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Quotes of the Day:
"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."
– Eleanor Roosevelt
"To talk well and eloquently is a very great art, but that an equally great one is to know the right moment to stop."
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be masons and dictions, but between patriotism and intelligence on one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other.”
– Ulysses S. Grant speech at the annual reunion of the Society of the Army of Tennessee at Des Moines, Iowa, 29 September 1875
1. [Herald Interview] Rival heir to Kim Ju-ae unlikely to appear: unification minister
2. S. Korea, U.S. to launch annual joint military drills next week
3. Yoon warns of overwhelming response to any N.K. provocation ahead of elections
4. Editorial: Russia and North Korea’s dangerous liaison is a direct threat to our security
5. North Korea's spy satellite not functioning, South says
6. N. Korea feared to launch 2nd spy satellite ahead of general elections
7. S.Korea is becoming the new Mecca for the game of Go
8. Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik
9. North Korean Missiles Used by Russia Against Ukraine Are Products of Sanction Loopholes
10. South Korean military to surrender real estate for local development
11. North Korean and Uzbek workers involved in major brawl at Russian worksite
12. How one North Korean man was purged for no real reason
13. The developing ‘mushroom cloud’ over the Korean Peninsula
14. Seizing Opportunities for Engagement With the DPRK
15. Demographic time bomb in S. Korea over world's lowest birth rate, super aging
1. [Herald Interview] Rival heir to Kim Ju-ae unlikely to appear: unification minister
Relatively long interview (for a newspaper) with some very important points that I hope policy makers and military strategies (and information/psychological operations professionals will read). There is a lot of substance in the interview.
Minister Kim lays out some of the important issues with potential instability in north Korea.
The one point that I think the Minister left out on unification is that I think Kim Jong Un is reacting to the "threat" of peaceful unification. The ROK's current strong emphasis on peaceful unification and the substantive planning that is taking place is a threat to Kim. But Kim has made a major strategic miscalculation by ending his (phoney and fictional) "policy" of peaceful unification (but he has not given up the real policy of domination of the peninsula). This Is because the Korean people believed in peaceful unification and it gave them hope that their lives would be better when unification is achieved. He has now taken away that hope (and combined with Kim's failed promise that nuclear weapons would bring peace and prosperity) there is a huge opportunity for the ROK (and the ROK/US alliance) to use human rights and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea to form the basis for an information campaign to pressure the regime and to prepare the Korean people in the north for change. Unfortunately our myopic focus on nuclear weapons is blinding us to this opportunity. Paradoxically, the pursuit of a free and unified Korea is the only realistic path to denuclearization but there's little to no imagination that can see this among decision makers.
Excerpts:
Dilemma of hereditary dictatorship
Though North Korea is transitioning to a fourth-generation leadership, the Kim regime will continue to grapple with instability, as it faces "the dilemma of hereditary dictatorship" which is incapable of reform and openness, he said.
The minister explained that Kim Jong-un cannot criticize the policies of his grandfather and founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, or his father, Kim Jong-il, as he inherited power from them, drawing a stark contrast from the Chinese transition of power.
Chinese communist leader Deng Xiaoping openly criticized his predecessor Mao Zedong and spearheaded economic reform in 1978. Similarly, Vietnam's leaders were able to pursue the Doi Moi economic reform policy in 1986 after addressing the shortcomings of previous leaders.
"Therefore, if trapped in this dilemma, the economy will inevitably stagnate. Generally speaking, if a country seeks to enhance and sustain military power, it should be supported by economic strength," he said, questioning the sustainability of its leadership.
North Korea directs a substantial portion of its resources, potentially surpassing 50 percent of its gross domestic product, towards nuclear and missile buildup.
The Kim dynasty has embraced another inherent instability.
"The crux of maintaining a political system lies in democratically and stably institutionalizing the succession of supreme power. Hence, when viewed through this lens, North Korea can be assessed as being in a state of chronic instability."
When questioned about the potential for coups in North Korea, the minister remarked, "While predicting North Korea's internal dynamics precisely is challenging, if the situation within the country is deteriorating, we cannot rule out the possibility of differences of opinion emerging within the power class."
...
Why has hostility increased?
On Pyongyang designating Seoul as its "primary foe" in January, the minister said internal instability seems to be one of the reasons for the Kim regime pursuing more aggressive policy.
"In terms of the internal situation in North Korea, the economic difficulties and food shortages are exceedingly severe. It seems that dissent in public sentiment is emerging within North Korea," the minister said.
During the enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the Party Central Committee held in January, Kim Jong-un openly acknowledged the failure to adequately provide even basic necessities to the people in the provinces as a "grave political issue" that the party and government can never overlook.
"In light of the remark, the severity of the economic crisis within North Korea has reached a juncture, prompting attempts to redirect these internal crises outward. This seems to serve one specific purpose," the minister explained.
A significant increase in the popularity of South Korea's Hallyu within North Korea seems to have made the Kim regime implement policy shifts, as the spread of cultural content may foster "admiration for South Korean society."
...
Shift in unification policy
When asked about whether the precondition for peaceful unification is the collapse of the North Korean regime, the minister emphasized the significance of "empowering" the North Korean people.
The Yoon government aims for peaceful unification grounded in the principles of freedom and democracy, as stipulated in Article 4 of South Korea's Constitution.
"The process of unification aims to enhance the autonomy and self-determination of North Korean citizens. It is imperative to make significant efforts to create conditions where North Korean citizens can make decisions for themselves," the minister said.
"Ultimately, it seems that the foundation for unification will be laid by promoting North Korean citizens' freedom and human rights."
The unification minister emphasized that "facilitating the influx of external information into North Korea is currently paramount" to that end.
[Herald Interview] Rival heir to Kim Ju-ae unlikely to appear: unification minister
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum;Cho Chung-un · February 28, 2024
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks during an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald on Friday at his office in Seoul, where framed calligraphy of President Yoon Suk Yeol's mantra. (Im Se-jun/ The Korea Herald)
Another heir emerging for North Korea besides Kim Jong-un's publicly promoted preteen daughter Ju-ae is unlikely because it would spark confusion within the isolated totalitarian society, according to South Korea's unification minister.
During an exclusive 90-minute interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 23, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho underscored the "considerable internal instability" brewing within North Korea, a situation catalyzing the early debut of Ju-ae as candidate for the fourth generation of hereditary power succession there.
The scholar-turned-minister said there has been a rising tide of internal instability driven by the expanding influence of market forces and the influx of external information, notably South Korean TV dramas. The trend starkly contrasts with the Kim regime's tight control over information and centrally planned economy, both of which serve to maintain its grip on power through totalitarian dictatorship.
With Ju-ae not formally designated as the regime's fourth-generation successor, speculation is circling regarding the existence of any additional heirs, concurrently igniting heightened curiosity about the possible existence of sons within the lineage of the North Korean leader.
However, the minister downplayed the possibility of any other heir emerging aside from Ju-ae.
"Some suggest that there is a possibility of another individual being put forward instead of Kim Ju-ae. However, such a scenario would rather lead to increased confusion, given the extent to which Kim Ju-ae has been promoted," he said.
The minister explained that a female leader could effectively govern North Korea, noting that the country's governance structure, labeled as a "totalitarian dictatorship," diverges from Korean Confucianism's traditionally male-centered, patriarchal values.
"While Confucianism could potentially exert influence on society, it seems that the dictatorship's structure itself will shape decisions like power succession. Thus, from this viewpoint, even if (the heir is) a daughter or a woman, a power transition could happen whenever deemed necessary."
Kim Ju-ae has appeared publicly 26 times as of Feb. 22 since her public debut at the launch site of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile in Nov. 2022.
The minister pointed to a gradual increase in the level of courtesy shown towards her since her initial appearance, notably demonstrated by military commanders saluting her.
"We therefore cannot exclude the possibility of Kim Ju-ae becoming the successor," he said.
The minister explained that North Korean Marshal Pak Jong-chon, the second-ranking military official, knelt to Ju-ae during a military parade held in central Pyongyang in September last year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of North Korea's foundation.
The scene, publicly broadcast by the state-run Korean Central Television, evoked memories of the then-Minister of the People's Armed Forces O Jin-u kneeling to the then-appointed heir Kim Jong-il.
The minister highlighted the rarity of Ju-ae being photographed standing in front of her father, describing it as "quite unprecedented." State media featured a photo of Ju-ae, dressed in attire resembling her father's, standing prominently before him during their visit to the Air Force Regiment of the 1st Division last November.
The minister also noted that "institutional preparations for power succession are already underway."
