Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Bottom line is - the right force in the right place at the right time to deliver the right effect. That's what we look at, and in many cases, those are SOF forces, especially with smaller nations they can go in."

– U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. John Aquilino at March 21 posture testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“It is also in the interests of the tyrant to make sure his subjects are poor…the people are so occupied with heir daily tasks that they have no time for plotting.”

– Aristotle

"Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is."

– Vince Lombardi

1. Russia Blocks Extension of North Korea Sanctions Monitoring

2. South Korea’s two-year term in the UNSC: looking far and wide

3. Russia may have collected more weapons from North Korea

4. Ambassador to Australia resigns amid controversy over his appointment

5. Front-line commanders in S. Korea face burden amid manpower shortage

6. Desperate farmers in North Korea steal insulating plastic film from each other

7. S. Korea, U.S. stress close collaboration against N.K. cyberthreats during working group talks

8. Failed U.N. panel extension underscores deepening N.K.-Russia ties, security uncertainties

9. N. Korea revs up project to build factories with troops

10. Japan's PM voices willingness to push for summit with N. Korea

11. Drone Photos Of North Korea Provide Eerie Look Into Country

12. N. Korea's FM reaffirms unwillingness to talk with Japan over abduction issue

13. N. Korea advances toward field deployment of tactical nuclear weapons

14. Pro-North Korea friendship groups to gather in Pyongyang for first time in years

15. Failed UN panel extension unlikely to lead to more provocations by North: experts

16. Latest N. Korean phones are expensive but still popular

17. Arms agency completes deployment of advanced homegrown counter-battery radar

18. Space race between South, North heats up with launches expected in April

1. Russia Blocks Extension of North Korea Sanctions Monitoring

Russia, as a founding member of the axis of dictators, again demonstrates that it is not a responsible member of the international community as it exposes its collaboration with the mafia-like crime family cult of the Kim family regime and uses its veto power to protect Kim Jong Un's malign activities. The international community spends too much time worrying about what Putin and Kim might do. Instead, the international community should make them worry about what it is capable of doing. And that it has the will to do it. Unfortunately the last is a fantasy, I know.

Russia Blocks Extension of North Korea Sanctions Monitoring

U.S. says Russian veto aimed at shielding Moscow’s arms transfers

https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-blocks-extension-of-north-korea-sanctions-monitoring-51ada1f3?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

By Michael R. Gordon

March 28, 2024 5:26 pm ET

Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, said North Korea sanctions were no longer helpful to resolving tensions on the peninsula. PHOTO: SARAH YENESEL/SHUTTERSTOCK

Russia blocked the United Nations from monitoring international sanctions against North Korea on Thursday, in a move that the U.S. and its allies said was aimed at preventing scrutiny of the growing arms pipeline between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of an independent group of specialists that document evasions of sanctions imposed on North Korea because of its nuclear and missile programs.

“Russia’s veto is nothing more than an attempt to silence independent, objective investigations into persistent violations of Security Council resolutions by the DPRK and by Russia itself,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as North Korea is formally known.

The panel of experts, as the body is known, was established in 2009, and its comprehensive assessments have covered advances in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs as well as Pyongyang’s efforts to circumvent sanctions through illicit trade, cyber theft and other means.

Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., Vassily Nebenzia, questioned the value of the panel’s work and suggested that Moscow would only be willing to extend the experts’ work if a time limit was put on North Korea sanctions, which he said were no longer helpful to resolving tensions on the peninsula.

A firefighter extinguishing remains of an unidentified missile, which Ukrainian authorities claimed to be made in North Korea, at a site of a Russian strike, in January. PHOTO: VYACHESLAV MADIYEVSKYY/REUTERS

Thirteen members of the 15-member Council voted to extend the mandate of the panel for another year while China abstained. The panel’s work will officially end at the end of April.

The Security Council voted for sanctions after North Korea conducted a nuclear test in 2006, and it has added more over the years as North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have progressed.

Thursday’s vote won’t affect the sanctions themselves, which are still in effect.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the conflict has turned into war of attrition, prompting Moscow to turn to Iran and North Korea to supplement its efforts to produce arms at home. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at a spaceport in Russia’s far east and pledged greater cooperation on economic and security issues.

A news broadcast in South Korea showing file footage of a North Korean missile test. PHOTO: JUNG YEON-JE/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

The growing ties between Russia and North Korea, including Pyongyang’s provision of ballistic missiles, have spurred security concerns on several fronts. Kyiv and its partners fear that Pyongyang will supply Moscow with more firepower as Russia seeks to overcome Ukraine’s defenses. Another worry is that oil and other goods provided as payment by Russia will make it easier for North Korea to weather sanctions intended to choke off funds for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.

The panel’s most recent assessment, which was completed earlier this year and cited reports from unnamed countries, noted that North Korea was shipping military equipment and munitions to Russia for use in Ukraine.

At least four Russian-flagged vessels, it said, have been observed on satellite imagery transporting military cargo between August and December of last year. The military equipment was unloaded from the ships and sent by rail from Russia’s far east to Tikhoretsk, located in southwestern Russia about 180 miles from the Ukrainian border, according to a map in the report.

“The panel spoke with a higher level of authority than individual governments and reflected a consensus view among experts,” said Jenny Town of the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank. “It wasn’t the only source of information but it was helpful in highlighting weaknesses in the sanctions regime and areas for countries to further investigate.”

Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com

Appeared in the March 29, 2024, print edition as 'Russia Vetoes Monitoring of Korea Sanctions'.

2. South Korea’s two-year term in the UNSC: looking far and wide

Global pivotal state.

Excerpt:

Conclusion

A successful two-year term will help establish South Korea as a genuine global pivotal state. Despite the challenges facing South Korea on advancing discussions on North Korea, there is also much working in its favor. Current foreign minister Cho Tae-yul is a former ambassador to the UN who is familiar with the mechanisms of the UN and brings with him his network of personal contacts. South Korea can also tap into and build on the institutional memory of having previously served on the UNSC. There is also potential for positive chemistry among other non-permanent members, such as Japan, which will help acquire political momentum in pushing agendas forward. Here, South Korea needs to resist striving for short-term goals and instead look to how it can shape the future security landscape. It can do so by addressing North Korea related issues in a low-key manner and taking up issues that affect global security such as cyber and WPS, making full use of its entrepreneurial and technical capacities.

South Korea’s two-year term in the UNSC: looking far and wide

Published March 26, 2024

Author: Saeme Kim

Category: South Korea

https://keia.org/the-peninsula/south-koreas-two-year-term-in-the-unsc-looking-far-and-wide/

In January this year, South Korea began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This marks South Korea’s third time serving in the UNSC; the first time from 1996 to 1997 and the second from 2013 to 2014. South Korea’s return to the UNSC supports the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s plans for South Korea to become a Global Pivotal State, one that contributes to freedom, peace, and prosperity. During the two-year term, South Korea has pledged to lead discussions on issues relating to North Korea, peacekeeping, women, peace and security, and new security threats.

A “global” pivotal state means looking beyond the Peninsula

If South Korea’s first term as a non-permanent member from 1996 to 1997 marked its debut into the UNSC, the second term from 2013 to 2014 can be thought of as period showcasing its international and responsible image. This third term should focus on finessing South Korea’s ability to exercise influence over specific issues that go beyond the Korean Peninsula. Demonstrating South Korea’s ability to effectively address other global security concerns is imperative in order to be taken seriously as a global player and gain the trust of other states, especially those that are geographically far removed from the Korean Peninsula.

