Quotes of the Day:

“The foreign states may become actively involved for positive purposes only if and when the internal resistance movement has already begun shaking the dictatorship, having thereby focused international attention on the brutal nature of the regime.”

- Gene Sharp, From Dictatorship to Democracy

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

- Isaac Asimov

 "A mob almost inevitably looks to its lowest elements for leadership, or else it would not be a mob."

- James L. Stokesbury's account of London's Gordon Riots in 1778

1. North to display key weapons at parade Wednesday

2. S. Korea closely watching N. Korea's 'increased' activities to prepare for military parade: Seoul official

3. People’s Vanguard, HGH, North Korea’s Extensive Spy Network Discovered All Over South Korea

4. The gangster who sent $8m in cash to North Korea

5. NIS forms interagency team to probe suspected ant-communist law violations

6. Yoon orders humanitarian aid for quake-hit Iran, Turkey

7. Turkey picks South Korean transmission for Altay tank

8. America's top cyber diplomat says his Twitter account was hacked

9. Argentina hopes to strengthen nuclear cooperation with Korea

10. [INTERVIEW] Saudi Arabia seeks greater cooperation with Korea in NEOM

11.The Gist of Seoul’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

12. PM says relations with Japan must move toward future

13. N. Korea to hold ruling party plenary meeting on agriculture this month

14. N. Korean business owners unhappy about “cash sterilizer” mandate

15. North Korean balloon briefly spotted over South Korea, Seoul says

16. U.K.'s King Charles Meets N.Korean Defector

17. ‘Warrior’s spirit’: Army marks 72 years since its last major bayonet charge in Korean War

1. North to display key weapons at parade Wednesday

Yes, it will be interesting to see what they show us and try to discern the messaging.

We should keep in mind this - some estimates are that Kim spent $170,000,000 on missile tests last year - money that could have been used to feed the Korean people in the north (or buy vaccines). We have read reports that the north Korean People's Army had to halt some training this year during their annual winter training cycle due to the inability to provide sufficient food to allow the soldiers to continue training.

The people and the military are suffering because of Kim Jong Un's deliberate policy decisions to prioritize missiles and nuclear weapons over the welfare of the Korean people in the north, to include the soldiers.

But I am sure Kim Jong Un will enjoy his parade after soldiers spent a month rehearsing it.

Monday

February 6, 2023

 dictionary + A - A 

North to display key weapons at parade Wednesday

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/02/06/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-military-parade/20230206185925021.html

North Korea is likely to display upgraded short-range ballistic missiles it has been aggressively testing, and possibly a solid-fuel version of its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile, at a military parade expected to take place Wednesday.

Feb. 8 marks the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s founding of its military.

The parade would be the first of its kind since April last year, shortly before the regime acknowledged its first suspected outbreak of Covid-19 within its borders. 

“The North has made significant progress with its KN-23, KN-24 and KN-25 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) through continuous testing, so there is a high chance it will display modified or upgraded versions of these missiles, such as the type it can fire from rail carriage-based launchers,” said Hong Min, director of the North Korea Research Division at the Korea Institute of National Unification.

The North conducted 70 missiles launches last year, including its first successful test of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November and at least one publicized test of a solid-fuel engine in December, which state media said was intended for “new-type strategic weapons system.”

Based on these tests, Hong said the North could use the parade to show off a solid-fuel version of its longest-range ICBM, the Hwasong-17, as well as a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from its Pukguksong series.

“With the exception of the Hwasong-12, North Korea’s arsenal of medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles is quite outdated and has exhibited a low testing success rate in the past, so they need other weapons, such as SLBMs and cruise missiles, to make up for this weakness,” Hong said.

Hong noted that although the North has displayed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at past military parades, such as the parade in February 2018, it may be more careful about displaying drones again after the brazen drone incursion in December. 

“While we paid little attention to the appearance of UAVs at the 2018 parade, they will know that we are much more sensitive to such weapons now after their drone infiltration,” he said, adding that the regime “may be sensitive to criticism that it is blatantly displaying weapons it used to infiltrate South Korea.”

Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute’s Center for Foreign Policy and National Security, said that the regime would probably display some weapons from categories that Kim Jong-un called his regime’s top military priorities in the five-year plan announced at the Eighth Workers’ Party Congress in January 2021.

“Since Kim said at the meeting that his regime would pursue tactical and strategic nuclear weapons, SLBMs, reconnaissance satellites and UAVs, these weapons and their associated equipment are likely to appear at the Feb. 8 parade to underline the regime’s mid-term progress thus far in achieving its goals,” Yang said.

Yang cautioned that North Korea’s parades are meant to provoke as much as they are intended to send a message to the regime’s enemies. 

“These parades are North Korea’s way of projecting a higher-level threat to South Korea and the United States than its verified weapons actually do,” Yang said, noting that the regime began to showcase more untested weapons since 2017, when its missile testing picked up speed.

“Previously, the weapons displayed by the North at parades were ones we knew they already possessed,” Yang said, adding that showing new weapons before testing them was Pyongyang’s way of controlling its desired threat escalation.

Yang said showing more advanced weapons was Pyongyang’s way of upping its leverage against Washington.

“Even though the North claims it will not return to talks with the United States until the latter drops its ‘hostile policy,’ showcasing weapons are one way that the regime likely hopes to strengthen its hand in potential future negotiations.”

One example of this are the North’s Pukguksong-4, 5 and 6 SLBMs, which are not known to have been tested but nonetheless appeared for the first time during parades.

“Despite showing these new and enlarged SLBMs, the North has neither tested them nor displayed any submarines that could fire them, which lowers those weapons’ credibility,” Yang said.

SLBMs are strategic weapons considered essential to maintaining a country’s retaliatory or second strike capability should it come under a nuclear attack.

Antoine Bondaz, director of the Korea Program for the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FSR), said Pyongyang could be showing yet-untested weapons to demonstrate commitment to its goals.

“This is the North Koreans’ way of saying, ‘We’re serious, and we will do what we said we would,’” Bondaz said, noting that North Korea has achieved many of the military development goals previously announced by Kim.

While the North said in December that it will launch a military reconnaissance satellite by April this year, Bondaz said, “It is unlikely that a satellite launch vehicle like the Unha-3 will be displayed at the parade — but not impossible, given the North still lacks intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnnaissance capabilities.”

Bondaz said he is looking for other signs of technical progress to add teeth to the North’s declared nuclear weapons doctrine and confirmation of observations gleaned from previous tests.

“What matters for us is evidence of a link between SRBMs and tactical nuclear weapons,” he said, referring to the North’s promulgation of a law in September authorizing first use of nuclear weapons in certain scenarios and Kim’s pronouncements in April that his regime would pursue the development of smaller, tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed with front-line military units.

According to a report by FSR, at least two versions of the Hwasong-15 ICBM have been developed by the North, and the parade might shed light on the missile’s progress.

North Korea launched what experts believe was a Hwasong-15 on Nov. 3, which failed during second-stage separation. 

That visibly smaller missile featured significant structural modifications from the first Hwasong-15, launched by the regime in November 2017, including possible changes to its fuel tanks, shorter first stage and second stage boosters and a longer and more tapered payload section, leading observers to theorize Pyongyang is working to improve the missile’s capabilities since its successful test five years ago.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO,MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]

2. S. Korea closely watching N. Korea's 'increased' activities to prepare for military parade: Seoul official

S. Korea closely watching N. Korea's 'increased' activities to prepare for military parade: Seoul official

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

Soldiers march in a military parade held to celebrate the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, , in this April 25, 2022 file photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency. EPA-Yonhap

South Korea's military is closely monitoring "increased activities" by North Korea in apparent preparations for a military parade, a Seoul official said Monday amid speculation that the reclusive regime may stage a nighttime parade in Pyongyang later this week.

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun made the remarks as media outlets have cited commercial satellite imagery indicating the North has been preparing for the parade apparently to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces Wednesday.