During the eighth party congress in January 2021, North Korea amended its party rules to establish the position of first secretary of the Party Central Committee and included the phrase, "The first secretary of the Party Central Committee is the representative of the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea."
The unification minister suggested that Kim Yo-jong, the sister and mouthpiece of the North Korean leader, who also holds the position of vice director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Party Central Committee, will "have to face a diminished role."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left and rear), alongside his daughter, believed to be named Ju-ae (front), watches a demonstration flight by the country's airmen during his visit to a flight regiment of the North Korean Air Force on Nov. 30, 2023. The photo was aired by North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television the following day. (Newsis)
Ju-ae's early rise
The unification minister evaluated that internal instability triggered Ju-ae's early debut on the public scene.
"As the North Korean regime grapples with considerable internal instability, it is visualizing its succession plans."
The minister referenced the Unification Ministry's recently published 280-page report, containing a comprehensive analysis of economic and social conditions in North Korea based on in-depth interviews with 6,351 North Korean defectors spanning from 2013 to 2020.
The report, released in February as the ministry's primary task to shed light on the realities of North Korea, reveals the expansion of marketization within the country amid the stagnation of its centrally planned economy.
The report also disclosed the collapse of the public distribution system and the activation of the informal economy, leading to the rampant spread of corruption across North Korean society. It emphasizes the concerning increase of bribery under the Kim Jong-un regime.
Furthermore, the report underscores the growing discontent among North Koreans regarding the hereditary succession of the country's leadership and the widespread negative public assessment of the performance of Kim Jong-un as a political leader.
"When viewed as a whole, it seems that North Korea is experiencing changes from the grassroots level, as we hope," the minister said.
The minister also reiterated that "From a universal perspective, if marketization occurs, it seems inevitable that conflicts will eventually arise between the power of the market and the power of authority in North Korea."
North Koreans pay respect at the statues of former late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Feb. 16, 2024, in this photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. The event came on the occasion of the 82nd birthday of the North's former late leader Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap)
Dilemma of hereditary dictatorship
Though North Korea is transitioning to a fourth-generation leadership, the Kim regime will continue to grapple with instability, as it faces "the dilemma of hereditary dictatorship" which is incapable of reform and openness, he said.
The minister explained that Kim Jong-un cannot criticize the policies of his grandfather and founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, or his father, Kim Jong-il, as he inherited power from them, drawing a stark contrast from the Chinese transition of power.
Chinese communist leader Deng Xiaoping openly criticized his predecessor Mao Zedong and spearheaded economic reform in 1978. Similarly, Vietnam's leaders were able to pursue the Doi Moi economic reform policy in 1986 after addressing the shortcomings of previous leaders.
"Therefore, if trapped in this dilemma, the economy will inevitably stagnate. Generally speaking, if a country seeks to enhance and sustain military power, it should be supported by economic strength," he said, questioning the sustainability of its leadership.
North Korea directs a substantial portion of its resources, potentially surpassing 50 percent of its gross domestic product, towards nuclear and missile buildup.
The Kim dynasty has embraced another inherent instability.
"The crux of maintaining a political system lies in democratically and stably institutionalizing the succession of supreme power. Hence, when viewed through this lens, North Korea can be assessed as being in a state of chronic instability."
When questioned about the potential for coups in North Korea, the minister remarked, "While predicting North Korea's internal dynamics precisely is challenging, if the situation within the country is deteriorating, we cannot rule out the possibility of differences of opinion emerging within the power class."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes a speech during a visit to the North's Defense Ministry on Feb. 8, 2024, to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the North's Korean People's Army, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. (Yonhap)
Why has hostility increased?
On Pyongyang designating Seoul as its "primary foe" in January, the minister said internal instability seems to be one of the reasons for the Kim regime pursuing more aggressive policy.
"In terms of the internal situation in North Korea, the economic difficulties and food shortages are exceedingly severe. It seems that dissent in public sentiment is emerging within North Korea," the minister said.
During the enlarged meeting of the political bureau of the Party Central Committee held in January, Kim Jong-un openly acknowledged the failure to adequately provide even basic necessities to the people in the provinces as a "grave political issue" that the party and government can never overlook.
"In light of the remark, the severity of the economic crisis within North Korea has reached a juncture, prompting attempts to redirect these internal crises outward. This seems to serve one specific purpose," the minister explained.
A significant increase in the popularity of South Korea's Hallyu within North Korea seems to have made the Kim regime implement policy shifts, as the spread of cultural content may foster "admiration for South Korean society."
"Externally, there appears to be an objective to bolster North Korea's presence ahead of the upcoming US presidential election," he said.
The minister elucidated that there is also a deliberate emphasis on hostility towards South Korea to reaffirm the legitimacy of North Korea's pursuit of nuclear development. Additionally, North Korea appears to be seeking justification for a potential nuclear attack on South Korea.
North Korea stages a missile launch on Feb. 2, 2024, in this composite photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. The country conducted what its state media called a "cruise missile super-large warhead power test" and test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile. (Yonhap)
Increased provocations
The unification minister cautioned against the internal repercussions of Kim Jong-un's endeavors to nullify the accomplishments of his predecessors, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, in inter-Korean relations.
These efforts include the demolition of the Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification, established in central Pyongyang in 2001 during the tenure of the late leader Kim Jong-il.
The minister noted that Kim Jong-un "has dismantled the foundation for his own succession by himself."
"There is also the possibility that such changes may lead to ideological confusion and a vacuum within North Korea. We must closely monitor the potential ramifications of abrupt shifts in policies," he said.
"If internal conflicts arise, there is a strong likelihood of military provocations to cover them up, and escalating statements or provocations regarding the NLL appear to be connected to these internal issues."
There is a significant likelihood of North Korea engaging in military provocations ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for April 10 in South Korea, but the possibility of North Korea waging an all-out war would be "extremely difficult."
"Nevertheless, the probability of a local military provocation remains very high. The likelihood of cyber or other hybrid provocations is also significant," the minister forecast.
"The great concern is the potential escalation into war due to miscalculation."
The minister emphasized that South Korea should strengthen its deterrence capabilities to deter North Korea's military provocations, highlighting the importance of "peace through strength and peace through deterrence."
"The appropriate response to any threat from North Korea is to adopt a robust deterrence policy. Only then can peace on the Korean Peninsula be upheld. This is why the government is pursuing the 3D policy."
The 3D policy encompasses deterrence, emphasizing the robustness of military capabilities to deter North Korean threats; dissuasion, discouraging North Korea's pursuit of missile and nuclear advancements; and dialogue aimed at achieving denuclearization.
The South Korean flag is seen through barbed wire along the DMZ at Panmunjeom, South Korea. (Getty Images Bank)
Shift in unification policy
When asked about whether the precondition for peaceful unification is the collapse of the North Korean regime, the minister emphasized the significance of "empowering" the North Korean people.
The Yoon government aims for peaceful unification grounded in the principles of freedom and democracy, as stipulated in Article 4 of South Korea's Constitution.
"The process of unification aims to enhance the autonomy and self-determination of North Korean citizens. It is imperative to make significant efforts to create conditions where North Korean citizens can make decisions for themselves," the minister said.
"Ultimately, it seems that the foundation for unification will be laid by promoting North Korean citizens' freedom and human rights."
The unification minister emphasized that "facilitating the influx of external information into North Korea is currently paramount" to that end.
"It's akin to a chick hatching from an egg; it requires pecking from the inside as well as delicate tapping from the outside. Ultimately, as the shell cracks, allowing the chick to emerge, efforts from the international community and nongovernmental organizations to increase the flow of information into North Korea must be intensified."
The Unification Ministry's other main focus is addressing human rights abuses and violations by the Kim Jong-un regime. It has been dedicated to raising awareness of the matter among South Koreans and the international community.
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks during an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald on Friday at his office in Seoul. (Im Se-jun/ The Korea Herald)
Two feasible paths forward
In his New Year's speech, the unification minister likened North Korea to a "windup toy car," drawing on a metaphor originally coined by George F. Kennan, a prominent US diplomat and historian known for formulating the policy of containing the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
In 1947, Kennan stated, “The whole Soviet governmental machine … moves inexorably along the prescribed path, like a persistent toy automobile wound up and headed in a given direction, stopping only when it meets with some unanswerable force."
The minister drew parallels between Kennan's containment strategy and the Yoon Suk Yeol government's 3D policy, characterizing them as "highly similar."
According to the minister, Kennan advocated for containment to halt the Soviet Union's expansion, foreseeing that sustained containment efforts would eventually force the Soviet Union to halt, akin to stopping a clockwork mechanism by leaving it alone until it loses steam.
"North Korea is winding up a perilous toy car, propelling it forward through the development of nuclear weapons and missiles," the minister said.