During South Korea’s two-year term, key objectives should be to refine South Korea’s agenda-setting capacity for a future-oriented security landscape while establishing continuity on topics that South Korea was engaged with during the first two terms in the UNSC. Here, South Korea’s foreign minister has stated that one area of focus will be on emerging security threats, including cyber. This is an appropriate and necessary agenda, one that complements both the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) as well as South Korea’s national security objectives. Specifically, both the SDGs and South Korea’s national security objectives recognize the increasing role of technology as well as the need to establish rules to address the rapidly evolving digital transformations to protect people, businesses, and government. Indeed, there is a clear link between cyber security and building resilient infrastructure (SDG 9) and inclusive and strong institutions (SDG 16), just to name a few.

In pursuit of this goal, South Korea should host a high-level open debate on cyber security during its month of presidency in June. Given that the first time that this issue was discussed separately by the UNSC was in June 2021, it would be a well-timed opportunity to review how international events of the past three years have shaped the cyber landscape. Here, South Korea should liaise with the various relevant UN instruments, such as the Open-Ended Working Group on security and the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025 (OEWG), which will hold its seventh substantive session in March and a high-level roundtable on ICT security capacity building at the UN headquarters in May. Accruing administrative and technical expertise ensures that South Korea has a seat at the table in future discussions relating to cyber security and promotes synergies with cyber dialogues South Korea has set up with countries like the US and the United Kingdom.

South Korea’s decision to focus on women, peace and security (WPS) is noteworthy given that it is both an area of strength as well as weakness. On the one hand, South Korea has a track record of efforts to advance the WPS agenda at the international and national level. For example, South Korea’s foreign ministry has hosted an annual international conference on Action with Women and Peace since 2018, and the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality was established in 2022 to offer training programs to diverse stakeholders, conduct research, and facilitate partnerships at the national and regional levels as a pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, South Korea also struggles with gender inequality; for example, South Korea’s gender wage gap is the worst among the OECD members and women are significantly under-represented in politics.

South Korea’s two-year term in the UNSC should focus on sharing best practices and lessons learned in promoting the WPS agenda, aligning the UN’s WPS agenda with its own domestic objectives to demonstrate how South Korea has contributed to furthering the cause, and cooperating closely with other non-permanent members who have identified women, peace and security as areas of priority. This includes working with Mozambique, which convened a high-level open debate on WPS, to follow up on the goals set in preparation for the 25th year of Resolution 1325 (2000) which first established WPS as an UN agenda.

Parallel to these efforts, it is important for South Korea to pick up where it left off during its first and second terms at the UNSC. Specifically for South Korea, these issues include peacekeeping efforts and non-proliferation. Doing so builds a reputation as a reliable defender and interested party on each issue. It is worthwhile to note that countries that have been recurring UNSC non-permanent members have concentrated their focus on a number of key issues. Japan, for example, has served as a non-permanent member of the UNSC 12 times and have taken up issues such as peacebuilding, human security, rule of law, and strengthening the functions of the UN as priorities. South Korea could strengthen its position as a productive member of the UNSC and important global player by developing its own portfolio of issues that it continues to work outside of and during terms on the UNSC.

Working Behind the Scenes to Restore Focus on North Korea’s Weapons Programs and Human Rights Violations

Meanwhile, in advancing discussions on North Korea in particular, South Korea faces a host of problems. Namely, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East divert international attention away from the Northeast Asian region. Moreover, a divided UNSC obstructs meaningful progress on addressing threats posed by North Korea, such as its nuclear and missile development and testing. Indeed, the last time that the UNSC adopted a resolution condemning North Korea was in 2017. Since then, UNSC action on North Korea has been blocked by China and Russia and the deadlock is expected to continue. Further complicating the matter is the fact that South Korea’s own relationship with Russia is at a rocky point after South Korea expressed support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in 2022 and the growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

In such context, it would be imprudent for South Korea to go heads-on in trying to bring China and Russia to the table to address the North Korea problem. Rather, South Korea should work behind the scenes to create a political milieu that is conducive to China and Russia taking action and raises the cost for those that condone North Korea’s behavior.

As a non-permanent member, South Korea can shape the agendas and procedures of the UNSC through a combination of formal and informal mechanisms including acting as the UNSC president for the duration of one month and as penholder, or cooperating with the penholder, where South Korea would lead the drafting of a UNSC resolution. Specific issues can also be raised as a formal agenda with the approval of nine UNSC members. Through these avenues, South Korea can initiate discussions and engage in coalition-building to propel a specific issue.

Here, an appropriate topic includes the implications of North Korea’s human rights violation on global security. One aspect of this theme is the link between North Korea’s overseas workers and its nuclear development; specifically, the violation of workers’ rights, including harsh working conditions and siphoning of wages to be diverted to fund North Korea’s nuclear development. This topic would breathe new life into Resolution 2397 passed in 2017, which acknowledged that revenue generated from North Korean overseas workers contribute to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs and decided that UN member states shall repatriate North Korean overseas workers from their territory by the end of 2019. This is also a timely issue in light of reports claiming that as many as 3,000 North Koreans working in factories in China have taken part in riots to protest over unpaid wages earlier this year.

The topic is also a suitable one to discuss among other non-permanent members (in addition to South Korea, non-permanent members include Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Japan, Malta and Mozambique), a number of whom have experience hosting or expelling North Korean workers. For example, in 2016 and 2017, Malta and Algeria respectively stopped issuing work visas for North Koreans and have claimed to have sent all the workers back. In 2018, Mozambique provided evidence to the UNSC Panel of Experts that a joint fishing venture that hired about 40 North Korean workers had been dissolved, although it reported in 2020 that almost 100 North Korean doctors are still working in the country. Through dialogue and consensus-building, this is an opportunity for South Korea to create a norm against the use of North Korean workers, which will, in the long term, come to constrict China and Russia’s practice of hosting of North Korean workers.

Conclusion

A successful two-year term will help establish South Korea as a genuine global pivotal state. Despite the challenges facing South Korea on advancing discussions on North Korea, there is also much working in its favor. Current foreign minister Cho Tae-yul is a former ambassador to the UN who is familiar with the mechanisms of the UN and brings with him his network of personal contacts. South Korea can also tap into and build on the institutional memory of having previously served on the UNSC. There is also potential for positive chemistry among other non-permanent members, such as Japan, which will help acquire political momentum in pushing agendas forward. Here, South Korea needs to resist striving for short-term goals and instead look to how it can shape the future security landscape. It can do so by addressing North Korea related issues in a low-key manner and taking up issues that affect global security such as cyber and WPS, making full use of its entrepreneurial and technical capacities.

Saeme Kim is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute. The views expressed here are the author’s alone.

Photo from Shutterstock.

KEI is registered under the FARA as an agent of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a public corporation established by the government of the Republic of Korea. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

3. Russia may have collected more weapons from North Korea

As large as this aircraft is, it is not an efficient way to transport the supplies (specifically ammunition) that Russia needs. It will probably max out the weight limits of the aircraft before it fills all the space available.

But this is another reason why Russia vetoed the continuation of UN sanctions monitoring (UN Panel of Experts).

Russia may have collected more weapons from North Korea

Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · March 28, 2024

A massive cargo plane with an alleged record of smuggling North Korean weapons has been tracked returning from an apparent pit stop in the hermit kingdom.

The Antonov An-12 is one of several aircraft and Russia-flagged cargo ships that are suspected to have facilitated weapons shipments in violation of international sanctions since at least last year.

The U.S. and South Korea have accused the Kim Jong Un regime of providing the Kremlin with missiles, artillery shells, and other weaponry to replenish the Russian military as it runs through equipment and ammunition in its invasion of Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied that such transfers are taking place.

