration also nominated Julie Turner to be the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, a position vacant since 2017. With the appointment of a South Korean ambassador to the same position in Seoul, the alliance may finally begin to implement a human rights upfront approach.

2. Press Statement of Spokesperson for DPRK Foreign Ministry Issued ("U.S. is now working hard to "demonize" the DPRK")

Kim is feeling the pressure. The SECDEF has intimidated him.

But what is a "dint of powerful deterrence?"

Excerpts:

The escalating tension on the Korean peninsula and in the region is entirely attributable to the hostile policy of the U.S., which forces the DPRK to disarm itself unilaterally by dint of sanctions and military pressure and pursues the military expansion of its allies.

The decades-long history of the DPRK-U.S. confrontation shows that the DPRK should deal with the U.S. imperialists by force only as they are dreaming of disarming the DPRK and bringing down its social system with the "end" of the DPRK set as a goal of their state administration.

The more dangerous the U.S. threat to the DPRK gets, the stronger backfire the U.S. will face in direct proportion to it.

The DPRK will defend peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region in a responsible manner by dint of powerful deterrence until the U.S. and its vassal forces' hostile policy and military threat have been definitely rooted out.

...

We are seeing through the true intention of the U.S.

The DPRK has a clear counteraction strategy capable of coping with any short- and long-term scenario attempted by the U.S. and its vassal forces, and will strongly control the present and future potential challenges with the most overwhelming nuclear force.

Press Statement of Spokesperson for DPRK Foreign Ministry Issued

2023 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) | Read original version at source

kcnawatch.org

Pyongyang, February 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued the following press statement on Thursday:

The military and political situation on the Korean peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red-line due to the reckless military confrontational maneuvers and hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces.

The U.S. is now working hard to "demonize" the DPRK, spreading again all sorts of rumors. Meanwhile, it, together with its vassal forces, is intensifying the full-scale offensive for putting pressure on the DPRK in all aspects including "human rights", sanctions and military affairs.

In particular, the U.S. is going to ignite an all-out showdown with the DPRK through continued combined drills whose scale and scope are largely extended, including a "drill for operating extended deterrence" and the largest-ever field mobile live shell firing drill simulating the use of nuclear weapons, together with south Korea from February.

During the visit to south Korea on Jan. 31, the U.S. secretary of Defense openly declared that the U.S. would deploy more strategic assets such as the fifth generation stealth fighters and nuclear carriers, unhesitatingly talking about the use of nuclear weapons against the DPRK.

This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK makes clear once again our principled stand on the U.S. in order to cope with the ever more unscrupulous heinous, hostile policy toward the DPRK and the dangerous military move by the U.S.

First, the DPRK will take the toughest reaction to any military attempt of the U.S. on the principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation!"

We are not ignoring but bearing in mind although we do not react to every ill-boding move committed by the U.S. under the signboard of the "offer of extended deterrence" and "intensified alliance".

We are seeing through the true intention of the U.S.

The DPRK has a clear counteraction strategy capable of coping with any short- and long-term scenario attempted by the U.S. and its vassal forces, and will strongly control the present and future potential challenges with the most overwhelming nuclear force.

If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature.

Second, the DPRK is not interested in any contact or dialogue with the U.S. as long as it pursues its hostile policy and confrontational line.

The U.S. goes so shameless as to seek to gain time by touting dialogue with the DPRK under a deceptive signboard that it has no intent to be hostile toward the DPRK, while pursuing the most heinous hostile policy towards the DPRK.

The escalating tension on the Korean peninsula and in the region is entirely attributable to the hostile policy of the U.S., which forces the DPRK to disarm itself unilaterally by dint of sanctions and military pressure and pursues the military expansion of its allies.

The decades-long history of the DPRK-U.S. confrontation shows that the DPRK should deal with the U.S. imperialists by force only as they are dreaming of disarming the DPRK and bringing down its social system with the "end" of the DPRK set as a goal of their state administration.

The more dangerous the U.S. threat to the DPRK gets, the stronger backfire the U.S. will face in direct proportion to it.

The DPRK will defend peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region in a responsible manner by dint of powerful deterrence until the U.S. and its vassal forces' hostile policy and military threat have been definitely rooted out. -0-

www.kcna.kp (Juche112.2.2.)

kcnawatch.org

3. N. Korea warns of 'toughest reaction' to U.S. military drills with S. Korea

Kim may now be playing into our political warfare strategy. We are not going to back down in the face of this rhetoric. Our influence campaign should exploit this. While he is creating the perception of an external threat to to justify the suffering and sacrifice of the Korean people in the. north, we need to show the Korean people in the north that Kim is generating a false threat and spending much needed resources on nuclear nad missile development rather than ensuring the welfare of the Korean people.

While we must take all north Korean threats seriously and ensure we sustain the highest state of readiness for deterrence and defense, we also need to exploit Kim's and the Propaganda and Agitation Development's statements.

(3rd LD) N. Korea warns of 'toughest reaction' to U.S. military drills with S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · February 2, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with White House's response in paras 10-11)

By Kim Soo-yeon and Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday it will take the "toughest reaction" to the U.S. move to expand joint military exercises with South Korea, as the U.S. defense chief has pledged to deploy more strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula to ensure its security commitment.

The North's warning came as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Seoul earlier this week for talks with his South Korean counterpart and said there would be more deployments of strategic assets, including F-22 and F-35 jets, to Korea in order to deter the North's evolving military threats.

