Quotes of the Day:
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present… fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.
— Abraham Lincoln (1862), on the imperative on winning the Civil War
“A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition”
― Rudyard Kipling
The Value of Insurgent/Resistor Intelligence in Unconventional Warfare
“There is no doubt that most partisan actions inflicted damage upon the opposing forces. Some of the damage was severe…. [However,] their second great contribution was in the field of intelligence…. [It] cannot be doubted that the partisans served well as field intelligence, especially after Army intelligence officers had been seconded to all partisan staffs in 1943. The scope was wide—the partisans were everywhere—their location ideal—behind the enemy’s front—and their instructions were detailed—in the Field Service Regulations, the Partisan Handbook, the Guide Book for Partisans, and so on.
We can be almost certain that again and again Russian attacks were mounted in those areas which partisan reports had indicated as vulnerable. The Russians during the war became expert in attacking the enemy’s weakest points: the small front-line gaps in the winter of 1941-2, the front held by German satellite troops at the beginning of the Stalingrad battle; and if there was neither gap nor satellite, it was almost always the seam between two enemy formations which the Red Army selected for its breakthrough attempts…. There was only one source which could consistently direct the Red Army against the weakest link of the enemy front, and this task… was entrusted to the partisans.
We are of course better informed about the value of French partisan intelligence. ‘In fact, the day the battle (in France) began,’ says General De Gaulle, ‘all the German troop emplacements, bases, depots, landing fields and command posts were precisely known, the striking force and equipment counted, the defense works photographed, the minefields spotted…. Thanks to all the information furnished by the French resistance, the Allies were in a position to see into the enemy’s hand and strike with telling effect.’
These words speak for themselves; no finer testimonial could be given.”
Otto Heilbrunn, Partisan Warfare (1962)
1. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Exchanges Letters with S. Korean President
2. N.K. leader exchanges letters with President Moon: state media
3. S. Korea successfully test-launched two SLBMs earlier this week: gov't sources
4. Fire detected at Kaesong industrial complex in N. Korea
5. South Koreans don’t care much about Ukraine war?
6. Reducing military exercises for dialogue with N. Korea a proven path to failure: Harris
7. US only seeks 'peaceful' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.
8. Military to resume reserve forces' field training on eased COVID-19 rules
9. Veterans minister to attend funeral of decorated US Korean War hero
10. Japan's foreign ministry keeps Dokdo claim in annual policy report
11. Mystery drone: How the Air Force fast-tracked a new weapon for Ukraine
12. Why are Koreans obsessed with 'elevating national prestige?'
13. North Korea’s security agency hands down measure in response to US-ROK military exercise
14. Missives and missiles fly as Korea’s Moon fades away
15. EU sanctions those linked to North Korean nuclear arms program
16. Cooking oil prices in North Korea remain high despite more imports
17. #N. Korean leader commends Moon’s efforts in rare letter. What’s behind it?
18. North Korea's Kim offers rare praise for South's departing Moon
1. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Exchanges Letters with S. Korean President
Political warfare at its finest. And a little revisionist history.
Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Exchanges Letters with S. Korean President
Pyongyang, April 22 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un exchanged personal letters with President of south Korea Moon Jae In.
Upon receiving a personal letter from Moon Jae In on April 20, Kim Jong Un sent his reply letter on Thursday.
The top leaders of the north and the south of Korea exchanged best regards in the letters.
Referring to the efforts made by the top leaders of the north and the south for peace of the Korean Peninsula and the north-south cooperation in the difficult situation so far, Moon Jae In in his letter expressed the will to make the north-south joint declarations the foundation for the reunification even after his retirement.
Recollecting that the top leaders of the north and the south made public the historic joint declarations giving hope for the future to the entire nation, Kim Jong Un appreciated the pains and effort taken by Moon Jae In for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term of office.
Sharing the same view that the inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the nation if the north and the south make tireless efforts with hope, the top leaders mutually extended warm greetings to the compatriots in the north and the south.
The exchange of the personal letters between the top leaders of the north and the south is an expression of their deep trust. -0-
www.kcna.kp (Juche111.4.22.)
2. N.K. leader exchanges letters with President Moon: state media
Excerpts:
The announcement came as the North has carried out a string of missile tests over the past several weeks amid reports of the possibility of a nuclear test. It was not immediately confirmed if in his letter Moon requested the North halt such a tension-escalating act.
(2nd LD) N.K. leader exchanges letters with President Moon: state media | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with Cheong Wa Dae's response, other details from 7th para)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has exchanged letters with South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in earlier this week in an "expression of their deep trust," state media reported Friday.
Kim received a "personal" letter from the South Korean president Wednesday and sent a reply letter the next day, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"Sharing the same view that the inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the nation if the North and the South make tireless efforts with hope, the top leaders mutually extended warm greetings to the compatriots in the North and the South," it said in an English-language report.
In his letter, Moon expressed his intention of supporting efforts to make the joint declarations issued by the two Koreas the foundation for reunification even after his retirement, as Kim appreciated what the president has done for the "great cause of the nation," according to the KCNA.
Moon's five-year term is set to end May 9.
"The exchange of the personal letters between the top leaders of the North and the South is an expression of their deep trust," it added.
Moon and Kim held three rounds of bilateral summit talks. They first met at the truce border village of Panmunjom in April 2018, where they signed the "Panmunjom Declaration" that calls for the two Koreas to cooperate in reducing tensions.
The two met again at Panmunjom the following month, followed by talks in Pyongyang in September, during which they signed another agreement to explore ways to further advance cooperation.
Inter-Korean dialogue, however, has remained at a standstill since the 2019 Hanoi summit between Kim and then U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal.
Shortly after the KCNA's report, Moon's office confirmed that the two leaders had exchanged letters.
The announcement came as the North has carried out a string of missile tests over the past several weeks amid reports of the possibility of a nuclear test. It was not immediately confirmed if in his letter Moon requested the North halt such a tension-escalating act.
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
3. S. Korea successfully test-launched two SLBMs earlier this week: gov't sources
Very good. South Korea is demonstrating its superior military capability.
S. Korea successfully test-launched two SLBMs earlier this week: gov't sources | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea successfully test-fired two submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) consecutively earlier this week, government sources said Thursday, in a sign the missile is nearing its operational deployment.
The military launched the SLBMs at an interval of 20 seconds from the 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine in the Yellow Sea on Monday, the sources said. They flew some 400 kilometers and hit the preset maritime targets.
The test came after the country successfully carried out an SLBM test-launch from the submarine in September last year, becoming the world's seventh country with homegrown SLBMs.
Suh Hoon, the director of the presidential National Security Office, is said to have observed Monday's test-firing.
The latest launch highlights progress being made in South Korea's efforts to deploy the new weapons system capable of launching surprise strikes at hostile targets.
The Navy has been working on deploying the first batch of three 3,000-ton submarines, including the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine set to be deployed later this year. The Ahn Chang-ho submarine is known to be capable of carrying six SLBMs.
North Korea has also been striving to deploy SLBMs -- a formidable nuclear delivery vehicle that can launch a stealthy retaliatory strike even after surviving a preemptive attack.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
4. Fire detected at Kaesong industrial complex in N. Korea
I doubt we will see a return to operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex any time soon.
Fire detected at Kaesong industrial complex in N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- A fire was detected at the now suspended Kaesong industrial complex, an inter-Korean factory park inside North Korea, on Thursday afternoon and was put out an hour later, the unification ministry said.
South Korea detected the fire at around 2 p.m. at one plant in the industrial complex located in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. The fire was extinguished at around 2:50 p.m., the Ministry of Unification said in a text message to reporters.
"The government will make efforts to figure out how much damage the fire caused to the plant and nearby facilities, and share the situation with companies that have plants in the Kaesong industrial zone," it said.
