|
Quotes of the Day:
If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is armed.
- Marcus Aurelius
"the essence of philosophy is not the possession of the truth but the search for truth. ... Philosophy means to be on the way. Its questions are more essential than its answers, and every answer becomes a new question."
~ Karl Jaspers
Characteristics of the American Way of War (2 of 13)
2. Astrategic. Strategy is, or should be, the bridge that connects military power with policy. When Americans wage war as a largely autonomous activity, leaving worry about peace and its politics to some later day, the strategy bridge has broken down. The conduct of war cannot be self-validating. For a premier example of this malady, one must cite Vietnam. For example, the United states sought to apply its new-found theory of limited war in the ill-crafted effort to employ modulated, on-off-on coercion by air bombardment to influence Hanoi in favor of negotiations. To resort to Clausewitzian terms again, while war has its policy logic, it also has its own “grammar.” It is prudent to take notice of these words of wisdom from Samuel Huntington: “Military forces are not primarily instruments of communication to convey signals to an enemy; they are instead instruments of coercion to compel him to alter his behavior.
Excellence in strategy has not been an American strength, at least not since George Washington defeated the British strategically. The reasons why Americans talk a lot about strategy, but understand it a lot less and practice it rarely, do not really concern us in this monograph. Suffice it to say that the major causes of the problem are twofold: a long standing tradition of material superiority which offers few incentives for strategic calculation; and the nation's traditional theory of civil military relations, which discourages probing dialogue between policymaker and soldier. Unfortunately, the terrorist and the insurgent are probably functioning strategically. Indeed they can hope to succeed in no other way. As we have commented already, such irregulars are playing a long game. Their tactical behavior is of little, if any, inherent significance. They do not plan and execute would-be decisive military actions; COIN is a quintessentially strategic struggle. Everything that is done by both sides potentially has political implications. This is not exactly a deep insight. What I have just stated is nothing more than Clausewitz’s definition of strategy. A United States that does not really “do strategy,” at least not for long, because it does not truly understand it, will be outfought and out-thought by irregular enemies who must “do strategy” if they are to survive and prosper.
Colin Gray, 2006
1. Biden to host April state visit for South Korean leader Yoon
2. Japan Hails Korean Plan to Compensate Forced Labor Victims
3. Taiwan's Per-Capita Income Overtakes Korea's
4. Yoon to meet Biden in late April to bolster ROK-US alliance
5. S. Korea rejects N. Korea's claim of artillery firing near inter-Korean border
6. Exclusive: Seoul approved Poland's export of howitzers with S.Korean parts to Ukraine, official says
7. Minister requests Britain's role in persuading N. Korea to give up nukes, missiles
8. S. Korea to accelerate Quad working group participation: official
9. South Korea: Kim's daughter enjoys horseback riding, skiing
10. Yoon's summit with Biden to highlight S. Korea's 'pivotal' role in region: US experts
11. South Korea to launch military drone unit in July
12. North Korea says women should have many children, support parents-in-law
13. North Korea Not Happy With B-52s Flying Over South Korea
14. Kim Yo Jong Joins the North’s Chorus Threatening Response to South Korea-US Military Drills
15. Looming Korean nuclear crisis shows world’s need for deep thinking like George Yeo’s
1. Biden to host April state visit for South Korean leader Yoon
26 April.
I understand there are also plans for an address to a joint session of congress and I think there will be a few days of other activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the alliance.
Biden to host April state visit for South Korean leader Yoon
By
March 7, 2023 at 8:53 p.m. EST
The Washington Post · by Darlene Superville and Chris Megerian | AP · March 7, 2023
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will crank up the pomp and pageantry for South Korea’s president.
The White House on Tuesday announced its second state visit, an April 26 affair for President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
The occasion, which will include a splashy black-tie dinner honoring Yoon, stands apart from other visits by world leaders because of the associated pomp and pageantry that is orchestrated to celebrate ties between the United States and its closest allies.
The U.S. has been working to deepen its relationships across Asia as a counterbalance to China’s rising influence. Biden visited South Korea and Japan last year, and has prodded the pair of critical U.S. allies in a region that includes North Korea to mend relations with each other.
Yoon’s visit will celebrate 70 years of U.S.-South Korea relations, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who characterized the ties as “critical to advancing peace, stability and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific, and around the world.”
The last time that a South Korean leader was granted a state visit, a high diplomatic honor reserved for America’s closest allies, was in October 2011, when Barack Obama was president and Biden was vice president.
Biden and his wife, Jill, next month will welcome Yoon and his wife to a pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the South Lawn featuring patriotic music and goodwill speeches. Biden and Yoon will then meet in the Oval Office before the leaders and their top aides sit down for broader talks on a range of global and regional issues.
Afterward, Yoon will be feted at a State Department luncheon, typically hosted by the vice president, before he returns to the White House for a fancy dinner with hundreds of guests and a multiple-course menu and entertainment curated by the U.S. first lady and her team.
Victor Cha, a senior vice president and the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, said South Korea has always been strongly allied with the U.S. He said Yoon’s visit will also commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, which ended active fighting on the peninsula in July 1953.
One takeaway from Yoon’s visit is that South Korea is now “all in” and willing to work with the U.S., Japan, Australia, the European Union and others to counter challenges to the world order by Russia, China and North Korea, Cha said in an email.
He said Yoon “has shown himself to be fully in partnership” with Biden on strengthening supply chains, economic security, nonproliferation and other issues, along with being tough on North Korea and interested in improving relations with Japan.
“This is all significant because prior to Yoon, Korea was a bit adrift in its foreign policies — bad relations with Japan, cozying up to China and weak on North Korea,” Cha wrote.
Biden’s first state visit was for French President Emmanuel Macron in December. It was the first time that the White House had hosted a state visit since the coronavirus outbreak began in 2020.
Jill Biden went with a red-white-and-blue theme to honor Macron and his wife, Brigitte. More than 330 guests rode trolleys down the South Lawn driveway to an enormous heated pavilion where they were served an entree of butter-poached Maine lobster. An image of the Statue of Liberty, a gift to the U.S. from France, was projected onto the wall behind the head table.