To address this challenge, South Korea must strengthen its military deterrence, enhance coordination with the US and Japan, and employ dissuasion strategies to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile advancements.
Asked about the Kim regime's sustainability, he suggested that North Korea faces two options: Return to dialogue or proceed down a path of collapse similar to the Soviet Union.
"(North Korea) will eventually come forward to the dialogue or come to a halt once it has completely unwound. It's a matter of one outcome or the other."
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum;Cho Chung-un · February 28, 2024
2. S. Korea, U.S. to launch annual joint military drills next week
Just as a reminder of some history. We used to conduct 4 major exercises per year. Ulchi Focus LEns was always conducted in August after the summer rotations of units na staff. This provided an immersion into the defense plans for Korea. In the fall was Foal Eagle which was a read area defense exercise to focus on protection of infrastructure and lines of communications. It was also a special operations exercise employing combined special operations in offset targets (simulated nK targets but against actual targets in the South in the rear area to act as OPFOR for the rear area defenses). Ulchi Focus Clear was conducted in January to continue to train on the execution of the defense plans to build on the training from the August exercise (advance to the next level). Finally in March was Team Spirit which at one time was the largest exercise in the free world. This involved ROK forces mobilization and reinforcement of US forces from PACOM and CONUS and included large scale field manure exercises over large areas of South Korea on land and sea and in the air. It was conducted in March because the nKPA was completing its winter training cycle to bring its forces to the highest state of readiness at the optimal time for attack when the ground was still frozen from the winter and the rice paddies had not yet been flooded making it the optimal time for maneuver. Now we are conducting only two major exercises (but also many important smaller ones throughout the year).
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to launch annual joint military drills next week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · February 28, 2024
(ATTN: UPDATES with details, comments from joint briefing; CHANGES photo)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States plan to kick off major combined military drills next week, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday, as the allies seek to bolster joint readiness against evolving military threats from North Korea.
The annual Freedom Shield (FS) exercise, which is set to take place from Monday to March 14, comes at a time of heightened tension over North Korea's slew of cruise missile tests and conducting live-fire drills near the western maritime border in January, which led to scrapping buffer zones created under a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's calling the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border, as a "ghost line" further stoked concerns over accidental clashes near the tensely guarded western sea border.
The computer simulation-based command post exercise, which also includes field training, is aimed at strengthening the combined defense posture based on scenarios that reflect diverse security threats, including North Korea's nuclear operations, by leveraging land, sea, air, cyber and space assets, the JCS said in a release.
Col. Lee Sung-jun (L), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson, and Col. Isaac Taylor, the U.S. Forces Korea spokesperson, speak during a joint press briefing on the annual Freedom Shield exercise at the defense ministry on Feb. 28, 2024, in this photo provided by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"There will be a variety of combined field training exercises in sea-land-air to increase interoperability and enhance the combined operation capabilities of the alliance," JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a joint press briefing.
The two nations' troops will feature 48 field training exercises across the country, double the number from last year's FS, but no joint maneuvers are scheduled near the border with North Korea during the period, JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a joint press briefing.
"As the exercise will be held by simulating various scenarios, it will include practice detecting and intercepting North Korea's cruise missiles," Lee said.
USFK spokesperson Col. Isaac Taylor said the joint drills are defensive in nature to deter and respond to North Korean threats, and will adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Armistice Agreement.
"We continue to rehearse during these exercises on what needs to be done to defend the Korean Peninsula," Taylor said.
North Korea has long denounced joint military drills between Seoul and Washington as rehearsals for an invasion.
During the exercise, service members from 12 member states of the United Nations Command (UNC) will participate in the drills, and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) will observe them.
The U.S.-led multinational command was established in 1950 under a U.N. mandate to support South Korea against North Korea's aggression, and the NNSC has been overseeing the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · February 28, 2024
3. Yoon warns of overwhelming response to any N.K. provocation ahead of elections
I hope this has been well thought out but that we do not have to put up or shut up?
But this is the key point that President Yoon understands well. While Kim may conduct provocations (an overused word that is now applied to every north Korean action unfortunately) he is not stupid and is unlikely to attack into strength so readiness and demonstration of strength is the best way to deter an attack. But the question is what is the overwhelming response to provocation (and what is the definition of a provocation)?
Excerpts:
"Our government and military will maintain a strong and firm readiness posture so that North Korea will not dare challenge the Republic of Korea, and in the event North Korea provokes, respond immediately and overwhelmingly," he said.
Yoon vowed to complete the integrated nuclear extended deterrence regime between South Korea and the United States through the Nuclear Consultative Group and to accelerate the development of the homegrown three-axis system to block North Korea's nuclear threats at their source. The three-axis system involves anti-missile defense, a program to incapacitate the North Korean leadership and a preemptive strike platform.
He also vowed to further strengthen security cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, as well as solidarity with the international community, based on a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Yoon warns of overwhelming response to any N.K. provocation ahead of elections | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · February 28, 2024
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Wednesday of an immediate and overwhelming response to any North Korean provocation ahead of the South Korean parliamentary elections in April.
"North Korea is highly likely to carry out various provocations and psychological warfare in order to create social confusion and divide public opinion ahead of this year's general elections," he said during a commissioning ceremony for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the Army Cadet Military School in Goesan, 114 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
"At times like this, the military must unite with the people to firmly defeat North Korea's scheme to sway the Republic of Korea," he said, using South Korea's formal name.
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers congratulatory remarks during a commissioning ceremony for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at the Army Cadet Military School in Goesan, 114 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 28, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Yoon reiterated the need to achieve "peace through strength" based on an overwhelming capability and readiness posture, not a "fake peace" relying on the other party's good intentions.
He noted that North Korea is the only country in the world to have legalized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons and continues to make nuclear threats and stage missile provocations while defining the South as its "primary foe" and threatening to completely occupy the South.
"Our government and military will maintain a strong and firm readiness posture so that North Korea will not dare challenge the Republic of Korea, and in the event North Korea provokes, respond immediately and overwhelmingly," he said.
Yoon vowed to complete the integrated nuclear extended deterrence regime between South Korea and the United States through the Nuclear Consultative Group and to accelerate the development of the homegrown three-axis system to block North Korea's nuclear threats at their source. The three-axis system involves anti-missile defense, a program to incapacitate the North Korean leadership and a preemptive strike platform.
He also vowed to further strengthen security cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, as well as solidarity with the international community, based on a strong South Korea-U.S. alliance.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · February 28, 2024
4. Editorial: Russia and North Korea’s dangerous liaison is a direct threat to our security
This begs the question, what do you do about a permanent member of the UN Security Council that openly violates UN Security Council resolutions?
Excerpts:
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has completely neglected its basic obligation to adhere to UN sanctions against North Korea. This breach of trust is concerning in itself, but it becomes a serious problem when Russia provides North Korea with weapons and technology that pose a direct threat to our security in exchange for North Korean shells. Any country that jeopardizes the safety of South Koreans for transactions with North Korea should be held accountable.
Editorial: Russia and North Korea’s dangerous liaison is a direct threat to our security
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/02/28/BLIZNNHFRVGFVMAPGYCGMH5FVE/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2024.02.28. 08:50
Updated 2024.02.28. 09:14
The U.S. White House released satellite images of a Russian ship carrying containers from North Korea. / News1
North Korea has shipped 6,700 containers that carry millions of artillery shells to Russia over the past six months, according to South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik. Shin estimated that either 3 million 152mm artillery shells or 500,000 rocket artillery have been sent to Russia. “The weapons and shell factories in North Korea are fully operational,” he said, implying that North Korea is serving as a munitions production base to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In return, Russia sent North Korea around 9,000 containers of goods. The contents of these containers remain unknown, leading to speculation that they might have been intended to help address North Korea’s severe food shortages. But the contents most likely carry more than humanitarian aid. It could have included a luxury car manufactured in Russia, which North Korean media outlets recently boasted was a gift from Russia.
South Korea’s military noted that this exchange is particularly alarming from a security standpoint, as shipments from Russia to North Korea likely included weapon materials and components. Concerns that a new model of military partnership, in which North Korea supplies finished munitions to Russia, have come to light.
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia last September. Putin gave Kim a tour of Russia’s weapons facilities, including a space base and a fighter jet production plant, and pledged cooperation in related fields. Such Russo-North Korean military engagements pose a grave security threat to South Korea.
Russia has blatantly sided with North Korea to receive arms support from Pyongyang amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson called South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol’s criticism of North Korea “disgusting.” The Russian ambassador to South Korea also overstepped diplomatic norms by calling South Korea an “unfriendly country” and North Korea a “friendly country.”
