Quotes of the Day:
"Mariupol is the heart of this war. If it stops beating, our positions will be weaker."
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
"Wisdom consists of the capacity to confront disturbing ideas, even intolerable ideas, with equanimity."
- Leo Rosten
"Just like the nation it defends, the U.S. military strives to be a more perfect version of itself. And I will take that over our competitors any day."
- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at USMA Graduation May 22, 2021
1. Defense chief nominee says military without training has 'no reason to exist'
2. [Column] Suggestions for Yoon to build facts-based foreign policy
3. Zelensky tells Assembly Korea must do 'much more'
4. NATO seeks ‘sustained’ military exchanges, ‘substantive’ defense cooperation with S.Korea
5. USS Abraham Lincoln to be deployed near Korea this week: sources
6. Three North Koreans provide a glimpse of North Korea’s worsening economic situation
7. N. Korea launches sweeping reorganization of Workers’ Party ahead of Apr. 11
8. Lack of food leads to deaths from hunger in Sinuiju
9. Koreans set to get a year younger as Yoon seeks to ditch ‘Korean age’
10. Yoon agrees on importance of joint military exercises with U.S.: official
11. S.Korea to Launch Homegrown Spy Satellites
12. Toward diplomacy based on values and norms
13. Ukraine war: Seoul rejects Kyiv’s request for anti-aircraft weapons ahead of Zelensky’s speech to South Korean parliament
1. Defense chief nominee says military without training has 'no reason to exist'
Thank you sir.
"To lead an untrained people to war is to throw them away." - Confucius
I think we could see a golden era of training for the ROK/US Combined Forces Command. I do not think we are going to see any calls for cancelling training (e.g., previous US administration - sayings it's too expensive and worthless and ROK administration trading exercises for diplomacy which has not world for the past 4 years)
Defense chief nominee says military without training has 'no reason to exist'
Defense Minister-designate Lee Jong-sup / Yonhap
Defense Minister-designate Lee Jong-sup said Monday that a military without training has "no reason to exist," in a sign of his policy priority on reinforcing combined exercises with the United States.
Lee, a retired three-star general, made the remarks amid expectations that the incoming administration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol could bolster the allied training scaled down under the current liberal Moon Jae-in government's push for diplomacy with North Korea.
"A military that does not train has no reason to exist," Lee told reporters as he appeared at his office for the first time in central Seoul to prepare for a parliamentary confirmation hearing.
Lee underscored the need to establish conditions for the military to engage in training, which he cast as its "basic mission."
To facilitate engagement with a recalcitrant Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington have scaled down their field training, though lower-level drills have continued to take place regularly.
But Yoon's campaign slogan of "peace through strength" in the midst of North Korea's missile launches has raised speculation that the allies could move to scale up their combined drills down the road.
Asked if he would discuss with Washington the idea of deploying U.S. strategic military assets here to deter North Korean provocations, Lee said a decision will depend on the North's future course of action.
"We have to devise additional measures to deter additional threats depending on how North Korea would move," he said.
Lee described the current security situation as "very complex and difficult."
"As I was designated for the defense minister post at such a grave juncture, I feel a greater sense of responsibility than at any other time," he said.
A ministerial nominee is subject to a parliamentary hearing. But his appointment does not require the National Assembly's endorsement.
Lee graduated from the Korea Military Academy and had served as the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) vice chairman from 2017 to 2018.
On the previous day, Yoon said he had chosen Lee as he is expected to "establish firm security and a strong defense power while achieving close cooperation with our ally." The Yoon administration will kick off on May 10. (Yonhap)
2. [Column] Suggestions for Yoon to build facts-based foreign policy
The future main opposition arguments being crafted and test fired here. I suppose the Sejong Institute will be the home of the future opposition.
I agree that the Yoon administration should build a facts based foriegn policy. I just do not think the "facts" that Professor Moon suggests are inaccurate.
My criticism of Moon's ideas aside, this OpEd is worth reading and reflecting on.