Pyongyang's foreign ministry claimed the United States has been driving the security situation on the peninsula toward an "extreme red-line" and is pushing to spur further tensions through joint military drills of larger scale and scope with South Korea.

"This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean Peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone," it said in an English-language statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 19, 2022, shows the North's firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korea will "take the toughest reaction" to any military action by the U.S. under the principle of "nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation," it added.

"If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature," it read, using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North said it is ready to counter any military challenges from the U.S. with the "most overwhelming nuclear force," while stressing it is not interested in any dialogue with the U.S. as long as Washington pursues a "hostile policy."

Hours earlier, South Korea and the U.S. staged combined air drills, involving B-1B strategic bombers, as well as F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters, from the U.S. Air Force, in a show of Washington's "will and capabilities" to provide credible extended deterrence against North Korea's military threats.

In a related move, the allies plan to hold discussion-based table-top exercises this month to sharpen extended deterrence. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to use a full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The White House, meanwhile, said it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang, rejecting its claim that the allies' joint military exercises are provocative.

"We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," a spokesperson for the National Security Council stated.

North Korea launched around 70 ballistic missiles last year alone, the most in a single year, amid persistent speculation it may conduct a nuclear test in the near future.

The North's leader Kim Jong-un called for an "exponential" increase in its nuclear arsenal and the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons at a key party meeting held late last year.

North Korea is likely to hold a military parade next Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces in a bid to flex its military muscle.

In response to the North's statement, Seoul's unification ministry reiterated calls for the North to refrain from taking provocative acts and return to the dialogue table.

Youtube

https://youtu.be/4YHZUmzVy00

South Korean and U.S. Air Force aircraft engage in joint air drills over the Yellow Sea on Feb. 1, 2023, in this photo provided by Seoul's defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · February 2, 2023

4. Families of S. Koreans detained in N. Korea urge U.N. efforts for repatriation

One of the longest continuous human rights abuses and crimes against humanity in modern history perpetrated by the Kim family regime.

Another reason for a human rights upfront approach by the ROK/US alliance.

Families of S. Koreans detained in N. Korea urge U.N. efforts for repatriation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 2, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- The families of South Korean detainees in North Korea on Thursday called for United Nations' efforts to win the release of their loved ones as they met a U.N. special rapporteur for the North's human rights.

During their talks with Elizabeth Salmon, family members of Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kuk-gi -- missionaries arrested by the North Korean authorities in 2013 and 2014, respectively -- urged the U.N. to step up efforts for the repatriation.

Kim Jeong-sam, an elder brother of Kim Jung-wook, said he made the plea in a letter delivered to Salmon, in which he voiced hope for the repatriation this year on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The rapporteur vowed to put her utmost efforts to bring back the abductees, according to Kim.

Currently, six South Koreans, including three pastors, are being detained in North Korea on charges of committing what Pyongyang called anti-North Korea crimes.

Elizabeth Salmon, the newly appointed U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights, holds a news conference on the outcomes of her visit to South Korea at a Seoul hotel, in this Sept. 2, 2022, file photo. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 2, 2023

5. North Korea says U.S. drills threaten to turn region into 'critical war zone'

Excerpts:

On Wednesday, the United States and South Korea carried out a joint air drill with American B-1B heavy bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, as well as F-35 jets from both countries, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.

"The combined air drills this time show the U.S.' will and capabilities to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In Washington, the White House rejected the North Korean statement and reiterated a willingness to meet with North Korean diplomats "at a time and place convenient for them."

"We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, refering to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea.

North Korea says U.S. drills threaten to turn region into 'critical war zone'

Reuters · by Josh Smith

Summary
Companies
North Korea says no interest in talking if U.S. remains hostile
Statement warns of response to any military moves by U.S.
U.S., S.Korean warplanes conducted drills on Wednesday

SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Thursday that drills by the United States and its allies have reached an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone."

The Foreign Ministry statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.

"The military and political situation on the Korean peninsula and in the region has reached an extreme red-line due to the reckless military confrontational manoeuvres and hostile acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces," an unnamed ministry spokesperson said in the statement.

It cited a visit to Seoul this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. On Tuesday, Austin and his South Korean counterpart vowed to expand military drills and deploy more "strategic assets," such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers, to counter North Korea's weapons development and prevent a war.

"This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone," the North Korean statement said.

The United States has pushed to expand military, political, and economic ties across Asia.

In Manila on Thursday, Austin and his counterpart there announced that the Philippines had granted the United States expanded access to its military bases amid mounting concern over China's increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tensions over self-ruled Taiwan.

When asked about the tensions with North Korea during his stop in the Philippines, Austin said that the U.S. goal was to promote greater security and stability and that it remained committed to defending South Korea.

"We will continue to work alongside our allies and train and ensure that we maintain credible and ready forces," he said.

North Korea said it would respond to any military moves by the United States, and had strong counteraction strategies, including "the most overwhelming nuclear force" if necessary.

[1/2] A handout photo dated February 1, 2023 shows South Korean and U.S. Air Forces conducting a combined air training with South Korean F-35A fighters, US B-1B strategic bombers, and F-22 and F-35B fighters participating in the skies over the West Sea, in South Korea. South Korean Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

JOINT DRILLS

On Wednesday, the United States and South Korea carried out a joint air drill with American B-1B heavy bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, as well as F-35 jets from both countries, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.

"The combined air drills this time show the U.S.' will and capabilities to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In Washington, the White House rejected the North Korean statement and reiterated a willingness to meet with North Korean diplomats "at a time and place convenient for them."

