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Quotes of the Day:
"If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock."
– Arthur Goldberg
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change, their minds cannot change anything."
– George Bernard Shaw
"You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame. How could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?"
– Friedrich Nietzsche
1. How to avoid the Taiwan catastrophe (Korea)
2. N. Korea starts construction of regional factories in 13 counties
3. Gov't advisory committee on N.K. human rights to begin second term with new members
4. Defense ministry to send more military doctors to general hospitals if requested
5. Yoon, Arkansas Gov. Sanders discuss strengthening S. Korea-U.S. alliance
6. Editorial: Restoring NIS rights critical as pro-North Korean forces join assembly
7. North fights isolation with delegations to Brazil, Kenya and Mongolia
8. A party that embraced anti-state, anti-U.S. forces (Korea)
9. Philippines, S. Korea recall cooperation that forged 75 years of ties
10. New survey finds that most N. Korean women think government fails to protect their rights
11. N. Korean defectors share stories of abuse by their Chinese boyfriends
12. Steep rise of N. Korean grain prices appears to be leveling off
13. The rock star who defected to North Korea — and now regrets it
14. North Korea clears remains of inter-Korean liaison office it blew up 4 years ago
1. How to avoid the Taiwan catastrophe (Korea)
I wonder why no one ever asks which is more important to US interests:Taiwan or Korea? I suppose just asking the questions reveals my bias.
Excerpts:
North Korea’s belligerence is also a way to divert internal discontent about economic hardships to the outside. Instead of confronting the country with a hardline approach, we must wisely prepare various options. Given its stable democracy and world-class economy, South Korea has too much to protect. It needs to send strong signals to North Korea to help bolster the position of its moderates.
The Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous geopolitical tinderbox in the world. The Soviet Union joined forces with the United Sates to end World War II. But just five years later, the Soviets, persuaded by Kim Il Sung, brought in China to fight against South Korea and the U.S. in the Korean War. “In many ways, the Korean War was the dress rehearsal for World War III,” said William Stueck, a professor of history at the University of Georgia.
North Korea, China and Russia are getting closer again. At this point, we must strengthen our security posture, but must not abandon our efforts for dialogue. Despite the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, China and Taiwan have maintained the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in 2010. Last year, Taiwan’s exports to China totaled $152.2 billion.
While the two Koreas are still pointing guns at each other, the powers around them are barking at one another without a let-up. Can peace ever be achieved on such a turbulent peninsula? Our yearning will be the starting point. If a nuclear-free peace comes to the peninsula, couldn’t it represent the permanent peace of the world, advocated by the great philosopher Immanuel Kant in 1795, when he said, “The bad thing of war is, that it makes more evil people than it can take away”?
Monday
March 11, 2024
dictionary + A - A
Published: 11 Mar. 2024, 19:55
How to avoid the Taiwan catastrophe
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-11/opinion/columns/How-to-avoid-the-Taiwan-catastrophe/1999643
Lee Ha-kyung
The author is a senior columnist of the JoongAng Ilbo.
Last month, the Foreign Affairs ran a column titled “The Taiwan Catastrophe.” Matthew Pottinger, a former U.S. deputy national security advisor and an architect of the Trump administration’s China policy, was one of the three co-authors. The column pointed out that if China annexes Taiwan and pushes the United States out of Asia, “U.S. allies would face great incentives to develop their own nuclear weapons.”
The authors analyzed that Korea and Japan already have the capacity to develop nuclear weapons, adding “Beijing would have the power to complicate U.S. access to East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean — the littoral of the most populous, economically active part of the world.”
The authors also quoted hedge fund manager Ken Griffin’s estimation that losing access to Taiwanese semiconductors would shave 5 to 10 percent off the U.S. GDP. “It’s an immediate Great Depression,” he was quoted as saying in 2022. “The United States could begin to resemble, as the diplomat Henry Kissinger once put it to one of us (Pottinger), ‘an island off the coast of the world’.”
Will China invade Taiwan? Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the military to be ready for war by 2027, according to CIA Director William Burns last October. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu also remarked that given the growing possibility of China invading Taiwan, 2027 could be the year. The year 2027 marks the start of Xi’s fourth term in power and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.
If a war erupts in Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula will be immediately drawn into the turmoil. “The world is turbulent enough. Renewed conflict and turmoil should not happen on the [Korean] Peninsula,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 7 in a press conference during the National People’s Congress in Beijing.
We hope he is being truthful. But China will likely use North Korean provocations to distract the United States from its efforts to defend Taiwan. In his CNN interview in September 2022, President Yoon Suk Yeol pointed to a high possibility of North Korea staging military provocations if China attacks Taiwan. “Responding to the North Korean provocations based on a strong U.S.-South Korea alliance will be the top priority,” Yoon stressed. But in a recent House hearing, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified that the United States has lost military deterrence in Europe and the Middle East, adding, “We are on the cusp of losing that very deterrent model in Asia as well.”
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, the situation will turn more precarious. Despite U.S. President Joe Biden’s pledge to defend Taiwan, Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with NBC in September that he “won’t say” if he would provide military support to Taiwan against an invasion from China. He had once mentioned the possibility of withdrawing the U.S. Forces Korea. Is the defense of Taiwan and South Korea destined to become a bargaining chip of a former businessman?
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean relations as “between two hostile states” and threatened to “destroy the South without any hesitation.” North Korea watchers Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker warned that the situation on the peninsula is more dangerous now than at any time since the Korean War.