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has completely neglected its basic obligation to adhere to UN sanctions against North Korea. This breach of trust is concerning in itself, but it becomes a serious problem when Russia provides North Korea with weapons and technology that pose a direct threat to our security in exchange for North Korean shells. Any country that jeopardizes the safety of South Koreans for transactions with North Korea should be held accountable.
5. North Korea's spy satellite not functioning, South says
Go figure. Just like all previous satellites.
North Korea's spy satellite not functioning, South says
Newsweek · by John Feng · February 27, 2024
ByContributing Editor, Asia
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North Korea's recently launched reconnaissance satellite is in orbit but does not appear to be functioning, the South said.
The Malligyong-1, the North's first spy satellite to successfully reach orbit, was circling the Earth but not communicating with the ground, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting comments made the previous day by the South's defense minister, Shin Won-sik.
"It shows no signs of functioning and is merely orbiting without activity," he said. Seoul's defense chief was skeptical about Pyongyang's claim that satellite was monitoring South Korea and U.S. troops.
With inter-Korean relations already at their lowest point in decades, and long-time North Korea watchers saying Kim Jong Un is preparing for war, the old Cold War foes are now also locked in a rivalry in space.
Kim's satellite success in November was followed by the launch of South Korea's own reconnaissance satellite with help from the U.S., a move decried by the North for its "double standards."
Pyongyang has announced plans to put three more satellites into orbit this year. South Korea assesses the next launch could come "as early as this March," according to Shin, one month before Seoul intends to launch its second satellite as well.
Shin suggested it was a deliberate tactic by North Korea to pressure President Yoon Suk Yeol's government before the South's upcoming general elections on April 10.
The North Korean Embassy in Beijing did not answer calls seeking comment.
Shin repeated a South Korean intelligence assessment that concluded the North likely received technical assistance from Russia for its satellite launch.
Last September, President Vladimir Putin hosted Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's main spaceport in the country's Far East. The two leaders agreed to increased cooperation in trade, defense and space—and likely struck an arms deal, too.
"It remains uncertain to what degree Russia will offer technology related to aircraft and ground equipment sought by North Korea. However, if Russia continues to receive more munitions from North Korea, the scope of technology transfer could increase," Shin said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s main spaceport, on September 13, 2023, in the Amur region in far eastern Russia. South Korea’s defense minister said on February 26 that the... North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s main spaceport, on September 13, 2023, in the Amur region in far eastern Russia. South Korea’s defense minister said on February 26 that the North’s spy satellite—launched last November with suspected Russian assistance—likely does not function properly. VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. and its allies have accused Russian forces of firing North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine. The South last month accused Moscow of using Ukraine as a "test site" for Pyongyang's weapons.
A Ukrainian military intelligence official said last week that Russia had received 1.5 million 122-millimeter and 152-millimeter artillery shells from North Korea, but half the rounds do not work. The other half required restoration or inspection, the official said.
According to Yonhap, Shin said North Korea had shipped some 6,700 containers to Russia since the Putin-Kim meeting in September, enough to accommodate 500,000 rounds of 122-millimeter artillery shells or 3 million 152-millimeter shells.
In return, North Korea appeared to be receiving food and other necessities including materials for weapons manufacturing.
"It seems that food accounts for the largest proportion, which is believed to have stabilized food prices in North Korea, with other necessities also included," Shin said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a written request for comment before publication.
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He has covered foreign policy and defense matters, especially in relation to U.S.-China ties and cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan. John joined Newsweek in 2020 after reporting in Central Europe and the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei and SOAS, University of London. Languages: English and Chinese.
You can get in touch with John by emailing j.feng@newsweek.com
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ...
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Newsweek · by John Feng · February 27, 2024
6. N. Korea feared to launch 2nd spy satellite ahead of general elections
N. Korea feared to launch 2nd spy satellite ahead of general elections
By Lee Hyo-jin koreatimes.co.kr3 min
February 27, 2024
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Defense Minister Shin Won-sik speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
North Korea could launch a second military spy satellite as early as March, according to Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, amid fears that Pyongyang might resort to provocations leading up to the April 10 general elections in South Korea.
"It (North Korea) can launch (the spy satellite) as early as this March," Shin said at a press conference, Monday afternoon.
A successful spy satellite launch will mark the latest in a series of provocations by Pyongyang aimed at escalating tensions in the region. Examples include live-fire drills near the maritime border in January and the launches of multiple cruise missiles. Analysts perceive these actions as an attempt to influence the upcoming South Korean parliamentary elections as well as to enhance its leverage ahead of the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November.
The defense minister said he expects Pyongyang to follow a similar procedure as it did with its first satellite launch last November, where North Korea notified the International Maritime Organization of its plans. This occurred when North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite, named Malligyong-1.
Regarding the capabilities of Malligyong-1, Shin said, "It is currently in orbit. But it is not showing any signs of performing tasks or engaging in reconnaissance activities."
He also suggested that North Korea might expedite its satellite launch plans, possibly in response to Seoul's intention to launch its second satellite in April, heightening the space rivalry between the two Koreas.
Shin told reporters that the South Korean military plans to launch a synthetic aperture radar satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the first week of April.
North Korea's Chollima-1 rocket carrying a spy satellite lifts off from a launch pad in Tongchang-ri on the country's west coast, Nov. 21, 2023, in this photo provided by North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap
Meanwhile, Shin addressed concerns regarding the South Korea-U.S. alliance, assuring that it would remain robust regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. His comments came in response to worries about the potential return of former U.S. President Donald Trump and any perceived impact on the strength of the ties between the two nations.
"The defense ministry will uphold a robust combined defense posture while stably managing various issues regarding the South Korea-U.S. alliance, irrespective of domestic and international political situations," he said, when asked whether his ministry is preparing a "plan B" if Trump gets reelected.
Shin dismissed speculation suggesting that the recent signing of a framework document for the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which entails a nuclear coordination agreement between Seoul and Washington, was prompted by concerns over the possibility of Trump's return to the White House.
Concerns have emerged here regarding Trump's skepticism about military alliances, which could potentially impede the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's emphasis on U.S. extended deterrence to address North Korea's threats.
Earlier this month, the defense ministries of South Korea and the United States signed the framework document, a development that some observers interpreted as an endeavor to expedite the comprehensive implementation of the NCG before the U.S. presidential elections.
But the defense minister rejected such assertions.
"The signing is unrelated to the political situation in the U.S. and, moreover, does not constitute any preparation ahead of the U.S. presidential election," Shin said, adding that discussions on the framework documents had been underway since last year.
Shin also touched on the burgeoning military ties between North Korea and Russia, stating that Pyongyang has delivered approximately 6,700 containers of munitions to Moscow in the last few months. He speculated that this could include over 3 million rounds of 152-millimeter artillery shells or over 1.2 million 122-millimeter shells.
"The munitions might be mixed, but in any case, the overall quantity is several million rounds at least," Shin said.
In return, Moscow has provided food and spy satellite technology to Pyongyang, the minister added, but the extent of further technological support from Russia to North Korea regarding its weapons program remains uncertain.
"North Korea appears to have expressed certain technological needs or deficiencies in aircraft and ground military equipment, but it is unclear how much support Russia will provide."
7. S.Korea is becoming the new Mecca for the game of Go
We all need to learn to play "Go" (Korean: Baduk) in order to be effective in strategic competition with the axis of totalitarians (China, Russia,Iran, and north Korea). The world is a global "Go" board competing for territorial influence.
S.Korea is becoming the new Mecca for the game of Go
https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2024/02/27/ECVKD3IGRBDDRI3HYPKM6SXYGM/
Japan’s youngest Go player heads to S. Korea for training
By Lee Hong-real,
Lee Jung-soo
Published 2024.02.27. 17:52
Following Japanese Go prodigy Sumire(left)'s recent Korean debut, another young Japanese Go player Leo also decided to study abroad in Korea./Korea Baduk(Go) Association
Fujita Leo, the youngest professional Go player in Japan, will soon be heading to South Korea to study Go.
This news has garnered attention as it was reported just after the news that Nakamura Sumire, a 3-dan rank, will make her debut in Korea on Mar. 3, marking another promising Japanese Go talent heading to the country.
Leo was born in April 2013 and became the youngest professional Go player in the world at the age of 9 years and 4 months in Sep. 2022, when he was in the third grade of elementary school.
He is the second Japanese prodigy to receive a special promotion, following Sumire, who achieved her 1-dan rank at the age of 10 a year earlier. With Leo’s entry into the professional scene, he has now taken over Sumire’s title of Japan’s youngest professional Go player.
