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I expect there will not be much news coming out of Korea since the Lunar New Year begins today in Korea (and Asia) and extends through the weekend unless there are some breaking news events.
Happy Lunar New Year to all.
새해 복 많이 받으세요
Quotes of the Day:
"Presence is power."
– Senator Joni Ernst
“These definitions coincide with the terms which, since Greek antiquity, have been used to define the forms of government as the rule of man over man—of one or the few in monarchy and oligarchy, of the best or the many in aristocracy and democracy, to which today we ought to add the latest and perhaps most formidable form of such dominion, bureaucracy, or the rule by an intricate system of bureaux in which no men, neither one nor the best, neither the few nor the many, can be held responsible, and which could be properly called the rule by Nobody. Indeed, if we identify tyranny as the government that is not held to give account of itself, rule by Nobody is clearly the most tyrannical of all, since there is no one left who could even be asked to answer for what is being done. It is this state of affairs which is among the most potent causes for the current world-wide rebellious unrest.”
– Hannah Arendt, On Violence
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
–T. S. Eliot
1. South Korea releases top secret survey of North Korean escapees
2. Does North Korea Want a War? Study the Ukraine Conflict for Clues
3. N Korean leader shuns talks with South, threatens ‘annihilation’
4. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Pays Congratulatory Visit to Ministry of National Defence on Day of Army Founding
5. N.K. leader calls S. Korea 'primary foe,' vows to protect country with power
6. Russian tourists embark on 1st post-COVID group trip to N. Korea
7. Unification minister says Seoul to share data on Japanese abductees with Tokyo: interview
8. JCS chief inspects military readiness at missile command, fighter wing
9. Editorial: S. Korea’s regrettably late call to China on halting North Korean defector repatriation
10. US expresses deep concern over Russia's reported move to release frozen NK assets
11. S. Korea joins elephant walk during US-led multinational air exercise
12. Kim Jong Un Says He Has Lawful Right to Destroy South Korea
13. Signs of rare unrest among North Korean workers in China, researchers say
14. Korean, US Marines hold joint regular drills in Pohang
15. China has a Putin-Kim problem
1. South Korea releases top secret survey of North Korean escapees
I am not sure about the headline here. But I am glad to see they are describing these Koreans from the north as escapees. I still have not found a copy of the report on the MOU web site. Hopefully an English version will be published soon.
South Korea releases top secret survey of North Korean escapees
By Jamin Anderson and Lee Jeong Eun for RFA Korean
2024.02.08
rfa.org
An exhaustive, 10-year survey of 6,351 North Korean escapees about their former lives in the isolated country paints a bleak picture: Food and energy are both scarcer, and government surveillance and crackdowns are stricter.
Women now play a more elevated role in families and society – though not because of a heightened sense of equality, but rather out of economic necessity, those interviewed said. They have become the main breadwinners, setting up stalls in makeshift markets that now are the main source of food and other basics for daily life.
The results of the report, compiled between 2013 and 2022 by the South’s Unification Ministry and released Tuesday, opens a window into the lives of ordinary North Koreans, and clearly indicates that the quality of life has worsened since Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011 after the death of his father.
Han Songmi, who was 19 when she escaped in 2011, is one of more than 30,000 people who have fled the North over the years. Now living in South Korea, she imagines what her friends and peers are experiencing, since she has virtually no way of communicating with them.
“They are probably in their late 20s now, and they are probably living with more anger than they did back then,” said Han, who was not interviewed for the survey.
When she lived in North Korea, Han said she and her friends were aware that the government controlled every aspect of their lives, but they were not allowed to discuss such things freely.
A North Korean woman plays accordion to entertain others while they plant rice in a field on the outskirts of Pyongyang, May 13, 2014. (David Guttenfelder/AP)
“The authorities were cracking down on kids for their clothing and hairstyles,” she told RFA Korean. “The kids would be saying ‘We can’t do this’ among ourselves, but we couldn’t say that in front of adults. Adults would always say, ‘Be careful, your parents can get arrested because of you.’”
Authorities also restricted the kinds of clothes people could wear.
“We had to wear a black skirt and a white top, but I witnessed some in Pyongyang being cracked down on for wearing South Korean-style jeans or wearing earrings,” she said.
Economic shocks
The survey results show economic conditions in North Korea have worsened, and that women have become main providers for their families.
Until the 1990s, people could rely on the government to provide their food under a rationing program, but this changed dramatically when the Soviet Union collapsed and aid from Moscow dried up.
The centrally planned economy could not cope with the sudden shock, resulting in a famine between 1994 and 1998 that killed more than 2 million by some estimates in what has become known as the “Arduous March” – a defining period in the country’s history.
The rationing system became no longer viable. The Ministry of Unification’s report showed that among respondents who fled North Korea between 2016 and 2020 more than 72% of those interviewed said they had never received food rations.
The system changed somewhat to allow people to access a rationing system at their government-assigned jobs. People could expect to be paid a salary that they could then use to buy food at discounted prices.
‘Barking dogs’
But in reality, state-assigned jobs became less and less a means of support.
Among those who fled before 2000, 33.5% said they had received neither food rations nor wages at their official workplace. For those who fled between 2016-2020, some 50.3% said the same.
With government jobs – mostly held by men – paying almost nothing, housewives have had to make money to survive, and have started running tiny businesses in markets, buying and selling things such as vegetables and packaged foods and various products smuggled in from China.