In 2016, South Korea pulled out of the complex in response to the North's nuclear and missile tests, ending more than a decade of cooperation in the joint venture.
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
(END)
5. South Koreans don’t care much about Ukraine war?
It was disappointing to see the poor turnout by the General Assembly to President Zelinsky's address. I expect a different outlook from the incoming Yoon administration.
[Kim Myong-sik] South Koreans don’t care much about Ukraine war?
Published : Apr 21, 2022 - 05:31 Updated : Apr 21, 2022 - 05:31
Are South Koreans generally impassive on the war in Ukraine? No way.
But when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his video address appealing for South Korean help last week, a small audience turned up at the auditorium of the National Assembly library to reveal an apparent lack of interest among the representatives of this free democratic country in the bloody war started by Russia’s unprovoked invasion.
Present were less than 60 members of the 300-seat legislature, who clapped their hands at the end of the 15-minute address but remained in their seats. National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug was not seen, nor was President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol or any leading members of the presidential tTransition committee, who surely must be very busy these days.
Watching the unimpressive scene, a friend of mine opined that it must have something to do with the fact that our legislature has become so much younger. There are few left who witnessed and suffered from war raging their homeland. The present Assembly has only three members in their 70s, an overwhelming 177 lawmakers, or 59 percent, are in their 50s and 69, or 23 percent, are in their 60s.
The great bulk of the “586 generation” in the political community -- meaning those who are 50-plus years old and engaged in student protest actions during the volatile 1980s -- had their knowledge of the 1950-53 Korean War gathered from the recollections of their parents and some historical literature. Still, one wonders if they had forgotten that their own country owes its independence today to international help seven decades ago.
Combining varied statistics, we get these minimum figures of lives lost in the war: 138,000 South Korean military personnel dead and 24,000 missing; 36,000 Americans and 4,000 non-Americans dead on the UN Forces side; 210,000 Communist Chinese dead or missing (unofficial estimates go up to 900,000); and 290,000 dead in the North Korean army and 90,000 missing. Civilian fatalities recorded about 1 million on each side.
The war was spaced over three years but most of the casualties, especially the civilian deaths, happened during the first several months, when the war front moved up and down the peninsula through the depth of winter. My friend’s explanation of the scant audience of the Zelenskyy address must be pointing to our lawmakers’ relative low sensibility to the tragedy of war, even if it may not reduce their concerns about the war’s impact on the economy and security of their country.
On the other hand, to the older South Koreans, the Russian invaders’ weekslong occupation of suburban cities of Kyiv, with the indiscriminate civilian killings and destruction invoked the three months of hell they experienced in the early phase of the Korean War. Most of the South Korean territory, outside the Busan Perimeter, was occupied by the North Korean People’s Army until the American-led UN forces repelled the invaders.
The successful Incheon Landing on the west coast conducted by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the recapture of Seoul effectively isolated the North Korean forces in different parts of the South and disorganized troops escaped to the North through the eastern mountain ranges. In sheer lawlessness, local communists engaged in massacres of whoever refused to cooperate with them, including the families of soldiers and policemen, until South Korean troops moved in and restored order.
Before hiding in mountains for guerrilla warfare, the “Reds,” mostly peasants who had personal grudges against landowners, armed themselves with bamboo spears and sickles, picked up victims from homes and streets, took them to hillsides and killed and buried them in mass graves. In coastal areas, “bourgeois” villagers were bound in a single line and forced to walk into the sea. Up in the North, it has been claimed that American B-29 bombers’ indiscriminate airstrikes left huge civilian casualties in population centers.
For years after the war, tragic accounts of the bloodbath from across the country helped define the public concept of communism and communists in South Korean minds to keep the right-wingers in the mainstream of bureaucratic, industrial and rural communities. Following the April 19, 1960 student uprising, liberal leftist movements emerged, but a military coup the following year ended the chance of ideological diversity.
Park Chung-hee’s dictatorship, the bloody suppression of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising and Chun Doo-hwan’s acceptance of democratic reforms in the late 1980s marked major changes for South Korea’s democratic progress, which was accompanied by the nation’s remarkable economic development. While South Korea’s conservative right have chosen the path of national advancement in the anti-communist direction since the Korean War, liberal activism rose steadily to seek a shift of social hegemony as the memories of wartime atrocities faded.
Thus, an equilibrium of political power has arrived in this country, which has seen right-left changes of government up until today in generally peaceful but occasionally radical transitions. In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is sending profound shock waves to Koreans to retrieve the memory of the war seven decades ago, in which the ancestors of Vladimir Putin patronized North Korea.
The mass civilian killings and destruction of residential, industrial and medical facilities in Bucha, Mariupol and other cities exposed not only the insanity of the Russian president, but the barbarity of his forces. Still, the pragmatism of Seoul’s (outgoing) leftist government with its ambivalent attitude toward Moscow and Beijing, in forlorn expectation of their favorable influence on Pyongyang in the denuclearization process, has complicated the South Korean reaction to the ongoing war in Europe, limited but illegal and inhumane.
The war in Ukraine is consolidating the unity of free democracies against emerging dictatorships in Europe and Asia both seeking to expand their spheres of control. Yoon Suk-yeol’s new government of South Korea has no other choice but to join the right side in the global confrontation that appears to turn the clock seven decades back. The Crusades in the Middle Ages failed, but the 20th century crusaders made up of troops from 16 UN members succeeded in defending the young Republic of Korea from the Communist invasion.
As we cannot forget the blood spilt on this land by the fighters from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Ethiopia, Turkey, the Philippines, New Zealand, Greece, France, Colombia, Belgium, South Africa, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, we have to do something that the Ukrainians will remember when they have repelled the invaders and kept their sovereignty with international help.
Kim Myong-sik
Kim Myong-sik is a former editorial writer of The Korea Herald. -- Ed.
6. Reducing military exercises for dialogue with N. Korea a proven path to failure: Harris
I could not agree more with the Admiral/Ambassador.
Reducing military exercises for dialogue with N. Korea a proven path to failure: Harris
WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea must not reduce their joint military drills just to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, former US ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Thursday, calling it a "proven path to failure."
He also dismissed the call for an end of Korean War declaration long advocated by the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration.
"I think the current administration in South Korea took us down a wrong path. So far this year, North Korea has launched over a dozen missiles, including hypersonic and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and this is no path toward peace on the (Korean) peninsula," Harris said in a webinar hosted by the Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington.
"I think we can't relax sanctions or reduce joint military exercises just to get North Korea to come to the negotiating table. We've tried this for years. This is a proven path to failure," he added.
Seoul, as well as the former US administration of Donald Trump, had often postponed or cancelled the countries' joint military drills amid dialogue with Pyongyang that included three inter-Korean summits and two US-North Korea summits in 2018 and 2019.
North Korea, however, has avoided any meaningful dialogue with Seoul and Washington since 2019. It also remains utterly unresponsive to any US overtures since the Joe Biden administration took office in January 2021.
"If exercises and sanctions are reduced as an outcome of negotiations, that's fine, and that's why you have negotiations. But don't give them away in advance just as an inducement to come to the negotiating table. That would be a fool's error, in my opinion," said Harris.
The Moon administration also sought to declare a formal end to the Korean War, believing it would help kickstart dialogue with the reclusive North.
The former US ambassador to Seoul countered that such a declaration, even if signed, would only be another agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that apparently would not be honored.
"We should ask ourselves, I think, what will change the day after such a declaration is signed?" he said.
"Our treaty obligations to defend South Korea will still be extant, and North Korea's considerable chemical, biological, conventional, and now nuclear weapons capabilities will still be extant. So let's not be seduced by another piece of paper signed by Kim Jong-un," he added.
Seoul and Washington, instead, should work with Tokyo to enhance their joint defense capabilities while trying to completely denuclearize North Korea, Harris insisted.
To this end, Harris highlighted the importance of President Biden directly engaging with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts.