[Column] Suggestions for Yoon to build facts-based foreign policy
As the person responsible for the lives and possessions of 50 million Koreans, the commander-in-chief must not stoop to spur-of-the-movement adventurism or radical unilateralism
Korean Central News Agency reported on March 25 that North Korea had carried out a test of its Hwasong-17 ICBM with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance. (KCNA/Yonhap News)
Moon Chung-in
By Moon Chung-in, chairman of the Sejong Institute
The Korean Peninsula is facing a trifold challenge.First, North Korea has been stepping up the offensive by test-firing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) since it scrapped the testing moratorium it had maintained since 2018. Second, the situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable, and though that doesn’t pose a direct military threat to South Korea, its geopolitical and geoeconomic ramifications will be considerable. Third, the relationship between the US and China, which are rapidly moving toward a new Cold War, is sure to put Korea in a serious bind.As Yoon Suk-yeol prepares to be inaugurated as South Korea’s president on May 10, his complicated task is to simultaneously navigate those three challenges while preventing war and achieving peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. In connection with that, I would like to offer the president-elect several suggestions.First, Yoon needs to make sure not to get fixated on his campaign promises. Tom Foley, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, gave the following advice: Making too many promises in a campaign is a forgivable venial sin, but trying to implement them all is an unforgivable cardinal sin.It’s natural for the various promises a candidate makes during their campaign to run into practical obstacles after they take office. That’s especially true in a democratic system, which is characterized by compromise and consensus. Disregarding those characteristics in one’s obsession with carrying out every promise is sure to bring about undesired consequences and foment national division.In contrast to general public policy, foreign policy and national security policy involve counterparts and are apt to face powerful challenges and limitations from both within and beyond.A good example is the idea of a preemptive strike against North Korea that Yoon has mentioned. Overemphasizing a preemptive strike in military doctrine and North Korea policy is likely to push the North Koreans to be more aggressive in their own strategy and doctrine.If both sides settle on making large-scale preemptive sides and tolerating escalation in their crisis response plans, strategic stability on the Korean Peninsula might become severely damaged. That’s probably why the US and other related countries have expressed concerns about these matters.The same is true of allowing the US to deploy more batteries of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile-defense system. It might seem reasonable to respond to North Korea’s ballistic missile forces by strengthening our interception capabilities, but the reality is more complicated.The impact of a Chinese response could extend to the military realm, and counteracting serious economic retaliation would not be easy. As events in 2017 illustrated, there would be substantial pushback from the small business owners and ordinary people whose livelihoods would be jeopardized in that process.In the same context, trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan could prove to be a double-edged sword. If North Korea test-fires another ICBM or carries out its seventh nuclear weapon test, there may well be a public debate about holding trilateral joint military exercises off the east or west coasts of the Korean Peninsula. But given the current tenor of public opinion, that could also prove incendiary in terms of domestic politics. That’s a lesson we can learn from South Korea and Japan’s closed-door decision to set up their GSOMIA military intelligence-sharing arrangement in 2012.In that sense, I’m encouraged by Yoon’s recent emphasis on the national interest and pragmatism, which are two critical principles in foreign policy and national security policy.If the national interest is what determines a country’s goals and direction, pragmatism is what provides solutions for issues that arise. Pragmatism represents the empirical approach of relying on the facts when pursuing the truth and seeking solutions.But there was little evidence of such an attitude in the promises Yoon made during his campaign.Take for example Yoon’s position that North Korea must denuclearize before sanctions can be lifted. Pyongyang not only has nuclear facilities, fissile materials and nuclear warheads, but also a variety of delivery systems, including ICBMs. It’s not realistic to expect that a “denuclearization first” strategy of sanctions and pressure will be enough to convince Pyongyang to abandon all those assets. That’s a reality we need to face squarely as we work on more sophisticated alternatives.Cooperation with the US is essential for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and for maintaining the security of the Korean Peninsula. But our two countries’ national interests can’t coincide completely on every issue. While our alliance may be ironclad, not every policy held by Washington is necessarily correct. If we repeatedly accept every US policy without due consideration, we may find ourselves facing unintended consequences.In addition, it’s not wise to reject every policy of the previous government without considering its content. Even if Yoon believes that the Moon administration’s Korean Peninsula peace process wasn’t a success, he needs the wisdom and the courage to scrutinize the causes and infer the correct lessons.A country’s president is the final guardian of national security and architect of peace. The ultimate mission of the presidency is minimizing risk while maximizing the national interest. As the person responsible for the lives and possessions of 50 million Koreans, the commander-in-chief must not stoop to spur-of-the-movement adventurism or radical unilateralism.Roh Moo-hyun eventually approved sending troops to Iraq despite his personal objections, Lee Myung-bak took into account the political intricacy of relations with Japan, and Moon Jae-in never stopped cooperating with the US even while prioritizing inter-Korean relations. I suspect all three of those former presidents experienced similar soul-searching on those issues.I hope Yoon will remember that he is no exception to the structural limitations faced by his predecessors.Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
3. Zelensky tells Assembly Korea must do 'much more'
As President-elect Yoon wrote in his Foreign Affairs article in February, "South Korea needs to step up,"
Monday
April 11, 2022
Zelensky tells Assembly Korea must do 'much more'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses members of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday, to call for military assistance from Korea. [YONHAP]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Korea to send key military assets that might turn the tide in Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.
“Korea has the airplanes and tanks that we need today to fight off Russia,” said Zelensky in a virtual address to the National Assembly Monday. “Such weapons would not only save the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, but also give them an opportunity to save their country.”
Zelensky’s address to the Korean parliament came 47 days after Russia's invasion. Homes, schools, train stations and airports have been destroyed, forcing at least 4.5 million to flee the war, and another 1,793 civilians killed as of Saturday, according to the United Nations.
Korea provided military supplies such as bulletproof helmets and medical supplies, but has repeatedly dismissed requests for lethal weapons.
Most recently, Ukraine asked Korea for an anti-aircraft weapon system to shoot down helicopters and planes, during a call between the defense ministers on Friday. The Defense Ministry said the request was denied.
As in his addresses to other foreign parliaments, Zelensky made parallel references to the country’s past.
“Dear Koreans, you have experienced what it means to be in the heart of a warfare,” he said. “So many civilians lost their lives. But you overcame it, because you were not alone – it was with a lot of help from the international community that you were able to. We need the same, we need your help to persuade Russia to make a different choice.”
Zelensky was referring to the 1950-53 Korean War, which began with an invasion from the North and resulted in over 2.5 million civilian deaths. A total 16 countries sent troops to fight for South Korea, and an additional six sent medical and other forms of assistance.
