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Quotes of the Day:
“Understand: your mind is weaker than your emotions. But you become aware of this weakness only in moments of adversity--precisely the time when
you need strength. What best equips you to cope with the heat of battle is neither more knowledge nor more
intellect. What makes your mind stronger, and more
able to control your emotions, is internal discipline
and toughness.No one can teach you this skill;
you cannot learn it by reading about it. Like any discipline,
it can come only through practice, experience, even a little suffering.”
- Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War
Extremism in defense of liberty is not a vice, but I denounce political extremism, of the left or the right, based on duplicity, falsehood, fear, violence and threats when they endanger liberty."
- George W. Romney
"I do believe that political arrangements which are based upon violence, intimidation and theft will eventually break down - and will deserve to do so"
- Margaret Thatcher
1. N. Korean nuclear, missile programs not helpful to China: state dept.
2. John Batchelor interview on Korea
3. Korea Must Raise Its Birthrate or Perish
4. Okinawa-based Marines carry out ‘warrior’ training near Korean Demilitarized Zone
5. North Korea paper calls outside aid 'poisoned candy', urges self-reliance
6. N. Korea to hold key party meeting amid severe food shortages
7. Ukraine ambassador asks for Korea's continued support
8. Capture of US spy ship symbolizes US-N. Korea tensions
9. Back-to-back patriotic February holidays prove exhausting ordeal for North Koreans
10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Poverty-stricken people gather in front of government and party headquarters in Yanggang Province to demand food
11. Trump Defends Kim Jong-un, Says Communist Despot 'Feels Threatened' by U.S. Military Exercises with South Korea
12. Exclusive: North Korea a 'clear and present danger,' says South Korean Foreign Minister
13. The Koreas' DMZ: Once a bloodshed scene, now a wildlife sanctuary
14. Trump says US drills 'provoked' North Korean missile launch
1. N. Korean nuclear, missile programs not helpful to China: state dept.
But the PRC is more concerned with preventing war or instability and regime collapse while keeping the north afloat so that it can continue to create dilemmas for the ROK/US alliance. It has little to no incentive to support denuclearization or end the north's missile program
N. Korean nuclear, missile programs not helpful to China: state dept. | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · February 23, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's continued missile provocations and its nuclear development program are not helpful to any country, including China, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, two days after China blocked U.S.-led efforts to condemn Pyongyang's latest ballistic missile tests.
The department spokesperson, Ned Price, also reiterated that all United Nations member countries have the obligation to fully implement U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on North Korea.
"The DPRK's ballistic missile program, its nuclear program is not only a threat to the United States and our people. It's not only a threat to our treaty allies, Japan and the ROK in this case, but it is a threat to peace and security across the region," Price said during a daily press briefing.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name, ROK stands for South Korea's formal name, the Republic of Korea.
"And that is not something that the PRC likes to see. It is not something that the PRC should seek to encourage," he added, referring to China by its formal name, the People's Republic of China.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price is seen answering a question during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on Feb. 22, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)
The U.S. sought to have a UNSC presidential statement issued at a Security Council meeting held on Monday, condemning North Korea's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday (Korea time), followed by two short-range ballistic missile launches two days later.
The first UNSC meeting to be held on North Korea this year ended without any outcome due to opposition from China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Security Council and friendly neighbors of North Korea.
Beijing and Moscow blocked 10 UNSC meetings held on North Korea in 2022 despite Pyongyang staging an unprecedented 69 ballistic missile tests, marking a new record of ballistic missiles fired in a single year. The North's previous record was at 25.
"There are other countries who are not acting responsibly. Of course, the DPRK would be at the top of that list ... but we've made no secret of the fact that permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, all member states of course, but especially permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have a special obligation to fully implement the resolutions that have emanated from the U.N. Security Council itself," Price told the press briefing.
"These are countries that have themselves raised their hands, voted for each resolution that has passed from the Security Council chamber, and therefore (it is) incumbent on these countries to uphold these resolutions and in turn to hold the DPRK accountable for its flagrant violations of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," he added.
The state department spokesperson also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan, while calling on North Korea to engage in serious dialogue.
"We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK, and we call on the DPRK, as we consistently have, to engage in constructive dialogue," said Price.
"Our commitment, at the same time, to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan, that remains ironclad."
Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesperson said the U.S. and South Korea held a tabletop exercise (TTX) designed to enhance their joint defense against North Korean nuclear threat in Washington earlier in the day.
"The United States and the Republic of Korea conducted the eighth U.S.-ROK Deterrence Strategy Tabletop Exercise today," Sabrina Singh, principal deputy spokesperson for the defense department, told a press briefing, adding more details will be available later in the day.
Youtube
https://youtu.be/OS9IfKUq0rw
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · February 23, 2023
2. John Batchelor interview on Korea
My latest interview on the John Batchelor show.