Since Kim Jong Un began his rule, 70.5% of the respondents said they have had to rely on these local markets for survival, the survey showed.
The salaries paid to men, meanwhile, have become so miniscule that the men are unable to provide for their families, so men are increasingly referred to by slang terms like “barking dogs” or “daytime lamps,” suggesting they are insignificant and generally useless.
“Usually, most women made a living by selling things in the market,” said Han. “Although their husbands worked at a company, the company did not provide rations or pay much. I think women’s voices gradually grew louder from that generation onwards because women had to feed their families.”
Corruption
Since North Korea’s economic collapse, corruption has become more of a problem, the survey showed.
While the ordinary people operate side-businesses to make ends meet, those in power use their status or position for economic gain, by collecting a percentage of these side-business’ profits, or by extracting bribes.
Of the survey respondents who escaped since Kim Jong Un came to power, 41.4% said they had been robbed of more than 30% of their monthly income, and among those who escaped between 2016 to 2020, 54.4% said they had paid bribes.
“As the authorities' crackdowns intensify, residents have no choice but to pay bribes as part of whatever they are doing to make a living,” said Lee Hyun-Seung, who escaped from North Korea in 2014 and settled in the United States. She was not one of those interviewed in the survey.
“Because we do not have economic freedom, those who engage in economic activities cannot receive legal protection,” she said. “That’s why we pay bribes and receive protection or avoid punishment from people in power.”
Power shortages
Ordinary people also have less access to electricity, the survey showed, since the cash-strapped government prioritizes industry over the good of the people.
Prior to 2000, most residents got an average of 5 hours and 42 minutes of electricity per day in their homes. Since Kim Jong Un came to power, they’re getting about 90 minutes less, an average of 4 hours 18 minutes, the survey found.
“I can’t imagine how the situation can be worse now than when I escaped,” Kim Sookyoung, who escaped North Korea in 1998 and settled in the United States, told RFA.
“When I lived in North Korea, the day electricity came on was like a holiday,” said Kim, who was not among those interviewed by the Unification Ministry. “When the electricity came on, all the residents in my apartment building shouted with joy. The light itself was just a joy.”
She said there were some days when the electricity did not come on at all. So people would charge batteries so they would have light during those days.
“The first thing I did when the electricity came on was to charge the battery,” she said.
Heating the home in the dead of winter has also become more of a challenge. In years past, people could rely on electricity or gas for heat, but these days it’s all about firewood.
More than 69% of the respondents to the survey said they purchased firewood to heat their homes because it was more reliable.
Leadership
The survey asked several questions about the country’s leadership by members of the so-called Paektu bloodline, made up of national founder Kim Il Sung and his descendants, which include his son and successor Kim Jong Il and his grandson, the current leader Kim Jong Un.
Pedestrians walk beneath portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Aug. 11, 2017. (AP Photo)
The report said that 743 of the respondents were asked whether they supported the continuation of the Paektu bloodline leadership system prior to their escape from North Korea. Of those, 44.4% said they were against dynastic rule, while 37.8% said they supported it.
Support for the regime has waned over the years. Among the respondents who escaped from North Korea before 2011, only 29.9% said they had had negative feelings about the regime, whereas 52.6% of those who escaped after 2012 felt the same way.
Among those escaped between 2016 to 2020, this figure climbs to 56.3%.
During a press briefing on Jan. 29, Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam said that it is not easy to confirm concrete signs of North Korean residents’ dissatisfaction with the regime they live under.
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
2. Does North Korea Want a War? Study the Ukraine Conflict for Clues
Interesting and sober analysis from Ralph Cossa. I do think Kim thinks he can get away with a lot because of his nuclear weapons and ICBM but also because of how he judges the US responses to Ukraine, Gaza, and the Red Sea.
Does North Korea Want a War? Study the Ukraine Conflict for Clues
My biggest fear, and the main reason I am uncomfortable joining the chorus announcing that war is unlikely, is that Kim may have drawn a more disturbing lesson from Ukraine. His pronouncements last year about preemptive nuclear strikes appear to echo Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling against Ukraine, which many believe has kept NATO at bay.
The National Interest · by Ralph A. Cossa · February 8, 2024
Is Kim Jong Un preparing for war? This provocative question, asked by Bob Carlin and Sig Hecker in a 38 North commentary earlier this year, has prompted a host of thoughtful comments, most downplaying the likelihood of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
I am hesitant to join that chorus, not because I believe an invasion of the South is imminent—I do not—but because Pyongyang has been more provocative in the past year than it has been in decades. Kim is saying and doing things that defy easy explanation.
Of course, the simple answer is “yes.” North Korea is preparing for war; so are South Korea and the United States. It’s what countries that are technically still at war with each other do. But the classic indicators of invasion preparation have yet to be seen.
Kim seems more intent on selling ammunition and rockets to Russia than in stockpiling them for an onslaught against the South. But this does not mean some other type of kinetic action is not being planned. His rebranding of South Korea as the “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and his apparent rejection of reunification as a national goal must mean something; we just don’t know what.
On the surface—and when all else fails, it is sometimes wise to just take Kim’s words at face value—Kim’s comments seem to signal an end to any hope of at least near-term North-South dialogue. He likewise seems dismissive of any talks with Washington as well, which many attribute to his being humiliated by then-President Trump at their Hanoi Summit. Perhaps, but I would offer an alternative (or at least additional) explanation.