Zelensky referred to the Holocaust in a speech to the Knesset in Israel, the Berlin Wall in addressing the German Bundestag and borrowed the words of Winston Churchill, “We will fight everywhere… and we will not surrender,” in speaking to British MPs.
Zelensky spoke in Ukrainian, which was interpreted into Korean.
Stressing that Russia intends to “wipe out” Ukraine, its people and culture by indiscriminately attacking more than 900 schools, train stations, airports and hospitals, as well as “slaughtering Ukrainian language teachers,” Zelensky said most cities in Ukraine were under attack, playing footage taken in Mariupol by a journalist at the end of his speech.
“Mariupol is one example out of many,” he said. “As president of Ukraine, I have to defend my country and my people. We are steadfast in our commitment to fight off Russia and we have received support from many countries including Korea, which we are grateful for, but we need much more.”
Following the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, the Korean government pledged $10 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and joined the global move to sanction Russia, removing Moscow from the SWIFT global messaging system and banning transactions with Russia’s central bank.
Korean representatives paid tribute to the valor of the Ukrainian people and their president.
“We stand here to salute the unwavering leadership of President Zelensky,” said Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party, addressing members of the Assembly on Monday. “The people of Korea are here to listen to the needs of Ukraine and to support the people of Ukraine.”
The conservative People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong cited killings in Bucha and called for swift action from Korea.
“We cannot but burn with anger at these indiscriminate killings of civilians,” Kweon said. “We know the depths of a war and what the people have to endure. The events in Ukraine are close to our hearts. Korea will join the international community to support Ukraine and wish for peace to come quickly."
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
4. NATO seeks ‘sustained’ military exchanges, ‘substantive’ defense cooperation with S.Korea
Not to bring up a sore subject for Koreans, but if war does break out on the Korean peninsula and NATO decides to commit forces the UN Command will be the headquarters through which the Commander of the ROK/US CFC will request and receive forces to doncut operations under his tactical control. The UNC will be able to RSO&I NATO forces and then provide them TACON to the ROK/US CFC for specific missions. The UNC Commander will make sure the right forces are provided for the right missions and will coordinate based on national caveats. The is one of the many positive contributions the UNC will make if there is a war.
NATO seeks ‘sustained’ military exchanges, ‘substantive’ defense cooperation with S.Korea
Chair of NATO Military Committee’s visit to S.Korea marks only second time
Published : Apr 11, 2022 - 15:23 Updated : Apr 11, 2022 - 17:28
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul (left) and chair of the NATO Military Committee, Adm. Rob Bauer, salute during an honor guard inspection on the JCS compound in central Seoul on Monday, prior to a bilateral meeting. (Joint Chiefs of Staff)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization seeks to enhance security cooperation with South Korea through “sustained” military exchanges, the chairman of its top military body said Monday, underscoring the significance of “substantive” defense cooperation.
NATO Military Committee Chair Adm. Rob Bauer made a rare trip to South Korea and held respective talks with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and Defense Minister Suh Wook.
The visit by the NATO Military Committee chief to the country marks only the second time, following the first such trip by then-Chairman Petr Pavel in May 2016.
Gen. Won and Adm. Bauer “discussed the security situation of the Korean Peninsula and the situation in Ukraine and ways to enhance military cooperation between South Korea and NATO” during the meeting in the morning, South Korea’s JCS said in a statement.
Bauer proposed to work together to “further strengthen the South Korea-NATO cooperation through sustained military exchanges,” underscoring that South Korea is an “important global partner of NATO.”
Won also called for “further reinforcing cooperation” between South Korea and NATO as “global security cooperation partners,” expressing his gratitude for NATO’s efforts to improve South Korea-NATO relations.
In addition, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee “extended his gratitude for South Korea’s proactive support” for Ukraine.
Won reiterated that South Korea has “joined the international community’s efforts to maintain international peace and swiftly solve” the crisis in Ukraine as a responsible member.
Both sides also shared the view that “North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile development pose a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula as well as regional security and world peace.”
South Korea’s JCS chairman also asked for NATO’s “continuous cooperation and support for the government’s various efforts for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.”
The purpose Bauer’s trip is to “enhance military exchanges between South Korea and NATO,” according to the JCS. The return visit also came after Won paid a call to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, last November.
The Military Committee, the top military body, advises on military policy and strategy to NATO and its Strategic Commanders.
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook(left) and chair of the NATO Military Committee Adm. Rob Bauer (Ministry of National Defense)
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook and Bauer also exchanged views on “ways to reinforce the South Korea-NATO security cooperation and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region” at a separate meeting held in the afternoon, the Defense Ministry said in another statement.
During the talks, the chair of the NATO Military Committee took note of the significance of the organization’s bilateral defense cooperation with South Korea.
Bauer said NATO “accords great importance to substantive cooperation with South Korea in the realm of defense,” emphasizing that NATO and South Korea “share core values including peace, democracy and human rights.”
Both sides also assessed that South Korea and NATO have “continuously strengthened mutual cooperation in a wide range of fields such as military exercise, cybersecurity and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense” since 2006.
In 2006, South Korea became one of nine “partners across the globe,” or “global partners,” of NATO, cooperating on a discrete basis.
Bauer’s visit is noteworthy given that NATO has sought to boost cooperation with existing Asia-Pacific global partners such as South Korea, Australia, and Japan.
