Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"Mistakes are a great educator when one is honest enough to admit them and willing to learn from them."

– Alexander Solzhenitsyn

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent."

– Sophia Loren

"The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity."

– John F. Kennedy

1. N. Korean state media provides clues to actual conditions inside the country

2.N. Korea disrupts S. Korea-US drills with 3-day GPS jamming

3. north Korea: ‘I want to be myself, not someone’s mom.’

4. In response to U.S. and China claims of ‘increasing tensions’, “‘Shield of Freedom’ is defensive training”

5. North Korea responds to South Korea-U.S. war games with ‘silly’ firepower display

6. Ministry to Create New Unification Initiative, Increase Support for Defectors

7. N. Korean teenage thieves skip school to rob elderly vendors

8. What the war in Ukraine means for Asia

9. Balancing deterrence and restraint (Korea)

10. H.Res.1056 - Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

11. NK border sealing with China worsens human rights situation: report

12. Society That Respects Women: DPRK

13. On International Women's Day, the U.S. State Department says, “We will defend the rights of North Korean women.”

14. Yes, China Could Invade North Korea

15. 'Get out Yankee': A South Korean village's fight against the US military

16. Interview: Joy Sakurai says we need more women in the boardroom to foster gender equality

1. N. Korean state media provides clues to actual conditions inside the country

This is an indication of the effectiveness of the Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD). Kim is faced with significant internal challenges and severe internal stress due to his policy failures and failed promises (e.g., the Korean people will have peace and prosperity after the regime develops nuclear weapons and the regime has taken away the Korean people's hope for a better future by ending the quest for peaceful unification). Therefore he must externalize the threat and make the Korean people in the north and the elite focus on the external threat to the north. The rhetoric of the PAD is designed to create fear in the South and the ROK/US alliance and cause overreaction that can then be used to prove that the alliance has a "hostile policy" (in fact it is the regime that has the hostile policy). It also is intended to drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance as the South and the US might have different interpretations of the indications and warnings and desire different responses. (So far the alliance remains pretty much in lockstep in response to the north).

We need to recognize the regime's strategy, understand it, EXPOSE it to inoculate the Korean people in the South as well as the US and international community against the PAD propaganda), and attack the regime's strategy with a superior political warfare strategy that includes a sophisticated information influence campaign.

N. Korean state media provides clues to actual conditions inside the country

Exaggerating certain words and phrases in North Korean statements not only fuels the fears of the South Korean public but also does nothing to dispel the "Korea risk"

By Kang Dong Wan, Dong-A University - March 8, 2024

dailynk.com

N. Korean state media provides clues to actual conditions inside the country - Daily NK English

Soldiers working on the construction of homes in Hwasong District in May 2022. (Rodong Sinmun - News1)

Where are North Korean soldiers currently stationed, and what are their missions?

The answers to these questions can be gleaned, at least in part, from recent materials released by the North Korean government.

First, there is the statement by the spokesman for the North Korean Ministry of Defense that was published in the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday. In this statement, the spokesman warned South Korea and the U.S. to cancel their annual Freedom Shield joint military exercises, which the North says are raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

After the statement was released, most South Korean news outlets ran headlines about North Korea’s opposition to the joint South Korea-U.S. exercise, quoting the last line of the statement about the U.S. and South Korea being “made to pay a dear price.”

Taken in isolation, the phrase about paying a “dear price” would suggest that North Korea is about to start a war.

But I would like to draw attention to another part of the statement which mentions “the reality that the DPRK [that is, North Korea] is mobilizing large-scale military forces for economic construction to promote the people’s well-being.”

In short, the spokesman for the North Korean Ministry of Defense admitted in a public statement that the Korean People’s Army (KPA) is currently engaged in large-scale construction projects. This raises another question – why is the KPA being deployed to construction sites?

Empty threats?

It is in accordance with the orders of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim unveiled the details of the “20×10 regional development policy” at the 19th Extended Meeting of the 8th Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, emphasizing an “industrial revolution in the provinces.”

North Korea has been holding rallies at all levels of its organizations to motivate the public to achieve the goals of the policy. Significantly, propaganda posters designed by the North Korean authorities emphasize that “the KPA should become the standard-bearer and the main force in the struggle for provincial development.” In short, we can conclude that the KPA has been mobilized on a large scale to carry out this policy.

At the same time, Kim Jong Un has been creating a sense of crisis on the Korean Peninsula by threatening to start a war this year. But the soldiers who would be needed to fight such a war are currently assigned to building factories in the provinces.

The deployment of large sections of the KPA to factory construction sites was again confirmed at the groundbreaking ceremony for a factory in Songchon County on Feb. 28. The ceremony was personally supervised by Kim Jong Un, who arrived in his personal train. But the most notable aspect of the ceremony was a commemorative photo of Kim and soldiers of the newly organized 124th Regiment of the KPA.

Kim even distributed the regimental colors to encourage the soldiers to work on the construction project. Photographs and text about the groundbreaking took up three of the six pages of the Rodong Sinmun, underscoring Kim’s laser-like focus on regional development policies.

Under Kim’s orders, the KPA is involved in large-scale construction projects. In his quest to stay in power, Kim threatens the world with nuclear weapons while mobilizing the KPA for civic engineering projects in an attempt to appease the North Korean public.

Combined with Kim’s earlier orders for North Korea to regard the South as its “No. 1 enemy country,” the phrase “pay a dear price” further heightens fears of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Sensationalism doesn’t get us anywhere

However, exaggerating certain words and phrases in North Korean statements not only fuels the fears of the South Korean public but also does nothing to dispel the “Korea risk.”

It is no exaggeration to say that the statement of the North Korean spokesman clearly shows the anxiety of the authorities themselves.

It is undoubtedly the duty of the South Korean military to prepare for North Korean provocations on the basis of a formidable spirit and sound national security.

When some South Korean news agencies spread wrong ideas and fear of war, they only serve to divide the nation. We need to make a clear-eyed analysis of the situation inside North Korea and prepare accordingly.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

Kang Dong Wan, Dong-A University

Kang is a professor at Dong-A University and the former head of the university’s Busan Hana Center.

N. Korea disrupts S. Korea-US drills with 3-day GPS jamming

donga.com

Posted March. 09, 2024 07:45,

Updated March. 09, 2024 07:45

N. Korea disrupts S. Korea-US drills with 3-day GPS jamming. March. 09, 2024 07:45. by Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com.

Just a day after the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise 'Freedom Shield (FS)' began, multiple instances of Global Positioning System (GPS) signal disruption were detected emanating from north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. Military officials are under the impression that North Korea aims to hinder the South Korea-U.S. joint exercise through GPS jamming, anticipating that these efforts will persist until the exercise wraps up on March 14.

On Friday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported detecting multiple instances of North Korea directing GPS jamming signals toward the five islands in the West Sea from noon on Tuesday to Thursday. Following Tuesday's initial detection of the jamming signals, the government raised the GPS-related alert status from 'normal' to 'watch.' Subsequently, when some fishing vessels and aircraft began experiencing GPS reception problems, the alert level was escalated to 'caution' on Wednesday afternoon.

The government's monitoring revealed three incidents of interference and confusion on Tuesday, 15 on Wednesday, and seven on Thursday. The authorities have clarified that, thus far, the disruptions have been minor and have not impacted maritime operations. However, military officials have issued a warning, stating, “North Korea's GPS jamming activities could significantly threaten the operations of military ships, aircraft, and civilian vessels,” emphasizing that a “fitting response would be ensured if any damage occurred.”

The drills involved 33 aircraft, including the F-4E Phantom fighter jet slated for retirement in June, as well as the F-15K, KF-16, F-16, FA-50, F-5, and F-35A. This marked the first time every fighter jet model in South Korea’s Air Force was involved. "Our Air Force must evolve into a force capable of overwhelmingly countering any enemy provocation, thereby earning the trust of our people and instilling fear in our foes," Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Young-soo said during his visit to the site.

한국어

donga.com

3. north Korea: ‘I want to be myself, not someone’s mom.’

I wonder if their attitudes would change in a free and unified Korea. Could unification be a way out of the declining birth rates for both the north and South

‘I want to be myself, not someone’s mom.’

Young North Korean women see marriage and kids as hardship and misery and want to focus on their own happiness.

By Seo Hye Jun and Choen Soram for RFA Korean

2024.03.08

rfa.org

Kang Ju-young, a North Korean escapee in her 20s who now lives in Seoul, said her desire to get married faded as she watched her mother toil long hours in the marketplace – on top of doing all the household chores and childcare.

It was not a lifestyle she wanted for herself.

“Men are supposed to be the breadwinners… but in reality, women end up carrying a heavy burden,” said Kang, who fled in 2017 and used a pseudonym for personal safety reasons.

“They have to go out to work, take care of the children, and make money,” she said. “Seeing others struggle with these responsibilities can make you feel pressured, contributing to our reluctance to get married.”

Many North Korean women feel similarly, and are avoiding marriage and having children, escapees and experts who work with them say.

That’s contributing to the reclusive country’s declining birth rate, much to the chagrin of supreme leader Kim Jong Un. It has fallen to 1.79 last year from 1.88 in 2014, according to estimates from South Korea’s National Statistical Office. This is considered low for a developing country, and is roughly the same rate as developed economies like France, Iceland and Mexico.

At a conference for mothers in December – the first such gathering in 11 years – Kim exhorted women to bear children and “carry forward our revolution.”

But for many young North Korean women, there is little appeal.

‘Jangmadang generation’

Dramatic economic changes in North Korea have been a major factor.

Kang and other women of her age are called the “jangmadang generation” because they came of age during the emergence of jangmadang, or marketplaces, that popped up across the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early ‘90s and the end of aid from Moscow.

These markets were born out of necessity and are run almost entirely by women.

North Korean men were – and still are – required to go to their government-assigned jobs, but their state-set wages are hardly worth anything.