Early on March 21, an Antonov An-124 operated by Russian state-owned company the 224th Flight Unit was making its way to the far-east Russian city Vladivostok on an apparent return route from North Korea, analysts at NK Pro said on Wednesday, citing flight tracking data.

The plane was tracked leaving Vladivostok at about 2:30 a.m. local time. It then switched off its transponder and went dark, a common practice for Russian aircraft and cargo ships that have been spotted in North Korea shortly afterward.

The Antonov An-124 is even likelier to have stopped in the North Korean capital considering that another Russian state-owned plane—one that did not turn off its transponder—was tracked making the Vladivostok-Pyongyang journey just hours earlier, according to NK Pro.

That plane made the return leg of the trip around the time the Antonov An-124 is believed to have touched down.

Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in Beijing, the Russian foreign ministry, and the U.S. State Department via written requests for comment.

One of the biggest cargo planes in operation, the An-124 has sufficient space to load fighter jets, transporter erector launchers, missiles, and other bulky weapons and weapons platforms.

This undated photo shows an Antonov An-124 Rusłan cargo plane preparing to land at Wrocław Airport in Wroclaw, Poland. Flight tracking data suggests an An-124 suspected of involvement in North Korean weapons transfers to Russia... This undated photo shows an Antonov An-124 Rusłan cargo plane preparing to land at Wrocław Airport in Wroclaw, Poland. Flight tracking data suggests an An-124 suspected of involvement in North Korean weapons transfers to Russia stopped in Pyongyang on March 21. Wikimedia Commons

The 224th Flight Unit is subject to punitive measures from several countries including the United States, which slapped sanctions on the enterprise in January.

The U.S. Treasury Department also separately sanctioned the Antonov An-124 (registration number RA-82030) that carried out the March 21 flight, saying it had been involved in North Korean "ballistic missiles and missile-related cargo transfers in late November 2023."

The aircraft's apparent stop in Pyongyang came just a few days after North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un presided over his country's first ballistic missile test in two months.

In the drills, North Korean forces simultaneously launched six 600-millimeter missiles that Pyongyang has said can be fitted with nuclear warheads.

Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · March 28, 2024

4. Ambassador to Australia resigns amid controversy over his appointment

An unfortunate end to this saga. How much effect will this have on the elections next month?

(3rd LD) Ambassador to Australia resigns amid controversy over his appointment | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · March 29, 2024

(ATTN: ADDS response from Australian Embassy in Seoul, more details in last 4 paras)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup stepped down Friday, less than a month after he was named for the job, amid mounting criticism of his appointment and departure that came despite the fact that he was subject to an investigation.

Lee's resignation also came before South Koreans go to the polls on April 10 to elect lawmakers. The controversy surrounding Lee has become a hot-button issue amid growing negative public sentiment and concerns even being raised from within the ruling party bloc.

The foreign ministry said it accepted Lee's resignation. The confirmation came hours after Lee's lawyer said the ambassador expressed his intent to step down to the foreign minister.

"As Ambassador Lee Jong-sup strongly expressed his intent to resign, the ministry reported it to the president, who has the appointment power, and decided to accept the resignation," the ministry said in a message to the media.

Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup arrives at the foreign ministry building in Seoul to attend a meeting of six ambassadors on defense cooperation on March 28, 2024. (Yonhap)

Lee has been under intense scrutiny since he was named the ambassador in Canberra early this month, after revelations that he had been banned from leaving the country over the investigation into allegations that he interfered in an internal military probe into a Marine's death last year.

Critics have accused Lee of running away from the investigation and leaving the country to take up the job shortly after the exit ban on him was lifted.

Lee has denied any wrongdoing.

Lee returned home on March 21, 11 days after he assumed the job, to attend a defense cooperation meeting of South Korean ambassadors to six countries, including Australia. But questions arose that the meeting could have been organized to give Lee a pretext to come back home.

Lee plans to stay in Seoul to do all he can to "strongly respond to all procedures," according to Lee's lawyer, Kim Jae-hoon.

The lawyer said that Lee repeatedly called for the anti-corruption investigation office to quickly summon him for questioning, but he still has not heard from the office.

Some have speculated that the presidential office ordered Lee to return home as the public sentiment was worsening ahead of the April elections.

Since his return home last week, Lee has met with foreign and defense ministers and taken part in a series of meetings with related ministries and government agencies that the ministry said took place to discuss defense cooperation with the six ambassadors.

Lee was reportedly absent from the ambassadors' meeting with the state trade insurance agency that he was supposed to attend earlier in the day.

Following Lee's resignation, the Australian Embassy in Seoul said the country expects to continue to work together with the succeeding ambassador.

"Australia greatly values its relationship with the Republic of Korea, and looks forward to working in close cooperation with the next ROK Ambassador to Australia across all areas of our comprehensive strategic partnership," the embassy said in response to a media query.

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · March 29, 2024

5. Front-line commanders in S. Korea face burden amid manpower shortage

This is one reason why we need to return US forces to DMZ patrolling. We need to halt our rotational brigades and permanently station two brigades in Korea and use the infantry on a rotational basis integrated into ROK frontline units to augment their DMZ patrolling.

Return U.S. Troops to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

North Korea has withdrawn from the Comprehensive Military Agreement of 2018 and is rebuilding the guard posts that it removed.

Until 1991, U.S. Army infantrymen conducted combat patrolling in an American sector surrounding the Joint Security Area. In 2024, the U.S. military should return to combat patrolling, but this time, it should support ROK forces throughout the entire DMZ. This will reduce stress on ROK forces, increase interoperability between ROK and U.S. forces, demonstrate commitment to the defense of the ROK, and improve morale by conducting missions that bring them eye to eye with the enemy. Rotating infantry battalions will conduct pre-mission training in the United States, spend three months preparing to conduct combat patrols on the DMZ, complete a three-month rotation with ROK forces, then three months of large-scale unit training, and then rotate back to the Homeland.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/korea-watch/revitalizing-americas-north-korea-policy-207642

National

Front-line commanders in S. Korea face burden amid manpower shortage

https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2024/03/29/7AJF63WQQZGDPMDTSDVX6YRQWA/

By Ko Yoo-chan,

Yang Seung-su,

Lee Jung-soo

Published 2024.03.29. 15:35

Front-line army company commanders in South Korea are facing an increasing operational burden due to a significant decline in military personnel. These commanders are now taking on multiple roles, including administrative tasks, driving, and maintenance. This is happening because there is an accelerating shortage of enlistable men and a lack of junior officer support. /Illustrated by Lee Chul-won

Front-line army company commanders in South Korea, are facing a growing operational burden due to a significant decline in military personnel. These commanders are now taking on multiple roles, including administrative tasks, driving, and maintenance, as there is an accelerating shortage of enlistable men and a lack of junior officer support.

In Gangwon Province, a 29-year-old army company commander, Captain A, has been taking on additional responsibilities due to a shortage of personnel in his unit. With only 100 members instead of the original 120, his unit lacks designated signalmen and drivers, prompting him to fill those roles himself during operations.

Captain A mentioned that the unit has not been properly replenished with new recruits since last year, resulting in him having to execute operations without the assistance of non-combat staff who are typically assigned to help company commanders.

Due to a decrease in population, there has been a significant reduction in military personnel. As a result, company commanders at the front lines are facing a heavier workload. In military operations, a company is the smallest operational unit, usually comprising of 100 members. Company commanders play a crucial role in ensuring the success of military operations. However, due to the shortage of enlisted soldiers, they are now having to perform tasks that would normally be carried out by them.

