Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"When in this world a mano comes forward with a thought, a deed, a vision, we ask not how does he look, but what is his message?...."

- W.E.B Du Bois

"Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you."

- Fyodor Dosteyevsky

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."

Voltaire

1. Sung Kim looks forward to strengthened U.S. extended deterrence commitment in Yoon-Biden summit

2. U.S. should redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on Korean Peninsula to make deterrence 'credible': Bolton

3. N. Korea vows strong ties with Russia on leaders' summit anniversary

4. Yoon, Biden to announce 'major deliverables' on extended deterrence: NSA Sullivan

5. North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies

6. S. Korea, U.S. simultaneously sanction N. Korean involved in WMD financing

7. Yoon arrives in Washington on state visit

8. ‘South Korea is model for all countries’

9. A Satellite Phone That Works Anywhere? The U.S.-China Rivalry Makes That Harder.

10. All Koreans Evacuated from Sudan

11. South Korea, US presidents to meet in Washington – amid wary glances in the direction of Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow

12. Yoon, Biden to sign statement detailing US extended deterrence

13. A dialog on civilization could bring peace to East Asia

14. U.S. expert says North unready to carry out 7th nuke test

15. North Koreans souring on Kim Jong-un’s ‘beloved child’ Ju-ae: lawmaker

16. S. Korea expected to play bigger role in operation of US nuclear assets

17. Biden to unveil new efforts to protect S. Korea from nukes

18. U.S. respects 'sovereign decisions' on weapons support to Ukraine: White House official

1. Sung Kim looks forward to strengthened U.S. extended deterrence commitment in Yoon-Biden summit

This is going to be the most watched issue coming out of he summit this week.

Excerpt:

"And Jake Sullivan, our national security adviser, already indicated that what comes out of the summit will very clearly convey our sense of commitment, extended deterrence commitment to the ROK (Republic of Korea). So we're looking forward to that."

The U.S. is "continuing to work on how we can strengthen our extended deterrence commitment to the ROK and ROK citizens," he added.

The envoy also stressed the U.S. commitment to seeking denuclearization and a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy remains "unwavering."

Sung Kim looks forward to strengthened U.S. extended deterrence commitment in Yoon-Biden summit | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · April 25, 2023

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim on Tuesday expressed his expectation that the leaders of the U.S. and South Korea would exhibit their commitments to a stronger extended deterrence against Pyongyang's nuclear threats at an upcoming summit this week.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden are scheduled to hold a summit at the White House on Wednesday (Washington time), in which they are expected to sign a joint statement on measures to enhance extended deterrence, or the U.S. commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

"I don't want to get ahead of our leaders, who will be meeting soon, but I think it's clear that this will be a very prominent topic for our two leaders," he said at the Asan Plenum 2023 conference, hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, in Seoul.

"And Jake Sullivan, our national security adviser, already indicated that what comes out of the summit will very clearly convey our sense of commitment, extended deterrence commitment to the ROK (Republic of Korea). So we're looking forward to that."

The U.S. is "continuing to work on how we can strengthen our extended deterrence commitment to the ROK and ROK citizens," he added.

The envoy also stressed the U.S. commitment to seeking denuclearization and a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy remains "unwavering."

"We remain determined to do so despite the fact that we have seen no indication of interest in Pyongyang's part to engage in a meaningful dialogue with us, but we will not be deterred," he said.

Earlier in the day, Sullivan told a White House press briefing that Yoon and Biden will announce "major deliverables" on ways to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea at their summit.

In this file photo, U.S. chief nuclear negotiator Sung Kim speaks during talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts over North Korea's denuclearization at the foreign ministry in Seoul on April 7, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · April 25, 2023

2. U.S. should redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on Korean Peninsula to make deterrence 'credible': Bolton

What did not make the press report was that he also mentioned the importance of unification. So I covered that on a later panel. :-)

U.S. should redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on Korean Peninsula to make deterrence 'credible': Bolton | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · April 25, 2023

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- The United States should redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula in the short term as a way to make Washington's extended deterrence against North Korea "credible," former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday.