Leo plans to study Go under another S. Korean professional Go player, Han Jong-jin(9-dan pro), for three months, starting in April.
Leo’s decision to pursue a professional Go player was influenced by his visit to South Korea last year, when he participated in the Go tournament held in Mungyeong. He stayed for a month and experienced the Korean Go culture firsthand. His fondness for S.Korea made him stay at the dormitory managed by Han for two weeks last month.
Leo’s professional record shows a rising trend with 9 wins and 12 losses since his first appearance. He had two losses in 2022, 7 wins and 10 losses in 2023, and added 2 wins in 2024. Although his winning rate is still below 50%, he has begun to showcase his exceptional talent.
Asked the reason why he prefers Korea, he replied, “In Korea, I can focus on Go from early in the morning until late evening. There are many high-level peers as well.” He is also attracted to the overall atmosphere of the nation, including materials related to AI (Artificial Intelligence). His father, Fujita Haruhiko, is Leo’s manager.
Sumire who is also about to transfer to the S. Korean Go scene, mentioned that her decision to move was driven by the abundance of tournaments and strong players in the country, expressing a desire to grow as a stronger player through competition.
Many young and talented Go players from Japan are increasingly heading to South Korea to improve their skills. Sumire is transferring all her Go activities to Korea, while Leo is coming to the country to learn advanced skills.
This trend is not new, as many foreign prodigies have already passed through the Korean Go scene, including Fukuoka Kotaro, a promising young player from Japan who also studied in S. Korea.
After returning to Japan and turning professional in 2019, Kotaro achieved runner-up in the 9th Globis Cup World Go U-20. According to Lee Yung-soo, 8-dan, who taught him, Kotaro enjoyed his life in Korea so much that he extended his planned stay to nearly five years.
Also, Onishi Ryuhei, a 24-year-old 5-dan player who turned professional in Japan in 2015, has studied from Heo Jang-hoi and Chungam Go Studio, a training center for wannabe professional Go players.
In 2016, he became the youngest winner of the Shinjin-O tournament, also known as the ‘King of the New Stars’. This professional Go competition in Japan is only open to players who are under 30 years of age and have a rank of 7-dan or below. It is a single knockout tournament.
Japanese star player Yoda Norimoto, who is 58 years old, sent both of his sons to study in S. Korea. His second son, Ozora, aged 21, entered the professional ranks in 2022 after studying under professional Go player Chang Su-yeong. His third son is also pursuing a professional career. Apart from them, other young talents from Taiwan are also going to S. Korea to improve their skills.
In the past, Japan was recognized as the leading nation in the Go environment, with many young talents from different countries studying there, including many Koreans such as Cho Nam-chul, Kim In, Cho Hun-hyun, Cho Chikun, Ha Chan-seok, and Ryu Shikun. Today, however, the situation has changed.
The influx of foreign players in Korea reflects the increasing international status of Korean Go. Currently, Go is becoming a popular part of Korean culture like K-pop and K-food.
However, the number of Go training centers closing down due to a decline in the number of aspiring go players is a dark side to the development of the Go culture. To solidify Korea’s position as the new mecca of the international Go community, national support, similar to that for other cultural exports, is needed.
8. Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik
defense.gov
February 27, 2024
View Original
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3688810/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iiis-call-with-republic-of-korea/?utm_source=pocket_saves
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik. The two leaders discussed shared defense and security priorities on the Korean Peninsula, underscoring the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance and its critical role in the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Secretary reaffirmed the ironclad U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the defense of the ROK. The two leaders agreed that they and their respective departments will continue to communicate frequently about key security issues. They also commended progress on U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral security cooperation and emphasized the importance of expanding broader regional cooperation by the United States and the ROK with other partners.
The call between the two leaders comes as the United States and the ROK continue to deepen defense and security cooperation to advance a shared regional vision for peace, stability, and prosperity.
9. North Korean Missiles Used by Russia Against Ukraine Are Products of Sanction Loopholes
Excerpts:
Investigators determined a missile recovered on Jan. 2 in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was made with components from U.S. and European companies, according to a report by the U.K.-based investigative group Conflict Armament Research (CAR), first reported by CNN on Feb. 20.
The CAR report found that of the 290 components from the North Korean missile that were examined, about 75% originated with U.S.-based companies. About 16% of the components were linked to European companies.
The report said more than three quarters of the components were produced between 2021 and 2023 and that the missile could not have been made before March 2023. The report said, however, CAR "will not identify the companies linked to their production."
North Korean Missiles Used by Russia Against Ukraine Are Products of Sanction Loopholes
February 27, 2024 9:40 PM
voanews.com · February 27, 2024
Washington —
The discovery of a North Korean missile in Ukraine that had more than 200 components from U.S. and European companies revealed loopholes that North Korea uses to evade sanctions, said analysts.
North Korea is operating its arms factories at full capacity to supply Russia with weapons needed to fight Ukraine, said South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik at a news briefing on Monday.
South Korea estimates Pyongyang sent about 6,700 containers to Russia since September, Shin said, according to South Korean media.
The U.S. puts the number even higher, estimating that North Korea delivered more than 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September.
The U.S. announced the estimates on Friday as it issued sanctions against more than 500 individuals and entities in Russia.
FILE - A Ukrainian police officer inspects a rocket part near a residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
North Korean weapons have been turning up on the Ukraine battlefield since December, according to the Security Service of Ukraine. It said on Thursday that Russia has fired at least 20 North Korean missiles at Ukraine since then, adding that the missiles had killed or injured civilians.
Russia denied any military or technical cooperation with North Korea during a Jan. 26 news briefing conducted by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
VOA contacted the North Korean mission at the United Nations in New York City for comment but received no response.
Investigators determined a missile recovered on Jan. 2 in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was made with components from U.S. and European companies, according to a report by the U.K.-based investigative group Conflict Armament Research (CAR), first reported by CNN on Feb. 20.
The CAR report found that of the 290 components from the North Korean missile that were examined, about 75% originated with U.S.-based companies. About 16% of the components were linked to European companies.
The report said more than three quarters of the components were produced between 2021 and 2023 and that the missile could not have been made before March 2023. The report said, however, CAR "will not identify the companies linked to their production."
U.N. member states have been banned from exporting materials and technologies that North Korea could use to make ballistic missiles since the Security Council passed Resolution 1718 in 2006.
Experts said U.S. companies whose parts ended up in the North Korean missile probably did not know the identity of the end user.
Aaron Arnold, a former member of the U.N. Panel of Experts for North Korea's sanctions, said, however, that the discoveries show "how porous Western export control systems can be."
Arnold, who is currently a senior associate fellow at Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Service Institute, told VOA via email on Friday that some of the items that ended up in the North Korean missile are items that can be used to make weapons as well as commercial goods.
"While I can't say for sure in this particular case, some of the micro-electronics are dual use, meaning, they could be commonplace and used in other commercial applications," Arnold said. "Some of the Western micro-electronics found in Russian drones, for example, are also used in refrigerators."
Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, emailed VOA on Monday that in addition to dual-use items, "the focus on sanctions enforcement should be on more important components."
Such components could include "non-domestic electronic components" that the CAR report said were found in the North Korean missile.
Arnold and other experts said North Korea's practice of using third-party countries to smuggle banned items makes it difficult to detect components headed into the country. But they said it is possible to use established procurement networks to track components back from the missile to identify intermediaries.
Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow and sanctions expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a telephone interview with VOA on Friday, "Part of the biggest challenge is going after those who help North Korean sanctions evasion."
He continued, "China, Russia, North Korea, Iran — these countries are experts in avoiding U.N. and U.S. sanctions. They are smart enough not to use their names and avoid any suggestion that it's Russia or North Korea or Iran or China trying to buy these items. Part of the challenge is to lift that veil."
Joshua Stanton, an attorney based in Washington who helped draft the Sanctions and Policy Enforcement Act in 2016, said via email these discoveries could be "an opportunity for the Commerce Department to trace North Korea's procurement networks from each component through its supply chain and put the middlemen on its entity list."
voanews.com · February 27, 2024
10. South Korean military to surrender real estate for local development
South Korean military to surrender real estate for local development
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · February 27, 2024
Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons and South Korean KF-16s taxi to the runway at Seosan Air Base, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2014. (Taylor Curry/U.S. Air Force)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Roughly 130 square miles of land scattered across South Korea and reserved for military use will be turned over for local development, the Ministry of National Defense announced this week.
The ministry announced plans Monday to lift property restrictions that citizens and local governments have complained for years limit development opportunities in their communities, according to a ministry news release.
This is the South Korean military’s largest turnover of land since 2007. Military zones still account for roughly 8.2% of the country, according to the release.