So it has fallen to their wives to support the family. For many, that means selling things in the market, on top of doing the housework and raising the children. Now these informal marketplaces are a mainstay of the modern North Korean economy.

A woman and her daughter walk along Changjon Street Sept. 9th, 2022. (Jon Chol Jin/AP)

As a result, however, women of the jangmadang generation generally see marriage and children not so much as treasures and joys, but more as hardship and sacrifice, said Oh Eunkyung, a psychologist at the Seoul-based Korean Counseling Psychological Association who counsels escapees.

“They saw marriage and childbirth [in North Korea] as factors that stifle and make their lives difficult,” she said. They instead yearn for easier lives with more freedom where they pursue their own happiness.

Oh says she sees stark differences between generations of North Koreans who grew up before or after the emergence of these markets.

“Children born into the jangmadang generation were still hungry even as their mothers toiled away in the marketplace,” she said. “They continue to hear their mothers complain about hard work.”

Exposure to capitalism, drama

Younger women have also been exposed to new ideas – partly thanks to these markets. Simply running a family business and competing with other stalls has introduced them to capitalism, Oh said.

They also know more about South Korea and the outside world, thanks to the flood of movies and songs that are smuggled into the country and watched in secret. Getting caught watching them can get North Koreans in serious trouble.

“They learned that what they saw in TV shows actually occurs by hearing from their family members or relatives who escaped,” said Oh. “Their perception changes as they see others who live differently in South Korea.”

A group of women sell fruit beside a road on the outskirts of Sinchon, south of Pyongyang, July 24, 2017. (Ed Jones/AFP)

Interviews with three North Korean women by Osaka-based media outlet Asia Press, which focuses on North Korea coverage, regarding their thoughts on marriage and children reflected many of the same sentiments.

They said that the hardships of living were the biggest obstacle to marriage and childbirth.

The two women in their 40s said there is a tendency for younger women not to get married and have children. The woman in her 30s said she was herself avoiding tying the knot.

Government policies to encourage people to have children should focus on making it easier to raise families through improving North Korea’s living situation, they said.

But instead, people are dragged into ideological education sessions where they are told that getting married and having children are their duty to the nation.

Punitive policies

In some cases, the government policy to encourage marriage has been punitive, said Jiro Ishimaru, the head of Asia Press.

“The preference for living together instead of marriage has become clear due to the burden of marriage and childbirth in North Korea,” he said. “Crackdowns on [cohabitation] have thus increased in scope.”

Experts predict that policies that punish will however further discourage women from getting married or having kids.

Oh said that no matter how much ideological education the North Korean authorities provide, younger North Korean women have learned to be self-reliant, and they see the state as mostly unhelpful.

Their priority is on living well, and marriage and childbirth are obstacles to this, she said.

“In order to solve the low birth rate problem in North Korea, the authorities continue to implement coercive and oppressive policies such as sending a couple to labor camps to punish them if they are caught cohabiting,” said Oh.

That will only cause a backlash and generate more distrust, she said.

Citizens gather to watch a performance in Pyongyang, North Korea on March 8, 2024, on the occasion of International Women's Day. (Cha Song Ho/AP)

The birth rate in North Korea has already declined to the point where it cannot be raised through policy, said Ahn Kyungsoo, the head of DPRK Health, which maintains a website discussing health issues on the Korean peninsula.

“As North Korean women are more deeply exposed to inflows of external culture, become more independent, engage in more economic activities, the North Korean system seems to have passed the stage of solving the low birth rate through policy,” he said.

“It is too difficult for North Korean authorities to reverse the trend because the psychological atmosphere [of avoiding childbirth] is dominating women [in North Korea] now.”

Kang, the escapee, recalled that prior to her escape, marriage was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I had no intention of getting married back then,” she said. “I had my own life and thought that if I get married, I wouldn’t like the idea of having to carry my child to work, losing the person I am, and living only for the purpose of being ‘Mom…’ I thought ‘I want to be myself, not someone’s mom.’”

Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

rfa.org

4. In response to U.S. and China claims of ‘increasing tensions’, “‘Shield of Freedom’ is defensive training”

This Is a Google translation. I offer some commentary on Freedom Shield.

In response to U.S. and China claims of ‘increasing tensions’, “‘Shield of Freedom’ is defensive training”

2024.3.9

Junho Ahn

The U.S. government dismissed China's claim that the ongoing U.S.-ROK joint military exercises are increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Experts also pointed out that North Korea is raising its military capabilities to the highest level in March. Reporter Ahn Jun-ho reports.

In response to the Chinese government's claim that the regular joint U.S.-ROK joint exercise "Freedom Shield" is escalating tensions and amplifying conflict on the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. government has repeatedly confirmed that this exercise is a long-standing defensive exercise. I did.

In response to VOA's request for comment on the 8th, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, "The joint U.S.-ROK military exercises have been ongoing for a long time and are purely defensive in nature. These exercises are intended to maintain military readiness and maintain security in the region." .

“The United States is committed to Korea’s security and the alliance’s combined defense posture,” he said.

[State Department Spokesperson] “US-ROK joint military exercises are longstanding, purely defensive in nature, and intended to maintain force readiness and preserve regional security. The United States is committed to the security of the ROK and our alliance’s combined defense posture.”

“We have been very clear about the nature of the ‘Shield of Freedom’ exercise,” said Pentagon spokesman John Supple.

At the same time, he said he would leave the explanation of China's claims to China.

The United States appears to mean that it will not pay attention to China's claims as the nature of the training has been sufficiently explained.

[Ministry of Defense Spokesperson] “As you noted, we have been very clear about the nature of Freedom Shield. We will leave it to the PRC to explain their comments.”

Previously, Pentagon spokesman Martin Maynes told VOA on the 6th, “The Shield of Freedom exercise is a defense exercise designed to prepare for a variety of potential threats and strengthen readiness.”

[Mainers Spokesperson] “Freedom Shield is a defensive exercise, designed to enhance readiness and prepare for a wide range of potential threats. The primary goal is to bolster the US-ROK Alliance, fortify our joint defense readiness, and foster security and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

“The main goals are to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance, solidify the combined defense posture, and promote security and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.

When a reporter asked about the Chinese government's position on the Shield of Freedom exercise after the regular briefing on the 8th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maoning said, "China is paying attention to the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula." “Conducting military exercises is not conducive to resolving conflict and promoting mutual trust,” he said.

“This exercise will only heighten tensions and deepen the rift,” he continued.

David Maxwell, Vice President, Asia-Pacific Strategy Center. Photo = Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.

In a phone call with VOA on the 8th, David Maxwell, former Chief of Staff of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command and Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center, said, “China’s reaction was expected,” adding, “China supports North Korea, but it is North Korea that is pursuing hostile policies.” “You have to understand,” he said.

Vice Representative Maxwell emphasized, “North Korea has identified South Korea as its enemy and is developing nuclear and missile capabilities and advanced military capabilities that can attack South Korea,” adding, “The Shield of Freedom exercise is a defense exercise to protect South Korea from North Korean attacks.” .

[Recording: Vice President Maxwell] “They are demonstrating support for North Korea, but we must understand that it is North Korea that has the hostile policy. North Korea has stated that South Korea is the enemy. It is a developing nuclear capabilities, missile capabilities, advanced military capabilities to be able to attack South Korea. Other countries in the region and even the United States Freedom Shield is a defensive exercise designed to defend South Korea from North Korean attack.”

Deputy Representative Maxwell also said that we must keep in mind that “North Korea is raising its military capabilities to the highest level of readiness through winter training.”

[Recording: Vice President Maxwell] “We must also keep in mind that North Korea is currently conducting its winter training cycle. It is bringing its military forces to the highest level of readiness from November to March, and March is the optimal time for a North Korean attack on the South because the ground is still frozen and that makes it optimal for maneuver of mechanized forces. And so this is one of the reasons why we conduct Freedom Shield at this time, because North Korea is bringing its forces to the highest state of readiness. And North Korea has the stated objective to dominate the Korean Peninsula. So again, these are defensive exercises designed to defend South Korea.”

The explanation is that North Korea is raising its military power to the highest level of readiness from November to March, and that March is the optimal time for North Korea to attack South Korea because the ground is still frozen and is optimal for the movement of mechanized units.

Deputy Representative Maxwell explained, “One of the reasons we are conducting the Shield of Freedom exercise at this time is because North Korea has the best preparedness.”

This is Ahn Jun-ho of VOA News.

5. North Korea responds to South Korea-U.S. war games with ‘silly’ firepower display

It would be great if the nKPA lined up its guns this way in war. Counterfire and airpower would have a field day destroying them.

Excerpts;

The North Korean demonstration, according to the skeptics, was more of a parade drill than a tactical exercise.

“There is no value-added in doing this, this was a propaganda demo,” said Steve Tharp, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. “It is just silliness to line up a bunch of cannons and shoot them into the ocean.”

The ocean target zone was nowhere near South Korea. The firings took place off Nampo – the port serving Pyongyang – some 56 miles from the DMZ and far from South Korea’s vulnerable frontline islands.

“They usually do this as a demonstration,” added Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean major general. “It has little tactical value.”

However, for a military that suffers perennial fuel shortages and — given that is believed to have dispatched 3 million rounds of artillery and rocket munitions to Russia — may be suffering ammunition shortfalls as well, there may have been some pluses in Mr. Kim‘s eyes.

North Korea responds to South Korea-U.S. war games with ‘silly’ firepower display

Lineup of big guns lacks tactical value, but burnishes Kim's warlord image

washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows an artillery firing drill in North Korea Thursday, March 7, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. … This photo provided by the North … more >

By - The Washington Times - Friday, March 8, 2024

SEOUL, South Korea — It may have been tactically inept, but it was visually impressive – and it gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the latest opportunity to hone his martial image.

As the South Korean Spring War games moved into their fifth day, North Korea on Thursday conducted a mass firing by mobile howitzers and tactical rocket batteries into the Yellow Sea.