"I think the United States should redeploy tactical nuclear weapons on the Peninsula, and they ought to be made very clear to Kim Jong-un and whatever relative is looking to succeed him in North Korea, that we in the government of South Korea will use tactical nuclear weapons without hesitation," Bolton said at a security conference in Seoul.

Bolton added, "That's how you make deterrence credible," and stressed that such a measure would buy time for South Korea to "think long and hard" about whether it wants its own separate nuclear capability.

The comments, which were made at the Asan Plenum 2023 conference, hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, came amid growing public opinion within South Korea on the need for Seoul to independently build its own nuclear weapons.

A survey of 1,008 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter last week, found that 56.5 percent of respondents say they support South Korea building its own nuclear weapons and the issue needs to be discussed at an upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington.

The former adviser, considered to have played a key role in setting up two U.S.-North Korea summits during the previous Washington administration under Donald Trump, expressed strong reservations on the North's past rhetoric on denuclearization.

"We can say that there is no evidence whatsoever that North Korea has ever made a strategic decision to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons," Bolton said.

He advised Seoul to join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to expand the group to five countries, transforming the Quad into the "Quint," and make it "far stronger and give it many more opportunities" in dealing with complex security situations.

On China-Taiwan tensions, Bolton stressed that a threat by China to Taiwan should be interpreted also as a threat to South Korea and urged Seoul to play a larger role in geopolitical structures that are being created in the region.

Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton delivers a keynote speech at the Asan Plenum 2023 on the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance at a Seoul hotel on April 25, 2023. (Yonhap)

odissy@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · April 25, 2023

3. N. Korea vows strong ties with Russia on leaders' summit anniversary

But Kim Jong Un did not get a state dinner in Moscow. The north Korean Propaganda and Agitation Department may be trying to counter the ROK/US summit.

N. Korea vows strong ties with Russia on leaders' summit anniversary | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · April 25, 2023

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea vowed Tuesday to strengthen its ties with Russia on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the first summit between the leaders of the two nations.

Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il issued a statement confirming "mutual support and solidarity" between Pyongyang and Moscow, marking the anniversary of the 2019 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held in Vladivostok.

"The two countries are strengthening mutual support and solidarity in the struggle to resolutely smash the dangers of war and military threats from the outside," Im said.

The official stressed the North will "(invariably) stand to elevate the long-standing and traditional relations of friendship" between the two nations.

The North has been strengthening its close ties with Russia despite international condemnation over Moscow's war with Ukraine. The North has denied allegations that it has provided arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

North Korean arms exports are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions over the North's nuclear and missile programs.

This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 김수연 · April 25, 2023

4. Yoon, Biden to announce 'major deliverables' on extended deterrence: NSA Sullivan

I have been asked a lot of questions on this from the ROK media and friends in the ROK for the past two days here in Seoul. They want to know how we are going to increase and demonstrate extended deterrence. They are looking for major action to signal extended deterrence. My response to their comments and queries is what do you think deters Kim Jong Un? What action do you believe deters him? What capabilities (combined with will) will deter him? I have ever received a sufficient answer. Most think that either the development of ROK nuclear weapons or the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons is necessary. But they cannot tell me how those actions deter Kim Jong Un. This is a very emotional issue for many in the ROK.

(LEAD) Yoon, Biden to announce 'major deliverables' on extended deterrence: NSA Sullivan | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 25, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional remarks from Sullivan from 4th para; ADDS photo)

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, will announce "major deliverables" on ways to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence commitment to South Korea when they meet this week, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday.

The leaders are set to hold a bilateral summit at the White House on Wednesday. Yoon is currently on a state visit to the U.S.

"On Wednesday, President Biden and President Yoon will announce major deliverables on extended deterrence, on cyber cooperation, on climate mitigation, on foreign assistance, on investment and on strengthening our people-to-people ties," Sullivan told a White House press briefing.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is seen answering questions during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on April 24, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

Yoon's visit comes amid intensifying North Korean provocations and nuclear rhetoric.