Jon Batiste, a Grammy Award-winning New Orleans native, sang after dinner.
The Washington Post · by Darlene Superville and Chris Megerian | AP · March 7, 2023
2. Japan Hails Korean Plan to Compensate Forced Labor Victims
Some good news. I hope this foreshadows improved relations.
Japan Hails Korean Plan to Compensate Forced Labor Victims
english.chosun.com
March 07, 2023 11:37
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday welcomed the Korean government's proposal to compensate victims of wartime forced labor.
The government here on the same day announced that it will compensate the victims through a government foundation by gathering donations from private companies like POSCO and other conglomerates that benefited from lump sum reparations Japan paid under a 1965 treaty, rather than making responsible Japanese businesses pay.
Kishida hailed the proposal as the "return to healthy relations between Japan and Korea," saying, "I look forward to continuing to work closely with President Yoon Suk-yeol to further develop bilateral ties."
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also welcomed the proposal. "I hope that this announcement will serve as impetus for the implementation of the measures and the strong expansion of exchanges between Japan and Korea in the political, economic, cultural and other fields," Hayashi told reporters.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Tokyo on Monday. /AP-Yonhap
"Our position has been consistent with the 1965 agreement, and that has not changed. As a government, we also maintain the position taken by previous Japanese cabinets on historical recognition as a whole, including the Japan-Korea joint declaration issued in October 1998."
Korea wants Japan to commit itself to upholding the 1998 declaration, where President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi pledged to overcome the past while Tokyo voiced remorse for its wartime atrocities.
Hayashi stressed that Japanese companies will not be asked to contribute to the victims' compensation fund, but he added Tokyo will not take a position on any voluntary steps private companies may choose to take over the matter.
U.S. President Joe Biden also welcomed the proposal and said, "Today's announcements between Korea and Japan mark a groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States' closest allies. As we move ahead, I look forward to continuing to strengthen and enhance the trilateral ties between Korea, Japan, and the United States."
Activists protest against the government's plan to compensate wartime forced labor victims at Seoul Plaza on Monday. /Yonhap
Yoon hopes to visit Japan on March 16-17 and also attend the G7 meeting in Hiroshima in May to hold a three-way summit with Biden and Kishida.
However, some former forced laborers and civic groups supporting them have criticized the proposal and accused Yoon of "absolving" Japan of legal responsibility for the crime.
Korea Proposes Solution to Compensating Forced Laborers
Yoon Calls Japan 'Partner' in Independence Movement Day Speech
S.Korea, Japan Foreign Ministers Hold 1st Meeting in 5 Years
Mitsubishi Built Memorial for Chinese Forced Labor Victims
New Taskforce to Tackle Compensation for Wartime Forced Labor
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
3. Taiwan's Per-Capita Income Overtakes Korea's
Taiwan's Per-Capita Income Overtakes Korea's
english.chosun.com
March 08, 2023 09:32
Korea's per-capita gross national income has fallen behind Taiwan's for the first time.
According to the Bank of Korea on Tuesday, the country's per-capita GNI in 2022 declined 7.7 percent from a year ago to US$32,661 due to the depreciation of the won against the dollar, while Taiwan's stood at $33,565.
Per-capita GNI is a more accurate gauge of a country's standard of living than per-capita GDP.
In won terms Korea's per-capita GNI increased 4.3 percent to W42.2 million last year, but the won plunged 12.9 percent against the dollar, leading to a decline in incomes, the BOK said. The Taiwan dollar also weakened, but only by 6.8 percent.
Korea's per capita GNI surpassed $30,000 for the first time in 2017 and rose to $33,564 in 2018, but then it fell to $32,204 in 2019 and to $32,004 in 2020. It rebounded to $35,373 in 2021 despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Pedestrians cross a street in Seoul on Tuesday. /Yonhap
Another useful point of comparison is Italy. According to UN data, Italy's per-capita GNI stood at $32,277 in 2020, compared to Korea's $32,004. But in 2021, it reached $36,216, which was more than $800 higher than Korea's, and last year, Italy's economic growth of 3.9 percent outpaced Korea's 2.6 percent, suggesting that the gap widened further.
Worldwide, Korea ranks 36th in terms of per-capita GNI and seventh among countries with a population of more than 50 million.
Korea Aims for W43 Million Per-Capita Income This Year
Gov't Targets $40,000 Per-Capita GDP
Korea's Per-Capita Income Falls Again
Real GNI Shrinks
Per-Capita Income Surpasses US$35,000
Korea's Per-Capita Income Reaches $35,000
Koreans' Income Falls for 2nd Year Running
Per Capita Income 'Could Plunge Below $30,000'
Per-Capita Income Plummets by Historic Margin
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
4. Yoon to meet Biden in late April to bolster ROK-US alliance
Yoon to meet Biden in late April to bolster ROK-US alliance
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden smile during a joint press conference at South Korean presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, June 21, 2022. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon
NK deterrence, chip subsidies, China issues to top agenda at upcoming summit
By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a state visit to the United States late next month, and hold a summit with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance and deepen political, economic, security, and people-to-people ties.
The South Korean presidential office said Wednesday that Yoon will travel to the U.S. for a state visit in late April and that a state dinner is slated for April 26. The White House said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-han discussed preparations for the upcoming visit by Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
It will be the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years. The last South Korean head of state to do that was former President Lee Myung-bak, who was invited by then U.S. President Barack Obama in October 2011. Also, Yoon will be the second state guest invited by Biden since his inauguration in January 2021.
Although the purpose of the visit is to enhance the bilateral alliance to deter North Korea's escalating threats, the leaders are also anticipated to discuss tricky issues, such as chip subsidies and regional cooperation to keep China in check.
Seoul is expected to highlight possible uncertainties that its businesses may face in the wake of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and chip subsidies program. On the other hand, Washington is anticipated to use the visit as an opportunity to strengthen its pitch for South Korean companies to stand on the same side in its rivalry against China and show the world the benefits of being America's ally.
