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Quotes of the Day:
“Can the American way of war adapt so as to be effective against irregular enemies?”
- Colin Gray, 2006
“Your role as a leader is to bring out the best in others, even when they know more than you.”
- Dr. Wanda Wallace
“I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself.
- Simone De Beauvoir
1. To Disarm North Korea, Focus on Human Rights
2. N.Korea Says UN Should Demand S.Korea-U.S. End Military Drills
3. N. Korea says high-thrust rocket engine offers 'sure guarantee' for satellite launch
4. S. Korea to announce forced labor compensation plan following talks with Japan
5. Yoon's approval rating rises to 42.9 pct: poll
6. [ANALYSIS] US geopolitical strategy may impact Samsung, SK
7. S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills involving U.S. B-52H bomber
8. North Korean human rights foundation to finally launch
9. What thermal infrared analysis can tell us about the Yongbyon nuclear facility
10. What is happening with Kim Jong Un’s pet project, the Pyongyang General Hospital?
11. [Editorial] Normalization of ties with Japan
12. Korean arms exports versus military aid to Ukraine
13. The Subversive Influence of Women in North Korea
1. To Disarm North Korea, Focus on Human Rights
Thank you to Ms. Kirkpatrick for highlighting our important work HERE. The strategy can be summed up as a human rights upfront approach, a sophisticated influence campaign and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.
Please keep in mind thes key excerpts – not regime change but change from within (which will ultimately lead to a free and unified Korea).
I know there are a lot of naysayers and skeptics out there but I have not heard any substantial alternatives, only missieves such as China, Russia, and Japan will never let unification happen or the Koreans in South no longer want unification, it is too expensive, let's live with two Koreas to include one with nuclear weapons (or maybe two), etc.
Excerpts:
The human-rights-first strategy is not just for the sake of human rights but to achieve a national-security objective, Mr. Joseph stresses. Diplomacy, military policy and economic sanctions would still be important strategic tools. But a course change in U.S. strategy that “facilitates the people of North Korea determining their own future provides the most viable alternative to the failed policies of the past.”
In this case, the objective is the collapse of the Kim family regime from within. The paper calls for an information campaign to educate North Koreans about the realities of life in their homeland: the abysmal human-rights conditions, including prison camps where hundreds of thousands have died; the corruption of the leadership; and the truth about the world outside their borders. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and one of the report’s co-authors, says these “three stories” would drive North Koreans to enact change.
To Disarm North Korea, Focus on Human Rights
After 30 years of failure, it’s time to try Reagan’s approach and side with the people against the regime.
By Melanie Kirkpatrick
March 5, 2023 3:40 pm ET
https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-disarm-north-korea-focus-on-human-rights-information-campaign-kpop-prison-camp-kim-jong-un-propaganda-24b22071
When discussing American policy on North Korea, Robert Joseph likes to cite the aphorism that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.
This is the insight at the heart of a recent paper from the National Institute for Public Policy, which calls for a dramatic shift on North Korean policy. It is time to let go of the “false hope that the Kim family regime will relinquish its nuclear weapons through negotiation if only we can find the right mix of carrots and sticks,” says Mr. Joseph, lead author of the report and undersecretary of state for arms control and national security in the George W. Bush administration.
Since the 1990s the American goal has been to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. After 30 years of diplomacy under presidents of both parties, Pyongyang’s nuclear program is stronger than ever. When negotiations between the two countries began in the 1990s, North Korea’s nuclear program was in its infancy. Today Pyongyang has 40 to 60 nuclear weapons, and missile tests indicate that it may be able to deliver nukes to any American city. Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump all followed the same pattern: Negotiate, make concessions, sit back and watch North Korea build more bombs and ballistic missiles.
The paper proposes, instead, putting human rights at the forefront of U.S. policy. The Reagan administration used human rights in the 1980s as part of its strategy to speed the collapse of the Soviet Union—against the objections of so-called experts who worried it would heighten tensions.
In this case, the objective is the collapse of the Kim family regime from within. The paper calls for an information campaign to educate North Koreans about the realities of life in their homeland: the abysmal human-rights conditions, including prison camps where hundreds of thousands have died; the corruption of the leadership; and the truth about the world outside their borders. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and one of the report’s co-authors, says these “three stories” would drive North Koreans to enact change.
The information-delivery vehicles would be high-tech and human—easy-to-smuggle micro-SD cards, for example, as well as communication through networks of informers that human-rights groups and others have developed within the country. One of the campaign’s first targets would be the five million to six million citizens with government-approved cellphones. A Starlink-like internet, accessible on official cellphones or phones smuggled in from China, is a possibility, Mr. Scarlatoiu says. In a nation where only 1,000 super-elites are believed to have access to the internet, access for ordinary people could be transformational.
North Koreans are hungry for information and are increasingly willing to take risks to obtain it. Some North Koreans already have bits of knowledge of life outside their borders thanks to illegal trade with China as well as information sent home by the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have fled to China or South Korea in the past 30 years.
Dictator Kim Jong Un understands that information control is key to regime survival. North Korea is the most closed country on earth. Borders are sealed. Radio, television and cellphones are tightly regulated. The regime worries especially about the influence of South Korean pop culture on young people, who might conclude that the North’s propaganda about the South is a lie. It recently announced that parents who let their children watch K-pop, Hollywood hits and other illicit foreign media even once would be sent to prison camps.
The human-rights-first strategy is not just for the sake of human rights but to achieve a national-security objective, Mr. Joseph stresses. Diplomacy, military policy and economic sanctions would still be important strategic tools. But a course change in U.S. strategy that “facilitates the people of North Korea determining their own future provides the most viable alternative to the failed policies of the past.”
Mr. Joseph is sending copies of the report to likely presidential candidates, and he hopes to meet with them in the runup to the 2024 election. His proposed policy change would meet resistance from the bureaucracy and require leadership from the White House. “Fundamental shifts in policy are always difficult to achieve even when the established policy has been proven to fail,” he says.
The RAND Corp. projects that North Korea could have as many as 200 nuclear weapons by 2027—more than France and Britain combined. Given Pyongyang’s history of sharing and selling technology, it is likely that some of the bombs will end up in the hands of rogue states and terrorists.