NATO members agreed on the necessity to reinforce partnership with the countries at the NATO Brussels Summit in June 2021 in view of the challenges China and Russia pose to the rule-based international order and institutions and the shift in the global balance of power.
Against that backdrop, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the same month encouraged NATO to “deepen its cooperation” with South Korea, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
As part of such efforts, South Korea participated virtually and in person in a NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting last December and in April.
During Monday’s talks, Bauer also gave a briefing on the security situation in Europe, including the war in Ukraine, expressing his appreciation of South Korea’s “positive contribution” in the process of settling the crisis, the Defense Ministry said.
The South Korean military delivered 1 billion won ($811,000) of nonlethal military supplies including bulletproof helmets, blankets and medical items in March.
But South Korea’s defense minister rejected his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov’s request to provide anti-aircraft weapons during their phone talks on Friday, Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan confirmed Monday during a regular briefing.
Suh elucidated that Seoul has “constraints in providing lethal weapons systems to Ukraine, in light of the country’s security situation and its potential impact on the military’s readiness posture,” according to the spokesperson.
(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
5. USS Abraham Lincoln to be deployed near Korea this week: sources
Strong message to follow.
USS Abraham Lincoln to be deployed near Korea this week: sources | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is scheduled to enter the international waters of the East Sea later this week, informed sources here said Monday, in an apparent show of force to deter possible North Korean provocations.
The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group will stay in the waters for about five days in what would be the first such entry there since November 2017, according to the sources.
The move comes amid concerns that Pyongyang could engage in provocative acts, such as the launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile or a nuclear test, in time for its major political events later this month.
The North is set to celebrate the 110th birth anniversary of its late founding leader Kim Il-sung on Friday and the founding anniversary of the North Korean People's Revolutionary Army on April 25.
In November 2017, the U.S. sent three flattops -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- to the East Sea operational area, called the Korea Theater of Operations (KTO), in an unprecedented display of force against North Korea.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. Three North Koreans provide a glimpse of North Korea’s worsening economic situation
I cannot emphasize enough how we must pay attention to the indicators of possible internal instability.
The conditions inside north Korea are indescribably terrible.
Excerpts:
As the situation continues, people are reportedly growing pessimistic over the possibility of circumstances improving.
Kim said a person who starved to death in Chunggang several days ago left behind a note saying if he could die in peace even if he had “just a single mackerel and a single Pukchong apple to eat.”
Kim said struggling families are saying they would happily die if they could feed their children a meal of rice mixed with corn and some soybean soup. He noted that people have been quietly dying everywhere after holding out for two years since the closure of the border.
Park recalled that one day beggars turned up at a local market. Enforcement teams chased them out, and now they have all disappeared. He said more and more locals complain with the border closed and smuggling banned, they now have no hope at all.
Three North Koreans provide a glimpse of North Korea’s worsening economic situation
The three all said the authorities are responding to starvation deaths by stressing “self-reliance"
By Jeong Tae Joo - 2022.04.11 2:55pm
Market official on patrol in Sunchon, South Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)
North Koreans have recently begun facing a worsening economic situation, evidenced by reports that people are starving to death even within the country’s major cities.
In an early 2012 speech given immediately after he assumed national leadership, Kim Jong Un said he would simultaneously pursue nuclear armament and economic development. However, North Korea now faces severe economic troubles after years of international sanctions and now the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, early on in Kim’s reign, things were looking up, economically speaking. Kim prioritized policies embracing market economics, and with the market steadily growing, most observers felt the economy had grown. Many experts believed the purchasing power of North Koreans was continuing to grow, too.
However, the economy gradually deteriorated as international sanctions tightened due to nuclear tests and ICBM launches. And then fell the heavy blow of COVID-19.
With supplies from China falling, North Korea’s efforts to marketize the economy and shift to domestic production took hits. Without a proper flow of raw materials, factories and enterprises had to suspend operations, and worker salaries naturally fell as a result. In turn, more and more North Koreans now struggle to make a living.
In particular, North Korea’s unique brand of “COVID zero” policies have led to an almost complete shutdown of not only official trade, but also smuggling by companies or individuals. Of course, some government-sanctioned “state smuggling” has gone on through the port of Nampo, but most of that benefits only Pyongyang residents or the vested elite.
North Korea relaunched freight train service with China in mid-January, bringing food and other items into the country. However, ordinary people appear to benefit little from this, either. Essentially, ordinary people are failing to receive normal provisions of food and supplies amid the government’s indifference.
Recently, Daily NK sought to catch a better glimpse of North Korea’s recent economic situation through interviews with three ordinary North Koreans.
Fewer smoking chimneys and dead families in the mountains
The three North Koreans interviewed by Daily NK — an individual in his 50s from Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province identified by his family name of Ri, an individual in his 30s from Pochon County, Yanggang Province identified by his family name of Pak, and an individual in his 40s from Chasong County, Chagang Province identified by his family name of Kim — said that since the border closure, people who used to live day-by-day have been “dying one after the other.”
Ri said tragedy has struck his neighbors. He said he has seen many cases where neighbors have gone around begging for food, only for “smoke to stop rising from the chimneys of their homes a short time later.”
