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Quotes of the Day:
"What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again"
~ Anne Frank
“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it”
– Marcus Aurelius
"If we believe that we, as Americans, are bound together by a common concern for each other, then an urgent national priority is upon us. We must begin to end the disgrace of this other America.
And this is one of the great tasks of leadership for us, as individuals and citizens this year. But even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and dignity - that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product - if we judge the United States of America by that - that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
Robert Kennedy, March 18,1968
1. N. Korea says it conducted 2-day drills simulating tactical nuclear counterattack
2. Yoon faces strong political backlash after Tokyo summit
3. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Suddenly pulls out “Storm Corps” from the border region, perhaps as a response to US-ROK drills
4. Yoon may be invited to the G7 summit in Hiroshima
5. South Korea and the U.S. restore North Korea's 'beheading operation'... What is the scenario of the operation to arrest Kim Jong-un in case of emergency?
6. G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea
7. S. Korea expresses regret over 'distorted' reports on Yoon-Kishida summit
8. S. Korea, U.S. stage combined high-tech Army training
9. N. Korea holds nuclear counterattack simulation drills; Kim urges perfect readiness: KCNA
10. China supports holding trilateral summit with S. Korea, Japan within year: spokesperson
11. Some of N. Korea’s military officers fail to receive enough food rations
12. N. Korea prepares for special pardon of reeducation camp inmates on September 9
13. N.Korea Continues Flurry of Missile Launches
14. North claims 1.4 million have enlisted, re-enlisted in armed forces
15. N. Korea simulates nuclear air burst to attack S. Korea
1. N. Korea says it conducted 2-day drills simulating tactical nuclear counterattack
Sounds like nKPA's culmination of its Winter Training Cycle.
Here is the fallacy of this statement. If north Korea uses WMD on day one, it would not be around to employ any more WMD on day 2. Please make sure Kim Jong Un understands that.
N. Korea says it conducted 2-day drills simulating tactical nuclear counterattack | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · March 20, 2023
SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday it conducted drills simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack against its enemies over the weekend, as the United States and South Korea are staging their joint annual military exercise.
The North's leader Kim Jong-un "guided" the exercises of its military units operating tactical nuclear weapons Saturday and Sunday, including a ballistic missile launch drill, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Photos carried by state media showed his daughter Ju-ae also oversaw the drills.
Kim called for fully establishing the country's readiness posture for nuclear attacks against its enemies, as the U.S. and the South have been "frantically" carrying out a "rehearsal of invasion" of the North, involving American military assets.
"We cannot deter the war only with the fact that we are a nuclear state. Only when we completes the country's readiness posture for nuclear attacks that can be operated swiftly and accurately at any time, we can fulfill the important, strategic mission of deterring war," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
The North said it conducted a drill to review the reliability of its tactical nuclear force Saturday.
On Sunday morning, the country held a ballistic missile launch drill simulating the country carrying out a tactical nuclear attack in a bid to check the operational reliability of its nuclear explosion control devices and detonators, according to the KCNA.
It said the missile, fired from Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, precisely "exploded in the air" at a height of 800 meters above the East Sea, after flying 800 kilometers.
South Korea's military said Sunday it detected the firing of a short-range ballistic missile from the Tongchang-ri area in the North's western part toward the East Sea. It flew some 800 kilometers before splashing into the sea.
The Freedom Shield military exercise of the allies are under way in and around the peninsula, aimed at bolstering their defense posture against the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Youtube
https://youtu.be/q1XikTQwZc0
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 20, 2023, shows the North conducting military drills simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack against its enemies. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · March 20, 2023
2. Yoon faces strong political backlash after Tokyo summit
Ugly criticism.
Will president Yoon be able to deftly maneuver around this opposition or must he just push through it?
Yoon faces strong political backlash after Tokyo summit
The Korea Times · March 19, 2023
Thousands of people hold a protest near City Hall in central Seoul, Saturday, denouncing President Yoon Suk Yeol's March 16 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yonhap
Opposition leader accuses president of being 'Japan's servant'
By Jung Min-ho
What was mostly welcomed by Japan and many allied nations as a meaningful step toward a future-oriented relationship between Seoul and Tokyo has left President Yoon Suk Yeol in a political bind at home.
After his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo last week, Yoon faces a strong backlash from victims of Japan's wartime forced labor, civic groups and opposition politicians who call his bid to recover the frayed bilateral ties a "humiliating" concession.
Thousands of protesters packed the streets in front of City Hall in central Seoul, Saturday, to criticize the government's attempt at resolving the issue through a fund raised by a Korean public foundation instead of seeking payment from Japan.
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), was among the demonstrators. He accused the administration of choosing to be "a servant of Japan" while ignoring the tears of the victims.
"Despite the stated opposition of the victims, the Yoon administration is pushing ahead with its third-party solution. No matter how illegal, how unconstitutional, how nonsensical, it will push for the deal, if it can appease Japan. Isn't this a humiliating attitude?" Lee asked.
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, left, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, takes part in a protest near City Hall in central Seoul, Saturday, denouncing President Yoon Suk Yeol's March 16 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The demonstrators slammed the summit as "humiliating diplomacy."
Yonhap
At the bilateral summit, Yoon and Kishida agreed to increase cooperation in security, economy and culture among other areas. This includes lifting Japan's export restrictions on Korea and normalizing the two countries' intelligence-sharing pact, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), as soon as possible.
The agreements came after years of historical disputes, which were renewed in 2018 when the South Korean Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation to South Korean victims of forced labor or their bereaved relatives.
The opposition leader claimed that the recovery of the security pact may lead Japan to push to reform its post-World War II pacifist constitution, which he said could threaten the security of the Korean Peninsula.
Rep. Lim O-kyeong, a spokeswoman for the DPK, also claimed Yoon had discussed wartime sex slavery and Dokdo ― two other major obstacles to the two countries' relations ― with his Japanese counterpart and hid it from the public. Citing the Japanese media, she released a statement on Sunday accusing the president of lying, although Foreign Minister Park Jin, in an interview with Korean broadcaster KBS, denied the Japanese media reports and said the two issues were "not among the topics on the agenda."
Asked about what many view as a "disappointing" reaction from Japan, Minister Park said he expects to see a more favorable response from Japan in the coming months as recovering the relations would advance their common interests.
Contrary to the opposition's stance, the presidential office hailed the summit as a success that created a turning point in the two countries' relations, saying its solution was backed by the United Nations, European Union, the United States and several other countries as well as 20 major institutions including the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, said mending bilateral ties is critical given the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region where nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang are growing and Beijing is aggressively expanding its clout.
