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Quotes of the Day:
"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves."
- Lord Byron
"Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility."
- Sigmund Freud
"Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.”
- Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War
1. N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM to improve nuclear counterattack posture
2. Ministry officially uses term 'N. Korea's denuclearization' in white paper on unification
3. No reason to believe U.S. tapped S. Korea's presidential office: official
4. Opposition leader calls for joint probe with U.S. into eavesdropping allegations
5. "Human rights experts and North Korean defectors urge President Yoon to emphasize 'human rights-first' policy and 'information inflow to North Korea' in his speech to the US Congress."
6. Sohae Satellite Launching Station: New Southeast Seaport Rapidly Taking Shape
7. N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM for 1st time
8. NATO condemns North Korea's missile test, calls for end to provocations
9. ROK-US need to demonstrate a determination of resolute nuclear deterrence
10. Presidential office: It will not request apology for US wiretapping allegation
11. North says it test-fired solid-fuel ICBM, South confirms it
12. North Korea making knockoff rice cookers from closed South Korean factory in Kaesong
13. Most Forced Labor Victims Accept Compensation from Korean Fund
14. S. Korea, US to sign cybersecurity pact during Yoon-Biden summit
15. N. Korean military reinforces discipline of signalmen after deadly mishandling of documents
16. South Korea faces ‘Sophie’s choice’ over sending weapons to Ukraine
17. US Intelligence Leak Complicates Summit With South Korea
18. North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of 'extreme' horror
1. N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM to improve nuclear counterattack posture
Yes, this could be a significant development. I am still waiting for experts to weigh in with credible assessments.
(LEAD) N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM to improve nuclear counterattack posture | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 14, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more details; AMENDS headline; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Friday said the missile used in its recent launch was its new solid-fuel "Hwasong-18" intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with leader Kim Jong-un claiming that the launch significantly improved its nuclear counterattack posture.
Kim guided Thursday's launch and said the new ICBM "radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported in an English-language dispatch.
"The aim of the test-fire was to confirm the performance of the high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multi-stage missiles and the reliability of the stage-jettisoning technology and various functional control systems," the KCNA said.
"The test-fire confirmed that all the parameters of the new strategic weapon system fully met the requirements of the design in terms of accuracy," it said.
It said the missile's first stage landed in waters 10 kilometers off Kumya County, South Hamgyong Province, while the second stage fell into waters 335 km east of Orang County, North Hamgyong Province.
The North's leader also said Pyongyang will continue "offensive" actions so that its enemies suffer from "extreme uneasiness and horror," and proposed "important strategic tasks" to strengthen the country's nuclear force, the KCNA said, without elaborating.
Solid-fuel missiles are faster to shoot and harder to detect ahead of a launch.
On Thursday, South Korea's military said the North fired an intermediate- or longer-range ballistic missile that flew 1,000 kilometers before landing in the East Sea.
The latest launch comes just days ahead of the 111th birthday of the late Kim Il-sung, the North's national founder and the current leader's grandfather, on Saturday.
It also comes amid heightened tensions on the peninsula as the North has not responded to routine cross-border calls through inter-Korean liaison and military communication lines since last Friday.
Pyongyang has recently conducted other major weapons tests, such as what it claimed to be underwater nuclear attack drones.
A news report on North Korea's missile launch is aired on a television at Seoul Station in central Seoul on April 13, 2023. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 14, 2023
2. Ministry officially uses term 'N. Korea's denuclearization' in white paper on unification
The 36 page MOU White Paper on unification can be accessed here. https://www.unikorea.go.kr/eng_unikorea/news/Publications/Related%20Documents/?boardId=bbs_0000000000000179&mode=view&cntId=2
I have been unable to download it but I was able to use the viewer to read it.
There is a lot to parse and I will study it further and comment on it. Some of the points in the white paper should find their way into the Yoon-Biden Summit Joint Statement. on April 26.
This is the key excerpt from the article below. We need to pay attention to this:
"The priority of the government's unification and North Korea policy has been shifted to efforts to denuclearize North Korea, normalize the inter-Korean ties, improve the North's human rights records and prepare for unification," the ministry said.
The key point from the unification policy:
The Yoon Suk Yeol government does not seek unification by absorption, but instead will pursue peaceful unification based on a free and democratic order.
Ministry officially uses term 'N. Korea's denuclearization' in white paper on unification | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · April 14, 2023
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry officially used the term "North Korea's denuclearization" in the first white paper on inter-Korean affairs issued by the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration Friday.
In the annual Unification White Paper, the ministry also stressed the need to improve the North's human rights situation, and used terminology that was not used under the former liberal government in an apparent bid to highlight the government's tough stance on the North.
"North Korea has maintained a hard-line stance against South Korea and the United States. Amid chronic economic difficulties, the North has continued its nuclear and missile provocations, escalating security uneasiness on the Korean Peninsula," it said.
In the white paper, the ministry used the term "the denuclearization of North Korea" instead of the "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," in an apparent bid to clarify the North should give up its nuclear programs.
The former Moon Jae-in government officially used the latter in reference to the 1992 Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In the latest document, the ministry also preferred to use "the U.S.-North Korea relations" rather than the widely used expression "North Korea-U.S ties."
President Yoon took office in May 2022, pledging to be tough against the North's provocative acts. It also proposed an "audacious initiative" aimed at helping Pyongyang develop its economy in return for denuclearization steps.
"The priority of the government's unification and North Korea policy has been shifted to efforts to denuclearize North Korea, normalize the inter-Korean ties, improve the North's human rights records and prepare for unification," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the two Koreas had no mutual visits by personnel and saw zero trade volume last year amid the frayed inter-Korean ties and the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the ministry showed.
The value of humanitarian aid to the North reached 2.6 billion won (US$2 million) last year, down from 3.1 billion won from the previous year.
This image, provided by the Ministry of Unification, shows the cover of the Unification White Paper that was first issued under the Yoon Seok Yeol administration. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · April 14, 2023
3. No reason to believe U.S. tapped S. Korea's presidential office: official
Some irony here. The ROK is using its own "whataboutism" to justify the possibility of US actions. I hope people can appreciate what a good ally the ROK is trying to be! But frankly I disagree with this line of effort. I think it is going to blowback because it appears that the ROK is giving the US a pass because of the alliance and it does not want to cause friction. My recommendation is that the ROK should make a strong statement that it does not appreciate the intelligence collection action and demand an apology, And then the US should apologize. And then both countries should move on and not address it again and in response to the press repeatedly bringin it up the ROK can say we demanded an apology and we received one and therefore nothing more needs to be said. Next question.
Excerpts:
"Every country has the possibility of gathering intelligence on us. We too cannot guarantee that we are not engaged in such activities toward others," the official said.
"It means that based on what the South Korean government has determined, there is no evidence to conclude that the U.S. has wiretapped us. It means that we assume there has not been any malicious activities so far," the official added.
No reason to believe U.S. tapped S. Korea's presidential office: official | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 14, 2023
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, April 13 (Yonhap) -- There still exists no hard evidence that the United States has eavesdropped on conversations at South Korea's presidential office, a ranking South Korean official said Thursday.
The official said there was no reason to believe the U.S. conducted any malicious activities in Seoul.
"From what the South Korean government has determined so far, there isn't any reason to conclude that the U.S. has wiretapped us," the official said while meeting with reporters in Washington, asking not to be identified.
"We believe there has not been any malicious activities" committed by the U.S., the official added.