South Korea's Director of National Security Kim Sung-han speaks during a press conference in Washington D.C., Wednesday. Yonhap
Speaking to reporters, Wednesday, Kim said the two countries decided to explore detailed ways to upgrade the alliance's deterrence capabilities against North Korea's nuclear ambitions on the occasion of Yoon's state visit.
"During the state visit, the allies will focus on their basic duty of protecting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula in the face of North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats," Kim said.
The U.S. government also expects Yoon's visit to open a new chapter in the bilateral alliance and take the partnership to the next level.
At a daily press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "Under President Biden, we have taken the U.S.-ROK partnership to unprecedented heights in a way that benefits our economies and our people and strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region."
She added, "The state visit will only strengthen and deepen U.S.-ROK ties and we are looking forward to celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance here at the White House."
During the summit, Yoon and Biden are expected to concentrate their discussions on specific mechanisms to improve deterrence against North Korea's nuclear provocations. A senior South Korean government official said Seoul seeks to increase its participation in the process of Washington's nuclear planning and exercise.
For example, the official said the Deterrence Strategy Committee Table-Top Exercise, which was conducted in Washington last month, will be transformed "into one close to an actual exercise" and recent developments in the joint defense posture between the two countries are "not the end of enhancing the U.S. extended deterrence for South Korea."
Also, the summit, which will be the third for the two leaders, is anticipated to involve talks on South Korea joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which is a strategic security forum comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.
"Although South Korea has yet to join the Quad, the Yoon administration is stressing the importance of dialogue in its Indo-Pacific strategy," the official said. "Yoon has expressed his intention to have South Korea actively participate in the working groups of the Quad and then explore chances to join the Quad. In line with this, I believe South Korea should accelerate its efforts to join Quad working groups."
While stronger strategic cooperation is the main purpose of Yoon's visit to the U.S., the two leaders are expected to sit down to discuss different goals in terms of economic security.
South Korea's presidential aides are picking the IRA and the upcoming CHIPS for America Funding Opportunity program as the top agendas that Yoon is likely to focus on to promote Seoul's interests.
The IRA provides tax credits to buyers of new electric vehicles assembled in North America, which is a problem for South Korean carmakers. The subsidies program is about providing incentives to chipmakers, but also binds them to restrict new investments in China.
"Chances are high that the chip subsidies program will be included in the agendas, given its impact on South Korean chipmakers," another government official said. "Although it remains to be seen, the talks will likely focus on the requirement banning new investments in China."
The guardrail requirement is anticipated to weigh heavily on South Korean companies, such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, because their Chinese manufacturing bases account for significant portions of their total production.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a silicon wafer as he participates virtually in the CEO Summit on Semiconductor and Supply Chain Resilience in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, April 12, 2021. AP-Yonhap
While Yoon is anticipated to focus on clearing uncertainties for South Korean businesses, Biden may use the summit as an opportunity to seek a stronger South Korean role in strengthened U.S. pressure against China in terms of advanced technology and show the world about the benefits of being on America's side.
"Biden may double down on his call for South Korean companies' investments in the U.S. or ask them to join efforts to contain China's chip prowess during the summit," said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University.
In addition, Park said the state visit itself has its own purpose for Washington.
"South Korea is one of the most successful U.S. allies, as it rose from the ashes of war during the past 70 years of alliance. This shows the world that being America's ally provides opportunities for success and prosperity," the professor said.
Park added that this also works to contain China, as the contrasting situation between South and North Korea could show the consequences of the North being part of a China-led bloc.
"During the state visit, there could be many events implying this idea," he said.
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
5. S. Korea rejects N. Korea's claim of artillery firing near inter-Korean border
S. Korea rejects N. Korea's claim of artillery firing near inter-Korean border
The Korea Times · March 7, 2023
A self-propelled artillery K-55A1 of the 17th Army Division is firing shells at the Mugun-ri Training Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on March 3. Yonhap
The South Korean military on Tuesday denied as "groundless" North Korea's claims that it fired more than 30 artillery shells at a shooting range near the inter-Korean border.
A spokesperson for the General Staff of the North's Korean People's Army (KPA) claimed the firing took place at the range in Paju, northwest of Seoul, earlier in the day, calling it a "very grave military provocation."
"There was no artillery firing by our military in the region where the North claims (the firing occurred)," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
"The announcement by the North Korean military's General Staff is not true and a groundless claim."
The KPA General Staff's spokesperson said that after the alleged firing, it ordered artillery units under the Second Army Corps to "get on the firepower alert posture for attack," and took a "step to intensify the overall front guard and the anti-aircraft combat duty." (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · March 7, 2023
6. Exclusive: Seoul approved Poland's export of howitzers with S.Korean parts to Ukraine, official says
The indirect approach as part of the Arsenal of Democracy.
Exclusive: Seoul approved Poland's export of howitzers with S.Korean parts to Ukraine, official says
Reuters · by Josh Smith
SEOUL, March 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's government approved export licenses for Poland last year to provide Ukraine with Krab howitzers, which are built with South Korean components, a defence acquisition official in Seoul told Reuters on Wednesday.
The comments are the first confirmation that South Korea officially acquiesced to at least indirectly providing weapons components to Ukraine for its war against Russia.
Seoul officials have previously declined to comment on the Krabs, fuelling speculation over whether South Korea had formally agreed or was simply looking the other way.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA) technology control bureau reviewed and approved the transfer of the howitzer's South Korean-made chassis, said Kim Hyoung-cheol, director of the Europe-Asia division of the International Cooperation Bureau.
"We reviewed all the documentation and possible issues inside DAPA... then we made decision to give out export license to Poland," he told Reuters in an interview at DAPA headquarters on the outskirts of Seoul.
He later stressed that the government's stance is to not transfer weapons systems to Ukraine.
South Korea's defense ministry noted that the Krab is made up of components from several countries, and that the transfer did not involve a complete South Korean weapons system.