"We have to start this off with a top-down approach. At any level less than the heads of government at negotiating ... there are people, even at the foreign ministerial level, (who) won't be empowered in Seoul and Tokyo to move the needle forward in any demonstrable way unless they get clear and unequivocal guidance from the presidents and the prime ministers," said Harris.
He said Biden's widely anticipated trip to Asia next month will provide a very important, and possibly the last, chance for him to hold a three-way summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumino Kishida and South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who is set to take office on May 10.
"There has been some talk about a Quad meeting. Now that would be really important. I'm a big fan of the Quad, but it would be a lost opportunity if we were to have a Quad meeting and not a trilateral meeting with Korea, Japan and the United States on different issues," he said.
Biden has said he is planning to visit Tokyo on May 24 for a Quad summit that will also be attended by the leaders of Australia, Japan and India.
Earlier reports suggested the US president may also visit Seoul during his first trip to Northeast Asia. The White House has yet to officially announce his trip or details regarding his itinerary.
"We have a new leadership team in South Korea, and we have a new team, relatively, in Japan and in the United States. Here's the opportunity. It may present itself only once in the Biden administration," said Harris, reiterating the importance of a trilateral summit. (Yonhap)
7. US only seeks 'peaceful' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.
Keep in mind that we seek not only peaceful denuclearization but also peaceful unification. But it is Kim Jong-un who is executing the hostile policy as he seeks to dominate the Korean peninsula which is why the ROK/US alliance must maintain a highly trained and ready combined force to deter an attack and to defeat the nKPA if Kim chooses to execute his campaign plan.
US only seeks 'peaceful' denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The United States is seeking to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula but only through dialogue and diplomacy, a Department of State spokesperson said Thursday.
Ned Price, however, reiterated that the US will continue to hold the North to account over its recent missile provocations.
"Our goal is to achieve that ultimate objective -- the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- through diplomacy and dialogue. That is what we have consistently put forward," the department spokesperson said in a press briefing.
His remarks come after US Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim reportedly said that the US will mobilize all means necessary to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula during his ongoing visit to Seoul.
"We have consistently made clear that we are ready, we're prepared to engage with the DPRK in good faith without any hostile intent to make progress towards that ultimate goal," Price said when asked if all means necessary included military actions, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The spokesperson added Pyongyang remains unresponsive to US overtures for dialogue.
North Korea has avoided denuclearization talks with the US since late 2019.
Price said the US will continue to work with key allies, including South Korea and Japan, to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, but that it will also work to hold North Korea accountable for its recent missile provocations.
"The fact is that the recent provocations, including the two ICBM launches, violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions and these programs -- North Korea's nuclear weapons and its ballistic missile program -- these are a threat to international peace and security," he said.
The US has said it will introduce a new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea to hold it accountable for its recent missile launches.
"And we will continue to work with our allies and partners at the UN to impose additional costs as necessary," said Price.
The department spokesperson also emphasized the importance of cooperation between South Korea and Japan in dealing with regional and global issues.
"We have long encouraged Japan and the ROK to work together on history-related issues in a way that promotes healing and reconciliation," he said, when asked about the issues of forced labor and Korean women sexually enslaved by Japan during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea that have long been a source of dispute between the two US allies.
"Even while they are addressing sensitive historical issues, we are moving forward to embrace opportunities to advance our common regional and international priorities," added Price.
His remarks come after South Korea's foreign minister nominee, Rep. Park Jin, said the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration will continue to recognize the 2015 agreement between Seoul and Tokyo to settle the issue of comfort women as an official agreement, and that the countries should continue to work together to help restore the honor and dignity of those victims. (Yonhap)
8. Military to resume reserve forces' field training on eased COVID-19 rules
Given the changing demographics in Korea and the decline of military age personnel for service, the ROK must build a more capable reserve force. Training 1-3 days per year is not sufficient.
Military to resume reserve forces' field training on eased COVID-19 rules
South Korea's military will partially resume a field training program for the country's reserve forces in June, the defense ministry said Friday, in line with eased COVID-19 social distancing rules.
The annual field training for the 2.75 million-strong local reserve forces was called off for the first time in 52 years in 2020 due to the pandemic. Reservists had been required to undergo a training session every year for one to three days.
Effective June 2, they will be called to participate in field training and online programs running eight hours each, according to the ministry.
It added it will maintain strict virus prevention guidelines, including thorough swab tests and mask-wearing regulations.
On Monday, South Korea lifted most social distancing rules, except the mask mandate, in a major step toward pre-pandemic normalcy. (Yonhap)
9. Veterans minister to attend funeral of decorated US Korean War hero
This is a great honor to a great American patriot who truly worked to serve our alliance.
Veterans minister to attend funeral of decorated US Korean War hero
South Korea's veterans affairs minister will attend the funeral of retired US Army Col. William E. Weber, a decorated Korean War veteran, in Maryland later this week, his office said Thursday.
Hwang Ki-chul is set to attend the funeral on Friday (local time) to deliver President Moon Jae-in's condolence message to the bereaved family and console them on behalf of the Seoul government, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
"From his participation in the war to the last moment of his life, Col. Weber has given everything to the efforts to honor and remember the sacrifice and devotion of the war veterans," Hwang was quoted as saying.
"Our government will not forget his wishes and make all efforts to ensure the South Korea-US alliance forged in blood will continue into future generations," he added.
During the 1950-53 conflict, Weber served as a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and joined key missions, including the Incheon Landing Operation, to repel North Korean invaders. He lost his right arm and right leg in a battle in Wonju, 132 kilometers east of Seoul, in 1951.
After retirement, Weber devoted his life to ensuring the world never forgets the Korean War.
He has advocated for establishing monuments honoring Korean War veterans, including the Wall of Remembrance in Washington that carries the names of American servicemen and Korean Augmentation Troops to the US Army who lost their lives in the war.
More than 1.78 million US service members fought alongside South Korean troops under the UN banner in the war, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)
10. Japan's foreign ministry keeps Dokdo claim in annual policy report
This will continue to cause friction for trilateral cooperation.
Japan's foreign ministry keeps Dokdo claim in annual policy report
TOKYO -- Japan's foreign ministry reiterated its assertion that Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea, belong to the country in its first annual report on foreign policy and activities under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The claim, strongly disputed by South Korea that has long maintained effective control of Dokdo with the permanent stationing of security personnel there, was included in the 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook that was reported to the Cabinet by Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday.
The islets are indisputably an inherent part of the territory of Japan in light of historical facts and based on international law, it read.
It added that South Korea has continued an "illegal occupation" of the area with no legal basis.
The expression "illegal occupation" has been used in the Bluebook since 2018.
South Korea has a firm and clear position that Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law. Tokyo's sovereignty claim is a legacy of its imperialistic past, Seoul officials say. (Yonhap)
11. Mystery drone: How the Air Force fast-tracked a new weapon for Ukraine
Great work by our US Air Force. Excellent example of Security Force Assistance and working "through, with, and by," and developing enabling capabilities to help friends, partners, and allies to defend themselves. - Using our "superpower" of R&D, production, and logistics to achieve US strategic objectives indirectly through support to friends, partners, and allies.
Mystery drone: How the Air Force fast-tracked a new weapon for Ukraine
The “Phoenix Ghost” drones were developed by California-based Aevex Aerospace.
A senior Defense Department official said the Air Force developed the program quickly in response to Ukraine’s specific requirements. | Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo
04/21/2022 04:15 PM EDT
Updated: 04/21/2022 04:36 PM EDT
The Biden administration sent the Washington defense establishment scrambling on Thursday when it released the details of its $800 million security package for Ukraine.
Then came something no one had seen before: 121 “Phoenix Ghost” drones.
The mystery aircraft was developed by California-based Aevex Aerospace, a company that was founded in 2017 and employs 500 people with offices in California, North Carolina and Virginia.