"We are keeping close tabs on some increased activities with regards to (North Korea's) recent rehearsals," Lee told a regular press briefing. "As the date of the event is approaching, we are observing it with a greater interest."

Lee refused to comment on exactly when the parade would come.

"We have an internal judgment on that, but it is difficult to publicly say that," he said.

Ahead of the upcoming military anniversary, troops, vehicles and other pieces of equipment have been spotted at the Sunan airport and Mirim Airport in the North Korean capital, according to reports.

The North has a history of using military parades to mark crucial national anniversaries, with an apparent intention to highlight its military presence through a showcase of its latest weapons systems, such as long-range missiles. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

3. People’s Vanguard, HGH, North Korea’s Extensive Spy Network Discovered All Over South Korea

Few people (or perhaps no one) are focusing on north korean subversiona nd esponage in the South, than Dr. Tara O.

Conclusion:

What has been uncovered thus far is considered only the tip of the iceberg. North Korea having extensive spy network(s) in South Korea fits with the Kim regime’s long stated goal of taking control of the entire Korean peninsula under its rule. Many often forget North Korea’s goals and its subversive methods, simply because South Korea has developed rapidly and became wealthy, while North Korea is poor. The complacency and naivete reached a point that one of the fashionable sayings during the 2017 presidential campaign was “how can there still be spies these days?”

It turns out the spies for North Korea and their activities have been rampant in the Republic of Korea.  It is important to keep in mind that the NIS’s authority to investigate spy cases is scheduled to be taken away at the end of the year, per the law passed by the Democratic Party of Korea and signed by Moon Jae-in. With a 3/5 majority, Moon’s party had enough seats to exclude all other parties, and still pass any law it wanted (except to change the constitution, which takes a 2/3 majority). How much of North Korea’s espionage activities are revealed depends on the capability of the government organizations to carry out their tasks, including the courts. It also depends on the will of the current administration and its ability to reverse the damage to, and bolster, the NIS and other relevant agencies.

Home  >  Espionage / Intelligence / Spy / Subversion

People’s Vanguard, HGH, North Korea’s Extensive Spy Network Discovered All Over South Korea

 PUBLISHED DATEFEBRUARY 4, 2023 LAST MODIFIED DATEFEBRUARY 5, 2023

2023-2-4, Tara O

https://eastasiaresearch.org/2023/02/04/peoples-vanguard-hgh-north-koreas-extensive-spy-network-discovered-all-over-south-korea/

A major spy scandal has been brewing for more than 5 years in South Korea. The activities of North Korean agents and their South Korean assets are being disclosed at a rapid pace. So far, activities have been discovered in Jeju, Changwon, Jinju, Gimje, Jeonju, and Seoul. Afraid of upsetting the Kim Jong-un regime, the previous Moon Jae-in administration (May 10, 2017 to May 9, 2021) actively suppressed formal investigations of the vast network of underground organizations that took orders from the Cultural Exchange Bureau under the United Front Department in the Korean Workers’ Party based in Pyongyang. Now that the investigative authorities, such as the National Intelligence Service (NIS), are free to perform their assigned duties (although for the NIS, it is only until the end of the year, when its investigative authority is to be taken away per the law passed by the Democratic Party of Korea), investigation is picking up steam against an enormous spy network, perhaps the biggest in two decades, much bigger than the espionage cases of IlsimHoe (일심회, “one heart committee”) discovered in 2006 and WangjaeSan (왕재산) in 2011.

People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification (Jaju Tongil Minjoong Jonwi, 자주통일 민중전위)

In various regions of the Republic of Korea, underground organizations directed by North Korea were uncovered. The authorities conducted search and seizures of suspects simultaneously in Jeju (제주), Changwon (창원), Jinju (진주), and Jeonju (전주) in October and November 2022. In Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, which also extended to nearby Jinju, the underground organization discovered is called Jaju Tongil Minjoong Jonwi (자주통일 민중전위) (People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification).

Spy rings discovered at Changwon, Jeju, and Jeonju

Since 2016, the suspected spies in the underground organization People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification met with North Korean espionage agent Kim Myung-sung (김명성), an operative from the Cultural Exchange Bureau (Munhwa Goryuguk, 문화교류국), in Southeast Asian countries, including in Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and received orders to set up an underground organization(s). They then carried out North Korea’s instructions, creating the underground organization in the Changwon-Jinju area. The Changwon-Jinju area is where defense companies are concentrated.

The People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification implemented the orders of the Cultural Exchange Bureau to expand the underground organizations’ field of activities by recruiting people and indoctrinating the younger generation through infiltrating mass organizations, such as the KCTU and the Korean Federation of Peasants (전국농민회총연맹). 

North Korea also instructed the People’s Vanguard to contact the chairman of the National Plant Construction Union (전국플랜트건설노조), which is under KCTU’s Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions (전국건설산업노동조합연맹). The chairman of the National Plant Construction Union was arrested in the past on suspicion of unlawful assembly, and another member of this union was charged with violating the National Security Law in November 2020 and is on trial. The latter reportedly engaged in pro-North Korean activities with Pastor Kim, who was sentenced to three years in prison for receiving orders from North Korean agents Yun Dong-chul (윤동철) and Ri Kwang-jin, who served as the directors of North Korea’s Cultural Exchange Bureau.

KCTU members resist police search & seizure at the KCTU Headquarters in Seoul, 2023-1-18

The People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification, based in the Changwon-Jinju area, seems to have extended its operations to Seoul. On January 18, 2023, the NIS and the police simultaneously searched at least 10 locations, including the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) (Minju Nochong) in the Jeongdong neighborhood of Seoul, the office of the National Health Care Industry Workers’ Union (전국보건의료산업노동조합) under KCTU in the Dangsan-dong neighborhood in Seoul, and the office of the Peace Shelter of the Sewol Ferry Jeju Memorial Hall (제주기억관 평화쉼터) on Jeju Island, to seize relevant materials.

3 of 4 members of the People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification arrested on January 28, 2023

On January 28, 2023, the National Intelligence Service and the police arrested four people, including Mr. A, the chairman of the organizing committee of the Gyongnam Jinbo Yonhap (경남진보연합) (South Gyongsang Province Progressive Alliance), who was suspected of violating the National Security Act.

HGH

Similarly, the underground organization “HGH” (ㅎㄱㅎ) (presumed to be HanGilHoe or One Way Committee) in Jeju Province was created after North Korean agent Kim Myung-sung met with another spy suspect Mr. Kang since 2017 in Cambodia. (1:47)  It was revealed that while Kang was in Cambodia, he stayed at the same residence in Siem Riep as North Korean agents—Kim Myung-sung and 4 other agents stayed for 2 nights and 3 days, pledging loyalty to the Kim regime, becoming Workers’ Party members with a ceremony, and receiving spy training. The duration of 2 nights and 3 days was relatively short, because in the past, the similar process occurred in North Korea, rather than a third country, and it took longer due to the complexity of the decryption method, among other reasons.

Kang is a former chairman of the Jeju Island branch of the Progressive Party (진보당의 제주도당), which was formerly the United Progressive Party, which was outlawed by the Constitutional Court. Its leader Lee Suk-ki went to prison more than once for violating the National Security Law, inciting insurrection, and embezzlement. Lee Suk-ki was released early from prison by Rho Moo-hyun in 2003 and then again by Moon Jae-in in 2021.

Kang recruited two people—a Jeju labor official and a “peasants’ activist” (농민운동) to organize HGH. In October 2021, North Korea ordered HGH to conduct activities calling for suspending ROK-U.S. combined military exercises, dismantling ROK-US-Japan military cooperation, and opposing the import of advanced weapons (F-35) from the U.S. by mobilizing groups, such as the Progressive Party’s Jeju branch (진보당 제주도당), KCTU Jeju Branch’s April 3 Unification Committee (4·3통일위원회), and the Jeju Branch of the National Federation of Peasants (전국농민회 제주도연맹).