Earlier news reports suggested that U.S. intelligence services may have eavesdropped on conversations at South Korea's presidential office, citing classified documents allegedly leaked from the U.S. Department of Defense and shared on social media.
Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser at the South Korean presidential office, earlier said there was no reason to believe the U.S. has acted with any malicious intention toward Seoul, also noting that a great deal of the allegedly leaked documents appeared to have been fabricated.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that intelligence collecting activities may not always be malicious, saying all countries may engage in such activities.
"Every country has the possibility of gathering intelligence on us. We too cannot guarantee that we are not engaged in such activities toward others," the official said.
"It means that based on what the South Korean government has determined, there is no evidence to conclude that the U.S. has wiretapped us. It means that we assume there has not been any malicious activities so far," the official added.
The official also insisted that the leaked information did not reveal any sensitive intelligence.
"It is clear that the disclosed information does not correspond to facts as far as I understand," the official said.
"The mutual trust between South Korea and the U.S. in sharing information and preparing for the (Korea-U.S.) summit is firmly operating," added the official, referring to the upcoming summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, set to be held in the U.S. capital on April 26.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 14, 2023
4. Opposition leader calls for joint probe with U.S. into eavesdropping allegations
Hopefully the opposition is also miscalculating here. Of course their political base will support this.
Opposition leader calls for joint probe with U.S. into eavesdropping allegations | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · April 14, 2023
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called on the government Friday to consider demanding a joint investigation with the United States into suspected eavesdropping on the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Lee, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), also said the government should demand an official apology from the U.S., accusing the government of trying to paper over the incident with "unreasonable" claims and "sophistry."
"We cannot safeguard our sovereignty and national interest with a submissive attitude," he said. "We're now even seeing U.S. news reports that the president of South Korea is downplaying the case. We are failing to defend the minimum level of pride."
U.S. media have reported that purported Pentagon documents have been leaked online that include information gleaned from eavesdropping on conversations of top South Korean officials about whether to provide weapons aid to Ukraine.
The government has since rejected eavesdropping allegations as "absurd and false," arguing that it believes much of the information contained in the documents was fabricated and the presidential office has all anti-eavesdropping systems in place.
"It is not time to tiptoe around the U.S. Rather, as equal sovereign countries, we should confidently demand the uncovering of the truth and receive a formal apology from the U.S. government," Lee said in a party meeting.
Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks at a party meeting at the National Assembly on April 14, 2023. (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 이민지 · April 14, 2023
5. "Human rights experts and North Korean defectors urge President Yoon to emphasize 'human rights-first' policy and 'information inflow to North Korea' in his speech to the US Congress."
"Human rights experts and North Korean defectors urge President Yoon to emphasize 'human rights-first' policy and 'information inflow to North Korea' in his speech to the US Congress."
https://www.voakorea.com/a/7041487.html
North Korean citizens in Pyongyang watched a performance on February 16 to celebrate the 81st birthday of Kim Jong-il, the former leader of North Korea.
Human rights experts and North Korean defectors said Yoon Seok-yeol, South Korean president should emphasize the importance of human right-centered North Korea policies and information inflow about North Korea in upcoming speech at the US Congress at the end of April.
There has been a suggestion that it is necessary to make it clear that North Korean human rights are not a negotiating topic.
This is Kim Yeong-kwon reporting.
US human right experts said that they hope Yoon Seok-yeol, South Korean president, about to make a speech at US Congress Joint Convention on April 27th, to surely emphasize North Korean human right problems.
Robert King, the former North Korean Human Right Ambassador-at-large at US department of state, said to VOA on April 7th that the president Yoon should suggest North Korean human rights problem in the speech explaining that US Congress has traditionally supported the improvement of North Korean human rights.
[Transcript: The former ambassador-at-large King] “Congress is supportive of efforts to deal with North Korea's human rights problem. The US adopted the North Korean Human Rights Act. They've renewed it periodically. I think it's one of many issues on which the United States and South Korea are very much in agreement. And I think the North Korea human rights issue should be raised in this speech,”
The former ambassador-at-large King said, “Congress is supportive of efforts to deal with North Korea’s human rights problem” and “The US adopted the North Korean Human Rights Act and they’ve renewed it periodically.”
Furthermore, he emphasized that North Korea’s human rights problem is “one of the many agendas that US and South Korea strongly agree” and “Upcoming speech should suggest North Korea’s human rights problem.”
The former ambassador-at-large King wished that President Yoon to emphasize the continuous cooperation between two countries on the problem and added “I hope President Yoon to say that he looks forward to the passage of the bill”.
The executive director of the private organization in Washington DC, the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Greg Scarlatoiu, said that he hopes President Yoon will emphasize the human rights first policy through his congressional speech.
[Transcript: Executive Director Scarlatiou] “It is time for a paradigm shift. Let's lead with human rights. Let us implement human rights upfront policy on North Korea, involving serious information campaigns, relying on content customized for all socio-economic strata in North Korea.”
Executive Director Scarlatoiu hopes President Yoon emphasizes the importance of a human rights-based policy through his speech at the upcoming Congress. Scarlatoiu particularly wants President Yoon to declare that it is a "time for a paradigm shift" and to "lead with human rights." He especially emphasized the need for a human rights-based policy towards North Korea, including a serious information campaign relying on customized content for all socio-economic strata.
Executive Director Scarlatiou has pointed out that there was not any positive result even though they focused North Korea policy and negotiation on the nuclear and missiles agenda for the past 30 years regarding human rights as an obstacle.
Additionally, he said that over the President Yoon’s state visit to the US, South Korea and US should push ahead to support the use of advanced technology to enable North Korean citizens to access the internet via mobile phones.
North Korean defectors from elite backgrounds also emphasized the importance of President Yoon highlighting not only the severity of North Korea's human rights issues to the international community, but also awakening the consciousness of North Korean authorities
Lee Hyun-seung, a researcher at the Global Peace Foundation, active in Washington as a child of a North Korean elite
[Transcript: Researcher Lee Hyun-seung] “It is important to inform the international community, but it is actually more important to inform internally (about external information). Especially, many of people who lead the society, in other words assailants who commit human rights’ abuses do not think that they are committing human rights’ abuses. Therefore, it is necessary to inform them clearly that what they are doing is a clear violation of human rights and a crime, so that even they hesitate.”
Researcher Lee urged President Yoon to emphasize two things regarding North Korean human rights in his speech to the US Congress."
[Transcript: Researcher Lee Hyun-seung] "Firstly, I would like President Yoon to clearly mention that North Korean human rights cannot be used as a bargaining chip. Please emphasize that this is an inalienable right of North Korean residents. Secondly, I hope President Yoon will clearly state that the responsibility for North Korean human rights lies with North Korean dictators.”
Serious human rights violations in North Korea and leader Kim Jong-un's dictatorial regime cannot be separated, so it is necessary to clearly establish the responsibility of the supreme leader for human rights crimes.
Ryu Hyun-woo, former deputy ambassador to Kuwait's North Korean embassy who sought asylum in South Korea in 2019, expressed his hope that President Yoon would declare his commitment to consistency on North Korean human rights regardless of the unique nature of inter-Korean relations or negotiating conditions."
[Transcript: Former Deputy Ambassador Ryu Hyun-woo] "Every time there is a change in government, there is a phenomenon of North Korean human rights losing direction and inconsistency. So, I hope there will be consistency on this issue. We must consistently uphold the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights held by the free world without wavering."
Former Deputy Ambassador Ryu also expressed his hope that President Yoon would emphasize in his speech that North Korean citizens are the agents of change and that the efforts of the international community to awaken them are of paramount importance."