While begging the reader’s indulgence for over-simplification, we should note that North Korea existed for years by cleverly playing Moscow and Beijing against one another. Then the Soviet Union collapsed. Rather than becoming totally dependent on Beijing—has anyone ever met a North Korean who had anything good to say about China despite Beijing keeping them on life support for years?—Pyongyang expanded its chessboard by bringing Washington and Seoul to the table, playing both against Beijing while playing South Korea’s progressive and conservative parties against each other.
Pyongyang still kept Russia engaged—it was North Korea, not China and certainly none of the others, who insisted that Russia be part of the Six-Party Talks—even if Putin did little to hide his disdain for North Korea’s leadership.
North Korea and the Ukraine Conflict
Enter Ukraine! Now Putin no longer makes Kim wait for meetings; he meets him curbside, hat in hand. Simply put, Kim no longer needs handouts from the South (which the Yoon government was unlikely to provide without huge strings attached) and sees little hope of largesse from Washington (regardless of who wins in November).
He clearly sees the writing on the wall. The only possible outcome of peaceful unification is the absorption of the North by the South. It’s wiser to brand the South as the enemy than talk of unification.
An easier goal would be to drive wedges between South Korea and both China and Russia, an effort that seems to be underway. Meanwhile, the tensions between Washington and both Beijing and Moscow suit Kim just fine.
My biggest fear, and the main reason I am uncomfortable joining the chorus announcing that war is unlikely, is that Kim may have drawn a more disturbing lesson from Ukraine. His pronouncements last year about preemptive nuclear strikes appear to echo Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling against Ukraine, which many believe has kept NATO at bay.
Has Kim concluded that he can snatch a South Korean island or conduct some other form of kinetic action short of a major invasion under the (I believe mistaken) impression that his “powerful nuclear deterrent” would prevent the South or the United States from responding? Possibly (hopefully) not, but it’s a possibility that we dismiss at our peril.
About the Author
Ralph Cossa is President Emeritus and WSD-Handa Chair at the Pacific Forum in Honolulu.
Image: Shutterstock.
The National Interest · by Ralph A. Cossa · February 8, 2024
3. N Korean leader shuns talks with South, threatens ‘annihilation’
I wonder if he made these remarks because he thinks there are too many pundits that are not taking him seriously in South Korea and the US.
N Korean leader shuns talks with South, threatens ‘annihilation’
Kim Jong Un’s hostile remarks were made during a meeting with military chiefs.
By Mike Firn for RFA
2024.02.09
Bangkok, Thailand
rfa.org
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said this week that cutting ties with Seoul allows North Korea to “strike and destroy the South,” according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim made the comments during a visit to North Korea’s Defense Ministry Thursday, accompanied by his daughter, and possible future leader, Ju Ae.
Kim said his decision to cut economic and diplomatic ties with South Korea allowed North Korea to “shake off the unrealistic pretense of dialogue and cooperation with the Korean puppets who sought the collapse of our republic,” KCNA reported.
As well as closing government departments that liaised with Seoul, Kim ordered a unification monument torn down and scrapped laws on cross-border economic projects.
An official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Thursday the moves were expected and would result in the further isolation of the North.
He told reporters, “there are no imminent measures planned by [the South Korean] government,” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
Last month Seoul’s defense minister said if North Korea went to war with the South it would be the end of Kim’s regime.
President Yoon Suk Yeol said last week that Kim was likely to carry out multiple provocations ahead of South Korea’s April elections.
Edited by Taejun Kang and Elaine Chan.
rfa.org
4. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Pays Congratulatory Visit to Ministry of National Defence on Day of Army Founding
I have not found an English version of the speech he apparently gave.
Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Pays Congratulatory Visit to Ministry of National Defence on Day of Army Founding
https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1707435471-106674531/respected-comrade-kim-jong-un-pays-congratulatory-visit-to-ministry-of-national-defence-on-day-of-army-founding/
Date: 09/02/2024 | Source: KCNA.kp (En) | Read original version at source
Pyongyang, February 9 (KCNA) -- The DPRK significantly celebrates the founding anniversary of the heroic Korean People's Army (KPA) which has glorified its noble name as the staunch defender of the cause of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and genuine people's army for over 70 years, defending the lifeline of Juche revolution which won victory after victory under the leadership of the great Party and firmly supporting the invincibility and mightiness of our state.
Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, paid a congratulatory visit to the DPRK Ministry of National Defence on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of the KPA.
He was accompanied by his respected daughter.
He was also accompanied by secretaries of the Central Committee of the WPK.
The hearts of the service personnel were full of great excitement, joy, boundless glory and happiness upon having the honor to meet the great father for whom they longed in the days of loyal and honorable service in the army on their significant founding anniversary.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the Ministry of National Defence Thursday afternoon.
The service personnel of the People's Army raised stormy cheers, looking up to Kim Jong Un , the symbol of mightiness and heroism of Juche Korea and the representative of the great dignity and brilliant honor, who has put the prestige of our great state on the highest stage in the century and ushered in a new era full of unprecedented miracles and great changes in which the people's ideal is fully realized, with his far-sighted strategy, steel-strong courage and pluck and tireless efforts and devotion.
A ceremony of greeting Kim Jong Un , supreme commander of the armed forces of the Republic, took place.
After receiving a salute from the head of the guard of honor of the KPA, he reviewed the guard of honor and the glorious colors of the three services.
He was presented with fragrant bouquets by KPA officers.