Pyongyang launched a record 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, followed by dozens of missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), fired since the start of this year.

"President Biden will reinforce and enhance our extended deterrence commitments to South Korea with respect to the threat the DPRK poses," said Sullivan, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We will have the presidents, the two presidents actually release a statement that deals with the question of extended deterrence, particularly in the context of the threat and the evolving threat posed by the DPRK," he added.

bdk@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 변덕근 · April 25, 2023

5. North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies

North Korean Foreign Trade Bank Representative Charged in Crypto Laundering Conspiracies

justice.gov · April 24, 2023

Two federal indictments were unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative for his role in separate money laundering conspiracies designed to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through the use of cryptocurrency.

“The charges announced today respond to innovative attempts by North Korean operatives to evade sanctions by exploiting the technological features of virtual assets to facilitate payments and profits, and targeting virtual currency companies for theft,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will continue to work to disrupt and deter North Korean actors and those who aid them by following the money on the blockchain and shining a light on their conduct.”

According to court documents, Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), 39, is charged with allegedly conspiring with over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea and for conspiring with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at blockchain development companies in the United States.

The first indictment involves a conspiracy between Sim and three OTC traders to launder stolen funds from virtual currency exchange hacks to make payments in U.S. dollars for goods on behalf of the North Korean government. The second involves a conspiracy between Sim and various North Korean IT workers to launder proceeds of illegal IT development work, where the IT workers gained employment at U.S. blockchain development companies using fake identities, and then laundered their ill-gotten gains through Sim for the benefit of the North Korean regime, and in contravention of sanctions imposed against North Korea by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the United Nations. Those sanctions were imposed to impede the development of North Korea’s ballistic missiles, weapons production, and research and development programs.

“Today’s indictments reveal North Korea’s continued use of various means to circumvent U.S. sanctions,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “We can and will ‘follow the money,’ be it through cryptocurrency or the traditional banking system, to bring appropriate charges against those who would help to fund this corrupt regime.”

According to court documents, North Korean national Sim, Chinese national Wu Huihu (Wu), Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Cheng Hung Man (Cheng), and the user of the online moniker live:jammychen0150 (“Jammy Chen”) conspired to launder stolen cryptocurrency and then used those funds to purchase goods through Hong Kong-based front companies on behalf of North Korea. Sim directed these payments, which were made in U.S. dollars, through “Jammy Chen.” “Jammy Chen” then recruited Wu and Cheng, both of whom were OTC traders, to find sham front companies and facilitate the payments to avoid U.S. sanctions against North Korea.

“As criminals engage in new methods of exploiting and laundering cryptocurrency, the FBI will continue to relentlessly pursue them and bring them to justice,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “These individuals used their illicit criminal activity to aid the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Today’s indictment demonstrates the power of strong investigative work and collaboration amongst partners in holding state operatives accountable.”

Sim also allegedly conspired to launder funds generated by North Korean IT workers who obtained illegal employment in the tech and crypto industry. These IT workers used fake personas to get jobs, including jobs at U.S.-based companies, and then asked to be paid in cryptocurrencies, such as stablecoins like USD Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which are pegged to the U.S. dollar. After receiving payment, they funneled their earnings back to North Korea through Sim.

According to court documents, the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) is North Korea’s primary intelligence and clandestine operations unit, known to have a cyber capability that has come to be known within the cybersecurity community as both Lazarus Group and Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38). APT38 is a financially motivated North Korean regime-backed group responsible for conducting destructive cyber-attacks since at least 2014 to generate revenue for its ballistic missile and WMD programs. Specifically, these North Korean hackers have worked in concert to conduct cyber-attacks against victims located in the United States and around the world, including hacks against financial institutions and virtual asset service providers. North Korean actors have gained unauthorized access to these victim networks as part of their fraudulent scheme through a variety of means, including through spear-phishing messages designed to induce victims to download and execute malicious software developed by the hackers.