The Air Force drone program, which was already under development before Russia’s invasion, matched Ukraine’s specific requirements and has “similar capabilities” to the AeroVironment Switchblade drone already in Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday. The Switchblade, which the U.S. began sending to Ukraine this month, is a 5.5 lbs. drone that can loiter over an area for 30 to 40 minutes before an operator slams it into its target, detonating a small warhead.
Aevex Aerospace could not be reached for comment. The company, which lists a variety of drones for different purposes, does not feature Phoenix Ghost on its website. Aevex owns a training range in Roswell, N.M., which is likely where the company tested the Phoenix Ghost.
The Phoenix Ghost “is a different type of aircraft, it’s a one-way aircraft that is effective against medium armored ground targets,” said retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and member of the Aevex board.
The drone can take off vertically, fly for six-plus hours searching for or tracking a target, and operate at night using its infrared sensors, Deptula said. Phoenix Ghost has a longer loitering capability than the Switchblade, which can fly for less than an hour, he said.
Aevex is a combination of three companies that were already established in the defense sector: Merlin Global Services, CSG Solutions and Special Operations Solutions.
The fast-track development is part of a larger push by the Pentagon to team up with small firms to develop and buy new technologies outside of the cumbersome acquisition hierarchy that often slows down or quashes leap-ahead technologies.
“It was developed for a set of requirements that very closely match what Ukrainians need right now in the Donbas,” Kirby said.
12. Why are Koreans obsessed with 'elevating national prestige?'
Perhaps some insights into Korean thinking and culture.
Why are Koreans obsessed with 'elevating national prestige?'
Military service issue involving BTS reignites questions about qualifications for exemption
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Exempting pop music personalities from compulsory military service, just like Olympic medalists and award-winning classical musicians, has become a contested political issue again as the debate over whether or not BTS members should enter military service has heated up.
In South Korea, all male citizens who meet certain physical criteria are required to serve in the military for a period of one year and six months to one year and nine months, depending on the military branch. However, the government offers exemptions to top-performing athletes and artists who have significantly contributed to "elevating national prestige" abroad.
Medalists at the Asian Games or Olympics and recipients of awards in designated national or international classical music and art competitions are eligible for such exemptions, according to the Military Service Act.
While exempt from active duty, they are still required to complete non-active duty service, which includes four weeks of basic training and a mandatory 544 hours of community service during the 34-month term. Yet, there is no clause concerning pop stars.
While a large part of the discussion surrounding BTS' military exemption is about the fairness of exempting pop stars versus other artists and athletes, there have also been calls from some for the government to abolish or reform the military exemption system as a whole.
Then-President Kim Dae-jung, second from left, meets members of the national football team in a locker room of the stadium in Incheon after their victory against Portugal at the World Cup in this June 4, 2002 photo.
The Korean team made it into the semifinals and as a result the team members were exempted from mandatory military service. Korea Times fileThey argue that granting exemptions from the military service for "elevating national prestige" is too old-fashioned. The system was introduced by former President Park Chung-hee in 1973, a year after South Korea (No. 33) ranked below North Korea (No. 22) in the medal rankings for the 1972 Summer Olympic in Munich.
In the 1970s, South Korea was a relatively impoverished and not yet highly industrialized nation, and Park, who rose to power through a military coup?d'etat, believed in the importance of sports in building national power.
In 1982, Chun Doo-hwan, the military general who succeeded Park, even included the clause, "elevating national prestige through sporting success," in the National Sports Promotion Act, which later became a basis for a society-wide fixation with performance-based elitism.
"The system was introduced because we needed to cultivate elite sports and transform the image of South Korea. However, things have changed over half a century. We now rank as the world's 10th biggest economy," Rep. Lee Ju-young of the then Liberty Korea Party, a predecessor of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP), said during a parliamentary inspection of the Military Manpower Administration in 2018.
"South Korea is home to high-tech infrastructure, global brands, and a famed popular culture, so elevating national prestige abroad is no longer our immediate concern," he said.
Cultural and social change also shaped public opinion differently over time. In the past, people here put much emphasis on unity and collectivist goals. Today, many people pursue individualism and self-development.
As a result, the clause was removed from the National Sports Promotion Act in 2020 with the passage of the Choi Sook-hyun law, named after the national triathlete who took her own life after suffering abuse from her coach and team doctor.
Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the PPP argued on Monday that the military exemption system should be scrapped for athletes and musicians altogether, calling it obsolete.
"The military duty is every man's obligation that should be equal for all, but it has become a concept of reward. BTS' achievements cannot be viewed as an act of elevating national status," he told MBC radio on April 18.
K-pop group BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit MusicSupporters, on the other hand, argue that BTS should be exempted from military service for their achievements in promoting the country abroad with K-pop and their enormous economic contribution.
However, experts say they have been doing it for their own sake, not for the country.
Culture critic Kim Hern-sik claimed that the phrase, "elevating national prestige," is a vague notion.
"For some people, conquering the Billboard chart can have public value, but for others, it may mean nothing. The military exemption system was introduced to reflect a unique situation in the 1970s, but we are still caught in the same old frame. And I'm not just talking about BTS. This applies to classical and gugak musicians, too. They don't represent Korea. They represent themselves," he said.
Kim said the government should screen people for military duties that suit their interests or skillsets.
"I personally recommend that we follow the case of Israel, where it assigns military duty based on one's specialty or aptitude. Instead of discussing whether we should include somebody in the list of beneficiaries of military exemptions, we should broaden the scope of discussion and overhaul the system," Kim said.
Jang Gyu-soo, the author of "The Korean Wave and the Asian Wave" and "Music Business" who is an adjunct professor in the Department of Cultural Contents at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, echoed the sentiment, saying that it is wrong to grant special treatment to pop musicians because of their global fame.
"Military exemption is a very tricky issue. Allowing an exemption because BTS topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart only creates disharmony between the haves and have-nots. The proposal that allows only those who hit No.1 on the chart to qualify for a military exemption also sounds absurd," he said.
Jang further explained why premising BTS' possible military exemption on the notion of "elevating national prestige," doesn't make much sense.
"Legendary trot singer Namjin served on active duty in the Vietnam War, as well as H.O.T and TVXQ, first- and second-generation K-pop stars, who completed their military service when they passed the physical qualifications. Even Elvis Presley served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960," he said.
13. North Korea’s security agency hands down measure in response to US-ROK military exercise
One of the Kim family regime's tried and true method for dealing with its problems - externalize the threat. The ROK/US combined exercises are exploited to make the people believe there is a real threat from the South and therefore they must sacrifice to prepare to defend against that threat.
Although counterintuitive in this way the regime welcomes the exercise and in one way the exercises actually "help" Kim Jong-un.
North Korea’s security agency hands down measure in response to US-ROK military exercise
The authorities are using the tense atmosphere generated externally to strongly clamp down on their own people, a source told Daily NK
2022.04.22 3:05pm
A screenshot of the Ministry of State Security order obtained by a Daily NK source in the country.
North Korea’s Ministry of State Security has recently issued to its regional branches emergency orders that correspond to a quasi-state of war. The orders suggest a measure aimed at responding to the US-ROK Combined Command Post Training for nine days that began on Monday.
According to a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province on Wednesday, the provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security received an emergency order from the ministry’s national headquarters on Sunday. The order called on ministry personnel to adopt a combat posture corresponding to a quasi-state of war. Ministry of State Security offices in the province have been responding with 10 days of 24-hour, day and night drills assuming a quasi-state of war.
In particular, the source said provincial bodies of the Ministry of State Security have tightened surveillance of targets in accordance with directives from above, as well as of people living near military bases.
According to materials obtained by Daily NK, the details of the ministry’s order are as follows:
- Find and arrest all enemy spies and impure and hostile elements that could discover our (North Korea’s) secrets and disrupt rear area operations.