Part 1
#ROK: #DPRK: The North Koreans can test a nuclear weapon at any time. David Maxwell, FDD.
https://audioboom.com/posts/8251329-rok-dprk-the-north-koreans-can-test-a-nuclear-weapon-at-any-time-david-maxwell-fdd
Part 2
#ROK; #DPRK: The South Korean debate to go nuclear. David Maxwell, FDD.
https://audioboom.com/posts/8251330-rok-dprk-the-south-korean-debate-to-go-nuclear-david-maxwell-fdd?playlist_direction=forward
3. Korea Must Raise Its Birthrate or Perish
Is the low birthrate an existential threat to Korea? Will a free and unified Korea reverse this?
Korea Must Raise Its Birthrate or Perish
english.chosun.com
February 23, 2023 13:08
Korea's total birthrate has plunged to 0.78 child per woman, down from 0.8 in 2021 and the lowest birthrate in the world. Korea is the only member of the OECD with a birthrate of less than one child per woman compared to the OECD average of 1.59 in 2020. Even more worrying is that the rate of decline is speeding up.
But the government is at a total loss what to do about it. A presidential committee tackling the low birthrate was launched in 2005, but none of its policies have had any effect. Last year, only 249,000 babies were born in Korea, half as many as two decades ago. Elementary schools are closing across the country, colleges outside of the capital are facing bankruptcy and pediatric clinics are shutting down.
That is bad news for the economy since declining numbers of workers leads to a drop in tax revenues, while welfare expenses for the elderly shoot up. In other words, the country slowly goes bankrupt. A shortage of jobs for young people, ridiculously high home prices and exorbitant tuition fees all played a part in dissuading young Koreans from having children.
At this rate, the government's hopes for pension and education reform will be impossible to realize. The reform plans are based on the assumption that Korea maintains a birthrate of 1.21 children from 2046 to 2070. Japan went all out to boost its birthrate, which fell to 1.26 children in 2005, and managed to raise it to 1.45 in 2015 and around 1.3 even during the coronavirus pandemic.
Korea must do the same. The government must drastically overhaul employment, housing, childcare, education and immigration policies to ensure they encourage raising children. At the current rate, the country's future is dire.
Read this article in Korean
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
4. Okinawa-based Marines carry out ‘warrior’ training near Korean Demilitarized Zone
Excerpt:
The exercise, known as Bushido Strike 2023, began Jan. 28 and included cold-weather training, combat lifesaver courses and pistol and rifle marksmanship, battalion spokesman 2nd Lt. Samuel Barge told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
They might consider calling the exercise Hwarang-do Strike rather than Bushido Strike for cultural considerations.
"The Hwarang-do (花郎徒) system eventually spread to Japan and was probably influential in the development of the Japanese Samurai system and Bushido (Korean Musado), the moral outlook followed by both the Hwarang and Samurai" https://hwarangdo.com/hrd-history/hwa-rang-do-history/historical-development-and-influence-begins/
Okinawa-based Marines carry out ‘warrior’ training near Korean Demilitarized Zone
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · February 22, 2023
Marines apply a tourniquet to a mock casualty during the Bushido Strike exercise at Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
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PAJU, South Korea — U.S. Marines from Japan capped a month of training here Tuesday by fighting off a simulated ambush while they pulled their light tactical vehicles from a cold, muddy field near the border with North Korea.
Roughly 80 Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force Support Battalion, III MEF Information Group, out of Camp Hansen on Okinawa, were wrapping up a combat readiness exercise at the Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, roughly three miles from the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.
The exercise, known as Bushido Strike 2023, began Jan. 28 and included cold-weather training, combat lifesaver courses and pistol and rifle marksmanship, battalion spokesman 2nd Lt. Samuel Barge told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.
Bushido, the battalion’s call sign, in Japanese means “the way of the warrior,” or the code of samurai life.
Marines prepare to evacuate a mock casualty during the Bushido Strike exercise at Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Marines evacuate a mock casualty during the Bushido Strike exercise at Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
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This warrior training is particularly valuable for these Marines, Barge said. Their primary roles in the III MEF include maintaining vehicles and weapons and providing communications and administrative support.
“We came out to South Korea to practice those basic infantry skills … so that we can support the MEF," Barge said.
To simulate a battle during a convoy operation, two-man teams mimicking enemy combatants were dispersed on both sides of a muddy road. Hidden in tall weeds, these camouflaged “red cells” equipped with M249 light machine guns and M4 rifles ambushed the joint light tactical vehicles as they passed.
Maj. Kevin Jones, the exercise’s site commander, said the Marines chose South Korea as the training ground because “logistically, it makes sense.”
Training on Okinawa is difficult because of its smaller terrain, Jones said. Additionally, some of the Marines and vehicles that were shipped for Bushido Strike will be used again sometime in March for Freedom Shield, a large-scale drill by U.S. and South Korean troops.
Marines simulate a battle during a convoy operation at Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (David Choi/Stars and Stripes)
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Marines simulate a battle during a convoy operation at Dagmar North Training Area in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)
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Bushido Strike and Freedom Shield are being held as the allies’ stance toward North Korea remains tense. The communist regime fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday and an intercontinental ballistic missile on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The U.S. and South Korean air forces responded to the ICBM launch with a demonstration of air power on Sunday. U.S. B1-B Lancer bombers and F-16 Fighting Falcons joined South Korean F-35A and F-15K fighters to rehearse a “short-notice recall” mission, according to U.S. Forces Korea on Twitter.