The Cultural Exchange Bureau agent instructed spy suspects to form underground organizations in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, wage an anti-government struggle in solidarity with “progressive candlelight forces,” and propagandize the Juche ideology and the greatness of North Korea’s “State Affairs Chairman Kim Jong Un.”

After their establishment, these underground organizations were operating under Kim Myung-sung’s orders of “struggle against the U.S.” “infiltrate and seize power in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and expand their power” and “denounce Yoon Suk-yeol,” among others. The Cultural Exchange Bureau ordered HGH “to launch a series of mass struggles, such as protest rallies, protest visits, and signature drives with slogans such as the suspension of joint military exercises, the dissolution of the ROK -U.S.-Japan military alliance, and opposition to the introduction of high-tech weapons from the United States by mobilizing the JJ-do (Jeju-do) branch of the Progressive Party, JJ (Jeju) headquarters of the April 3 Unification Committee of the KCTU, the JJ-do branch of the National Federation of Peasants (전국농민회총연맹), and JJ region anti-war peace advocacy groups.”

In late 2022, the authorities conducted a search and seizure of HGH in Jeju Province.

The search and seizures also occurred concurrently in Gimje and Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, but the underground organization name is not yet revealed. It is suspected that these underground organizations are networked, with the People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification in Changwon as the main headquarters. (1:42) They are all under the control of the Cultural Exchange Bureau (formerly 225^th Bureau). 

Ri Kwang-jin, the Director of the Cultural Exchange Bureau

While the People’s Vanguard for Independent Unification in Changwon and the HGH in Jeju report to the Cultural Exchange Bureau through Kim Myung Sung, other spy suspects report through other North Korean agents, including Ri Kwang-jin /Ri Gwang-jin (리광진).

According to a senior defector, Ri Kwang-jin of the Cultural Exchange Bureau is a veteran operative equivalent to South Korea’s deputy minister and has a large number of operatives under his command, including Bae Sung-ryong (배성룡), Kim Il-jin (김일진), and Chun Ji-sun (전지선). Ri Kwang-jin’s name on the passport is Kim Dong-jin (김동진). 

Ri is a graduate of the Kim Jong-il Univerisity of Politics and Military (김정일 정치군사 대학), where North Korea trains agents and armed special operators for anti-ROK operations. The “students” of the Kim Jong-il University do not use their real names, so it is unclear if Ri Kwang-jin is even his real name, but that is one of his names. In the 1990s, Ri infiltrated South Korea several times, disguising himself as the husband of a married couple. 

Ri Kwang-jin is also believed to be behind the “Chungju Spy Ring” (Chungbuk Comrades Association for Independent Unification), which since 2017, has been campaigning against the ROK Air Force purchasing the F-35 stealth fighters, among other campaigns, at the behest of North Korea.

According to Dr. Yoo Dong-ryul (유동열), the Director of Korea Institute of Liberal Democracy, although the Cultural Exchange Bureau (and its predecessor 225^th Bureau) is under the United Front Department of the Workers’ Party, it actually receives orders directly from, and reports directly to Kim Jong-un, not through the head of the United Front Department or the Prime Minister. This is an important point, because it means Ri Kwang-jin’s orders to his South Korean recruits came directly from Kim Jong-un, and that Kim has a keen interest in organizing these underground organizations and their agitation and propaganda activities in South Korea.

Labor Union: Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Infiltration Spy Ring

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) (전국민주노동조합총연맹 abbreviated as 민노총) is an umbrella organization of other labor unions. It is the largest labor entity, with over 1.25 million paying members. (3:03) It often conducts demonstrations and activities that are beyond labor issues, to include demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea, demanding abolishing the National Security Act, and partaking in candlelight demonstrations, which were performed to oppose the beef imports from the U.S., citing Mad Cow disease that never materialized in imported U.S. beef, and impeaching President Park Geun-hye.

Former and current officials of the KCTU met with North Korean agents several times abroad and returned to South Korea to implement orders to establish “underground organizations.”

On January 18, 2023, South Korean authorities conducted search and seizure of 10 locations related to KCTU. KCTU members blocked entry, screamed, and fought against the authorities, delaying the search and seizure. KCTU even posted videos of it, trying to gain sympathy by accusing the government of suppression, but the NIS and the police have proof of these KCTU officials meeting with North Korean agents multiple times in third countries, and establishing anti-state underground organizations per instructions from North Korea, specifically through the Cultural Exchange Bureau of the Workers’ Party’s United Front Department.

Labor union members physically resist search & seizure by the authorities blocking entry to the building, 2023-1-18

The History of KCTU Resisting Search & Seizure

Huh Hyun-jun (허현준), former Blue House official in the Park Geun-hye administration, explained that the KCTU has consistently resisted the authorities’ search and seizure efforts in the past, sometimes with metal pipes, and that the attempts to conduct search and seizure are not always successful. (14:40)

• In 1997 during the Kim Yong-sam administration, the police tried to conduct a search and seizure, but were not successful due to intense resistance from the KCTU. 
• In 2001 during the Kim Dae-jung administration, the police tried to conduct search and seizure related to strikes at Daewoo, but was not successful due to the intense resistance from the KCTU.
• In 2003 during the Rho Moo-hyun administration, the police tried to conduct a search and seizure, but was not successful due to the intense resistance from the KCTU. KCTU members surrounded the building and fought the police with metal pipes. 
• During the Park Geun-hye administration, two search and seizures and arrest attempts were made. In 2013, the KCTU members wielding metal pipes fought with the police and blocked their access, but the police eventually prevailed and entered the building and the office. They could not, however, execute the arrest warrant for Kim Myung-hwan (he later became the KCTU’s Central Committee member in 2020-2021), because he ran away while the KCTU members skirmished with the police.
• 2015, still under the Park Geun-hye administration, the authorities successfully conducted a search and seizure of 8 locations, including the KCTU headquarters and other labor union member organizations.
• During the Moon Jae-in administration, there was no attempt at search & seizures of the KCTU, despite its numerous violent activities.
• In January 2023, during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the authorities successfully conducted multiple search and seizures, despite KCTU resistance.

Spy Suspects in Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) (Minju Nochong)

The National Intelligence Service and the police are investigating four people for violating the National Security Act. (They have not been arrested yet.) The four suspects include Suk Kwon-ho (석권호), the Director of Organization at the KCTU, Mr. F, the former vice chairman of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (전국금속노동조합), Mr. G, the head of the Korean Health & Medical Workers Union (전국보건의료산업노동조합), and Mr. H, the CEO of the Sewol Ferry Jeju Memorial Hall Peace Shelter (세월호 제주기억관 평화쉼터), and former member of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union. They met with North Korean agent(s) as follows:

• Mr. Suk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2017 and in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019
• Mr. F in Phnom Penh in 2017
• Mr. G in Phnom Penh in 2017
• Mr. H in Hanoi in 2019

They traveled individually or in a team of two people to the Southeast Asian countries. All four have criminal records, including violence and obstruction of official duties. 

They met with North Korean operatives in third countries and were tasked with infiltrating various civic organizations and taking control of those organizations. To accomplish the tasks, they received training on how to organize anti-government groups and how to communicate with North Korea, and then returned to Korea to continue their anti-government activities in accordance with the programs and protocols dictated by the operatives.

Suk appears to be the primary organizer who recruited others for spying activities. This also means that Suk pledged loyalty to Kim Jong-un, joined the communist party (Korean Workers’ Party), and received espionage training. In August 2016, Suk traveled to Beijing with a “Boston Bag.” It appeared that the Boston Bag was transferred to the North Korean agent, as he left for North Korea holding a similar bag.  In September 2016, Suk travelled to Hanoi and received a “dark item” from a North Korean agent. Upon his return to Korea, Suk exchanged $10,000, probably an espionage operations fund, at a currency exchange in Namdaemun Market.