Produced by Poland's Huta Stalowa Wola, the Krab is a self-propelled howitzer made by combining a South Korean K9 Thunder chassis, British BAE Systems turret, French Nexter Systems 155mm gun, and a Polish fire control system.
Following Russia's invasion in February last year, Poland sent 18 Krabs to Ukraine in May, and the two countries have signed orders for dozens more.
Russia calls the war a "special military operation", and President Vladimir Putin last year accused Seoul of providing Ukraine with weapons, saying such a decision would destroy their bilateral relations.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said at the time that South Korea, a U.S. ally, had not provided any weapons. His administration says it has no plans to change that policy.
Yoon has said South Korean law makes it difficult to directly sell weapons to countries in active conflict. Seoul has also been reluctant to anger Russia despite growing pressure from the United States and NATO countries to provide weapons and ammunition.
"We obviously think South Korea should be doing more, and we have been communicating that to the Yoon administration regularly," a Western diplomatic source in Seoul told Reuters.
During a visit to Seoul in January, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict following Russia's invasion.
The head of DAPA has the right to decide what to export, but in practice it's up to the president's will as well, said Yang Uk, research fellow and defence expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"A government has to consider all positions including the foreign ministry's position, diplomacy, as well as economic considerations," he said. "If Korea supports Ukraine, Russia may retaliate by selling up-to-date aircraft to North Korea or transfer technology that North Korea really needs."
South Korea has benefited from Europe's rush to rearm, signing a massive $5.8 billion arms deal with Poland last year for hundred of Chunmoo rocket launchers, K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and FA-50 fighter aircraft.
Kim said Poland would need further South Korean permission to provide any of those new weapons to Ukraine. DAPA officials previously stressed that those sales are for boosting Poland's defences, rather than helping Ukraine.
South Korea's sensitivity over the issue has been highlighted by a deal to sell 155mm artillery shells to the United States. Officials in Washington have said they want to send the ammunition to Ukraine, but South Korea insists that the United States must be the end user.
A spokesman for South Korea's ministry of defence said negotiations for that deal are ongoing.
Reporting by Josh Smith and Joyce Lee; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Josh Smith
7. Minister requests Britain's role in persuading N. Korea to give up nukes, missiles
Minister requests Britain's role in persuading N. Korea to give up nukes, missiles
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
This photo, provided by the Ministry of Unification shows Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, right, meeting with British Ambassador to North Korea David Ellis, left, at his office in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap
South Korea's unification minister on Wednesday asked for Britain's role in persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, and return to talks, citing London's diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, his office said.
Kwon Young-se delivered the message as he met with British Ambassador to North Korea David Ellis and its top envoy to South Korea Colin Crooks for discussions on inter-Korean affairs and security issues on the Korean Peninsula, according to the unification ministry.
Kwon asked the British government to play a role in persuading the North to give up the development of nuclear weapons and missile programs, and return to the dialogue table, it said.
Britain established its diplomatic relations with the North in 2000 and opened its embassy in Pyongyang the following year. Currently, the British Embassy in the North is closed due to COVID-19-related restrictions put in place by the North.
The two envoys voiced hope for the early resumption of operations in the British embassy, and vowed cooperation with the international community to resolve the North's nuclear and missile problems, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
8. S. Korea to accelerate Quad working group participation: official
(LEAD) S. Korea to accelerate Quad working group participation: official | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · March 8, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with China's response in last 2 paras; CHANGES dateline)
WASHINGTON/BEIJING, March 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to "proactively accelerate" its participation in the Quad working group, while it has not yet formally joined the U.S.-led team also involving Australia, India and Japan, a senior Seoul official said.
"Although we have not yet joined the Quad, the Yoon Suk Yeol government has been emphasizing its importance in terms of its Indo-Pacific strategy," the official told reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity during a visit to Washington, D.C.
Quad stands for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a summit-level group regarded by China as aimed at countering its influence in the region.
South Korea will take a "gradual approach" to seek formal participation in the Quad, carrying out "functional cooperation" by taking part in working group on vaccines, climate change and new technologies in earnest, according to the official, who cited Yoon's presidential campaign pledge to do so.
"To that effect, I think (South Korea) will have to proactively accelerate working group participation," the official added.
In response, the Chinese government reiterated its call for other nations to stay away from activities of an "exclusive small group."
"It's Beijing's constant position that country-to-country cooperation should conform to the trend of the times of peace and development and relevant countries should not create any exclusive small group," the foreign ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · March 8, 2023
9. South Korea: Kim's daughter enjoys horseback riding, skiing
A child of the people doing what all children in north Korea do.
South Korea: Kim's daughter enjoys horseback riding, skiing
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · March 7, 2023
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The recently unveiled daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being home-schooled and spends her leisure time horseback riding, skiing and swimming, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Tuesday.
Kim has brought the daughter to a series of public events since November, including a missile launch site, sparking intense outside debate over whether the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and about 10 years old, is being primed as his successor.
The South Korean government has assessed that Kim, 39, hasn’t anointed her as his heir. But it says he likely aims to use his daughter’s appearances as a way to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer.
In a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting Tuesday, the National Intelligence Service maintained that assessment, saying Kim Jong Un is still too young and healthy to appoint his successor, according to Yoo Sang-bum, one of the lawmakers who attended the session.
ADVERTISEMENT
The NIS said the daughter’s unveiling largely appeared intended to underscore the imperativeness of another hereditary power succession, Yoo told reporters.
Kim's sister warns N. Korea ready to act against US, South Korea
Residents of Japan seek compensation from N Korea for abuses
US, South Korea announce largest field exercises in 5 years
N. Korea wants more control over farming amid food shortage
The NIS told lawmakers that Kim Ju Ae has never been enrolled at an official education facility and is taking homeschooling in Pyongyang, Yoo said. He quoted the NIS as saying her hobbies are horseback riding, skiing and swimming.
The NIS said it has an information that Kim Ju Ae is “very good at horseback riding” and that Kim Jong Un is satisfied with that, the lawmaker said.