South Korea’s display of military power has become routine amid the North’s missile launches. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has promised to reinforce Seoul’s alliance with the U.S. in the wake of Pyongyang’s record number of launches last year and agreed to upscale joint military drills with Washington.
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · February 22, 2023
5. North Korea paper calls outside aid 'poisoned candy', urges self-reliance
Sigh... I tire of hearing how the regime wants food aid or pundits who say if we provide food aid Kim will come to the negotiating table. They pay no attention to either the regime's words or actions. Kim has no concern with the Korean people in the north except for keeping his iron thumb on them to prevent collective action and resistance to the regime.
North Korea paper calls outside aid 'poisoned candy', urges self-reliance
Reuters · by Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL, Feb 22 (Reuters) - North Korea's official newspaper said on Wednesday that relying on external aid to cope with food shortages would be equal to taking "poisoned candy", urging economic self-reliance despite deepening hardships amid sanctions and coronavirus lockdowns.
The isolated country has suffered food shortages in recent years, reeling from floods and typhoons, international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programmes, and a sharp cut in trade with China due to border closures and COVID-19 lockdowns.
Most U.N. agencies and Western relief groups have since left North Korea, with China remaining one of the few sources of external food assistance.
In a commentary, the ruling Workers' Party paper Rodong Sinmun warned against receiving economic help from "imperialists" who use aid as a "trap to plunder and subjugate" recipient countries and interfere with their internal politics.
"It is a mistake to try to boost the economy by accepting and eating this poisoned candy," the commentary said.
The article came as South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday that some 700 inmates at three countryside prisons, including in the central city of Kaechon, have died from famine and diseases over the past two years, citing an unnamed source.
Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korea affairs, declined to comment on the report, but said on Tuesday that there appeared to have been a recent increase in deaths from starvation in some North Korean provinces.
"Food production dropped from last year, and there is a possibility of distribution issues due to a change in their food supply and distribution policy," a ministry official told reporters.
South Korea's rural development agency in December estimated the North's crop production at around 4.5 million tonnes last year, 3.8% down from 2021, citing heavy summer rains and other weather conditions.
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se has said Pyongyang had asked the U.N. food agency, the World Food Programme, to provide support but there was no progress because of differences over monitoring issues. The agency has not responded to a request for comment.
Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Hyonhee Shin
6. N. Korea to hold key party meeting amid severe food shortages
Any problem can be made insoluble if enough meetings are held to discuss it. The regime will not and cannot solve this crisis siply due to its own ideology, the inability to reform, and the sole focus of the regime: to keep KJU in power.
N. Korea to hold key party meeting amid severe food shortages
The Korea Times · February 23, 2023
This image, captured from footage aired by North Korea's Korean Central Television on Feb. 6, shows the North holding a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea the previous day. Yonhap
North Korea is expected to hold a key party meeting later this month to solely discuss agricultural issues amid keen attention to whether it will unveil any practical measures to address its serious food shortages.
The secretive country earlier announced its plan to hold a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in late February to discuss "immediate farming issues and long-term goals for the agricultural development." It stopped short of specifying the date.
The North's state media said it is "very important and urgent" to establish the "correct strategy" for development and agriculture, and to take relevant measures.
Observers said the North's rare move to convene such a key party meeting for the second time in about two months points to the urgency to deal with the country's food crisis.
North Korea has reportedly faced chronic food shortages, but its food crisis has further deepened recently due to border lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to observers.
South Korea's unification ministry said the North's food crisis appears to be worsening, with more deaths from starvation being reported in "some regions."
Asked if starvation-related deaths are being witnessed in big cities, such as the border town of Kaesong, a ministry official did not elaborate, saying that North Koreans are dying of starvation in some regions and such deaths have occurred "recently."
North Korea underwent a massive famine and related deaths during the period of the Arduous March in the 1990s. The ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said the current food situation does not appear to be similar to what it was during the Arduous March, but it seems to be "grave."
"A fall in crop production and food distribution problems are apparently attributable to the North's food shortages," the ministry official said.
North Korea's crop production is estimated to have reached 4.51 million tons last year, down 3.8 percent from a year earlier, according to a report by the South's Rural Development Administration.
The North's crackdown on grain transactions at marketplaces also appears to have disrupted food distribution, the ministry said.
The North adopted a new policy in October last year to tighten state control on the distribution of rice and other grains. But the move is believed to have disrupted food supplies, as farmers and merchants refrain from selling rice to state-designated facilities due to fears of losses, observers said. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · February 23, 2023
7. Ukraine ambassador asks for Korea's continued support
Thursday
February 23, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Ukraine ambassador asks for Korea's continued support
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/23/national/diplomacy/Korea-Ukraine-Russias-invasion-on-Ukraine/20230223160853057.html
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, meets with Ukrainian Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko at the Foreign Ministry in central Seoul Thursday, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. [YONHAP]
Ukraine's ambassador to Korea asked for continued support for his country following Russia's invasion one year ago.
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko held talks Thursday ahead of a ceremony attended by the Ukrainian community in Korea at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in central Seoul to mark the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, which falls on Friday.