On New Year’s Eve, Mr. Kim used his annual address to call for an “exponential increase” in the country’s nuclear arsenal. In November the dictator introduced his 10-year-old-daughter, his presumed successor, at the launch site of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile. The message was that the Kim dynasty is strong and here to stay.
The goal of U.S. policy on North Korea should be complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. The National Institute for Public Policy paper offers a path for getting there. Refinements are needed, but unlike the failed diplomacy of the past three decades, it doesn’t meet anyone’s definition of insanity.
Ms. Kirkpatrick, a former deputy editorial page editor of the Journal, is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.
2. N.Korea Says UN Should Demand S.Korea-U.S. End Military Drills
Some chutzpah KJU has. The UN's response should be that we will ask the ROK/US alliance to halt exercises when you fully comply with all UN Security Council Resolutions.
N.Korea Says UN Should Demand S.Korea-U.S. End Military Drills
english.chosun.com
March 06, 2023 08:20
North Korea's foreign ministry on Sunday called on the United Nations to demand an immediate halt to combined military drills by the United States and South Korea, saying they were raising tensions that threaten to spiral out of control.
The drills and rhetoric from the allies are "irresponsibly raising the level of confrontation," Kim Son-gyong, vice foreign minister for international organizations, said in a statement carried by the official [North] Korean Central News Agency.
The U.S. and South Korea will conduct more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises in March, including amphibious landings, officials from the two countries said on Friday.
The U.S. and South Korea say the exercises are in self-defense and are necessary to counter the rising threats from North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, which are banned by UN Security Council resolutions.
In this photo provided by South Korean Defense Ministry, aircraft from the United States and South Korea fly during a joint air drill in South Korea on Jan. 1, 2023. /AP
North Korea on Saturday blamed the U.S. for what it said was the collapse of international arms control systems and said Pyongyang's nuclear weapons were a just response to ensure the balance of power in the region.
The allies also conducted a combined air drill with an American long-range bomber and South Korean fighter aircraft on Friday and have been staging weeks of exercises for troops.
"The UN and the international community will have to strongly urge the U.S. and South Korea to immediately halt their provocative remarks and joint military exercises," Kim said. It is regrettable that the UN has been consistently silent on the exercises, which have a "clear aggressive nature," he said.
Last month Kim issued a statement saying UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been "extremely unfair, unbalanced" on North Korea's missile tests.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
3. N. Korea says high-thrust rocket engine offers 'sure guarantee' for satellite launch
Excerpts:
Pak Kyong-su, vice director of the National Aerospace Development Administration, made the remarks amid speculation the North is likely to put a military spy satellite into orbit by April.
In an interview by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the North's accession to the international outer space treaty, Pak said the North has made "steady" progress in the work to develop "multi-functional and high-performance" satellites.
"It succeeded in developing high-thrust engine for carrier rocket and thus provided a sure guarantee for launching various kinds of satellites into relevant orbits," Pak said in an English-language dispatch carried by the KCNA.
N. Korea says high-thrust rocket engine offers 'sure guarantee' for satellite launch | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · March 6, 2023
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's development of a high-thrust engine capable of carrying a rocket has provided a "sure guarantee" for the country to launch various satellites into orbit, according to state media Monday.
Pak Kyong-su, vice director of the National Aerospace Development Administration, made the remarks amid speculation the North is likely to put a military spy satellite into orbit by April.
In an interview by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the North's accession to the international outer space treaty, Pak said the North has made "steady" progress in the work to develop "multi-functional and high-performance" satellites.
"It succeeded in developing high-thrust engine for carrier rocket and thus provided a sure guarantee for launching various kinds of satellites into relevant orbits," Pak said in an English-language dispatch carried by the KCNA.
He said the North has applied its space science technology to various areas, including agriculture, meteorological observation communication and natural resources exploration.
"All these successes foretell the bright future of the DPRK's space development," the official said, using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In December last year, North Korea said it had tested a high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine for a "new-type strategic weapon system," a move seen as developing a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
On Dec. 18, Pyongyang fired a vehicle carrying a "test-piece" satellite at its Tongchang-ri rocket launching facility during its "final-stage" test to develop a military reconnaissance satellite. The country unveiled a plan the same day to put a military spy satellite into orbit by April.
Youtube
https://youtu.be/CoCC0GTHN8M
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 19, 2022, shows the North firing a vehicle carrying a "test-piece" satellite at its Tongchang-ri rocket launching facility during a "final-stage" test to develop a military reconnaissance satellite the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. S. Korea to announce forced labor compensation plan following talks with Japan
Will this help or hurt?
S. Korea to announce forced labor compensation plan following talks with Japan | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · March 6, 2023
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government will make public its offer Monday of how to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor, revolving around a fund raised through donations from domestic companies instead of direct payment from responsible Japanese firms, according to sources.
Under the scheme to be announced by the foreign ministry, the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan is expected to seek donations from South Korean companies, such as steelmaker POSCO, that had benefited from a 1965 bilateral treaty under which Tokyo offered US$300 million in grants to Seoul, for compensations. The foundation was created in 2014 under the wing of South Korea's interior ministry in accordance with a related special law.
Victims and supporting civic groups have strongly protested the plan floated during a public hearing in December.
A group of progressive activists marches towards the foreign ministry in Seoul on Jan. 18, 2023, to convey their letter of protest against the South Korean government's solution for addressing the issue of compensation for wartime forced labor. (Yonhap)
In 2018, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered two Japanese firms -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp. -- compensate the forced labor victims, while Tokyo maintains that all reparation issues related to Japan's 1910-45 colonization of Korea were settled in a 1965 deal to normalize bilateral diplomatic ties.
Seoul and Tokyo held several rounds of official talks on the thorny matter over the past several months in line with the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration's push for strengthening trilateral security partnership with the United States and Japan to counter North Korea's military threats.
The two sides have tentatively agreed to create a "future youth fund" to sponsor scholarships for students, an informed source said.
In return, Japan is expected to state its intent to honor a 1998 joint declaration adopted by then President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.
In the declaration, the two leaders called for overcoming the past and building new relations, with Obuchi expressing remorse for the "horrendous damage and pain" Japan's colonial rule inflicted on the Korean people.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · March 6, 2023
5. Yoon's approval rating rises to 42.9 pct: poll
Yoon's approval rating rises to 42.9 pct: poll | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · March 6, 2023
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has stayed over 40 percent for a third straight week on the back of strengthened efforts to handle economic and livelihood matters, a poll showed Monday.