Relinquishing the land will have no impact on military operations but will promote “economic revitalization” and ease building codes that limited building heights, according to the release.
Around 54 square miles in South Chungcheong province on the western coast will be turned over, the largest batch of real estate in the plan. Other areas include 18 square miles in Seoul, 0.02 square miles in Pyeongtaek city and roughly 14.6 square miles near the border with North Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in a televised speech Monday at Seosan Air Base said a military runway there will be repurposed to accommodate a civilian airport by 2028.
Yoon said the military’s capabilities have changed since the 1970s, when the land restrictions were first introduced, and that “rapid urbanization of the whole country” has prompted the need for change.
“I expect this to be a model of great success and for the civilian and military to … achieve regional economic development,” he said.
Real estate previously occupied by the U.S. military has also been returned to the South Korean government as part of a $10 billion relocation plan, paid mostly by Seoul.
Around 70 U.S. military outposts have been closed or partially returned since 2002 to consolidate American forces.
Yongsan Garrison in the heart of Seoul previously housed the headquarters of U.S. Forces Korea, U.N. Command, Combined Forces Command, 2nd Infantry Division and Eighth Army. All the commands moved to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, roughly 40 miles south of the capital city, leaving about 500 troops at Yongsan.
In May, 74 acres of the garrison returned to the Seoul government was repurposed into a park that includes a baseball and soccer field.
David Choi
David Choi
David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · February 27, 2024
11. North Korean and Uzbek workers involved in major brawl at Russian worksite
But the cause is the Kim family regime. Can this evolve to higher forms of resistance?
North Korean and Uzbek workers involved in major brawl at Russian worksite
The injured North Korean workers never saw a single cent of the compensation money, which went to the North Korean company that employs them
By Jeong Tae Joo - February 28, 2024
dailynk.com
North Korean and Uzbek workers involved in major brawl at Russian worksite - Daily NK English
FILE PHOTO: Several different construction sites in the Russian city of Ussuriysk in June 2019. (Daily NK)
A major fight broke out recently between North Korean and Uzbek workers at a construction site in Russia, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Russia told Daily NK on Monday that the fight occurred on the evening of Feb. 17 in the city of Chita, in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District.
The fight was allegedly started for no apparent reason by six Uzbek workers who were passing by the North Korean workers’ dormitories. The Uzbek workers, who had been drinking heavily after work, began harassing and beating a North Korean worker who was smoking outside.
Within moments, ten more North Korean workers ran up and joined the fight, and the two sides faced off. But it became an all-out brawl when five more North Korean workers from a nearby construction site joined the fray.
“The melee escalated when five more North Korean workers heard the news and rushed to join in. The Uzbek workers beat four of the five latecomers senseless and then smashed the equipment in their work area,” the source said.
“The North Korean workers who were involved in the initial scuffle stood by and watched as the latecomers were beaten. Afterward, the workers explained that their behavior was motivated partly by their determination to return home safely with their earnings and partly by their fear of discrimination from the company and retaliation from the Uzbeks,” the source added.
The riot did not end until late in the evening when police were called to the scene and the four unconscious North Korean workers were taken to a hospital.
Compensation paid – but not to injured workers
After news of the evening’s fight reached the Russian project manager the next day, he demanded compensation from the company that employed the Uzbek workers. In other words, the Russian who managed the North Korean workers at the site was directly involved, rather than the company that employed the North Korean workers or the North Korean embassy in Russia.
“This Russian had a generally positive impression of the North Korean workers because they always cleared away the sand piles and neatly organized their materials and tools after finishing work. That’s why he took a personal interest in the matter and demanded that the North Korean workers receive compensation for their injuries,” the source said.
In the end, the company managing the Uzbek workers paid a total of RUB 800,000 (around USD 8,696) on Feb. 20 to the four North Korean workers who were taken to the hospital after being knocked out.
But the workers never saw a single cent of the compensation money, which went to the North Korean company that employs them.
“The North Korean company told the workers that their compensation would be used to cover their hospital bills, their quota of time off work, and the company’s operating expenses. The workers complain that they have to rush back to work to meet their monthly quota without any compensation or proper medical treatment,” the source said.
The source said that some North Korean workers at the site were upset that the higher-ups got to pocket the compensation money when it was the injured workers who were beaten half to death. Others found it absurd that the injured workers had to focus on meeting their quotas for the state without even being allowed to file a complaint.
After the incident, North Korean companies in Russia instructed their workers to stay out of fights, even if their lives were in danger, reminding them that any attempt to fight back would undermine North Korea’s international standing.
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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12. How one North Korean man was purged for no real reason
None of us can really appreciate or imagine living under a system such as this.
How one North Korean man was purged for no real reason
The man's story highlights the vulnerability of all North Koreans to political purges, which could strike at any time and any place
By Kim Jeong Yoon - February 28, 2024
dailynk.com
How one North Korean man was purged for no real reason - Daily NK English
North Korean state-run media published this photograph of the pool at the Changgwangwon Health Complex. (KCNA)
In June 2020, the iconic Changgwangwon Health Complex in North Korea celebrated its 40th anniversary. The complex is known among Pyongyang residents for having a good, reliable water management system despite the age of the facilities. But over the past 40 years, the tragic story of the designer behind this acclaimed water management system has been lost to history.
The man’s story begins in the late 1970s when Kim Jong Il sought to cement his position as successor and “Dear Leader” by pouring resources into the construction of public recreational facilities. At that time, the Pyongyang Municipal Construction Enterprise recommended Oh Pyong-joon, an ordinary designer in his 40s, to help design and build the Changgwangwon Health Complex.
At the heart of the Changgwangwon complex construction project was the question of how to handle the water management system. The construction manager and officials in charge of the project were considering a system for filtering and reusing water from the swimming pools and baths when Oh made the novel suggestion of drawing clean water from the nearby Taedong River instead.
Ultimately, Oh’s proposal won out among the various solutions presented to Kim Jong Il and the Workers’ Party, and his system was implemented. The Changgwangwon Health Complex with Oh’s water management system was successfully opened on Mar. 21, 1980. Oh was later recognized for his contribution, awarded the title of “Meritorious Designer” and promoted to a new position as a cabinet-level official.
Ten years after the Changgwangwon complex opened to the public, a party-affiliated historical research institute told a slightly different story. The new historical records claimed that “at the time, all the officials involved in the construction project proposed a filtration system, but Dear Leader Kim Jong Il insisted that the people’s service [public recreation] facilities must have the highest possible water quality and made the decision to draw water directly from the Taedong River to provide fresh, clean water at all times.”
Although Oh, the mastermind behind the idea, learned of this new story, he never revealed the truth of the matter, even to his own wife and child. Believing that his fate and his child’s future depended on the Kim leadership and the party, Oh kept his head down and focused his energy on the tasks he was given. A loyal and dedicated worker, he quietly spent his life devoted to the nation.
An out-of-the-blue purge
Oh worked hard and eventually retired. Then, early one morning in September 2014, ten officials from the Special Security Division of the Ministry of Social Security and the Military Security Command stormed into the Oh family’s home in the Kyonghyung neighborhood of Pyongyang’s Central District.
The officials told Oh that he had been “identified as a modern factionalist who is damaging the authority and dignity of the Party and the legacy of the Beloved Great General [Kim Jong Il] and must obey orders.” Those orders, it turns out, included the exile of the retired designer (then 73), his wife, Oh’s son, his wife, and their two grandchildren to a remote mountain village.
Oh and his family were sent to Pujon County in South Hamgyong Province, a mountainous area that is barren of crops and frosty even in the summer. In this hellish exile, the retired designer and his wife eventually died just one year later in July 2015. Their son’s family is said to still be living there, keeping a low profile under the fierce scrutiny of North Korean law enforcement.
“[Oh’s exile] came at the same time as Jang Song-thaek’s purge in December 2013, which was carried out in the general name of solidifying the party’s monolithic leadership system,” explained a source in North Korea familiar with the affair. “The Marshal [Kim Jong Un] directly issued the order to ‘clean up the ranks’ and get rid of anyone who might pose the slightest obstacle to glorifying the revolutionary achievements of the leader [Kim Il Sung] and the general [Kim Jong Il], regardless of that person’s rank or contributions.”
In the process of shoring up the foundations of Kim Jong Un’s newfound power and purifying the ranks, some innocent and loyal workers were swept away, including Oh, whose only crime was to know the truth behind the design of the Changgwangwon complex’s water system.
On Mar. 22, 2020, the Rodong Sinmun commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Changgwangwon Complex, writing, “In the blink of an eye, forty years have passed since the opening of the Changgwangwon Health Complex, a famous all-inclusive recreational facility that echoes with the people’s laughter all year round.”