The drills underway south of the DMZ are serious business. By contrast, military analysts in South Korea largely scoffed at Pyongyang‘s latest firepower demonstration, saying it delivered propaganda, not war-fighting, value.

“Freedom Shield,” the first tranche of this year’s series of war games conducted by South Korea, the United States and their allies, began this week and runs through March 11. As in the past, the drills anger North Korea, which considers them invasion preparation.

Pyongyang customarily responds with bellicose rhetoric, missile test firings and its own drills, including the response detailed March 7.

“The drill started with the power demonstration firing of the long-range artillery sub-units near the border [which] have put the enemy’s capital in their striking range and fulfilled important military missions for war deterrence,” the North’s state-run media, monitored in Seoul, reported.

That is a reference to the North’s formidable armory of long-range tactical gunnery, which was dug into mountain tunnels near the city of Kaesong and trained in Seoul, the South Korean capital located just 35 miles south of the two Koreas.

But the North’s latest “military mission” showed a line of self-propelled 175mm armored howitzers firing a barrage out to sea. Another image displayed on state media depicted a line of multiple-launch rocket systems doing the same.

“It is necessary … that all the artillery sub-units can take the initiative with merciless and rapid strikes at the moment of their entry into an actual war,” Mr. Kim was quoted as saying.

Experts in the South were unimpressed.

None of the weapons depicted were camouflaged, dug in or dispersed. In an actual war, any such deployment would likely be vulnerable to air strikes and counter-battery fire.

The North Korean demonstration, according to the skeptics, was more of a parade drill than a tactical exercise.

“There is no value-added in doing this, this was a propaganda demo,” said Steve Tharp, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. “It is just silliness to line up a bunch of cannons and shoot them into the ocean.”

The ocean target zone was nowhere near South Korea. The firings took place off Nampo – the port serving Pyongyang – some 56 miles from the DMZ and far from South Korea’s vulnerable frontline islands.

“They usually do this as a demonstration,” added Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean major general. “It has little tactical value.”

However, for a military that suffers perennial fuel shortages and — given that is believed to have dispatched 3 million rounds of artillery and rocket munitions to Russia — may be suffering ammunition shortfalls as well, there may have been some pluses in Mr. Kim‘s eyes.

“There is training value: moving weapons, aiming, shooting,” said Mr. Chun.

All this means the artillery drill was probably aimed at awing an impressionable public rather than upgrading combat skills.

Boosting a persona

The North Korean response also offered Mr. Kim another chance to enhance his warlord persona.

State media images on Thursday showed Mr. Kim, in black leather jacket, aiming a Kalashnikov during a visit to an army unit, and overseeing infantry in trenches shooting. A day later, he was shown wearing the same outfit, this time with cigarette in fist, overseeing the artillery.

On both days, he was surrounded by tough-looking officers in modern digital camouflage uniforms rather than the old-school brown serge uniforms commonly worn by the North Korean army.

Mr. Kim is not alone in leveraging a military image: Both Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping are equally partial to martial machismo.

But unlike his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Mr. Kim has an actual military record, graduating from Kim Il Sung Military Academy, named for his grandfather. Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Kookmin University, reckons the younger Mr. Kim was “not a regular cadet”—but he nevertheless attended.

Building a strongman image is particularly essential for Mr. Kim, experts say. Mr. Lankov noted that in his first year in office, Mr. Kim conducted sweeping purges of the civil and military leadership. Now, with his economy hammered by dire agricultural conditions, global sanctions and the long border closure due to COVID, he has few economic gifts to offer his people.

Last month Mr. Kim made a public apology, saying he was “ashamed and sorry” for neglecting the nation’s economy beyond the capital, Pyongyang.

As a result, “he has no choice but to emphasize military force,” Mr. Lankov said. “And it is always good to show the military that he is one of them.”

• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.

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washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon

6. Ministry to Create New Unification Initiative, Increase Support for Defectors

An important initiative.

A lot of words recently from President Yoon and the Ministry that we fully support. A couple of the most important below.

Excerpt:

Unification minister Kim Yung-ho said the new initiative will be established based on the constitutional spirit of the philosophy of liberal democracy, in light of President Yoon Suk Yeol's March First Independence Movement Day speech, in which Yoon called for a free and unified Korea.

Ministry to Create New Unification Initiative, Increase Support for Defectors

world.kbs.co.kr

Inter-Korea

Written: 2024-03-08 13:59:28 / Updated: 2024-03-08 15:06:41

Photo : YONHAP News

The ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs has pledged to create a new initiative for unification that reflects the current administration’s philosophy of liberal democracy, while seeking to enhance support both at home and abroad.

In its 2024 key task plan announced on Friday, the unification ministry referred to North Korea's "two-state theory," military threats and psychological warfare, saying this year is the optimal time to actively propose Seoul's unification vision and to push for change from within the regime.

Unification minister Kim Yung-ho said the new initiative will be established based on the constitutional spirit of the philosophy of liberal democracy, in light of President Yoon Suk Yeol's March First Independence Movement Day speech, in which Yoon called for a free and unified Korea.

Having designated July 14 as North Korean Defectors' Day starting this year, the ministry vowed to seek ways to improve the public perception of defectors and to enhance state support for their settlement in South Korea.

It is also expected to take steps to administratively and financially support defectors who seek admission into law schools, while assisting those with medical licenses from the North to obtain licenses in the South.

The ministry also plans to purchase land and begin architectural design this year for the construction of a national center for North Korean human rights slated to open in 2026.

List

Editor's Pick

world.kbs.co.kr

7. N. Korean teenage thieves skip school to rob elderly vendors

Indicators of potential instability.

N. Korean teenage thieves skip school to rob elderly vendors

The teens believe that older merchants cannot chase and catch them because they are too frail and slow, a source told Daily NK

By Lee Chae Un - March 7, 2024

dailynk.com

N. Korean teenage thieves skip school to rob elderly vendors - Daily NK English

FILE PHOTO: A picture of a streetside market in Hoeryong taken in 2019. (Daily NK)

Teenage thieves have recently been robbing elderly street vendors in Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province, Daily NK has learned.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Wednesday that “teenagers in Pyongsong have started robbing elderly street vendors instead of going to school.”

According to the source, some youths in the city leave home in the morning pretending to go to school but rob people instead.

The wayward youths focus on targeting older people engaged in street trading. They do this because they believe that the older merchants cannot chase and catch them because they are too frail and slow.

For example, in mid-February, five students from the same primary school class robbed a trader in her sixties who was selling cigarettes and food in an alley. They pushed her down, stole her merchandise, and ran away.

In another incident last month, teenagers robbed a street vendor in her 60s who was selling candy, rice crackers and cigarettes in the Yokjon area. The youths approached the merchant as if to buy something, knocked over her kiosk, picked up the scattered goods, and fled.

The source explained the reason for these frequent incidents: “When they go to school, their social burdens simply increase because they are given non-tax burdens every day instead of learning. So they don’t go to school. And even though they’re starving because of the difficulties at home, they can’t buy on credit because they’re too young, so they’ve started stealing.

“The teenagers give their parents the stolen items, which are worth selling, and tell them to use the money to support the family. Every parent in the world would be heartbroken to see their children stealing because of economic hardship. The parents must feel guilty when they see such things.”

He said one Pyongsong resident recently told neighbors how devastated he was when his child came home one day with two packs of cigarettes and asked him to sell them to buy rice.

The man said the child initially refused to answer where he got the cigarettes, but when he continued to press him, the child finally and reluctantly admitted that he had stolen them. The man said he would normally have given his child a good beating, but this time he could not say anything and just cried.

“In the past, you couldn’t even imagine children with parents at home – not kkotjebi – engaging in theft,” the source said, referring to homeless vagrants, especially homeless children. “People say the authorities need to take quick action to help people put food on the table, because things are getting so hard that children have started stealing to support their families.”

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

Lee Chae Un

Lee Chae Un is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. She can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Asia | Banyan

What the war in Ukraine means for Asia

Peace in East Asia hangs to a worrying extent on the outcome of the conflict

Mar 7th 2024

The Economist

When Russia invaded Ukraine it jolted the democracies of East Asia—Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, all allies of America. A trip to Japan suggests to Banyan that, as the conflict in Ukraine enters its third year, its implications for East Asian policymakers grow only starker. In Europe the talk is of whether Ukraine can hold on despite dwindling American financial support and the spectre of a second Trump presidency. The consequences for peace in Asia would be devastating if Ukraine loses. A win for President Vladimir Putin might embolden China to reshape the regional order on its terms.

The implications are greatest for Taiwan. China wants to absorb it, by force if necessary. To Taiwanese the parallels between what Mr Putin is doing to Ukraine and what China’s Xi Jinping might do to Taiwan are stark—especially as the two men claim a friendship with “no limits”. China has been upping the military tempo with incursions into Taiwan’s air and sea space. In response, in August the Taiwanese government unveiled a record defence budget, equivalent to 2.6% of gdp—not enough to deter China, yet bigger proportionally than most of Europe.

The incoming president, William Lai Ching-te, promises to increase spending further. Joseph Wu, the outgoing foreign minister, makes clear that American support for Ukraine is critical for Asia, signalling that America will also support Taiwan. This steely sense of realism is found elsewhere. After the Ukraine invasion, Kishida Fumio, Japan’s prime minister, jettisoned a policy of rapprochement towards Russia and embraced Western sanctions. Japan plans to almost double defence spending over five years. Despite being formally pacifist it is closer than ever to being committed to help America defend Taiwan. Military ties have been growing among America, South Korea and Japan. South Korea’s president Yoon Suk-yeol has been coy about shipping munitions to Ukraine, in part so as not to drive Russia and North Korea closer. But with North Korea now sending artillery shells to Russia, some in Seoul argue for a firmer pro-Ukraine stance.