In the poll of 2,006 adults conducted by Realmeter from Monday to Friday last week, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 2.5 percentage points from a week earlier to 42.9 percent.
Yoon's disapproval rating fell 3.8 percentage points to 53.2 percent in the same period.
Realmeter said the gain could be attributable to the recent policy focus on tackling economic and livelihood issues in the wake of a public outcry over high interest rates and rising inflation and concerns over global economic headwinds.
The government announced a plan to freeze railroad, postal and other public utility fees in the first half of the year to help ease people's economic burdens and Yoon has pledged to run as the country's "No. 1 salesman" to boost exports.
"It appears that the approval rating has settled in the 40 percent range on a policy rally focused on the economy and livelihood matters," Bae Cheol-ho, a senior analyst at the pollster, said.
Bae said there is room for the figure to rise higher should the relationship between the presidential office and the ruling party normalize after a new party leader is selected in this week's national convention.
Yoon's People Power Party (PPP), which has been running under an emergency leadership system after former Chairman Lee Jun-seok was ousted, is set to pick a new leader at a national convention on Wednesday.
On the favorability rating of political parties, the PPP earned 44.3 percent, up 2.1 percentage points from the previous week, while support for the main opposition Democratic Party fell 3.2 percentage points to 40.7 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a ceremony at the COEX exhibition center in Seoul on March 3, 2023, to mark the 57th Taxpayers' Day and present people with presidential citations for being exemplary taxpayers. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · March 6, 2023
6. [ANALYSIS] US geopolitical strategy may impact Samsung, SK
Remember THAAD.
Excerpts:
"Getting an extended exemption from U.S. export controls is considered a short-term goal that is achievable. Both Samsung and SK will have to review their semiconductor business strategies in China as it will be very tough for them not to apply for funding from the CHIPS Act. Similarly it will be another tough decision as to whether to let their cash-intensive chip facilities in China only handle less-pricey and unprofitable legacy products. In a way to diversify their semiconductor supply chain, Samsung and SK may review the possibility of building new plants in countries in the Indo-Pacific region," said Lee Joo-waan, an economist at POSCO Economic Research Institute.
When South Korea allowed the U.S. to deploy a THAAD missile defense system battery back in 2017, China imposed heavy economic sanctions against South Korean businesses operating there.
"How to specifically define legacy semiconductors will be a key issue when it comes to the process development for funding from the CHIPS Act. Samsung and SK should thoroughly consider whether the estimated value of the funding will offset negative aspects of these geopolitical manufacturing constraints," another Samsung source said.
[ANALYSIS] US geopolitical strategy may impact Samsung, SK
The Korea Times · March 6, 2023
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo listens during a virtual meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, CEOs and labor leaders called to discuss the importance of passing the CHIPS Act to bolster America's competitive edge, its manufacturing power and national security at the White House in Washington D.C., July 25, 2022. UPI-Yonhap
How to define 'legacy chips' to become key issue for funding from CHIPS Act
By Kim Yoo-chul
President Joe Biden's official launch of the first funding opportunity for the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS Act) features a set of export controls that include detailed measures to cut China off from importing advanced semiconductors made in any country using U.S.-patented chip equipment.
The law clearly illustrates the administration's intention to set Chinese manufacturers back years because the regulations will directly curb their ambitious aim to miniaturize chips. Seemingly, the U.S. is feeling a sense of urgency about China threatening its decades-long dominance in the military and technology sectors.
What is noteworthy within the CHIPS Act is that it will direct funds to federal agencies supporting the development of sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and even data science. All these areas require advanced semiconductors to maintain and smoothly run data-intensive processing.
According to a report last year by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ― to Washington's alarm ― China was leading in 37 of 44 technologies in electric batteries, 5G, 6G and hypersonic aerospace, with Beijing potentially establishing a monopoly in some security-related areas. It advised the Biden administration and its allies to jointly fund the development of the most promising and critical technologies.
As such, government officials and company executives told The Korea Times that the CHIPS Act isn't intended to replace Asia's current dominant position in semiconductor production, but is aimed at reducing risks posed by future crisis such as pandemics, and hedging against extensive supply chain disruptions. It is doing this by establishing a U.S. "pressure valve" to cope with future supply chain problems, leaving Samsung and SK the option to apply for CHIPS Act funding. The law oversees $50 billion to revitalize the U.S. chip industry, including $39 billion in semiconductor incentives.
Asia is the production hub for between 75 percent and 80 percent of global semiconductor manufacturing ― mainly from firms based in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and mainland China, according to data provided by the Semiconductor Industry Association.
"We have to view the CHIPS Act as a tool within the context of Washington's Indo-Pacific geopolitical strategy. The U.S. wants to contain Samsung and SK on its soil as it doesn't care about increasing its chip market share. By containing them, the U.S commerce department could be able to access the specifics of chip production roadmaps and to customize areas of applications according to its interests," an aide to former President Moon Jae-in who managed the country's trade policies told by telephone.
Semiconductor chips on a circuit board of a computer Reuters-Yonhap"As the CHIPS Act has become a matter of politics given Seoul's full support of Washington's signature foreign policy agenda since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office, it's no surprise to see Samsung Electronics and SK applying for funding," he added.
Consequences and risks of taking federal incentives
But there is no free ride. Samsung, for example, could be eligible to receive between $850 million and up to $6 billion in federal incentives if it requests federal loans, and/or federal guarantees for third-party loans, in addition to direct funding as it is building a foundry semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas.
The world's largest memory chipmaker plans to construct 11 new semiconductor plants in the State of Texas over the next two decades. SK hynix, one of the world's top three memory chip suppliers, plans to invest up to $15 billion in the U.S. to construct chip packaging facilities. Sources at Samsung Electronics said it will apply for the funding, however, representatives at the company only said: "We will continue to closely monitor the situation."
SK officials said the company isn't urgently looking to receive tax incentives from the U.S. The Biden administration has warned that applications for funding from the CHIPS Act that are approved will come with a lot of requirements attached, including restrictions on investing in other countries, mainly China, and limits on chip output there and on stock buybacks.
Applications for funding will start March 31 for projects related to the construction of cutting-edge semiconductor factories, while the process for candidates wanting federal incentives in return for constructing of packaging facilities or chip plants using mature-node processing technology will start from June 26, according to the U.S. commerce department.