"We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, refering to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name for North Korea.

More than 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

"We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. These are routine exercises fully consistent with past practice," the White House statement said.

Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. It was also observed reopening its shuttered nuclear weapons test site, raising expectations of a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.

In New York, South Korea's foreign minister, Park Jin, met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday and called for the U.N.'s continued attention to North Korea's recent provocations and efforts to implement sanctions on the reclusive regime.

Guterres said any resumption of nuclear testing by North Korea would deal a devastating blow to regional and international security, and reaffirmed support to build lasting peace on the Korean peninsula, according to Park's office.

Park is on a four-day trip to the United States, which will include a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Friday.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Soo-hyang Choi in Seoul, Steve Holland in Washington, and Karen Lema in Manila; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Bill Berkrot, Gerry Doyle and Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters · by Josh Smith

6. S. Korea's top diplomat, U.N. chief discuss concerns over N. Korea's possible nuke test

Excerpt:

The U.N. chief expressed his "full support" in Seoul's efforts to achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Park, who was on a trip here just before traveling to Washington, D.C., for talks with American counterpart, Antony Blinken.

S. Korea's top diplomat, U.N. chief discuss concerns over N. Korea's possible nuke test | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · February 2, 2023

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday to discuss international concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test in the near future.

At the meeting held at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Guterres said a nuclear test by the North would deal a "devastating blow" to regional and world peace and that his office has conveyed such concerns to Pyongyang, Park quoted Guterres as saying while speaking to reporters.

The U.N. chief expressed his "full support" in Seoul's efforts to achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to Park, who was on a trip here just before traveling to Washington, D.C., for talks with American counterpart, Antony Blinken.

The minister also met separately with ambassadors from members of the U.N. Security Council and requested their support in responding to the North's saber-rattling. He also asked for their support in Seoul's bid for a seat as a nonpermanent member of the council for the 2024-25 term.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (L) shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres during a meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Feb. 1, 2023, in this photo provided by Park's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · February 2, 2023

7. Asked about sending weapons to Ukraine, South Korea doesn’t say no

Asked about sending weapons to Ukraine, South Korea doesn’t say no

The Washington Post · by Karen DeYoung · January 31, 2023

SEOUL — South Korea left the door open to reconsidering Seoul’s prohibition against sending weapons to Ukraine, with Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup saying Tuesday that he was aware of the “need for the international effort” and that his government was “directing our close attention” to the situation.

Lee’s remarks, in a news conference here with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, came a day after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to change its policy of exporting defense goods “only for peaceful purposes.”

Countries such as Germany, Norway and others, Stoltenberg said during his own visit here Monday, had changed their stance “because they realized that when you are facing a brutal invasion where a big power — Russia — invades another one in a blatant way as we have seen in Ukraine, if we believe in freedom, if we believe in democracy, if we don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons.”

South Korea has provided humanitarian and other nonlethal assistance directly to Ukraine. The United States has said North Korea is sending missiles to Russia to supplement its waning supplies.

Seoul was Austin’s first stop on a Pacific swing, to be followed by a two-day visit to the Philippines, where the United States hopes to secure access to key bases to provide strategic positions from which to mount operations in the event of a conflict in Taiwan or the South China Sea.

The trip, Austin’s sixth to the region and third to South Korea, is part of an overall effort to expand Washington’s Indo-Pacific alliances and partnerships as China has increased what a senior defense official called its “sharp uptick in destabilizing … behavior,” including air-to-air intercepts and maritime challenges.

Threats from China, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about policy matters, are compounded by increased provocation from North Korea, which conducted an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests last year and has promised this year to expand its nuclear program.

“Together, we condemn these dangerous actions, which violate international law and threaten to destabilize the region,” Austin said of Pyongyang.

He noted that the Biden administration has increased readiness here by “expanding the scope and scale” of combined exercises with South Korean forces, including plans to return to live-fire exercises suspended by the Trump administration.

Last year, “we deployed assets including F-22s, F-35s and the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group,” Austin said. “We have 28,500 uniformed personnel in South Korea … one of the largest U.S. troop deployments around the world.”

But the secretary sidestepped a question about remarks early this month by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol that Seoul might need nuclear weapons of its own or would demand redeployment of U.S. nuclear arms on the Korean Peninsula in light of the growing North Korean threat.

Without directly commenting on Yoon’s remarks, Lee said the policy of “extended deterrence” means that even if North Korea does “use their nuclear capabilities, [South] Korea and the United States have the capability to deter their efforts, and also that the United States has the will to deter nuclear weapons.”

The Biden administration has sought to discourage any suggestion that South Korea would develop its own nuclear arsenal, emphasizing that the U.S. defense commitment to Seoul is sacrosanct and sufficient.

It “includes the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including our conventional, nuclear and missile defense capabilities,” Austin said. The commitment, he said, is “ironclad.”

“It’s not a slogan, it’s what we’re all about.”

Polling has indicated development of a South Korean nuclear deterrent is popular here, but “mainstream politicians have largely stayed away from advocating proliferation,” Stephen Herzog, a senior researcher in nuclear arms control at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, wrote last week in a commentary for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

But increased activities by Pyongyang allow Yoon to “brandish the national security card” and appeal to nationalist sentiment to increase South Korea’s independence from the United States, Herzog said.

Austin and Lee each emphasized the importance they place on new levels of defense cooperation with Japan. “Let me underscore our mutual belief that trilateral cooperation with Japan enhances all of our security,” Austin said.