Since 2017, as part of its cyber campaign, North Korean hackers have also executed virtual currency-related thefts to generate revenue for the regime, including through the hacking of virtual asset services providers, such as virtual currency exchanges. A portion of the proceeds from those virtual currency theft and fraud schemes was sent to virtual currency address 1G3Qj4Y4trA8S64zHFsaD5GtiSwX19qwFv, which Sim and his OTC trader coconspirators used to fund payments for goods for North Korea.

To generate revenue for the regime, North Korea also deploys IT workers to obtain illegal employment in the cryptocurrency industry. According to court documents, North Koreans apply for jobs in remote IT development work without disclosing that they are North Korean. These IT workers bypass security and due diligence checks through the false or fraudulent use of identity documents and other obfuscation strategies, such as virtual private networks to hide their true location from online payment facilitators and hiring platforms. The IT workers request payment for their services in virtual currency and then send their earnings back to North Korea via, among other methods, FTB representatives such as Sim.

A third indictment also unsealed today in the District of Columbia separately charges Wu with operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. According to court documents, Wu operated as an OTC trader on a U.S.-based virtual currency exchange and conducted over 1,500 trades for U.S. customers without obtaining the necessary licenses.

The FBI Chicago Field Office and FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit (VAU) are investigating the cases.

The charge of conspiring to launder monetary instruments is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. The charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.

Trial Attorney Jessica Peck of the Justice Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Christopher Tortorice for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases. Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela De Falco and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick provided valuable assistance. Significant assistance was also provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, FBI Los Angeles Field Office, Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, former Special Agent Chris Janczewski of the IRS Criminal Investigation, and former FBI analyst Nick Carlsen.

The NCET was created in October 2021 to combat the growing illicit use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Under the supervision of the Criminal Division, the NCET conducts and supports investigations into individuals and entities that enable the use of digital assets to commit and facilitate a variety of crimes, with a particular focus on virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and infrastructure providers. The NCET also sets strategic priorities regarding digital asset technologies, identifies areas for increased investigative and prosecutorial focus, and leads the department’s efforts to collaborate with domestic and foreign government agencies as well as the private sector to aggressively investigate and prosecute crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

justice.gov · April 24, 2023

6. S. Korea, U.S. simultaneously sanction N. Korean involved in WMD financing

S. Korea, U.S. simultaneously sanction N. Korean involved in WMD financing | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 24, 2023

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States announced Monday unilateral sanctions on a North Korean individual involved in the financing of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs through illegal cyber activities, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The two countries added Sim Hyon-sop, an official of Korea Kwangson Banking Corp., to their respective sanctions lists.

It marks the first time Seoul and Washington have simultaneously imposed independent sanctions on the same target in the cyber sector.

The ministry said Sim was involved in the financing of the North's nuclear and missile development programs through illicit financial activities, including creating borrowed-name bank accounts and money laundering.

Sim laundered illegal funds worth millions of dollars, including cryptocurrency, earned by North Korean tech workers staying abroad illegally with false identities, and provided them with financial support, it said.

The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against Korea Kwangson Banking Corp. in 2016.

"To block North Korea's illicit activities to earn foreign currency, such as cyber activities, our government will further strengthen coordination with friendly countries, such as the U.S., and the private sector," the ministry said.

Seoul and Washington have recently stepped up cooperation against North Korea's cyber threats. The allies held the third round of working-level talks on ways to block Pyongyang's illegal cyber activities in March.

The latest move marks Seoul's sixth unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang since the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol government in May last year.

This undated file graphic depicts a North Korean cryptocurrency heist. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 채윤환 · April 24, 2023

7. Yoon arrives in Washington on state visit

Yoon arrives in Washington on state visit | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · April 25, 2023

By Lee Haye-ah

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Washington on Monday for a six-day state visit expected to strengthen the allies' response to North Korea's nuclear threat and other challenges in a symbolic year marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance.

Under the theme "alliance in action, toward the future," the visit comes at a time of growing concern over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and questions about the credibility of Washington's "extended deterrence" commitment to Seoul.