We must reinforce the trilateral alliance among South Korea, the United States and Japan and have a rock-solid security posture. It was a great accomplishment of President Yoon to normalize relations with Japan, which serves as a rear base for U.S. troops in the case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, we should talk to North Korea as it will help raise the possibility of peace.
Dialogue is essential to understand the enemy’s intentions. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said last week that Washington will explore various dialogues, including reducing the risk of an accidental clash on the peninsula. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is pushing for a North-Japan summit, and Pyongyang views it positively. But only South Korea — the directly concerned party — takes a different approach. “Inter-Korean exchanges” have disappeared in the Ministry of Unification while “peace” and “negotiations” have vanished in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Could this be alright?
North Korea’s belligerence is also a way to divert internal discontent about economic hardships to the outside. Instead of confronting the country with a hardline approach, we must wisely prepare various options. Given its stable democracy and world-class economy, South Korea has too much to protect. It needs to send strong signals to North Korea to help bolster the position of its moderates.
The Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous geopolitical tinderbox in the world. The Soviet Union joined forces with the United Sates to end World War II. But just five years later, the Soviets, persuaded by Kim Il Sung, brought in China to fight against South Korea and the U.S. in the Korean War. “In many ways, the Korean War was the dress rehearsal for World War III,” said William Stueck, a professor of history at the University of Georgia.
North Korea, China and Russia are getting closer again. At this point, we must strengthen our security posture, but must not abandon our efforts for dialogue. Despite the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, China and Taiwan have maintained the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in 2010. Last year, Taiwan’s exports to China totaled $152.2 billion.
While the two Koreas are still pointing guns at each other, the powers around them are barking at one another without a let-up. Can peace ever be achieved on such a turbulent peninsula? Our yearning will be the starting point. If a nuclear-free peace comes to the peninsula, couldn’t it represent the permanent peace of the world, advocated by the great philosopher Immanuel Kant in 1795, when he said, “The bad thing of war is, that it makes more evil people than it can take away”?
2. N. Korea starts construction of regional factories in 13 counties
Is this a serious effort that will make any significant contributions to the economy and welfare of the Korean people in the north?
N. Korea starts construction of regional factories in 13 counties | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 11, 2024
SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has begun the construction of factories in more than 10 counties, state media reported Monday, as leader Kim Jong-un called for the development of backward provinces to bolster the regional economy.
The country held a series of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of the regional industrial factories in 13 counties, including the Kujang, Unsan and Yonthan counties, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Ordered by its leader Kim, North Korea has kicked off a project to build modernized factories in 20 counties over the next decade to raise the "basic material and cultural living standards of the people."
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 11, 2024, shows the North holding a groundbreaking ceremony to start the construction of regional industrial factories in more than 10 counties under the country's regional economy development plan. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
"The building of regional industry factories is not just a struggle for construction, but a fight for the ruling party to keep promises with the people," the KCNA said, voicing expectations for the role of troops that were dispatched to help accomplish the project.
It is common for North Korea to mobilize the military in state-led construction projects in a bid to accelerate the completion of them at cheap costs.
Last month, Kim attended a ceremony to start the construction of a factory in Songchon County, South Pyongan Province, saying the project could help millions of people improve their livelihoods.
South Korea's unification ministry has expressed skepticism over the North's regional development plan, raising questions about whether the resource-scarce country would have sufficient equipment and funds to implement the project.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 11, 2024
3. Gov't advisory committee on N.K. human rights to begin second term with new members
Excerpt:
The ministry said it appointed two North Korean defectors, both in their 30s, as new members of the committee.
Gov't advisory committee on N.K. human rights to begin second term with new members | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 11, 2024
SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Monday that an advisory committee on enhancing the human rights situation in North Korea will begin its second term this week, as part of efforts to tackle the dire rights conditions in the North.
The 12-member committee, tasked with conducting research on the issue and advising the unification minister, South Korea's point man on North Korea, will convene its first meeting Tuesday, with new members beginning their one-year terms, the ministry said.
Before the committee was launched last year, a North Korean Human Rights Foundation should have been established to implement the North Korean Human Rights Act, which came into force in 2016. But the foundation couldn't be launched as the main opposition party failed to recommend board members for the envisioned foundation.
The impasse prompted the ministry to launch the committee in March last year to try to address the dire human rights situation in North Korea. Its previous term ended earlier this month.
The ministry said it appointed two North Korean defectors, both in their 30s, as new members of the committee.
North Korea has long been accused of grave human rights abuses, ranging from holding political prisoners in concentration camps to committing torture and carrying out public executions.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho holds a press briefing on March 8, 2024, over the unification ministry's 2024 policy goals at the government complex building in Seoul. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 11, 2024
4. Defense ministry to send more military doctors to general hospitals if requested
Defense ministry to send more military doctors to general hospitals if requested | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 11, 2024
SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Monday it will dispatch more military doctors to general hospitals within available resources if requested to help address concerns of medical service disruptions due to an ongoing mass walkout by trainee doctors.
Earlier in the day, the ministry dispatched 20 military doctors to such hospitals for four weeks as thousands of trainee doctors remained off their jobs since last month to protest the government's plan to sharply increase the number of medical students next year.
"If there are additional requests, the military will establish the conditions for medical support within available resources," Jeon Ha-kyou, the ministry's spokesperson, told a regular briefing when asked if the military could dispatch more doctors.
Jeon said Monday's deployment would have minimal impact on the military's operations, noting there are some 2,400 military doctors in service.
As part of efforts to minimize medical service disruptions from the mass walkout, the military has also fully opened the emergency rooms of its hospitals nationwide to civilians.
As of Monday noon, 200 civilians had been treated at military hospitals since they fully opened their doors on Feb. 20.