Captain B is a 29-year-old company commander who is currently serving at a General Outpost Position (GOP) in Gangwon Province. He spends 3-4 hours a day on paperwork since his administrative clerk was reassigned two months ago due to a shortage of clerks at the battalion level. Unfortunately, a replacement has not been found yet. Due to the unavailability of a designated driver, Captain B has to personally drive military vehicles to inspect his troops. This has resulted in him getting only four hours of sleep per day on average.

Captain C, another company commander in a rear-area brigade, has to perform multiple roles. Not only does he maintain fences and transport goods but he also mows weeds. According to him, “Nowadays, a company commander always has to play multiple roles.”

The commanders are further burdened by a lack of junior officers. In Gyeonggi Province, one company commander mentioned that after a platoon leader left seven months ago, his replacement had not arrived yet. This has forced neighboring platoon leaders to take on additional duties.

What makes the situation worse is the decline in military manpower resources is accelerating. The number of men who are eligible for enlistment in the army, aged 20, has significantly decreased from 322,000 in 2019 to 245,000 this year, resulting in a reduction of 77,000 in just five years. This shortage has led to the disbandment of new recruit training battalions in front-line divisions such as the 1st, 9th, and 25th Infantry Divisions.

Shin Jong-woo, the Secretary-General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF), has pointed out that the lack of troop replenishment has put an increased burden on company commanders, indicating problems in the military personnel management plans of higher authorities like the Ministry of National Defense.

“To address this issue, higher authorities need to boldly reduce administrative units to reallocate manpower, allowing commanders to focus more on operational duties,” said Shin.

6. Desperate farmers in North Korea steal insulating plastic film from each other

It is almost as if Kim Jong Un is doing everything he can to create the conditions for internal instability as he tries so hard to prevent it.

Desperate farmers in North Korea steal insulating plastic film from each other

Guards have been doubled to stop the theft, driven by a dearth of imports from China.

By Son Hyemin for RFA Korean

2024.03.28

rfa.org

It’s planting season in North Korea, and farmers are stealing plastic film from each other so that they can protect their rice seedlings from frost as they worry about meeting their quotas, residents told Radio Free Asia.

The plastic film and other farm supplies such as fertilizer are in short supply as imports from China have not picked up after the shutdown in trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In rural areas of our country, where farming material shortages are chronic, the number of thieves of plastic film from farms increases every spring,” a resident from the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

North Korean farm workers transplant rice seedlings at Tongbong Cooperative Farm, May 29, 2013 near Hamhung, North Korea. (AP)

The rice seedlings, often laboriously planted by hand due to a scarcity of machinery, can die if they go just one cold night without the protective cover, he said. During the day, the plastic sheets are removed so that the plants can absorb the warmth and sunshine.

Theft of crops and farming equipment is a common problem in North Korea so the government usually stations guards near fields.

Beefed up security

But because plastic film theft can ruin an entire field, authorities are doubling the number of guards, the source said.

Police were looking for the plastic film thieves, but it is unlikely that they will be caught because it's virtually impossible to tell if a plastic cover has been stolen from somewhere else, he said.

RFA’s sources estimate that the government has only been able to supply about a third of the fuel, fertilizer and plastic film that the farmers need. Some farms have the plastic film and others don’t.

Two North Korean boys row their boat on the Pothong River where rice is planted June 19, 2017, in Pyongyang. (Wong Maye-E/AP)

Each farming security guard, most of whom were in their 60s, has been replaced by two younger ones, a resident of nearby South Pyongan province told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

The first source said he noticed the same thing: That an influx of younger guards have replaced fewer, older guards.

“The sudden increase in security personnel on the farms is due to the fact that recently three seedbeds had the plastic film stolen in the middle of the night,” he said.

Even with the enhanced security, some thieves stole the plastic film from a seedbed in the vicinity, the second source, from South Pyongan, said.

“So the guard removed the plastic film from the seedbed of another work unit that night and placed it on the seedbed where its plastic film had been stolen.”

Farmers on the Chongsan-ri cooperative farm plant rice May 12, 2020, in Nampho, North Korea. (Cha Song Ho/AP)

The thieves are not to blame though, he said.

“Ultimately, the reality of this country, … is a product of the self-reliance policy emphasized by the authorities,” he said, referring to the cash-strapped government’s mantra that state enterprises should procure what they need on their own.

Translated by Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

rfa.org

7. S. Korea, U.S. stress close collaboration against N.K. cyberthreats during working group talks

Mathew Ha and in 2018 recommended establishing a combined cyber task force.

1. Create a combined ROK-U.S. Cyber Task Force

Since the ROK and U.S. are the primary targets for North Korean cyber activities, the alliance should establish a task force of ROK and U.S. cyber experts to synchronize defenses and options for offensive operations. Although joint task forces are often ineffective, a combined entity should be pursued to ensure the alliance could adequately defend against the full range of North Korea’s cyber threats, from CEEW to wartime cyber operations.

On June 21, the 5th U.S.-Republic of Korea Bilateral Cyber Consultations were held in Seoul “to discuss a wide range of cyber issues, including cooperation on deterring cyber adversaries, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, capacity building, information sharing, military-to-military cyber cooperation, cybercrime, international security issues in cyberspace, and current threats and trends in the international cyber environment.” 163 An agenda item for the next consultative meeting and for the ROK/U.S. security consultative meeting in fall 2018 should be the establishment of a permanent combined ROK/U.S. cyber task force to supplement periodic consultation. A permanent task force is necessary to defend economic infrastructure and address the full range of cyber threats, including CEEW.

The Cyber Task Force should develop a combined strategy for operations during both armistice and wartime. It should consist of military and civilian experts from across the U.S. and ROK governments and include private sector experts as well. This would not contradict the indefinite suspension of combined military exercises following the Singapore summit. In fact, given that North Korea is likely to continue or escalate aggressive cyber operations during nuclear negotiations, the task force’s mission is only more urgent.

The new task force should include enhanced information sharing. For instance, South Korea’s Korea Internet Safety Agency successfully prevented a spear-phishing campaign targeting 10 cryptocurrency exchanges earlier in 2017. 164 Sharing insights from such experiences will be instrumental in fortifying cyber defenses.

The United States National Cyber Strategy calls for developing international partner capacity to support a new cyber deterrence initiative. A Combined ROK-U.S. Task Force would be one example of operationalizing the strategy. 165

https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2018/10/03/kim-jong-uns-all-purpose-sword/#:~:text=1.%20Create%20a,the%20strategy.%20165

S. Korea, U.S. stress close collaboration against N.K. cyberthreats during working group talks | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · March 29, 2024

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Diplomats from South Korea and the United States underscored close bilateral collaboration to counter North Korea's "malicious" cyber activities meant to fund its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs during a working group meeting in Washington this week, the State Department said Thursday.

Lee Jun-il, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, and U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Lyn Debevoise led the sixth session of the working group on North Korean cyberthreats Wednesday and Thursday.

"The meeting underscored the continued close collaboration between the U.S. and ROK governments to disrupt the DPRK's ability to generate illicit revenue through malicious cyber activity, which it uses to fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the department said in a media note.

ROK and DPRK stand for the official names of South Korea and North Korea, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

The department also said that Seoul and Washington are pursuing "a wide range of actions" to prevent and disrupt North Korea's cryptocurrency heists, address its cyber espionage against the defense sector, and dismantle the North Korean IT worker infrastructure and networks.

"The Working Group meeting also focused on coordinated diplomatic outreach, information sharing and capacity building for nations vulnerable to the DPRK cyberthreat," it added.

The meeting coincided with the allies' issuance of joint sanctions against fewer than 10 North Korean nationals and third-country entities accused of helping finance Pyongyang's WMD programs.