[Transcript: Former Deputy Ambassador Ryu Hyun-woo] “First of all, aren't people the agents of change, including all activities such as coups and revolutions? So I see changing the consciousness of those people as the first step. Don't we also need to understand that we are the ones who need to recognize human rights as human rights? That's what I mean by making people aware."
Suzanne Scholte, the chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC) which is supported by over 70 civil society organizations and activists around the world, expressed great appreciation for President Yoon's recent emphasis on the human rights of North Korean citizens. She expects that President Yoon will continue to emphasize this issue in his speech to the US Congress, and emphasized that the most important thing is to strengthen campaigns to save the lives of North Korean defectors in China and provide objective information to the people of North Korea.
She added that "We hope that North Korean citizens will have the same rights as citizens of South Korea and the United States."
[Transcript: Chairman Scholte] “We want the people of North Korea to have the same rights as the people of South Korea, the United States. They are not their enemy. The enemy of the North Korean people is Kim Jong-un.”
She said, "The people of South Korea and the United States are not enemies of North Korean citizens, and their enemy is Kim Jong-un."
This is Kim Young-kwon with VOA.
Translated by Nathan Choe, HRNK Research Intern
Prepared by Jack Boone, HRNK Research Intern
6. Sohae Satellite Launching Station: New Southeast Seaport Rapidly Taking Shape
imagery at the link.
Sohae Satellite Launching Station: New Southeast Seaport Rapidly Taking Shape
https://www.38north.org/2023/04/sohae-satellite-launching-station-new-southeast-seaport-rapidly-taking-shape/
Commercial satellite imagery of North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicates that construction of the new southeast seaport has picked up pace over the past month, and considerable progress has been made. Additionally, the road from this port to the Sohae complex is becoming better defined as grading and road surface buildup continue.
Progress on other key facilities at Sohae, including modifications to the launch pad, has been slow in recent weeks. Completing the seaport, road and tunnel construction will make it possible for certain types of equipment or materials to be shipped to Sohae to support the modernization efforts.
Seaport Construction
In imagery from March 20, the beginnings of a new quay were observed, and a rectangular area had been dredged at its center area, possibly to assess how much the harbor (formed by the jetty and quay) could be deepened to enable operations at low tide. Alternatively, this dredged area may have been prepared to lay the foundation for a future wharf. That image was taken during low tide, revealing a rocky coastline and shallow waters and the dangers they present to navigation.
Figure 1. Newly dredged area in the center of the quay. Image Pleiades NEO © Airbus DS 2023. For media options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
An April 9 image, capturing probable mid-tide conditions, showed the dredged area had since been filled back in with sediment. In order to prevent continual sediment incursion, a second parallel jetty to the east may be planned, which would extend sufficiently away from the coast to block adjoining sediment from entering and filling the harbor.
In the period between the two images, approximately 180 meters of quay wall has been added.
Additionally, on April 9, two fishing boats with nets extended and two small cargo vessels were present. One of the vessels was moored to the leeward side of the jetty with its gangplank lowered and unidentified material deposited on the jetty. By April 12, the fishing boats and the offshore cargo vessels had departed. One cargo vessel was moored next to the jetty, and two small craft were observed nested together offshore.
Figure 2. Dredged area filled back in, and approximately 180 meters of quay wall has been added. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Connecting Roadway Construction
Construction on a new road, which will connect the seaport via a new access tunnel to the secure Sohae complex, is also progressing rapidly.
Presently, three roads follow the east coastline from the workers’ camp and fishing village south to the new seaport. The lower of these, and closest to the sea, is the original road. The second was established more recently and is presently the main route being used to transport materials south.
The third road can only be seen in sections. It is wider, less serpentine and slightly higher in elevation than the others. From the seaport extending north, its projected path is still incomplete, as grading has been done in sections. Presently, at its north end, the road surface is being built up in order to cross a small valley, where a bridge is likely to be added.
Figure 3. Distinct road paths can be distinguished. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
The Tunnel
Activity at the northwest and southeast entrances to the new tunnel appears to have subsided in recent weeks. By April 9, efforts to cover the concrete arched entryways to the tunnel appear to be underway, suggesting work on the entrances is nearing completion. The roadway to either side, however, remains incomplete, and the status of the tunnel’s interior is unknown. Previous
Expand
Figure 4b. Work continues on the west tunnel entrance. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Figure 4a. Work continues on the east tunnel entrance. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Figure 4b. Work continues on the west tunnel entrance. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Figure 4a. Work continues on the east tunnel entrance. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Figure 4b. Work continues on the west tunnel entrance. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Next
Other Activity
The remainder of the construction projects within the complex, while continuing, have not progressed as quickly as the surrounding infrastructure.
Few changes can be observed to the satellite launch pad and support buildings.
Figure 5. No significant progress on launch pad modification efforts. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
By last October, the fuel and oxidizer depots at the launch pad had been mostly demolished, possibly due to corrosion from the chemicals stored or a need for modifications to accommodate future uses. Between March 1 and April 9, some remaining debris was removed, and the grounds were groomed, although no new building construction appears to have begun.
Figure 6a. Recent grooming of formal fuel and oxidizer depot areas on imagery from March 1, 2023. Image Pleiades NEO © Airbus DS 2023. For media options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.; Figure 6b. Recent grooming of former fuel and oxidizer depot areas on imagery from April 9, 2023. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
Piles of aggregate remain on the pad of the Vertical Engine Test Stand (VETS), which may be material for road surfacing. Work on the large new support building located adjacent to the VIP housing continues, but the total footprint of the structure remains incomplete.
Figure 7. Piles of aggregate remain on the pad of the Vertical Engine Test Stand. Image © 2023 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.
7. N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM for 1st time
Some details about the Hwasong 18 launch. Kim told us he was going to do this.
Excerpts:
While expressing "satisfaction" with the launch, the North's leader vowed that Pyongyang will "constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror into its enemies by taking fatal and offensive counteractions," according to the KCNA.
The test marked the recalcitrant regime's latest apparent progress to develop a solid-fuel ICBM, which is one of the five major defense projects it put forward at a key party congress in January 2021.
(3rd LD) N. Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM for 1st time | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 14, 2023
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with more details throughout)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday it has test-fired a new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, with leader Kim Jong-un warning that the country's enemies will face "extreme uneasiness and horror."
The North launched the new ICBM on Thursday, guided by its leader, to confirm the performance of "high-thrust solid-fuel engines for multi-stage missiles," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The secretive regime described the new weapon as "the most powerful, pivotal and principal means" of war deterrence in defending itself. It did not reveal the missile's specifics, such as flight distance and maximum altitude.
This photo, released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on April 14, 2023, shows the test-firing of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
South Korea's military said Thursday it detected the North's launch of an intermediate- or longer-range ballistic missile in the vicinity of Pyongyang into the East Sea. The missile, fired at a lofted angle, flew about 1,000 kilometers, it said.
The new ICBM will "radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA in an English-language dispatch.
While expressing "satisfaction" with the launch, the North's leader vowed that Pyongyang will "constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror into its enemies by taking fatal and offensive counteractions," according to the KCNA.
The test marked the recalcitrant regime's latest apparent progress to develop a solid-fuel ICBM, which is one of the five major defense projects it put forward at a key party congress in January 2021.
Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-propellant ones that require more prelaunch preparations, such as the injection of fuel.