Major commanding officers of the KPA including Kang Sun Nam, Jong Kyong Thaek and Ri Yong Gil and the commanders of the large combined units greeted him in the humblest reverence.
There took place a march-past of the guard of honor of the KPA.
Kim Jong Un had a photo taken with the KPA generals to be recorded in the army-building history.
The commanding officers of the army paid the highest tribute to the great brilliant commander who has developed the KPA into the powerful and matchless revolutionary armed forces and the patriotic vanguard which reliably guarantee the defence of the sovereignty and enhancement of the prestige of the country and has put them forward to be the vanguard of the times with his outstanding army-building idea and energetic leadership.
Kim Jong Un made a significant speech in congratulation of the heroic KPA officers and men on the Day of Army Founding.
Paying his noble respects to the heroic development of the KPA which has led the great turn in building a prosperous country with a powerful army while firmly defending the security and interests of the country and people and the idea and cause of the Party, always loyal to the sacred mission entrusted by the times and history for 76 years after its foundation, he extended warm congratulations of the army building day to the service personnel of the entire army on behalf of the Party Central Committee, the government of the Republic and all people across the country.
The history of the struggle of our army has recorded the truth that only the state and people advancing by putting up an army in the van of the revolution can achieve unwavering and steady development and prosperity despite any challenges and crisis, he said, highly praising the great feats of the revolutionary armed forces firmly defending the sacred sovereignty of the country and the honor of the people with their steadfast revolutionary faith, transparent patriotic spirit, matchless heroism and mettle and devoted service.
He declared that the WPK, which has an absolute mission before the country and people, would bring earlier the rosy future of the DPRK, always relying on the bravery and loyalty of the revolutionary armed forces in the future, too, and ardently called upon the service personnel of the entire army to strive for the eternal prosperity of the country and the well-being of the people with one mind, full of confidence in and optimism about the great new victory.
The participants were deeply moved by his passionate speech full of ardent feelings and trust in the service personnel of the People's Army who regard loyalty to the Party, government and people as their foremost lifeblood and supreme honor, devotedly defend the lineage of the Juche revolution and the idea and cause of the WPK and reliably guarantee the existence and development of the DPRK and happiness of the people.
When Kim Jong Un finished his speech, stormy cheers of "hurrah!" resounded in the sky of February.
All the participants loudly shouted the slogans of " Kim Jong Un " and "Devotedly defence", full of ardent enthusiasm to share the idea, intention and destiny with the Party Central Committee forever and to fully display the might and mettle of the powerful revolutionary army for eternal peace on this land and prosperity and happiness of posterity, cherishing the trust of the great brilliant commander as the greatest honor.
Kim Jong Un 's congratulatory visit to the Ministry of National Defence which was made on the Day of Army Founding shining as the pride of the Party, state and people, will be brilliantly recorded in the history as an occasion in which the invincible heroic KPA, which is great in its foundation and succession, gives full play to its prestige in the grandiose course of building a dignified and prosperous socialist power and redoubles its noble mission and efforts to lead a new era of the Juche revolution under the leadership of the Party Central Committee. -0-
www.kcna.kp (Juche113.2.9.)
More From KCNA.kp (En)
5. N.K. leader calls S. Korea 'primary foe,' vows to protect country with power
Although we cannot rule out that Kim's words should be taken literally and that he may very well be planning a major deliberate provocation or even an attack, I think this is further indication that he is facing severe internal stresses.
What Kim fears most is not South Korea as a military enemy that will physically invade the north. Kim is most afraid of South Korea because of its example and the influence that it has inside north Korea. And with the growing influence Kim cannot keep the information out and that is causing problems. Therefore, he has to do what the regime has always done best and that is to use propaganda to shape the attitudes and control the minds of the Korean people in the north.
Yes, we have to keep watch for the indications and warnings of an attack or significant event but we must also be vigilant in observing for the indications of internal instability. I fear that could be the path to an attack.
N.K. leader calls S. Korea 'primary foe,' vows to protect country with power | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has again called South Korea the North's "primary foe" and vowed to guard the country through power rather than negotiations, state media said Friday.
Kim's remarks came as the North has recently abandoned its decadeslong policy of seeking reunification with the South and called for codifying the commitment to "completely occupying" the South Korean territory in the event of war.
"Defining the South Korean puppets as the most harmful primary foe and invariable principal enemy and deciding it as a national policy to occupy their territory in the event of a contingency is a reasonable measure for the eternal safety of our country and the peace and stability of the future," Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (front row, 2nd from R) and his daughter, Ju-ae (C), pose for a group photo during a visit to the North's ministry defense on Feb. 8, 2024, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Kim also called for full-fledged combat readiness based on more powerful military power as he spoke during a visit to the defense ministry to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the North's Korean People's Army on Thursday, according to the KCNA.
"Peace is not something that should be begged for or gained in exchange for talks," Kim said, adding the North no longer has to go through the "unrealistic ordeal" of engaging in talks and cooperation with the South.
North Korea has been ramping up harsh-worded criticism and military provocations against the South since Kim defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other" in a year-end party meeting, saying there is no point in seeking reunification.
Kim was accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae, who also attended a banquet celebrating the military founding anniversary, the KCNA said.
Officials gather for a ceremony marking North Korea's founding anniversary of its armed forces on Feb. 8, 2024, as leader Kim Jong-un pays a visit to the defense ministry, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
6. Russian tourists embark on 1st post-COVID group trip to N. Korea
I guess the Russians do not think that war is imminent on the Korean peninsula. Or is this contrived?