"All recipients of funding from the CHIPS Act will be asked to hand over their chip production- and profit-related data to the U.S. authorities. By providing cash incentives to non-American chip manufacturers but within its alliance network, the U.S. wants to boost research into advanced technologies that would give U.S. companies a competitive edge over their Chinese rivals," said Hong Ki-yong, a professor of economics at Incheon University. He expects South Korea to join the U.S. ban on exports of advanced chip-making tools to China that the Netherlands and Japan have recently agreed to do.
President Joe Biden attends an event to support legislation that would encourage domestic manufacturing and strengthen supply chains for computer chips in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington D.C., March 9, 2022. AP-Yonhap
The South Korean government is being pressured to seek clarity on how the CHIPS Act will impact the country's chip-making duo, which have massive manufacturing operations in China. This is because the act prohibits funding recipients from applying advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology in China as this, as defined by U.S. law, poses a possible national security threat. Specifically, the recipients will be banned from building any new facilities in China, unless they mainly produce legacy and non-advanced chips, only for Chinese consumption.
China is the largest market for South Korea in terms of chip exports with Samsung and SK operating massive plants in Xian, Suzhou, Wuxi and Chongqing.
Samsung's Xian plant accounts for about 40 percent of its NAND Flash production, while SK's Wuxi plant makes nearly 50 percent of its DRAMs. That means a ban imposed by the U.S. through the CHIPS Act will hurt the Korean companies financially. Trade ministry data shows that Samsung Electronics invested $17 billion in China from 1997 to 2020, while SK invested $24.9 billion during the same period.
Government officials said they are maintaining channels of communication with Chinese authorities because Seoul is well aware of the possibility of China imposing potential economic retaliation if South Korean firms officially get on board with U.S. export controls.
"Getting an extended exemption from U.S. export controls is considered a short-term goal that is achievable. Both Samsung and SK will have to review their semiconductor business strategies in China as it will be very tough for them not to apply for funding from the CHIPS Act. Similarly it will be another tough decision as to whether to let their cash-intensive chip facilities in China only handle less-pricey and unprofitable legacy products. In a way to diversify their semiconductor supply chain, Samsung and SK may review the possibility of building new plants in countries in the Indo-Pacific region," said Lee Joo-waan, an economist at POSCO Economic Research Institute.
When South Korea allowed the U.S. to deploy a THAAD missile defense system battery back in 2017, China imposed heavy economic sanctions against South Korean businesses operating there.
"How to specifically define legacy semiconductors will be a key issue when it comes to the process development for funding from the CHIPS Act. Samsung and SK should thoroughly consider whether the estimated value of the funding will offset negative aspects of these geopolitical manufacturing constraints," another Samsung source said.
The Korea Times · March 6, 2023
7. S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills involving U.S. B-52H bomber
Note the new normal: sustained exercises that are routine - we are forecasting 9 of these exercises annually.
Excerpt:
The allies plan to hold the Buddy Wing exercise nine times this year, it added.
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. hold joint air drills involving U.S. B-52H bomber | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · March 6, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details from Seoul's defense ministry)
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States staged combined air drills Monday, involving at least one U.S. nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber, Seoul's defense ministry said, in the latest show of America's military might against North Korea's evolving military threats.
The exercise took place over the Yellow Sea, mobilizing the bomber as well as the South's F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets. The allies held similar drills, involving a U.S. B-1B bomber, on Friday.
The deployment of high-profile U.S. military assets came amid concerns that Pyongyang could launch provocations in response to the allies' Freedom Shield (FS) exercise set to take place from March 13-23.
"The U.S.' deployment of the B-52H strategic bomber to the Korean Peninsula demonstrates the alliance's decisive and overwhelming capability and posture to deter, and respond against advancing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea," the ministry said in a release.
The U.S. previously deployed a B-52H bomber here in December last year.
Aside from their preparations for the FS and other field drills, the allies have sought to sharpen their vigilance against North Korean provocations.
Last month, Pyongyang warned Seoul and Washington would face "unprecedentedly" strong counteractions should they press ahead with this year's plans for combined drills, which it has decried as preparations for a war of aggression.
Meanwhile, the allies' Air Forces also kicked off this year's first Buddy Wing exercise at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday, according to Seoul officials.
The regular squadron-level drills, designed to enhance wartime operation capabilities and teamwork, involves some 10 aircraft, including the South's F-15K fighter jet and the U.S.' A-10 attack aircraft, and will run until Friday.
The allies plan to hold the Buddy Wing exercise nine times this year, it added.
This file photo, provided by the U.S. Central Command on Nov. 11, 2022, shows a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · March 6, 2023
8. North Korean human rights foundation to finally launch
Good. Another step toward a human rights upfront approach for the ROK.
Monday
March 6, 2023
dictionary + A - A
North Korean human rights foundation to finally launch
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/03/06/national/northKorea/Korea-North-Korea-human-rights/20230306163156053.html
One of two North Korean fishermen who fled into the South via the eastern maritime boundary is forcibly repatriated back to the North at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom in November 2019. [UNIFICATION MINISTRY]
The Unification Ministry announced Monday that it will launch a committee to advise the minister on the establishment of a long-delayed foundation aimed at promoting human rights in North Korea.
The move comes amid controversy over past incidents where the human rights of North Korean defectors were allegedly violated by officials under the previous Moon Jae-in administration.
The group, called the “North Korean Human Rights Promotion Committee” in the ministry’s announcement on Monday, is intended to serve as an advisory body to the Unification Minister regarding the foundation, whose creation is mandated by the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2016.
According to the law, the unification minister is tasked with nominating two candidates for the foundation’s board of directors, while the ruling and opposition parties are charged with nominating five candidates each.
But due to disagreements between the main political parties, no one has been appointed to the foundation’s inaugural board in the past seven years.
In a bid to revive the foundation’s launch, the Unification Ministry has charged the North Korean Human Rights Promotion Committee with gathering public opinion and disseminating views on how to improve North Korea human rights, as well as supporting relevant civic groups.