The Washington Post · by Karen DeYoung · January 31, 2023

8. US Nomination of North Korea Rights Envoy Revives Hope for Divided Families

Now with Ambassador (select) Julie Turner and Korean Ambassador Lee Shin Hwa appointed as US and ROK special envoys for north Korean human rights, it is time for the ROK/US Alliance to adopt a human rights upfront approach to north Korea.

US Nomination of North Korea Rights Envoy Revives Hope for Divided Families

February 01, 2023 8:50 AM

Christy Lee

voanews.com

Washington —

The nomination of the U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea, along with new legislation, has revived hopes for Korean Americans who want to see family in North Korea whom they have not seen since their separation during the Korean War.

President Joe Biden nominated Julie Turner, a long-time State Department official, as the U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea on January 23. The position has been vacant for the past six years.

Crypto hacks stole record $3.8 billion in 2022, led by North Korea groups - report

Reuters · by Josh Smith

SEOUL, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Last year was the worst on record for cryptocurrency heists, with hackers stealing as much as $3.8 billion, led by attackers linked to North Korea who netted more than ever before, a U.S.-based blockchain analytics firm said in a report on Wednesday.

The report by Chainalysis found hacking activity that "ebbed and flowed" throughout the year, with "huge spikes" in March and October. October was the biggest single month ever for cryptocurrency hacking, with $775.7 million stolen in 32 separate attacks, the report said.

The cryptocurrency market floundered in 2022, as risk appetite diminished and various crypto firms collapsed. Investors were left with large losses and regulators stepped up calls for more consumer protection.

At the time, Chainalysis and other firms confirmed to Reuters that North Korean-related accounts had lost millions of dollars in value.

But that did not deter hackers.

North Korea-linked hackers such as those in the cybercriminal syndicate Lazarus Group have been by far the most prolific cryptocurrency hackers, stealing an estimated $1.7 billion worth of in multiple attacks last year, the report said.

"In 2022, they shattered their own records for theft," it said.

North Korea has denied allegations of hacking or other cyberattacks.

According to a panel of experts monitoring United Nations sanctions, North Korea has increasingly relied on hacking to fund its missile and nuclear weapons programmes, particularly as publicly declared trade dwindled under sanctions and COVID-19 lockdowns.

"It isn’t a stretch to say that cryptocurrency hacking is a sizable chunk of the nation’s economy," Chainalysis said.

For the first time last year, U.S. law enforcement seized $30 million in stolen funds from North Korea-linked hackers.

"These hacks will get harder and less fruitful with each passing year," Chainalysis predicted.

Targets in "decentralized finance" or DeFi, a thriving segment in the cryptocurrency sector, accounted for more than 82% of the cryptocurrency stolen in 2022, the report said.

DeFi applications, many of which run on the Ethereum blockchain, are financial platforms that enable crypto-denominated lending outside of traditional banks.

Last year saw a record amount of crypto transactions related to illicit activity overall, reaching $20.1 billion, Chainalysis said in January.

Reporting by Josh Smith, Editing by Louise Heavens

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reuters · by Josh Smith

10. Why South Korea is debating a nuclear weapons program

Excerpts:

Need for trust

Even if discussions were to take place on the possible redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea, experts say South Korea is unlikely in the foreseeable future to develop its own nuclear weapons given the damage that would cause to the U.S.-South Korean alliance, the global nonproliferation regime, and South Korea’s economic interests, including its civilian nuclear industry. Such a move would make a crisis with the North more dangerous.

“If Seoul had nukes, the threats of North Korea would stay the same or get worse,” says Mr. Panda.

A better alternative, they say, is for the U.S. to improve its extended deterrence capabilities – something U.S. officials say is underway.

“Strong, reliable U.S.-extended deterrence would be a more effective deterrent than South Korea pursuing its own nuclear program,” says Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior analyst with the Open Nuclear Network, an Austria-based organization with the mission of reducing the risk of nuclear conflict.

Equally important, Washington must take steps to build greater trust in the U.S. commitment to safeguarding South Korea. “The South Korean people are the ones who are within range of North Korea’s tactical nuclear weapons and their means of delivery,” says Ms. Lee, a former North Korea analyst for the U.S. government. “South Koreans need stronger assurances from the U.S.”

Why South Korea is debating a nuclear weapons program

By Ann Scott Tyson The Christian Science Monitor7 min

January 31, 2023

View Original

President Yoon Suk-yeol warned earlier this month that South Korea might go nuclear if security keeps deteriorating on the Korean Peninsula. Although he later walked back the comments, Mr. Yoon’s willingness to raise the nuclear option publicly reflects its growing popularity among South Koreans, 71% of whom favor their country developing its own nuclear arsenal, according to a recent poll.

Such a move would be very costly, but some consider it necessary as North Korea ramps up its nuclear capabilities and other geopolitical shifts – such as Russia’s nuclear saber rattling – cast doubt on the United States’ guarantee to retaliate against an attack, as mandated by its nuclear umbrella treaty.

Why We Wrote This

Cooperation

Growing threats from North Korea have some in South Korea calling for a nuclear weapons program. Experts say what’s needed is a strengthening of trust and a commitment to cooperation under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

Nevertheless, Seoul and Washington have reiterated that they are working together to strengthen their deterrence strategy. The countries’ defense heads pledged Tuesday to hold a tabletop exercise in February on response options to the North Korean nuclear threat.