Russian tourists embark on 1st post-COVID group trip to N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- Russian tourists on Friday departed for their first group trip to North Korea since the pandemic amid deepening ties between the two countries.
A total of 97 Russian nationals were expected to join the four-day trip that will take them to Pyongyang and the Masikryong Ski Resort in the North's eastern region, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
They are the first group of foreign tourists to enter the North since the country reopened its border in August last year after more than three years and six months of closure.
The international terminal in the Vladivostok International Airport was bustling Friday morning with tourists getting ready to board the Air Koryo JS-272 flight scheduled to depart for Pyongyang on Friday afternoon. The airplane departed at 1:39 p.m.
Russian youth athletes taking part in a group trip to North Korea pose for a photo at Vladivostok International Airport in Russia's Far East on Feb. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
People presumed to be North Korean officials and residents, wearing a pin of the North Korean flag, were also spotted, raising speculation they may board the same airplane.
The latest trip comes amid deepening ties between the two countries after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in a rare summit last year.
In December, Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia's far eastern region of Primorsky Krai, visited Pyongyang for talks on bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism, trade and agriculture.
In a recent letter sent to the Russian embassy in Pyongyang, Kozhemyako was quoted as saying the group trip will mark the beginning of a resumption of cooperation in tourism and development of humanitarian ties between the two countries.
Russian tourists queue at baggage counters at Vladivostok International Airport in Russia's Far East on Feb. 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
7. Unification minister says Seoul to share data on Japanese abductees with Tokyo: interview
I am not sure I agree with the Minister on the evil Kim Yo Jong. I think she is still Kim Jong Un's trusted confidant and she is a master manipulator behind the scenes.
Excerpt:
On North Korea's power succession, Kim said the level of protocol for leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, appears to be escalating, while the role of Kim's influential sister, Yo-jong, is relatively shrinking, according to the interview.
Unification minister says Seoul to share data on Japanese abductees with Tokyo: interview | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korea said in an interview published Friday that the government will acquire information on Japanese abductees in North Korea from defectors and share it with the Japanese government.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remarks in an interview with the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun, stating that the ministry will expand its list of potential responses from two options -- South Korea or another country -- to include Japan when questioning North Korean defectors who had been abducted about their nationality.
Kim was quoted as saying that adding Japan may lead to more information on the abductees.
Such a move is part of efforts to uphold the spirit of the Camp David summit last year, where the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their shared commitment to the immediate resolution of the human rights issue, Kim said.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at the 2023 Global Dialogue on Korean Peninsula Unification, co-hosted by the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council and Yonhap News Agency, at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel, in this Nov. 24, 2023, file photo. (Yonhap)
Japan has said North Korea abducted 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. It has insisted 12 of them are still in the North, excluding five whom the North let return home, following then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's trip to Pyongyang in 2002.
At that time, the North admitted having abducted 13 Japanese nationals in the past to train its spies on the Japanese language and culture. While returning the five, North Korea claimed the other eight were dead.
In the interview, Kim called for establishing a firm deterrence against North Korea through trilateral cooperation among the three countries, noting the North is likely to continue its military provocations for the time being.
On North Korea's power succession, Kim said the level of protocol for leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, appears to be escalating, while the role of Kim's influential sister, Yo-jong, is relatively shrinking, according to the interview.
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · February 9, 2024
8. JCS chief inspects military readiness at missile command, fighter wing
JCS chief inspects military readiness at missile command, fighter wing | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · February 9, 2024
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo on Friday inspected the military readiness at an Army missile command and an Air Force fighter wing against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Kim inspected the Army Missile Strategic Command and the Air Force 8th Fighter Wing for readiness posture on the first day of the extended Lunar New Year holiday, officials said.
During the inspection of the missile command, Kim examined the mission implementation system, and ordered soldiers to maintain an "airtight" missile response posture and firmly hit back in case of an enemy provocation, officials said.
This image, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo (L, front) encouraging a soldier during his inspection of the Army Missile Strategic Command in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 9, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · February 9, 2024
9. Editorial: S. Korea’s regrettably late call to China on halting North Korean defector repatriation
Excerpt:
...the act of a South Korean foreign minister formally addressing the issue of North Korean defectors being forced to return with China’s foreign minister marks a significant departure from typical South Korean diplomatic practice.
...
Past South Korean administrations have adopted a strategy of ‘quiet diplomacy,’ operating under the belief that antagonizing China would jeopardize necessary cooperation to facilitate the return of North Koreans to South Korea. This approach led to the forced repatriation of 500 to 600 North Koreans to North Korea in October last year. Such ‘quiet diplomacy’ has been criticized as a guise for cowardice, offering diplomatic rhetoric without substantial action, essentially tiptoeing around China.
Editorial: S. Korea’s regrettably late call to China on halting North Korean defector repatriation
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/02/08/U3PN4PQ7IVF57JAYMIWK67HFKE/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2024.02.08. 09:18
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul holds his first phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb. 6, 2024./Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In a recent phone call, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul requested special cooperation from his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Cho aims to protect North Korean defectors from forced repatriation, according to the ministry. Although the details of Cho’s comments remain undisclosed, the act of a South Korean foreign minister formally addressing the issue of North Korean defectors being forced to return with China’s foreign minister marks a significant departure from typical South Korean diplomatic practice.