This file photo, taken Aug. 28, 2023, shows Jeon Ha-kyou, the defense ministry's spokesperson, speaking at a regular briefing at the ministry's headquarters in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 11, 2024
5. Yoon, Arkansas Gov. Sanders discuss strengthening S. Korea-U.S. alliance
Is the ROK hedging here ahead of e the US election in November?
Yoon, Arkansas Gov. Sanders discuss strengthening S. Korea-U.S. alliance | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · March 11, 2024
SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol met with the governor of Arkansas, the United States, on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
The meeting with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary during the Donald Trump administration, took place at the presidential office. Sanders is visiting Seoul as part of a two-nation trade mission to South Korea and Japan.
"Just like the 70-year-old South Korea-U.S. alliance that is evolving into a comprehensive global partnership, I hope cooperation between South Korea and Arkansas could deepen in many ways," Yoon said during the meeting.
Yoon also pointed to the special tie that South Korea has with Arkansas, the home of Gen. Douglas MacArthur whose leadership in the Korean War battle of Incheon resulted in a decisive victory.
Sanders hailed the recent advancement of the two nations' alliance and expressed her hope for "more Korean companies to make inroads to Arkansas," which she said has a high potential for lithium development.
This photo, provided by the presidential office, shows President Yoon Suk Yeol having a meeting with Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the presidential office on March 11, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)
Related Articles
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · March 11, 2024
6. Editorial: Restoring NIS rights critical as pro-North Korean forces join assembly
The threat of subversion from the north exists.
Editorial: Restoring NIS rights critical as pro-North Korean forces join assembly
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/03/11/TAOC5UI6BJGSBIETBYYU4NB4MI/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2024.03.11. 09:04
The former Moon Jae-in administration transferred the National Intelligence Service's counterintelligence investigation rights to the police, but the security investigation unit within the police force is understaffed and lacks expertise. / News1
The Democratic Alliance, a satellite party of the Democratic Party of Korea, is filling its list of candidates for proportional representation with individuals known for their pro-North Korea and anti-U.S. stances. This follows an agreement by the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party and the United Political Citizens Coalition, groups known for anti-U.S. and pro-North Korean tendencies, to allocate slots for their candidates, with each group endorsing three, three, and four candidates, respectively, for secure positions.
The three candidates confirmed by the far-left Progressive Party are all former members of the Democratic Labor Party and the People’s Party. Both parties have previously engaged in activities within the pro-North Korea faction of the Gyeonggi Eastern Alliance. Notably, the Progressive Party is the successor to the now-defunct Unified Progressive Party, which was dissolved after lawmaker Lee Seok-ki was convicted of plotting an armed rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea.
Among the 12 candidates who passed the first round of proportional candidate screening by the council were figures such as the former Korean Confederation of Trade Unions head who published a controversial “unification textbook” praising the Kim family’s rule and a civil defense attorney advocating for the abolition of the National Security Act. Discussions of unity between the Progressive Party and the Democratic Party in certain districts hint at the possible return of key Unified Progressive Party members to the National Assembly of Korea.
In response to these developments, Han Dong-hoon, the interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, announced plans to immediately push for a legal amendment that reinstates the counterintelligence investigative authority of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) upon winning the April general elections. The NIS’ counterintelligence investigative authority refers to the legal power to conduct investigations against communist activities or threats.
“This has become increasingly necessary as Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung resorts to offering the mainstream Democratic Party as a platform for the pro-North Korea factions of the Unified Progressive Party to protect his interests,” said Han.
The decision by the former Moon Jae-in administration to transfer counterintelligence investigation rights from the NIS to the police, a change that became effective last January, is already proving problematic. The newly established security investigation unit within the police force is understaffed, with only 142 employees, and the head of the unit has no experience leading counterintelligence investigations. The number of counterintelligence investigators in city and provincial police departments has also been bolstered, but half of the officers in charge have less than three years of experience in counterintelligence investigations.
The current situation raises the alarming possibility that pro-North Korea figures who gain seats at the National Assembly could potentially access, demand, or even leak sensitive security information from the NIS, the Ministry of National Defense, prosecutors, and the police. Before he was imprisoned, Lee Seok-ki had demanded military secrets such as the joint U.S.-South Korea national defense plan and the AH-X attack helicopter program. In the 21st National Assembly, an opposition lawmaker’s aide requested more than 700 classified military documents.
Given the current limitations of the police in conducting espionage investigations, especially those related to the political domain, reinstating the NIS’ counterintelligence investigative authority after the general election should be a top priority.
7. North fights isolation with delegations to Brazil, Kenya and Mongolia
I hate to keep using the Go/Baduk analogy but it is easy to see it playing out on the global stage between north and South.
Monday
March 11, 2024
dictionary + A - A
Published: 11 Mar. 2024, 16:26
North fights isolation with delegations to Brazil, Kenya and Mongolia
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-11/national/northKorea/North-fights-isolation-with-delegations-to-Brazil-Kenya-and-Mongolia/1999423
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a Military Foundation Day event in Pyongyang on Feb. 9, 2024. [YONHAP]
North Korea has recently sent delegations to South America, Africa and Mongolia in a move that is seen as a response to its growing diplomatic isolation and economic struggles.
A North Korean delegation returned from Brazil on Saturday, and another delegation returned to Pyongyang from Kenya last week. On Saturday, a separate diplomatic team was sent to Mongolia.
North Korea’s dispatching of delegations to faraway countries is in line with the regime’s recent attempts to expand its reach.