According to a ministry directive also issued Monday, up to 15 individuals with knowledge and expertise on the human rights situation in North Korea will be appointed to the committee by Unification Minister Kwon Young-se
Committee members already named by Kwon include Lee Jung-hoon, president of Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies; Kim Bum-soo, director of Save NK; Kim Seong-min, director of Free North Korea Radio; Won Jae-chun, professor of law at Handong University; and Kang Cheol-hwan, president of the North Korea Strategy Center.
The Unification Ministry said Kwon will preside over the committee’s first meeting on Friday, where he plans to consult with members’ opinions on how the committee should proceed ahead of the human rights’ foundation’s establishment.
The issue of North Korean human rights has re-emerged as a flashpoint between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration ordered the reinvestigation of past incidents involving Seoul’s treatment of North Korean defectors.
Top officials who served in the Moon administration, including former National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon and former National Security Director Chung Eui-yong, were indicted by prosecutors last week on charges of abusing their authority in connection with the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019.
A central point of contention between the indicted Moon administration officials and the prosecution is whether the pair, who were accused of killing 16 fellow crewmembers before crossing the eastern inter-Korean maritime border, should have been tried as South Korean citizens or denied defector status altogether.
Article 9 of the North Korean Defectors’ Act stipulates that escapees “who commit murder and other non-political crimes may be excluded from protection.”
The release of videos and photographs of their repatriation by the Unification Ministry in July last year sparked rage from defectors’ groups and North Korean human rights organizations.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
9. What thermal infrared analysis can tell us about the Yongbyon nuclear facility
Conclusion:
Through my analysis, I detected circumstantial evidence that the major nuclear facilities of the Yongbyon complex in North Pyongan Province were in operation amid freezing cold and sub-zero temperatures the region has been experiencing. The reprocessing facility and uranium enrichment facility were producing high heat, suggesting they have been in operation. This suggests that North Korea is engaged in activities to produce nuclear materials like extracting plutonium or enriching uranium. The area around the 5MWe reactor is also producing heat, meaning the facility is likely in operation.
Over the past year, North Korea has conducted a great number of provocations, including a record 69 missile launches last year and the firing of an ICBM on Feb. 18. The detection of activity at the Yongbyon nuclear site through thermal infrared satellite imagery should be of concern to everyone worried about security issues on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
What thermal infrared analysis can tell us about the Yongbyon nuclear facility
Analysis of satellite imagery suggests that major nuclear facilities of the Yongbyon complex in North Pyongan Province have been in operation amid the cold winter months
2023.03.06 11:00am
dailynk.com
I recently carried out thermal infrared analysis of the area around the Yongbyon nuclear complex, which is located in North Pyongan Province. The analysis detected signs of suspected activities related to the production of nuclear materials, with high heat emanating from the surface, suggesting the complex’s major nuclear facilities have been in operation even in the middle of winter.
The thermal infrared satellite photos were taken using NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite on Feb. 7. The Lansat 8’s thermal infrared images detect temperatures and heat emanating from the surface in 100 meter resolution. The Lansat series takes thermal infrared photos every eight days; the images are open to the public and can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Such photos are widely used in researching surface temperature changes, for example in the study of global warming and urban heat islands. They are also used to detect whether facilities are in operation by detecting heat produced by factories or other industrial facilities.
Using thermal infrared imagery, I carried out an analysis of the Yongbyon area (Image 1). For the names and positions of the major nuclear facilities, I referenced detailed analysis of the Yongbyon region from 38 North and Beyond Parallel.
(Image 1) Thermal IR analysis of Yongbyon’s nuclear facilities
Yongbyon nuclear facility analyzed using thermal infrared imagery. The reprocessing facility and uranium enrichment facility are bright pink because they are producing heat, which suggests they are in operation. (SkySat, Lansat 8)
The image above is a compilation of low-resolution Lansat thermal infrared imagery and high-resolution SkySat imagery (resolution: 50 meters). Changes in the temperatures detected in the thermal infrared images are shown in red of varying shades, while SkySat images taken on Feb. 4 form the background to help viewers get a better picture of the facilities on the ground.
In Image 1, the thermal infrared imagery used a gradation palette, with high temperatures shown in light red and lower temperatures in dark reddish brown. Looking at the reprocessing facility in the center and uranium enrichment facility on the right, one will see places in bright pink. Places in light pink are producing high heat because they are warmer than the areas around them. The area near the 5MWe reactor on the left side of the image is also producing high heat, albeit less so.
All the major facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex are producing high heat, suggesting that the three facilities have been in operation even in the middle of winter.
Next, I looked at the temperature distribution inside the complex by turning the brightness values in the thermal infrared imagery into Celsius numbers.
(Image 2) Analysis of temperature distribution at the Yongbyon complex
Thermal infrared imagery converted and analyzed to produce a temperature distribution map, with colors representing a 1 degree centigrade gradation. (Lansat 8)
Thermal infrared imagery indicates the intensity of heat or temperatures, so to perform meaningful analysis, one must transform the imagery into surface temperatures in Celsius using formulas and procedures. Using the geographic information system (GIS) software ArcGIS, I transformed the thermal infrared data with formulas and procedures in 2013 research produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The temperature distribution was rendered as colors and produced in Image 2.
In Image 2, the heat distribution at the Yongbyon nuclear complex was displayed as a color scale at one degree intervals. On Feb. 7 (around 11 AM), in cold, sub-zero temperatures, Yongbyon’s temperature distribution ranged from -1 degree to -7 degrees.
The temperatures determined from the thermal infrared imagery are indirectly measured using formulas, so there is a margin of error. According to 2013 research by the USGS, the margin of error is plus or minus 3 degrees celsius. For a more accurate measurement, one needs to directly measure the temperature on the ground using a thermometer.
(Image 3) Detecting high heat at major nuclear facilities at Yongbyon
Warmer areas of the temperature distribution map extracted and overlaid on SkySat’s high resolution imagery. (SkySat, Lansat 8)
From Image 2’s temperature distribution data, I extracted areas of high heat of -1 to -3 degrees celsius and superimposed them on SkySat’s high-resolution imagery to produce Image 3.
The reprocessing facility and uranium enrichment facility were generating heat, posting temperatures of -1 and -2 degrees (Image 3), relatively warm compared to surrounding areas that were at -3 and -4 degrees. In particular, the area around the incineration building at the reprocessing facility was lit up bright (-1 degree), suggesting brisk activities related to incineration. The 5MWe reactor was at -3 degrees — considering that the area around it was -4 or -5 degrees, this suggests the reactor was in operation and producing heat, too.