North Korean defectors face dire consequences, far removed from a mere return to their homes. Numerous defectors have attested to the severe conditions they endure. The best way to stop this is to unite with the international community in condemning China’s egregious actions. Despite being a communist dictatorship, China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and depends on global trade. Its international reputation cannot be overlooked. This has led the liberal democratic world to ‘name and shame’ China for its neglect of human rights, including the rights of North Korean defectors.
Past South Korean administrations have adopted a strategy of ‘quiet diplomacy,’ operating under the belief that antagonizing China would jeopardize necessary cooperation to facilitate the return of North Koreans to South Korea. This approach led to the forced repatriation of 500 to 600 North Koreans to North Korea in October last year. Such ‘quiet diplomacy’ has been criticized as a guise for cowardice, offering diplomatic rhetoric without substantial action, essentially tiptoeing around China.
Last month, the South Korean government made its first statement to the UN Human Rights Council, urging China to “provide adequate protection to North Korean defectors.” This statement was mindful of the widespread criticism from various sources. Minister Cho’s mention of “halting North Korea’s transfers” aligns with this stance. In solidarity with the global community, it is imperative to address this issue persistently, applying pressure on China to cease the repatriation of North Korean defectors.
North Korean defectors
North Korea
China
10. US expresses deep concern over Russia's reported move to release frozen NK assets
US expresses deep concern over Russia's reported move to release frozen NK assets
koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · February 9, 2024
By Yonhap
Published : Feb. 9, 2024 - 10:18
(123rf)
WASHINGTON -- A US State Department spokesperson expressed deep concern Thursday over a media report that Russia has allowed the release of millions of dollars in frozen North Korean assets and may be helping the North with access to international banking networks.
The New York Times published the report this week, noting that Moscow's such assistance has come after the North's transfer of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.
"Of course, it is something that we're deeply concerned about, not just this specific event, but we spent a good amount of time in this briefing room talking about the closening of relations between the DPRK and Russia," Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, told a press briefing. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"There continues to be a clear track record of that. And so it's something that we're continuously monitoring," he added.
Citing American-allied intelligence officials, the newspaper reported that Russia has allowed the release of $9 million out of $30 million in frozen North Korean assets deposited in a Russian financial institution.
Patel also criticized as "destabilizing" and "risky" a Russian diplomat's remarks that North Korea may opt to conduct another nuclear test should Washington continue to take what he claimed to be "provocative steps" against Pyongyang.
Russian Ambassador to Pyongyang Alexander Matsegora made the remarks in an interview with Russia's state-run TASS published on Wednesday. Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for South Korea's foreign ministry, called the remarks "very regrettable."
"This kind of rhetoric is just another example of the kind of behavior that we believe to be incredibly destabilizing, risky and dangerous. We have repeatedly said that the United States does not harbor any hostile intent towards DPRK," he said.
"We continue to be willing to engage with Pyongyang without preconditions and we simultaneously will continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan trilaterally as well as other allies and partners on how to continue to best engage the DPRK and deter this kind of aggressive behavior," he added.
In the TASS interview, the Russian envoy said that the North Korean leadership may as well conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test if nuclear deterrence efforts by Seoul and Washington or other steps, including the flyby of US strategic bombers over the Korean Peninsula, continue.
In a separate press briefing, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that he was not aware of any imminent attack from North Korea, a statement that came amid growing concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang engaging in major provocations.
Concerns over the chances of North Korean provocations have deepened due to the North's pugnacious rhetoric against the South and its continued weapons tests.
"We are going to continue to monitor the situation. I am not aware of any imminent attacks," Ryder said. "We're going to continue to work closely with South Korea and Japan to monitor the region and work towards security and stability." (Yonhap)
koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · February 9, 2024
11. S. Korea joins elephant walk during US-led multinational air exercise
S. Korea joins elephant walk during US-led multinational air exercise
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By Yonhap
Published : Feb. 9, 2024 - 10:12
South Korea has been conducting a US-led multinational air exercise, along with four other nations, in Guam since earlier this month to enhance joint operability, the Air Force said Friday.
The annual Cope North exercise has been taking place at the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam since Monday, involving more than 80 military aircraft and some 3,000 troops from six countries, including Japan, Australia, France and Canada.
On the first day, a coalition of 33 aircraft, involving South Korea’s two CN-235 transport aircraft, staged an elephant walk, which refers to a close formation of aircraft taxiing en masse before takeoff.
“Throughout the exercise, we aim to aggressively practice combat air forces and mobility air forces dispersal activities in concert with all six participating nations. Our network of alliances and partnerships remains the backbone of global security,” Lt. Col. David Overstreet, the Cope North lead planner, was quoted as saying by the US Indo-Pacific Command.
During the exercise that runs through Feb. 23, the South Korean troops will take part in an aerial medical evacuation, personnel and cargo drop drills, and stage joint formation flights with French troops, according to the Air Force. (Yonhap)
koreaherald.com
12. Kim Jong Un Says He Has Lawful Right to Destroy South Korea
Kim Jong Un Says He Has Lawful Right to Destroy South Korea
By Jon Herskovitz and Vincent Lee
February 8, 2024 at 7:51 PM EST
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he has the legal right to annihilate South Korea, in his latest move to threaten his neighbor after starting the year by eliminating the concept of peaceful unification from his state’s national policy.
Kim said in a visit to the Ministry of Defense to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the army that the “puppets” of South Korea had rebuffed Pyongyang’s efforts for cooperation and were bent on absorbing its neighbor, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.