“A delegation of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea led by Park In-chol, chairman of its Central Committee, returned home by air on Saturday after taking part in the regular meeting of the Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions held in Sao Paulo City of Brazil,” the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday.
Related Article
The delegation led by Park departed from Pyongyang on Feb. 26 and returned two weeks later.
Flying to South America from the Korean Peninsula takes a long time, and the North Korean delegation’s route was presumably complicated by sanctions and a shortage of aviation fuel.
Typically, North Korean overseas trips involve taking the state-owned flag carrier Air Koryo to China and transferring to a commercial aircraft.
Air Koryo’s regular Pyongyang-Beijing route resumed after a three-year halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic in August last year.
“A delegation of the DPRK led by Minister of Land and Environment Protection Kim Kyong-jun returned home by plane on March 5 after participating in the 6th UN Environment Assembly held in Nairobi of Kenya,” KCNA also reported on March 6.
DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea is evidently trying to emphasize that it is actively engaged in diplomatic activities by sending these delegations to remote countries in South America and Africa.
The regime is even attending regular multilateral events that do not address urgent issues concerning North Korea or involve important bilateral meetings.
Before COVID-19, North Korea carried out diplomacy with anti-American or anti-Western countries, but recently, it has been focusing on strengthening relationships with existing allies and with countries with which the regime had little interaction.
This series of actions by North Korea is seen as an aftereffect of the surprise establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Cuba — a traditional ally of the North — on Feb. 14.
Cuba's establishment of relations with South Korea likely shocked the Kim Jong-un regime.
From the end of last year to last month, North Korea appeared to focus on making money at the cost of managing its diplomatic relations, closing nine embassies around the world, including in Guinea, Nepal and Bangladesh.
However, since the middle of last month, when diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba were established, news of the closure of North Korean embassies has become less frequent, and communication with Western countries has been strengthened as countries such as Germany and Poland prepare to reopen their embassies in Pyongyang.
Additionally, North Korea recently approved the appointment of Joe Colombano, an Italian diplomat, as the United Nations resident coordinator in the DPRK. Colombano has not yet entered North Korea.
Meanwhile, the KCNA reported Sunday that a North Korean Foreign Ministry delegation departed for Mongolia — another traditional ally — on Saturday.
Some worry that the delegation may be trying to send workers overseas to Mongolia, which is prohibited under UN Security Council resolutions. North Korea continued to send workers to Mongolia to earn foreign currency until the regime sealed its borders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
BY PARK HYUN-JU, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]
8. A party that embraced anti-state, anti-U.S. forces (Korea)
Monday
March 11, 2024
dictionary + A - A
Published: 11 Mar. 2024, 19:57
A party that embraced anti-state, anti-U.S. forces
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-11/opinion/editorials/A-party-that-embraced-antistate-antiUS-forces/1999647
In a shocking development, a novel coalition of satellite parties led by the majority Democratic Party (DP) will most likely serve as a channel for pro-North Korea forces to enter the 22nd National Assembly through the April 10 parliamentary elections. A splinter party that joined the coalition to win proportional representative seats has nominated two controversial women, including Jeon Ji-yeh, as the first and second candidates of the party through a recent audition. Jeon was immediately picked as the first candidate for proportional seats in the DP-led coalition.
Jeon, a left-wing activist, is notorious for her deep-rooted anti-U.S. stance, as clearly seen in her vehement opposition to the annual Korea-U.S. joint drills and her persistent demand for the dismantlement of the United Nations Command in Korea. In August 2022 — just three months after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration — she attacked Yoon for “trying to find a breakthrough in his declining approval rating even without knowing the danger of war exercises” before the two allies launched a military exercise. A civic group she once worked for is still led by a radical leftist who once commanded a pro-North Korea organization. The other controversial woman affiliated with the novel coalition orchestrated a massive protest against the Thaad missile deployment in Seongju, North Gyeongsang, last year.
Proportional representative candidate No. 1 represents the identity of a political party. But the DP handed over the seat to an extreme leftist. The party’s earlier nominations of three candidates for proportional seats also included three left-wing activists from the Justice Party. One of them even led a movement to exonerate Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmaker, from his criminal charges of engaging in pro-North activities. We seriously wonder how the DP can bring in such anti-state figures for proportional seats.
In the meantime, another makeshift party led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk is busy drawing people on trial or ex-convicts. Cho himself was sentenced to two years in jail in his second trial and a current lawmaker to three years in prison in his first trial for their criminal charges. Such recruitments constitute a contempt for the legislature and a brazen denial of the rule of law. Fifteen percent support for the party in a Gallup Korea poll demands a deep reflection from voters.
Satellites of the two major parties were an effective route for troublemakers’ entry to the legislature four years ago. They want to defend against their own judicial risks by becoming lawmakers. It is unthinkable under normal election systems. DP leader Lee Jae-myung joined forces with nonsensical people for proportional seats. He must explain to voters what he did.
9. Philippines, S. Korea recall cooperation that forged 75 years of ties
The ROK has a much stronger position on the Go/Baduk board than the north.
Philippines, S. Korea recall cooperation that forged 75 years of ties
koreaherald.com · by Sanjay Kumar · March 10, 2024
By Sanjay Kumar
Published : March 10, 2024 - 15:25
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers remarks at an event marking the 75th anniversary of ties on at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. (Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul)
The Philippines marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties with South Korea on Tuesday, recalling the cooperation and sacrifices that have strengthened the bilateral relationship.
Stressing the exceptional strength of Philippine-Korea diplomatic ties, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the majority of diplomatic relations with Korea can be traced back approximately 60 years or less, but Korea’s relations with the Philippines predate the Korean War.