The anniversary coverage did not fail to mention Kim Jong Il’s alleged role in the complex’s water management system. The article also added that Kim Jong Il had spent part of the last evening before his death reviewing documents related to the Changgwangwon Health Complex.
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
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13. The developing ‘mushroom cloud’ over the Korean Peninsula
The developing ‘mushroom cloud’ over the Korean Peninsula
By Ben Joseph ucanews.com5 min
February 27, 2024
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Koreans lived together peacefully on the peninsula for centuries until they became separated after World War II. The subsequent war led to further divisions and have caused immense loss of life for more than seven decades.
And yet Koreans continued to see light at the end of the tunnel with the Church and other global bodies championing peace. But the years of arduous efforts to unify 71 million people have been almost undone by the recent actions of an unpredictable leadership in both countries.
Barely five days after Seoul archdiocese marked its 1,400th Eucharist for the unification of the Koreas on Jan. 9, North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), the highest organ of state power, rewrote the country’s constitution to label South Korea as its “principal adversary.”
The damage was done.
The archdiocese had been at the forefront of unification efforts since 1995 when it was led by Cardinal Stephen Kim. At the Mass, Auxiliary Bishop Job Yobi Koo of Seoul asked people to pray so that “we may become an instrument for reconciliation” so that the people on the peninsula “may unite with love.”
Along with other denominations, the Korean Catholic Church has been organizing ecumenical prayer gatherings, meetings and seminars, and global initiatives to promote demilitarization and nuclear disarmament.
Pope Francis has held Korean unification “close to his heart.”
While addressing the South Korean Church when it celebrated a Mass for Peace on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27, 2023, Francis sent a message and wanted the Korean Church to “become a prophet of peace.”
The Church’s longstanding pursuit of the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas suffered a setback when 40-year-old North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said there was no point in following a unification policy in his year-end speech.
After the speech was delivered, Kim’s communist administration wasted no time in removing public symbols promoting peaceful reunification. Top party honchos made sure that three inter-Korean cooperation outfits — the Korean People’s Cooperation Administration, Kumgangsan International Tourism Administration, and the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland — became history.
The North Korean leadership asked the military to beef up missile tests, including nuclear arms, believing that Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria arguably suffered consequences for not possessing nuclear arms to deter US attacks against them.
Given the stark choice of another war with the US, the North preferred the most lethal weapon, though the nation’s leadership was universally condemned as bizarre and irrational.
Officially abandoning the longstanding policy of unification has internal implications for the North. Its authoritarian leadership is no longer required to speed up the democratization process linked to the reunification process.
Since conducting its first nuclear test in 2006, the North has always accused the South of using reunification as a ploy to topple its communist government under the guise of democracy.
South Korea under Yoon Suk Yeol, who became president in May 2022, has smashed every vestige of enhanced inter-Korean ties achieved during his Catholic predecessor Moon Jae-in’s term.
Yoon has already made South Korea a subordinate ally of the hyper-militarized Indo-Pacific Strategy of the Biden administration. It conducted at least 42 joint military exercises with the US in 2023 alone. It has also beefed up military engagements with Australia and Japan.
Yoon has already undertaken a flurry of visits and meetings around the world to position South Korea as a “global pivotal state” and has made his presence felt at the virtual Indo-Pacific Economic Framework summit and the NATO summit in Madrid.
He also figured prominently in high-level meetings involving Japan and the US to firm up his evolving hardline North Korea policy.
The South downsized the Ministry of Unification (MoU), set up in 1969, in mid-2023 and has re-designated the North as “our enemy” in its defense white paper.
Under Moon, who visited Pope Francis to appraise him of the progress of the Korean peace process in 2018 and 2021, the white paper had dropped the reference to North Korea as an enemy.
In September 2018, Moon along with Kim addressed a crowd of 150,000 North Koreans in the North’s capital, a first of its kind.
When Moon met the pope on Oct 29, 2021, Francis reaffirmed his desire to visit Pyongyang “for the sake of peace.”
Seoul and Washington are still at war with Pyongyang since the 1953 armistice ended combat operations in the Korean War but was not followed up by a peace treaty. The US has around 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea.
North Korea has been seeking concessions on the sweeping brutal sanctions imposed by the US against Pyongyang. But no Standard Operation Procedures were forthcoming from Washington.
Last year saw an act of overt intimidation by the US as it conducted seven exercises with nuclear-capable bombers over the Korean peninsula.
The Korean War (1950-53) was a war that Americans conveniently forgot with the invention of a “good” South Korea and a “bad” North. But North Koreans are taught to remember the war and the carpet-bombing and the widespread use of napalm, an incendiary liquid that can clear forested areas and cause devastating burns to human skin, forever.
The war killed over 4 million people and the U.S. dropped 32,357 tons of napalm with gusto. First used in World War II, napalm was widely used in the Korean War, and later assumed notoriety in the Vietnam War later. Military historians believe that but for napalm the US would have suffered a humiliating defeat in the Korean war.
With nuclear threat diplomacy by three unpredictable leaders — US, South Korea and North Korea — on the rise recently, the peninsula has become a prime candidate for a nuclear catastrophe.
Every peace organization worth its name in the world should push their national governments and their churches to get involved to work for unification and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The threat of a mushroom cloud and a nuclear menace on the peninsula is real and unmistakable. It is there for everyone to see.
And a war involving nuclear-armed nations means omnicide.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
14. Seizing Opportunities for Engagement With the DPRK
Blame sanctions. But north Korea has to want engagement and in recent years it has not seemed to want it. Even post-COVID.
Engagement is a threat to Kim Jong Un. (which is why I would support engagement).
Seizing Opportunities for Engagement With the DPRK
https://www.38north.org/2024/02/seizing-opportunities-for-engagement-with-the-dprk/
On the face of it, engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, the formal name for North Korea) seems impossible. International sanctions have become so pervasive that people, institutions and governments are reluctant to try. However, our experience of science engagement with the DPRK reveals a more nuanced reality. While engagement is fraught with challenges and requires flexibility from practitioners, institutions and funders, it can be done within existing sanctions and, importantly, sustained during geopolitical shifts.
Sanctions are designed to create barriers to certain kinds of activity. When targeted, this has limited impacts on most interactions. However, when sanctions become wide-reaching, it means all activity must pass some level of scrutiny. This process, by which non-targeted engagement is reviewed by government/intergovernmental actors, can be time-consuming and financially burdensome, but it does present a mechanism by which activity can continue in the face of severe sanctions. Of greater significance are the unintended consequences of sanctions, especially the perceived risks that most institutions and governments associate with any activity involving the DPRK. These are harder to overcome. Often, this means opportunities—when they do arise—are missed, and chances to build relationships in areas of mutual interest are lost.
If there is a desire to engage with the DPRK now and in the future, then it is essential that this change. Our experience shows that institutions must be assured they will not be penalized for working with the DPRK in safe areas of engagement. International Governments and the United Nations (UN) could facilitate this by officially stating that there are certain strategic areas of mutual benefit where engagement is encouraged to help reassure funders, institutions and governments that it is worth trying.
Volcano Diplomacy
In 2002, the long-dormant volcano Mount Paektu (also known as Changbaishan in China) woke up. Monitoring stations in the DPRK and China recorded a sharp increase in small earthquakes located directly beneath the volcano. Subsequent release of volcanic gas and ground deformation pointed to magma recharge beneath the volcano. Activity reduced in 2005 and has now returned to normal levels, but it has led to renewed interest in the volcano and a desire to understand what might happen if it were to erupt in the future.
In 2011, DPRK scientists invited international volcanologists to visit the country to collaborate in studying the volcano. This visit set in chain a 12-year partnership, leading to a new understanding of its magmatic system and history.
The success of this project relied on the enthusiasm (and, to some degree, naivety to the challenges ahead) of scientists and the strong support from institutions and governments that identified a unique chance for engagement with the DPRK. At the time, we had limited experience in dealing with sanctions, which gave us the freedom to design our collaboration with our colleagues in the DPRK in an unreserved fashion, building a project underpinned by the scientific objectives that had been developed with our DPRK colleagues. It was easy to establish a project of equal partnership, linking our experience working on volcanoes around the world with the decades of knowledge on Mount Paektu brought by our DPRK partners. We were grateful to receive funding from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and The Richard Lounsbery Foundation to pursue this work. However, as we attempted to start the project, it became clear sanctions would create significant challenges.
The first challenge was to establish trust between us and our DPRK partners. To do this, we sought to co-develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between all parties that expressed the aims of both sides. This non-legally binding document, involving no financial transactions or commitments, was a step too far for my host institution at the time (Imperial College London), which refused to sign any documents with the DPRK due to the potential reputational risk.