The website 38 North produced an analysis last October that suggested Yongbyon’s 5MWe reactor had been in operation for over a year, and that North Korea was expanding auxiliary facilities nearby.
Conclusion
Through my analysis, I detected circumstantial evidence that the major nuclear facilities of the Yongbyon complex in North Pyongan Province were in operation amid freezing cold and sub-zero temperatures the region has been experiencing. The reprocessing facility and uranium enrichment facility were producing high heat, suggesting they have been in operation. This suggests that North Korea is engaged in activities to produce nuclear materials like extracting plutonium or enriching uranium. The area around the 5MWe reactor is also producing heat, meaning the facility is likely in operation.
Over the past year, North Korea has conducted a great number of provocations, including a record 69 missile launches last year and the firing of an ICBM on Feb. 18. The detection of activity at the Yongbyon nuclear site through thermal infrared satellite imagery should be of concern to everyone worried about security issues on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
Bruce Songhak Chung is a former researcher at South Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science and now serves as the deputy director of the Geo Satellite Information Research Institute at Kyungpook National University in South Korea.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Views expressed in this guest column do not necessarily reflect those of Daily NK.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
10. What is happening with Kim Jong Un’s pet project, the Pyongyang General Hospital?
This was supposed to be completed in 200 Days in 2020. I guess the famed north Korean "Chollima speed" has run out of gas.
How close is it to being operational and more importantly what effect will it have on health care for the people?
Excerpt:
The hospital’s exterior and interior construction work have been completed, as has work on the outside landscaping, nearby roads and green areas, a reporting partner in Pyongyang told Daily NK recently, speaking on condition of anonymity. Only two companies of engineers with a single construction brigade remain at the site to maintain it, he added.
What is happening with Kim Jong Un’s pet project, the Pyongyang General Hospital?
North Korean authorities are mulling over when and how to open the Pyongyang General Hospital. a reporting partner in Pyongyang told Daily NK
2023.03.06 6:00pm
dailynk.com
Editor’s note: It’s already been 10 years since Kim Jong Un officially assumed leadership in North Korea. For the past decade, he has prioritized improving the people’s lives and developing the economy and focused on constructing all sorts of facilities, including medical, commercial, industrial and residential facilities, promoting these projects widely. Daily NK has recently launched a series called “A Deep Dive into Kim Jong Un’s Legacy Projects,” which looks at the construction process of the facilities referred to over the last decade as Kim’s “legacy projects,” examining how they are run, how North Koreans view them, and what North Korea plans to do with them. The first part of this series looked at the status of the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Zone and can be found here.
Since assuming power, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promoted his so-called “love of the people,” boasting of efforts to modernize the country’s public healthcare facilities. One of these facilities, the Pyongyang General Hospital, was supposed to be completed within 200 days, but remains unopened even today, three years after the start of its construction.
The hospital’s exterior and interior construction work have been completed, as has work on the outside landscaping, nearby roads and green areas, a reporting partner in Pyongyang told Daily NK recently, speaking on condition of anonymity. Only two companies of engineers with a single construction brigade remain at the site to maintain it, he added.
During his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pyongyang General Hospital on Mar. 17, 2020, Kim Jong Un essentially admitted his country’s public health system was poor, saying that even North Korea’s capital city was devoid of any “modern medical service facility.”
At the time, North Korea needed to show the world that it could neutralize international sanctions through self-reliance after the breakdown of negotiations with the US. There was also an imperative for Kim to show off his accomplishments at the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
KIM JONG UN’S PET PROJECT
Early in his tenure, Kim had received a propaganda boost for his “love of the people” leadership with the opening of specialized hospitals like Ryugyong Dental Hospital, Ryugyong General Ophthalmic Hospital and Okryu Children’s Hospital. Based on these accomplishments, Kim rushed to open a modern, large-scale general hospital in Pyongyang amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Kim also emphasized that the country’s resources needed to be mobilized to complete the hospital “in the shortest period,” noting that the Central Committee had delayed several other construction projects that year with a view to focus on the hospital project.
In fact, Kim himself signed off on many aspects of the hospital project, including its location, design and completion date. Construction personnel previously deployed to the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone and other construction sites were also mobilized to work on the hospital.
“There’s probably no country that can match the construction power of the North Korean military,” Daily NK’s Pyongyang-based reporting partner claimed. “As for erecting the building itself, they finished it according to plan, but they have been unable to bring in and install the medical equipment.”
The only medical devices North Korea can produce domestically are basic things like hospital beds and simple operating tools. In fact, the country relies on imports for all of its medical equipment, but the process of importing this equipment, including their cost, are difficult barriers to surmount, the reporting partner said.
“Despite North Korea’s announcement that it would build a modern general hospital amid the pandemic in early 2020, the country appears to have lacked the financial wherewithal to invest in importing medical equipment as the pandemic dragged on,” Choi Jung-hoon, a senior researcher at Korea University’s Public Policy Research Center and a former doctor in North Korea told Daily NK. “In short, the Pyongyang General Hospital was pushed down the priority list of projects to complete.”
REGIME’S FOCUS HAS SHIFTED TO “SIMPLE” CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Another expert told Daily NK that the regime is now focusing on projects like building 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang, construction of rural housing and greenhouse farms, which are relatively free from issues involving the import of materials or equipment.
“Construction is what North Korea does best and it can complete projects quickly, so after the regime’s failure to open the Pyongyang General Hospital as planned, the Workers’ Party has been placing its priority on [completing] simple construction projects,” a researcher from a South Korean government-affiliated policy think tank told Daily NK, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to Daily NK’s reporting partner in Pyongyang, North Korean authorities are mulling over when and how to open the Pyongyang General Hospital. They are also discussing a plan to open its doors by properly equipping at least one department in its major ward. As this suggests, it will take time to completely equip and open the entire hospital.
That being said, the Pyongyang General Hospital is the biggest achievement Kim has made in the public healthcare sector since taking power 10 years ago, so the regime believes that it must distinguish the hospital from other medical facilities in Pyongyang, the reporting partner said.
“Given that the Workers’ Party intentionally put the hospital on a site in front of the Workers’ Party Foundation Monument, it must use the hospital – which would boast the highest quality facilities – to prove that its policies are centered on the people. The regime still has nothing to prove this, however.”