The Philippines contributed 7,420 service members to the defense of South Korea, making it the fifth largest troop contributor and the 11th nation to offer forces to support South Korea during the Korean War, according to the United Nations Command. The Philippines suffered 448 casualties, including 92 members killed in action and 356 wounded in action during the war.
“I was just a schoolboy back then, but needless to say, I have vivid memories of the atrocities and destruction of the Korean War,” Ban said.
“I cannot imagine the bravery of those young Filipinos — many of whom probably could not find Korea on a map before — coming all the way to Korea in defense of freedom,” Ban added.
Foreign Ministry's Director General Kim Dong-bae(thirdf from left), Philippines Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega(fourth from left), Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (fifth from left) and Asean -Korea Center Secretary General Kim Hae-yong(sixth from left) pose for a group photo at an event marking the 75th anniversary of ties on at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Tuesday.
Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega underlined longstanding ties between her country and South Korea, citing examples such as the first Korean interpreter for Filipinos, Moon Soon-deuk, Philippine contributions to the post-war reconstruction of South Korea and the political achievements of individuals like Jasmine Lee, the first non-ethnic Korean to become a member of the National Assembly.
“Through the assistance of Moon Soon Deuk, the Filipinos were eventually able to return to the Philippines after several years in Korea,” recalled De Vega.
Moon, a merchant from Uido, Shinan-gun, in present-day Jeollanam-do, is said to have lived in the Philippines for nearly nine months in the early 19th century, immersing himself in the local traditions and cuisine.
Moon’s experiences were documented in the "Pyohaesimal" (Journal of Drifting Out to Sea), which provided valuable insights into Philippine customs, clothing, language, and culture.
Moon is believed to be the first Korean to have learned a Philippine language and possibly the first Korean interpreter for Filipinos, said De Vega.
Philippines ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega speaks at an event marking the 75th anniversary of ties on at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. (Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul)
According to the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, over 67,000 Filipinos reside in Korea, while over 87,000 Koreans live in the Philippines.
“(The) Philippines having been a member of the UN Temporary Commission on Korea, or UNTCOK, and during the Korean War, when we jointly defended freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula during the administration of President Elpidio Quirino,” recalled De Vega.
“There are likewise examples of our close partnership in the post-war reconstruction of South Korea, as Filipino engineers, architects, and technicians helped to design and build landmarks such as the Ministry of Culture office and the Jangchung Gymnasium, which has served the city of Seoul for over 60 years,” De Vega said.
She also highlighted the Philippines' infrastructure program, citing the imminent opening of the transformative Panguil Bay Bridge project in Mindanao in 2024 as a significant benefit resulting from the recently signed Free Trade Agreement.
According to Kim Dong-bae, Director-General of ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, the Philippines was the first ASEAN country to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea and was also the first Asian country to extend a helping hand during the Korean War by sending the largest number of troops among Asian countries.
“These sacrifices of the Philippine soldiers will continue to be cherished in the minds of the Korean people," emphasized Kim.
Philippines Embassy officials and representatives of attached agencies pose for a group photo with Philippines ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega(seventh from left in front row) at an event marking the 75th anniversary of ties on at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Tuesday. (Embassy of the Philippines in Seoul)
Kim highlighted the entry into force of a free trade agreement signed in September 2023 and also hoped for the elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in the near future.
He also strived to upgrade the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, supported by ASEAN partners like the Philippines.
South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy includes the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI), aimed at fostering broader and deeper practical cooperation with the Philippines, a founding member of ASEAN.
Meanwhile, during a phone conversation on Friday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo acknowledged the growing significance of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Manalo suggested active high-level exchanges to nurture a new partnership while Cho sought the Philippines' support for the upcoming Summit for Democracy, stressing solidarity among democracies, with the next session planned to be held in Seoul.
Cho also extended condolences for the loss of two Philippine crew members in an attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
According to the Philippine government, two Filipino crew members were among those killed in a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a merchant vessel transiting the key Red Sea trade route in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
koreaherald.com · by Sanjay Kumar · March 10, 2024
10. New survey finds that most N. Korean women think government fails to protect their rights
Especially when they can compare themselves to women in the South and throughout the free world.
New survey finds that most N. Korean women think government fails to protect their rights
Daily NK's survey documented various cases of sexual assault against North Korean women in markets, the military, detention centers, and workplaces
By Mun Dong Hui - March 11, 2024
dailynk.com
New survey finds that most N. Korean women think government fails to protect their rights - Daily NK English
FILE PHOTO: North Korean women at the customs office in Dandong in mid-February 2019. (Daily NK)
Do North Korean women believe that women’s rights are protected in their country?
According to the “2023 North Korean Women’s Rights Survey Results Report” released on Mar. 7 and compiled and analyzed by Daily NK with the support of the Embassy of Canada to the Republic of Korea, not a single respondent answered in the affirmative when asked, “Are North Korean women’s rights well protected by the government?”
Specifically, 11 out of 30 respondents (36.7%) said their rights are “not well protected,” 9 (30%) responded their rights are “not protected at all,” while 6 (20%) said their rights are “partially protected.” Four (13.3%) of the respondents said they were not sure whether their rights are protected.
In 2010, the North Korean government passed the “Women’s Rights Protection Law.” However, the Daily NK survey found that more than a decade after the law was enacted, North Korean women still perceive that their rights are not protected.
In fact, 21 out of 30 North Korean women who participated in the survey (70%) said they had never heard of the Women’s Rights Protection Act. There appears to be a significant lack of awareness about legal support for women’s rights and what rights can be legally protected.