This photo, released by Seoul's foreign ministry, shows Lee Jun-il (R), director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at the ministry, and U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Lyn Debevoise posing for a photo before the inaugural meeting of the South Korea-U.S. bilateral Enhanced Disruption Task Force on March 26, 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · March 29, 2024

8. Failed U.N. panel extension underscores deepening N.K.-Russia ties, security uncertainties

The axis of dictators/totalitarians unite!

(LEAD) (News Focus) Failed U.N. panel extension underscores deepening N.K.-Russia ties, security uncertainties | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · March 29, 2024

(ATTN: RECASTS 3rd para)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Yonhap) -- This week's failure to extend the mandate of a U.N. expert panel monitoring the enforcement of anti-North Korea sanctions served as a sobering reminder of the unpalatable reality: burgeoning ties between Moscow and Pyongyang that have heightened security uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula.

During a session of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday, Russia vetoed a new resolution to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts by another year, with China abstaining. Absent the resolution, the panel's mandate is set to expire on April 30.

Although the veto was a largely anticipated move, concerns have heightened that the panel receding into history will embolden North Korea to conduct banned actions with further impunity and chip away at international efforts to curb its growing nuclear and missile threats.

Russia's exercise of the veto came as Moscow and Pyongyang have been deepening their military cooperation, under which the former has received munitions and ballistic missiles for its war in Ukraine with the latter seeking military technology assistance in return.

Closer alignment between the Cold War-era allies has raised worries about the prospects of a jelling geopolitical bloc involving China, which has boasted the "no-limits" partnership with Russia against the backdrop of a hardening Sino-U.S. rivalry over security, technology and trade.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

"It is a portentous strategic shift," Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, told Yonhap News Agency via email. "It means a hardening of the axis of revisionist powers even though their axis remains more transactional and opportunistic."

Cronin cast Russia's veto as a feat for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seeking to close ranks with Russia.

"Kim Jong-un's Kremlin courtship pays off. Pyongyang wants to end sanctions without slowing its strategic weapons programs," he said.

In the negotiations leading up to the UNSC vote on the resolution, Russia is said to have proposed a "sunset clause" for UNSC sanctions against Pyongyang -- a demand apparently unacceptable to Seoul, Washington and other members.

The sunset clause, if adopted, would leave sanctions in effect for a certain period of time unless there was a UNSC consensus to keep them in place for an additional period of time.

"Russia has called for the council to adopt a decision to hold an open and honest review of the council sanctions measures in respect of the DPRK, moving the restrictions onto an annual basis," Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya said before the vote. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"If an agreement is reached for an annual extension of the sanctions, the mandate of the Panel of Experts would then make sense," he added.

The absence of the panel whose mainstay task is to monitor sanctions violations would make it easier for Russia to engage in arms transactions with the North that constitute a violation of multiple UNSC sanctions resolutions, analysts said.

Pyongyang has shipped over 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September, as well as several dozen ballistic missiles, according to the U.S. government, as Moscow strives to replenish its weapons stockpile for use in Ukraine.

This image, provided by the White House, shows Russia's launch of North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"Russia's vetoing the extension is basically a proxy for them trying to undo some sanctions, because it'll now be easier for them to violate the sanctions," Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at RAND Corp., told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.

"(The violations) could be more weapons from North Korea, could be Russia giving military aid to North Korea ... The lack of this panel of experts is going to undermine the monitoring of that and the reporting of that," he added.

Bennett warned that the abolition of the panel could lead Pyongyang to conduct more military provocations down the road.

"It'll embolden them to acquire new technologies, new capabilities, new sources, and have hard currency," he said. "If they have new capabilities, they probably will be tempted to do (provocations). They're going to want to test new missiles and new other technologies that will lead to provocations."

Signs of Russia flouting sanctions in support for the North have been widely reported.

Those reports include those on the recent arrival of North Korean workers in Russia and President Vladimir Putin's delivery of a luxury car to the North Korean leader to say nothing of the continued arms transfers from the North to Russia.

A deepening of the bilateral ties has been evidenced by recent high-level exchanges between the two countries. Sergei E. Naryshkin, director of Russia's External Intelligence Bureau (SVR), visited Pyongyang between Monday and Wednesday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

The strategic alignment between the North and Russia, coupled with China's apparent aversion to stringent anti-Pyongyang sanctions, bodes ill for the implementation of the sanctions regime against the North.

But Seoul, Washington and other like-minded countries are expected to ramp up their coordination through standalone or multilateral sanctions to tighten the screw on Pyongyang, observers said.

Just on Wednesday, South Korea and the U.S. imposed joint sanctions on less than 10 North Korean nationals and third-country entities accused of helping finance the North's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.

"Despite today's veto and abstention, all Security Council resolutions and U.N. measures addressing the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs remain in effect," Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, told a press briefing.

"We will continue to work to counter the DPRK's unlawful actions, work with like-minded states through all available means to limit the threat posed by the DPRK, and respond to efforts by its enablers to shield the DPRK from responsibility," he added.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · March 29, 2024

9. N. Korea revs up project to build factories with troops

The nKPA has long been the best functioning institution in north Korea.

N. Korea revs up project to build factories with troops | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 29, 2024

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been accelerating a project to construct regional factories, with mobilized troops completing excavation work so that modernized factories can be built, state media reported Friday.

Ordered by its leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea kicked off a project last month to build modernized factories in 20 counties over the next decade to raise the "basic material and cultural living standards of the people."

The construction of factories is picking up pace as mobilized troops have been in a "socialist competition" to carry out the project, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The report said they've completed work to excavate the grounds for the factories and started concrete placement.

North Korea is presumed to have mobilized around 40,000 troops by creating a total of 20 interim military groups, called the 124th regiments, according to Seoul's unification ministry.

Last month, the North's leader 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.

The South Korean government has voiced 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.

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)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · March 29, 2024

10. Japan's PM voices willingness to push for summit with N. Korea

Please do not make it appear you want it more than Kim Jong Un. But as part of his political warfare strategy is that Kim would like countries to beg for his attention.

Japan's PM voices willingness to push for summit with N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 28, 2024

TOKYO, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday expressed his intent to continue efforts to hold a summit with North Korea despite Pyongyang's recent refusal of all contact with Tokyo.

Kishida made the remarks two days after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement refusing all contact with Japan after Tokyo took issue with the problem of Japanese abductees and the North's nuclear program.

"Realizing a fruitful relationship between Japan and North Korea is aligned with the interests of both sides," Kishida said in response to a question on the statement during a press conference at the prime minister's residence.

"My thought that this also greatly contributes to regional peace and stability remains unchanged," Kishida said, adding he hopes to pursue a high-level response on various pending issues, including that of abductees.

The two countries have long been at odds over the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s to train spies in Japanese culture and language.

The North later allowed five of the abductees to visit their homeland and claimed eight others were dead, but Tokyo has dismissed the claim and vowed to secure their safe return.

Following Kishida's remarks that he felt a "strong need" to change the current relationship between Tokyo and Pyongyang, North Korea in February said it was open to improving its relationship with Japan.

But in a statement issued Tuesday, Kim's sister, Yo-jong, accused the Japanese prime minister of using the two countries' relations for political gain amid low approval ratings.

This undated file photo carried by Kyodo News and AP shows Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · March 28, 2024

11. Drone Photos Of North Korea Provide Eerie Look Into Country

I think the nKPA may be trouble here. Kim will surely be upset. So what will happen when the next drone penetrates north Korean airspace?

Photos at the link: https://www.boredpanda.com/north-korea-drone-rare-pictures/

Drone Photos Of North Korea Provide Eerie Look Into Country

boredpanda.com · by Marina Urman

Few nations spark people’s curiosity as much as North Korea. The East Asian country, ruled by the third-generation totalitarian leader Kim Jong-un since 2011, is notoriously private, and little is known about its residents’ lifestyles.