“Reliable U.S.-extended deterrence would be a more effective deterrent than South Korea pursuing its own nuclear program,” says Rachel Minyoung Lee, former North Korea analyst for the U.S. government. But at a time when anxieties are running high, she says Washington must take steps to build greater trust. “South Koreans need stronger assurances from the U.S.”

Political momentum is growing in South Korea for acquiring nuclear weapons – a fringe idea only a few years ago – amid frustration over North Korea’s aggressive ramping up of its nuclear arms and missile capabilities.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned earlier this month that his country might go nuclear if security keeps deteriorating on the Korean Peninsula. Although he later walked back the comments, Mr. Yoon’s willingness to raise the nuclear option publicly reflects its popularity among South Koreans, 71% of whom favor their country developing its own nuclear arsenal, according to a poll last year.

“The South Koreans are very concerned about deterring a whole range of North Korean activities,” says Ankit Panda, Stanton senior fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The perception is that the only way to deter … is having nuclear weapons of your own.”

Why We Wrote This

Cooperation

The debate over nuclear weapons reveals a deepening sense of insecurity in South Korea stemming not only from North Korean provocations but also from China’s increasing nuclear arsenal and Russia’s nuclear saber rattling. And, experts say, it has serious implications not only for South Korea and security in Northeast Asia, but also for the global nonproliferation regime.

“It’s a rare and remarkable moment any time a U.S. ally moots acquisition of nuclear weapons,” says Mr. Panda. “It sets off alarm bells in Washington.”

Nevertheless, both Seoul and Washington have reiterated that they are working together to solidify their alliance and strengthen their deterrence against North Korea – a priority of both the Yoon and Biden administrations.

On Tuesday in Seoul, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup held talks and pledged to bolster planning and expand joint exercises to deter North Korea. In February, the two sides will hold a tabletop exercise to facilitate “response options to deal with the DPRK [North Korean] nuclear threat,” they said in a joint statement.

“Right now we have the United States that provides us with a nuclear deterrent,” says retired Lt. Gen. In-Bum Chun, former commander of the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Command. “But we are more concerned than we used to be,” he says. “Korean people are looking for answers.”

New security environment

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this month directed his country to mass-produce nuclear weapons, while heralding a new law that allows Pyongyang to launch preemptive nuclear strikes. He also called for North Korea to develop a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, following the testing of more than 90 ballistic and cruise missiles last year. And experts say North Korea may be preparing for a seventh nuclear test – the first since 2017.

“Given all of the advancements that North Korea has made in their nuclear weapons program, and changes in the geopolitical environment, there’s been a lot more anxiety in South Korea about how they deal with a nuclear North Korea – and what the U.S. would actually do,” says Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of Stimson’s 38 North Program.

South Korea’s concern has grown along with Pyongyang’s ability to put the continental U.S. at risk. Despite the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops in their country, South Koreans have doubts about whether they can rely on what is known as the U.S. nuclear umbrella, or “extended deterrence,” whereby the U.S. is bound by a treaty to swiftly retaliate for any attack on South Korea.

“Even when the U.S.-ROK [Republic of Korea] alliance is strong, when North Korea intensifies its provocations,” questions arise about the “United States’ credibility of extending nuclear and conventional deterrence,” says Ji-Young Lee, associate professor of international relations at American University’s School of International Studies. “This is … a reflection of North Korea creating another layer of crisis.”

Moreover, South Koreans are drawing a troubling lesson from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Moscow’s use of nuclear threats to deter the U.S. and other countries from intervening directly.

South Korea is “watching how the U.S. has reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” says Ms. Town. “That really raises anxieties … like what happens if North Korea were to attack? Would the U.S. show a similar restraint?”

South Koreans warm to nuclear armament

South Korea’s weighing of the nuclear route gained the spotlight with the 2022 election of Mr. Yoon, a populist and conservative leader whose hard-line approach toward Pyongyang contrasts sharply with his predecessor Moon Jae-in’s focus on reconciliation.

Mr. Yoon has aligned South Korea’s overall foreign policy more closely with that of the U.S. and its Indo-Pacific strategy. He has emphasized strengthening deterrence through the trilateral partnership between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan, which in November condemned Pyongyang’s multiple missile launches and promised a joint response if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear test.

In this context, Mr. Yoon’s statements on the nuclear option are intended as more of a warning to Pyongyang, says Dr. Lee. But Mr. Yoon and other South Korean officials are reportedly interested in the U.S. deploying tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, three decades after Washington removed them in 1991. Washington has stated it does not support the idea.

Many South Koreans do, says Lieutenant General Chun. They think that “maybe a balance will be created on the Korean Peninsula, and North and South will both understand unification by force is out the window,” he explains.

A report on North Korea released this month by a U.S. think tank recommends Washington and Seoul should engage in preliminary planning for such a possible option.

“The allies should consider tabletop planning exercises for the possible redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea,” said the report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It stressed such planning should be “pre-decisional.” “The timeline and scope of weapons, such as low-yield nuclear SLCMs [submarine-launched cruise missiles] or gravity bombs, should be left deliberately ambiguous,” it said.

Need for trust

Even if discussions were to take place on the possible redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to South Korea, experts say South Korea is unlikely in the foreseeable future to develop its own nuclear weapons given the damage that would cause to the U.S.-South Korean alliance, the global nonproliferation regime, and South Korea’s economic interests, including its civilian nuclear industry. Such a move would make a crisis with the North more dangerous.

“If Seoul had nukes, the threats of North Korea would stay the same or get worse,” says Mr. Panda.

A better alternative, they say, is for the U.S. to improve its extended deterrence capabilities – something U.S. officials say is underway.