When asked, “Have you ever received any education on women’s rights?”, 25 respondents, more than 80% of the total, said they had never received such education.
In addition, when asked whether women’s status in the household has improved, 13 respondents (32.5%) said that the rights of those women who are skilled and earn a lot of money have improved. This shows that any improvement in women’s rights is due to their active economic activities rather than national policies, proving once again that North Korea’s marketization has led to an improvement in women’s status and role in the household.
At the same time, 10 people (25%) responded to the same question by saying, “North Korean women’s rights cannot be fundamentally equal to men’s,” suggesting that gender discrimination is still deeply ingrained in the minds of North Korean women.
Survey reveals widespread sex-related offenses
Daily NK’s survey also documented various cases of sexual assault against North Korean women in markets, the military, detention centers, and workplaces.
Specifically, 22 out of 30 respondents (73%) said they had encountered cases in which colleagues in the workplace, military, or markets either demanded sexual favors or coerced, manipulated, or deceived them into sex by offering opportunities related to work, promotions, or their market business.
Daily NK announced the results of the survey at the North Korean Women’s Human Rights Conference in celebration of International Women’s Day, hosted by the Canadian Embassy in Jung District, Seoul, on the morning of Mar. 8.
An English translation of the survey report will be released shortly.
Translated by Audrey Gregg. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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Mun Dong Hui
Mun Dong Hui is one of Daily NK’s full-time reporters and covers North Korean technology and human rights issues, including the country’s political prison camp system. Mun has a M.A. in Sociology from Hanyang University and a B.A. in Mathematics from Jeonbuk National University. He can be reached at dhmun@uni-media.net
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11. N. Korean defectors share stories of abuse by their Chinese boyfriends
N. Korean defectors share stories of abuse by their Chinese boyfriends
One woman was beaten so bad that is no longer able to recognize her own friends and can do little more than smile blandly and vacantly
By Lee Chae Un - March 11, 2024
dailynk.com
N. Korean defectors share stories of abuse by their Chinese boyfriends - Daily NK English
FILE PHOTO: In this photograph taken in June 2019, North Korean workers are seen entering a store in Dandong, China. (Daily NK)
Some female defectors in China have suffered serious injuries, including cognitive impairment, due to violent treatment by their Chinese boyfriends, Daily NK has learned.
“A defector in her 50s living in China’s Hebei Province suffered brain damage after being beaten by her Chinese boyfriend in January. Her defector friends were shocked by her state of cognitive impairment,” a source in China told Daily NK on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The woman was frequently beaten by her Chinese boyfriend and fled the house they shared in January to escape the constant violence. But when her boyfriend caught her, he beat her even worse, the source said.
As a result, the woman is no longer able to recognize her own friends and can do little more than smile blandly and vacantly.
Defectors from nearby villages who visited her after hearing the news fought back tears of grief.
One defector was quoted as saying: “I could hardly believe my own eyes when I saw her with a cognitive level little better than five or six years old. We were so close, and she’d always been like a big sister to me. But it made me cry to learn that she doesn’t even recognize me anymore. She sat there in clothes that hadn’t been washed in who knows how long, and when I asked her where she was from, she could only shake her head.”
The defector continued: “I was so angry that I tried to file a complaint at a local police station, but the police told me they couldn’t take a complaint from a person without legal status and advised me to mind my own business. It was devastating to think that someone could get away with beating a North Korean defector to death without being punished.”
Abuse is widespread
This is not the only example of female defectors being beaten by Chinese boyfriends. A defector in her 30s in Jilin Province suffers regular beatings not only from her Chinese boyfriend, but also by his family members.
“The people in this family paid for a North Korean defector bride, and now they treat her worse than a servant. Recently, they’ve been pushing her to get some kind of job that will earn her more than RMB 100 [around 14 dollars] a day,” the source said.
As a result, the woman leaves home early every morning to find something that will pay decent money, even if it means weeding other people’s fields.
After returning home from work, the woman has numerous household chores to complete and can expect the family to pounce on her if she shows the slightest annoyance. She reportedly has little choice but to do what her boyfriend’s family tells her to do.
“There have been defectors who were beaten by their Chinese boyfriends before, but the boyfriends tried to control themselves because they were afraid their girlfriends would run away. But now Chinese men know that it’s hard to get to South Korea and that arrested defectors can be sent back to the North. So they figure the women are stuck with them and aren’t afraid to get violent with them,” the source said.
“Faced with the physical and psychological damage caused by violence perpetrated by Chinese men, female defectors can’t help but feel angry and wish they hadn’t been born in North Korea to suffer this kind of treatment.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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Lee Chae Un
Lee Chae Un is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. She can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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12. Steep rise of N. Korean grain prices appears to be leveling off
Steep rise of N. Korean grain prices appears to be leveling off
The survey also found that the prices of imported food at North Korean marketplaces has declined slightly
By Seulkee Jang - March 11, 2024
dailynk.com
Steep rise of N. Korean grain prices appears to be leveling off - Daily NK English
FILE PHOTO: A scene from Rason Market in North Hamgyong Province. (Daily NK)
The North Korean authorities have been distributing food from state-run grain stores, which appears to have driven down the market price of grain, Daily NK has learned.
Daily NK’s regular survey of grain prices in North Korean markets showed that a kilogram of rice sold KPW for 4,900 at a market in Pyongyang on Mar. 4. Rice sold for KPW 5,000 on Feb. 18, so this represents a decline of 2% over the past two weeks.
The market price of rice in other cities has dropped by a similar amount. In a marketplace in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, rice was sold for KPW 5,000 per kilogram, down 2% from the price of KPW 5,100 in the previous survey.