The nation closed its borders in 2020. Before that, the few tourists who managed to visit it couldn’t use their phones to photograph whatever they pleased. Photos could only capture tourist sights, as anything beyond that could potentially expose people to legal complications.

Highlights

A Reddit user says he flew a drone into North Korea, capturing images of deserted streets.
The photos show less than ten pedestrians on wide, empty streets, with portraits of North Korean leaders on massive buildings.
Since the pandemic, North Korea fortified its border against all cross-border movement and humanitarian aid.

However, a Reddit user claims to have captured life in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) after flying a drone across the border it shares with China.

The post, which received over 138,000 upvotes, shows a series of photos allegedly depicting the nation’s nearly deserted streets and massive buildings.

A Reddit user claims he flew a drone into North Korea from China, capturing the totalitarian state’s nearly deserted streets and large buildings

Image credits: r/pics

The images show the portraits of North Korean Founder Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il decorating the outside of a large building.

Meanwhile, other photos capture the wide yet empty streets with less than ten pedestrians in sight.

In the middle of the road, someone dressed in a blue uniform appears to be in charge of controlling the sparse flow of traffic.

Since the start of the pandemic, North Korea has been using “expanded fences, guard posts, strict enforcement, and new rules, including a standing order for border guards to shoot on sight,” according to a report from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on March 7.

By fortifying its northern border with China and Russia, the government has “stopped almost all cross-border movement of people, formal and informal commercial trade, and humanitarian aid,” the report adds.

The images show the portraits of North Korean Founder Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il decorating the outside of a large building

Image credits: r/pics

The document describes the human rights abuses that take place within the country, including widespread violations in detention and prisons, routine brutality against anyone considered to pose a threat to North Korea’s political system, widespread use of forced labor, and abductions of foreign nationals.

The government is also accused of subjecting its citizens to “chronic but avoidable malnutrition, stunting, illness, and starvation caused in part by diversions of essential resources to military programs.”

Perhaps the most bizarre restriction is the prohibition to wear jeans. The ban is part of a larger fight over what’s considered to be the influence of US imperialism in the communist country.

When the BBC show “Garden Secrets” aired on North Korean TV, the regime issued an order to blur green-fingered broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh’s jeans, The Guardian reports.

Photos capture the wide yet empty streets with less than ten pedestrians in sight and few vehicles

Image credits: r/pics

In 2022, the US government-funded Radio Free Asia said the government was cracking down on “capitalist” fashion and hairstyles, including skinny jeans and T-shirts bearing foreign words, as well as dyed or long hair.

People reacted to the photos on Reddit, expressing confusion about the small number of people and vehicles on the street.

“Am I tripping, or is there no street drainage at all? Definitely no traffic lights. Looks like a concrete model of a city,” someone wrote.

“I’m always amazed at the creepy emptiness going on there,” another person added.

People described the town as “lifeless”

Image credits: r/pics

“It’s so lifeless looking. I feel so bad for their people,” a separate Redditor wrote.

A fourth person wondered, “Where are the people? Are they only props that come out whenever the Dear Leader needs his ego stroked?”

“How were you able to fly your drone so deep inside (what’s the flying range)? And didn’t the N. Korean military radars or someone on the ground detect the drone and attack it (to take it down)?” someone else inquired, to which the Redditor who shared the images responded, “The city is just across the border about 2km.”

Others worried for the drone owner’s safety, writing, “That seems not very smart.”

“Guy singlehandedly invaded N. Korea,” somebody else said.

“This won’t create an international incident, but you can be sure both governments will be working to figure out who it was,” another individual suggested.

“That seems like a very dangerous game,” someone pointed out

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

boredpanda.com · by Marina Urman

12. N. Korea's FM reaffirms unwillingness to talk with Japan over abduction issue

north Korea is publicly negotiating for concessions.

N. Korea's FM reaffirms unwillingness to talk with Japan over abduction issue | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · March 29, 2024

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) – The North Korean foreign minister on Friday reaffirmed Pyongyang's stance that it does not have any intention to hold talks with Japan on the abduction issue, a day after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida voiced willingness to push for a summit with the North.

Choe Son-hui made the remarks in a statement released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, saying the issue "cannot be settled and has nothing to be solved."

"The DPRK has nothing to solve as regards the 'abduction issue' insisted by Japan and, moreover, it has neither the responsibility nor the will to make any effort for it," she said in the statement, referring to North Korea as its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

On Thursday, Kishida expressed his intent to continue efforts to hold a summit with North Korea despite Pyongyang's recent refusal of all contact with Tokyo.

The remarks came two days after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement refusing all contact with Japan after Tokyo took issue with the problem of Japanese abductees and the North's nuclear program.

The two countries have long been at odds over the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s to train spies in Japanese culture and language.

The North later allowed five of the abductees to visit their homeland and claimed eight others were dead, but Tokyo has dismissed the claim and vowed to secure their safe return.

"The DPRK-Japan dialogue is not a matter of concern to the DPRK. And the DPRK will not allow any attempt of Japan to contact the former," Choe said.

"The DPRK will always respond sharply to Japan's behavior of interfering with its exercise of sovereignty."

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (R) is seen in this image, captured from footage of North Korea's Korean Central Television. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

nyway@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · March 29, 2024

13. N. Korea advances toward field deployment of tactical nuclear weapons

Interesting speculation.

N. Korea advances toward field deployment of tactical nuclear weapons

A recent order emphasizing enhanced cooperation between two military bureaus highlights efforts to upgrade and diversify the North's nuclear weapons and missile capabilities

By Jeong Tae Joo -March 29, 2024

dailynk.com

N. Korea advances toward field deployment of tactical nuclear weapons - Daily NK English

The North Korean government recently ordered the Missile General Bureau and the General Bureau of Equipment of the Ministry of Defense to cooperate more closely in the field deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in the North Korean military told Daily NK on Wednesday that the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea issued the orders to the bureaus on Mar. 22.

“These orders from the Central Military Commission are aimed at deploying nuclear weapons in the field and strengthening their operational capability. Specifically, the commission explicitly ordered the planning, conduct and evaluation of tests to pave the way for the field deployment of weapon systems capable of delivering nuclear strikes,” the source said.

He went on to say that the purpose of these orders is to emphasize the importance of cooperation between the Missile General Bureau and the General Bureau of Equipment of the Ministry of Defense in order to strengthen the country’s nuclear strike capability and speed up the field deployment and operation of nuclear weapons.

The Central Military Commission believes that better cooperation between the Missile General Bureau, which is in charge of missile development and operation, and the General Bureau of Equipment, which is in charge of field deployment inspection, procurement and supply for the Korean People’s Army (KPA), is needed to upgrade and diversify the North’s nuclear weapons and missile capabilities.

“The Workers’ Party has announced that planning and conducting tests to assess the reliability and durability of the weapons to be deployed in the field are critical tasks, along with the simultaneous development of various types of warheads and launchers,” the source said.

The tests are designed to verify not only that the weapon systems function properly and can evade enemy defense systems to reach their targets, but also that orders can be delivered quickly and accurately under all circumstances. Furthermore, the tests are aimed at ensuring communication systems can be hardened against the enemy’s electronic countermeasures, the source said.

The Central Military Commission also ordered the two bureaus to report to the party after conducting tests to improve and diversify the KPA’s nuclear strike capability, the source added.

North Korea’s apparent strategy is to develop tactical nuclear weapons and quickly deploy and operate them in the field to project more military strength, which could give it an edge in future nuclear talks.

Translated by David Black. 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.