“Strong, reliable U.S.-extended deterrence would be a more effective deterrent than South Korea pursuing its own nuclear program,” says Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior analyst with the Open Nuclear Network, an Austria-based organization with the mission of reducing the risk of nuclear conflict.

Equally important, Washington must take steps to build greater trust in the U.S. commitment to safeguarding South Korea. “The South Korean people are the ones who are within range of North Korea’s tactical nuclear weapons and their means of delivery,” says Ms. Lee, a former North Korea analyst for the U.S. government. “South Koreans need stronger assurances from the U.S.”

11. DP vows to look into allegations of fortune teller's involvement in presidential office relocation

Oh no. Not a fortune teller.

(LEAD) DP vows to look into allegations of fortune teller's involvement in presidential office relocation | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김은정 · February 2, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with presidential office's response in last three paras)

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party said Thursday the party will uncover the truth of allegations that a fortune teller was involved in the presidential office relocation.

Rep. Park Hong-geun made the remarks at a party meeting held shortly after an online news outlet, Preported the fortune teller, known as Cheongong, was involved in the project, which was an election campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

After winning the presidential election last year, Yoon relocated the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan in central Seoul.

"The report shows fortune teller Cheongong was behind the relocation of the presidential office and the residence that increased national security risks, caused traffic inconvenience to Seoul citizens and wasted an astronomical amount of taxpayers' money," Park said.

According to OhmyNews report, Cheongong made visits to candidate sites of the presidential residence with an official of the presidential transitional committee and an unidentified pro-Yoon lawmaker in March last year.

The presidential security service flatly refuted the report over the fortune teller's involvement in the relocation process.

According to sources, the presidential office is considering suing Boo Seung-chan, the defense ministry's former spokesperson who first raised the allegation, and the online media outlet for spreading false information.

"We are looking into ways to hold (those) who repeatedly spread groundless allegations accountable even though Kim Yong-hyun, head of the presidential security service, said he has never met Cheongong," a presidential official told Yonhap News Agency by phone.

This file photo shows the presidential residence in central Seoul on Aug. 31, 2022. (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김은정 · February 2, 2023

12. Foreign Minister could meet with Japanese counterpart in Munich

Another step forward.

Foreign Minister could meet with Japanese counterpart in Munich

donga.com

Posted February. 02, 2023 07:39,

Updated February. 02, 2023 07:39

Foreign Minister could meet with Japanese counterpart in Munich. February. 02, 2023 07:39. by Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday that he might have an opportunity to meet with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi at the Munich Security Conference to be held on February 17 through 19. The South Korean government revealed its plan to hold a high-level meeting to bridge differences regarding compensation for the victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period. It is garnering attention if the South Korean and Japanese ministers will be able to close differences regarding the issue of the participation of Japanese war criminal companies who should be held accountable for compensating the victims of Japan’s forced labor in the fund raised by an organization under the South Korean government.

“We will try to find a reasonable solution through continuous discussions with Japan with integrity in mind,” Foreign Minister Park said to correspondents at Incheon International Airport on his way to the U.S. for a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State on Wednesday. “We have continued discussions with Japan based on integrity. We also listened to the opinions of the forced labor victims and related people,” he said. “We shared such information with Japan and asked for Japan’s meaningful response.”

Prior to Foreign Minister Park’s visit to Germany, a vice-minister-level meeting will be held between South Korea and Japan. South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong will meet separately with his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori during a multilateral meeting to discuss current issues, including the forced labor issue. It was reported that the two countries have had a series of director-level meetings and found common ground in Japan’s apology. However, there are still some differences in whether Japanese war criminal companies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Nippon Steel, will participate in fundraising. This issue will be escalated to foreign ministers and vice ministers, who will try to address some differences regarding key contentious points.

Regarding a potential summit meeting between the two countries in March, Park said there is nothing confirmed yet. It seemed that he was being prudent as the resolution of the forced labor issue took priority.

한국어

donga.com

13. U.S. extends olive branch after North's 'nuke-for-nuke' comment

US policy remains consistent. This Is not a new initiative and this is not "backing down" in the face of regime threats. We will have always have an open hand backed up with a closed fist.

The United States is not seeking confrontation with North Korea and is open to discussions with the reclusive state, according to an unnamed source from the White House National Security Council quoted by Reuters.

“We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region,” the source said, referring to the North by the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The statement was issued after the North said Thursday it will fight “nukes with nukes” in a hardline response to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s latest pledge to deploy more strategic assets to shore up the U.S. security commitment to South Korea during his visit to Seoul.

Thursday

February 2, 2023

dictionary + A - A

U.S. extends olive branch after North's 'nuke-for-nuke' comment

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/02/national/northKorea/Korea-joint-exercise-White-House/20230202181005348.html

F-35A fighters from the South Korean Air Force fly alongside F-22 and F-35B fighters from the U.S. Air Force in the skies above the Yellow Sea on Wednesday. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

The United States is not seeking confrontation with North Korea and is open to discussions with the reclusive state, according to an unnamed source from the White House National Security Council quoted by Reuters.

“We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region,” the source said, referring to the North by the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The statement was issued after the North said Thursday it will fight “nukes with nukes” in a hardline response to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s latest pledge to deploy more strategic assets to shore up the U.S. security commitment to South Korea during his visit to Seoul.

In an English-language statement carried by Pyongyang’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s foreign ministry claimed the United States is driving the security situation on the Korean Peninsula close to an “extreme red line” and stoking further tensions through larger joint military drills with South Korea.