Yet, with nearly 60 percent of the public disapproving of the Yoon administration's solution to the forced labor issue in recent polls and the DPK determined to continue putting it forward, Yoon's approval ratings are expected to drop to concerning levels without further responses from Tokyo, such as Japanese companies' contribution to the victim fund.
Citing several Japanese government officials, Yomiuri Shimbun, a local newspaper, reported that Tokyo is taking steps to invite Yoon to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May as the host country.
The Korea Times · March 19, 2023
3. ＜Inside N. Korea＞Suddenly pulls out “Storm Corps” from the border region, perhaps as a response to US-ROK drills
Or perhaps because the military is being mobilized to help with agriculture operations now that the nKPA Winter Training Cycle is ending.
＜Inside N. Korea＞Suddenly pulls out “Storm Corps” from the border region, perhaps as a response to US-ROK drills
asiapress.org
Soldiers who appear to be part of the “Storm Corps” on duty near the Yalu River on North Korea’s border with China. Taken by ASIAPRESS on the Chinese side of the border in October 2020.
The “Storm Corps,” which is an elite military unit deployed to the China-North Korea border to seal it during the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly been removed from the area. The extraction may be due to an emergency re-positioning of military forces to respond to the large-scale US and South Korean joint military exercises that began in March. (KANG Ji-won)
◆ What is the “Storm Corps”?
ASIAPRESS reporting partners in the city of Hoeryong and Musan County in North Hamgyung Province and in Yanggang Province reported recently that the “Storm Corps” was suddenly pulled out of the China-North Korea border region from March 9 to March 10.
The “Storm Corps” refers to an elite military unit deployed to the China-North Korea border from other areas of the country. The unit is tasked with sealing the border, including cracking down on illicit drugs, smuggling, and defections, along with anti-socialist behavior, such as the illegal distribution of South Korean dramas and movies.
The “Storm Corps” has frequently been deployed to the border region since the Kim Jong-il era, but the number of troops and the unit’s role was expanded after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020. The unit was permanently stationed across the border region stretching from the Tumen to Yalu rivers.
The unit was focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea from China. The unit worked with the border patrol and local police to prevent illegal river crossings, smuggling and entry into a buffer zone along the border. The unit also monitored illegal activity perpetrated by the border guards, including taking bribes to help people cross the border. In short, the “Storm Corps” was deployed in large numbers to the border to maintain control over the border amid the “national emergency” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
◆ An emergency re-deployment to respond to US-ROK military drills?
Why has North Korea pulled out the “Storm Corps” as the country’s COVID-19 policies continue to remain in force? A reporting partner in Hyesan told ASIAPRESS the following:
“Lectures for ordinary people were held by the authorities last week (the second week of March). The lectures stated that the Americans and South Korean puppets have begun joint military drills in preparation for war, which has created a dangerous and unsettled state of affairs. This, the lectures said, has forced the government to quickly pull out the “Storm Corps” because special forces units need to prepare for battle. Soldiers in other units have also been banned from leaving their bases, and the border guard is also conducting emergency drills.”
◆ Government tells people that war is not on the horizon
The reporting partner pointed out, however, that the authorities are not creating an atmosphere of imminent war. When North Korean tensions with the US and South Korea rise, the North Korean regime frequently proclaims the implementation of a “quasi-state of war system” and mobilizes the population to conduct drills. This time, however, this kind of atmosphere does not exist, and the authorities are telling people to stay calm because there is no chance a war will break out.
“At the lectures, the authorities said that ‘nobody can mess with us because we have nuclear weapons. The enemy is afraid of us.’ In the past, the authorities would mobilize the entire military and population to conduct various drills to prepare for an armed provocation by the enemy, but this time they just emphasized that we should ‘put trust (in the Workers’ Party) and focus on implementing the agricultural revolution and economic tasks.’”
North Korea’s economic troubles have become so serious that there are reports of people dying of malnutrition among the country’s vulnerable population. If the regime claims that a war could break out, this may cause poverty-stricken people to desire the outbreak of war. The Kim Jong-un regime seems to be afraid of that happening.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
Map of North Korea ( ASIAPRESS)
asiapress.org
4. Yoon may be invited to the G7 summit in Hiroshima
A sign of South Korea's economic and diplomatic strength.
Sunday
March 19, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Yoon may be invited to the G7 summit in Hiroshima
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/03/19/national/diplomacy/Korea-Japan-Yoon-Suk-Yeol/20230319154255314.html
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during their summit at the prime minister's residence in Tokyo Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Japan is finalizing preparations to invite Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Group of Seven, or G7, summit in Hiroshima in May, according to Japanese media reports.
The reports come after Yoon made a two-day visit to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Thursday, the first bilateral visit by a Korean leader in 12 years, signaling a thaw in relations frayed by historical disputes and a trade spat.
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, citing several government officials, reported Sunday that the Japanese government is working on the final details on an invitation for Yoon after the Korean government presented a solution to the forced labor compensation issue.
It reported that the G7 summit will include a meeting for invited countries in addition to the member countries. Japan as the host country can invite other countries to the gathering.
Kishida also reportedly plans to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit during his four-day visit to India from Sunday. Other invitees could include Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Kyodo News also reported on Friday that Kishida conveyed his intention to invite Yoon to the G7 summit during their summit held in Tokyo on Thursday.
Yoon returned from his first trip to Japan Friday evening, a trip which came after Seoul announced on March 6 that a Korea-backed public foundation will compensate victims of forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Some Korean victims and civic groups have protested this plan as it doesn't include an apology or compensation from the liable Japanese companies.
Yoon focused on a "future-oriented" and reconciliatory message in his summit with Kishida, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen security cooperation and economic ties.
During the summit, Yoon announced the "complete normalization" of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (Gsomia), Seoul and Tokyo's military intelligence-sharing pact, which he said will help the two countries exchange information about North Korean nuclear weapon and missile launches.
Japan also lifted restrictions on exports of three key materials to Korea that are essential for semiconductor and display production imposed since July 2019.
In 2018, Korea's Supreme Court ordered two Japanese companies — Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — to individually compensate Korean victims of forced labor during World War II.
In July 2019, Japan imposed trade restrictions on the three materials essential to the production of high-quality semiconductors and displays, two major Korean export goods.
In response, Seoul nearly terminated Gsomia, established in 2016 and renewed annually, and in the process technically left open the possibility that the pact could be scrapped at any time.
During a press conference with Kishida on Thursday, Yoon stressed the importance of normalizing relations between the two countries, especially at a time when North Korean military activity has been intensifying and the geopolitical situation in the region has become volatile.
"Korea's national interest is not a zero-sum relationship with Japan's national interest," Yoon said.