Last month, Kim Jong Un and his daughter took center stage at a Pyongyang military parade, which featured a ceremonial cavalry unit trotting through the parade plaza riding white horses — a symbol associated with the Kim family’s dynastic rule. The North’s state TV described one of the animals as “most beloved” by Kim Ju Ae.
The NIS also said that Kim Ju Ae has an elder brother and a younger sibling whose gender is still unknown. It said reports that Kim’s first child, a son, has mental or physical problems haven’t been verified, according to the lawmaker.
Some experts say it’s almost certain that Kim Ju Ae is her father’s successor because state media have called her Kim Jong Un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and published images showing her closeness with her father. But others disagree, citing Kim’s relative young age and the extremely male-dominated nature of North Korea’s power hierarchy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Since its foundation in 1948, North Korea has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family: Kim’s father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung.
The name of Ju Ae matched what retired NBA star Dennis Rodman called Kim’s baby daughter, whom he said he saw and held during his trip to Pyongyang in 2013.
The NIS has a spotty record in confirming developments in the secretive North. It often releases its finding on North Korea through a parliamentary committee meeting.
Meeting with reporters alongside Yoo, lawmaker Youn Kun-young quoted the NIS as saying that it’s difficult to estimate the exact number of people in North Korea who have recently died of a worsening food shortage. He said the NIS told lawmakers that starvation-related deaths in North Korea aren’t serious enough to threaten the North’s system.
ADVERTISEMENT
Experts say the North’s food situation is the worst it has been under Kim’s 11-year rule, but maintain they see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths.
The NIS assessed the North’s food problem is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, its agricultural policy and an issue of grain distribution.
___
Find more AP coverage of North Korea at https://apnews.com/hub/north-korea
AP · by HYUNG-JIN KIM · March 7, 2023
10. Yoon's summit with Biden to highlight S. Korea's 'pivotal' role in region: US experts
The administration took Bruce Klingner' s advice when he called upon it to roll out the red carpet for President Yoon.
I hope President Yoon is able to brief President Biden on his Ministry of Unificaiton's new strategy: "Onward toward Unification," and that they have a joint statement that emphasizes a human rights upfront approach, influence, and the pursuit of a free and unified Korea.
Yoon's summit with Biden to highlight S. Korea's 'pivotal' role in region: US experts
The Korea Times · by 2023-03-08 08:58 | Foreign Affairs · March 8, 2023
President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden toast each other during the official banquet following their summit at the National Museum of Korea, May 21, 2022. Yonhap
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming trip to the United States will underscore the vital role South Korea can and seeks to play in dealing with various challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. experts said Tuesday.
The trip will also likely lead to concrete steps or "deliverables" that can help mitigate North Korea's evolving nuclear and ballistic missile threats, they noted.
Victor Cha, vice president and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the upcoming summit "will mark Korea's return to a prominent role in Asia and beyond."
"Korea went through a period when it was disconnected from Japan, hedging with China, and solely focused on North Korea. Yoon has changed this in a very short period, bringing Korea back into the fold. And just in time," he told Yonhap in a written interview.
Seoul announced plans earlier this week to set up a new private fund that will help compensate Korean victims of Japan's forced labor during its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea in an attempt to put the thorny historical issue behind.
Tokyo welcomed the plan with its own set of measures to mend ties with Seoul that included the removal of export restrictions against South Korea that have been in place since 2019.
Cha said the decision by Seoul was "huge," as South Korea pushes to become a "global pivotal state" and also rein in advancements in North Korea's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction development programs.
"The alternative would have been to let the relationship fester, liquidate the Japanese assets and further plunge Japan-South Korea relations and trilateral relations (with the U.S.) into the deep abyss," said Cha. "North Korea, China and Russia would have loved that."
Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, agreed Seoul's decision places the U.S. and its allies in a better position to tackle challenges posed by countries such as North Korea and China.
"Yoon has clearly aligned South Korea with the United States and other like-minded democracies in opposing China's coercive tactics to intimidate Asian nations. Strong alliances are in the strategic interests of the United States, augmenting the nation's military, intelligence, and diplomatic capabilities," said Klingner.
"The U.S. should use Yoon's visit to underscore the strength of the bilateral relationship that's based on shared values, principles, and objectives. Doing so would both reassure America's allies and deter its adversaries," he added.
Patrick Cronin, chair for Asia-Pacific Security at the Hudson Institute, said Yoon's visit to the U.S. will send a clear message that "South Korea will be increasingly pivotal to economic development and security" in the Indo-Pacific region.
"The main message is that on the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance, we are humbled by past sacrifices and achievements but bold about blazing a future that brings possibilities, prosperity and security," said Cronin, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
He added the Yoon-Biden summit will also send a message to North Korea that "aggression will be thwarted, but sincere diplomacy will be reciprocated."
North Korea has conducted at least nine intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in less than a year, with its latest ICBM test taking place last month. Pyongyang also fired an unprecedented 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, marking a new record of ballistic missiles launched in a single year.
Amid the escalating tension with the North, Seoul and Washington have been working to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence, which refers to U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea using all its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, when necessary.
Cronin insisted the Yoon-Biden summit will help reassure South Koreans of U.S. commitment by showing that the "allies are crafting a tailored plan for how to execute extended deterrence in a crisis."
Cha, the CSIS expert, anticipated more concrete outcomes, saying, "I expect deliverables on extended deterrence and economic security, the two most important issues."
Harry Kazianis, president of Rogue States Project, noted Yoon's trips here may help bring the U.S.' attention back to North Korea.
"President Yoon is coming to Washington with one mission in mind: To get Team Biden to actually care about the Korean Peninsula and the North Koran nuclear threat on some meaningful level," he argued.
"Washington these days is completely focused on matters at home, the war in Ukraine and the China threat," he added. "Sadly, North Korea gets very little attention and there is little interest in trying to get Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons." (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · by 2023-03-08 08:58 | Foreign Affairs · March 8, 2023
11. South Korea to launch military drone unit in July
Adapt. learn, and anticipate.