After meeting the North Korean agent(s), Mr. E also contacted Mr. J, the Chief of the National Federation of Democratic General Trade Unions (전국민주일반노조연맹) / Democratic General League (민주일반연맹) under the KCTU.

Suk, who is KCTU’s Director of Organization, was KCTU’s Director of the Politburo (정치국장) and Director of the Office of Organizational Disputes (조직쟁의실장) when he went to Phnom Penh in 2017.

All four of them have participated in activities demanding the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Korea, abolishing the National Security Law, and criticizing the Yun Suk-yeol government, and the authorities see that those activities are on orders from North Korea.

They secretly reported the status of the implementation of orders to the Cultural Exchange Bureau by converting texts in the reports to numbers, and hiding the numbers using steganography in “cover files” before sending it to North Korean agents. The North Korean agents and their recruits also shared the same emails and passwords, and the agents would leave instructions in cyberspace, and their recruits would check the same email for the messages left, and vice versa—a Cyber Dvock method—to avoid the risk of detection.

The Director of Organization Department at the KCTU communicated with other spy suspects who are members of the Chungbuk Comrades Association, which was formed at the direction of North Korean agents of the Cultural Exchange Bureau. The members of the Chungbuk Comrades Association were arrested in 2021. Three of them were released from jail, two of them through bail, which the judges accepted. The judge rejected arresting the fourth member of the Chungbuk Comrades Association. After the release of the three, at least one member communicated with KCTU’s Director of Organization by phone on June 7, 2022, probably to provide updates about the investigation and court hearing status to North Korea. They communicated again 6 months later on December 9, 2022.

During October-November 2022, KCTU’s Director of Organization Department also communicated with Pastor A nine times by phone call and text message. Pastor A is on trial (without detention) for receiving operational funds from North Korea. Pastor A met with Ri Kwang-jin and received a payment of U.S. $18,900. Pastor A, along with Pastor Kim, met and communicated with North Korean agents, and then praised the North Korean regime and spread propaganda in support of the regime. Pastor Kim was indicted in December 2015 for other violations of the National Security Law and in 2017, he received a 3-year prison sentence. North Korea’s spies have infiltrated not only the KCTU and various member labor unions and civic organizations, but also religious organizations.

Not detaining the spy suspects in jail allows them to freely contact each other and still carry out North Korea’s orders, including their status reporting. They also seem to have become bold due to the Moon Jae-in administration’s suppression of investigations of espionage and subversion suspects. The suppression of investigations involved senior level officials in the Moon government. (See here for the suppression of investigations under Moon.)

In communicating with these spy suspects, the authorities believe that the KCTU’s Director of Organization was ordered to assess the underground spy network situation.

In the 2000s, as a member of the “1st Unification Vanguard of Anti-U.S. and Anti-War National Cooperation in the Gyeonggi Province Region,” Suk demanded the abolition of the National Security Law and the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Korea. In 2017, he also participated in the movement to release Lee Suk-ki. In October 2022, he presided over the “Declaration of Struggle for a General Strike of Irregular Workers in the Public Sector” held in front of the President’s office in Yongsan.

Unification Vanguard

During August 6-13, 2022, KCTU’s Unification Committee (통일위원회) organized the Unification Vanguard (통일선봉대) and toured around Korea, demonstrating and demanding the halt of the ROK-U.S. combined military exercises, the dissolution of the alliance, and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea. The tour ended in a large-scale anti-U.S. rally in Seoul. Clearly, the demonstration’s theme was far removed from labor issues. On August 11, 2022, KCTU’s Unification Committee proudly posted on its website a letter and “8.15 Solidarity Statement of the National Workers’ Congress” from North Korea’s labor organizations: the Central Committee of the General Federation of Korean Occupations (조선직업총동맹 중앙위원회), the National Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions (전국민주로총조합총련맹), and the Korean Federation of Korean Labor Unions (한국로총조합총련맹). The letter highlights the three key points of the resolution: “No ROK-U.S. Joint Military Exercises! No Korea-U.S.-Japan Military Cooperation! and Minjok’s Independence, Peace, and Great Unity”—the same themes repeated at KCTU demonstrations, including the ones in August 2022.

Political Party Infiltration

The authorities also have evidence that Cho Jong-hoon (조정훈), former aide to the National Assemblywoman Yun Mee-hyang’s (윤미향), made contacts with a North Korean agent in Vietnam in 2016. (Note: Cho, the aide, is not the same person as current National Assemblyman Cho Jong-hoon). Additionally, between 2020-22, Cho sent reports ciphered with bookcodes to North Korea. Yoon and Cho were colleagues who worked in the same private organization, Kim Bok-dong’s Hope (김복동의희망), even before entering the National Assembly. Yoon Mee-hyang was mired in a controversy of embezzling funds from an organization (the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, 정의기억연대) that raised funds on behalf of comfort women. In May 2020, Yoon Mee-hyang was accused by Lee Yong-soo, who alleged that Yoon had exploited her and other comfort women for decades. Democratic Party of Korea appointed Yoon as a proportional representative (non-elected lawmaker) and she began her term. Yoon left the party after the indictment, but she maintained her position as a lawmaker. A few weeks into the investigation, a key witness, the head of the shelter run by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, was found dead in his apartment. 

“Brother-Sister Spy Ring” (남매간첩단) Exposed in 1993

Yoon Mee-hyang’s husband, Kim Sam-suk (김삼석), is yet another person who is controversial. In 1993, Kim Sam-suk and his sister Kim Eun-joo (김은주) were charged violating the National Security Act in a spy case called “Brother-Sister Spy Ring” (남매간첩단). In January 1992, they met with an agent of an anti-state group Jaeil Hanguk Minju Tongil Yonhap (재일한국민주통일연합) in Japan, received orders to conduct anti-nuclear weapons activities in South Korea, received operational funds, and formed a Coalition for the Anti-Nuclear Peace Movement (반핵평화운동연합) upon their return to South Korea. The last U.S. tactical nuclear weapons were withdrawn from South Korea in 1991, after which the U.S. provided “nuclear umbrella” to the Republic of Korea. Thus, Kim’s group conducted activities to oppose the U.S. providing extended deterrence to South Korea. The brother-sister team communicated with the agent and leaked South Korean military secrets. Kim Sam-suk received a 4-year sentence and was released from jail in 1997.

The Chungbuk Comrades Association for Independent Unification (The Chungbuk Spy Ring)

In September 2021, North Korea’s “Chungju Spy Ring” (청주간첩단) was exposed when the authorities arrested 3 of 4 people who met with North Korean agents in third countries and formed an underground branch of the Workers’ Party after receiving orders. The underground organization was called Jaju Tongil Chungbuk Dongjihoi (자주통일 충북동지회) (Chungbuk Comrades Association for Independent Unification), and this case is referred to as the Chungbuk Spy Ring for short.

All three were released, two on bail. The fourth was never arrested, despite the prosecutors’ request to the judges. After the release, at least one member of the Chungbuk Comrade Association communicated with the Director of the KCTU’s Organization Department, who also met with the North Korean agents and formed yet more underground organizations designed to subvert South Korea, as explained earlier. They communicated with each other by phone on June 7, 2022. They communicated again 6 months later on December 9, 2022.

Conclusion

What has been uncovered thus far is considered only the tip of the iceberg. North Korea having extensive spy network(s) in South Korea fits with the Kim regime’s long stated goal of taking control of the entire Korean peninsula under its rule. Many often forget North Korea’s goals and its subversive methods, simply because South Korea has developed rapidly and became wealthy, while North Korea is poor. The complacency and naivete reached a point that one of the fashionable sayings during the 2017 presidential campaign was “how can there still be spies these days?”