During the press conference, Kishida said that he upholds historical perceptions of past Japanese governments, including the historic joint declaration in 1998 of Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, but stopped short of repeating an apology for Japan's colonial rule over Korea.
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answer questions in a joint press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Yoon and Kishida held a 90-minute summit ahead of the press conference. Later Thursday, the two leaders and their wives, Korean first lady, Kim Keon-hee, and Japanese first lady, Yuko Kishida, had dinner at a sukiyaki restaurant in Ginza and shared drinks one-on-one in a nearby Western-style restaurant famous for its omurice, an omelet rice dish that Yoon enjoys.
On Friday, Yoon attended the Korea-Japan business roundtable organized by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), after the two countries' business lobbies announced the creation of funds for youths the previous day.
Yoon was the first Korean president to attend a business roundtable between the two countries in 14 years. The roundtable was attended by business leaders of both countries.
Yoon also met with the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union and the Korea-Japan Cooperation Committee. He later gave a speech emphasizing the future generation to some 170 students at Keio University in Tokyo.
In late April, Yoon is expected to make a state visit to the United State for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, an opportunity to discuss regional issues, including trilateral cooperation with Japan to better respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Yoon could be reunited with both Biden and Kishida during the G7 summit the following month, though the presidential office has yet to confirm the Japanese reports. It could be an occasion for another trilateral summit between Yoon, Biden and Kishida who last met alongside Asean meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last November.
The White House immediately "welcomed" the improving relations between Seoul and Tokyo and the "truly historic announcement marking a new chapter of cooperation and partnership between them."
John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, said in a briefing Thursday that the United States will continue to support Korea and Japan "as they take steps to translate this new understanding into enduring progress."
He then stressed that trilateral partnership "is key to upholding and advancing our shared vision for a safer more secure and more prosperous Indo-Pacific."
This comes ahead of a closely-watched visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week, his first trip to Russia since the Ukrainian invasion more than a year ago.
Biden has urged for stronger cooperation with NATO in Europe as well as its allies in the Indo-Pacific region such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, seen as a push to better contain China.
Members of the Democratic Party, including leader Lee Jae-myeong, and activists hold a rally near Seoul Plaza in central Seoul Saturday protesting the “humiliating diplomacy” with Japan. [NEWS1]
The Korea-Japan summit drew mixed reactions domestically, and the liberal Democratic Party (DP) protested the visit as being "empty-handed" and being "a historically embarrassing moment" for failing to heed to the views of the Korean forced labor victims.
The DP, including chief Lee Jae-myung, and civic groups took part in massive rallies Saturday protesting the Korea-Japan summit as a "shameful diplomacy" in central Seoul on Saturday.
While Seoul and Tokyo made progress in normalizing relations and reviving shuttle diplomacy between the two leaders defunct since late 2011, they still have remaining issues to overcome including the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery issue and a territorial dispute.
Japanese media reported that Kishida requested during the summit Korea's faithful implementation of the 2015 agreement aimed at resolving the Japanese military's wartime sexual slavery during World War II, euphemistically referred to as comfort women.
Foreign Minister Park Jin told KBS Saturday that there had been no discussions on the comfort women agreement or the Dokdo islets during the summit.
On Sunday, Yoon's People Power Party, the government and the presidential office held a meeting to discuss follow-up measures to the Korea-Japan summit.
"The first bilateral visit by a head of state in 12 years marks a turning point in improving bilateral relations, which have been at an all-time low," said Yoon's presidential office in a statement Saturday. "This visit to Japan will provide an opportunity to normalize Korea-Japan relations and develop future-oriented relations in all sectors."
BY LEE HO-JEONG, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
5. South Korea and the U.S. restore North Korea's 'beheading operation'... What is the scenario of the operation to arrest Kim Jong-un in case of emergency?
Sigh...
There is a lot to make you chuckle in this article.
I think "A-Tae Kims" means ATACMS. I also like "Devguru" for the SEALs. My guess is the author wrote this article in English. It was translate into Korea for the Donga Ilbo and then it was translated back in English for this web site "New Rebeat."
How much fact and how much fantasy and fiction? Kim Jong Un wants to know.
I nominate the author for the Pulitzer for fiction writing.
South Korea and the U.S. restore North Korea's 'beheading operation'... What is the scenario of the operation to arrest Kim Jong-un in case of emergency? - News Rebeat
newsrebeat.com
Suppression of Pyongyang with a large-scale missile attack, special forces return after securing a ‘target’
An AC-130J special warfare aircraft deployed in the ROK-US joint special operations training ‘Tick Knife’ is dropping precision-guided weapons. [합동참모본부 제공]
During the Moon Jae-in administration, the ROK-US joint training, which was reduced or abolished by saying that it would not stimulate North Korea, is being restored one by one. When South Korea and the United States conducted the ‘Freedom Shield’ exercise on an 11-day schedule from March 13 to 23, North Korea is demanding that the exercise be stopped as if it was frightened. On March 5, North Korea put forward Kim Seon-gyeong, Vice Minister of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying, “The United States does not hide that it is carrying out special operations training aimed at a surprise strike against major strategic bases in the depths of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in alliance with South Korea.” They expressed displeasure and fear at the recent exercises of the ROK-US Combined Forces. On March 9, North Korea launched the ‘Hwasong-11na’ tactical ballistic missile, called the ‘North Korean version of A-Tae Kims’, to show off its ability to strike major airbases of the ROK-US allied forces.
North Korea’s threatening language that proves fear
Teak knife training released by USFK Special Forces in September of last year. [뉴시스]
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North Korea seems to be threatening South Korea and the United States, saying, “We will respond overwhelmingly and suppress it” through the remarks of Chairman Kim Jong-un and reports in the state media. North Korea’s rhetoric reads the fear felt while watching the military drills conducted by South Korea and the U.S. over the past month. This year, North Korea’s fears began in earnest when the ROK-US joint special operations exercise ‘Teak Knife’ was conducted last month. This is because the U.S. Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, and various air support assets were deployed on the Korean Peninsula and conducted large-scale training. Supervised by the US Special Operations Command in Korea (SOCKOR), the ROK Army Special Warfare Command, Navy Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL), and Air Force CCT (CCT) units participated in the exercise. It seems that the U.S. military deployed not only the Green Berets, but also the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Navy SEALs, and Air Force Special Operations Group.
The most noteworthy thing in this teak knife training is the AC-130J ‘Ghost Rider’, a state-of-the-art special warfare aircraft first deployed on the Korean Peninsula. The AC-130J is usually deployed in Florida, but since last year, it has been deployed on a rotational basis to Kadena Air Base in Japan. It is a ‘special operation fire support aircraft’ that the US Army is operating about 40 units. This aircraft is a force that the US military will deploy after completely securing air supremacy in the operational area and eliminating the threat of enemy surface-to-air missiles. It is a kind of ‘air battery’ made by remodeling the C-130 transport aircraft to provide strong aerial firepower to special forces that have difficulty carrying heavy weapons due to the nature of their mission.