One threat is that Congress fails to fund Ukraine, and that Europe fails to make up the difference. That could lead to a Ukrainian defeat, undermining the credibility of American deterrence in Asia. The other scenario involves Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s all-but-inevitable presidential candidate, who has repudiated America’s guarantees to nato. He admires Mr Putin, dislikes Ukraine and cares little for Taiwan. The Japanese portmanteau phrase moshi Tora—if Trump [returns, then what?]—is the key question.

From Banyan’s discussions there are two possibilities. The most extreme scenario is that a future President Trump shreds America’s security guarantees to its Asian allies. In response they would beef up their own security further. Although defence spending is soaring there is little chance of them being able to counter China’s conventional military threat without America. Instead they might pursue nuclear weapons over the medium term in order to deter China. In South Korea Mr Yoon spoke openly about acquiring nuclear weapons, but stopped doing so partly after America adopted a policy of enhanced deterrence, in which its nukes are more ostentatiously on display in the region.

Similarly, following abandonment by Trump 2.0, America’s democratic Asian allies could decide they have little choice but to pursue an accommodation with autocratic China, ending seven decades of the American-led security order in the region and creating a Chinese sphere of influence. It is the nightmare scenario.

The second—and for now far more probable—possibility is that Asian politicians hug America even closer in the hope this raises the odds of a Trump administration sticking with its Asian security commitments. The master at this was Abe Shinzo, Japan’s prime minister from 2012 to 2020. He worked Mr Trump perfectly, from being the first foreign leader to meet him in 2016, when he was president-elect, to giving him a gold golf club. In Abe’s memoir he recalls emphasising to Mr Trump how important American military power in Asia was. Some on the Trumpian right in America argue Ukraine is a distraction from the real threat: China. America’s main Asian allies might seek to tap into this MAGA mindset and also raise defence spending further to defuse the charge they are free-riders. What is happening at one end of the vast Eurasian landmass is shaping calculations at the other.■

Read more from Banyan, our columnist on Asia:

Also: How the Banyan column got its name

The Economist

9. Balancing deterrence and restraint (Korea)

Excerpts:

What should the Korean government do? It would be desirable if the government demonstrates a strong determination to deter the North while restraining itself from overreaction. Western security experts unanimously stress the need for the South to take a balanced approach to dealing with the North. The two American professors pointed out that if nuclear-armed North Korea is pushed into a corner, it could use the nuclear arsenals it strenuously built to compensate for its relative weakness in conventional weaponry. Therefore, the two allies must stop at destroying the long-range multiple rocket launchers if the North attacks the South with those artilleries, rather than responding over the top.

...

A security crisis will likely occur in the peninsula this year. We must prevent a limited war from escalating into a full-scale war. The situation can fluctuate depending on who wins the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. If the alliance shakes to a dangerous level and our deterrence weakens alarmingly, we must put on the table all possible options, including nuclear armaments and redeployment of U.S. tactical weapons, and draw up our security strategy again. The government should be prepared for all scenarios and start to do what it can do now.

Wednesday

March 6, 2024

dictionary + A - A

Published: 06 Mar. 2024, 20:11

Balancing deterrence and restraint

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-06/opinion/columns/Balancing-deterrence-and-restraint/1996321

Yoon Young-kwan

The author, a former foreign minister, is the chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

The Financial Times last month reported the results of its analysis of confidential Russian military documents from 2008 to 2014. Russia had set the strategy of using nuclear weapons if it failed to achieve its military goals with conventional weapons, the report said, adding that Russia still follows the military guideline. The analysis gave some clues to comprehending why Joe Biden’s administration steadfastly refused to provide the long-range ATACMS missiles Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted. Coincidently, in a contribution to Foreign Affairs last year, Professor Keir Lieber from Georgetown University and Professor Daryl Press from Dartmouth College argued that the danger of nuclear war revived, not disappeared, after the Cold War. The two scholars pointed to the high possibility that nuclear-armed U.S. adversaries would use strategic weapons instead of stopping at bluffing.

The problem is that South Korea cannot avoid the risk. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un swiftly turned to a hardline stance after his failed Hanoi summit with Donald Trump in February 2019. In the eighth Workers’ Party Congress in January two years later, he announced five major tasks — such as the development of strategic attack submarines, hypersonic missiles, and underwater- or ground-launched ICBMs — as a part of the country’s five-year defense development to help reinforce its nuclear capabilities. For instance, if the North deploys supersonic short-range missiles tipped with small warheads to brace for real battles, it poses a substantial threat to South Korea. In September 2022, North Korea declared it can use nukes on five occasions after enacting the Nuclear Forces Policy Law earlier.

Under such a volatile security situation, what matters most is that we strengthen our deterrence against the North’s strategic attack on the South. History shows that naively relying on the enemy’s goodwill without building strong deterrence is destined to fail. Just think of the disastrous Munich Agreement struck by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Adolf Hitler in 1938. In that sense, our military cooperation with the United States and our trilateral security cooperation with America and Japan were the right choices. But given all the challenges ahead, that’s not enough.

The Rodong Sinmun last year reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the military to “get ready to use nuclear weapons anytime, anywhere” during his trip to a nuclear weapons development facility. [NEWS1]

First, the Biden administration needs to strengthen its effort for dialogue with North Korea to lower the risk of an accidental nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula. As the North also would not want a nuclear war to take place here, the U.S. government should open communication channels between the two countries’ military authorities and take steps toward building trust and action guidelines for both sides. Second, the U.S. government must block Russia’s victory in the Ukraine war by continuously assisting the country by rallying international support from NATO members. If Russia wins the war, it also means the victory of North Korea and China, as they are closely linked to one another. If Uncle Sam’s international leadership weakens, North Korea can misjudge South Korea.

What should the Korean government do? It would be desirable if the government demonstrates a strong determination to deter the North while restraining itself from overreaction. Western security experts unanimously stress the need for the South to take a balanced approach to dealing with the North. The two American professors pointed out that if nuclear-armed North Korea is pushed into a corner, it could use the nuclear arsenals it strenuously built to compensate for its relative weakness in conventional weaponry. Therefore, the two allies must stop at destroying the long-range multiple rocket launchers if the North attacks the South with those artilleries, rather than responding over the top.

Dr. Bruce Klingner at The Heritage Foundation also shares the view. In an interview with Yonhap News in February, Klingner, who is helping Trump’s campaign, warned of a possible military clash from misjudgments. As both sides are determined to launch a stern counterattack against the other, South Korea needs to strike a balance between maintaining strong military posture enough to deter the North’s military offensives and minimizing the risk of an accidental clash escalating to a real war.

A security crisis will likely occur in the peninsula this year. We must prevent a limited war from escalating into a full-scale war. The situation can fluctuate depending on who wins the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election. If the alliance shakes to a dangerous level and our deterrence weakens alarmingly, we must put on the table all possible options, including nuclear armaments and redeployment of U.S. tactical weapons, and draw up our security strategy again. The government should be prepared for all scenarios and start to do what it can do now.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

10. H.Res.1056 - Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

Good initiative from Congress. It would be stronger if it recognized that the Camp David Summit calls for a free and unified Korea.

This is a good summary of recent trilateral activities and initiatives.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1056/text?r=56&s=1&utm

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. RES. 1056

Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 5, 2024

Mr. Connolly (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Meeks, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Bera, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Kim of California, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Moylan, Mr. Lieu, Mrs. Steel, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. Keating, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Amo, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Allred, Mr. McCormick, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

Whereas, in 2023, South Korea and Japan restarted bilateral summitry for the first time since 2019 with President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio meeting seven times;
Whereas the two sides have made efforts to address longstanding historical grievances, including the issue of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II;
Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea restored normal economic ties, which had been strained since 2019, by reinstating each other on their respective “white lists” of preferential trade partners, with Japan lifting export controls on South Korea related to three materials needed to produce semiconductors and South Korea dropping its case before the World Trade Organization related to those export controls;
Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea have restarted trilateral summitry, holding five trilateral meetings among President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Yoon since June 2022;
Whereas, on August 18, 2023, the United States, Japan, and South Korea held the first standalone trilateral leaders summit at Camp David;
Whereas the three allies issued a trilateral commitment to consult with one another trilaterally “in an expeditious manner to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security”;
Whereas the three allies improved deterrence and defense capabilities against the growing security threat posed by North Korea by resuming military exercises in 2022;
Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea expanded and developed a multi-year schedule for trilateral military exercises and conducted the first United States-Japan-South Korea aerial exercise in October 2023;
Whereas the three allies have activated a 2022 agreement to exchange real-time missile warning data focused on North Korean missile launches;
Whereas, in December 2022, South Korea and Japan published national security documents that closely mirrored those of the United States, setting the stage for greater policy alignment and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific;
Whereas the three allies announced plans for expanded and more regular summits, including agreeing to hold annual trilateral summit meetings, agreeing to hold annual trilateral meetings among cabinet-level officials, specifically the three countries’ foreign ministers, defense ministers, commerce and industry ministers, and national security advisors, and agreeing to hold the first trilateral meeting among finance ministers;
Whereas the three allies announced a trilateral initiative to synchronize their efforts to build the maritime capabilities of Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries;
Whereas South Korea and Japan have resumed cabinet- and subcabinet-level bilateral consultations, including holding a Security Dialogue and a Strategic Dialogue;
Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea announced a new bilateral science and technology cooperative arrangement, including a hydrogen and ammonia global value chain initiative, which includes raising funds for joint projects, and a quantum technology research and development initiative between the two countries’ government-affiliated research institutes;
Whereas South Korea and Japan cooperated to evacuate Japanese and South Korean nationals from Sudan after the eruption of civil conflict in April 2023 and from Israel after Hamas’ attack in October 2023;
Whereas South Korea arranged for the experts dispatched to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to monitor TEPCO’s release of treated water into the Pacific Ocean;
Whereas, in December 2023, the United States, Japan, and South Korea held the inaugural meeting of the trilateral Working Group on DPRK Cyber Activities;
Whereas the three allies have held trilateral dialogues on space security (November 2023) and Indo-Pacific policies (January 2024); and
Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea announced trilateral economic and technology cooperation initiatives, including a supply chain early warning system pilot program, a partnership program among the three countries’ national laboratories: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) commends the extraordinary leadership of President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio in taking initiative to repair relations between their two countries;

(2) acknowledges that strengthening relations between Japan and South Korea has enabled greater ambition in trilateral cooperation involving the United States;

(3) encourages ever greater cooperation between South Korea and Japan and trilateral cooperation across diplomatic, economic, security, and informational domains;

(4) welcomes ever greater levels of trilateral strategic coordination among the United States, Japan, and South Korea as a stabilizing influence on the Western Pacific region and global order more broadly;

(5) celebrates the shared democratic, liberal values that are the bedrock of the enduring ties among the United States, Japan, and South Korea; and

(6) recognizes the critical importance to the interests of the United States and the peace and security of the Western Pacific of United States treaty alliances with South Korea and Japan.