South Korea to launch military drone unit in July
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
A soldier controls a reconnaissance drone during joint drills with the U.S. military in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this Jan. 13 file photo. South Korea's military plans to launch a comprehensive drone operations unit in July as part of efforts to bolster counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities following North Korea's drone incursions three months ago. Newsis
Army seeks operational knowhow from Turkey, other partner countries
By Jung Min-ho
South Korea's military plans to launch a comprehensive drone operations unit in July as part of its efforts to bolster its counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities following North Korea's drone incursions late last year.
According to officials Wednesday, the military is accelerating its efforts to map out its plans, such as the size of the unit, command structure and its location.
This comes as a direct order of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who in January called for a multi-mission unit capable not just of effectively fending off UAV threats from North Korea but also of conducting reconnaissance and psychological warfare roles.
Gen. Lee Bo-hyung of the Army Aviation Command is in charge of the project. How to share roles and interoperate with the Air Force against UAV threats in various forms has emerged as one of the major tasks, as the military plans to continue to strengthen its drone capabilities.
Pocheon, a city in the far northeastern area of Gyeonggi Province, is among the candidates for the unit's location. It is just south of Cheorwon and Hwacheon, two counties bordering North Korea, and has the military facilities once used by the now-disbanded Republic of Korea Army VI Corps. This means that the swift development of a UAV unit is possible, given that most of the facilities including underground bunkers can still be used after some repairs and improvement work.
To maximize the unit's potential, officials said South Korea's military has been learning from its partner countries that operate such units. Some military officers recently visited Turkey's UAV operation unit to receive advice, according to officials.
"We are developing the operational concept and strategies by analyzing operation cases of various countries," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
A Ukrainian soldier flies a drone during fighting at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine, March 3. AP-Yonhap
Russia's war in Ukraine has demonstrated how lethal drones can be, with both sides utilizing them early on in the conflict.
The Bayraktar TB2s, Turkey-made armed UAVs, have been among Ukraine's key weapons in its defense against Russian troops. Ukraine has used them for highly risky operations to not only take out Russian tanks and other military equipment but also to check the situation inside Russian territory. Many experts say UAVs have changed the course of the war and the nature of modern warfare, a message President Yoon apparently took seriously.
North Korea's drone infiltrations in December exposed the South Korean military's lack of readiness against such small craft, which could potentially carry lethal weapons. Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, a U.S. policy think tank, told The Korea Times after the provocation that North Korea's drone threats should not be underestimated.
The military has since revealed a series of drone-defense plans, saying it will conduct regular drills, procure drone-jamming guns and build a real-time target intelligence-sharing system.
Yet how to secure the required technology and a sufficient number of UAVs for the new unit remains a challenge for the military as it relies on foreign companies for advanced ones. Its domestically-developed drone model, the RQ-101, has been used since 2002. The country's next-generation UAV is still under development. The president told the military to improve systems for the mass production of small UAVs and develop a new stealth model by the end of this year.
The Korea Times · March 8, 2023
12. North Korea says women should have many children, support parents-in-law
And where will the food come from to feed them all?
North Korea says women should have many children, support parents-in-law
koreaherald.com · by Korea Herald · March 8, 2023
Published : Mar 8, 2023 - 14:00 Updated : Mar 8, 2023 - 14:05
A North Korean woman looks at cosmetic products at a factory in this photo released on Wednesday. (Screencaptured from Korea Central TV)
North Korean women should fulfill their roles as wives, daughters-in-law and mothers to support their husbands and children in pushing forward the country's prosperity and development, its state-controlled media said in an editorial marking International Women’s Day on Wednesday.
Stressing women’s traditional roles according to Confucianism, the editorial piece published by Rodong Sinmun also said that the women should have many children and raise them to contribute to the country’s wealth and power.
The editorial urged North Korean women to be “flowers of loyalty" devoted solely to leader Kim Jong-un, as well as revolutionary warriors defending his authority.
The secretive regime has celebrated International Women's Day, designated by the United Nations, as an annual national holiday, which some observers believe is an attempt to assert its commitment to women's rights.
However, the international community has expressed serious concerns about the treatment of women and girls in North Korea, who have reportedly suffered from pervasive gender discrimination, sexual violence and the threat of human trafficking for many years.
By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
13. North Korea Not Happy With B-52s Flying Over South Korea
North Korea Not Happy With B-52s Flying Over South Korea
19fortyfive.com · by Peter Suciu · March 7, 2023
North Korea warned on Tuesday morning that it would take “quick, overwhelming action” following the deployment of a U.S. Air Force nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress to the Korean Peninsula as part of joint exercises with South Korean warplanes.
The bomber, which is capable of flying at high altitudes and subsonic speeds, has been the workhorse of the U.S. military and a key component of the nuclear triad since it first entered service more than 60 years ago.
More modern aircraft were introduced in later decades, including the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit. But the B-52 has been steadily upgraded and improved, and it remains the backbone of the U.S. bomber force.
“In the latest U.S.-ROK combined air training event, ROK Air Force F-15’s and F-16’s escorted the U.S. B-52 strategic bomber as it entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone and conducted combined flight operations,” United States Forces Korea (USFK) announced.
“The training offered the alliance an opportunity to improve interoperability between the ROK and U.S by demonstrating a combined defense capability and providing extended deterrence in the defense of the Korean Peninsula,” USFK added.
“The U.S. remains committed to peace and prosperity through the region to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea remains ironclad.”
Show Of Force
Monday’s air drills were also meant to serve as a deterrent to North Korean aggression, The Hill reported. Pyongyang test-fired an unprecedented number of ballistic missiles last year while planning to grow its nuclear arsenal. Washington and Seoul have already announced plans to hold the largest joint military drills seen in the region in five years.
Those exercises are slated to begin on March 13 and run for an 11-day period. U.S. and South Korean forces will conduct air, land, sea, space, cyber, and special operations drills. The last scheduled springtime exercises in the region were canceled by then-President Donald Trump in 2018.