The survey found that the price drop was more pronounced in a marketplace in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, than in other areas. On Mar. 4, a kilogram of rice sold for KPW 5,300, 3.6% lower than the price on Feb. 18 (KPW 5,500).
Corn distributions lead to drop in prices
The market price of corn also showed a general decline. A kilogram of corn sold for KPW 2,600 at a marketplace in Sinuiju on Mar. 4, down 3.7% from two weeks earlier. But a kilogram of corn at a marketplace in Hyesan on Mar. 4 sold for KPW 3,000, the same price as before.
The reason for the turnaround in grain prices at North Korean marketplaces is believed to be food sales at state-run stores. A source told Daily NK that grain was sold at official food stores toward the end of February.
The source, who is in Pyongyang, said that rice was not sold at the official stores in the capital, but corn was sold there for about KPW 400-500 cheaper than at nearby marketplaces.
In addition, several sources in North Korea confirmed that grain was sold at government stores in other areas around the same time.
Prices of imported food also falls
On a related point, the survey found that the overall price of imported food at North Korean marketplaces had declined slightly.
A kilogram of imported cooking oil sold for KPW 11,800 at a Pyongyang marketplace on Mar. 4, KPW 200 less than two weeks earlier (Feb. 18).
The price of sugar, an important imported food, has also dropped somewhat. A kilogram of sugar sold for KPW 8,700 in a Pyongyang marketplace on Mar. 4, KPW 300 less than on Feb. 18.
The price of imported wheat, however, has been rising. One kilogram of wheat sold for KPW 8,100 in a Pyongyang marketplace on Mar. 4, 1.25% higher than the price in the previous survey two weeks earlier.
The price of imported goods has continued to fall slightly since the end of last year because the North Korean authorities are expanding imports of food into the country.
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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Seulkee Jang
Seulkee Jang is one of Daily NK’s full-time reporters and covers North Korean economic and diplomatic issues, including workers dispatched abroad. Jang has a M.A. in Sociology from University of North Korean Studies and a B.A. in Sociology from Yonsei University. She can be reached at skjang(at)uni-media.net.
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13. The rock star who defected to North Korea — and now regrets it
A little known or long forgotten story.
The rock star who defected to North Korea — and now regrets it - National | Globalnews.ca
By Alan Cross Corus Radio
Posted March 10, 2024 10:00 am
Updated March 10, 2024 1:28 pm
5 min read
globalnews.ca
The 1960s were a turbulent time. Assassinations, riots, civil rights protests, and angry opposition to the war in Vietnam. This unrest wasn’t confined to North America, either. It seemed that the whole world was about to come apart at the seams.
Japan had its own issues. There was the Anpo struggle, an on-again, off-again series of protests against the post-WWII treaty that allowed the U.S. to maintain military bases in the country. Thousands were involved across the country, sometimes resulting in violent clashes with police. Along with university students around the world in 1968-69, Japan saw daigaku funsō (“university troubles”) that took on everything from the construction of Narita Airport to the management of post-secondary schools.
One of the most dangerous challenges to the status quo came from the Communist League, the precursor to the Japanese Red Army, a violent militant communist group that was eventually rightly branded a terrorist organization.
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This leads us back to Les Rallizes Dénudés, a psychedelic and experimental rock formed at Doshisha University in Kyoto in 1967. The group, a merger between the artistic ambitions of vocalist Takashi Mizutani and a radical theatre group known as Gendai Gekijo, itself wasn’t staunchly political, although they did perform for protestors and students during the late ’60s, including an event known as the Barricades A Go-Go concert in 1968. Individual members were also sympathetic to and participated in both the Anpo struggle and daigaku funsō, no one more so than bass player Moriaki Wakabayashi.
Wakabayashi was all-in when it came to participating in the Communist League’s Red Army Faction. On March 31, 1970, he was part of a group (Kyosando Sekigunha) that hijacked Japan Air Lines flight 351, which became known as the “Yodo-go” incident. The super far-left Red Army Faction, hoping to inspire a popular uprising in Japan — a Soviet-style proletarian revolution — that would remake the country as the headquarters for a greater global revolution against the U.S. and its allies.
About 20 minutes after the 727 took off from Haneda Airport (then known as Tokyo International) on a short hop to Fukuoka, a Communist League member named Takamaro Tamiya popped out of his seat with a samurai sword, yelled that the plane was being hijacked, and ordered the eight other members of the group — including Wakabayashi — to draw their weapons: more swords, steel pipes, and bombs. The pilots were then ordered to fly the plane to Cuba. Seven crew members and 122 passengers were now hostages. (Takashi Mizutani had been offered a role in the hijacking but he declined.)
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One problem: The 727-200 had a maximum range of 4,720 km. The distance from Tokyo to Havana is over 12,000 km. The aircraft didn’t have anywhere enough fuel capacity to make the jumps over the Pacific. Clearly, the Communist League knew little about civil aviation.
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When informed of that inconvenient fact, the hijackers demanded that the plane fly to Pyongyang in ultra-communist North Korea, a much more reasonable 1,300 km away but a destination that still required a refueling stop. After touching down in Fukuoka to gas up and to free 23 of the passengers, the plane took off again.
But authorities had a plan. Instead of flying to Pyongyang, the crew diverted the plane to Kimpo Airport in Seoul, South Korea. By the time it landed, the airport had been staged to look like something in North Korea. The hijackers disembarked, thinking they had successfully carried out their mission and could still somehow make it to Cuba where they hoped to be trained as guerilla fighters.