In December, Pyongyang tested a solid-fuel engine for a new strategic weapon and displayed a new ICBM during its military parade in February, raising speculation that it could be a solid-propellant missile.
The KCNA said the latest test-firing also confirmed the "reliability of the stage-jettisoning technology and various functional control systems."
The first stage of the rocket flew on a standard trajectory, while the second and third stages traveled on a lofted one, which observers say appears intended to adjust its flight distance for a testing purpose.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and his daughter, known as Ju-ae, walk in front of a transporter erector launcher during the North's test of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on April 13, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Photos released by state media showed that Kim's daughter, known as Ju-ae, his wife Ri Sol-ju and his sister Kim Yo-jong attended the test. They also showed the stage separation of the missile and the Earth apparently taken from the missile in space.
Meanwhile, Seoul's defense ministry assessed the latest launch as a "mid-stage" test-firing to develop a solid-fuel long-range ballistic missile, adding that the North would need "additional time and effort" for its completion.
Observers said the North is expected to carry out more test launches of the Hwasong-18 to advance its solid-fuel and stage-separation technologies.
"Considering that it was the test-firing, there will be more rounds of additional launches in the future," Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said. "Although time is still needed for its completion, its speed of development appears to be considerably fast."
The latest launch came just days ahead of the 111th birthday of the late Kim Il-sung, the North's national founder and the current leader's grandfather, on Saturday.
It also came amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the North has not responded to routine cross-border calls through inter-Korean liaison and military communication lines since last Friday.
Pyongyang has recently conducted other major weapons tests, such as the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM on March 16 and what it claimed to be underwater nuclear attack drones, in protest against combined springtime military drills between South Korea and the United States.
The regime has decried the exercises as preparations for an invasion against it.
North Korea explains why its latest missile should strike fear into enemies
Youtube
https://youtu.be/HvBzuyAB7VU
This photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on April 14, 2023, shows the third stage separation of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile during its test launch the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 14, 2023
8. NATO condemns North Korea's missile test, calls for end to provocations
NATO condemns North Korea's missile test, calls for end to provocations | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 황장진 · April 13, 2023
BRUSSELS, April 13 (Yonhap) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday condemned North Korea's missile test, and called for stopping provocations that undermine regional and international security.
Pyongyang fired an intermediate- or longer-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea in the morning, according to Seoul officials. South Korean and U.S. military authorities are looking into various possibilities, including the launch having involved a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile, they said.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), speaks in this undated file photo released by NATO. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"NATO strongly condemns North Korea's latest test of a long-range ballistic missile, in direct violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," Dylan White, NATO's deputy spokesperson, said in a statement sent to Yonhap News after the missile launch.
He noted North Korea has conducted a record number of ballistic missile launches since last year.
"These provocations by Pyongyang undermine regional and international security. North Korea must stop its reckless behavior, abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and engage in good-faith diplomacy."
He added NATO stands in strong solidarity with regional partners, including South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by 황장진 · April 13, 2023
9. ROK-US need to demonstrate a determination of resolute nuclear deterrence
Extended deterrence continues to work. The north has not attacked the South.. Extended deterrence is not going to halt north Korean tests.
Excerpt:
With President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the U.S. at the end of this month, South Korea and the U.S. are seeking ways to drastically increase the execution power of extended nuclear deterrence toward North Korea. As there is a limit to a military demonstration through the deployment of US strategic assets such as strategic bombers and aircraft carriers on the Korean Peninsula, a solid permanent nuclear deterrence system in which South Korea and the US jointly plan and execute nuclear weapons operations must be put in place. Only then will the stern warning that a reckless nuclear provocation will lead to the demise of the Kim Jong-un regime will have an effect.
ROK-US need to demonstrate a determination of resolute nuclear deterrence
donga.com
Posted April. 14, 2023 07:48,
Updated April. 14, 2023 07:48
ROK-US need to demonstrate a determination of resolute nuclear deterrence. April. 14, 2023 07:48. .
North Korea fired a medium-to-long-range ballistic missile into the East Sea from near Pyongyang on Thursday morning. Launched at a high altitude from a Transporter erector launcher (TEL), the missile soared to a maximum altitude of 2000 km and traveled 1000 km. If launched normally, it could fly 3,000 to 4,000 km and hit the US base in Guam. A military official hinted that North Korea may have test-fired a new solid-fuel ICBM unveiled at a military parade in February.
If the launch, two days before the Day of the Sun, is confirmed to be a test of a solid fuel ICBM, it indicates that North Korea has entered the final stage of completing its nuclear armament system. North Korea has already been using solid fuel for various short-range missiles but has been using liquid fuel for long-range missiles that require two- and three-stage rockets. Liquid fuel ICBMs require time for transfer and fuel injection, so signs of launch are captured in advance. However, solid fuel ICBMs are not easy to detect in advance because fuel is always loaded like a battery and launched immediately, making them even more threatening. South Korea and the U.S.’s “kill chain” against North Korea will virtually no longer be able to play its role.
North Korea’s recent provocation of a solid-fueled ICBM, following its recent unveiling of the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead and underwater explosion test of a nuclear torpedo, is probably an armed demonstration to show off its rapid advance in its ability to strike a surprise nuclear strike against the United States. However, as this launch is likely to have conducted a two-stage propellant test before testing the entire three-stage solid-propellant ICBM, it is expected to focus on flaunting its ability to strike across the US mainland with multiple warhead capabilities through additional test launches in the future.
The advancement of North Korea's missile capabilities calls for an extraordinary response by South Korea and the United States. This is because if the system is armed with solid fuel-based nuclear missiles ranging from short to long range and can launch them anytime and anywhere at the command of Kim Jong Un, we can no longer relax while boasting advanced surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Furthermore, North Korea, armed with solid fuel ICBMs, is a fire that will immediately fall on the feet of the United States, no longer a business solely related to the Korean Peninsula across the sea. As such, the U.S. has no choice but to devise firm countermeasures with awareness and a sense of urgency.
With President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the U.S. at the end of this month, South Korea and the U.S. are seeking ways to drastically increase the execution power of extended nuclear deterrence toward North Korea. As there is a limit to a military demonstration through the deployment of US strategic assets such as strategic bombers and aircraft carriers on the Korean Peninsula, a solid permanent nuclear deterrence system in which South Korea and the US jointly plan and execute nuclear weapons operations must be put in place. Only then will the stern warning that a reckless nuclear provocation will lead to the demise of the Kim Jong-un regime will have an effect.
한국어
donga.com
10. Presidential office: It will not request apology for US wiretapping allegation
I think this is a mistake. Although counterintuitive, I think it would strengthen the alliance if the ROK demanded an apology because it could undermine the ROK political opposition.
Demand an apology. Receive an apology . Move on.
Presidential office: It will not request apology for US wiretapping allegation
donga.com
Posted April. 13, 2023 08:03,
Updated April. 13, 2023 08:03
Presidential office: It will not request apology for US wiretapping allegation. April. 13, 2023 08:03. by Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com.
It was reported on Wednesday that the South Korean presidential office would not raise a diplomatic issue regarding the allegation about a U.S. intelligence agency’s wiretapping. It was concluded that the issue was close to being resolved as a third player was behind it and a large portion of the leaked documents were fabricated.
“It seems like the issue has been worked out as the presidential office was on the same page with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday regarding the leaked documents,” said a member of the presidential office. “We will not ask for an official apology from the U.S. government.”