Ponomarenko asked for Korea as a "global pivotal state" to join in the international community's efforts to end the war and bring permanent peace to his country, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Park in turn expressed his "deepest respect for the courage and sacrifices of the Ukrainian people overcoming the hardships of the war," adding that he hoped that the "current situation will be resolved as soon as possible."
The minister further relayed his "sincere sympathy to the Ukrainian community in Korea who are suffering from the war situation in their homeland."
Ponomarenko in turn stressed that Ukraine will not stop until it halts Russian aggression and restores its sovereignty.
The Ukrainian ambassador added that he sincerely hopes that this year will be a "decisive and victorious year for my country and peace-loving nations around the world," according to the ministry.
He said that he expects Korea will join global efforts to bring lasting and just peace to Ukraine, ensure the safety of the international community and restore respect for the UN Charter and a rules-based international order.
"Koreans know very well through its history what it means to fight for their country and freedom," Ponomarenko said.
Park assured that Korea is supporting Ukraine in various ways to end the war and restore peace as soon as possible.
He noted that the British daily Telegraph assessed that Korea was the only Asian country in the top two tiers of the paper's four-tier ranking of assistance to war-stricken Ukraine.
In an article by the Telegraph on Tuesday, 57 countries were scored on their comprehensive support for Ukraine, with Korea ranking 27th, falling within the second highest tier, trailed by Japan in 30th place.
Ponomarenko relayed his gratitude to the Korean government and people for their solidarity and support for Ukraine, and said he hoped to continue to discuss detailed cooperation measures for aid and reconstruction of Ukraine in the future.
Olena Shchegel, a professor of Ukrainian language at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) who has been involved in activities to support her country, and Ukrainian students studying in Korea, also took part in the event.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Korean government immediately joined the international community in strongly condemning the armed attack and offering humanitarian assistance to Kyiv.
The Korean government pledged some $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
"Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine," said Lim Soo-suk, spokesman of Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a briefing Thursday afternoon. "As a global pivotal country, the Korean government will actively participate in the international community's efforts to contribute to the cessation of the war and the restoration of peace in Ukraine and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine as much as possible."
He added that Korea participated as a co-sponsor on a UN resolution on peace and security in Ukraine.
Last Friday, Park met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a dinner meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany and explained the Korean government's efforts including humanitarian aid and support for energy infrastructure restoration to speed along the recovery of daily life in Ukraine.
Kuleba in turn expressed his gratitude.
Park was also set to hold a phone call with Kim Hyung-tae, Korean ambassador to Ukraine, later Thursday to encourage diplomatic staff carrying out activities to protect Koreans residing in the country and to ask them to make every effort to continue ensuring the safety of overseas nationals.
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, center, takes a commemorative photo with Ukrainian Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko and Ukrainians residing in Korea at the Foreign Ministry in central Seoul Thursday, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. [YONHAP]
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
8. Capture of US spy ship symbolizes US-N. Korea tensions
Never forget this crime and the suffering our sailors endured.
[History Through The Korea Herald] Capture of US spy ship symbolizes US-N. Korea tensions
koreaherald.com · by Yoon Min-sik · February 21, 2023
Deep in the heart of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, moored along the Pothong River Canal, is a US Navy ship that is featured as an exhibition of the "Victorious War Museum."
The ill-fated vessel is USS Pueblo, the only active ship on the commissioned roster of the American Navy now held captive by another country.
On Jan. 23, 1968, the world’s most powerful military was dealt an unexpected blow by the hands of a tiny communist state, when Pyongyang attacked the US Navy intelligence-gathering ship and captured it along with a crew of over 80.
To this day, North Korea boasts about the 1968 attack and holds the ship up as its shining trophy.
To the US, the “Pueblo Incident” remains a bitter memory, something it wants to find closure to.
Last month, the US House of Representatives introduced a resolution that called on North Korea to return the hull, marking 55 years since USS Pueblo and its crew were seized. The incident resulted in the death of one crew member. The 82 other survivors were kept in North Korea for 11 months before being returned home.
Crew of the USS Pueblo are released by North Korea after 11 months of captivity in this Dec. 23, 1968 file photo. (National Archives of Korea)
Daring attack on US
The incident is detailed in The Korea Herald’s top story of Jan. 24, 1968, “Armed N. Koreans capture US navy vessel with 83 crew aboard in East Sea,” which shows that six officers, 75 sailors and two civilians were taken to the port city of Wonsan, Kangwon Province, in the North Korean side of Gangwon Province.
The paper also shows that South Korea will hold Cabinet members Yi Ho and Kim Sung-eun responsible for the North’s failed assassination attempt on then-President Park Chung-hee. Just two days earlier, on Jan. 21, 1968, 33 armed North Korean infiltrators had been stopped just 300 meters from the presidential office, an indication of the hostile mood on the Korean Peninsula.
Stunned by the capture, the US dispatched the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier to the East Sea, declaring the North’s action an “act of war,” the Jan. 24 edition shows. But no major breakthrough came, as a subsequent related article in The Korea Herald five days later -- “Gov’t, US, reject proposal for swap of N. Koreans in ROK (South Korea) for hijacked ship” -- shows that Pyongyang attempted to use Pueblo as leverage in negotiations with Seoul and Washington.