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The AC-130J received rave reviews from the US Army on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. General fighter jets or attack helicopters have no choice but to return after bombing the ground several times in just a few seconds due to their short endurance. On the other hand, the AC-130J can precisely fire a 105mm howitzer while staying in the air. The AC-130J, which has been put into action, flies 8 to 9 km above the maximum range and interception altitude of 6 to 7 km for infantry portable surface-to-air missiles. Based on the high-performance optical/infrared aiming system, it enjoys using ultra-precision bombardment tactics. Depending on the skill of the gunner, it can pour shells from 3 to as many as 10 rounds per minute, so the enemy cannot even approach within a radius of several kilometers of the special forces under cover.
The reason why Korea and the U.S. ’emergency runway take-off and landing training’ is attracting attention
In this teak knife training, the AC-130J showed formidable power. At the Jikdo shooting range in the coastal waters of Gunsan, they started live-fire training with AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles and GBU-39 SDB guided bombs. The Hellfire II mounted on the AC-130J can reduce enemy tanks to ashes in one blow. There is also a metal reinforced warhead (MAC) version with a thermobaric warhead for destroying buildings and bunkers. The GBU-39 SDB is a bunker buster that can fly up to 110km and penetrate 1.2m of reinforced concrete when fired at high altitudes.
In addition to the AC-130J’s firepower projection armed demonstration, the ROK-US special forces also conducted an ’emergency runway take-off and landing exercise’ in which C-130J transport aircraft, MC-130J special fighter jets, A-10C attack aircraft, and various helicopters of the Korean Army participated. If it was carried out by general Air Force units, it could be dismissed as ordinary training. This is because the Air Force must be able to operate aircraft on highways or emergency runways in case the runway is destroyed by an enemy attack in case of emergency. However, there is a special meaning in the emergency runway take-off and landing training of teak knives, where special forces are the main axis.
In this exercise, the ROK-US Combined Forces mastered the procedure for C-130 series transport aircraft to unload fuel and ammunition on an emergency runway and supply them to helicopters and attack aircraft that made an emergency landing. In military terms, it was an exercise in ‘Forward Arms and Refueling Stations (FARP)’ tactics. Helicopters and attack aircraft have limitations in that their range is relatively short. Therefore, when attacking a strategic facility located deep in the enemy capital or rear, special forces must occupy an airfield near the target. Transport planes, helicopters, and attack planes are landed at the airfield secured in this way, resupplyed with weapons and fuel, and then launched again. The US military has conducted similar drills with the Japan Maritime and Air Self-Defense Force several times in various places around the Korean Peninsula over the past five years. At the time, an analysis came out that “the US military is carrying out military exercises with the operation to remove the North Korean leadership in mind” over the US-Japan joint training.
The U.S. military also invested a large amount of bombers in the teak knife training. It all started with an armed demonstration-style exercise between two B-52H strategic bombers launched from the U.S. mainland on February 28 in the airspace south of Jeju Island with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. On March 3, one B-1B bomber flew in the West and East Seas, and on March 6, one B-1B flew in the West Sea. Looking at the face of the bombers mobilized at this time, North Korea can tremble with fear. The B-52H strategic bomber is a member of the 20th Bomb Squadron capable of operating nuclear weapons. It is equipped with the ability to launch AGM-86B air-launched cruise missiles with a range of 2,400 km that are equipped with nuclear warheads 10 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb in Japan, and B61-12 “nuclear bunker busters” that can collapse North Korean underground bunkers with artificial earthquakes. Although the B-1B bombers do not have the capability to operate nuclear weapons, they can launch 24 cruise missiles of the Joint Long-Range Air-to-Surface Missile (JASSM) series, which North Korea cannot detect or intercept.
U.S. bombers neutralize North Korean air defense batteries and radars
In the JASSM series, two types are mainly operated: the JASSM-ER with a range of 930 km and the JASSM-XR with a range of 1900 km. It can also be equipped with a 450kg multi-purpose penetrating warhead and special weapon CHAMP that orbits the target and emits high-powered microwaves to burn enemy communication and radar equipment circuits.
The drills conducted by South Korea and the United States over the past month were a kind of armed demonstration that showed an approximate method of how to eliminate or arrest North Korean leaders in case of emergency. It is a relatively simple tactic, but there is virtually no way for North Korea to stop it.
If we predict the scenario of the operation to remove the North Korean leader in case of emergency through the recent ROK-US joint training, it is as follows. First, the coalition forces will launch a large number of JASSM-ER/XR missiles using B-1B or B-52H bombers outside the North Korean air defense detection zone. North Korean radar cannot detect the JASSM series of stealth missiles. North Korean radars, communication equipment, and air defense batteries in the infiltration route around Pyongyang and Nampo are incapacitated by missile attacks. Afterwards, JASSM equipped with CHAMP orbits over Pyongyang and emits microwaves, which disables the North Korean military’s main communication equipment. While the North Korean army is in chaos, a ground operation unit infiltrates Pyongyang.
How will special forces infiltrate Pyongyang in case of emergency? They are likely to be put into operation by sharing vertical take-off and landing aircraft ‘Osprey’ or ‘Chinook’ helicopters taking off from aircraft carriers or amphibious assault ships, or C-130 transport aircraft. Hundreds of special forces troops infiltrated the area around the Pottong River, where the official residence of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman Kim Jong-un are located, subdued the guards and set up a blockade in preparation for the introduction of reinforcements. Osprey and the helicopter, which dropped off the special forces, temporarily occupy an airfield near Pyongyang along with other special forces that departed first. Here, they receive refueling from C-130 or MC-130 aircraft and prepare to return by picking up special forces members who operated in downtown Pyongyang.
It is also possible to speculate on the division of roles between the ROK and US special forces. First of all, it is highly likely that the ROK Special Forces and US Green Berets will be in charge of occupying the Pothong River area in the early stages of the operation. Afterwards, the US Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, also known as ‘Delta Force’, Navy SEAL ‘Devguru’, and the 707th Special Mission Team of the Korean Army form an arrest team to arrest or remove the target from Chairman Kim’s residence. In the meantime, US Air Force F-22 fighters, South Korean Army F-35 fighters, and US Navy EA-18G electronic warfare secure air supremacy in the operational area while blocking the reinforcement of North Korean air power. At the same time, the AC-130J provides cover for ground operations units with air fire support. It is to block access by raining shells and missiles on enemy reinforcements heading from the outskirts of Pyongyang to the Pothong River area. Having secured the target, the special forces board the refueled Osprey or helicopter. The operation is completed when they escape to the West Sea through the skies over Nampo under the air cover of fighter jets, electronic electricity and AC-130J, and then return to the carrier or amphibious assault ship in the West Sea.