“This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean Peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone,” the North’s foreign ministry said of Austin’s statement that Washington would deploy more advanced military assets to the South, including F-22 and F-35 jets, to deter the North’s evolving military threats.

The North’s foreign ministry also said Pyongyang will “take the toughest reaction” to any military action by the United States and warned its future responses would follow the principle of “nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation,” according to the KCNA.

“If the United States continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature,” the statement said.

The North Korean foreign ministry also said the regime is not interested in talks with the United States as long as Washington pursues a “hostile policy and confrontational line” toward Pyongyang.

In the statement, the foreign ministry suggested it would not respond to every exercise by South Korea and the United States.

“We do not react to every ill-boding movement shown by the U.S. under the signboard of ‘offer of extended deterrence’ and ‘strengthened alliance,’ but this is by no means that we ignore or take no note,” the statement said.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, said this caveat reflects limitations in Pyongyang’s ability to react each time the allies conduct a joint military exercise.

“In recent years, North Korea has not been able to respond proportionally to actions by South Korea and the United States to bolster extended deterrence,” he said.

Park also cautioned the statement does not imply Pyongyang would slow down in its pursuit of more powerful weapons.

“The statement suggests that the North will focus on staging armed provocations according to their own weapons development plans, disregarding movements by South Korea and the United States.”

Hours earlier, South Korea and the United States staged joint air drills involving a B-1B strategic bomber and F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters from the U.S. Air Force, which Seoul’s defense ministry called a show “will and capabilities” against North Korean military threats.

The allies also plan to hold discussion-based table-top exercises this month to augment contingency plans involving U.S. extended deterrence capabilities, which include the potential use of nuclear weapons to defend South Korea.

Pyongyang launched 70 ballistic missiles last year — a record for a single year — amid persistent speculation it may conduct a nuclear test in the near future.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for an “exponential” increase in its nuclear arsenal and the need to mass-produce tactical nuclear weapons at a key party meeting held late last year.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

14. [EXCLUSIVE] South may place sanctions on North hacking groups

This does not require much debate, only the NIKE solution: "just do it."

Thursday

February 2, 2023

dictionary + A - A

[EXCLUSIVE] South may place sanctions on North hacking groups

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/02/national/northKorea/korea-north-korea-hacking/20230202050208943.html

In this June 16, 2017, file photo, North Korean men and women use computer terminals at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang, [AP/YONHAP]

South Korea may sanction the North over illicit cyber activities, according to several government sources.

The Lazarus Group and Kimsuky, which intelligence officials and cybersecurity professionals say are major North Korean hacking groups, are on a list of groups being considered by the South Korean government as possible targets, the JoongAng Ilbo reported exclusively today.

“South Korea and the U.S. have already prepared cards to be used step by step according to North Korea's predictable provocation scenario, and one of them is the South Korean government's direct sanctions against Lazarus,” a source told the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday.

If levied, these would be the first sanctions independently placed by South Korea on the North’s illicit cyber activities.

It placed sanctions on the North with the United States and Japan last December, focusing on individuals and entities tied with the North’s weapons programs.

Japan at the time placed sanctions on the Lazarus Group, which has also been sanctioned by the United States since 2019.

The group is said by intelligence officials and cybersecurity experts to be the North Korean group that tried to launder $63 million of cryptocurrency that it stole last year.

Kimsuky is the Pyongyang-backed organization said to be behind a cyberattack on Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, South Korea’s nuclear power operator, in 2014, and the hacking of some 7,000 files including patient records at the Seoul National University Hospital in 2021.

Sanctions on these hacking groups may target individuals working under forged identities at international IT companies and possibly engaged in business with Korea, or cryptocurrency companies with ties to the hacking groups.

The South Korean government has been expanding its investigations into the North’s illicit cyber activities in recent months. The National Intelligence Service opened investigations related to cyber security last November. The Foreign Ministry established a working group with the United States last August for analyzing and countering the cyber threats from the North.

The United States and the European Union have been expanding the sanctions list of North Korean entities or groups tied with its illegal cyber activities in recent years. The Department of Justice in February 2021 indicted three North Korean hackers known as Park Jin-hyok, Jon Chang-hyok and Kim Il.

All three were members of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a military intelligence agency of the North Korea, which engaged in criminal hacking, according to the Department of Justice.

“These North Korean military hacking units are known by multiple names in the cybersecurity community, including Lazarus Group and Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38),” according department’s statement announcing the indictment on Feb. 17, 2021.

The sanctions by Seoul on Pyongyang’s hacking groups are expected to send a strong message to the North, said Moon Jong-hyeon, chief of East Security.

“If the government directly sanctions North Korean hacking groups such as Lazarus and Kimsuky, it will be a clear warning to the North that South Korea is looking into all of North Korea's illegal cyber activities,” Moon told the JoongAng Ilbo. “However, in order to have practicality beyond symbolic measures, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan should track down and uncover North Korea's major hackers who regularly pose cyber security threats to South Korea, and target the Reconnaissance General Bureau behind them.”

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

15. 4 South Korean activists arrested for alleged anti-gov't activities upon North Korean orders

The work of the north Korean United Front Department and theCultural Exchange Bureau.

A key line of effort of the regime's political warfare strategy is subversion of the government and society in the South.

Wednesday

February 1, 2023

dictionary + A - A

4 South Korean activists arrested for alleged anti-gov't activities upon North Korean orders

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/01/national/northKorea/north-korea-activists-changwon/20230201102514219.html

A Korean activist, center, enters the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday to attend a court hearing over his potential arrest. [NEWS1]

Four South Korean activists were arrested Wednesday on charges of conducting anti-government activities after taking orders from North Korea.