This Jan. 24, 1968 edition of The Korea Herald carries the story of how the USS Pueblo and its 83 crew were seized by North Korea the day before. (The Korea Herald)
The top story for this Jan. 30, 1968 issue of The Korea Herald says that South Korea and the US governments refused Pyongyang's proposal, which was to exchange the USS Pueblo and its crew for the North Korean agents who had been captured in the South. (The Korea Herald)
North Korea and the US remain at loggerheads over who is to blame for the incident. The North to this day claims the USS Pueblo deliberately entered its territorial waters for espionage. But the US still says the vessel had been in international waters and any evidence or confessions of spy missions by the sailors had been fabricated.
The US eventually agreed to sign an apology and admission of intruding in the North’s territorial waters and conducting espionage activities, along with reassurance that it would not happen again. But the aforementioned resolution by the US Congress and Washington’s official position of denying any wrongdoings by the Pueblo shows that this was only done to acquire the freedom of the crew.
A declassified document by the US National Security Agency showed the US military had mulled various military actions, including an airstrike and raid across the Demilitarized Zone. But then-US President Lyndon B. Johnson ultimately rejected direct military engagement, and opted for the show of force with the American fleet moving to South Korea.
Another memo by the NSA, released in 2004, showed that the US had feared bringing China and the Soviet Union more directly into the situation, risking escalation of the crisis and hostility on the Korean Peninsula at the height of the Cold War. The US was still knee-deep in the Vietnam War at the time, and not even a decade had passed since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
The Pueblo crew remained in North Korea for 11 months until they were released on Dec. 23, 1968, and the testimonies indicate that the 336 days had been cruel on the prisoners. Stu Russell, one of the captured sailors, said in a recent CNN interview that he “could just feel” the total and complete hatred toward the Americans from the North Koreans.
Tom Massi, another crew member, told the Washington Post they were “beaten every day, humiliated, starved, just about anything you could think of” during the 11 months of imprisonment.
In 2021, a federal district court in Washington awarded $2.3 billion in damages to the Pueblo’s crew and family members in a suit against North Korea.
Aftermath
In addition to the inhumane treatment of the prisoners, a US National Security Agency report released in 2012, “The Capture of the USS Pueblo and Its Effect on SIGINT Operations,” shows that the ship’s loss resulted in a compromise of classified materials aboard the ship, along with a “rare view of the complex technology behind US cryptographic systems.”
After the Pueblo incident, the US conducted a cryptographic damage assessment that was declassified in 2006. It concluded that despite the crew’s efforts to destroy sensitive materials, they were unable to sufficiently dispose of them due to most of the crew not being familiar with cryptographic equipment.
Crew of the USS Pueblo are released by North Korea after 11 months of captivity in this Dec. 23, 1968 file photo. (National Archives of Korea)
The cryptographic technicians onboard were subject to intense interrogation by the North, although the damage report concluded that the North Koreans would have eventually understood everything without their information.
In addition, the incident handed a material for propaganda for the belligerent North Koreans, who seem determined to ensure that no one would forget the moment of its scarce victory against the Americans. Last month, Rodong Sinmun published by the North’s Workers’ Party of Korea celebrated the 55th anniversary of the USS Pueblo’s abduction, bumptiously stating that North Korea will “obliterate the territory of its enemies upon invaders.”
As the 1950-53 Korean War never officially concluded with a peace treaty, the US and North Korea remain at odds.
On Monday, the US called on the UN Security Council to act against North Korea’s recent missile provocations. The attempt yielded no result due to the opposition of two veto-wielding members, China and Russia.
Between the North’s nuclear programs, ballistic missiles, exchange of tough words and intermittent efforts on the part of Seoul and Washington to bring the communist state to the negotiation table to relieve tensions on the peninsula, relations between the US and North Korea have had their ups and downs.
But rarely has it gone as far south as that fateful night on Jan. 23, 1968, and the rusting prisoner docked in the North Korean capital is a testament to the tumultuous and complicated relationship between Washington and Pyongyang.
By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Yoon Min-sik · February 21, 2023
9. Back-to-back patriotic February holidays prove exhausting ordeal for North Koreans
How do these parades contribute to the "public good?"
Back-to-back patriotic February holidays prove exhausting ordeal for North Koreans
“They wish the holidays would just disappear.”
By Myung Chul Lee for RFA Korean
2023.02.22
rfa.org
North Koreans have come to dread February because of back-to-back patriotic holidays that require them to attend a seemingly endless stream of propaganda lectures, political events and commemorative performances in the days leading up to them, sources in the country tell Radio Free Asia.
Feb. 8 is the anniversary of the formation of the Korean People’s Army, which this year ended with a huge military parade in Pyongyang.
As soon as that’s over, preparations begin for the next holiday eight days later, the “Day of the Shining Star” – the Feb. 16 birthday of Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un.