Read in Korean

Jeong Tae Joo

Jeong Tae Joo is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists.

Pro-North Korea friendship groups to gather in Pyongyang for first time in years

Delegates from UK, Russia, Hungary and Brazil among those expected to join Kim Il Sung birthday celebrations in April

https://www.nknews.org/2024/03/pro-north-korea-friendship-groups-to-gather-in-pyongyang-for-first-time-in-years/

Anton Sokolin March 29, 2024

Dermot Hudson (center) of the U.K. Korean Friendship Association in Jan. 2020 | Image: UK KFA via Facebook

Representatives of pro-North Korea friendship groups in the U.K., Russia and several other countries will travel to Pyongyang in April for a major holiday, marking the first time such foreign delegates will visit the DPRK since before the pandemic.

Dermot Hudson, head of the U.K. Korean Friendship Association (KFA), told NK News that he is set to visit Pyongyang on April 11 and stay in North Korea for a week.

The trip will coincide with the Day of the Sun on April 15, the country’s most important holiday celebrating the birth anniversary of DPRK founding leader Kim Il Sung.

Hudson said Brazilian delegates from similar DPRK friendship groups are expected to join the celebrations in Pyongyang, without explicitly identifying their affiliation.

Gál Péter, a member of the Hungarian Workers’ Party and the Moscow-based DPRK International Solidarity Group (ISG), confirmed to NK News that party delegate Gábor Benyovszky will also visit Pyongyang from April 11-18.

The ISG in Moscow previously announced that Pyongyang gave the greenlight for friendship groups to visit Pyongyang in April.

ISG Moscow head Alexander Mostov told NK News that he will not be traveling to Pyongyang but that North Korea has invited a Juche study group in the Siberian region of Altai to visit next month.

He declined to name other pro-DPRK friendship groups that will travel to North Korea for the Day of the Sun but said they will attend “events related to the study and dissemination of Juche ideas.”

The trip will coincide with another major event — the 33rd biennial April Spring Friendship Art Festival — that will take place in Pyongyang from April 11-25 and likely feature performers from Russia.

The Japan-based International Institute of the Juche Idea lists KFA and Juche study organizations in nearly two dozen states, and it’s possible that delegates from countries like Japan, France and Germany will also visit Pyongyang in April.

The International Institute of the Juche Idea did not reply to NK News questions about travel plans for the Day of the Sun.

DPRK sympathizers and friendship groups regularly visited North Korea before the pandemic, with some of them traveling to Pyongyang for ideological guidance and others allegedly visiting for more nefarious purposes, like arranging arms smuggling deals.

Their upcoming return to the DPRK comes as authorities have eased COVID-19 controls to allow Chinese businessmen and Russian tourists and officials to enter the country since last year, while permitting German and Swedish diplomats to visit Pyongyang amid possible preparations to reopen their embassies.

Zoe Stephens, a Ph.D. student at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and tour leader at Koryo Tours, said Pyongyang has been prioritizing visits from “friendly countries,” such as Russia and China, adding that “it doesn’t seem surprising that those organizations with close ties to North Korea are next.”

She suggested DPRK authorities are “more wary of the outside than before and more disinclined to opening up to outside influence,” stating that they are only allowing “very controlled groups and types of people” to visit.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if NGOs and other such organizations were the last ones permitted in actuality,” she said.

Despite allowing tourists and diplomats to visit, Pyongyang has yet to inform humanitarian organizations when foreign staff will be able to resume work in the country, amid concerns about the level of humanitarian need after years of pandemic shortages.

Edited by Bryan Betts

15. Failed UN panel extension unlikely to lead to more provocations by North: experts

Are we talking about missile tests and other demonstrations or actual kinetic and lethal provocations against South korea territory? We do need to clean up the terminology and not call every word and action from the north a "provocation."

Failed UN panel extension unlikely to lead to more provocations by North: experts

The Korea Times · March 29, 2024

Diplomats participate in a United Nations meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York City, May 11, 2022, where they discussed missile tests by North Korea. AFP-Yonhap

Russia's veto ends 15-year push for monitoring of UN sanctions against Pyongyang

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The U.N. Security Council’s (UNSC) failure to extend the mandate of an expert panel that monitors the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea is unlikely to lead to more military and nuclear provocations by the reclusive regime as other U.N. measures and resolutions still remain in effect, according to experts, Friday.

A veto by Russia put an end to the 15-year push of monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program. The panel’s mandate had been extended annually since it was launched in 2009 in line with UNSC Resolution 1874, adopted in response to the North's second nuclear test in May the same year.

In Thursday's vote of the 15-member council, 13 countries voted in favor of the resolution with China abstaining. The panel’s mandate is set to expire on April 30.

North Korean experts said Russia’s exercise of its veto power was widely anticipated, citing the establishment of close ties between Moscow and Pyongyang amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“Russia’s exercise of the veto came as the two countries have been deepening their military ties,” said Koh Yu-hwan, emeritus professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University. "Russia has received munitions and ballistic missiles from North Korea for its war in Ukraine with the latter seeking military technology assistance in return."

Yang Moo-jin, the president of the University of North Korean Studies, said not only a closer alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow but also the growing animosity between the U.S. and Russia has played a key role in abolishing the monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea.

“The hostility between the U.S. and Russia has pushed the latter to build closer ties with North Korea. Their strategic relations are inherently intertwined. Also, there have been growing criticisms within the U.N. Council that sanctions are useless,” Yang said.

The South Korean government expressed deep regret over the failure to adopt the resolution due to Russia’s veto.

“Russia’s exercise of its veto abolished the expert panel that has been faithfully monitoring North Korea’s sanctions violations, such as nuclear and missile development and weapons exports to Russia,” Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said in a regular press briefing, Friday.

“Despite the suspension of the panel’s activities, we will continue to comply with sanctions against North Korea and make every effort to create an environment in which North Korea has no choice but to give up on moving in the wrong direction."

Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for South Korea's unification ministry, speaks during a press briefing at Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Experts mostly agreed that the failed renewal of U.N. sanctions monitoring panel would not encourage North Korea to conduct more military provocations and pursue nuclear advancement in the future.

“All U.N. measures and Security Council resolutions addressing North Korea’s nuclear programs remain in effect," Koh said. "The U.S. allies and like-minded states will continue to counter Pyongyang’s unlawful actions."

Kim Yong-hyun, professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, agreed, saying, “Just because the expert panel is abolished doesn’t mean there will no longer be sanctions against North Korea. The panel holds significance, but it has been ineffective in achieving its objectives."

Yang, however, did not rule out the possibility of the reclusive regime pursuing nuclear advancement.

“We have witnessed that tougher sanctions only spurred North Korea to pursue nuclear advancement. The abolition of the panel may allow North Korea to develop its nuclear and missile strategy and seek even closer ties with Russia and China,” he said.

The Korea Times · March 29, 2024

16. Latest N. Korean phones are expensive but still popular

The Korean people in the north have a thirst for knowledge, information, and facts and to be able to communicate.

Excerpts:

North Koreans are like everyone else

North Koreans use their cell phones primarily for socializing and playing games.

“When people use smartphones, they use them 40% of the time for communication, 30% of the time for games, and the remaining 30% for watching videos,” the source said.

In other words, people use smartphones for ordinary things like making calls and playing games, as well as watching videos using SD cards.

North Korean smartphones come with a security feature that automatically deletes unauthorized media files when detected, to prevent the rapid spread and distribution of outside media through the devices. Because North Koreans cannot store outside videos on their smartphones, they insert SD cards containing the material into their phones instead.