The move is expected to infuriate North Korea, which views such exercises as provocations and a threat to its national security.
In the past, Pyongyang has reacted by test-firing ballistic and cruise missiles.
Strong Reaction to Strong Deterrence
Pyongyang has already condemned Monday’s joint patrol involving the B-52 bomber.
“We keep our eye on the restless military moves by the U.S. forces and the South Korean puppet military and are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment,” Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by state media.
She further added, “The demonstrative military moves and all sorts of rhetoric by the U.S. and South Korea, which go so extremely frantic as not to be overlooked, undoubtedly provide (North Korea) with conditions for being forced to do something to cope with them.”
In a separate statement released to the media on Tuesday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called the deployment of the U.S. B-52 bomber to the region a reckless provocation that pushes the situation on the peninsula “deeper into the bottomless quagmire.”
However, South Korea’s Ministry of Defense has also taken a hard line, stating that it and the United States will step up such drills as a way to achieve “peace through strength.”
The U.S. Air Force already deployed B-1B Lancer bombers earlier this year as a demonstration of Washington’s commitment to its regional ally.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
19fortyfive.com · by Peter Suciu · March 7, 2023
14. Kim Yo Jong Joins the North’s Chorus Threatening Response to South Korea-US Military Drills
I think Kim yo Jong is the leader of the bad cop chorus.
So because of the potential for provocations (missile and nuclear tests) do we think we should halt the exercises? Would that stop KJU from conducting provocations? If so, for how long? If so, so what? What does not conducting provocations right now bring us? A few weeks or months without a provocation? In reality if we halt exercises in the face of this rhetoric KJU will judge his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies as effective and successful. Which will mean more of the same and he will then push the envelope and try to up his game.
The South Korean military confirmed the schedule of its regular springtime joint military exercise with the United States, which will take place from March 13 to 23. Considering Pyongyang’s warnings in the past few days, North Korea may take actions such as launching long-range ballistic missiles as a corresponding measure.
Some have cautioned North Korea could even conduct its seventh nuclear test, but that is unlikely. A nuclear test is a red line for Beijing, and Pyongyang needs economic aid from China to deal with its thorny economic situation.
We need to remember this: The way to counter provocations is to ensure that Kim does not achieve the effects he desires by conducting the provocation. Provocations are an opportunity for us to expose and attack the Kim family regime 's strategy.
Kim Yo Jong Joins the North’s Chorus Threatening Response to South Korea-US Military Drills
Joining a series of North Korean statements over upcoming South Korea-U.S. military drills, the supreme leader’s sister warned of taking a military response.
thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin · March 7, 2023
Advertisement
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Pyongyang’s main voice on inter-Korean relations, belittled the chief of the United States’ Indo-Pacific Command, who was reported to have said that the North’s intercontinental ballistic missiles would be immediately shot down if fired into the Pacific.
“The Pacific Ocean does not belong to the dominium of the U.S. or Japan,” Kim said in her statement published by Korean Central News Agency, one of the main state-controlled media outlets in the North, on Tuesday.
According to the South’s domestic media, Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, made the remarks during an official meeting with the South Korean counsel general at the Korean consulate in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 24. The comment came after Kim Yo Jong threatened to use the Pacific as the North’s shooting range.
“It is very interesting to see how the U.S., whose forces frequently conduct the test-launches of strategic weapons in the Pacific every year as if the ocean were its yard, will respond if a third country attempts to intercept them under the reason for counteraction,” Kim said.
North Korea has repeatedly published statements criticizing the U.S. and South Korean militaries’ activities in the past few days. On Sunday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry official laid out how the combined military exercises between South Korea and the United States escalate tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Another official legitimized the North’s nuclear development, saying its nuclear deterrent “serves as a powerful physical guarantee” amid the increasing danger of armed conflict in the region.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
North Korea has repeatedly warned that it will make a military response as an act of self-defense against the reinvigorated South Korea-U.S. military drills. South Korea-U.S. large-scale field exercises are set to resume next week for the first time in five years; Pyongyang has urged Washington and Seoul to immediately halt the drills.
At the same time, the United States and its allies have been demanding that North Korea halt its illicit nuclear and missile programs. However, as China and Russia, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have vetoed the U.S.-led moves to punish North Korea for its missile launches, the international community’s efforts to contain the North’s missile development have been impeded.
Since the breakdown of the Hanoi summit in 2019, North Korea has readopted its old-school, “strength to strength” policy toward the United States and South Korea. Although Seoul and Washington have kept the door for dialogue open, Pyongyang has ignored their calls and openly highlights its efforts to develop more powerful and advanced nuclear weapons.
Advertisement
In order to respond to Pyongyang’s continuous nuclear and missile development, Seoul and Washington scaled up their combined military drills by deploying U.S. strategic assets. Also, the South Korean government has emphasized the necessity of concrete trilateral military cooperation with the United States and Japan in a bid to cope with the North’s missile threats effectively in the region.
“As already clarified, we keep our eye on the restless military moves by the U.S. forces and the South Korean puppet military and are always on standby to take appropriate, quick and overwhelming action at any time according to our judgment,” Kim said in her statement.
The South Korean military confirmed the schedule of its regular springtime joint military exercise with the United States, which will take place from March 13 to 23. Considering Pyongyang’s warnings in the past few days, North Korea may take actions such as launching long-range ballistic missiles as a corresponding measure.
Some have cautioned North Korea could even conduct its seventh nuclear test, but that is unlikely. A nuclear test is a red line for Beijing, and Pyongyang needs economic aid from China to deal with its thorny economic situation.
Mitch Shin
Mitch Shin is an assistant editor at The Diplomat and nonresident Korea Foundation fellow at Pacific Forum.
thediplomat.com · by Mitch Shin · March 7, 2023
15. Looming Korean nuclear crisis shows world’s need for deep thinking like George Yeo’s
A fantasy? China and the US working together to denuclearize the north?