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.
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dailynk.com
11. [Editorial] Normalization of ties with Japan
It will take leadership and political courage by the President and Prime Minister to make this work. They must decide to place a higher priority on national security and national prosperity while pledging to manage the historical issues.
Excerpts:
Foreign Minister Park Jin plans to fund the foundation through voluntary contributions from the private sector and expand it. In 1965, the Park Chung Hee administration signed on the war claims treaty in return for $300 million in grants and $200 million in loans from Tokyo. About 16 Korean companies, including Posco, which benefited from the aid, will voluntarily contribute to the fund in what is called “third-party” compensation.
Tokyo started to respond. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed the will to “succeed past Japanese Cabinets’ position on history recognition.” They reaffirmed the willingness to inherit the 1988 Kim-Obuchi joint declaration, which included sincere regrets over Japan’s colonial rule. Tokyo also decided to consult with Seoul about how to lift its export ban on Korea.
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the move for marking “a groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States’ closest allies.” But the opposition in Korea denounced it for “shaming the country again.” We hope the government continues to make up for deficient parts. We also urge Tokyo to take corresponding measures for a better future.
Monday
March 6, 2023
dictionary + A - A
[Editorial] Normalization of ties with Japan
In a positive sign, Japan prepares to take corresponding actions to the solution Korea announced Monday to address the thorny wartime forced labor issue. But the solution presented by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is being criticized for the non-participation of Japanese companies responsible for the forced labor during World War II in a foundation to be set up under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to compensate the surviving victims.
Given the non-participation of related Japanese companies in contributing to the foundation despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of their direct compensation, it could be a half-baked solution. But taking into account the need to normalize ties with Japan, we must support the solution.
The conservative Yoon administration has come up with the solution five years after the top court delivered the ruling in 2018. At that time, the Japanese government resisted the ruling, citing “the complete and final conclusion of all war claims” through the 1965 treaty on normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. After the Japanese companies did not comply with the highest court’s ruling, the two sides could not find a breakthrough since 2018.
But the Yoon administration has rolled up its sleeves to solve the conundrum through various diplomatic channels. The solution is based on Japan’s “voluntary contribution” and “comprehensive apology.” The foundation under the interior ministry will first pay the compensation amount the court determined for 15 plaintiffs and the interest for five years since 2018.
Foreign Minister Park Jin plans to fund the foundation through voluntary contributions from the private sector and expand it. In 1965, the Park Chung Hee administration signed on the war claims treaty in return for $300 million in grants and $200 million in loans from Tokyo. About 16 Korean companies, including Posco, which benefited from the aid, will voluntarily contribute to the fund in what is called “third-party” compensation.
Tokyo started to respond. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed the will to “succeed past Japanese Cabinets’ position on history recognition.” They reaffirmed the willingness to inherit the 1988 Kim-Obuchi joint declaration, which included sincere regrets over Japan’s colonial rule. Tokyo also decided to consult with Seoul about how to lift its export ban on Korea.
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the move for marking “a groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States’ closest allies.” But the opposition in Korea denounced it for “shaming the country again.” We hope the government continues to make up for deficient parts. We also urge Tokyo to take corresponding measures for a better future.
12. Korean arms exports versus military aid to Ukraine
I hope South Korea will support Ukraine with lethal aid.
Conclusion:
The real reason for not providing the one country under actual attack with means of defense is, then, obvious: Forced to "engage" in a struggle to survive, Ukraine is basically bankrupt and needs military aid in contrast to "arms imports." It is good to cooperate with other potential victims of Russia's aggression who, mostly NATO- and EU members, can still pay. But ironic "principles" will sooner or later damage Korea's credibility.
Korean arms exports versus military aid to Ukraine
The Korea Times · March 5, 2023
By Michael Bergmann
No one expects Korea to take a leading role in helping Ukraine survive Russia's criminal war of aggression. And I should also say that I find Korean public opinion on the issue quite bearable. The most horrible crimes against humanity in Europe since World War II may, seemingly far away, not top people's list of concerns. But I rarely encounter the moral confusion, misinformation mixed with pieces of Putin's propaganda or irresponsible talk of "neutrality" which are spreading even in countries that support Ukraine more actively, not to mention the cynical glee heard from parts of the developing world.
The fact that South Korea is among the very few countries outside Europe, North America and Oceania which have made some sacrifices, materially supporting Ukraine or sanctioning Russia, is not to be belittled as just another expression of the desire to appear on the same page with the world's leading democracies. Korean sympathy for the victimized nation is genuine and deeply rooted in historic experience.
But it has gone nearly unnoticed how illogically, even hypocritically, the South Korean government answers requests for military aid to Ukraine. Western diplomats hinting at the contradiction are told that it is the government's "position not to supply arms to countries engaged in conflict." This means that Ukraine is disqualified as a receiver of weapons made in Korea precisely by actually being invaded. Other countries in central and eastern Europe, seeing themselves "only" threatened by Russia and not (yet) "engaged in war," are warmly welcomed, in contrast, as customers of Korea's arms industry.
I absolutely agree that governments should strictly control arms exports to rule out any abuse of dangerous products. But if you help politically trustworthy countries prepare for self-defense, how can you not help those already under attack? Whether a country actually "engages" in self-defense is, unfortunately, not its own choice.
Of course, no country with neighbors that South Korea has would risk its own preparedness out of solidarity with fellow democracies. But to reach President Yoon Suk Yeol's declared goal of making South Korea the world's number 4 arms exporter by 2027, the government is so eager to grab the "opportunity" of Russia's aggression and to satisfy the rapidly growing demand by its horrified neighbors that concerns have been raised about the capacities for simultaneous self-supply.
The real reason for not providing the one country under actual attack with means of defense is, then, obvious: Forced to "engage" in a struggle to survive, Ukraine is basically bankrupt and needs military aid in contrast to "arms imports." It is good to cooperate with other potential victims of Russia's aggression who, mostly NATO- and EU members, can still pay. But ironic "principles" will sooner or later damage Korea's credibility.
Michael Bergmann (bergmann2473@yahoo.de) is a teacher in Seoul.
The Korea Times · March 5, 2023
13. The Subversive Influence of Women in North Korea
Excellent essay from Ms Charly. Women are the key to both survival and change in north Korea. After all, they are the ones who have really developed the markets in north Korea.