Latest N. Korean phones are expensive but still popular

"When people use smartphones, they use them 40% of the time for communication, 30% of the time for games, and the remaining 30% for watching videos," a source told Daily NK

By Mun Dong Hui -March 29, 2024

dailynk.com

Latest N. Korean phones are expensive but still popular - Daily NK English

The latest smartphones in North Korea cost hundreds of dollars, with some models costing nearly USD 1,000. While such prices are a significant burden on North Koreans, the phones are still popular.

“The Chongsong 234, Chongsong 222 and Samtaesong 8 are the most popular smartphones these days,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They are popular because they are the latest models.”

North Korea unveiled the new Chongsong 234 and 222 at the Light Industry Development-2023 trade show last October. The Samtaesong first appeared on Korea Central TV last year.

“The Chongsong 234 costs about 5,000 RMB [around USD 690], the Chongsong 222 costs RMB 3,800, and the Samtaesong 8 costs RMB 6,800,” the source said. “About two out of 10 people use them. Other people use cheaper phones.”

According to a report on North Korea’s key economic indicators in 2023 released by South Korea’s statistics agency, North Korea’s GNI was KRW 36.7 trillion (about USD 27 billion), and its per capita GNI was KRW 1.43 million (about USD 1,060).

Given that North Korea’s latest cell phones are probably beyond the financial reach of ordinary people, wealthy customers are likely to account for most of the purchases.

However, the source said that people still want to buy the latest smartphones because of their excellent performance.

North Korea has released about 60 smartphone models and will likely continue to develop new ones. In addition, the number of local smartphone users is expected to increase as the country launches full-fledged 4G mobile services.

According to a November 2022 briefing on North Korea’s communications networks and infrastructure by 38 North and the Stimson Center, North Korea has between 6.5 million and 7 million mobile subscribers.

In a 2020 report on North Korean smartphone use, the KDB Future Strategy Research Institute estimated that North Korea has about 4.5 million mobile phone users, taking into account that many market vendors carry two or three phones.

North Koreans are like everyone else

North Koreans use their cell phones primarily for socializing and playing games.

“When people use smartphones, they use them 40% of the time for communication, 30% of the time for games, and the remaining 30% for watching videos,” the source said.

In other words, people use smartphones for ordinary things like making calls and playing games, as well as watching videos using SD cards.

North Korean smartphones come with a security feature that automatically deletes unauthorized media files when detected, to prevent the rapid spread and distribution of outside media through the devices. Because North Koreans cannot store outside videos on their smartphones, they insert SD cards containing the material into their phones instead.

Translated by David Black. 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

Arms agency completes deployment of advanced homegrown counter-battery radar | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 29, 2024

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- The state arms procurement agency said Friday it has completed deploying an advanced homegrown counter-battery radar in military units across the nation in a move to better detect North Korean artillery threats.

The TPQ-74K began deployment in 2018 after a seven-year development period to prepare against possible North Korean artillery provocations targeting front-line islands in the Yellow Sea and the greater Seoul area.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the transportable radar has been fully deployed at Army Corps units across the country and for the Marine Corps stationed in the border islands to serve as a key asset in artillery combat.

It is the country's first counter-battery radar to be equipped with active electronically scanned array technology, making it difficult for the enemy to locate, according to DAPA.

"This deployment will substantially improve capabilities to detect enemy artillery shells and greatly contribute to strengthening our military's artillery forces," Lee Myung, the head of DAPA's Firepower Program Department, said in a release.

The official also expressed expectations of the radar's competitiveness in the global defense market if it is exported alongside South Korea's homegrown K9 self-propelled howitzers.

North Korea, which has one of the world's largest artillery forces, has many long-range artillery pieces stationed within striking distance of the wider capital area -- home to nearly half of South Korea's 51 million people.

In 2010, the North bombarded the border island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea, killing four South Koreans.

This undated photo, provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on March 29, 2024, shows South Korea's homegrown counter-battery radar system that has completed deployment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · March 29, 2024

18. Space race between South, North heats up with launches expected in April

A race the ROK will continue to win.

Space race between South, North heats up with launches expected in April

The Korea Times · March 29, 2024

This Korean Central News Agency footage shows North Korea's launch of the military reconnaissance satellite in North Pyongan Province, Nov. 22, 2023. Yonhap

Seoul plans to launch second military satellite in early April

By Kim Hyun-bin

The space race between South and North Korea is expected to heat up in April, with Seoul planning to launch its second military reconnaissance satellite soon amid reports suggesting Pyongyang's readiness for a similar effort.

The South is scheduled to launch its indigenous military spy satellite in early April after the first one was successfully placed after liftoff from a U.S. military base in California in early December, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

"We are in the final stages of negotiation with our cooperative partners," Jeon Ha-gyu, a defense ministry spokesperson, said Monday.

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik emphasized the importance of these satellites during a recent press conference.

"Once all five reconnaissance satellites are secured, they will significantly enhance our ability to monitor and reconnoiter specific points in North Korea every two hours," Shin said.

South Korean military authorities have also confirmed their intention to secure 50 to 60 small and micro reconnaissance satellites by 2030. The plan involves launching 10 to 20 small reconnaissance satellites and approximately 40 micro reconnaissance satellites after securing five large reconnaissance satellites by 2025.

The large reconnaissance satellite, weighing between 800 and 1,000 kilograms, will be launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, while the small reconnaissance satellites weighing less than 500 kilograms and the micro reconnaissance satellites weighing less than 100 kilograms will be launched aboard domestically developed solid-fuel space launch vehicles.

The launch windows for small reconnaissance satellites are reportedly between 2026 and 2028 and for micro reconnaissance satellites between 2028 and 2030.

Pyongyang is reportedly gearing up for its satellite launch, and personnel and equipment movements have been detected at the Dongchang-ri satellite launch site in North Pyongan Province.

While the reclusive regime has not officially announced the impending launch, speculation is rife given the recent activities observed at the launch site, though the uncertainty surrounding its intentions has led to cautious assessments regarding the timing of the launch.

The U.S.-based North Korea media outlet 38 North reported Monday that a blue covering resembling a tarpaulin had been seen covering the Dongchang-ri launch site until earlier this month, but it has since disappeared, citing satellite images released recently.

Its last satellite launch occurred in November.

"North Korea continues to prepare for reconnaissance satellite launches, but it is difficult to predict the timing of the launch," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said.

Experts expect the North to launch the military reconnaissance satellite in the second week of April. They note that the April 10 general elections in the South and the April 15 celebrations of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, will be key events determining the timing.

"In broad terms, technical readiness will be most important for North Korea," Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, said. "Because failure is not an option, the state of technical readiness will have the most significant impact."

"If both are favorable, the significance of the launch will likely be assigned to a date of importance, such as April 15, which is Kim Il-sung's birthday," Park added.

"Another consideration is the satellite launch by the South, which is expected to be around April 9. North Korea might want to launch before that date."

Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said, "North Korea has stated it will launch three more times this year, and especially considering the recent activity in Dongchang-ri, it's likely that the next launch will occur in the second quarter."

However, uncertainties persist regarding the operational capabilities of the satellite, as Seoul's defense ministry said that there were no indications of the North's reconnaissance satellites being operational, and instead, they are merely orbiting without any apparent activity.

Experts see this as a crucial issue for the future.

"Every threat seems threatening, so in the past, because North Korea's reconnaissance capabilities were considerably lacking, we were somewhat relieved about these matters," Shin said, adding, "However, in the future, if North Korea has operational satellites, it will be able to anticipate movements of South Korean and U.S. forces in advance."

"If they use this militarily, then obviously, previously unknown information about North Korea's capabilities and our military's intentions could be exposed in advance."

The Korea Times · March 29, 2024

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

Access NSS HERE

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