- Have local strategic military bases and other units in particular areas of responsibility use all informants to select people who frequent the area and ferret out people collaborating with enemy spies.
- Have informants and mass surveillance networks keep an eye on anything unusual in regions, points or places where spies could enter, escape or parachute in.
- Establish security measures to suppress all behavior that could hinder military activities by controlling all secret paths across the border and executing security activities in the surrounding areas.
With the US-South Korean exercise underway, the Ministry of State Security is apparently focusing even more on its original mission of watching over ideologically suspicious individuals.
The source said the Ministry of State Security usually holds corresponding drills three to seven days before military exercises in South Korea. He said he believed the current drill order was issued along the same lines.
The source added that the order has a “hidden intention”; namely, faced with a grave internal situation in the face of food shortages, the authorities are using the tense atmosphere generated externally to strongly clamp down on their own people.
Meanwhile, local ministry officials are reportedly complaining about having to spend 10 days in their offices or bunkers, unable to return home at all.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
14. Missives and missiles fly as Korea’s Moon fades away
I think Go Myong-hyun's and Chris Green's analysis here is likely spot on. Theis political warfare by the Kim family regime.
Excerpts:
“The offer of humanitarian assistance is always on the table and the US supports that, so if Kim wanted that from South Korea, it is available,” said Go Myong-hyun, a North Korea watcher at the Seoul-based Asan Institute think tank. “The reason it has not happened is Kim wanted something more tangible, and larger scale, which would affect sanctions.”
These factors suggest that the letters – and, especially, Pyongyang’s public disclosure of the exchange via media – may be designed to stir the ever-spicy and always-simmering stew of Seoul politics.
“What is interesting is that Moon sent the first letter but it was the North Koreans who went public,” Go told Asia Times. “I think that is because North Korea wants to create discord between the outgoing and incoming administrations.”
Green agreed.
“This will lead to clashes between those [in South Korea] who believe in containment, and those who believe in engagement,” he said. “It sets the scene for Yoon to respond, and perhaps to be blamed for poor relations later on. I think they have thrown a cat among the pigeons.”
Missives and missiles fly as Korea’s Moon fades away
North and South Korean leaders exchange conciliatory letters in move likely aimed to undercut President-elect Yoon
SEOUL – Is a shock outbreak of peace and love about to descend upon the Korean Peninsula? Or have the politics of cynicism just accelerated into temporary overdrive?
In what may be the last hurrah for the last shreds of inter-Korean amity, a message of hope for a new round of reconciliation – or alternatively a cynical move to sow discord in the South – the leaders of the two Koreas have reportedly recently been in contact by mail.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is set to leave office in just over two weeks, dispatched a letter to his northern counterpart Kim Jong Un on Wednesday. The response was surprisingly swift as Kim wrote back to Moon the next day, according to North Korean state media, which was monitored by media in Seoul.
Time is of the essence: Moon’s constitutionally mandated single term in office winds up on May 9. The liberal Moon hands over the reins of power to conservative President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on May 10.
The letter exchange comes as all regional players are ramping up tension with tactics that range from military exercises to missile tests to the bulldozing of iconic facilities.
But pundits don’t believe Kim is about to pivot away from weapons tests and return to the negotiating table anytime soon. Instead, they say, he is seeking to discomfit the incoming Yoon administration.
Jitter-o-meter on the uptick
Yoon has made clear he is far less interested in bromancing Kim than was Moon. Likewise, across the Pacific, US President Joe Biden shares none of his predecessor Donald Trump’s taste for chummy summitry with Kim.
With neither Seoul nor Washington holding or planning any talks with North Korea, the peninsula’s security status is looking wobbly. Those wobbles are reflected in a recent uptick in military moves at all points of the compass.
Joint South Korean-US computer-simulated military drills got underway this week. Those follow naval drills conducted by Japanese and US forces in the Sea of Japan last week.
It was revealed on Thursday (April 21) that South Korea this week tested two submarine-launched ballistic missiles – a class of weapon North Korea also covets and is developing. Both missiles, fired from a submerged submarine in the Yellow Sea, hit designated but unidentified targets 400 kilometers away, according to Yonhap news agency, quoting government sources.
a South Korean soldier standing by a Cheongung medium-range surface-to-air missile system during a media day presentation of a commemoration event marking South Korea’s Armed Forces Day at the Second Fleet Command of Navy in Pyeongtaek. Photo: AFP / Jung Yeon-Je
It is not just Seoul, Tokyo and Washington who are flexing muscles.
Pyongyang has conducted 13 missile tests so far in 2022 – a sizzling launch tempo, even by North Korean standards. Moreover, last month, North Korea tested an ICBM – a class of weapon it had not fired since 2017 – ending a self-imposed moratorium.
That moratorium had paved the way for Kim’s unprecedented diplomatic outreach in 2018, which saw him summiting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Moon and Trump.
But since the failure of his summit with Trump in Hanoi in 2019, and the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020, Kim has hunkered down at home. He has also sealed his borders in what may be the world’s most watertight national quarantine measures.
Now, with reports of recent activity at North Korea’s underground nuclear test site, some analysts fear that the North is preparing an atomic test.
At a 2021 party congress, North Korea announced a range of new arms to be developed, including tactical nuclear warheads. Thus far, it has only tested the much larger and more destructive strategic nuclear devices.
And Pyongyang has been ruffling Seoul’s feathers in other areas.
There are reports that North Korea has this month been demolishing South Korean-built tourism facilities, including a hotel and a golf course. Those facilities lie inside North Korea at the scenic Mount Kumgang, just north of the DMZ on the peninsula’s east coast. They were opened in a spate of inter-Korean amity in 1998.
Those facilities, and the inter-Korean tourism that serviced them, were closed down in 2008 after a South Korean visitor was shot dead by a North Korean soldier – apparently in error.
A restart of the tourist project, as well as that of a South Korean-built light industrial park near Kaesong, just north of the DMZ in the peninsula’s west, are perennial hopes held by pro-engagement South Koreans.
It is not clear via what mechanism the letters were delivered with such apparent speed.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. Photo: AFP / KCNA / KNS
While North Korea occasionally disconnects inter-Korean communications as a protest against one policy or another, or simply fails to respond to South Korean calls or faxes, it is understood that the two countries’ intelligence services are in constant contact.
Presidential officials customarily decline to answer reporters’ questions about the direct hotline that links the leaders of the two Koreas: How often, or even whether it is used, is a guarded secret.
Regardless of the channel or format of the messages, Moon, in his letter, urged Kim to swiftly restart talks with the United States and also to open communications with President-elect Yoon, according to South Korean reports quoting Moon’s spokesperson.
Since 2019, Kim has appeared to delegate the role of hawk to his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, who often fires barbs at the South via state media while reserving a more statesmanlike role for himself.
Hence, Kim’s reply was pragmatic, but also offered possible hope for the future.
“Though much is left desired, my belief remains unchanged that if the South and the North pour sincerity in based on efforts made so far, inter-Korean relations can move forward as much as one wants,” his letter read.
Letters of (ill) intent?
Questions hang over Kim’s intentions, regarding both responding with such alacrity and then revealing the response in state media.
Given that his economy is believed to have been devastated by the loss of trade with China from Covid-related border closures, could Kim be u-turning back to diplomacy?
Not likely, one analyst opines.
“He has not exhausted the escalation pathway – he has not sent a missile over Japan, or conducted a nuclear test – so he still has a few steps to go,” Chris Green, Korean Peninsula analyst for the International Crisis Group, told Asia Times. “It would be weird to me if they pivoted back to diplomacy now. If they came back in 4-5 months, that would make more sense.”
Moreover, while emergency aid is always up for grabs, any larger economic package from the South looks unlikely.