11. NK border sealing with China worsens human rights situation: report

Kim's priorities: Control of the population over the welfare of the Korean people.

NK border sealing with China worsens human rights situation: report

koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · March 8, 2024

By Lee Jung-joo

Published : March 8, 2024 - 18:04

North Korean soldiers patrol along fences in the border county of Uiju, North Pyognan Province in North Korea on Dec. 22, 2022. (Getty Images)

The tightening of border controls by the Kim Jong-un regime, marked by the construction of multiple layers of fences along the China-North Korea border following the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian and human rights crisis in North Korea, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

The HRW, an international human rights organization headquartered in New York, on Thursday published a comprehensive 148-page report titled "A Sense of Terror Stronger than a Bullet: The Closing of North Korea 2018-2023."

"After the start of the pandemic in 2020, the North Korean government sealed the country’s borders by constructing new and expanded fences and guard posts and strictly enforcing rules," the report read.

In its report, HRW stated that it conducted an in-depth analysis of six areas along North Korea’s northern border based on their economic importance, population concentration and their association with formal and informal trade.

The six areas were Sinuiju-si in North Pyongan Province, Chunggang-gun in Chagang Province, Hyesan-si and Taehongdan-gun in Ryanggang Province, Hoeryong-si in North Hamgyong Province and Sonbong-guyok in Rason Special City.

A map of the six border control areas along North Korea's northern border, analyzed by Human Rights Watch (HRW)

"Satellite images starkly reveal the increased security enforcement on the North Korean side of its northern border after early 2020," HRW said.

"An in-depth analysis of six selected border areas, totaling 321 kilometers, shows that North Korean authorities fenced off almost all the analyzed areas by 2022 or 2023, with almost 500 kilometers of new fences."

In 2019, border fences spanned a 230-kilometer border.

HRW reported that in most border control areas that it analyzed, there were “two, and in one small part three” layers of fences, including upgraded primary fences, new or improved guard control paths, new garrisons, watchtowers and guard posts.

HRW added that it found a “20-fold increase” in security facilities since 2019. A total of 6,820 facilities have been strategically positioned adjacent to newly constructed or enhanced fences, averaging one facility every 110 meters.

"The government’s expanded internal security at its northern border has made almost all unsanctioned domestic and international travel impossible, whether to conduct informal commercial activities or to escape the country," HRW said.

"Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, North Korea’s government has largely sealed its border with China and imposed overbroad, excessive, and unnecessary quarantines and restrictions on freedom of movement and trade, which have worsened the country’s already grave humanitarian and human rights situation."

HRW also reported that as of January 2024, guards were still under a shoot-on-sight order for any individual or wild animal nearing the northern border.

HRW criticized, through its report, the North Korean authorities’ strengthened security measures that have increased the level of isolation for North Koreans and urged the UN Security Council to review the sanctions currently placed in North Korea.

“North Koreans have lived in deprivation and isolation for decades,” said Lina Yoon, senior Korea researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The UN Security Council and concerned governments should press Kim Jong-un to end the country’s systematic human rights abuses and begin a dialogue to reopen the country to the outside world.”

The report was crafted from interviews and research conducted between January 2015 and September 2023 as well as analyses of satellite imagery.

koreaherald.com · by Lee Jung-joo · March 8, 2024

12. Society That Respects Women: DPRK

The Propaganda and Agitation Department of north Korea must be pleased to have its propaganda placed in a foreign news source – in this the Iranian Labour News Agency.

Society That Respects Women: DPRK

https://www.ilna.ir/Section-world-8/1456530-society-that-respects-women-dprk?utm

ilna.ir

-Women’s Life Flourishes Under Tender Loving Care

Greeting the March 8 International Women’s Day amid the blessings of the whole country, our women look back with deep emotion on the road of their proud development where they were valued as flowers of the family, country and society under the tender loving care of outstanding leaders.

Before liberation, our women had to live in ignorance and darkness suffering ill-treatment and humiliation. They were forced into far more miserable life as they had been deprived of their country. They could be reborn cherishing beautiful dreams and ideals only after President Kim Il Sung liberated the country.

The President regarded our women as powerful force turning one of the wheels of revolution and saw to it that women’s organization was established first among the working people’s organizations after liberation. He also put an end to the history of woman maltreatment stained with bitter tears by promulgating the Law on Gender Equality.

Thanks to such love and trust, our women fully displayed the mettle and might of Korean women everywhere they went. Eventually there emerged the first female deputies, female pilots and female heroes.

Chairman Kim Jong Il carried forward the history of valuing women. He published immortal classic works on the idea of women movement and saw to it that women became the powerful driving force of revolution and construction and the atmosphere of valuing and respecting women pervaded the whole country.

He highly appreciated female soldiers and wives of soldiers, whenever he met them on his field guidance trip. He awarded the title of hero and patriot to those women who made contributions to the prosperity of the motherland and gave birth to many children. He saw the performance held on the occasion of March 8 and congratulated women and gave meaningful “Pomhyanggi” cosmetics as gift.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, who carries on the will and affection of the President and Chairman, has enriched the beautiful garden of love and respect for women during the past 10 years and developed the dignity and status of women onto a higher stage.

To glorify the dignified life of our women who are shaping the future of our country, he took measures to designate the Mother's Day and open the National Meeting of Mothers. He also took care of the work of the Breast Tumor Research Institute under the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, Okryu Children’s Hospital, Pyongyang Cosmetics Factory and Pyongyang Children’s Foodstuff Factory for the improvement of health and living conditions of our women. Such stories of devotion are still touching the hearts of all the women across the country.

Under his warm care, ordinary female workers live in palatial dormitory and plain meritorious female workers are now the owners of luxury homes in Kyongru-dong, winning the envy of everyone.

Today, our women are fully determined to accomplish their own missions and duties on the road to the prosperity and development of our great nation, feeling greatly proud and happy as they uphold the beloved fatherly leader.

-Pyongyang Maternity Hospital – Korean Women’s Sweet Home

Today is March 8 International Women’s Day.

Greeting this day, our women are filled with a sense of immense pride of being able to enjoy to the full the benefits of the most superior socialist health care system in the world.

The Pyongyang Maternity Hospital is one source of such pride.

“Not only the Korean women but also foreign women I’ve met all boasted of having given birth at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital blooming with socialist public health measures. The Maternity Hospital really is a wonderful place and no different from what I’ve heard. Like what all Korean women say, I, too, feel like staying at my parents’ house.”

This is what the wife of the former UNICEF deputy representative in the DPRK said after giving birth to an adorable baby boy at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

43 years from now, in July 1980, the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital was built as a modern comprehensive hospital devoted to delivery assistance, gynaecological treatment, and other professional medical service, true to the noble intentions of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il that healthy mothers are a prerequisite for healthy children who will, in turn, guarantee the future of the country.

The hospital covers a total floor space of over 60,000㎡ and the building’s exterior has been design to give an aura of a person embracing the patients with open arms. It has more than 2,000 big and small wards including ones for delivery, surgery, and babies room.

It is completely equipped with 100 kinds of up-to-date medical equipment like multi-purpose digital X-ray machine, digital breast tumour scanner and incubator, as well as a comprehensive patient monitor used for delivery assistance and patient care, unified disinfection system, central oxygen supply system, etc.

Women who check into the hospital receive medical assistance entirely at the expense of the state. That is to say that our country’s overall free medical care system is also being implemented at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

Paraplegic women also give birth to healthy babies at Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

The state provides all women who are delivered of babies at this hospital with many tonics and medicines including bee milk honey. These are all free of charge.

More surprising is the state’s measure of love taken for triplets and quadruplets.

Airplanes fly for triplets or quadruplets and their mothers. Doctors and nurses are provided for each baby. And silver knives for boys and golden rings for girls are given to triplets or quadruplets.

Since the opening of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, 536 triplets and 7 quadruplets are born. How much money the state has spent for them is hard to calculate.

Medical workers treat patients as their own sisters lest they feel slightest discomfort. This is a special feature peculiar to Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

A nursing mother came from Samjiyon City, Ryanggang Province located in the northern part of the country said as follows:

I don’t have any siblings or relatives in Pyongyang. But medical workers of the hospital visited me almost every day with foods that suit my taste. And after delivery, they brought me with baby clothes.

She felt no worries or anxieties as if she were at home. So on the day when she left hospital she expressed her feeling of gratitude to our socialist system that all people form one big family and take care one another.

Today, women in our country unanimously call Pyongyang Maternity Hospital “my sweet home” and “palace of love for babies”.

-Flower of Science, Flower of Patriotism

When the international community show an ever-increasing interest in women’s social status and role, the 70th session of the UN General Assembly held in December 2015 proclaimed February 11 “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”.

It is aimed at eliminating all kinds of discrimination against women, recognizing the achievements of women in science, and encouraging and promoting their career development in science.

In our country, women contribute greatly to scientific development thanks to the wise leadership of peerless great men who led our women to be a powerful force turning one of the wheels of the revolution.