The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request to detain the four, saying they are a flight risk and could destroy evidence.

The four allegedly established an anti-government organization based in the southeastern city of Changwon in 2016 after receiving orders from North Korean agents in a number of Southeast Asian countries, such as Cambodia.

The activists have since organized anti-U.S. protests and activities in support of North Korea, prosecutors said.

Yonhap

16. [INTERVIEW] 'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'

Good words from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Park Jin.

Excerpts:

"We need to discuss with the U.S. the execution of extended deterrence in the event of an emergency in more detail," he said.

"In that respect, it is an urgent task for South Korea and the U.S. to develop a mechanism on how the U.S. extended deterrence will be implemented in close coordination with us."

...

"I think that the survey result reflects the public's concerns over North Korea's growing threats. However, South Korea is a bona fide member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and observing it is our duty," Park said.

"In addition, given that we have been seeking the denuclearization of North Korea, the best practical option to deter North Korea's threat and ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula is to seek enhanced U.S. nuclear umbrella assurances against North Korea."

...

"In this regard, we need to strengthen our alliance with the U.S. and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, while delivering a firm and unified message from the international community."

[INTERVIEW] 'Extended deterrence is best option to ensure peace on Korean Peninsula'

The Korea Times · by 2023-02-02 17:28 | Foreign Affairs · February 2, 2023

Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Seoul's foreign minister seeks effective solutions on NK, IRA issues at meeting with Blinken

By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea is seeking stronger assurances from the United States that it will provide "effective" extended deterrence, which Seoul's foreign minister believes is the "best practical option" for deterring North Korea's evolving threats and ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"It is important to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence in defending South Korea against North Korea's escalating nuclear threats to ease public concerns over the North's hostility," Foreign Minister Park Jin said in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday, one day ahead of his departure for the U.S., where he plans to hold a meeting with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, Friday (local time).

"To this end, it is necessary to establish a mechanism for a more tangible U.S. extended nuclear deterrence and I intend to discuss the issue with State Secretary Blinken."

Extended deterrence refers to the commitment to use a full range of capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to deter attacks on allies. The U.S. has provided extended deterrence, also known as the nuclear umbrella, to South Korea since 1991. That is the year when the U.S. removed all of its nuclear assets from the Korean Peninsula.

However, the modernization of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs has prompted many South Koreans to question Washington's extended deterrence commitments to Seoul. Such mounting skepticism has also raised calls for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.

Park, also a four-term lawmaker, said it has been a basic premise that the U.S. offers the nuclear umbrella as a means of extended deterrence and it is now necessary to discuss with the U.S. how to ensure the activation of that extended deterrence.

[Q/A] ROK-US alliance evolves into global strategic partnership

"We need to discuss with the U.S. the execution of extended deterrence in the event of an emergency in more detail," he said.

"In that respect, it is an urgent task for South Korea and the U.S. to develop a mechanism on how the U.S. extended deterrence will be implemented in close coordination with us."

His remarks came amid increasing public opinion in favor of arming South Korea with its own nuclear weapons to counter growing security threats from North Korea.

A survey by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies showed 60.7 percent of South Koreans believing their country is somewhat in need of developing its own nuclear weapons, while 15.9 percent said it is very much in need.

"I think that the survey result reflects the public's concerns over North Korea's growing threats. However, South Korea is a bona fide member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and observing it is our duty," Park said.

"In addition, given that we have been seeking the denuclearization of North Korea, the best practical option to deter North Korea's threat and ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula is to seek enhanced U.S. nuclear umbrella assurances against North Korea."

North Korea is believed to have fully prepared for a seventh nuclear test, raising speculation that denuclearizing the North is an unfeasible scenario.

"I think it is not likely for North Korea to renounce its nuclear weapons voluntarily, so it is important to create an environment that will compel the North to give up its nuclear ambitions," Park said, adding that the right environment would deter the North's nuclear threats, dissuade its nuclear development and seek dialogue and diplomacy with the North.

"In this regard, we need to strengthen our alliance with the U.S. and trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, while delivering a firm and unified message from the international community."

In a related move, the 66-year-old foreign minister held a separate meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and ambassadors of U.N. Security Council member nations in New York, Wednesday (local time).

"We need to enhance diplomacy with the U.N. as part of efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and other security matters relating to the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific," Park said.

Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their talks in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 5, 2022. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

During his meeting with Blinken, Park also plans to discuss summit diplomacy between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden and other pending issues, such as the U.S. extended deterrence, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and supply chain disruptions. Yoon and Biden held a summit last May, only 10 days after the South Korean president took office.

Some clauses in the IRA exclude electric vehicles built outside North America from tax credits, with South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia likely to fall victim to the act.

Plus, during his four-day visit to the U.S., the minister is scheduled to meet with top officials at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to discuss bilateral space cooperation.

"The South Korea-U.S. alliance has been expanding to the space area, so I will meet NASA officials to discuss mutual space cooperation," Park said, adding that the two countries are in talks over holding a forum on space.

The Korea Times · by 2023-02-02 17:28 | Foreign Affairs · February 2, 2023

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

V/R

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow

Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Phone: 202-573-8647

Personal Email: d avid.maxwell161@gmail.com

Web Site: www.fdd.org

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Subscribe to FDD’s new podcast, Foreign Podicy

FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

Company Name | Website