“The offer of humanitarian assistance is always on the table and the US supports that, so if Kim wanted that from South Korea, it is available,” said Go Myong-hyun, a North Korea watcher at the Seoul-based Asan Institute think tank. “The reason it has not happened is Kim wanted something more tangible, and larger scale, which would affect sanctions.”
These factors suggest that the letters – and, especially, Pyongyang’s public disclosure of the exchange via media – may be designed to stir the ever-spicy and always-simmering stew of Seoul politics.
“What is interesting is that Moon sent the first letter but it was the North Koreans who went public,” Go told Asia Times. “I think that is because North Korea wants to create discord between the outgoing and incoming administrations.”
Green agreed.
“This will lead to clashes between those [in South Korea] who believe in containment, and those who believe in engagement,” he said. “It sets the scene for Yoon to respond, and perhaps to be blamed for poor relations later on. I think they have thrown a cat among the pigeons.”
15. South Korea’s Teflon economy finally hit by global headwinds
There will be an impact on national security.
Excerpts:
Weak domestic consumption would leave South Korea’s macroeconomy at the mercy of its export sector, selling to a global economy that is also stuttering in the face of fierce inflation headwinds.
When it comes to the global economy, the IMF is not sounding a note of confidence.
According to its report this week, “Global growth is projected to slow from an estimated 6.1% in 2021 to 3.6 % in 2022 and 2023. This is 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points lower for 2022 and 2023 than projected in January.”
South Korea’s Teflon economy finally hit by global headwinds
IMF slices its Korea growth forecast as Ukraine war and related inflation hit the technology and export powerhouse
SEOUL – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week cut its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for South Korea to 2.5%, down significantly from its March projection of 3%, in a telling reflection of a decelerating global economy.
The IMF’s projection is well south of that of the Bank of Korea, which anticipates a much more bullish 3.7%. The latest IMF estimate is also below those of credit-rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s, which both stand at 2.7%.
“Global growth is expected to slow significantly in 2022, largely as a consequence of the war in Ukraine,” the IMF wrote in its April World Economic Outlook publication. “The economic costs of war [in Ukraine] are expected to spread farther afield through commodity markets, trade, and—to a lesser extent—financial interlinkages.”
Food and fuel prices have already been impacted, the IMF added. Due to its muscular export sector, fully manned by an armory of global brands that operate in both the B2C and B2B spaces, South Korea is often seen as a leading weathervane for the wider world economy.
That would suggest that a Korean growth slowdown is bad news for countries beyond its own borders, as post-pandemic growth transitions to a deceleration phase.
South Korea charged through the Covid era. According to OECD data, it saw the best economic performance in the G20 in 2020 apart from China and Turkey. In 2021, previously struggling economies caught up, but South Korea maintained its growth lead over fellow top exporters Japan and Germany.
This galloping performance was mounted on the back of its key export, semiconductors – the components that represent the guts of a fast-digitizing global economy and which earn some 20% of South Korea’s export sector’s revenues.
The country boasts a world-beating eco-system down the Suwon-Pyeontaek industrial corridor south of Seoul, built around the two domestic memory chip colossi, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
Samsung soared through the global pandemic as demand for semiconductors skyrocketed. Image: AFP
This deep pool of assets makes South Korea – along with Taiwan, home of key non-memory foundry player TSMC – one of the two pillars of the leading-edge international semiconductor sector.
Demand for chips – as well as mobile devices and other electronic gadgets which South Korea produces – surged due to the pandemic’s work and play at home trend.
The main culprit of the IMF’s gloomier outlook is the war in Ukraine, which has flung further fuel upon extant inflationary fires. The IMF hiked 2022’s year’s inflation outlook for South Korea to 4% from an earlier estimate of 3.1%.
On a monthly basis, Korean consumer prices soared 4.1% in March year-on-year – the first time in over a decade that consumer prices topped 4%, according to Yonhap news wire. That marked an acceleration from the 3.7% rise seen in February.
Even so, according to a February OECD estimate of the inflation rates of its 38 member countries, Korea is ahead of the pack. With a core inflation rate of 3.7%, it is doing a lot better than its peers in the “rich nations’ club”, which have an average rate of 7.7%.
However, all things being equal, South Korea is not only benefitting from global economic trends like digitization; it is also exposed to global economic vulnerabilities.
In stark contrast to its highly efficient export machine, South Koreans are at the mercy of an inefficient and therefore expensive agriculture and agricultural distribution sector.
But the country is also vulnerable to imported inflation: It is a net energy importer, and its metal-bashers must ship in capital goods and components to churn out exports including autos, petrochemicals, displays and ships, as well as chips and devices.
Officialdom is doing what it can to tame the price surge. The BOK raised its key policy rate by a quarter percentage point to 1.5% last week, marking the fourth hike in nine months.
However, there is another key dynamic that the BOK must constantly consider: A high level of household debts, a perennial Achilles Heel of the consumer economy.
The country’s household debt hit a record $1.56 trillion last year. That figure rose to 106.7% of GDP in the third quarter of 2021 – up from 105.8% of GDP in the second quarter of that year.
Another drag factor is the country’s Covid-19 situation.
Korea won global kudos for its early-phase, lockdown-free containment response, but reeled under a staggering caseload of Omicron cases this year. As a result, South Korea has fallen far behind other advanced economies in North America and Western Europe, and only ditched the majority of its social distancing restrictions this week.
That dynamic necessarily hammered consumer spending and added to the burdens of small business owners in the retail, food and beverage, hospitality and education sectors. But even if there is a consumer spending bounce back from Covid, the unholy duo of elevated inflation and household debt is expected to cut deep into private spending.
Weak domestic consumption would leave South Korea’s macroeconomy at the mercy of its export sector, selling to a global economy that is also stuttering in the face of fierce inflation headwinds.
When it comes to the global economy, the IMF is not sounding a note of confidence.
According to its report this week, “Global growth is projected to slow from an estimated 6.1% in 2021 to 3.6 % in 2022 and 2023. This is 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points lower for 2022 and 2023 than projected in January.”
15. EU sanctions those linked to North Korean nuclear arms program
A small victory but so much more needs to be done.
EU sanctions those linked to North Korean nuclear arms program
Kim Jong-un is pictured at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this undated photo provided April 17 by the North Korean government. The European Union has sanctioned eight individuals and four entities in connection with North Korea's nuclear weapons program. AP-Yonhap
The European Union has sanctioned eight individuals and four entities in connection with North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The individuals concerned hold senior positions in institutions involved in the development of the North's missile program, a statement issued by the EU?said Thursday.
It said the sanctioned entities had circumvented previous punitive measures, possibly contributing to the financing of the illicit weapons programs.
North Korea is already subject to tough international sanctions in response to its controversial nuclear weapons program.
The new measures reportedly freeze the assets of those affected, prohibit them from entering the EU and ban them from receiving funding in the bloc.
In total, the EU has sanctioned 65 individuals and 13 entities for their links to North Korea, in addition to the 80 people and 75 entities sanctioned by the UN. (DPA)
16. Cooking oil prices in North Korea remain high despite more imports
I am always amazed at how north Korea and especially the Korean people living in the north continue to survive such hardship. As a ROK Admiral once told me their survival is the second "miracle" in Korea - the "Miracle on the Taedonggang" - the people continue to survive after seven decades of brutal, inept, and incompetent rule of the Kim family regime.
Cooking oil prices in North Korea remain high despite more imports
Food ingredients were funneled for use in sweets and cakes ahead of late founder’s birth holiday, sources say.
By Hyemin Son
2022.04.21
Cooking oil prices in North Korea remain high despite more imports from China, the result of the government diverting the new supplies to food factories in preparation for a major holiday, sources in the country told RFA.
Food prices skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Sino-Korean border was shut down and all trade was suspended for about two years, starting in January 2020. As supplies dwindled, sugar, cooking oil and other ingredients became unaffordable luxuries to many North Korean families.