Among them is a woman scientist who dedicated her youth and love to the research of new crop species, and a practiced medical woman who made great contributions to promoting the development of medical science in our country.

President Kim Il Sung conferred the title of Labor Hero, the highest honor of the DPRK citizen, on them for their dedications to scientific research.

They are not all.

There is also a female scientist who conducted scientific research for over 20 years in mechanic engineering which is a field deemed challenging even by men. Her efforts contributed to the scientific and technological development of the country including the modernization of Taedonggang Foodstuff Factory and Pyongyang Hosiery Factory. Her feats were highly appreciated by Chairman Kim Jong Il and respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

When respected Comrade Kim Jong Un visited Sokmak Atlantic Salmon Pedigree Farm, he was briefed on the good deeds of an ordinary woman scientist. For years, she dedicated everything to the scientific breeding of Atlantic salmon, living away from home, in order to implement without fail the teachings of Chairman Kim Jong Il who desired to provide delicious and nutritious salmon to our people. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was so pleased that he had a photo taken with her.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un highly treasures and gives prominence to the women scientists, valuing even the smallest of achievements. As we have held such a leader in high esteem, our women scientists will continue to make scientific contributions to the country’s development and keep the flowers of science and patriotism in full bloom, cherishing love for the country.

endNewsMessage1

ilna.ir

13. On International Women's Day, the U.S. State Department says, “We will defend the rights of North Korean women.”

On International Women's Day, the U.S. State Department says, “We will defend the rights of North Korean women.”

2024.3.9

Youngkwon Kim

https://www.voakorea.com/a/7520424.html

The U.S. government emphasized that it will continue to defend the rights of North Korean women on International Women's Day. South Korea's ambassador for North Korean human rights called for the international community's attention and solidarity. Reporter Kim Young-kwon reports.

The U.S. State Department said on the 8th, “In celebration of International Women’s Day, the international community must redouble its efforts to promote the various rights of women and girls in North Korea.”

In response to VOA's request for comment on this day, a State Department spokesperson said, "North Korean women and girls are exposed to chronic gender-based violence and discrimination, and restrictions on freedom of movement make them particularly vulnerable to a wide range of human rights violations, including human trafficking."

[State Department Spokesperson] “On International Women's Day, the international community should redouble our efforts to promote the rights of women and girls, in all their diversity, in the DPRK. “Women and girls are subject to endemic gender-based violence and discrimination and are particularly vulnerable to a wide range of violations, including trafficking, resulting from restrictions on freedom of movement.”

The spokesperson then emphasized to North Korean women, “We see you and will continue to defend your rights.”

He continued, “I am grateful to the brave North Korean women who are seeking freedom and making meaningful contributions to their communities as doctors, businesspeople, religious leaders, politicians, and scholars, for being living examples of the strength and entrepreneurship spirit of North Korean women.”

[State Department Spokesperson] “To the women of the DPRK, we see you and will continue to advocate for your rights. And to the brave North Korean women who have made their way to freedom and are doctors, business owners, faith leaders, politicians, and academics who are now making meaningful contributions to their communities– thank you for being a living example of the strength and entrepreneurism of North Korean women.”

South Korea's Foreign Ministry Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights Lee Shin-hwa expressed concern, saying that contrary to the North Korean government's external propaganda, North Korean women are suffering from severe human rights violations.

Lee Shin-hwa, South Korea’s Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights

In response to a written question from VOA on this day, Ambassador Lee said, “Women are praised as ‘the flower of the country’ and ‘one wheel of the revolution,’ but in reality, they are responsible for the family’s livelihood and suffer from hard labor amidst extreme economic difficulties. “We are being forced to make infinite devotion to the demands of the people,” he pointed out.

He emphasized, “This is a clear violation of human rights and a problem that the international community should never ignore.”

Ambassador Lee also said that North Korean defector women continue to suffer from human trafficking, forced marriage, and threats of repatriation to North Korea in China, adding, “The suffering experienced by forcibly repatriated North Korean defector women is a serious humanitarian crime that the international community must pay attention to.”

He continued, “I believe that the human rights situation of North Korean women can be improved when everyone pays attention to this important issue and works in solidarity.”

Reem Al-Salem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, also expressed concern about the situation of North Korean women defectors through a short video message sent to the Human Rights Committee in North Korea (HRNK), a private organization in Washington, on International Women's Day.

Rapporteur Alsalem pointed out that many North Korean female defectors leave North Korea in search of safety, but face the risk of being returned to North Korea against their will and facing threats to their lives or being subject to cruel and inhumane torture and degrading treatment.

He emphasized, “We must not forget the plight of North Korean defector women and continue to amplify their voices and demands for protection and human rights.”

[Recording: Al-Salem Rapporteur] “We must not forget their plight. We must continue to amplify their voices, and needs for protection and human rights. Countries to which women and girls from the DPRK arrive must be given safety and protection, and it must be ensured that they have access to immediate care and assistance, including mental and psychosocial support.”

In addition, they urged, “Countries where North Korean refugee women and girls arrive must provide safety and protection, and ensure that they receive immediate treatment and support, including mental and psychosocial support.”

Meanwhile, in celebration of International Women's Day, the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul uploaded a video to an online social network service recommending measures North Korea should take to ensure gender equality.

Director James Heenan said in the video, “Currently, no country in the world has realized gender equality or equality of women’s rights,” but added, “According to the information we have obtained from North Korea, violations of women’s human rights are occurring on a fairly widespread basis, and society “The status of women is also a concern,” he said.

In the video, North Korean defectors pointed out the problem of the 'Women's Alliance' that imposes hard labor on North Korean women and the absence of basic rights.

[Mr. Kim Eun-joo] “The freedom to join and withdraw from the Women’s Alliance must be guaranteed. “I hope that the international community can reveal the exploitative structure of the Women’s Alliance and eliminate the coercion of membership, thereby relieving North Korean women of a huge burden in their lives.”

[Mr. Kim Il-hyuk] “Only when human rights are guaranteed and freedom can be enjoyed will the status of women improve and gender equality be guaranteed.”

[Mr. Kim Soo-hyang] “In the case of party schools and political schools that train North Korean executives, there are often very few women or absolutely no women. “It is important to provide more opportunities for women because having more female executives in important positions that can determine national policies can increase the feasibility of policies for women.”

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also said in a statement released on this day, “Women have lived in patriarchal power structures for centuries,” and added, “We must involve more women in governance systems and make greater contributions to peace, social protection, and climate justice.” “It is necessary to invest a lot,” he emphasized.

[Recording: Turkic representative] “Women have lived through centuries of patriarchal power structures… We need more women in our governance systems and greater investments in peace, social protection and climate justice.”

In an editorial commemorating 'International Women's Day' on the 8th, Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North Korean Workers' Party, emphasized the need to dedicate oneself to one's role, saying, "It is our women's greatest luck and greatest happiness to live with high respect for Chairman Kim Jong-un as the parent of a large socialist family." .

This is Kim Young-kwon of VOA News.

14. Yes, China Could Invade North Korea

Yes, of course they could.

But what would be their objective? What would cause them to do so?

Why would it invade to "topple the regime" when it values stability and the status quo most of all?

Yes, if there is any refugee movement toward China the PLA will surely intervene to seal the border and likely will conduct cross border operations to prevent the refugees from reaching the border. We have long anticipated this as one of the most likely courses of action. This is one of many scenarios we planned for when we first wrote 5019 in the 1990s.

But would the PRC install a puppet regime in Pyongyang? I wonder how that will work out for them - better than the US in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do they think they can do it better? The Koreans in the north will be as, if not more, hostile to the PRC as the Afghans and Iraqis were to the US.

If there is regime collapse I think the Chinese would not want to try to create a new Chinese province and instead allow the ROK to be overwhelmed with handling the situation while posturing to dominate the region economically and politically and focus on setting the conditions to drive the US off the peninsula whihc is its ultimate objective.

Conclusion:

Barring a total collapse of the Pyongyang regime, China is unlikely to invade North Korea any time soon. The economic, political, and military costs outweigh the benefits—at least for now. That having been said, if the calculus changes China maintains the forces, just over the border, to decisively intervene in its smaller neighbor. Whether China, South Korea, or anyone is ready for the outcome is a very good question.

Yes, China Could Invade North Korea

China, sharing a long border with North Korea, plays a pivotal yet often overlooked role in Korean Peninsula dynamics. North Korea serves as a buffer for China against U.S. influence but also poses risks with its unpredictable behavior and nuclear ambitions. On and off tensions have strained Sino-North Korean relations over the decades, leading to speculation about Chinese military intervention scenarios.

The National Interest · by Kyle Mizokami · March 8, 2024

Summary: China, sharing a long border with North Korea, plays a pivotal yet often overlooked role in Korean Peninsula dynamics. North Korea serves as a buffer for China against U.S. influence but also poses risks with its unpredictable behavior and nuclear ambitions. On and off tensions have strained Sino-North Korean relations over the decades, leading to speculation about Chinese military intervention scenarios. These range from creating a buffer zone to installing a puppet government in the event of a regime collapse. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), significantly modernized and positioned in the Northern Theater Command, could launch a powerful invasion into North Korea if deemed necessary. However, such action is unlikely without a significant shift in the strategic calculus, given the high economic, political, and military costs involved. A Chinese invasion also risks conflict with U.S. and South Korean forces, adding complexity to an already volatile situation.

From Buffer Zone to Full Invasion: China's Potential Strategies in North Korea

Amid the near-constant threat of a crisis breaking out on the Korean Peninsula, one major power is often left out of the discussion: China.

The People’s Republic of China shares an 880 mile long border with its notoriously unpredictable neighbor, has a large army and values stable borders at any cost. In the event it deems military action necessary, what are Beijing’s options for dealing with North Korea and what kind of force could it bring to bear?