The headquarters building of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, known to have the office of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. [동아DB]
North Korea must show sincere gestures of reconciliation
North Korea is pouring out messages of criticism every day to South Korea and the United States, which are familiar with the beheading operation scenario, saying, “We are endangering the situation on the Korean Peninsula with aggressive war exercises.” In the first place, the concept of a beheading operation by South Korean and US forces would not have been born if the North Korean leadership, including Chairman Kim Jong-un, had not been tyrannical and developing nuclear weapons and missiles to threaten the surroundings. South Korea and the United States have attempted to resolve North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) issue through dialogue and negotiations over the past 30 years. Nevertheless, it is North Korea that continues to create a security crisis. For North Korea, the realization of the beheading operation will be more fearful than anything else. If you are afraid of the overwhelming capabilities of the two countries, it is wise to come out to the forum for dialogue and show sincere gestures of reconciliation rather than developing nuclear weapons and missiles.
<This article
Weekly Donga
Published in issue 1381>
Shin In-gyun, CEO of Self-Defense Network
Source: Donga
Mark
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.
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6. G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea
G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea - United States Department of State
state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases...G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea
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G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea
Media Note
March 19, 2023
The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.
Begin Text:
We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest terms North Korea’s March 16 launch of yet another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which undermines regional and international peace and security.
Since last year, North Korea has intensified its escalatory actions through a record number of ballistic missile launches and its continued irresponsible and destabilizing rhetoric regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, North Korea publicly stated its intent to further expand and enhance its unlawful nuclear and missile programs.
We reiterate our demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner and fully comply with all obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs). North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We urge North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy toward denuclearization and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea.
We deeply regret to see the stark contrast between the frequency of North Korea’s repeated blatant violations of UNSCRs and the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) corresponding inaction because of some members’ obstruction. North Korea’s reckless behavior demands a swift and unified response by the international community, including further significant measures by the UNSC. We call on all UN Member States to fully and effectively implement all UNSCRs, and for the UNSC Members to follow through on their commitments.
The G7 remains concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in North Korea and is committed to working with all relevant partners toward the goal of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to upholding the rules-based international order.
End Text
state.gov · by Office of the Spokesperson
7. S. Korea expresses regret over 'distorted' reports on Yoon-Kishida summit
Is someone trying to scuttle the work done by President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida?
S. Korea expresses regret over 'distorted' reports on Yoon-Kishida summit | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · March 20, 2023
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has expressed regret to Japan over a series of "distorted" reports on last week's summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and asked that such reports not be repeated, a presidential official said Monday.
Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported the same day that Kishida asked Yoon to faithfully implement a 2015 agreement on the issue of Korean women forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II, as well as the lifting of restrictions on imports of seafood from Fukushima.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) speaks during a joint news conference with President Yoon Suk Yeol after their summit in Tokyo on March 16, 2023. (Yonhap)
Other Japanese news outlets carried similar reports last week, saying the issues of the "comfort women" and South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, which Japan has repeatedly laid claim to, were raised during the summit.
"With regard to the completely groundless or distorted reports coming out of Japan after the summit, I understand that our diplomatic authorities have expressed regret and asked for a prevention of a recurrence," the presidential official told reporters.
On whether the import restrictions were discussed, the official said he cannot disclose the details of the summit discussions.
He noted, however, that the subject was brought up by Japanese lawmakers during a separate meeting they had with Yoon.
On the issues of the comfort women and Dokdo, the official repeated Seoul's previous statement that neither topic was discussed during the summit.
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · March 20, 2023
8. S. Korea, U.S. stage combined high-tech Army training
But the photo in the article ( HERE ) shows the importance of still being able to use a paper map and a pointer stick on the ground during tactical operations!.
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. stage combined high-tech Army training | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · March 20, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with JCS chief's visit to key units in paras 8-9)
SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States are conducting combined high-tech military drills with increased "intensity and realism," the Army here said Monday, as part of joint efforts to bolster deterrence against growing North Korean threats.
The drills are under way at the Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), a facility employing cutting-edge technologies for realistic ground drills, in Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul. The maneuvers are to run through Friday, in connection with the allies' ongoing Freedom Shield exercise.
For the drills, the U.S. military deployed a battalion-size unit for the first time. The South mobilized wheeled-armored vehicles and reconnaissance drones, while the U.S. brought Stryker armored vehicles and other assets.
The latest drills are divided into two three-day parts of separate defense and attack operations to heighten its "intensity and realism," according to the armed service. Previous KCTC sessions were held for four days in total.
"Through this combined exercise, (we) were able to enhance the interoperability of the combined assets through tactical collaboration with the Stryker Brigade Combat Team," a South Korean official was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the allies kicked off their first large-scale amphibious landing exercise in five years on Monday.
The Ssangyong training is to take place in and around Pohang, 272 km southeast of Seoul, through April 3. It had not been held since its last edition in 2018 amid the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for inter-Korean rapprochement.
Later in the day, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum visited the South Korean Air Force's 38th Fighter Group and the U.S. 8th Fighter Wing in Gunsan, 179 km south of Seoul, as well as the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 65 km south of the capital.
At the naval command, Kim stressed the need for readiness to "sink enemies with a single blow" to protect waters south of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean sea border, should they launch provocations.
South Korean and U.S. troops hold tactical discussions during the combined Korea Combat Training Center drills in Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul, which began March 13, 2023, in this photo provided by the South's Army on March 20. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 송상호 · March 20, 2023
9. N. Korea holds nuclear counterattack simulation drills; Kim urges perfect readiness: KCNA
There will be no "counterattack" or second strike capability in north Korea.
(LEAD) N. Korea holds nuclear counterattack simulation drills; Kim urges perfect readiness: KCNA | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · March 20, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details, background; MODIFIES headline; ADDS photo, byline)
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Monday it conducted drills simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack against its enemies over the weekend, as the United States and South Korea are staging their joint annual military exercise.
The North's leader Kim Jong-un "guided" the training held Saturday and Sunday, including a ballistic missile launch drill designed to verify the operation of nuclear explosion control devices and detonators, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Photos carried by state media showed his daughter Ju-ae also oversaw the drills.