Therefore, it was correct to label South Korea as the “primary enemy,” and based on that legality, “it can be attacked and destroyed at any time,” KCNA quoted him as saying. Kim’s “respected daughter” joined him on the visit, it said. While North Korea’s regime operates on the whims of Kim, laws provide a formal basis for the state’s operations.
A day earlier, KCNA said North Korea’s parliament abolished laws for economic cooperation with South Korea, driving a wedge deeper between the neighbors. Since the start of the year, Kim’s regime has ratcheted up a pressure campaign against South Korea with moves that have included cruise missile tests, threatening language toward Seoul and tearing down a monument in Pyongyang that symbolized the hopes of unification.
The government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said it believes North Korea will be trying to raise its profile ahead of April elections for parliament. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, which backs military cooperation with the US and a tough stance toward Pyongyang, is trying to wrest control of the body from the opposition Democratic Party, which favors rapprochement with North Korea.
The North Korean leader has a habit of launching provocations that coincide with elections in South Korea.
Kim, meanwhile, has shown no inclination that he wants to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks and has rolled out a series of new weapons designed to deliver nuclear strikes on the US and its allies in Asia.
Read more: Kim Jong Un’s Russia Lifeline Gives Big Reason to Avoid War
This has led to some speculation that Kim has turned the corner on his bellicose outbursts and is readying for battle. US President Joe Biden has warned Kim that it would mean the end of his regime if he tried to launch a nuclear attack.
13. Signs of rare unrest among North Korean workers in China, researchers say
Can this spread internally to north Korea? Or will all overseas workers end up in re-education camps when they return?
Signs of rare unrest among North Korean workers in China, researchers say
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/signs-rare-unrest-among-north-korean-workers-china-researchers-say-2024-02-08/?utm
By Ju-min Park
February 8, 20242:50 AM ESTUpdated a day ag
The North Korean flag flutters at the North Korea consular office in Dandong, Liaoning province, China April 20, 2021. Picture taken April 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
SEOUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's intelligence agency says poor conditions for North Koreans working overseas have led to "incidents and accidents", while researchers report rare protests and unrest in China among workers from a North Korean military-linked trading company.
Fed up with unpaid wages and lingering pandemic lockdowns, as many as 3,000 North Korean workers in China staged protests last month, according to two South Korean government-affiliated researchers, including a former North Korean diplomat.
Reuters could not independently confirm the protests.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said they were "not aware" of the issue when asked about it at a daily briefing Thursday. The North Korean embassy in Beijing and its consular office in the Chinese border city of Dandong did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment.
Large-scale protests by North Koreans are virtually unheard of, and the researchers said it suggests these labourers are caught in a disagreement over their fate: China wants to send them home to comply with UN resolutions and avoid defections, but North Korea wants to maintain the number of labourers there.
Pyongyang exerts tight control over its overseas workers, including seizing as much as 90% of their wages for government funding, according to the 2023 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report, which said they often face "conditions amounting to forced labour".
For some workers, wages are withheld until they return to North Korea, increasing their vulnerability to coercion and exploitation by authorities, the report said.
Recent moves appear to have worsened conditions, according to the researchers.
Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at a South Korean government-run think tank, Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), said in an interview that North Korean workers at more than 10 textile factories in Helong, a city in Jilin province near the border, staged violent protests over unpaid wages.
The wages totalled about $10 million over four to seven years, according to Cho, adding that North Korean government officials paid several months' worth of salaries to the disgruntled workers to end the dispute.
Ko Young-hwan, a North Korean diplomat-turned-defector who now advises the South Korean unification minister, said in an interview that officials from the North Korean consulate in China had been sent to Jilin province and were trying to keep the situation under control after angry workers held some managers hostage.
"Various incidents and accidents have been happening due to poor living conditions of North Korean workers dispatched overseas, so we are checking on related movements," South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement responding to Reuters' questions about unrest, without elaborating.
A 2017 U.N. Security Council resolution, which China backed, demanded that countries repatriate all North Korean workers by December 2019, on the grounds that their labour was exploited to earn foreign currency for North Korea's banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
At the time, Beijing said it had repatriated more than half but did not specify a figure. There are an estimated 20,000-100,000 North Koreans working in China, primarily in restaurants and factories, according to the U.S. State Department.
South Korea's unification ministry said in a report last year that China and Russia were hosting North Korean workers despite the sanctions. The Russian government has said COVID restrictions were making repatriations difficult.
Cho and Ko declined to identify their sources due to security reasons, but Ko said his sources included North Korean bureaucrats based in China.
The dissatisfied North Korean workers, dispatched by a trading company operated by the country's military, have been unable to return home from China for several years because of COVID border lockdowns, they said.
The NIS said that discussions between China and North Korea appeared to be under way and that the agency was monitoring any relevant movement, without providing further details.
"Discontent among those workers has been brewing," Cho said. "Now that the border is reopening, those workers want to go home. That's not easy now, given the North Korean regime wants to keep them in China to raise money for the government."
Reporting by Ju-min Park; additional reporting by Jimin Jung and Josh Smith in Seoul, and Eduardo Baptista, Antoni Slodkowski and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Editing by Gerry Doyle
14. Korean, US Marines hold joint regular drills in Pohang
The new normal. Sustained readiness and interoperability training.