Poor harvests in North Korea in both 2020 and 2021 added market pressure by creating shortages of staples like rice and corn.
Ahead of the Day of the Sun, a holiday celebrating the life of leader Kim Jong Un’s late grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung, North Korean authorities began importing more ingredients for cakes and sweets, but residents outside the capital Pyongyang are not seeing much benefit.
Though freight trains laden with cooking oil are now rolling in from China, North Koreans are not seeing a price drop, a resident of the northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFA’s Korean Service Tuesday on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“In early April, the news spread that the Dandong-Sinuiju freight train was importing 20 cargo compartments of sugar, flour and cooking oil almost every other day, raising hopes that the cooking oil prices would fall soon,” he said.
“However, the price of 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) of cooking oil is still equivalent to 5 kg (11 lbs.) of rice. Residents are wondering where all the imported cooking oil is going. They are complaining that they don't know when they will be able to add oil to their dishes,” the source said.
The current price of cooking oil is 22,000 won per kg ($7.43 per lb.) at the marketplace in Sinuiju, a border city that lies across the Yalu River from China’s Dandong, the source said.
Locally produced cooking oil costs 25,000 won per kg. In 2019, before the pandemic, cooking oil cost 13,000 to 15,000 won per kg.
In contrast, prices for flour are falling as supplies increasingly come in via maritime trade through Sinuiju and are distributed to local markets as far away as South Pyongan province, north of Pyongyang. At the height of the pandemic, flour cost as much as 30,000 won per kilogram, but now it costs 11,000 to 12,000 won per kilogram.
In the city of Pyongsong in South Pyongan, food factories received orders to increase production of sweets, instant noodles and bread, a resident there told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely.
“Raw materials such as flour, sugar, and cooking oil are imported on the Dandong-Sinuiju weekly freight train,” the second source said.
“On the occasion of Kim Il Sung's birthday, authorities ordered the import of food materials from China by increasing the frequency of freight trains. They ordered gifts of sweets and food to distribute to high-ranking officials, national contributors and Pyongyang citizens,” he said.
Residents of the capital Pyongyang live lives of privilege, with more access to luxuries than people living in the provinces.
“Food products from the Dandong-Sinuiju freight train are not released to the market,” the second source said.
“After the cargo is disinfected at the Uiju food-quarantine facilities, it is only supplied to food production plants in Pyongyang and other food production companies under the party and the military. The price of food products in the marketplace is not going down,” he said.
Translated by Claire Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
17. #N. Korean leader commends Moon’s efforts in rare letter. What’s behind it?
If Kim Jong-un was sincere he would have sent a letter like this after the Pyongyang summit in September 2018. It would have ushered in sustained north-South engagement that this recent letter seems to allude to - some real revisionist history in Kim's letter. But one (of many) of Kim's major strategic mistakes occurred at that summit. He allowed Moon Jae-in to speak to the Korean people in the north. Although his speech was panned by conservatives in the South, it was well received by the people who viewed Moon as articulate, passionate, and someone with whom Kim should be able to make a deal. The problem was his speech undermined decades of propaganda which focuses on vilifying and insulting South Korean leaders. Kim realized he had to fix this and therefore since September 18th has focused the Propaganda and Agitation Department on redoubling its efforts to disparage Moon and South Korea and of course he has personally rebuffed all offers of north-South engagement since then.
I think the analysis here is correct in that this letter is more focused on the incoming Yoon administration and setting the propaganda conditions to be able to blame him for the "failures" of north-South engagement and justify the continued development of nuclear weapons, missiles,and advanced military capabilities. I think Kim is very fearful of better alignment of ROK and US policy and strategy and a strengthened ROK/US alliance. We must exploit that with our strategic influence through information advantage strategy.
#N. Korean leader commends Moon’s efforts in rare letter. What’s behind it?
Published : Apr 22, 2022 - 17:14 Updated : Apr 22, 2022 - 17:49
[News Analysis] N. Korean leader commends Moon’s efforts in rare letter. What’s behind it?
Kicker -- Experts say Pyongyang seeks to win Moon over, keep incoming Yoon government in check
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has exchanged letters with South Korea’s outgoing President Moon Jae-in and expressed gratitude toward Moon for his effort to improve inter-Korean relations, the North Korean state media reported Friday.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency, which mainly targets the external audience, swiftly reported that Kim on Thursday replied to Moon’s personal letter delivered Wednesday.
“Dear respected comrade Kim Jong-un highly appreciated Moon‘s agonies and hard efforts for the great cause of the nation until the end of his term, recollecting that the North and South Korean leaders pronounced the historic joint declarations and gave hope for the future of the entire nation,” the KCNA reported in a Korean-language dispatch.
The North Korean state media notably said the two Koreas can mend their bilateral ties if both continue to put forward efforts, adding that the exchange of letters between Kim and Moon “shows their deep trust,”
“The North and South Korean leaders shared the view that inter-Korean relations will be improved and developed in line with the nation’s desire and expectations if both sides cherish the hope and make tireless efforts,” the KCNA said.
The KCNA also said Moon “expressed his willingness to make the North-South Korean joint declarations a foundation for the reunification even after his retirement” in his personal letter.
S. Korea confirms later
South Korea’s presidential office on Friday confirmed the exchange of personal letters between Kim and Moon hours after North Korea’s state media report.
“President Moon asked Chairman Kim to engage in inter-Korean cooperation keeping the great cause of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in giving a briefing on Moon’s letter to Kim. Moon went on to say that “progress in dialogue will rest with the next government.”
Park said Moon “hopes that the era of confrontation should be overcome through dialogue and talks between North Korea and the US will be resumed expeditiously,”expressing his regret over inter-Korean relations not developing as much as he hoped for.
In return, the North Korean leader said he and Moon have made “historic declarations and agreements that will be milestones in inter-Korean relations” although they could not take steps further as they hoped for, the Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson said during the briefing.
While Kim assessed the inter-Korean declarations and agreements as “indelible achievements,” he views that inter-Korean relations have left much to be desired, according to Park.
A South Korean senior official, who wished to remain anonymous, on Friday said Moon emphasized that the two Koreas “should overcome the situation with dialogue” particularly at a time as Moon finishes out his term.
N. Korea seeks to win Moon over
The North Korean state media’s prompt report on the exchange of the friendly letters between Kim and Moon came at a critical juncture on the Korean Peninsula, as the Kim Jong-un regime has ramped up the pressure on South Korea.
North Korea has accelerated in developing short-range ballistic missiles that can carry tactical nuclear weapons, while recent commercial satellite images indicate ongoing restoration work at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
Pyongyang has also been gearing up for a massive military parade that is likely to show off advanced, strategic weapons on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army on April 25.
North Korea’s external-oriented media outlets have recently ratcheted up their bellicose rhetoric specifically against South Korea for conducting the combined military exercise with the US.
Professor Kwak Gil-sup of Kookmin University assessed the North Korean state media report as a short-term, “tactical move” to achieve multiple objectives, including stirring up “South-South conflict” and driving a wedge between South Korea and the US.
In essence, Kwak said North Korea simultaneously seeks to “take a breath“ and catch South Korea napping by giving hope to the South Korean government before making more “high-profile provocations.”
Another major goal is to “win Moon and a dovish group over to the North Korean side” by showing a conciliatory gesture before Moon leaves office.
“North Korea will be able to capitalize on the dovish, progressive group, and the group’s support will give North Korea the advantage,” Kwak told The Korea Herald. “But if North Korea solely takes a hard-line stance and ramps up the pressure at this juncture, the country will face a confrontation with the progressive power. The progressive power will eventually shift its stance toward reinforcing national security against North Korea.”
Containment against Yoon Suk-yeol government
Echoing the view, Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute, said that “North Korea views that President Moon can play a role in keeping the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s hard-line North Korea policy in check .”