It turns out the spies for North Korea and their activities have been rampant in the Republic of Korea.  It is important to keep in mind that the NIS’s authority to investigate spy cases is scheduled to be taken away at the end of the year, per the law passed by the Democratic Party of Korea and signed by Moon Jae-in. With a 3/5 majority, Moon’s party had enough seats to exclude all other parties, and still pass any law it wanted (except to change the constitution, which takes a 2/3 majority). How much of North Korea’s espionage activities are revealed depends on the capability of the government organizations to carry out their tasks, including the courts. It also depends on the will of the current administration and its ability to reverse the damage to, and bolster, the NIS and other relevant agencies.

4. The gangster who sent $8m in cash to North Korea

The gangster who sent $8m in cash to North Korea - Korea Kontext

Lax regulations and the lack of scrutiny have made the South Korean financial market a hotbed for fraud and corruption.

koreakontext.com · by subin · February 6, 2023

To all the gangsters who want to become proper businessmen one day, Kim Seong-tae김성태 might be seen as a role model. Allegedly having started off his career as a petty gangster in Jeonju전주, Kim made himself a chairman of a conglomerate, which had been listed as one of the top 100 conglomerates in Korea during the 90s, at last.

He was a man of ambition. Earning the title of chairman of an archaic undergarment company group that has been long past its prime can never be enough for him. Kim wanted to up his game further. Eventually, he did, maybe too far.

It involved sending cash to North Korea.

The latest and probably the weirdest episode from Lee Jae-myung’s mahabharata of scandals, narrated by the bards in the prosecutors’ office, tells us that Kim’s SBW Group sent more than eight million dollars in cash to Pyongyang in a bid to, in part, make Lee’s visit to the North come true.

Indeed, Kim is no stranger to defying law and order, but sending cash to North Korea without approval is a whole other game than illegal gambling and usury, for which he was convicted several times. What did make Lee so dear to him?

Kim Seong-tae was arrested in Thailand and extradited two weeks ago and is now under investigation:pic.twitter.com/bgJo3s42Fy

— Subin Kim (@SubinBKim) February 4, 2023

It’s closely related to how Kim made profit running companies: leveraged buyouts plus market manipulation. Convertible bonds are the secret sauce here. After taking over a company, Kim and his partners buy up its convertible bonds. Just before the bonds are due, they spread rumors that could put its stock on steroids. As the bonds can be converted into stocks after the due date, Kim and co could easily reap the profit.

Kim was able to enjoy some profit by employing politicians as outside board members (then spreading the word about it), but as it turns out North Korea was the ultimate steroid.

In 2019, an affiliate company of SBW Group signed a letter of agreement with an NK front group, which allegedly guarantees its business rights over the North Korean rare-earth mineral. After the news broke out, it is estimated that the company’s convertible bonds generated more than 170 million dollars in profit.

It’s hard to see how feasible the business seemed from where we are now (and probably Kim wouldn’t have bothered as the breaking of the news was enough for him), but everything seemed possible in the fever of 2018: Moon Jae-in met Kim Jong Un three times that year alone.

It also made Lee so desperate for some optics with the North, it seems. In the third and the last inter-Korean summit in 2018, Moon brought a delegation including businessmen and politicians. While the Seoul mayor and Gangwon governor were included, Lee the Gyeonggi governor was left out. (Pro tip: Moon hated Lee and he still does.)

Lee wanted to pave his way up to the North on his own. His bid to get the Gyeonggi-do government to invest in a smart farm project in North Korea got torpedoed at the provincial assembly, concerned about breaching international sanctions. Reports say Kim told the prosecutors that SBW Group paid for the investment instead.

While still one of the episodes from Lee’s saga, this story is especially symptomatic for several reasons:

• Lee was really an unfit character for public office. Yes, the court decision would be years away, but given the minute details of the story, it seems true that Lee and Kim have connections. Normally, someone with presidential ambitions would rarely allow oneself to mingle with the likes of Kim in any way.
• Lax regulations and the lack of scrutiny have made the South Korean financial market a hotbed for fraud and corruption. In the old days, gangsters often found their place in the construction sector, but Kim showed that there’s a way that is much easier to manipulate and more profitable.
• Much of these illicit profits appear to have flown into politics as kickbacks. How much of the profit Kim made from his North Korea show, estimated to be more than 170 million dollars, would have flown into politics? It’s quite possible that there’s more than Lee. (For instance, Lee Hae-chan’s office was issued a search warrant last October.) Which may well be the reason why a major overhaul of the system is still beyond the horizon.
• Minjoo Party has been more susceptible to this kind of corruption. This may be a mere coincidence, but I venture to suggest that this has something to do with its political support base. Whereas PPP and its former incarnations often found themselves mired in scandals with land developers and construction businessmen, too many Minjoo politicians were seen rubbing shoulders with financial fraudsters. Remember Optimus and Lime Asset Management? Moon administration even shut down the financial crime investigation task force.

We will be watching other scandals unfolding in the next five years unless a major overhaul of the market takes place.

koreakontext.com · by subin · February 6, 2023

5. NIS forms interagency team to probe suspected ant-communist law violations

NIS forms interagency team to probe suspected ant-communist law violations | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 6, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Monday it has formed a joint team with the prosecution and police to investigate suspected anti-communist law violation cases until the end of the year.

The spy agency plans to operate the interagency team to look into suspected violations of the National Security Act until Dec. 31, before it is to hand over the right to investigate espionage cases linked to North Korea to the police from 2024 under a law revision passed in 2020.

The formation of the team came amid concerns that the transfer of investigative authority starting next year could weaken the country's investigative capabilities to crack down on Pyongyang's espionage activities here.

This undated file photo shows the National Intelligence Service in Seoul. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · February 6, 2023

6. Yoon orders humanitarian aid for quake-hit Iran, Turkey

Korea stepping up quickly.

Yoon orders humanitarian aid for quake-hit Iran, Turkey | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · February 6, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government on Monday to come up with active measures to provide humanitarian assistance to Iran and Turkey hit hard by recent earthquakes, his office said.

Yoon gave the instruction to the presidential National Security Office and the foreign ministry.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey early Monday, killing at least 912 people and injuring more than 5,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Iran was hit by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake late last month, which killed at least three people and injured more than 800.

In this file photo, President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on Jan. 25, 2023. (Yonhap)

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · February 6, 2023

7. Turkey picks South Korean transmission for Altay tank

Turkey picks South Korean transmission for Altay tank

Defense News · by Burak Ege Bekdil · February 3, 2023

ANKARA — A South Korean manufacturer, SNT Dynamics, said this week it will supply transmissions for the engines that will power the Altay, Turkey’s first indigenous tank.

The subsidiary of SNT Holding announced it has signed a deal with BMC, a Turkish-Qatari partnership that builds the Altay, to supply the EST15K, a 1,500-horsepower automatic transmission. The South Korean company said the export deal includes $74.9 million of supply until 2027 and has an option for further sourcing priced at $141 million between 2028 and 2030.

SNT said the deal was signed after field tests and assessment, including an endurance driving test last year.

“It is a valuable achievement through a harsh test evaluation, such as completing a night-based driving of about 200 kilometers (124.27 miles) a day even in the local rough terrain and environment,” the company said.

The first phase of Altay tanks will be equipped with a Korean power group consisting of a Hyundai Doosan production DV27K diesel engine and SNT Dynamics production EST15K gearbox.

BMC expects to deliver the first two tanks to the Turkish government in May 2023. Field tests are expected to continue until 2025, both by the Turkish Armed Forces and by contractors.

Mehmet Karaaslan, general manager of the company, said BMC is slated to turn over eight units a month for an initial batch of 100 units.

BMC won the multibillion-dollar Altay contract in 2018. That contract provides for a first lot of 250 tanks, life-cycle logistical support and the establishment and operation by the contractor of a tank systems technology center.

The Altay program is broken into two phases: T1 and T2. T1 covers the first 250 units, and T2 involves the advanced version of the tank. The second phase of Altay production will be powered by BMC’s indigenous power group, known as Batu.

Turkey plans to eventually produce 1,000 Altays, to be followed by an unmanned version.