North Korea is both a blessing and a curse for China. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an independent state that is openly hostile to the United States and other regional powers. Pyongyang’s military is a deterrent to attack without posing a direct threat to China. As a result, nearly a thousand miles of China’s borders are occupied by a regime that finances its own defense and will never fall willingly within the U.S. sphere of influence.

The situation is far from perfect. While North Korea has traditionally been a Chinese client state, ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years to only see relations perk back up. Pyongyang’s fiery anti-American rhetoric and nuclear weapons program have provoked the United States, making North Korea a major point of contention between Washington and Beijing. The country’s flagrant violation of international norms have tested Beijing’s patience.

There are persistent rumors that Beijing has long prepared to intervene in North Korea, whether in the aftermath of a government collapse or should the country’s leadership make credible threats against China. No one outside of Beijing knows what those preparations might be, but we can outline some scenarios.

One thing seems reasonably certain, however: if China goes into North Korea, the presiding regime, whether of Kim Jong-un or someone else, will not survive.

Inside China’s Strategic Calculus on North Korea: Intervention Scenarios Explored

One possible scenario is a military incursion into North Korea in response to regime collapse. An imploding economy, military coup, or Syria-like rebellion could all cause the regime to fold, and it will likely fold quickly. When it does, the national food distribution system will likely fail, causing refugees to flee the country. Given that the border with South Korea is notoriously fortified and the Russian border is relatively far and remote, the least difficult border to cross is into China.

Beijing, obsessed with internal stability, would almost certainly not tolerate millions of refugees crossing into northern China. From a Chinese perspective, it would be far better for those refugees to stay in North Korea. In the event of regime collapse, we could see the three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) armies in the country’s Northern Theater Command move south. One option is to create a buffer zone in North Korea, but that would not solve the problem of political and economic instability. If the PLA does move South, it would likely go all the way to Pyongyang in order to establish a puppet government and reestablish some level of stability.

The most likely scenario is that China launches an all-out invasion to topple the existing regime. Of the sixteen armored, mechanized, infantry and artillery corps that make up the Korea People’s Army (KPA), only two are deployed along the Sino-Korean border. Three more corps are stationed in and around Pyongyang. Nearly 70 percent of the KPA is south of the Pyongyang/Wonsan line, sited to support a cross-border attack against South Korea.

China’s Northern Theater Command ground forces consist of the 78th, 79th and 80th Armies. These armies are what would be considered corps in the U.S. Army, collectively controlling eighteen combined arms brigades supported by three special operations, three aviation, three artillery and three engineering brigades. This gives the PLA a powerful force equivalent, at least on paper, to roughly five or six U.S. combat divisions. Supported by the two air attack divisions of the Chinese Air Force assigned to the Northern Command, the three PLA armies could quickly cross the border and march south into the KPA’s strategic rear.

To what extent would the KPA resist an invasion? It depends. If the regime in Pyongyang is still in place, it China could face considerable resistance. A lack of fuel reserves, dictated by China, would likely strand many of the remaining fourteen army corps in place, rendering them unable to resist a Chinese invasion. If the government collapses the KPA could become part of the hungry, leaderless masses—masses with weapons. Ideally, Beijing would cultivate ties with the KPA leadership before a move South and persuade it to not resist and maintain order.

It’s difficult to foretell how well the PLA would do in wartime. The last time the Chinese Army engaged in such large scale combat was the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979. Using inferior, outdated tactics, China’s ground forces suffered heavy casualties against their battle-hardened Vietnamese opponents, and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping vowed never to repeat such a costly war. It is unlikely that Beijing would order the attack if it did not have full confidence in the PLA to carry it out without embarrassing failure.

The PLA of today however is a completely different beast. While the PLA lacks the institutional skill of the battle-tested U.S. Army, it is certainly better than the Korean People’s Army. The army has modernized both its equipment and military doctrine—Xi Jinping’s repeated calls to be “combat ready”, often interpreted as outwardly aggressive, are more likely to be exhortations toward general readiness and against corruption in the ranks. A recent and pervasive emphasis on high speed, mechanized warfare will pay the PLA dividends in a drive on Pyongyang.

The most dangerous aspect of a Chinese invasion of North Korea is if it is launched concurrent with a U.S. and South Korean assault northward from the demilitarized zone. While the U.S. and South Korea would operate with the same objectives in mind, they would likely be very different from China’s. The possibility of fighting breaking out between those armies marching north and those marching south would be very real.

Barring a total collapse of the Pyongyang regime, China is unlikely to invade North Korea any time soon. The economic, political, and military costs outweigh the benefits—at least for now. That having been said, if the calculus changes China maintains the forces, just over the border, to decisively intervene in its smaller neighbor. Whether China, South Korea, or anyone is ready for the outcome is a very good question.

About the Author: Kyle Mizokami

Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009, he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami.

The National Interest · by Kyle Mizokami · March 8, 2024

15.` 'Get out Yankee': A South Korean village's fight against the US military

This is a good example of subversion. "Professional agitators' ' (as some Korean officials have described them to me) thoroughly indoctrinated the Korean citizens in Soseong. Nearly every one of the claims by the people in this piece have been disproven. But the local citizens will never accept the logic of the THAAD deployment because the professional agitators won the ideological battle that took place. Had there been a better PR (or information and influence campaign) in place that understood the intent and effects of the professional agitators and took a proactive role in informing the local population about the need for THAAD to defend South Korea, things might have turned out better for everyone (except north Korea and China).

'Get out Yankee': A South Korean village's fight against the US military

therealnews.com · by Son So-hee, Min · March 8, 2024

Soseong-ri, South Korea, was a sleepy farming village before the arrival of the US military’s Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) missile system. While the South Korean government and the US military claim that THAAD will protect South Korea from North Korean attacks, activists and experts have long countered that THAAD is incapable of blocking the kinds of short-range missiles North Korea would use against South Korean targets in a hypothetical war. Instead, they charge THAAD’s real purpose is to protect US military assets in nearby Okinawa and Guam. THAAD has also inflamed relations between South Korea and China, which has decried THAAD’s radar system as a way for the US to spy on Chinese military activities. The Real News reports from Soseong-ri, South Korea, where village residents have fought since 2016 against the US military and their own government to stop THAAD.

This story, with the support of the Bertha Foundation, is part of The Real News Network’s Workers of the World series, telling the stories of workers around the globe.

Producer: Min, Son So-hee

Videographer: Min, Son So-hee

Translator: Bori

Video Editor: Leo Erhardt

Transcript

Chants:

“Yankees Go Home!” “Get out Yankees!” “Get out Yankees!”

Narrator:

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For the past seven years, the U.S. has been building the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD system, in a small town called Soseong-ri, in South Korea. The U.S. military claims that THAAD will protect South Korea from North Korea. But in reality, THAAD is a “high-altitude” missile shield that cannot stop short-range missiles that North Korea could use against targets in South Korea in the event of war.

The real purpose of THAAD is to deter China, and protect U.S. assets in Okinawa and Guam. The building of THAAD is further escalating the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula. Soseong-ri was originally a peaceful village of about 60 residents.

The residents are mainly elderly people in their 70s and 80s. But the peace of Soseong-ri was shattered by the arrival of THAAD.

Chants:

“Never Allow Normalization of Base!” “Dismantle the illegal THAAD!”

Police Officer:

One, two, three!

Protester:

Don’t touch me!

Police Officer:

I got his legs.

Protester:

“Don’t touch our grannies!” “Don’t do it!”

“Hands off!”

No, no, no! You’ll break the chair. Don’t grab it.

Police Officer:

We’re going to take you out.

Protester:

Don’t pick it up. Don’t. Don’t pick it up. Don’t. Don’t pick it up.

Police Officer:

Will you stand up?

Protester:

I’ll stand up later. I will do it myself.

Police Officer:

I won’t touch you,

if you just stand up.

Chants:

“Yankee Go Home!” “Yankee Go Home!”

Narrator:

Residents of Soseong-ri say that the arrival of THAAD put them on the front lines. As a result, they live in constant fear of war.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

Life has changed a lot. Before THAAD, when there’s nothing going on, I would get up and exercise, and our rice paddies are up there, you know, Sohee.

So I would always go back and forth there. I would go there for exercise, not just to work.But ever since THAAD came in, I have to go to a rally every day. There is always an emergency. So I’m always on edge.

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

50 years. I lived here for exactly 50 years. I got married at 23, and had my oldest daughter at 24.

Interviewer:

(you’re 73 now, so…)

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

Yes. It’s nice here, simple. We’d get together in the evenings and talk. Going to the village president Yim’s home. We’d go there every evening, before THAAD came. We’d gather there, eating apples and ‘japchae’ (Korean stir-fried glass noodles dish).

Interviewer:

(Why are you so against THAAD?)

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

It’s right above our heads, and it’s dangerous. It’s not right for THAAD to come to the Korean Peninsula. If it’s so dangerous, why should it come? It shouldn’t. We have a weapon this big above us. It’s right by our bedside, right behind our home. (If it was a good thing, it wouldn’t have come to us.) If it was good, it wouldn’t be here.

Interviewer:

(Why are you so worried about THAAD?)

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

I’m worried… We are the ones on the frontline, that’s why we’re worried. Who would be comfortable, living on the front lines? For example, they’re talking about stopping North Korean nukes, but we know that’s not what THAAD is for. I know that, even if I’m an ignorant old bumpkin. So if something were to happen we’d be the first to die. This town is on the front.

Interviewer:

Would you feel comfortable living on the forefront?

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

I’m not. That’s why we’re so anxious and nervous.

Chants:

“Stop occupying Soseong-ri!” “No THAAD! Yes Peace!” “Who makes war? USA!”

Narrator:

For the past seven years, residents of Soseong-ri have held weekly protests against the construction of the THAAD base. Gathering in front of the village hall, they have been protesting to stop fuel trucks, US military buses, and construction materials from being brought to the site. South Korean police blocked the residents of Soseong-ri so that the U.S. military could proceed with the construction of the THAAD base. The residents of Soseong-ri

are physically unable to overcome the overwhelming police force. But that hasn’t stopped them from protesting.