Outwardly, propaganda images show the faces of determined, happy people expressing their devotion to their leaders at these events, but privately many people complain bitterly about the grueling meetings and see it as a huge waste of time.
“They wish instead that the holidays would disappear,” a resident in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service.
“Residents have had exhausting, hectic schedules since the end of last month with all these events, meetings and military support projects related to Army Founding Day to the extent that they cannot sleep well at night,” he said.
Then leading up to the Feb. 16 holiday, all schools, companies and public organizations are forced to practice for hours for a “Songs of Loyalty” competition.
On Kim Jong Il’s birthday itself, workers and government officials are required to attend numerous events that stretch late into the night, including an hour-long “commemorative large-scale briefing session,” a separate commemorative lecture and artistic performances by personnel from each organization, according to the source
“I don’t think they will be able to go home until very late at night,” the source said. “The workers say that they do not know why the authorities are forcibly organizing such meaningless events and shows that no one is interested in.
Growing resentment
In nearby Ryanggang province, workers had to attend all the customary gatherings and performances, and even field teams for sports events.
“These workers are so tired of all these political meetings and commemorative events. They have not been able to take a full day off because of these two consecutive holidays this month,” a Ryanggang resident told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
Pyongyang citizens watch a performance by an art squad on the occasion of the 81st birth anniversary of Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, Feb. 16, 2023. Credit: AP
As people have grown more resentful of being forced to celebrate, the officials in charge of them became uncomfortable because there was nothing they could say to end the constant complaints, according to the second source.
“Each company must be seen preparing effectively or else the companies could face disadvantages later,” the second source said. “The officials have no choice but to burden their workers,” the source said.
Hit to income
The holidays are not only physically difficult for people because they must be present at all the events, participation hurts their bottom line, because it prevents them from running their family businesses.
Side businesses are the only actual means of support for most North Koreans because salaries for government assigned jobs haven’t been enough to live on since the country’s economy collapsed following the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
The men must all show up for work, so in most families it is the women who mind the market stalls, buying and selling living necessities to earn what they can.
“These days, more households are struggling to make ends meet because the women from many households do not have time to make a living because they are participating in events all day long,” the second source said.
“The residents … criticize the authorities, saying they don’t understand why they organize these events to make the peoples’ lives harder.”
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
10. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Poverty-stricken people gather in front of government and party headquarters in Yanggang Province to demand food
Signs of potential collective action and resistance? This bears watching.
＜Inside N. Korea＞ Poverty-stricken people gather in front of government and party headquarters in Yanggang Province to demand food
asiapress.org
(FILE PHOTO) A homeless girl, who appears to be of middle school age, uses coal briquettes to heat herself. Taken by ASIAPRESS in Hyesan, Yanggang Province in November 2012.
◆ Behind the missile launches are people suffering from poverty
The lives of ordinary North Koreans appear to be worsening. Poverty-stricken people in Yanggang Province have been gathering in groups at the head offices of the Workers’ Party of Korea and local government to demand food to eat. (KANG Ji-won)
◆ Poverty-stricken city dwellers lose source of income
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, the Kim Jong-un regime took extreme measures to block the spread of the virus, including shutting down almost all trade with China. Urban dwellers who faced extreme restrictions on economic activities saw their cash incomes fall dramatically as a result, and the elderly, ill and other members of the country’s vulnerable classes died of starvation and disease.
Currently, the level of poverty suffered by people living in cities has grown even more dire, with some selling off all their possessions to make up for all the money they have lost. A reporting partner in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, gave the following report in mid-February about the recent mood in the city:
“People suffering from economic difficulties came out almost everyday to the local district office to demand measures to deal with the food situation, but nothing happened, so they’ve recently started gathering in front of the party and people’s committee (local government) offices.”
The reporting partner said that what drew his attention was the presence of elderly people among those gathered.
◆ Unable to respond, cadres go into hiding
“The government and party offices have become places for elderly people to gather to beg for food. Cadres have to find ways to avoid them because they can do nothing for the beggars. On February 10, in front of the Hyesan people’s committee building, an elderly man in his 70s caused a ruckus when called out to each of the cadres going to work, saying, “I live by myself and I’ll die of starvation if things continue like this, so please give me food!” Other elderly people heard about what happened and gathered in the same place, but that’s when the authorities send down security guards to disperse them, which led to fights breaking out. The government dispersed those gathered because they can’t do anything for them.”
Based on an investigation by ASIAPRESS of the situation in North Hamgyung Province and Yanggang Province, the state-run food shops that sell food at cheaper prices than those found in markets sold one kilogram of corn for KPW 2,400 on February 12. Each household was limited to buying just seven kilograms of corn, however. (The market price of corn is around KPW 3,200. KRW 10 is around KPW 60)
North Korea suffers from shortages of food for side dishes and cooking oil. Typically speaking, a family of four consumes 50-60 kilograms of rice and corn each month. The rest of the food needed by families is purchased at markets, but people lacking cash have difficulty buying food at markets these days.
◆ Will the Kim Jong-un regime ask the UN to supply food?
The North Korean government understands the severity of the country’s food crisis. In a rare move, the authorities announced that an expanded meeting of the Workers’ Party Central Committee will be held to discuss the country’s agricultural issues.