About Burak Ege Bekdil and Tayfun Ozberk

Burak Ege Bekdil is the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.

Tayfun Ozberk is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News.

8. America's top cyber diplomat says his Twitter account was hacked

Excerpt:

Fick is scheduled to travel to Seoul this week to discuss cybersecurity cooperation with the South Korean government, according to the State Department. Washington and Seoul share a common cyberspace foe in North Korea, which has robust hacking capabilities despite its reputation as a digital backwater.

America's top cyber diplomat says his Twitter account was hacked | CNN Politics

CNN · by Sean Lyngaas · February 5, 2023

America’s top cyber diplomat says his Twitter account was hacked

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN

Published 3:39 PM EST, Sun February 5, 2023

Link Copied!

Nate Fick speaks at a technology summit in Santa Monica, California, in March 2017.

Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Images

CNN —

America’s top cybersecurity diplomat Nate Fick said his personal Twitter account was hacked, calling it part of the “perils of the job.”

Fick tweeted the news from his personal account Saturday evening.

It was not clear who was responsible for the hack or if they had made any unauthorized posts on Fick’s account. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

There did not appear to any broader fallout from the hack. Fick uses the account sparingly and instead promotes his work through an official State Department account.

A pedestrian walks past a seal reading "Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation", displayed on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building, in Washington, DC, on August 15, 2022.

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

New US ransomware strategy prioritizes victims but could make it harder to catch cybercriminals

President Joe Biden announced in June his intent to nominate Fick, a Marine Corps veteran and former chief executive of a cybersecurity firm, to lead the newly formed Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.

The new bureau is an effort to make digital rights issues an intrinsic part of US foreign policy at a time when Russia and China are increasingly trying to put their own authoritarian stamp on the internet.

Fick was sworn into office in September as the country’s first “ambassador-at-large” for cyberspace and digital policy. His charge includes helping build US allies’ ability to respond to cyberattacks and promoting secure 5G communications technology.

Fick is scheduled to travel to Seoul this week to discuss cybersecurity cooperation with the South Korean government, according to the State Department. Washington and Seoul share a common cyberspace foe in North Korea, which has robust hacking capabilities despite its reputation as a digital backwater.

CNN · by Sean Lyngaas · February 5, 2023

9. Argentina hopes to strengthen nuclear cooperation with Korea

South Korea is a (peaceful) nuclear power.

Argentina hopes to strengthen nuclear cooperation with Korea

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

Argentina's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Daniel Filmus speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at a hotel in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Embassy of Argentina in Korea 

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Argentina's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Daniel Filmus visited Korea last week for four days, meeting with a Korean minister and top scientists to discuss cooperation in the field of science with a focus on nuclear energy and lithium.

This visit is part of ongoing efforts to implement a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two countries in July 2022, which centers on cooperation in information and communication technology.

Filmus described his meeting with Korea's Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho as fruitful because the MOU is a significant milestone.

"Because it (MOU) allows us to deepen cooperation in science and technology with Korea on issues that both countries have defined as strategic, such as mining, agro-industry, green hydrogen production, climate issues, aerospace, biotechnology and nanotechnology," Filmus said during an interview with The Korea Times at a hotel in Seoul, Friday.

"Our bilateral relationship has grown in terms of economics, politics, and diplomacy. I believe my visit has the potential to further strengthen the relationship in the field of science."

Filmus said Argentina recognizes Korea's rapid economic growth as well as advancements in quality of life through science and technology.

"President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez places a strong emphasis on science and technology and the country recently passed legislation to increase government investment in science by four times," he explained.

"Korea and Argentina have unique strengths in the field of science and technology and by working together, the two countries can complement each other and drive progress in these areas. While Korea excels in certain areas of development and investment, Argentina has its own areas of expertise and technology to offer."

Daniel Filmus, Argentina's minister of science, technology and innovation, speaks during a meeting with his Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-ho, at the Seoul Central Post Office, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT 

During his visit, the minister traveled to Daejeon, the home of Korea's science and innovation hub, and toured the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

Korea and Argentina have similar experiences with nuclear energy and thus have the potential for increased collaboration in this field. Argentina is recognized for its expertise in the peaceful use of nuclear energy in Latin America and there is an opportunity for collaboration between Argentina and Korea with the latter actively seeking to export its nuclear technology.

In 2022, the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) conducted technical exchanges on the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in both countries.

"In this mission, one of the purposes is maintaining the link to the highest inter-institutional level given the importance of keeping up to date with the degree of progress and development of the Korean reactor," Filmus said.

"While Argentina lags behind in advancing in nuclear fusion, Korea possesses the technology, and with Argentina having a substantial number of researchers, there is ample room for cooperation between the two nations in this field."

Argentina is also constructing the CAREM-25 SMR project, which is set to be completed by 2027.

"We are considering SMRs as a way to tackle climate change and Korea and Argentina could learn from each other's experience," he said.

The minister proposed exchanging doctoral and post-doctoral students as a means of fostering the growth of researchers in the field of nuclear energy and advancing cooperation.

Argentina's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Daniel Filmus, right, gifts Lionel Messi's national football team jersey to Korean Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho at the Seoul Central Post Office, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

 In terms of aerospace, the minister said that Argentina is the only country in Latin America to develop an Earth observation satellite with its own technology.

"Argentina has a keen interest in Korea's recent advancements in aerospace technology and sees potential for collaboration given Korea's success and capability for technology transfer," he said.

"In the future, (we) could favor the exchange of data between the Korean satellite mission KOMPSAT, which includes high-resolution optical instruments and X-band radar, and the Argentine constellation SAOCOM 1, with its L-band SAR radar. Our goal is to link up with the main world players in the space area to contribute significantly to the development of projects dedicated to the peaceful use of outer space."

Filmus also met with POSCO Holdings Vice President Yoo Byeong-og since the Korean company has made investments in lithium reserves in the Argentinian provinces of Salta and Catamarca.

The minister noted that Argentina holds 20 percent of the world's lithium deposits, presenting an opportunity for increased cooperation with Korea.

"One of the national challenges that we set ourselves in the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2030 is to promote and consolidate a path for the energy transition. This is where our lithium research agendas come in," he said.

Filmus said Argentina is eager to collaborate with Korean companies and researchers, including POSCO, in developing cutting-edge technology in the lithium sector to create added-value products and sustainable green mining practices.

Argentina is also a leader in automobile production in South America and is experiencing a growing demand for the transition to electric vehicles.

"It is important for us to collaborate with Korean companies to take advantage of the lithium resources in Argentina, in order to meet this demand and produce electric vehicle batteries and vehicles," the minister said.

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

10. [INTERVIEW] Saudi Arabia seeks greater cooperation with Korea in NEOM

[INTERVIEW] Saudi Arabia seeks greater cooperation with Korea in NEOM

The Korea Times · by 2023-02-06 15:58 | Foreign Affairs · February 6, 2023

An illustration shows a rendering of Oxagon, a floating innovation island of NEOM / Courtesy of NEOM 

Mega development project offers unlimited opportunities for bilateral partnership

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM / Courtesy of NEOM 

Korea and Saudi Arabia have a strong and long-standing relationship, particularly in the energy, infrastructure and construction sectors. This friendship is now poised to enter a new phase with NEOM, a massive smart city development project in northwestern Saudi Arabia, as Korea seeks to play a prominent role in the construction of the megacity.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said Saudi Arabia views Korea as an indispensable partner and ally in the international arena and sees great potential for collaboration between the two countries in the NEOM project.

"We feel very fortunate to have collaborated with Korean companies on several leading-edge infrastructure projects over the past 50 years, which have strengthened both our nations," Al-Nasr said during a written interview with The Korea Times.

NEOM, announced by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in 2017, is envisioned as a key component of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan with a goal to diversify the economy and enhance the quality of life in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nasr, who has a wealth of experience working with some of Saudi Arabia's most renowned companies and initiatives, including Saudi Aramco and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, now heads the unprecedented megacity project.