“A third party was involved in large part of the issue and there is no evidence that the U.S., our ally, did this with a malicious intention,” the first deputy chief of the National Security Office Kim Tae-hyo said to reporters during his visit to the U.S. on Tuesday (local time). His comment seemed to refer to the possibility that pro-Russian players might have been involved in leaking confidential documents.
To a question asking if he meant the conversation recorded in the confidential documents regarding former chief of the National Security Office Kim Seong-han was fabricated, he declined to answer specifically. “I already answered the question yesterday, and it answers everything,” he said. On Monday, Kim said that there is nothing to communicate with the U.S. regarding South Korea’s position as the documents were fabricated by somebody.
However, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that most documents are original and some fabricated ones were initially posted on the Internet without modification. A member of the presidential office repeated the previous stance that they should wait for the results of the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation and establish the facts. “The area of diplomacy leaves room for interpretation. Facts are being shaken,” he said to a question if the documents related to South Korea were fabricated without giving a specific answer.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made an order to strengthen the response posture to ensure that cyber threats on infrastructure, including finance and energy, do not lead to a security crisis. Chief of the National Security Office Cho Tae-yong presided over a meeting to assess the response posture of institutions to cyber attacks on energy at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
한국어
donga.com
11. North says it test-fired solid-fuel ICBM, South confirms it
Friday
April 14, 2023
dictionary + A - A
North says it test-fired solid-fuel ICBM, South confirms it
North Korea carries out its first test of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday. [YONHAP]
North Korea on Friday said it successfully tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, marking significant progress in its missile program.
The South Korean military confirmed that the North test-fired a liquid-fuel ICBM but said the regime would need more “time and effort” to complete the technology, hinting at additional tests.
It’s the first time the North test-fired an ICBM using solid propellants.
Compared to liquid-fuel missiles, a solid-fuel missile is considered easier and safer to operate, and harder to detect.
The South Korean military says the launch took place near Pyongyang at around 7:23 a.m. Thursday.
The North’s state Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday that the so-called Hwasong-18 was deliberately launched at a steep angle in consideration of the security of the neighboring countries and landed in waters off its east coast in two stages.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who guided the launch, was said to have expressed great satisfaction.
Photos that ran with the KCNA report showed Kim and his wife, daughter and younger sister. The missile was shown loaded onto a mobile launcher and leaving a concrete tunnel to be launched in an open field.
In an English-language version of the KCNA report, Kim was quoted as affirming that the North would “constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror” in enemy states until they abandon their “senseless thinking and reckless acts.”
In a separate KCNA report, Kim was said to have highly praised the workers who developed Hwasong-18, proposing the conferment of the title of “Labor Hero” on 10 of them.
He also ordered that vice-director of the General Missile Bureau, a colonel, be promoted to major general.
North Korea’s launch of a new ICBM came just two days before its biggest holiday, the Day of the Sun, which celebrates the birthday of the late North Korean founder, Kim Il Sung.
It also came six days after it severed communication with the South through inter-Korean hotlines, which were meant to prevent accidental military clashes and maintain a channel for dialogue.
North Korea has a long history of ghosting Seoul, but this marks the first time during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration that the routine calls on the hotlines have gone unanswered.
Analysts presume Pyongyang is fed up with Seoul due mainly to its recent combined military exercise with Washington.
Pyongyang has also warned of launching a reconnaissance satellite later this month.
BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
12. North Korea making knockoff rice cookers from closed South Korean factory in Kaesong
Friday
April 14, 2023
dictionary + A - A
North Korea making knockoff rice cookers from closed South Korean factory in Kaesong
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/04/14/national/northKorea/North-Korea-Rice-cooker-Cukcoo-Kaesong-Industrial-Park/20230414172909310.html
Models with Cuckoo rice cookers. [YONHAP]
North Korea is turning out a knockoff version of South Korea’s famous Cuckoo rice cooker from a shuttered South Korean plant in the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
South Korean companies were forced to pull out of the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean city of Kaesong in 2016.
According to the JoongAng Ilbo, several anonymous sources said the North Koreans are selling a rice cooker manufactured at Cuckoo Electronics’ Kaesong plant at Pyongyang Department Store in the nation's capital.
The knockoff South Korean rice cooker has been a huge hit in the North.
Cuckoo Electronics, the South Korean company that makes the Cuckoo rice cooker, has not given the North consent to use its factory in Kaesong.
The rice cookers are sold under a different brand, “Amneokbap Gama,” which translates as "pressurized rice cooker.”
However, as the rice cooker is missing a key component that controls the pressure, there have several reported explosions.
Exports of the key component to North Korea are banned under international sanctions.
Cuckoo left behind 10,000 rice cockers and enough components to make 420,000 more.
According to the JoongAng Ilbo report, the North Korean government sold the completed rice cookers to not only domestic partners but also overseas ones.
It also started to illegally manufacture the rice cooker with components left behind by Cuckoo for sale.
“Components that consistently supply power to the rice cooker and control the pressure are categorized as strategic materials that are banned from being exported to North Korea,” said an industry insider, who requested anonymity. “North Korea is continuing to produce rice cookers that are missing proper components. If the pressure control system does not operate properly, the cooker could explode and kill someone."
“There have been several cases where that actually happened.”
Although North Korea knows the risk, it seems to be continuing to manufacture the rice cooker anyway because it's hugely popular.
The model which makes rice for up to six people sells for $50 at the department store in Pyongyang, while the larger model that makes rice for up to 10 people sells for $80.
The average monthly salary in North Korea is reportedly between $40 and $50.
In comparison, a South Korean makes around $2,500 a month.
The South Korean government has recently asked North Korea to stop using South Korean assets at the Kaesong Industrial Park, including buses, which have been spotted being used as public transportation in Pyongyang.
The North Korean government has stopped responding to the South Korean government's calls since April 7.
Planet Labs view of the Kaesong Indusrial Complex in July shows buses that were used to commute North Koreans that worked at the South Korean plants. [VOA YOUTUBE CAPTURE]
BY KANG TAE-HWA [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
13. Most Forced Labor Victims Accept Compensation from Korean Fund
Most Forced Labor Victims Accept Compensation from Korean Fund
english.chosun.com
April 14, 2023 10:55
Ten out of 15 Korean victims of wartime forced labor or their families have accepted compensation from a Korean fund rather than their abusive Japanese employers.
Last month, the Korean government proposed compensating them from a fund financed by Korean businesses to break an impasse in relations with Tokyo.
However, five of the surviving victims or families have refused the Korean government's offer because they want an apology from Japan.
"The government contacted 15 victims who are subject to compensation under a Supreme Court ruling [of 2018] and 10 of them said they wished this matter to be resolved quickly and agreed to accept compensation according to the government's proposal," Seo Min-jung at the Foreign Ministry told reporters on Thursday.
Under the plan, victims would be compensated by the government's Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan with money from Korean businesses like POSCO that benefited from Japanese lump sum reparations under a 1965 treaty.
POSCO has already donated W4 billion and the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea has also pledged to chip in.
People look at a memorial to wartime forced labor victims in Seoul on March 5.
The Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate the Korean victims, but they refused to comply, and Japan retaliated with export curbs.
The foundation contacted the Korean victims last month and provided guidance on how to receive the compensation. "Two people have already received compensation, and we plan to provide the money to the remaining eight on Friday."
Each victim will be paid more than W200 million, which is the amount the Supreme Court ruling stipulated, plus back interest (US$1=W1,310).
The families of some victims said they wished to "wrap up" the decades-long lawsuits and "wish to resolve the dispute and improve Korea-Japan relations," Seo said.