South Korea’s Dong-a Ilbo reported on February 15 citing a high-ranking source in the Ministry of Unification that the North Korean government requested food from the World Food Programme, but negotiations surrounding how to monitor the distribution of the food never progressed.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
asiapress.org
11. Trump Defends Kim Jong-un, Says Communist Despot 'Feels Threatened' by U.S. Military Exercises with South Korea
Unfortunately there are pundits who support the former president's line of thinking.
Trump Defends Kim Jong-un, Says Communist Despot 'Feels Threatened' by U.S. Military Exercises with South Korea
mediaite.com · by Michael Luciano · February 22, 2023
AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File
Former President Donald Trump defended North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un late Tuesday night while seeming to pan a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise, which occurred a day after the communist state fired a test missile that landed between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump boasted about his amicable relationship with the tyrant, with whom he once said he “fell in love.”
“Kim Jung Un of North Korea, who I got to know and got along with very well during my years as President, is not happy with the U.S. and South Korea doing big training and air exercises together,” Trump wrote. “He feels threatened. Even I would constantly complain that South Korea pays us very little to do these extremely expensive and provocative drills. It’s really ridiculous. We have 35,000 in jeopardy soldiers there, I had a deal for full payment to us, $Billions, and Biden gave it away. Such a shame!!!”
During his presidency in 2018, Trump bragged he had a “great relationship” with Kim.
“I was really being tough and so was he,” Trump told rally-goers in West Virginia, referring to a summit he had with the autocrat earlier that year in Singapore. “And we’d go back and forth, and then we fell in love, ok? No, really. He wrote beautiful letters, and they’re great letters. We fell in love.”
Kim has perpetrated innumerable human rights violations, as well as murderous purges of members of his government.
But he did allegedly fall in love with Trump, so he’s got that going for him should Trump again win the presidency.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
mediaite.com · by Michael Luciano · February 22, 2023
12. Exclusive: North Korea a 'clear and present danger,' says South Korean Foreign Minister
This could not be any more clear. It is an existential threat to the ROK and a threat to the entire world on many levels from proliferation and support to malign actors in conflict zones, to cyber warfare, to global illicit activities. It is connected to the major revision and rogue powers of China, Russia, and Iran.
Exclusive: North Korea a 'clear and present danger,' says South Korean Foreign Minister | CNN
CNN · by Paula Hancocks,Brad Lendon,Yoonjung Seo,David Hawley,Charles Miller · February 22, 2023
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South Korea FM: 'We have to maintain peace and stability on Korean peninsula'
02:33 - Source: CNN
Seoul, South Korea CNN —
North Korea is a “clear and present danger,” the foreign minister of South Korea has told CNN in an exclusive interview.
Kim Jong Un’s frequent missile tests and repeated warnings that he would consider using tactical nuclear weapons were a display of aggression and the only way to counter this was through extended US deterrence, Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday.
“What North Korea is doing is completely wrong,” Park said. “They have been escalating nuclear and missile threats, and threatening the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.”
In just the past week, North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, which in theory could be used to strike almost anywhere in the world, and nuclear-capable long-range multiple rocket launchers – the equivalent of short-range ballistic missiles – which could hit anywhere in South Korea. Those followed a record year of missile testing in 2022, when Pyongyang tested missiles on 37 days, according to CNN’s count, all in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
After the rocket launches on Monday, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, warned of more missile tests to come unless the United States halts military drills with South Korea, threatening to make the Pacific Ocean “our shooting range.”
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Hear why expert believes something is going on behind the scenes with Kim Jong Un
02:29 - Source: CNN
But Park suggested such belligerence would only strengthen South Korea’s alliance with the US.
“US extended deterrence” is “the only way that we can effectively protect our country from the North Korean aggression,” Park said, adding that enhancing that deterrence would involve “effective deployment of US strategic assets” as well as exercises and training.
On the same day as Park was speaking, guided-missile destroyers from both countries were joined by another from Japan in a ballistic missile defense exercise in the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.
Park offered little hope for any early easing of tensions with North Korea, saying there are no active negotiations and that Kim would not give up his nuclear weapons voluntarily.
The North Korean leader must be made to see that talks are his only option, Park said.
“We have to create an environment where North Korea has no choice but to come back to the negotiation table,” he said.
Experience had shown that Kim would not negotiate when he sensed weakness in his opponents, Park said, citing failed negotiations that occurred during the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
“The lesson we learned is that when we are strong … North Korea comes to the dialogue table. When we are weak, they try to take advantage of that vulnerability. So we have to prepare ourselves through our defense and also through deterrence to talk with the North,” he said.
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North Korea's parade shows off missiles and Kim Jong Un's potential successor. See what it looked like
01:30 - Source: CNN
Park also said South Korea’s security challenges extend beyond the Korean Peninsula, including a thousand miles to the south across the Taiwan Strait.
“Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is essential for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and it’s indispensable for security and prosperity of the region as a whole,” Park said.
China’s ruling Communist Party has for months been pressuring the self-ruled island of Taiwan. It sees the island as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force in “reunifying” it with the Chinese mainland.