"A new development built from the ground up at the global crossroads, NEOM incorporates the world's most advanced technologies to redefine how we live, work and play," he explained.

[Q&A] NEOM CEO confident of building unrivaled futuristic city in desert

Korea already has a presence in NEOM by participating in the development of necessary infrastructure. However, Al-Nasr believes that there is greater potential for collaboration, beyond infrastructure.

"In June 2022, we awarded one of the world's largest drill and blast tunneling contracts, partially delivered by Korea's own Samsung C&T Corp. and Hyundai Engineering and Construction. As a result of this project, high-speed passenger and freight rail services will have separate tunnels, so that people and goods will move more easily, safely and quickly," he said.

"We are excited about the partnerships we are seeing between our two nations in the areas of finance, construction, infrastructure development, information technology and clean energy at NEOM; in particular, our current collaboration on THE LINE is supporting infrastructure and future opportunities such as a new green hydrogen plant in NEOM, a specialized NEOM-based digital currency system and other opportunities at regions such as Oxagon."

Korea's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong makes a presentation at a roadshow to help Korean companies win construction projects in Saudi Arabia in November 2022. Korea Times file 

Significant progress was made when Saudi's crown prince visited Korea, and Korea's own Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong paid a visit to Saudi Arabia, leading a delegation of Korean companies last November.

"The spirit of partnership and collaboration that Korean enterprises demonstrated throughout these visits, especially from the 22 companies that traveled with Mr. Won to Saudi Arabia in early November, indicates that the special relationship between our two nations' economies will be able to flourish at NEOM," Al-Nasr said.

Al-Nasr praised Korean enterprises for their commitments to leading-edge technological advancements and global dominance in the fields of information technology, infrastructure development and energy solutions.

"We particularly look forward to collaborating with Korea's construction and smart city-related companies, such as Samsung C&T and Hyundai E&C, who have extensive experience in building cities, such as Korea's new towns and Sejong smart city, as well as experience with state-of-the-art high-rise buildings such as the Burj Khalifa, Petronas Twin Towers and Taipei 101, to name just a few around the globe," the NEOM CEO said.

"Through this impressive track record, Korean enterprises have proven they share both NEOM and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's ambition to push the boundaries of modern engineering and design to achieve new heights of innovation. NEOM stands to benefit greatly from these Korean enterprises' forward-thinking solutions that will fuel the new future upon which NEOM will thrive."

According to Al-Nasr, the collaboration between Korea and Saudi Arabia in the NEOM project will be forever remembered as the byproduct of the successful and fruitful collaboration, both economically and diplomatically.

"Working closely together to bring NEOM to life will develop lasting ties between our two nations," he said.

The Korea Times · by 2023-02-06 15:58 | Foreign Affairs · February 6, 2023

11.The Gist of Seoul’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

The article can be accessed at this link: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3285722/the-gist-of-seouls-indo-pacific-strategy/

The Gist of Seoul’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

• Published Feb. 6, 2023
• By Dr. Hyun Ji Rim

Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Air University Press -- 

Abstract 

In its inaugural Indo-Pacific strategy, South Korea pledged to bolster the regional rulesbased order to protect freedom, democracy, and human rights. The document expands on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s previous promises to accept greater responsibility for defending democratic principles and is consistent with the national security strategies of the United States and its allies. Seoul stressed the threat of North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile arsenal, however, once again, held back from unambiguously defining the Chinese threat to the same extent that Washington, New Delhi, Tokyo, and others have.

12. PM says relations with Japan must move toward future

PM says relations with Japan must move toward future | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김덕현 · February 6, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Monday that South Korea's relations with Japan must move toward the future, as Seoul has unveiled a plan to resolve the issue of wartime forced labor that has long strained ties with Tokyo.

"We believe that Korea-Japan relations should move toward the future rather than being too obsessed with the past, given diplomatic, security and economic situations we are facing," Han told a parliamentary meeting.

Han's remarks came in response to a question by a lawmaker on how the government would resolve the issue of wartime forced labor.

"On this issue, we believe that the relationship between Korea and Japan should be normalized, while providing sufficient communication to those who have suffered various pains at home," Han said.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have frayed since South Korea's Supreme Court issued rulings in 2018 that ordered Japan's Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to pay compensation to the Korean forced labor victims.

Last month, the government unveiled the plan to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor through a public foundation, in an alternative to receiving compensation from the Japanese companies.

However, the government's plan drew strong backlash from victims and their families.

Asked whether the Japanese companies should be involved in the compensation plan, Han replied, "I think we should fully understand the thoughts of those who suffered such damage in Korea and try to come up with a good solution through communication with them."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a parliamentary meeting on Feb. 6, 2023. (Yonhap)

kdh@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 김덕현 · February 6, 2023

13. N. Korea to hold ruling party plenary meeting on agriculture this month

Agriculture is something the regime has never gotten right because of its policies.

N. Korea to hold ruling party plenary meeting on agriculture this month

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

This photo, provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 6, shows Jo Yong-won, standing, secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) for organization affairs, presiding over a meeting of the political bureau of the WPK's Central Committee in Pyongyang the previous day. Yonhap

North Korea plans to hold a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in late February to discuss issues related to agricultural development, its state media said Monday.

At a politburo meeting of the WPK's Central Committee held the previous day, the North unanimously decided to convene the seventh enlarged plenary meeting of the party late this month, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The move is aimed at reviewing last year's achievements in the country's rural revolution and discussing the "immediate farming issue and long-term goals for the agricultural development," the KCNA said in an English-language statement, without elaborating on what the immediate farming issue is.

"It is very important and urgent task to establish the correct strategy for the development of agriculture and take relevant measures for the immediate farming," it added.

If held, the upcoming party session will take place just two months after the secretive North convened the longest-ever, six-day WPK plenary meeting in late December last year. The North has usually held party plenary meetings once or twice per year.

Observers said the North's rare move points to its urgent need to cope with chronic food shortages in a bid to improve people's livelihoods.

North Korea is known for chronic food shortages that have been apparently aggravated in recent years due to typhoons, flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for the thorough implementation of the five-year economic development plan this year, presenting 12 major goals in the economic sector during the party meeting held in late 2022. (Yonhap)

The Korea Times · February 6, 2023

14. N. Korean business owners unhappy about “cash sterilizer” mandate

I guess scams exist in north Korea. Of course they are perpetrated by the regime.

N. Korean business owners unhappy about “cash sterilizer” mandate

Many shops have to spend at least USD 3,000 to purchase the devices, which purportedly kill viruses on cash

By Seulkee Jang - 2023.02.06 4:00pm

dailynk.com

FILE PHOTO: North Korean cash. (Daily NK)

A North Korean government mandate to purchase domestically developed “cash sterilizers” has sparked criticism among managers of pharmacies and other shops in the country, Daily NK has learned.

In May of last year, North Korea ordered pharmacies nationwide to purchase the devices to sterilize currency. Then, late last year, the authorities extended the cash sterilizer mandate to foreign currency shops and department stores.

In December, the propaganda outlet DPRK Today introduced the “high-performance” cash sterilizer developed by Potonggang Advanced Technology Development Company.

According to DPRK Today, the “rotating hot air-drying and alcohol fumigation cash sterilizer” uses hot air and alcohol aerosol to “effectively” sterilize cash as it rotates the money around.

The cash sterilizers currently installed at pharmacies and shops in North Korea come in both wall-mounted and desktop varieties, and emit an orange light when in operation.

The order to install the cash sterilizers was reportedly prompted by an inspection tour of pharmacies by North Korean leader Kim Jong un.

Last May, while Kim was inspecting pharmacies in downtown Pyongyang amid North Korea’s first publicly acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak, the North Korean leader said that the COVID-19 virus could spread as money changed hands, and that “we must use our own power to make a machine that can sterilize the money a pharmacy collects and furnish them at all shops.”