Kim offered more specific numbers. He said in Chasong County, about 40 people have starved to death, as have about 10 people in Hwapyong County. He said he just happened to overhear the figures, which were from a three-month period from January to March.
Pak, too, said the situation on the ground is miserable. He said people have quietly been disappearing from several villages since last November. Pak noted that the police have been unable to find them, even if you file a missing person report with the inminban (people’s units). He added that for the last several months, families continue to be found dead in hillside farm shacks.
Civilian search teams mobilized by the police have discovered these tragic scenes. Pak said people talk of discovering bodies in caves deep in the mountains.
Authorities focus on self-reliance, and warn against “incidents” around Kim Il Sung’s birthday
What are North Korea authorities doing about this? The three North Koreans all said the authorities are responding to starvation deaths by stressing “self-reliance.”
Kim said the authorities have tasked one person per four homes, or one person per each “harmonica housing unit” (North Korea’s particular form of multi-unit housing) with conducting morning inspections. This means one person is checking on several households.
The authorities are reportedly doing something similar in Pochon County, too. Pak said since the middle of last month, the Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Social Security have been calling on locals to go around every morning and see if smoke is rising from their neighbors’ chimneys. If there is no smoke, locals should knock on their doors and help them.
Moreover, the authorities are taking no particular measures regarding starvation deaths. Amid the neglect, locals are looking for their own solutions. In fact, Ri said leaders say nothing when people die, so the inminban simply go into the hills and bury the dead.
Locals complain that the authorities nonetheless focus their efforts on political propaganda. Ri said the Ministry of Social Security has been calling on locals to ensure there are no deaths — particularly of starvation — or disappearances on the 110th birthday of North Korea’s late founder Kim Il Sung.
Ri said the county party and a team from the people’s committee tasked with preparing for the Day of the Sun — the holiday marking Kim Il Sung’s birthday — have been going around the county holding lectures that call on people to find out which households are starving to prevent “unfortunate deaths” on the holiday.
Despair as people “quietly die off”
As the situation continues, people are reportedly growing pessimistic over the possibility of circumstances improving.
Kim said a person who starved to death in Chunggang several days ago left behind a note saying if he could die in peace even if he had “just a single mackerel and a single Pukchong apple to eat.”
Kim said struggling families are saying they would happily die if they could feed their children a meal of rice mixed with corn and some soybean soup. He noted that people have been quietly dying everywhere after holding out for two years since the closure of the border.
Park recalled that one day beggars turned up at a local market. Enforcement teams chased them out, and now they have all disappeared. He said more and more locals complain with the border closed and smuggling banned, they now have no hope at all.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
7. N. Korea launches sweeping reorganization of Workers’ Party ahead of Apr. 11
In the face of a crisis on a titanic scale, it is time to rearrange the deck chairs.
N. Korea launches sweeping reorganization of Workers’ Party ahead of Apr. 11
The shakeup will apparently result in about 300 to 350 cadres in the Central Committee alone being transferred elsewhere, a source told Daily NK
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can be seen speaking at the fourth plenary meeting of the 8th Workers’ Party of Korea Central Committee. (KCNA/Yonhap News)
A chill wind is blowing through North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea ahead of the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong Un’s assumption of party leadership. North Korean authorities have launched a sweeping reorganization of the party organization, putting party cadres at risk of being “structurally readjusted” out of their jobs.
According to a high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea on Friday, North Korea handed down an order regarding the party shakeup early last month, calling on officials to complete the reorganization before Apr. 11, the anniversary of Kim’s ascension to first secretary of the party.
According to the source, the order focuses on merging party departments and reducing personnel, with the reorganization currently underway in the Central Committee and provincial parties. Above all, the shakeup will apparently result in about 300 to 350 cadres in the Central Committee alone being transferred elsewhere.
The reorganization is reportedly targeting older cadres who perform no substantive work within the party, as well as cadres who have done little but protect their positions for the last 10 years. These cadres will likely move to the Pyongyang city party, municipal district parties, or enterprises and factories under the party’s administration.
However, even if they are sent to enterprises or factories, they are likely to be given party secretary positions related to their original jobs.
The source said North Korea has embarked on this shakeup marking Kim’s 10th anniversary of becoming first secretary to simplify the party’s reporting system and strengthen direct centralized control.
Critics have long noted that the party is awash in so many reports going up the line — from the Central Committee to the lowest local party body — that party orders are not being properly conveyed or executed.
In particular, the Central Committee reportedly plans to organize meetings of important regional cadres after the party shakeup, directly evaluating and reviewing the situation across the country. The Central Committee will thus strengthen its system of administration and control over its subordinate organizations.
There is also reportedly talk inside and outside the party that the shakeup was an inevitable choice linked with shortages of party funds. With rations for cadres in short supply, the party is cutting personnel.
According to the source, people say the party took the measure because it can no longer give cadres everything they need for free, so they are sending reshuffled cadres to ranches, factories, and farms where there are economic benefits to be had.
North Korea later plans to reorganize city and county party organizations, though whether it will reorganize the country’s mass organizations as well remains unknown.
North Korea also reportedly plans to hold a national report convention or commemorative rally to mark the 10th anniversary of Kim’s assumption of the party’s leadership.
The country’s leadership apparently hopes the event will promote Kim’s accomplishments over the last decade and bolster ideological activities and loyalty to Kim himself, as well as improve internal unity. Relatedly, the source said all party officials will gather on Apr. 11 to offer oaths of loyalty.