Park said that could have a “direct impact” on South Korea.
“We are opposed to unilateral change of (the) status quo by force. So in that sense, we will make sure that if something happens in the Taiwan Strait, we have to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” he said.
CNN · by Paula Hancocks,Brad Lendon,Yoonjung Seo,David Hawley,Charles Miller · February 22, 2023
13. The Koreas' DMZ: Once a bloodshed scene, now a wildlife sanctuary
There are some beautiful sights in the DMZ. Photos at the link. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64740679
The Koreas' DMZ: Once a bloodshed scene, now a wildlife sanctuary
BBC · by Menu
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By Kelly Ng
BBC News
What once was the site of bloody armed conflict between the two Koreas has become an unexpected wildlife sanctuary.
Wide plains, lush greenery and rare species of flora and fauna are thriving in the peninsula's demilitarised zone (DMZ).
360-degree views of landscapes and life inside the civilian control line - the buffer area outside the DMZ where civilian activities are restricted - have been made available, for the first time, on Google Street View.
These pictures are part of a Google project marking 70 years since the 1953 armistice which saw North and South Korea pull back from the DMZ. It was launched in collaboration with nine South Korea-based cultural institutions.
Image source, Google Arts & Culture
Image caption,
The Hantan River flows through South Korea's Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces
Image source, Google Arts & Culture
Image caption,
Yongneup, a high moor in the DMZ border area, is a paradise for wetland plants
Free travel between the two Koreas became impossible after the military demarcation line was drawn on 27 July 1953. The DMZ crosses the middle of the Korean Peninsula, spanning a total width of 4km (2.4mi), and is about 2km (1.2mi) each from the north and the south. At 907sq km (305sq mi), the DMZ is about 1.5 times the size of Seoul and almost twice the size of New York City.
Places located beyond the civilian control line are not open to individual tourists, but can be visited with approved tour agencies. South Korea has also opened hiking trails in the area.
Image source, Google Arts & Culture/National Institute of Ecolog
Image caption,
The endangered golden eagle
Image source, Google Arts & Culture/National Institute of Ecolog
Image caption,
The mountain goat
According to South Korea's National Institute of Ecology, almost 6,200 wildlife species now call the DMZ home. In particular, 38% of the endangered species of the Korean peninsula live in the zone. These include golden eagles, musk deer, and mountain goats, among others. Snapshots captured by unmanned cameras offer some hope for the future of these species.
Image source, Google Arts & Culture/DMZ Botanic Garden
Image caption,
Wilford swertia, a herb with violet flowers
For years, researchers at the DMZ Botanic Garden have been conducting surveys along the barbed-wire fencing along the zone. The DMZ is said to be home to hundreds of plant species that are found only in the Korean peninsula.
Image source, Google Arts & Culture/DMZ Botanic Garden
Image caption,
Landmine warning in Yanggu, a country that borders the DMZ
Despite the vivid display of life, traces of pain and bloodshed remain in the DMZ - like barbed-wire fences, landmine warnings, and the remains of broken houses.
After all, the war has not formally ended, and the two Koreas remain divided till this day.
More on this story
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14. Trump says US drills 'provoked' North Korean missile launch
This kind of thinking must be countered.
Trump says US drills 'provoked' North Korean missile launch
Former president defends 'threatened' leader on his Truth Social page while also talking about their close relationship
By
Nicola Smith,
ASIA CORRESPONDENT
23 February 2023 • 10:43am
The Telegraph · by Nicola Smith,
Donald Trump has said US drills provoked Kim Jong-un to launch a barrage of missiles, defending the North Korean leader he described as feeling “threatened”.
Among the weapons tested by Pyongyang over the past year have been intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could reach the US mainland.
A Hwasong-15 ICBM fired on Saturday landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone, prompting the US to hold air exercises with Japan and South Korea.
In a post on his Truth Social page, the former US president claimed that he had formed a strong bond with the reclusive Kim during his time in office.
“Kim Jung [sic] Un of North Korea, who I got to know and got along with very well during my years as president, is not happy with the US and South Korea doing big training and air exercises together,” Mr Trump wrote.
“He feels threatened. Even I would constantly complain that South Korea pays us very little to do these extremely expensive and provocative drills.”
Mr Trump instigated several unprecedented summits with Kim and became the first sitting US president to step into North Korean territory in the border zone with the South.
He frequently boasted of the “love letters” they exchanged but negotiations to bring a halt to North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme made little progress and eventually collapsed at a summit in Hanoi in February 2019 over a disagreement about the lifting of sanctions against Pyongyang.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been rising ever since, with intelligence officials in Seoul and Washington warning that Pyongyang may trigger a 7th nuclear test at any time.
In early February, Kim staged a military parade in the North Korean capital, where multiple ICBMs were on show.
The US, South Korea and Japan have responded to sabre-rattling from the North with their own show of force.
This week Washington and Seoul will hold simulated nuclear tabletop exercises at the Pentagon, followed by an annual springtime “Freedom Shield” field training to practice “realistic” scenarios linked to the nuclear threat.
The Telegraph · by Nicola Smith,
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
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