He "stressed the need to let service personnel get familiar with any unexpected circumstances and make them more perfectly prepared in their active posture of making an immediate and overwhelming nuclear counterattack anytime," the KCNA said in an English-language report.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 20, 2023, shows the North conducting military drills simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack against its enemies. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Kim also presented the "important nuclear force-building orientation and the strategic tasks to be fulfilled in preparing the nuclear force for a war," it added without elaborating.
The allies are staging the Freedom Shield military exercises scheduled to run through Thursday, aimed at bolstering their defense posture against the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
The North said its two-day practice to counter the South Korea-U.S. "war" drills for invasion consisted of three parts -- an exercise for managing the nuclear strike control system, an actual training for switching to a nuclear counterattack posture and a training for launching a tactical ballistic missile tipped with a mock nuclear warhead.
On Saturday, the country reviewed the reliability of the operation system for the command and management of its tactical nuclear force "in a multi-faceted way."
On Sunday morning, the North test-fired a tactical ballistic missile in order to check the operational reliability of its nuclear explosion control devices and nuclear warhead detonators, according to the KCNA.
It said the missile, fired from Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, precisely "exploded at 800 meters above the target waters" of the East Sea.
South Korea's military said Sunday it detected the firing of a short-range ballistic missile from the Tongchang-ri area in the North's western part toward the East Sea at 11:05 a.m.. It said the missile traveled 800 km before splashing into the sea.
The North's missile firing came some 25 minutes before a U.S. B-1B strategic bomber entered an operational area of the Korean Peninsula for the allies' exercises.
The North has stepped up its provocations in response to the South Korea-U.S. military drills, including the firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and what it claims to be two "strategic cruise missiles" from a submarine.
Pyongyang has decried such exercises by the allies as a rehearsal for an invasion against it and threatened to take "overwhelming" action against military activities by the allies.
Youtube
https://youtu.be/q1XikTQwZc0
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 20, 2023, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (C) and his daughter Ju-ae overseeing the country's two-day drills simulating tactical nuclear attack over the weekend. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · March 20, 2023
10. China supports holding trilateral summit with S. Korea, Japan within year: spokesperson
Do Chinese leaders think they can use a trilateral summit to either divide the ROK and Japan or pull the ROK and Japan away from the US?
China supports holding trilateral summit with S. Korea, Japan within year: spokesperson | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · March 20, 2023
BEIJING, March 20 (Yonhap) -- China supports holding a trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan within this year, Beijing's foreign ministry said Monday, raising prospects of the resumption of three-way summit diplomacy following a recent thaw in long-strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
"China has consistently and actively participated in trilateral cooperation among the three countries," Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a regular press briefing when asked of the possibility of a trilateral summit within the year.
He added China "supports South Korea's proposal for a summit" between the three countries, and that Beijing hopes to "communicate and coordinate" with South Korea and Japan on the matter.
Wang also said the three countries "should work together to ensure stable and sustainable development of trilateral cooperation, and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity."
Three-way summits among the regional neighbors, first held in December 2008, were suspended after the eighth gathering held in December 2019 following a dispute between South Korea and Japan over forced labor compensation rulings and the pandemic.
Talks on the need to revive tripartite summit diplomacy have surfaced following a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week.
This EPA file photo shows Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, speaking during a press conference in Beijing on Aug. 15, 2022. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · March 20, 2023
11. Some of N. Korea’s military officers fail to receive enough food rations
This is an important indicator. We must ensure we have contingency plans for potential instability.
Excerpts:
For ordinary North Koreans, the public distribution system has virtually collapsed, existing in name only ever since the country’s economic deterioration during the 1990s. But some residents of Pyongyang, Workers’ Party cadres, and soldiers still receive rations from the state.
However, with the food situation worsening, even Pyongyang residents and soldiers sometimes fail to receive rations on time or receive corn instead of rice.
The reduction in rations for military officers has led to hardships for entire families, the reporting partner said.
Some of N. Korea’s military officers fail to receive enough food rations
With the food situation worsening, even Pyongyang residents and soldiers sometimes fail to receive rations on time or receive corn instead of rice
dailynk.com
FILE PHOTO: North Korean soldiers walking near Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)
North Korea’s food shortages are so serious that the rations of some military officers have been slashed, Daily NK has learned.
According to a Daily NK reporting partner in South Pyongan Province last Thursday, many officers serving in provincial regions are struggling with food shortages. In fact, some officers in these areas have been receiving only 60% of their allotted rations of rice since January, the reporting partner said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
For ordinary North Koreans, the public distribution system has virtually collapsed, existing in name only ever since the country’s economic deterioration during the 1990s. But some residents of Pyongyang, Workers’ Party cadres, and soldiers still receive rations from the state.
However, with the food situation worsening, even Pyongyang residents and soldiers sometimes fail to receive rations on time or receive corn instead of rice.
The reduction in rations for military officers has led to hardships for entire families, the reporting partner said.
Families of military officers typically rely on rations to survive and even sell the food they receive from the state from time to time to make cash when they need to. The reduction in rations this year, however, has meant there is a growing number of families borrowing money from friends and relatives or doing extra work to make money. The reporting partner said this is leading to more and more problems in the army because officers are unable to focus on their duties.
For example, an officer with an artillery battalion in Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, recently got in trouble when he was reported to his superiors for going around borrowing rice and money from his neighbors and acquaintances. The officer had little choice because he could not pay the treatment costs for his wife, who was hospitalized for tuberculosis, the reporting partner said.
Daily NK reported in late February that with the military failing to procure enough rice after last year’s harvest, North Korean authorities demanded people contribute five or more kilograms of “patriotic rice.”
Most of the patriotic rice collected from people went into military rice stores managed by the General Rear Services Bureau, but officers are apparently still receiving insufficient rations.
Cho Chung-hee, director of Good Farmers and an expert on North Korean agriculture, told Daily NK that the North Korean military will have a tough time making up its food shortages with domestic supplies because last year’s agricultural production was less than in years past.
“Unless North Korean authorities import grain, they won’t make up the shortfall,” he said.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
12. N. Korea prepares for special pardon of reeducation camp inmates on September 9
Perhaps Kim Jong Un thinks he is taking action that will reduce the criticism of his human rights abuses.
N. Korea prepares for special pardon of reeducation camp inmates on September 9
Inmates at political prison camps were included in last year’s special pardon, but they are not included this year, a reporting partner told Daily NK
dailynk.com
Image: pixabay
North Korean authorities plan to carry out a special pardon of reeducation camp (gyowhaso) prisoners on Sept. 9, which marks the 75th anniversary of the regime’s founding, Daily NK has learned.
“In early January, provincial reeducation camp bureaus received Ministry of State Security plans following a decision made [about the amnesty] during the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee last December,” a reporting partner in North Korea told Daily NK last Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to North Korea’s regulations for reeducation camps, special pardons can be granted only on the fifth and 10th anniversaries of the country’s four major holidays: the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the birthday of Kim Jong Il, the anniversary of the founding of the DPRK (Sept. 9) and Party Foundation Day (Oct. 10).