But will they be able to to be resilient in the face of the severe cracks down by the regime. Perhaps Kim recognizes the threat to his rule by women (and not just the ones in his inner circle)
We need to see more writing like this from young researchers.
Conclusion:
The full impact of COVID-19 and North Korea’s ongoing border closure on these markets remains unclear. But as the Hermit Kingdom faces yet another severe food crisis, it’s likely that the influence, innovation, and independence of North Korean women will continue to grow, like stubborn, green sprouts breaking through the soil of a barren, sweeping landscape.
The Subversive Influence of Women in North Korea
Despite the regime’s deeply pervasive misogyny, North Korean women are making strides in the country’s political and social spheres.
By Emily Charley
March 03, 2023
thediplomat.com · by Emily Charley · March 3, 2023
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North Korea is soon set to release a unique collection of 11 postage stamps. The compilation lacks pizzazz for the most part, but there is one that catches the eye with its deliberate framing. This miniature photograph captures a barren, sweeping landscape, accentuated by an imposing monolith in the relative distance. Yet the lens is fixed on two figures, hand-in-hand, strolling away from it. The smaller appears to be a young girl, around 10 years old, wrapped in a large, quilted, dazzling white coat. She exudes an air of innocence and vulnerability as she softly smiles up at the other figure. This other figure is stocky – sturdy even – donning a dark khaki coat and cutting a formidable presence. Yet his head is bowed, attentively listening to the smaller figure.
The scene is a simple yet unadulterated portrayal of a tender familial bond: just a girl, her father, and a massive Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.
This stamp captures the first of a slew of public appearances that have thrust the previously unknown daughter of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un to the forefront of North Korean and international media. It alludes to a familial sense of nationalism, whereby the abstract, class-oriented imagery of socialism has been replaced with the more relatable and recognizable image of connection, love, and obligation for one’s family.
The world is abuzz with speculation about what this may mean. But beyond the discourse on succession and perfunctory tactics lies a subversive trend that is quietly taking root within the secretive regime. Kim’s “beloved daughter” is part of a growing list of women assuming prominent public roles in North Korea and redefining gender dynamics in North Korean society.
Kim Ju Ae – as the daughter is believed to be called – joins her mother and aunt as the only relatives seen publicly accompanying Kim Jong Un. This alone marks a notable departure from the reigns of her grandfather Kim Jong Il and great-grandfather Kim Il Sung, whose female family members rarely appeared in public.
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But it’s not just in the realm of family relations that women are gaining more visibility and influence. Kim Jong Un’s cabinet is the first to appoint women to high-profile positions. This first generation of female politicians makes up nearly 18 percent of North Korea’s government, just 1.5 percent lower than that of South Korea, which has had high-profile female politicians since the 1980s.
And in spite of what is argued to be the rubber-stamp nature of female representation in North Korea, women are consolidating influence and power within the limits of their assigned roles.
For instance, Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, is believed to hold considerable influence over North Korean affairs. She reportedly assumed state duties for her brother while he was receiving medical treatment and continues to make public statements on behalf of the regime.
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Similarly, Choe Son Hui, a relative of the former premier, Choe Yong Rim, is the first woman to serve as the country’s foreign minister. She plays a pivotal role in North Korea-U.S. relations and nuclear talks.
For Kim Ju Ae, the work of these first-generation female politicians is sure to create more opportunities and greater possibilities for high-profile, well-connected women to come. They have defied the male-dominated mindset of the bureaucracy, bringing acknowledgment and recognition to the talents and capabilities of female leaders. It remains to be seen who will feel inspired and empowered to pursue leadership positions after these developments and what, if any, long term impacts female leadership will have on North Korean society and culture.
But while women of the upper echelons are hammering away at their glass ceiling, the not-so-privileged in North Korea are unlikely to come across such official opportunities. Despite constitutional commitment to equal opportunities and representation, the majority of women are often sidelined from significant participation in North Korean economy, society, and politics.
Early socialist rhetoric limited women to roles as mothers and housewives. Women’s policy was reformed in the 1950s, socializing women’s housework and mass mobilizing women for reproduction. “Feminine characteristics” of dedication and sacrifice for family and by extension, the country, were deified as revolutionary traits.
Juche, North Korea’s unique state ideology, further imparts the importance of sacrificial dedication and self-reliance upon North Korean women. In essence, the North Korean state has been using revolutionary ideology and policies to formally define gendered roles and proliferate them throughout the nation since its founding.
Yet, paradoxically, this same socialist rhetoric of “self-reliance” and dedication has facilitated women’s independence from the state.
In the face of limited official economic opportunities, women braved the risks of informal marketization as a means of supporting their families. What started as local bartering to counter the collapse of the public distribution system in the 1990s has led to women becoming the unofficial breadwinners of today. North Korean housewives are now thought to earn more than 70 percent of household income through these “grey markets,” where they trade smuggled goods, create handicrafts, and engage in other entrepreneurial activities.
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As a result, women are gaining more and more economic power and autonomy, and men, who are mobilized to work even in the absence of a state salary, are becoming more and more dependent on their female family members for financial support.
The rippling effect of this bottom-up decentralization promises long term changes. Children of these pioneering women have grown up almost solely reliant on and exposed to these markets. The high dependence of recent generations on grey markets for their basic needs and the proliferation of foreign goods through its ever expansive network has cut away faith in the state. More and more North Koreans are disillusioned with their leaders and driven by self-interests. A domestic survey found that North Koreans are most opposed to the regime when their new found economic freedoms are jeopardized.
The state also depends on these markets, tacitly recognizing the failure of its command economy to meet the public’s needs. Over 400 such marketplaces are now state regulated, with taxes imposed on vendors and attempts made to control prices and profits.
The full impact of COVID-19 and North Korea’s ongoing border closure on these markets remains unclear. But as the Hermit Kingdom faces yet another severe food crisis, it’s likely that the influence, innovation, and independence of North Korean women will continue to grow, like stubborn, green sprouts breaking through the soil of a barren, sweeping landscape.
Emily Charley
Emily Charley is an Oxford graduate and MA student of International Relations in East Asia. Her research focuses on post-war Japan and Korea and deconstructing their political behaviors.
thediplomat.com · by Emily Charley · March 3, 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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