Excerpts:
There is much chatter now in South Korea about the country’s need to fashion its own nuclear option. The idea is outrageous – the last thing the world needs is another nuclear power, with both halves of the Korean peninsula having the ability to wreak monstrous destruction.
This would make for a bleak future. As I follow Yeo’s passage across Asia, I see the disarmament of the Korean peninsula only beginning if China and the US can put aside their fighting and astonish the world – not to mention themselves – with a transcendent joint commitment to take the steam out of nuclear proliferation.
Who else can do the job? That is my view rather than Yeo’s, but I might not have come to it without the former foreign minister’s musings. Deep thinking is vital.
Looming Korean nuclear crisis shows world’s need for deep thinking like George Yeo’s
- North Korea’s nuclear development and South Korea’s interest in its own nuclear weapons programme bode ill for hopes of denuclearising the peninsula
- Bringing China and the US together to make the world safer requires sharp observations like those of Singapore’s former foreign minister
Tom Plate
Published: 3:30am, 8 Mar, 2023
https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212630/looming-korean-nuclear-crisis-shows-worlds-need-deep-thinking-george-yeos
Geopolitical commentary can be invaluable, but not all analyses return good payback for your time and attention. Commentary that is done quick on the draw can lack perspective and twist in the wind; even those drawn from deeper wells can take too long to surface. Then there is a brand that says it knows what it thinks without knowing much at all.
Rare is the public intellectual who is able to be quick, deep and sharp, but that is George Yeo, who was Singapore’s foreign minister from 2004 to 2011. Musings, his second volume of policy thoughts and personal recollections, now graces bookstores in Asia and across the world. Among his many banquet memories are geopolitical commentaries of high calibre.
Intellectually, Yeo hails from an exceptional generation of Singapore practitioner-thinkers. Under the mantle of successive prime ministers starting from Lee Kuan Yew, the country also raised to prominence Chan Heng Chee, Tommy Koh and Kishore Mahbubani, among others.
These diplomats are respected across a global range of geopolitics and ideologies. Western journalists with the desire to want to know what Asians think would learn more from this quartet than from the usual sources.
Yeo, educated at Cambridge and Harvard, stitches his wide-ranging musings into a rich tapestry of conversational observations about people, places and policies which gives lie to the stereotype of little Singapore as some state asylum of mental provincials. His writings reflect almost everything under the sun with which his Singapore was involved during his career, which, as it turns out, was just about everything out there worth reflection.
This included unpublicised forays to North Korea. Singaporean foreign policy is highly internationalist, the country having managed to get on well by riding economic globalisation as far out as possible on the yield curve of pragmatism.
Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo speaks at an event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on September 2, 2019. Photo: David Wong
Human rights are less its thing than free-trade agreements. Its aim is to get along with any nation that will help it get along. This includes having to execute tight manoeuvres with China, with whom it must carefully play cards, and with the United States, the only power equipped to stand up to China.
The calibration of China’s own game comes across especially well in Yeo’s musings about the Korean peninsula. He begins by stating China’s default view – “no war, no instability, no nuclear weapons”.
One implied question is: why aren’t China and the US working more as a team if their core goals overlap that much? China, a UN Security Council permanent member, has voted for some, though not all, UN sanctions on nuclear-equipped North Korea, openly supported talks between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in Singapore and Hanoi and played host in Beijing to the initially promising six-party talks.
Just a year ago, Yeo says, Seoul and Beijing worked together so President Xi Jinping would be among the first on the diplomatic phone to tender congratulations to the new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on his election victory.
Newly inaugurated South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol aims to denuclearise North Korean economy
There is no future for South Korea, not to mention North Korea, in taking the anti-China line any more than, for example, Canada becoming noxiously anti-American. Asian nations must live with China as a gigantic neighbour that cannot be trifled with.
When not foolishly engaging in “wolf warrior” diplomacy, China will value diplomacy with Singapore and others, which aims to stretch to both sides of the street without weakening a long-held emphasis on stability and not trading in old friends for new ones.
In terms of missile capabilities, Beijing is closer to Pyongyang than Washington. The US approach towards North Korea for many years has aimed at achieving denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula but has failed to deliver. Meanwhile, Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme has continued to develop and no one – not even a pair of supposed superpowers – can seem to stop it.
North Korea has established itself as one of the world’s few states capable of nuclear warfare. South Korea is much further along economically – its GDP rivals that of Russia’s – yet it lives under the US nuclear umbrella, and this has emerged as a big issue.
02:44
Raising the stakes: How North Korea became a nuclear state
Raising the stakes: How North Korea became a nuclear state
There is much chatter now in South Korea about the country’s need to fashion its own nuclear option. The idea is outrageous – the last thing the world needs is another nuclear power, with both halves of the Korean peninsula having the ability to wreak monstrous destruction.
This would make for a bleak future. As I follow Yeo’s passage across Asia, I see the disarmament of the Korean peninsula only beginning if China and the US can put aside their fighting and astonish the world – not to mention themselves – with a transcendent joint commitment to take the steam out of nuclear proliferation.
Who else can do the job? That is my view rather than Yeo’s, but I might not have come to it without the former foreign minister’s musings. Deep thinking is vital.
Tom Plate, Pacific Century Institute vice-president, is the distinguished scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University and the author, among a dozen other books, of Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew, in the Giants of Asia series
CONVERSATIONS (3)
Tom Plate
+ myNEWS
Tom Plate is a university professor and a veteran columnist focused on Asia and America. This Distinguished Scholar of Asian and Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University has orchestrated live interactive seminars with major universities across Asia, as part of the LMU’s path-finding Asia Media International Centre. He is also the author of 13 books, including the bestsellers “Confessions of an American Media Man” (2007), four volumes in the “Giants of Asia” series, and three In the 'Tom Plate on Asia' book series. He is vice-president of the Pacific Century Institute, in Los Angeles. Educated at Amherst College (Phi Beta Kappa) and Princeton University (Public Policy), he lives in southern California.
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
| 