But three surviving victims -- Yang Geum-deok, Lee Choon-shik and Kim Sung-joo -- said they will not accept the compensation from Korea. Civic groups supporting the victims said on Thursday that the government must "immediately halt its ridiculous endeavor to cover up the issue."
Seo said, "The government will continue sincere efforts to seek the understanding of the victims to help their wounds heal a little."
Some Forced Labor Victims Accept Compensation from Korean Fund
U.S. Firms to Pay into Fund for Korean Victims of Wartime Forced Labor
POSCO Donates Another W4 Billion to Forced Labor Victims Fund
Japan Hails Korean Plan to Compensate Forced Labor Victims
Korea Proposes Solution to Compensating Forced Laborers
S.Korea, Japan Foreign Ministers Hold 1st Meeting in 5 Years
Mitsubishi Built Memorial for Chinese Forced Labor Victims
New Taskforce to Tackle Compensation for Wartime Forced Labor
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
english.chosun.com
14. S. Korea, US to sign cybersecurity pact during Yoon-Biden summit
S. Korea, US to sign cybersecurity pact during Yoon-Biden summit
The Korea Times · April 14, 2023
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 13, 2022. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korea and the United States are expected to sign a cybersecurity pact during a summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden later this month, a senior Seoul official said on Friday.
"As a result of the South Korea-U.S. summit, a separate document on cybersecurity will be announced," the official told South Korean correspondents in Washington. "The document will be about reconfirming the two countries' mutual trust on cybersecurity, as well as generating and analyzing more trustworthy information."
The official continued by saying that the document will likely contain "measures that can rebuild the two countries' trust (on cybersecurity) in terms of putting them into practice." He also implied that the pact will include an expansion of cybersecurity information sharing between the two countries.
"With the (South Korea-U.S.) alliance commemorating its 70th anniversary, it is inappropriate to limit the domain of the two countries' Mutual Defense Treaty to the geographical territory before the Korean War," the official said. "Seoul is in consultation with the U.S. based on the recognition that the two countries' alliance should expand to space and cyberspace."
The two countries' discussions on cybersecurity picked up momentum after the 2021 summit between then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Biden, where the two countries agreed to deepen their cooperation on countermeasures against risks in cybersecurity and space.
The pact referred to by the official is assumed to be an interim outcome of bilateral efforts since the summit and is anticipated to contain details on narrowing the two countries' gap in assessing which entity is the biggest cyber threat.
"There are differences between South Korea and the U.S. in setting the priority targets in terms of cybersecurity," said Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"While South Korea is assessing cyber threats from North Korea as the top priority, the U.S. is seeing risks from China and Russia as higher priorities... It is assumable that the pact will be about narrowing these gaps and including 'a global perception' into the two countries' cybersecurity efforts."
Though chances are low, the pact may also include the concept of Defend Forward. It is a term used in the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Strategy. It refers to actions that disrupt malicious cyber activity at its source, including activity that falls below the level of armed conflict.
The U.S. Cyber Command explains that if a device, a network, an organization, or an adversary nation is identified as a threat to U.S. networks and institutions, or is actively attacking them in or through cyberspace, it can expect a measured response from the U.S.
Gaining attention in this discussion is whether this pact will help restore the two countries' mutual trust in information and intelligence, which is now being tested in the wake of allegations that U.S. intelligence may have surveilled the South Korean presidential office. This was raised after a set of purported U.S. Pentagon documents were leaked online recently.
So far, the South Korean presidential office has been denying any malicious attempt by the U.S. to obtain intelligence, and the allegations that Seoul's most high protection area was breached by its closest ally are groundless.
However, criticisms are growing that Seoul is downplaying the seriousness of the issue, as it wants to prevent any adverse impact on Yoon's state visit to the U.S.
"As far as the South Korean government has been able to determine, there is no sign indicating that the U.S. spied on us," a senior official said. "We deem that there have been no malicious attempts by the U.S."
A separate official at the South Korean presidential office said Friday that South Korea and the U.S. are making efforts to determine the truth and "will demand the U.S. make appropriate explanations if necessary."
"The two countries are now communicating in such a context, and the U.S. is expressing its apologies in a courteous manner," the official said.
The Korea Times · April 14, 2023
15. N. Korean military reinforces discipline of signalmen after deadly mishandling of documents
A parallel to the US airman who leaked classified documents? (a semi-sarcastic comment).
N. Korean military reinforces discipline of signalmen after deadly mishandling of documents
A signalman had hopped onto a vehicle to transport documents when he suffered a fatal accident
dailynk.com
FILE PHOTO: North Korean soldiers walking near Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. (Daily NK)
After a signalman with North Korea’s Ninth Corps in North Hamgyong Province died while riding on the back of a moving vehicle, the military is taking action to reinforce discipline and improve relations with the public, Daily NK has learned.
“A signalman in a brigade attached to the Ninth Corps in Rason was recently killed while transporting documents after being sucked under the tires of the vehicle he was riding. The documents being transported turned out to have problems of their own, leading to a campaign to improve discipline in the military,” a reporting partner in the province told Daily NK on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
According to the reporting partner, the signalman who died in the accident was a man in his early twenties from Wonsan, Kangwon Province. He had joined the military three years but had struggled to adjust because of bullying. A year ago, his parents had helped him transfer to a unit stationed in North Hamgyong Province.
The signalman had hopped onto a vehicle to transport documents when he suffered the fatal accident.
News of the accident was urgently transmitted to the signalman’s unit, which collected the documents he had been transporting. But it turned out that the documents had not been filled out properly with name, date and duty officer signature, leading the incident to be treated more seriously because it involved not only loss of life but also mishandling of military documents.
As investigators sought to determine why the military documents had been mishandled, they began looking into the signalman’s conduct prior to the accident. They were soon shocked to learn that the signalman had left the base and slept at a private residence the night before the accident, promising to return with documents that were issued in the early morning hours.
The unit, after concluding that the incident was the result of freewheeling behavior by signalmen who paid frequent visits to private homes, suggested to the corps that the signalmen’s discipline needed to be reinforced. Given the connection to civilians, the unit also officially referred the matter to the party’s military committee in North Hamgyong Province.
“The Ninth Corps said the civilians who put soldiers up in their homes bear heavy responsibility for the incident and asked the province’s military committee to take steps to resolve the issue. In a hastily convened meeting, the military committee ordered that civilians be informed that they are not allowed to take in soldiers and be warned that any similar incidents will be handed over to the Ministry of State Security for prosecution on the charge of leaking secrets,” the reporting partner said.
“Subsequently, people’s committees in North Hamgyong Province held meetings at local government offices. During the meetings, civilians were told that while it’s laudable to care for and assist soldiers who are serving their country so diligently, they should never put soldiers up for the night since that could be a violation of military law.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Read in Korean
dailynk.com
16. South Korea faces ‘Sophie’s choice’ over sending weapons to Ukraine
It would be good to have South Korea as a full partner in the Arsenal of Democracy but we have to respect the challenge of politics, domestic and international.
South Korea faces ‘Sophie’s choice’ over sending weapons to Ukraine
By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Min Joo Kim
April 13, 2023 at 6:49 a.m. EDT
The Washington Post · by Michelle Ye Hee Lee · April 13, 2023
SEOUL — For decades after signing an armistice in 1953 to end combat in the Korean War, South Korea has been producing and stockpiling a huge supply of artillery shells in case it has to fight North Korea again.