Korean, US Marines hold joint regular drills in Pohang
The Korea Times · February 8, 2024
Korean and U.S. Marines take part in a close-quarters battle exercise at a training ground in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Feb. 7. Courtesy of the Korean Marine Corps
Korean and U.S. Marines have kicked off a regular combined exercise in a southeastern coastal city to improve joint combat capabilities, Korea's Marine Corps said Thursday.
The three-week exercise got under way in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, last Thursday, involving some 400 Korean and U.S. Marines, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps' Korean Marine Exercise Program.
The two sides will mobilize various military equipment and assets for the drills, including amphibious assault vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, K1A2 tanks, Marineon helicopters and U.S. CH-53E choppers.
Over the past week, they staged combat firing and close-quarters battle training and plan to hold aerial assault drills, utilizing the helicopters from both sides.
Korea's Marine Corps said the exercise focuses on improving combined operational capabilities in a practical manner while building a solid alliance between the two sides.
"Our continued alliance with the ROKMC is crucial to regional security and stability," U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Joshua Burchfield was quoted as saying, using the acronym of Korea's Marine Corps. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · February 8, 2024
15. China has a Putin-Kim problem
Hmmmm... the axis of totalitarianism.
Remember that the history of the Kim family regime has been the Kim's playing the Chinese and Soviet/Russian dictators off against each other.
China has a Putin-Kim problem
Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · February 7, 2024
ByChina News Reporter
China is facing a quandary over what to do about Russian President Vladimir Putin's alliance of convenience with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, some analysts say.
On one hand, if Pyongyang gets its hands on more advanced Russian military technology, Kim's increasingly overt hostility could exacerbate a regional arms race. On the other, it may present an opportunity to divide U.S. attention between the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan during a conflict with the latter, which Beijing claims sovereignty over.
In recent months, Kim's regime has made a show of abandoning any hope of eventually unifying with its southern neighbor. It amended its constitution to brand Seoul as the "principal enemy," dismantled groups related to North-South cooperation, and knocked down a monument to unification erected decades ago by Kim's father, Kim Jong Il.
"We are deeply concerned about the growing relationship between Russia and the DPRK (North Korea) and what that might mean for Mr. Kim's intentions," a senior [President Joe] Biden administration official said during a January 27 press conference. It came after the latest round of talks between U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok, Thailand.
The official said Sullivan raised North Korea with his Chinese counterpart during the talks. They also pointed out that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong had led a delegation to Pyongyang that week and said the "next step would be a call between our envoy and the vice foreign minister upon his return."
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese, South Korean and Russian embassies in Washington D.C. and the North Korean embassy in Beijing with written requests for comment.
Alleged military exchanges between North Korea and Russia have already raised concern among the U.S. and its allies, particularly South Korea and Japan.
North Korea is accused of providing missiles, artillery shells, and other hardware to help replenish Moscow's stocks—depleted by its ongoing war with Ukraine, in exchange for advanced weapons and technological expertise.
In a January 9 joint-statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined foreign ministers from more than 40 countries in condemning the alleged weapons transfers.
The U.S. National Security Council has claimed Pyongyang shipped more than 1,000 containers of military equipment from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia, between September 7 and October 1.
"Putin has demonstrated that he is not Xi's vassal as some analysts like to portray. Putin's superpower is to be a disrupter, and he can create headaches for Xi," Theresa Fallon, director of Brussels-based think tank the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies, told Newsweek Wednesday, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Putin reaching out for much-needed munitions from North Korea for his war in Ukraine and alleged transfer of advanced technology and weapons to the DPRK in return made both Japan and South Korea extremely concerned," she added.
This heightened insecurity in Northeast Asia may convince regional players to drive up military spending—"an outcome unfavorable to Beijing"—Fallon said.
Japan already has plans to raise its defense spending to 2 percent of its GDP, while China has committed considerable coast guard resources to asserting its claim over the disputed Senkaku Islands.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) on September 13, 2023, in Tsiolkovsky, Russia. The two countries have been strengthening ties in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) on September 13, 2023, in Tsiolkovsky, Russia. The two countries have been strengthening ties in recent years. Russia
China may also be concerned the U.S. could step up its involvement on the Korean Peninsula, where it stations over 28,000 troops, if North Korea flexes weapons platforms built with advanced Russian technology, Center for Naval Analyses senior analyst Ken Gause told news outlet Voice of America.
The U.S. and its South Korean and Japanese allies are already on heightened alert in light of the North's intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as the Hwasong-18 launched in December, said to be capable of reaching the continental U.S.
Other experts think Beijing sees the burgeoning Moscow-Pyongyang alliance as a positive development.
"For its own sake, I'm sure Beijing sees more good than bad coming from anything that hurts [the] U.S. and/or U.S.-aligned interests. Hence Xi Jinping is likely to smile at enhanced Moscow-Pyongyang military cooperation and exchanges," Asia scholar Sean King, senior vice president of New York-based consultancy Park Strategies, told Newsweek Tuesday.
"I think the threat of a coordinated two-front Korea/Taiwan war is overhyped, but I nonetheless suspect Beijing is eager to see how North Korean weapons fare in any real-life combat situation against U.S.-friendly forces," he said.
Inter-Korean ties continue to fray on the back of reciprocal launches of surveillance satellites, joint U.S.-Japan-South Korea military drills, and the abandonment of a key North-South military agreement inked in 2018 to reduce the risk of hostilities.
In a January 11 report, the North Korea-focused analysis group 38 North said the situation on the Korean Peninsula is now more dangerous than it has been at any point since major fighting ended in 1953.
Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · February 7, 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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