The source said this is the first such “loyalty oath” gathering or commemorative rally to mark the anniversary of Kim’s promotion to first secretary.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Seulkee Jang is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about her articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
8. Lack of food leads to deaths from hunger in Sinuiju
Again, I do not think we can comprehend the scale of suffering in north Korea. We must be alert for indicators of instability and its effects on the regime.
Lack of food leads to deaths from hunger in Sinuiju
North Koreans can neither dig up wild vegetables in the mountains nor go fishing in rivers due to COVID-19 restrictions
By Ha Yoon Ah -2022.04.11 9:57am
The Yalu River between Dandong, China (right) and Sinuiju, North Korea (left). (Daily NK)
As North Korea’s food shortages continue to worsen, the number of food-poor households is increasing in the country. Even people in Sinuiju, a city that sits on the China-North Korea border, have collapsed from starvation.
According to a North Pyongan Province-based source on Mar. 31, “Recently, people have starved to death in Sinuiju city limits.” He added that, “There are many households where three to four people collapse from starvation.”
Daily NK understands from sources in the country that there has been a recent increase in the number of households in urban and rural areas that are unable to eat even one proper meal a day. Essentially, there is no food, and food-poor households are increasing.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK in March that the number of food-poor households within North Korea has been increasing rapidly. Prior to that, a source from North Hamgyong Province reported that a local family died of starvation.
Even Sinuiju, a major city in the northwest region of North Korea, has recently run out of food. News that families in the city are starving to death has started to spread in the country.
Sinuiju has developed as a major base of China-North Korea trade and many North Koreans perceive Sinuiju as a relatively “good city to live in.” Recent news of people starving in the city, however, has shocked many in the country.
“After the Lunar New Year’s holiday, people began dying of starvation [in the city],” the source said. “Last year, there were people dying of starvation in villages near the outskirts of Sinuiju. This year, with less food to go around compared to last year and starvation deaths happening inside the city, people are becoming more afraid [of food shortages].”
The source went on to report that, “I’ve heard that deaths due to starvation have occurred from Manpo-dong in the north to the southern part of the city. People generally thought the food situation was better in these areas because some people have private plots of land to farm on, but even those areas are facing difficulties [from food shortages].”
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, North Korean authorities are forbidding the movement of people in the country under the pretext of preventing spread of the virus. North Koreans can neither dig up wild vegetables in the mountains nor go fishing in rivers. As a result, the number of households that cannot hold out any longer is increasing, the source said.
Given these circumstances, the feeling among many North Koreans is one of growing fear over food shortages. Some are evening saying that “dying of starvation is scarier than COVID-19,” according to the source.
Translated by Jason Mallet
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Ha Yoon Ah is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about her articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
9. Koreans set to get a year younger as Yoon seeks to ditch ‘Korean age’
Koreans will get younger. Sometimes it is difficult for non-Koreans to comprehend this age convention.
Koreans set to get a year younger as Yoon seeks to ditch ‘Korean age’
Published : Apr 11, 2022 - 16:35 Updated : Apr 11, 2022 - 17:56
Rep. Lee Yong-ho of the People Power Party holds a press briefing on changing the “Korean age” in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)
The transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday that it would amend laws to use international age instead of “Korean age” to reduce social and economic costs associated with allowing more than one way to count age.
Under the Korean age system, Koreans are 1 year old at birth, and they get a year older on New Year’s Day regardless of their birth date. The system is widely used, though official records usually follow the international norm that starts at zero and counts the number of years since birth.
Support for transitioning to the international system grew louder in January this year, when health authorities used the two systems interchangeably to set the age bracket for the vaccine pass mandate and vaccine eligibility. Some were unable to get their shots, but were still required to show proof of vaccination.
“If we stick to the international age system, we will no longer see the social and economic costs associated with all the confusion and inconvenience arising from the age gap,” said Rep. Lee Yong-ho of Yoon’s People Power Party, who oversees political, legal and public services at the transition committee.
Lee said the committee would amend the Civil Code and a law dealing with how the government should run public services in order to make the international age the leading standard in everyday life.
Laws that also need revision to reflect the latest change will be taken care of later, Lee added, saying his team will look into other rules that rely on a compromise of the two systems as well. They involve conscripting men for military duty or defining juveniles to afford them protections against abuse.
The two laws count the number of years since birth as per the international norm, but do not take into account the individual’s actual date of birth. In other words, babies born in January and December are the same age despite the difference in months in which they were born.
The compromise has rendered a more efficient way for the government to handle services involving large populations.
“There is a reason for the kind of compromise in such laws and we will consult with experts before we think about changing them too,” Lee said, stressing however that embracing the international age system has clear upside in most cases.
Lee referred to a recent Supreme Court decision in a wage dispute complaint where the top court ruled that workers should consider their international age when the company officially communicates to them its plan involving setting extra wages.
“There would be much less confusion if we could have the same idea of what it means to be how old we actually are,” Lee said, noting that the change his team is seeking to take effect would come as early as next year.
And amending the existing laws to see the change is much easier than asking the National Assembly to approve new legislation endorsing the change, Lee said, referring to 2021 and 2019, when two separate lawmakers, respectively, proposed legislation to back the international age system.
The two bills were not signed into law.