When they entered the terminal, something seemed … off. Why was American jazz music playing over the PA? Where was the welcoming committee from Kim Il-Sung’s DPRK? Uh-oh.
The hijackers were furious and promised no safe release of the remaining hostages until they were granted passage to North Korea where they could seek asylum. That seemed to be a reasonable plan, so the demands were granted and the plane few to Mirim Airport in the North on April 3. Moriaki Wakabayashi was among the defectors, surrendering himself to North Korean officials. He was fired from Les Rallizes Dénudés for obvious reasons. Everyone was placed on Interpol’s most-wanted list. The entire incident was considered a national embarrassment for Japan.
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Although they were initially welcomed as heroes of the great socialist revolution — at least in public with military medals and luxury accommodation in Pyongyang’s “village of the revolution” — things didn’t turn out so well for them. North Korea was annoyed that they were the hijackers second choice behind Cuba and treated their unwanted guests accordingly.
One of the hijackers was arrested hiding in Japan after entering the country on a fake passport. Another was arrested in Thailand and deported back to Japan. Two hijackers, including Takamaro Tamiya, died in the North. That leaves five survivors, among them Wakabayashi.
We know a little about the defected rocker. In 1976, Wakabayashi married another radical activist, one of several brides secretly flown in from Japan for the hijackers. His political views softened dramatically, saying in 2010 that hijacking a plane full of innocent people was “a selfish and conceited” idea and that he’d gladly return to Japan to face trial. As far was anyone knows, Wakabayashi is still living somewhere in North Korea. His fellow hijackers pleaded to go home for decades.
Meanwhile, Les Rallizes Dénudés continued as a band until 1988 and reunited between 1993 and 1996. The group’s mysterious leader, Takashi Mizutani, keeping a low profile, perhaps living in Paris for a while. Shows, recordings, and interviews were few and far between. Rumours are that he died in 2019.
globalnews.ca
14. North Korea clears remains of inter-Korean liaison office it blew up 4 years ago
North Korea clears remains of inter-Korean liaison office it blew up 4 years ago
https://www.nknews.org/2024/03/north-korea-clears-remains-of-inter-korean-liaison-office-it-blew-up-4-years-ago/
Removal comes as DPRK turns back on inter-Korean ties and signals it won’t resume cooperation in future, expert says
Lina Park | Shreyas Reddy March 11, 2024
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North Korea blows up the joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. | Image: KCNA (June 16, 2020)
North Korea has removed the remnants of an inter-Korean liaison office it blew up four years ago, a development one expert saw as further evidence of Kim Jong Un’s recent push to distance the country from past engagement with South Korea.
Satellite images captured by Planet Labs show that North Korea almost entirely cleared the area where the remnants of the liaison office were in an inter-Korean industrial complex at Kaesong from December to January, with much of the work taking place in December.
The removal, first reported by Voice of America on Saturday, seemingly brings to a close a saga that has seen many ups and downs since the two Koreas launched the liaison office in Sept. 2018 during a period of bonhomie that saw three inter-Korean summits.
But as diplomacy stalled, the North abruptly withdrew its officials after half a year and eventually blew up the building in June 2020 amid escalating anti-South Korea rhetoric.
After the demolition, a state television broadcast made Pyongyang’s intentions clear with a video showing the liaison office crumbling in an explosion that also saw considerable damage to the glass facade of the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee office building nearby.
The remains of the liaison office building were visible in early Dec. 2023. | Image: Planet Labs, edited by NK News
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Kang Dong-wan, a professor of political science at Dong-A University, told NK News that the removal of the building was “inevitable” as North Korea has moved to eliminate all traces of inter-Korean engagement in recent months, after leader Kim Jong Un declared unification an “impossible” goal.
“It’s seen as a significant action showing North Korea’s intent to erase all traces of the military field as well as inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, including completely demolishing the South Korean government-owned liaison office,” he said.
He added that the decision to clear all traces of the building signals that Pyongyang is unlikely to resume exchange and cooperation in the future.
North Korea has yet to report the removal of the liaison office’s remains, and Shin Seung-ki, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said it may be too early to ascribe any “significant new meaning” to this move until it does so.
“Without specific mentions, it could be that they intend to clear the debris from such destruction and utilize the space differently according to North Korea’s intentions, but currently, it seems difficult to confirm those intentions precisely,” he told NK News.
Officials from the two Koreas inaugurate the joint liaison office on Sept. 14, 2018. | Image: ROK Presidential Archives
The apparent removal of the remainder of the former liaison office comes after South Korea criticized North Korea for removing debris from the site in early December.
At the time, Seoul’s unification ministry called on Pyongyang to “immediately” stop the removal and said the ROK government would hold the DPRK accountable for using South Korean firms’ leftover equipment “without authorization.”
Following the Voice of America report, the ministry stated on Monday that North Korea has made “a significant amount of progress” in the liaison office’s demolition, but did not confirm whether this work has been completed.
“The government will definitely hold North Korea accountable for its actions that infringe on our property rights and take necessary measures,” a unification ministry spokesperson said at a press briefing.
Monday’s statement reinforces Seoul’s announcement last May that it would sue North Korea for $35 million for blowing up the liaison office. It also follows unification minister Kim Yung-ho’s pledge in December to take action over North Korea’s commercial activities at the Kaesong inter-Korean industrial complex.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s cabinet is set to review the planned dissolution of a foundation responsible for operations at the dormant Kaesong industrial complex, according to the unification ministry.
South Korean firms have not been active at the complex since 2016.
Colin Zwirko contributed reporting to this article. Edited by Alannah Hill.
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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