Chants:

“Police violence back off!”

Protester:

Hold the waist. My shoulder hurts! Aghh!

Police Officer:

Come on, ma’am, please stand up. Ma’am, stand up. Ma’am, stand up. Come on, ma’am, stand up. Ma’am, stand up.

Protester:

Should I stand up just because you tell me to? We can’t even speak up for our rights.

What are you doing?

Police Officer:

I get that, but…

Protester:

We’re like, what? If the officer orders us to stand up, we stand up, if he says leave, we leave, if he says eat, we eat?

Where do we find our sovereignty?

Where’s our sovereignty?

Police Officer:

Well, ma’am, we’re sorry. We understand that, but we also have our roles as the police. I’m going to apologize but take you over there.

Let me give you a little help. Grab the arms. I’ll take her. I’ll take her.

Protester:

Get your hands off. Don’t let them do it, stand up.

Chants:

“THAAD makes no sense here!”

Narrator:

The prolonged, ongoing, and daily tensions and confrontations have had a significant impact on the physical and psychological health of the residents of Soseong-ri.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

So to speak, a town that used to be peaceful is now very tense, always anxious I don’t feel at ease. I live on the edge all the time, always anxious.

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

It’s hard to bear. I’m frustrated and overwhelmed. It’s been seven or eight years now, so all the grannies are ill. They’re mentally and physically sick. They’re all ill.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

Actually, I had back surgery this year, so I’m not feeling well.I didn’t go to the peace action this morning. Now I’m anxious because I didn’t go. I’m worried about what happened this morning, what clash they had with the police; I’m worried about things like this.

Interviewer:

(What do you hate most about the US military coming in?)

Jo-ja Jeong – Soseong-ri resident:

I hate everything about it.I often dream about that, too.

Interviewer:

(Even dream about it?)

Jo-ja Jeong – Soseong-ri resident:

All the time.

Interviewer:

(What kind of dreams?)

Jo-ja Jeong – Soseong-ri resident:

I’m fighting cops and soldiers all the time, that’s what I dream about. Yesterday, they dressed me in a weird outfit. And there were all theese cops and soldiers next to me.

“Stand up straight,” they said, and I stood for so long that my hands went numb.My hands were numb, so I put them down, and it was a dream.

Narrator:

Nevertheless, the people of Soseong-ri continue to resist.

Protester:

Here it (fuel truck) comes. it’s coming. Don’t push.

Geum-yeon Do – Soseong-ri resident:

If they come and stop us, we’re powerless. Even if us grannies were younger, we still wouldn’t be able to do anything. We’ve protested for so long, but there’s not much we can do. We can’t win. I just curse at the US soldiers.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

I’m so frustrated and angry and resentful.

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

I know I can’t stop them with my body. But even if I can’t stop them,

I’m going to try, until the end. That’s where my heart is, until the end. When I see the American assholes pass by, I get so angry, so mad. They drive by so fast, countless cars. Lots of them drive by during the weekdays. When I see them, I put up my hand after a car passes by. This became a habit. Even without a picket, I just put up my hand, cursing, “You bastards!”. Cursing. Even though it’s useless. It just comes out.

Geum-yeon Do – Soseong-ri resident:

Huh? Why are you making it so hard for us?

I’m trying to live peacefully for the rest of my days, and they make a mess of our village.

I haven’t played ‘Hwatu’ (Korean flower cards) in eight years. I couldn’t even touch a ‘hwatu’ card, having to go out and protest everyday. On days I don’t go out to fight, I need to work. If a fight starts while I’m working, I have to go out to protest. I don’t have time to play cards. I even can’t remember the name of the cards anymore. If that’s how you’re going to behave, the US can go to hell.

Gyu-ran Park – Soseong-ri resident:

As long as I’m alive, I’ll fight until the end, yeah. Even if I can’t stop it, I’m going to keep on fighting. Well, my health isn’t good anymore, so I don’t think I have more than a few years left. I’m not going to live long, but even if I’m gone, I hope THAAD gets dismantled, so my hometown, where my ancestors are buried, yes, becomes a nice and comfortable place. So that my kids can come and visit often.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

There is a lot of land owned by the US military in Korea. There are a lot of US bases.

I hope the US military leaves and we can live in our lands by ourselves. That’s the best. That’s how our kids can grow up. We’ve lived our part, but the kids are growing up. I don’t want the Americans to defile our land and tread on it. We want to live by ourselves, really.

Interviewer:

THAAD will be dismantled tomorrow, how would you feel hearing that?

Jo-ja Jeong – Soseong-ri resident:

Oh, I’d feel like flying. Seriously, if I were told THAAD would go away. I would be so relieved if THAAD went away.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

All of this frustration would be lifted.

Gwang-sun Baek – Soseong-ri resident:

US citizens, please, don’t oppress Korea because you’re powerful. I hope US citizens will also recognize what the US government is doing and help the Korean people, the powerless people. I hope that US citizens also rise up and demand,”THAAD shouldn’t be in Korea, Withdraw (all troops)!”.

Chants:

“This is our village road.”

“We will not hand over our roads to the US army!”

“We will not hand over our roads as supply routes for weapons of war” “Peace comes when THAAD leaves!”

“Peace comes when the US army leaves!”

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‘Get out Yankee’: A South Korean village’s fight against the US military

by Son So-hee and Min, The Real News Network

March 8, 2024

therealnews.com · by Son So-hee, Min · March 8, 2024

16. Interview: Joy Sakurai says we need more women in the boardroom to foster gender equality

Interview: Joy Sakurai says we need more women in the boardroom to foster gender equality

To mark International Women’s Day, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul talks about empowering women at work

https://www.chosun.com/english/people-en/2024/03/08/DKNKOFV4Q5BKRFWSWADJMYEDJU/

By Lee Jae-eun,

Park Sung-woo

Published 2024.03.09. 00:01

Updated 2024.03.09. 00:12

Joy M. Sakurai, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, talks to Chosunbiz about empowering women and gender equality at the International Women’s Day luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. / Photo courtesy of AMCHAM

Joy Sakurai, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, emphasized the importance of workplace flexibility and support systems that help both men and women re-enter the workforce after dedicating months or years to child-rearing.

She said governments and companies should seek creative solutions to “bring people back to work after a leave of absence through training programs or giving them different kinds of jobs” during an interview with Chosunbiz on Mar. 6, two days before International Women’s Day. As a mother of two and a seasoned diplomat, she stressed that such measures are pivotal in building systems that support gender equality, thereby creating a better environment for raising children.

The DCM stated that the U.S. Embassy works with organizations such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, or AMCHAM, to foster gender equality and elevate women to leadership roles in South Korea. She commended AMCHAM for reaching a landmark 30% female representation on its 2024 Board of Governors, the highest figure in the organization’s history.

Women hold 19.7% of board seats globally as of 2022, according to Deloitte Global’s Women in the Boardroom report. In South Korea, women comprise only 4.2% of company board members - a conspicuously low figure that falls well below the global average. Korea has a lot of catching up to do, but progress is being made, albeit slowly.

DCM Sakurai believes that AMCHAM’s efforts in Korea to enhance boardroom diversity are setting a precedent by inspiring other companies to pursue similar goals. “Several Korean financial institutions are also looking to increase their board membership to 30%,” she said.

Joy Sakurai began her term as the DCM at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in January last year. Previously, she served as DCM at the U.S. Embassy in Laos and was the Principal Officer in Fukuoka, Japan.

What is the role of the U.S. Embassy in collaborating with organizations like AMCHAM Korea to advance gender equality and economic opportunities for women?

“The U.S. Embassy and AMCHAM work closely together on a wide range of programs and projects throughout the year. We’re happy to help amplify the good work AMCHAM is doing, such as achieving 30% female representation on their board. We can elevate everything we do when we have more women or diversity on our boards and our companies. I am aware that a number of Korean financial institutions are also looking to increase female representation on their boards to 30%, so I think AMCHAM is leading the way in inspiring other companies to do the same.”

Could you share specific initiatives the U.S. Embassy has undertaken to support women’s leadership in Korea?

“In the U.S., we launched the U.S. strategy on global women’s economic security to lay out a vision for a world where women and girls compete and participate equally in economic growth and global prosperity. Last August, President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida convened at Camp David. One of the commitments that came out of that session was an effort to host a trilateral conference on women’s economic empowerment, which will be in Washington, D.C., later this year.

For the specific programs we’re doing in Korea, we have HERizon, which is in conjunction with the YWCA of Korea. We bring together women leaders from around the country so that they can learn about leadership skills and hear from women’s empowerment experts to build their network. Last month, we launched the first version of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, AWE, in Korea. This global network has over 25,000 women entrepreneurs in 100 countries, and we’re very excited to have a brand new Korean cohort in this.”

Do you attend these initiatives?

“Yes, one that comes to mind is Campfire for Women in Politics, a program that we support through our public diplomacy section in Korea through grants. The program aims to enhance government policies and practices on gender equality and diversity. I attend a lot of these sessions, and I’m impressed by the energy, drive and dedication of women in Korea.”

Korea’s declining birth rate and aging population are a cause of concern. In particular, women experience considerable career disruptions due to childbirth. How can governments and companies address career disruptions women face at work?

“I’ve seen cases where [companies and institutions] looked to creatively bring people back into work after a leave of absence through training programs or giving them different jobs. It’s very positive to see Korea making policy shifts [to tackle women’s career disruptions]. Korea has done an incredible job of investing in infrastructure for younger children, such as free care. There are measures aimed at de-stigmatizing the impression that women should be the sole caretakers, which is another positive change.”

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

Phone: 202-573-8647

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation

Editor, Small Wars Journal

Twitter: @davidmaxwell161

email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com

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

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

Access NSS HERE