Now, as Ukraine burns through its ammunition and faces a critical shortage in its war with Russia, Kyiv’s Western allies are intensifying their focus on South Korea to directly contribute, despite Seoul’s policy that bans such support for countries at war.
Leaked U.S. confidential documents that purportedly show South Korea grappling with the U.S. request to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine have renewed pressure on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration to supply lethal weapons to the war effort.
Seoul has repeatedly said it would stick to its export control policy while finding other ways to support Ukraine, wary of the impact on trade with Russia and the potential that Moscow would retaliate by helping North Korea advance its nuclear and weapons program.
The disclosure comes at a precarious moment in U.S.-South Korean relations, as President Biden prepares to host Yoon at a state dinner in Washington later this month. The leaders are expected to reinforce the U.S.-South Korean alliance, which will mark its 70th anniversary this year.
Since taking office last year, Yoon, a conservative, has drawn South Korea closer to the United States. His administration has tried to play down the significance of the leak, calling its contents “altered” and “untrue,” even as the opposition calls for answers from the Biden administration.
Although Yoon is more predisposed to the alliance with the United States than his liberal predecessor, the North Korea problem has so far outweighed all other considerations. He has maintained that weapons exports are a matter of “sovereignty” for South Korea.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday called on Biden to broker an agreement that would allow South Korea to transfer 155-millimeter shells that he said Ukraine desperately needs. Western allies are working to produce or procure for Ukraine more of the shells, which are used in many battlefield weapons including howitzers.
“We spoke to South Korea about this, the weapon delivery and delivery of ammunition,” Morawiecki said in an interview with the New York Times. “But I don’t think that this is going to be possible without the intervention of the United States. South Korea is fearful of Russian reaction and Chinese reaction.”
Morawiecki called on Biden to provide “some kind of shelter, some kind of security guarantee” for South Korea.
But there is a limit to what an ally can do for Seoul when it is hit with economic and diplomatic revenge from Russia, said Kwon Ki-chang, former South Korean ambassador to Ukraine. Kwon said the Yoon administration should provide Kyiv with lethal weapons to take a stand against the invasion, but said Seoul faces real threats of retaliation.
“South Korea now faces a Sophie’s choice of deciding which child to sacrifice,” he said. “Value-based diplomacy comes at a big toll for South Korea, but we need to step up to join the allies’ efforts for Ukraine.”
South Korea’s Foreign Trade Act bans the export of arms except for a peaceful purpose, and bans the re-export to third-party countries without Seoul’s permission.
The country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration regulates which exports are allowed under the law. It is possible to lift certain re-export licensing requirements through administrative or regulatory action, but more substantive changes would require legislative changes, said Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow and defense expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. The export of lethal weapons would require permission from the South Korean government.
Instead, Seoul has been sending other support to Ukraine, including pledging $100 million in humanitarian aid. Last year, South Korean defense companies struck their biggest arms export deal to date with Poland, including K2 battle tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, enabling Poland to send its own equipment on to Ukraine and South Korea to maintain it was not exporting weapons to a war zone.
“If there is a fear, the fear is about the expansion of Russia-North Korea relations beyond the typical rhetoric of being allies in the trenches,” such as providing advanced technologies that would help Pyongyang’s weapons program, Go said. “The concern in Seoul is that Russia could try to upgrade the relationship [with North Korea] to something more significant, so they’re trying to avoid that scenario.”
In addition, North Korea has repeatedly emphasized a “new Cold War” to use the war in Ukraine and U.S.-China competition to its advantage, said Lee Ho-ryoung, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a government think tank in Seoul. Pyongyang is drawing closer to Beijing and Moscow, which have helped shield it from additional U.N. sanctions in response to its ballistic missile tests.
“It may seem like the Russian war has nothing to do with the Korean Peninsula, but that’s not the case,” Lee said.
The war is expected to bleed into 2024, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment leaked online and obtained by The Washington Post. Ukraine is firing about 7,700 shells per day, or roughly one every six seconds, a Ukrainian official told The Post. Russia is firing more, and may also be running low, The Post reported.
A big part of the reason South Korea has been facing pressure to supply weapons directly to Ukraine is because its weapons are made to be compatible with standards set by NATO, so it could serve up sought-after weapons fast, industry analysts say.
The coveted shells are regularly used in South Korean military live-fire drills for potential conflict with the North. They are produced by Poongsan Corp., an ammunition manufacturer that was relatively unknown until South Korea began drawing attention for its potential for arms support for Ukraine.
Last year, the U.S. government had negotiated a purchase of 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition from South Korea. Seoul said the end user is designed to be the United States, despite a Wall Street Journal report that cited a U.S. official saying the shells would be bound for Ukraine.
One of the leaked documents, purportedly produced by the U.S. government, shows that South Korea’s National Security Council in early March “grappled” with a U.S. request that the country send artillery ammunition to Ukraine. Seoul was concerned that the request could anger Moscow, the report said, citing signals intelligence.
Another leaked document marked “secret,” which appears to have originated from the U.S. government, shows a transfer calendar for South Korean ammunition. The document states that 153,600 rounds of 155mm shells are scheduled to be airlifted to Ukraine in 41 days. The document is dated Feb. 27, just days ahead of the document portraying the South Korean NSC’s internal discussion about the issue.
South Korea reportedly reached an agreement last month to “lend” 500,000 rounds of the ammunition to the United States to backfill its stockpile after sending ammunition to Ukraine rather than selling it, according to a report Wednesday by South Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo.
Such a plan would minimize the possibility of South Korean shells being used in Ukraine, according to the report, which cited unnamed government sources. Under such an arrangement, the United States would give the same number of shells or other similar weapons back to South Korea at a later date, experts say.
Officials from South Korea’s Defense Ministry and the presidential office have declined to comment on the leaked documents or the report about loaning shells.
Choi Gi-il, chairman of the military studies department at Sangji University, said it is appropriate for South Korea to lend the shells because the country needs to maintain its own reserves.
“South Korea, due to its armistice regime with the North, maintains a large reserve and superior production capacity for ammunitions,” Choi said. “Still technically at war, it has to keep its own reserves above a certain level. That’s why Seoul could not but ‘lend’ the ammunition to the U.S.”
The Washington Post · by Michelle Ye Hee Lee · April 13, 2023
17. US Intelligence Leak Complicates Summit With South Korea
I do not think so. It certainly appears the ROK is not going to make a big deal of this incident. However, as I have said, I think it would have been better to demand an apology and receive an apology and move on.
US Intelligence Leak Complicates Summit With South Korea
Leaked documents suggesting the U.S. spied on South Korea’s internal discussions on Ukraine could sour President Yoon’s upcoming trip to Washington.
thediplomat.com · by Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung · April 14, 2023
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Leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggesting Washington spied on South Korea have put the country’s president in a delicate situation ahead of a state visit to the U.S., the first such trip by a South Korean leader in 12 years.
The documents contain purportedly private conversations between senior South Korean officials about Ukraine, indicating that Washington may have conducted surveillance on a key Asian ally even as the two nations publicly vowed to reinforce their alliance.
Since taking office last year, conservative President Yoon Suk -yeol has put a bolstered military partnership with the United States at the heart of his foreign policy to address intensifying North Korean nuclear threats and other challenges. The April 26 summit with President Joe Biden is seen as crucial to winning a stronger U.S. security commitment and resolving grievances over the Biden administration’s economic and technology policies.
The leaked documents were posted online as part of a major U.S. intelligence breach. The papers viewed by The Associated Press indicate that South Korea’s National Security Council “grappled” with the United States in early March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine.