Cheong Wae Dae also confirmed that Moon will still be on the same page with Kim “at any time and anywhere in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula” after his term.
But director Cheong said North Korea aims to instigate the internal conflict over North Korea policy in the run-up to the inauguration of the new South Korean government by unilaterally announcing the exchange of letters.
“North Korea seeks to stir up South-South conflict by contrasting President Moon’s conciliatory message that he will endeavor to fulfill the inter-Korean declarations signed by the leaders even after leaving office with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s hard-line stance on North Korea.”
Cheong also pointed out that the North Korean media report came as the Kim Jong-un regime has stopped attributing significance to the inter-Korean agreements following the breakdown of the Hanoi summer in February 2019.
Kwak also views the KCNA report as “containment against the Yoon Suk-yeol government” with the intent to “prevent it from taking a tough policy.”
“North Korea also clearly signals that the next government should work together with the country to improve inter-Korean relations rather than focusing on coordinating with the US and joining the pressure campaign,” Kwak said.
Park Won-gon, professor of North Korea studies at Ewha Womans University, said North Korea will “shift the blame for rising tension on the Korean Peninsula to the Yoon Suk-yeol government by comparing it with the Moon government if the newly launched Yoon government responds strongly to North Korea’s offensive actions.”
Cheong also pointed out that the Kim Jong-un regime aimed to send a message targeting the South Korean audience, given that North Korea’s external-oriented KCNA only reported the exchange of the personal letters.
The Rodong Sinmun, which is an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and is published for the domestic audience, antithetically did not carry the report.
N. Korea‘s dilemma
Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the Korean Institute for National Unification, said the media report shows North Korea’s pursuit to “tone down the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s expected hard-line policy.”
“North Korea says its intention is not to perpetually pursue confrontation, but to engage in dialogue under the right circumstances,” Cho told The Korea Herald. “In addition, Pyongyang aims to empower the dovish group within South Korea, which endorses dialogue.”
But in essence, Cho said, North Korea expresses its willingness to return to the dialogue table when they can engage in negotiations that can bring desired results.
“North Korea has made the inevitable choice and path of moving toward the hard-line policy and ratcheting up the pressure on South Korea and the US, but it will be also burdensome for the country to continue confrontation,” Cho said.
Cho said the Kim Jong-un regime would also see the necessity of resuming dialogue in view of economic difficulties, the COVID-19 vaccine supply, and among others.
“Therefore, North Korea has also faced a dilemma. The country signals that it will engage in negotiations in favor of the country (from a position of strength) after strengthening national defense capabilities and gaining the upper hand over South Korea and the US.”
(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)
18. North Korea's Kim offers rare praise for South's departing Moon
I think Markus Garlauskas is spot on here.I think incoming Minister of Unification Kwon may be engaging in some wishful thinking. The question we should be asking is not so much what does Kim Jong-un mean by this (though it is critically important that we assess his intent), but how we can exploit the letter in our execution of a superior political warfare strategy? Surely this letter is part of Kim's political warfare strategy. We must do it better.
Analysts questioned the North's true intentions.
"This looks more like another step in building the pretext to blame Yoon for more escalation from North Korea, rather than an olive branch to Yoon or Biden," said Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council think tank and former U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the letters could signal to Yoon that the door for cooperation was still open, and a potential seventh nuclear test by the North or any other future action would hinge on Yoon's approach.
Yoon, who takes office on May 10, has said that he is open to dialogue but greater military deterrence and a stronger U.S. alliance are needed to counter the North's "provocations".
Kwon Young-se, Yoon's nominee to oversee cross-border affairs, said the exchange of letters was a "good thing" and Kim offered "positive" views on inter-Korean ties.
"There was some content that the new government would want to hear," he told reporters. "It was very positive that he does not negatively see trust and progress in relations."
North Korea's Kim offers rare praise for South's departing Moon
- Summary
- Kim Jong Un responds to letter from South's Moon Jae-in
- Letters call for 'hope' and 'dialogue'
- Analysts sceptical of broader improvement in ties
- Moon staked legacy on now-stalled talks with North
SEOUL, April 22 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has thanked South Korea's outgoing president for trying to improve relations, a rare gesture of goodwill but one that analysts said may not be enough to head off growing tension between the two Koreas.
The warm words from North Korea to President Moon Jae-in came in an exchange of letters less than three weeks before Moon leaves office to be replaced by a conservative leader who has already signalled a tougher line on North Korea
Analysts were sceptical that North Korea's message heralded a broader improvement in relations, and warned that the praise for Moon could be a bid to portray his successor, Yoon Suk-yeol, as responsible for any further deterioration in ties.
North Korean state media was the first to report the exchange and the unexpected North Korean plaudits for the stalled effort by Moon and his liberal administration to engage.
"Kim Jong Un appreciated the pains and effort taken by Moon Jae-in for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term of office," North Korea's KCNA state news agency reported.
The exchange of letters was an "expression of their deep trust", it said.
The letters come against a backdrop of tension since a failed North Korea-U.S. summit in 2019, exacerbated last month when North Korea launched intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), ending a self-imposed 2017 moratorium. read more
Moon sent a letter on Wednesday and promised to try to lay a foundation for unification based on joint declarations reached at summits in 2018, despite the "difficult situation", KCNA said.
Moon's office confirmed that he had exchanged "letters of friendship" with Kim.
Moon said the "era of confrontation" should be overcome with dialogue, and inter-Korean engagement was now a task for the next administration, his spokeswoman told a briefing. Moon also expressed hope for the swift resumption of U.S.-North Korea denuclearisation talks.
Kim said in his reply on Thursday that their "historic" summits gave the people "hope for the future", and the two agreed that ties would develop if both sides "make tireless efforts with hope", KCNA reported.
The exchange came as U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim was in South Korea for talks. The U.S. envoy has said he is open to sitting down with the North at any time without preconditions, but it was unclear whether Moon's letter specifically proposed a meeting. read more
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures as he watches the test-firing of a new-type tactical guided weapon according to state media, North Korea, in this undated photo released on April 16, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS
Analysts questioned the North's true intentions.
"This looks more like another step in building the pretext to blame Yoon for more escalation from North Korea, rather than an olive branch to Yoon or Biden," said Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council think tank and former U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the letters could signal to Yoon that the door for cooperation was still open, and a potential seventh nuclear test by the North or any other future action would hinge on Yoon's approach.
Yoon, who takes office on May 10, has said that he is open to dialogue but greater military deterrence and a stronger U.S. alliance are needed to counter the North's "provocations".
Kwon Young-se, Yoon's nominee to oversee cross-border affairs, said the exchange of letters was a "good thing" and Kim offered "positive" views on inter-Korean ties.
"There was some content that the new government would want to hear," he told reporters. "It was very positive that he does not negatively see trust and progress in relations."
Tension escalated when North Korea last month conducted its first full ICBM test since 2017, and there are concerns that it is preparing to restart nuclear testing. read more
Moon staked his legacy on improving inter-Korean ties and helped arrange unprecedented meetings between Kim Jong Un and then U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019.
Three summits Kim and Moon held in 2018 promised peace and reconciliation but relations have soured, with the North warning of destructive action and demolishing facilities built by South Korean firms for joint projects. read more
In 2020, the North spectacularly blew up a joint liaison office on the border, which Moon's government had spent 9.78 billion won ($8.6 million) renovating.
The two leaders tried again to mend ties last year but little progress was made and Pyongyang then criticised Seoul's "double standards" over weapons. read more
North Korea's statement left open a possibility for Moon to play a role as envoy, but Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said it was unlikely to have a positive impact on his reputation.
The statement could stir controversy in the South by portraying Moon as "a deluded peacenik who, after all the weapons tests North Korea has conducted in the last eight months, is still writing convivial letters to Kim", Green said.
Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Josh Smith and Joori Roh; Editing by Stephen Coates, Gerry Doyle, Robert Birsel
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.