“Sometimes sentences are shortened through government orders in years when there are no such holidays,” the reporting partner added.
He further told Daily NK that it remains unknown how many people will be pardoned for the Sept. 9 holiday.
“Sentences will be shortened by six months to three years,” the reporting partner said, emphasizing that the focus will be more on shortening sentences than pardoning inmates.
During special pardons, the authorities generally shorten sentences of inmates to a greater degree than during ordinary sentence reductions. During 10th anniversary pardons, sentences are shortened by up to five years; fifth anniversary pardons, meanwhile, are shortened by up to two or three years. However, regulations stipulate that a sentence reduction should not exceed half of an inmate’s existing sentence, the reporting partner explained.
NO PARDONS FOR POLITICAL PRISON CAMP INMATES
Inmates at political prison camps were included in last year’s special pardon, but they are not included this year, the reporting partner said.
Many inmates at the Ministry of Social Security’s political prison camps and reeducation camps received special pardons last year for the 110th birthday of Kim Il Sung and 80th birthday of Kim Jong Il.
According to the reporting partner, people incarcerated for violating the DPRK Law on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture (the “anti-reactionary thought law”), illegally using foreign-made mobile phones, and involvement in human trafficking will be excluded from the special pardon. In short, people who committed crimes considered directly related to eroding people’s loyalty to the regime appear to have been excluded from the special pardon.
Meanwhile, inmates who have been model prisoners in their rehabilitation and disciplinary tasks in the camps will be eligible for pardons.
“People who received special pardons last year for the 110th birthday of Kim Il Sung and 80th birthday of Kim Jong Il will be excluded, as will be criminals who committed murder, burglary, narcotics crimes, violations of the anti-reactionary thought law, or violated laws against using or concealing foreign-made mobile phones,” he said.
Based on the reporting partner’s report, North Korea appears intent to keep violators of the anti-reactionary thought law and users of foreign-made mobile phones separated from society. This may be due to the fact that the authorities are working hard to stop the spread of capitalist culture and the leakage of information about North Korea’s domestic situation.
North Korean authorities likely excluded drug criminals from the pardon because the authorities designate drug crimes as an anti-state crime. Likewise, human traffickers were probably excluded because the authorities believe they bring international shame upon the country.
The reporting partner said that the families of some inmates who have learned of the upcoming pardon are looking forward to it.
“The families are happy because they hope their relatives will be released sooner than they had expected,” he said. “Families are unhappy during years when the government conducts only a few pardons or reductions in sentences.”
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
13. N.Korea Continues Flurry of Missile Launches
As the world yawns.
N.Korea Continues Flurry of Missile Launches
https://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2023/03/20/2023032000652.html
March 20, 2023 09:43
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, just three days after launching an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The flurry of recent missile launches is a protest against massive joint South Korea-U.S. drills.
The JCS on Sunday said the missile was fired from Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province around 11:05 a.m. and flew about 800 km before falling into the East Sea.
Japanese officials said it reached a height of about 50 km. That makes it likely to be an improved version of the KN-23 missile that is capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) inspects a military drill with his daughter in an unidentified location, in this grab from [North] Korean Central Television on Monday.
The regime has fired various types of missiles over the last two weeks by switching launch locations five times.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry here said a B-1B strategic bomber from the U.S. took part in a joint air drill with South Korean F-35A stealth fighter jets and the U.S.' F-16 fighters over the Korean Peninsula on Sunday, the seventh day of the "Freedom Shield" drills.
South Korean and U.S. soldiers participate in a joint military drill in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. /EPA-Yonhap
The North fired the missile right before the B-1B entered its sphere of operations over the Korean Peninsula.
State TV reported Monday that the country conducted drills simulating a nuclear counterattack against its enemies over the weekend. It revealed a couple of photos showing leader Kim Jong-un observing drills with his daughter Ju-ae.
14. North claims 1.4 million have enlisted, re-enlisted in armed forces
The nKPA is the best functioning institution in north Korea.
I wonder if they have to pay bonuses for enlistment and re-enlistments? (Note sarcasm).
Buried lede here: the regime is signaling it will not be accepting international aid.
Excerpt:
An editorial published last month by the Rodong Sinmun — the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party — urged North Koreans to strive for “economic independence” and claimed foreign aid is “bait used to curb and subjugate other countries’ economic development and undermine their economic prestige and interests.”
Monday
March 20, 2023
dictionary + A - A
North claims 1.4 million have enlisted, re-enlisted in armed forces
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/03/20/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-mobilization/20230320183415969.html
Footage released by Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central Televsion shows students at Kim Il Sung University in the capital enlisting or re-enlisting for military service in what state media called a popular reaction to high tensions on the Korean Peninsula. [YONHAP]
North Korean state media claimed Monday that 1.4 million people, including high school students, had enlisted or re-enlisted in the country’s armed forces to help the regime “destroy” its enemies.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), “soaring anger and hostility are bursting aflame in various parts of the country against the United States and South Korean puppet rebels who are crazy about reckless nuclear war provocations.”
The state news agency claimed that “the number of young people nationwide who have eagerly volunteered to join the [Korean] People’s Army has reached 1.4 million as of March 19.”
The figures quoted by the KCNA are not possible to verify, given tight controls of information flow in and out of North Korea.
According to the KCNA, more than 950,000 youth also signed up for or re-entered work at state-owned companies, including Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Works, Namhung Youth Chemical Union and Sunchon Youth Coal Works, as a form of “pledging victory.”
The state news agency claimed the number of enlistees reached 180,000 in North Pyongan Province, the region surrounding the capital Pyongyang.
The report also emphasized that “not only young college students, but also high school students across the country expressed their determination to join the fight to defeat the invaders.”
The state-controlled Korean Central Television over the weekend broadcast scenes of young people, predominantly men, signing their names onto lists of people who pledge to enlist or re-enlist in the regime's armed forces and chanting slogans outdoors.
The KCNA claimed in an earlier report released on Saturday that 800,000 young people had decided to enlist or re-enlist in the military as of March 17.
The North’s state media has released stories of young people volunteering for military duty during previous periods of high tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The regime’s state media has also previously emphasized the importance of self-reliance for solving the country’s economic challenges.
An editorial published last month by the Rodong Sinmun — the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party — urged North Koreans to strive for “economic independence” and claimed foreign aid is “bait used to curb and subjugate other countries’ economic development and undermine their economic prestige and interests.”