The source said North Korea began developing the cash sterilizer to fulfill Kim’s “on-site guidance,” and started installing them at shops from November.

DEVICES COST UP TO USD 3,000 A PIECE

The problem is that while North Korea might be mandating the installation of the devices in shops, the authorities are not providing them for free — shops need to purchase them on their own.

In fact, North Korea is selling the wall-mounted ones for USD 3,000, and the desktop ones for USD 1,500.

Stores have to choose one of the options, though with the desktop version, which is the cheaper of the two, North Korean authorities are reportedly advising shops purchase two devices.

Ultimately, this means shops have to spend at least USD 3,000 to purchase the cash sterilizers.

Many shops choose to pay in dollars rather than North Korean won because the government uses the market exchange rate rather than the official exchange rate for local currency purchases.

Moreover, North Korean authorities will not allow even state-run shops to use cash vouchers, called haengpyo, to purchase the sterilizers.

Although North Korean enterprises usually use haengpyo for official purposes, the government is making them pay for sterilizers in cash.

Pharmacies and shops are complaining that the state is forcing shops to buy the sterilizers to make money.

Some people are expressing scepticism regarding the sterilizers’ effectiveness, too.

This is to say, nobody can confirm that simply placing cash in the machine kills the COVID-19 virus.

One shop assistant in Pyongyang said she was unlikely to catch the virus from cash anyway because she wears rubber gloves when she works.

“I have no idea if the money is really sterilized even if I stick it in the machine, and I’m just out USD 3,000 [to pay for the device],” she said.

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

dailynk.com

​15. North Korean balloon briefly spotted over South Korea, Seoul says

​I think the Korean peninusla is the balloon capaital of the world with both sides launch propaganda balloons on a regular basis. But it would be useful to have serveillance balloons "hide in plain sight" and carry surveillance equipment on one way missions.

North Korean balloon briefly spotted over South Korea, Seoul says

Jerusalem Post

South Korea's military said on Monday it had tracked a North Korean balloon over its territory, but determined it did not pose a threat.

The balloon briefly entered South Korean airspace on Sunday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding it in response had taken unspecified “measures”.

The craft left South Korean airspace a few hours later and officials believe it was a weather balloon not one intended for spying activities, Yonhap news agency reported, citing an unnamed official.

The report comes after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, further straining relations with Beijing which said the craft was a civilian airship that had accidentally strayed into US airspace.

Tensions rise

Tensions have risen between the two Koreas, with the North conducting a record number of missile tests last year, and the South joining with US allies in military shows of force.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a convocation of the Expansion of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea in this photo released by the country's Korean Central News Agency on June 22, 2022. (credit: KCNA VIA REUTERS)

Five North Korean drones crossed into the South on December 26, including one that briefly entered a no-fly zone surrounding South Korea's presidential office, prompting South Korea's military to scramble fighter jets and helicopters.

The military was criticized for failing to bring down the drones, which flew over the South for hours.

Jerusalem Post

16. U.K.'s King Charles Meets N.Korean Defector

I recomemnd her book: The Hard Road Out: One Woman’s Escape From North Korea

U.K.'s King Charles Meets N.Korean Defector

english.chosun.com

February 06, 2023 13:01

The U.K.'s King Charles last week met North Korean defector and rights activist Park Ji-hyun.

Park (53) was invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace in London on Feb. 1 to celebrate the contributions of Asian communities to Britain.

"Historical moment!!" she tweeted alongside a picture of her with the king.

"It was an honour and privileged to meet the His Majesty King Charles lll and the Queen Consort," Park said. She quoted the king as saying it was the first time he has met a North Korean defector.

In a conversation with the king and the queen, Park thanked the U.K. for giving her the opportunity to settle in a free country after escaping from North Korea, where no human rights are guaranteed.

North Korean defector and rights activist Park Ji-hyun (left) shakes hands with the U.K.'s King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London on Feb. 1, in this picture she posted on Twitter.

Born in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province in 1969, Park fled to China in 1998 but was caught by a human trafficking ring and forced to marry a Chinese farmer, with whom she had a son. She was sent back to the North in 2004 but succeeded in escaping again.

She moved to Beijing, where she was helped by an American pastor to travel to Manchester with her son in 2008.

Since 2017, she has been co-charing Stepping Stones, a civic group dedicated to protecting female North Korean defectors and the human rights of North Korean children. In 2020, she was awarded an Amnesty Brave Award by Amnesty International U.K.

N.Korean Defector Picked as a 'Hero of Year' by U.K. Times

N.Korean Defector Runs for Office in Manchester

• Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com

english.chosun.com

​17. ‘Warrior’s spirit’: Army marks 72 years since its last major bayonet charge in Korean War

I was fortunate enough to hear Colonel Millet speak many times over the years in Korea.

‘Warrior’s spirit’: Army marks 72 years since its last major bayonet charge in Korean War

Stars and Stripes · by Christopher Green · February 6, 2023

A firing team from 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment-Korea carries out a 21-gun salute in memory of those who fought in the Battle of Bayonet Hill, at Osan Air Base, South Kora, Feb. 2, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)

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OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Around 50 U.S. service members, veterans, and their families gathered atop a hill on this installation south of Seoul to remember a seasoned combat veteran who helped turn the tide of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Thursday ceremony paid respects to the memory of Army Capt. Lewis Millett, who led the soldiers of Easy Company, 27th Infantry Regiment, in what the Army regards as its last major bayonet charge.

The charge took place at Osan on Feb. 5, 1951, according to the Army. Millet was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

The captain was leading his company against a strongly held Chinese Communist position when he noticed an Army platoon pinned down by small-arms, automatic and antitank fire, according to his 2009 Army obituary.

Millett, who received a battlefield commission during World War II, decided the only way to gain the upper hand was to take the hill.

“Fix bayonets,” Millett yelled as he and his men charged up the hill, according to an Eighth Army account of the charge.

Millett dodged eight grenades but a ninth left him with shrapnel in his legs and back, according to the account. He continued to fight until Easy Company was atop Hill 180, now known as “Bayonet Hill.” Millett, who retired a colonel, died Nov. 14, 2009, at Loma Linda, Calif., at age 88, according to his obituary.

Millett’s heroism was recalled once more during Thursday’s ceremony, hosted by the 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment-Korea. The guest speaker, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Holler, Eighth Army’s deputy commander for operations, recalled meeting Millet in 1996.

Millet’s deeds exemplify the Army’s fighting spirit, Holler said.

“I ask myself, would today’s soldiers be able to do the same thing? It wasn’t many years later that I got the answer,” he said. “During my combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, I can attest that the American fighting spirit is as strong today as it was 72 years ago.”

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Holler, Eighth Army’s deputy commander for operations, places flowers near a memorial for those who fought in the Battle of Bayonet Hill, at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Feb. 2, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)

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Ronald Davis, a former commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8180, salutes during a ceremony for those who fought in the Battle of Bayonet Hill, at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Feb. 2, 2023. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes)

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Holler laid a basket of flowers at the Hill 180 monument in memory of the battle’s fallen soldiers. He was joined by Col. Jeffrey Munn, commander of the battlefield detachment; South Korean army Col. Lee Hyun Gyu; and Ron Davis, former commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8180.

“We have to remember what occurred – educate those on what occurred so that we understand the purpose of why we’re here," Munn said. “Those who sacrifice before us to establish the freedoms and that peace that we enjoy today are the bedrock and foundation for why we’re here to preserve that same peace.”

Ernest Lee, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, said the retelling of the fight brought up many of emotions.

“A lot of us went through similar things in our time as active-duty members,” he told Stars and Stripes after the ceremony.

“This man was a warrior through and through,” Lee said. “While the character of the war may have changed over time, the nature of war remains the same. It will require leaders – young, mid-level and senior leaders – who have a warrior’s spirit and are willing to be bold and audacious when it counts.”

Stars and Stripes · by Christopher Green · February 6, 2023

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com