Fortunately, our funders at AAAS and the Royal Society of London in the United Kingdom (UK) had already met to discuss the power of science diplomacy, including how science can be useful in building relationships in periods of political strain. They recognized the potential for this project to develop long-lasting engagement with the DPRK in an area with minimal overlap with the targets of sanctions. The Royal Society agreed to sign the MoU on our behalf, and we continue to work under their auspices.
These perceived risks also extend to the outputs of our research. A number of publishers of academic journals are nervous about publishing work, including DPRK authors. While our experience has been to encounter delays while publishers check their legal requirements, it has not precluded us publishing our jointly authored papers on Paektu Volcano. However, we note that some publishers have a policy of not offering publishing services to DPRK authors. This includes peer review and editing, effectively halting opportunities to publish across several journals.
The presence of a UK Embassy in Pyongyang and the UK’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council has played a unique role in helping facilitate this research collaboration. The UK government’s policy in North Korea is one of critical engagement, where it is robustly critical of the country for weapons development, among other areas, while also seeking to identify mutually beneficial and safe areas for engagement to build trust and understanding over the long term.
This policy of critical engagement proved important for our project. Initially, as we navigated the process of gaining export licenses for our equipment, the UK government showed patience and a willingness to navigate the complex legal frameworks so the project could succeed. The biggest hurdle came in November 2016 with the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2321, which explicitly sanctioned any scientific collaboration with the DPRK. Despite this stipulation, and with an understanding volcanology was far from the kind of science cooperation this resolution intended to block, the UK Government expressed enthusiasm for our project to continue and worked with the UN 1718 Committee to understand how this may be possible. Through a series of letters, the UK Government informed the 1718 Committee of our work, how it did not violate the sanctions, and that it should continue, which it does to this day.
Despite our success in building a sustained engagement with the DPRK in volcanology, our project shows that unintended consequences from sanctions can emerge as a formidable barrier to sustained engagement with the DPRK.
Opportunities for Engagement
Our scientific collaboration with the DPRK shows that sanctions themselves, while a hurdle, are not the biggest hindrance to engagement. Rather, the perceived risks to institutions and funders are. Without the bravery of the Royal Society to be a co-signatory with DPRK institutions and the AAAS and the Richard Lounsbery Foundation to fund the work (and their patience as we worked through getting sanctions exemptions/licenses), the project would have fallen at the first hurdle. Today, my host institution (Birkbeck, University of London) is supportive and has helped us set up the Mount Paektu Research Centre (MPRC). This gives us the institutional backing that can help bring in funds and legal and administrative support when applying for export licenses. It hopefully means we can grow and expand science engagement with the DPRK.
Finding further opportunities for this kind of engagement is not difficult; it is a matter of talking with people from the DPRK to find areas of mutual interest. In our case, we are exploring topics in environmental science, ranging from documenting and monitoring the unique biodiversity within the DPRK, understanding risks associated with environmental hazards and how these may change due to climate change, and, of course, we continue to work to understand more about Mount Paektu. These opportunities are also communicated officially beyond trusted partners. For example, the DPRK voluntary national review on the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development focuses on progress towards the UN sustainability goals. Within this, the DPRK highlights that it seeks international cooperation to build resilience against natural disasters.
Moving Forward
As relations with the DPRK continue to evolve, the central question becomes how the international community can seize and take advantage of opportunities for meaningful engagement. Despite a myriad of challenges, our project has shown that through science, it is possible to build a collaboration of equal partnership, which can be sustained during geopolitical changes. It demonstrates that engagement is possible today, even within the current sanctions regime, building relationships that can underpin future partnerships if or when the geopolitical environment is ready.
However, finding new partners willing to engage with the DPRK in an environment where they fear reputational damage and convincing financial institutions to get or stay involved is becoming more difficult. If the international community recognizes the value of engagement in safe spaces and wants these engagement opportunities to be taken, then a clear signal must be sent that, despite the restrictions imposed by the current sanctions regime, there are activities that are desirable—and even encouraged—and offer reassurance to institutions, funders and banks that collaboration with the DPRK is not only possible, but worthwhile.
15. Demographic time bomb in S. Korea over world's lowest birth rate, super aging
(News Focus) Demographic time bomb in S. Korea over world's lowest birth rate, super aging | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · February 28, 2024
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- The unprecedentedly low birth rate in South Korea last year highlighted the daunting demographic task the country is facing of how to prevent depopulation amid little signs of improvement over changing social norms and tougher economic circumstances, experts said Wednesday.
Data by Statistics Korea showed that the country's total fertility rate, which means the average number of expected births from a woman in her lifetime, fell to an all-time quarterly low of 0.65 in the October-December period in 2023.
It came far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to keep the country's population at 51 million in a stable manner without immigration.
The yearly rate also dropped to 0.72 in 2023 from the previous year's 0.78. The comparable figure in 2015 came to 1.24.
South Korea is the only country among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) where the total fertility rate had come below 1 as of 2021.
It came on the heels of Hong Kong in terms of the low total fertility rate across the globe, which logged the world's lowest total fertility rate of 0.77.
This file photo shows a public postnatal care center in Seoul, in this file photo taken Dec. 26, 2023. (Yonhap)
The number of babies born in South Korea last year also tumbled to a record low of 229,970 by decreasing 7.7 percent on-year.
The number hovered below the 400,000 mark for the first time ever in 2017, and skidded further to below 300,000 in 2020 and to under 250,000 in 2022.
The country has suffered a natural decline in population for four consecutive years since 2020.
Things are feared to be getting worse.
"The total fertility rate is expected to come to around 0.68 this year, and the number of newborns is also likely to go down further as many had postponed marriage and childbirths over the past several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic," agency official Lim Young-il told reporters.
The number of newly married couples has risen after the pandemic, but that does not mean that the birth rate will rise accordingly, given recent social trends.
"We've seen a growing number of married couples opting not to have babies, so the probability of more marriages and more babies has become low," Lim added.
By 2072, the country's population will tumble to around 36.22 million, and the median age will increase to 63.4 from 44.9 in 2022, according to the forecast by the statistics agency.
During a forum last year, Oxford University professor emeritus David Coleman warned that South Korea may become the first country to disappear from population extinction in around 2750 if its low birth rate continued.
The professor pointed to the country's patriarchal culture, competition-oriented education, low gender equality and rare out-of-wedlock births, among other factors.
This file photo shows children walking at a museum in Seoul on Jan. 31, 2024. (Yonhap)
"The population decline poses serious threats not only to the labor market and state finance but every aspect of the society from national defense to education and medical services," Lee Sang-rim, an expert of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said.
The gross domestic product (GDP) in South Korea is forecast to drop 28.38 percent in 2050 from the 2022 level as the working age population is projected to slide 34.75 percent during the cited period, a report by the institute showed.
The number of military personnel has been on a steady decline to fall below 500,000 for the first time in 2022, and many have warned that the shrinking pool of conscripts could erode the country's military recruitment capabilities.
All able-bodied men must serve mandatory military service for at least 18 months in South Korea.
"What we need is not just policy measures to boost population, but a firm political resolution to address the issue by making all-out efforts in mobilizing all possible resources," Lee said.
The health ministry in December vowed to come up with "extraordinary measures," though no major plans have been announced.
South Korea increased the budget to respond to such grim demographic changes from around 2.1 trillion won in 2006 to 11.1 trillion won in 2012 and further to 21.4 trillion won in 2016. But it accounted for about 2 percent of GDP.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has called for approaching the issue of the declining birth rate from "a fundamentally different perspective," emphasizing the need to identify its causes and find effective solutions.
Rivals announced a set of measures of their own aimed at addressing the low birth rate, such as guaranteeing parental leave for fathers, the establishment of a population ministry to oversee the demographic changes, and giving rented housing for couples with multiple babies and expanded cash payout for parents.
Many young South Koreans, however, appear to have remained skeptical about such pledges, as they are facing multiple, complex and fundamental reasons of not having a baby, such as unaffordable homes amid a tough job market, high costs and unfavorable social circumstances of raising children, and notoriously long work hours.
"Upon getting married, my husband and I agreed not to have a baby. I want to continue my carrier, and I don't think we can afford the costs of living, child rearing and education in this society," Chung Min-sun, a 34-year-old office worker in Seoul, said.
"My sister had a daughter, and I will never lead such a miserable life as what my sister has had over the past seven years while struggling with her work and child care. I am not alone, as many of my friends have the same plan as me," Chung added.
In this file photo, people check job posts at an employment center in Seoul on Feb. 16, 2024. (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Oh Seok-min · February 28, 2024
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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