“I don’t expect any kind of pushback from the National Assembly this time,” Lee said, noting the parliament, where President Moon Jae-in’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea holds majority control, would not oppose Yoon’s move because the lawmaker who tried the legislation in 2021 was from Moon’s party.
Seven out of 10 Koreans supported the change, according to pollster HanKook Research, which surveyed 1,000 South Korean adults in December last year.
10. Yoon agrees on importance of joint military exercises with U.S.: official
Good news. I hope USFK is provided with additional training resources to take advantage of these stars aligning
Yoon agrees on importance of joint military exercises with U.S.: official | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly shared the importance of combined military exercises between the United States and South Korea when he visited a U.S. military base last week, a transition team official said Monday.
Yoon visited Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Thursday and reportedly talked about U.S.-South Korea military exercises, according to the official.
"Whether it is U.S.-South Korea combined exercise or a solo exercise, the two sides were on the same page in regard to the importance of having exercises," the official said.
Since 2018, the joint military exercise between the two nations has been taking the form of a computer-simulated command post exercise without field training.
Yoon's stance on the combined military exercise could be a precursor to the resumption of field exercises as well as conducting a tabletop exercise (TTX), the official said.
TTX is designed to strengthen the allies' tailored deterrence against the threats by North Korea but has not been regularly held between the two nations.
In his contributing article for the Foreign Affairs magazine in February, Yoon stressed that TTX, which was conducted on only two occasions during the Moon Jae-in administration, should be held regularly.
Yoon met with Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), in his visit to Camp Humphreys last week.
Yoon's transition team then said the president-elect stated "his determination to further increase the solidarity of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and strengthen deterrence and the response posture against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats."
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)
11. S.Korea to Launch Homegrown Spy Satellites
S.Korea to Launch Homegrown Spy Satellites
April 11, 2022 13:11
South Korea is planning to launch its first homegrown military surveillance satellite in late 2023, according to the military Sunday.
The spy satellite is the key element in a "kill chain" to detect North Korean preparations for a nuclear or missile attack in advance and take preemptive action before it is launched. It will be launched by a rocket from SpaceX, Elon Musk's commercial space company.
In 2020, South Korea also launched a military communications satellite atop a SpaceX rocket.
A SpaceX rocket that will carry Korean spy satellites /Courtesy of SpaceX
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, five military surveillance satellites will be launch on Falcon 9 rockets under a project for South Korea to achieve a little more independence from the U.S. in military surveillance.
SpaceX was chosen in a public bid last year. The five 800-kg spy satellites will be put into orbit by 2025, beginning with the first launch from the U.S. mainland late next year.
The project has a budget of about W1.22 trillion (US$1=W1,229). It was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2013 but did not get underway until four years later.
Once the five satellites are up and running, Seoul can gather intelligence on major facilities in the North including missile bases and nuclear test sites every two hours.
At the moment it has to rely on the U.S. and other countries for most of its satellite intelligence about the North.
DAPA was keen to emphasize that it did not pick SpaceX to be fashionable. "We held an international bid because a large 800-kg spy satellite is too heavy for our own space launch vehicle Nuri, which is currently at the test stage," a DAPA spokesman said. "The price offered by SpaceX based on a recycled rocket was highly competitive."
Once the five satellites are launched, South Korea needs to launch several mini satellites to complement them. A large satellite can shoot images for only three to four minutes each time it flies over North Korea at intervals of two hours, and DAPA wants to plug these gaps.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
12. Toward diplomacy based on values and norms
A thoughtful OpEd from a good friend of many of us. I agree with many of his points. But I take some exception that South Korea cannot both lead in denuclearization and engagement efforts with north KOrea and focus on sustaining a strong alliance.And I do not think South Korea will even simply follow the US without question or do what it asks to sustain the alliance. South Korea will and must act in its own interests and I believe the US respects and expects that as well.
Sunday
April 10, 2022
Toward diplomacy based on values and norms
Yoon Young-kwan
The author, a former foreign minister, is an emeritus professor at Seoul National University.
The invasion of Ukraine will be remembered as Russia’s fatal mistake. As a result of President Vladimir Putin’s misjudgment of reactions from Ukraine and NATO, his initial strategy of setting up a satellite government across the border in a blitzkrieg-like operation has failed. Due to all-out sanctions on the Russian economy, weakness of the Russian forces, and global condemnation of killings of civilians, Russia’s international stature will be weakened rather than raised.
The Ukraine war offers South Korea some significant lessons. First of all, the war has reminded us of the importance of values and norms in international politics. As the right to self-determination — or the right of a people to determine its own destiny — is an internationally-recognized norm, it cannot be forgiven if a big country tramples on that right with military force. If we approve this invasion, it’s the same as endorsing Japan’s colonization of Joseon in the early 20th century through the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05).
After the Ukraine war, we are reminded that values, principles and international norms serve as an important shield for countries like South Korea with high geopolitical risks and strong neighbors. Our diplomacy should be based on internationally-accepted values such as democracy, sovereignty, human rights in an even more unequivocal way than before. Above all, the government must engage in diplomacy based on our identity as a democratic state as stipulated in Article One of the Constitution.
And yet, Korea’s diplomacy would pose a problem due to an apparent divergence between its national identity — a democratic state — and its diplomatic lines despite the need to make them coherent. Such a lack of consistency shows a stark contrast with Singapore, which chose to participate in international sanctions on Russia in a more resolute way than Seoul.