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The documents, which cited a signals intelligence report, said then-NSC Director Kim Sung-han suggested the possibility of selling the 330,000 rounds of 155 mm munitions to Poland, since getting the ammunition to Ukraine quickly was the United States’ ultimate goal.
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South Korea, a growing arms exporter, has a policy of not supplying weapons to countries at war. It has not provided arms directly to Ukraine, although it has shipped humanitarian aid and joined U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia.
Yoon’s government said it discussed the leaked papers with the United States, and they agreed that “a considerable number” of the documents were fabricated. The South Korean government avoided any public complaints about the U.S. and did not specify which documents were faked.
“There’s no indication that the U.S., which is our ally, conducted (eavesdropping) on us with malicious intent,” Kim Tae-hyo, Seoul’s deputy national security director, told reporters Tuesday at Dulles Airport near Washington at the start of a trip aimed at preparing for the summit.
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Senior Biden administration have discussed the leaks with allies at high levels and sought to reassure them of the U.S. government’s commitment to safe-guarding intelligence. The administration also sought to downplay the impact the leak would have on Yoon’s upcoming visit.
“Our commitment to the Republic of Korea remains ironclad, and President Biden looks forward to welcoming President Yoon to the White House for the upcoming state visit to discuss their shared commitment for a strong and deeply integrated U.S.-ROK Alliance that maintains peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the White House National Security Council said in a statement, using South Korea’s official name.
The Yoon government’s stance invited criticism from liberal rivals, who called on the government to lodge strong protests with the United States. They also suspected what they call Yoon’s hasty relocation of his presidential office to a Defense Ministry compound in central Seoul may have left the office vulnerable to wiretapping.
“As a sovereign nation, we must sternly respond to the spying of state secrets, even if it was committed by an ally with whom (South Korea) has bonded over blood,” said Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party.
In an official statement, Yoon’s office said it maintains tight security, including anti-eavesdropping systems. It called the opposition party’s attempts to link the office relocation to the spying allegation “diplomatic suicidal acts” that shake South Korea’s national interests and its alliance with the United States.
The situation is unlikely to threaten the country’s alliance with the U.S., which was forged during the 1950-53 Korean War, many experts say.
“No big damage is expected on the Korea-U.S. alliance as it seems both governments share the view that they would focus on the alliance, more concretely on a successful state visit by Yoon,” said Bong Young-shik, an expert at Seoul’s Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies.
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If Yoon returns with some achievements, Koreans will conclude that he put up with the spying allegations “because bigger matters were at stake,” Bong said. But if the visit amounts to “a pomp-only trip,” people could question whether South Korea “made lots of concessions.”
One possible achievement for Yoon would be if South Korea takes on a role in the management of U.S. nuclear weapons in the face of North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal.
Other wins would be securing U.S. benefits for major South Korean businesses involved in the making of electric vehicles and easing U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China, which has been a major manufacturing base for South Korean chipmakers.
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If the United States intends to help Yoon, “the latest incident on the documents could end up strengthening the Korea-U.S. alliance and helping South Korea win something from the U.S,” said Kim Yeol Soo, an expert at South Korea’s Korea Institute for Military Affairs.
Kim Tae-hyung, a professor at Seoul’s Soongsil University, said the exposure of possible U.S. spying could help Seoul maintain its existing policy of not supplying weapons to Ukraine. But it’s also possible that the Yoon government reconsiders that policy now that the U.S. demands are public, Kim said.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, South Korea has agreed to provide billions of dollars’ worth of tanks, howitzers, fighter jets and other weapons to Poland, a NATO member.
An American official said in November that the United States had agreed to buy 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, although South Korean officials have maintained that the munitions were meant to refill depleted U.S. stocks.
Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership, said it’s also no secret that allies spy on each other, as well as their adversaries.
The U.S. wiretapping activities “are something that everyone already knows,” although it becomes a more sensitive matter when the practice is made public, Choi said.
“I think South Koreans also try to wiretap (U.S. officials) as well,” Choi said. “People feel animosity toward the word ‘wiretapping.’ But in other words, it’s called intelligence gathering.”
Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung
Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung reported for the Associated Press from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
thediplomat.com · by Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung · April 14, 2023
18. North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of 'extreme' horror
"The horror. The horror..." (said Colonel Kurtz Jong Un - and he also said, "“Horror and mortal terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared.”)
North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of 'extreme' horror
Reuters · by Soo-Hyang Choi
SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - North Korea announced on Friday it had tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a development set to "radically promote" its forces, which experts said would facilitate missile launches with little warning.
Leader Kim Jong Un guided Thursday's test, and warned it would make enemies "experience a clearer security crisis, and constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror into them by taking fatal and offensive counter-actions until they abandon their senseless thinking and reckless acts", North Korean state media said.
Analysts said it was the North's first use of solid propellants in an intermediate-range or intercontinental ballistic missile, a key task to deploying missiles faster during a war.
South Korea's defence ministry said North Korea was still developing the weapon, and that it needed more time and effort to master the technology, indicating that Pyongyang might carry out more tests.
North Korean state media outlet KCNA released photos of Kim watching the launch, accompanied by his wife, sister and daughter, and the missile covered in camouflage nets on a mobile launcher. A state media video showed the Hwasong-18 missile blasting off from a launch tube, creating a cloud of smoke.
The development of the Hwasong-18 will "extensively reform the strategic deterrence components of the DPRK, radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy," KCNA said, using the initials of the country's official name.
South Korea and the U.S. air forces staged drills hours after the report, involving American B-52H bombers that joined F-35A, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, Seoul's defence ministry said.
"By deploying U.S. strategic assets with increased frequency and intensity, the two countries will continue demonstrating our strong alliance's will that we will never tolerate any nuclear attack from North Korea," the ministry said in a statement.
North Korea has criticised recent U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises as escalating tensions, and has stepped up weapons tests in the past months.
Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics
[1/6] A view of a test launch of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-18 at an undisclosed location in this still image of a photo used in a video released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) April 14, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
MORE TESTS?
Most of North Korea's largest ballistic missiles use liquid fuel, which requires them to be loaded with propellant at their launch site - a time-consuming and dangerous process.
"For any country that operates large-scale, missile based nuclear forces, solid-propellant missiles are an incredibly desirable capability because they don't need to be fuelled immediately prior to use," said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "These capabilities are much more responsive in a time of crisis."
North Korea will most likely keep some liquid-fuel systems, complicating the calculations of the U.S. and its allies during a conflict, Panda said.
Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who now works with the 38 North project, said solid-fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support - making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquids.
North Korea first displayed what could be a new solid-fuel ICBM during a military parade in February after testing a high-thrust solid-fuel engine in December.
Analysts said the U.S. could determine between a solid- or liquid-fuelled launch with early warning satellites that can detect differences in the infrared data produced by various missile types.
The latest launch came days after Kim called for strengthening war deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" manner to counter what North Korea called moves of aggression by the United States.
The missile, fired from near Pyongyang, flew about 1,000 km (620 miles) before landing in waters east of North Korea, officials said. North Korea said the test posed no threats to its neighbouring countries.
A South Korean military official said the missile's maximum altitude was lower than 6,000 km, the apogee of some of last year's record-breaking tests.
"North Korea could have opted to focus on collecting data necessary to check its features at different stages than going full speed at the first launch," said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. "As it was a test that did not demonstrate its normal flight pattern, North Korea will likely conduct some more tests."
Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Leslie Adler
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Reuters · by Soo-Hyang Choi
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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