In an implied acknowledgement of the regime’s ongoing economic struggles, the editorial said, “Pursuing independent development requires us to overcome countless challenges,” but argued the regime “has been able to endure military blackmail and high-intensity pressure and constantly elevate its national power on a strong foundation based on the independent national economy prepared by the entire people tightening their belts.”
The KCNA’s report on voluntary enlistment by North Korean youth in state-owned enterprises appears to be a similar propaganda effort to stress youth solidarity with the regime across economic sectors.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
15. N. Korea simulates nuclear air burst to attack S. Korea
Excerpts:
North Korean nuclear forces fired a ballistic missile tipped with a mock tactical nuclear weapon able to hit targets in South Korean territory, it said.
But state media notably reported that the “tactical ballistic missile accurately exploded in midair 800 meters above a designated target in the East Sea” after traveling around 800 kilometers, claiming that the test confirmed the “reliability of the operation of nuclear explosion control devices and detonators fitted in a nuclear warhead.”
...
South Korea’s Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul dismissed North Korea’s series of missile launches as a “calculated overreaction” to combined military exercises between South Korea and the US in his interview with local broadcaster SBS on Monday.
“My assessment is that North Korea portrays itself as a victim to (combined military exercises) and exploiting them as an opportunity to reinforce its nuclear capabilities,” Shin said.
Shin dismissed North Korea’s attempt to label “defense-oriented military exercises as provocative and threatening” as a pretext to continue military and nuclear buildup.
“But we should still keep an eye on continuing advancement of North Korea’s overall nuclear capabilities with concerns,” he said. “It is important for us to strengthen our deterrence more swiftly to build capability to counter nuclear threats that have been rapidly mounting.”
In another interview with Arirang TV, Shin said, “The Kim Jong-un regime, which has not been able to make economic achievements, also seeks to transmit propaganda messages that they have at least built nuclear forces in terms of internal political context.”
N. Korea simulates nuclear air burst to attack S. Korea
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · March 20, 2023
This photo, carried by North Korea`s official Korean Central News Agency on March 20, 2023, shows the North conducting military drills simulating a tactical nuclear counterattack against its enemies. (Yonhap)
North Korea said it conducted a live-fire drill simulating attacks on South Korea by exploding a tactical nuclear weapon mounted on a missile in the air, ramping up its nuclear saber-rattling amid the ongoing defense-oriented Freedom Shied military exercise being conducted between South Korea and the United States.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the two-day “joint tactical drills simulating a nuclear counterattack by units operating tactical nuclear weapons” on Saturday and Sunday, North Korean state media reported Monday in a Korean-language dispatch.
The major purpose of the joint drills was to “substantially reinforce the country’s war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability and make relevant unit master procedures and processes to carry out tactical nuclear attack missions,” according to North Korean state media.
The nuclear drills also aimed to “demonstrate North Korea’s tougher will to take countermeasures and send a stronger warning” to South Korea and the US as they are staging their own military exercises.
North Korea’s tactical nuclear operation units repeatedly practiced procedures to enforce the leadership’s orders to launch nuclear attacks on the first day of the drills. The military units staged a live-fire exercise “simulating launching nuclear attacks on key enemy targets” the next day, state media reported.
North Korean nuclear forces fired a ballistic missile tipped with a mock tactical nuclear weapon able to hit targets in South Korean territory, it said.
But state media notably reported that the “tactical ballistic missile accurately exploded in midair 800 meters above a designated target in the East Sea” after traveling around 800 kilometers, claiming that the test confirmed the “reliability of the operation of nuclear explosion control devices and detonators fitted in a nuclear warhead.”
Yang Uk, a research fellow in national security at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies think tank in Seoul, pointed out that North Korea’s “testing of the air burst intended to maximize destructive power is the country’s threat to attack major South Korean cities” with tactical nuclear bombs.
“Ground burst is generally used to destroy military targets including underground military installations,” Yang said. “Air explosion is utilized to maximize destructive power and spread damage, and therefore it is an appropriate method to attack especially dense urban areas with numerous buildings.”
The photos released by state media showed North Korea firing a KN-23 solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile possibly from an underground silo, according to military experts.
“If the missile was launched from an underground launch facility, known as silo, it shows North Korea’s pursuit to diversify its missile launch platforms,” said Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Kim explained that a silo is susceptible to be targeted by an enemy if its location is disclosed, although it has the advantage of providing a stable launch platform.
“If North Korea seeks to build silos notwithstanding the weakness, it seeks to diversify its missile launch platforms ultimately to enhance the survivability of transporter erector launchers by dispersing origins of attacks subject to precision strikes of the US and South Korea.”
While guiding the nuclear drills, the North Korean leader underscored that the country’s war deterrence is effective only when armed forces maintain a “full readiness to swiftly and precisely launch nuclear attacks ... at any time,” adding that possessing nuclear weapons is not sufficient to that end.
North Korean state media reported the nuclear drills a day after the South Korean military said North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile from the northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where North Korea’s main long-range ballistic missile and rocket launch facility is located, on Sunday morning. The missile flew around 800 kilometers across the country before falling into the waters off the eastern coast.
This photo, carried by North Korea`s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 20, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (sitting) and his daughter Ju-ae inspecting a combined tactical drill, which took place March 18-19, to bolster the country`s war deterrence and nuclear counterattack capability, in response to the ongoing South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield joint drill. (Yonhap)
North Korea fired a total of 12 ballistic and cruise missiles, including one intercontinental ballistic missile, across five discrete launches within 11 days from March 9 through Sunday to protest the largest military exercises that South Korea and the US have staged in years in light of escalating North Korean threats.
North Korea labeled the missile launches as live-fire drills to enhance the country’s war deterrence and tit-for-tat military actions against the alliance’s 11-day Freedom Shield exercise that began on March 13.
South Korea’s Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul dismissed North Korea’s series of missile launches as a “calculated overreaction” to combined military exercises between South Korea and the US in his interview with local broadcaster SBS on Monday.
“My assessment is that North Korea portrays itself as a victim to (combined military exercises) and exploiting them as an opportunity to reinforce its nuclear capabilities,” Shin said.
Shin dismissed North Korea’s attempt to label “defense-oriented military exercises as provocative and threatening” as a pretext to continue military and nuclear buildup.
“But we should still keep an eye on continuing advancement of North Korea’s overall nuclear capabilities with concerns,” he said. “It is important for us to strengthen our deterrence more swiftly to build capability to counter nuclear threats that have been rapidly mounting.”
In another interview with Arirang TV, Shin said, “The Kim Jong-un regime, which has not been able to make economic achievements, also seeks to transmit propaganda messages that they have at least built nuclear forces in terms of internal political context.”
By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · March 20, 2023
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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