Let’s consider some strategic implications of the Ukraine war. After shifting the focus to the Indo-Pacific, the United States has to deal with Russia in Europe and China in Asia at the same time. The dilemma will inevitably force the U.S. to give more defense burdens to NATO in Europe and its allies in Asia while trying to reinforce alliances in the two theaters. As Germany’s recent decision to noticeably increase its defense budget suggests, more pressure will be put on South Korea to improve its relations with Japan and strengthen its self-defense capability. If the incoming administration in Korea can accommodate such requests and engage in global diplomacy to help address international challenges such as climate change, the pandemic and development cooperation, it can help lift Korea’s global stature as a Top 10 economy and augment its alliance with the U.S.
The Ukraine war also poses implications on the North Korean issue. After sitting on its hand over the thorny issue throughout 2021, the U.S. cannot afford to pay attention to North Korea even after it test-fired an allegedly advanced ICBM, because America has to deal with the Ukraine war first.
That critical mismatch offers Seoul an opportunity to take leadership in resolving nuclear threats from North Korea. Requesting the U.S. extend its nuclear deterrence is important. But if the new administration in South Korea bets all on reaffirming the deterrence, the North Korean issue could go adrift in a new Cold War contest between the North Korea-China-Russia axis and the South Korea-U.S.-Japan axis — and eventually lead to a repeat of the heightened tension in 2017. If the new administration can restore the alliance successfully, it can have more diplomatic leeway to solve the conundrum in a direction it wants. What matters is the new conservative government’s diplomatic skills.
Lastly, the war in Ukraine has implications for South Korea’s external strategy. After the war sharpened a contest between democratic and authoritarian systems, America wants to take advantage of small-sized multilateral networks — such as the Quad, Aukus, Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) — to keep China in check, which carries similarities with Bismarck’s foreign policy in the 1870s and 80s after the German unification.
But the problem is that as long as South Korea relies on the alliance for security, it can hardly refuse a request for cooperation from America.
Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
13. Ukraine war: Seoul rejects Kyiv’s request for anti-aircraft weapons ahead of Zelensky’s speech to South Korean parliament
Sigh... To say again, President-elect Yoon's Foreign Affairs article notes that South Korea must step up. This is one area in which it should.
Ukraine war: Seoul rejects Kyiv’s request for anti-aircraft weapons ahead of Zelensky’s speech to South Korean parliament
Seoul earlier rejected a request to send weapons to Ukraine saying its aid was confined to non-lethal materials
South Korea has in recent years boosted arms exports and a military expert said Ukraine wants the Cheongung ground-to-air missiles that can engage incoming aircraft and ballistic missile targets
By Park Chan-Kyong South China Morning Post3 min
A man rides a bicycle past a hotel destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, this month. Photo: Reuters
South Korea has turned down a Ukrainian request for anti-aircraft weaponry because of its “principled stance” on not providing lethal hardware to the war-torn country, a defence ministry official said in Seoul on Monday.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the request was made when Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov called his South Korean counterpart Suh Wook on Friday.
“The Ukrainian defence minister asked for weapons for air defence and Minister Suh politely repeated the South Korean government’s principled stance that its aid is confined to non-lethal materials,” he told This Week in Asia.
The Chosun newspaper, quoting another defence ministry official who was not named, said Reznikov wanted South Korea to supply its “Shingung” shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, which are marketed internationally as the “Chiron”.
Shingung missiles have been shown to be highly efficient in destroying low-flying targets such as helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft.
South Korea has provided Ukraine with some 1 billion won (US$813,100) in non-lethal military supplies, including bulletproof helmets, blankets and medical items.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to give a virtual address to the South Korean parliament later on Monday, where he is likely to repeat his call for more weapons and supplies.
He addressed Japan’s Diet last month, calling for a trade embargo against Russia. Japan has imposed broad sanctions against Russia and while it has no plans to send weapons to Ukraine, it has shipped non-lethal military aid – a significant move given its pacifist constitution. Tokyo is also moving towards developing its offensive capabilities to hit back in the event of an attack on the country.
To provide bulletproof vests, helmets and etc. for Ukraine, JSDF is loading them onto KC-767. This kind of mission is the first case for us, but we will do our utmost to swiftly deliver them to #Ukraine.
— Japan Ministry of Defense/Self-Defense Forces (@ModJapan_en) March 8, 2022
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told members of the transatlantic security alliance Nato in Brussels on Thursday that Seoul plans to provide Ukraine with additional humanitarian aid worth US$30 million.
Ukraine has received about 25,000 anti-aircraft weapons systems from the United States and its allies, helping Kyiv prevent Russia from establishing air superiority that would have aided Moscow’s ground invasion, the US’ top general said on Thursday.
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US and its allies had also supplied Ukraine with 60,000 anti-tank systems.
Zelensky directly pleaded to lawmakers and the White House during an address to Congress on Wednesday to quickly send weapons capable of defending his country’s skies from Russia’s missile and aerial attacks.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Park Chan-kyong is a South Korean journalist who has worked for the Agence France-Presse Seoul bureau for 35 years. He is now working for the South China Morning Post. He studied political science at Korea University and economics at the Yonsei University Graduate School.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