A joint statement on measures to enhance extended deterrence -- or the U.S. commitment to mobilizing the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally -- is expected to be a highlight of Yoon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee disembark Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 24, 2023. (Yonhap)

The summit will be preceded by an official arrival ceremony and followed by a state dinner hosted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Yoon will be joined by first lady Kim Keon Hee.

"The two leaders will spend a lot of time together over the course of many events ... celebrate the achievements of the South Korea-U.S. alliance accumulated over 70 years, and exchange in-depth views on the alliance's way forward," Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters last week.

"We expect the contents and breadth of our global comprehensive strategic alliance to be further expanded at the upcoming talks, based on the trust and friendship the leaders have built until now," he said.

The summit will mark the sixth meeting between Yoon and Biden, following those in Seoul last May and then in Madrid, London, New York and Phnom Penh.

The visit also comes as the allies are seeking to bolster cooperation on economic security in areas such as semiconductors and batteries, with South Korean businesses eager to win concessions in the implementation of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) and first lady Kim Keon Hee (L) arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 24, 2023. (Yonhap)

Yoon is being accompanied by a 122-person business delegation made up of chiefs of conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, and the heads of six major business associations, including the Federation of Korean Industries and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

Yoon is the first South Korean president since Lee Myung-bak in 2011 to pay a state visit to the United States and the second foreign leader after French President Emmanuel Macron to pay such a visit under the Biden administration.

On Tuesday, Yoon will attend a ceremony where U.S. advanced technology firms will announce plans to invest in South Korea, and a business roundtable involving some 30 CEOs of major companies from both countries, including Samsung, SK, Hyundai, Qualcomm, Lam Research and Boeing.

The president will also visit the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center just outside Washington the same day to discuss space cooperation between the two countries and meet with Korean scientists working for NASA.

The 70th anniversary of the alliance will be a theme that runs through the visit, with Yoon and first lady Kim set to join Biden and first lady Jill on a visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on Tuesday.

A video honoring notable U.S. and South Korean veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War began airing in New York's Times Square last Thursday and will be shown periodically through May 3.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and first lady Kim Keon Hee receive bouquets of flowers from children upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 24, 2023. (Yonhap)

On Thursday, Yoon will deliver an address before a joint session of Congress and look back on the past 70 years of an alliance rooted in the shared values of liberal democracy, the rule of law and human rights, address the challenges the two countries face and present a blueprint for the alliance's way forward.

He will then have lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken before moving to an undisclosed location to receive a briefing from U.S. military leaders.

Also on Thursday, he will attend a global video content leadership forum to present a vision for cultural solidarity and cooperation between the two countries, and meet with officials from American mass media companies, such as Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal Media, Sony Pictures, The Walt Disney Company and Netflix.

Later that day, Yoon will travel to Boston and hold discussions on Friday with digital and bio scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He will also deliver an address at Harvard University the same day.

"President Yoon will look back on the U.S.-led expansion of economic and political freedoms over the past 200 years and share his thoughts on the two sides of freedom in the digital era we live in," Kim Tae-hyo said.

Yoon will wrap up his trip and depart for Seoul on Saturday.

hague@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · April 25, 2023

8. ‘South Korea is model for all countries’

Excerpts:

Indeed, South Korea is a model for all countries. From a country devastated by the Korean War that ended with an Armistice on July 27, 1953, to a dynamic liberal democracy with the 10th largest GDP and a world leader in mobile phones, semiconductors, automobiles, chemicals, music and cinema. The “miracle of the Han River” is testimony to what a free market economy, tethered to the rule of law and the universal values that undergird its democracy, is capable of accomplishing.

President Yoon‘s first year in office has been impressive. He has worked hard to strengthen South Korea‘s allied relationship with the U.S. He has reached out to Japan, holding the first summit in over a decade with Japanese Prime minister Kishida Fumio in mid-March. These and other initiatives have contributed to South Korea‘s status as a “global pivotal state”, having been invited to the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in May 2023, with the potential for an eventual invitation to join the G7, making it a G8.

An understandable priority for the Yoon administration is relations with North Korea. Despite North Korea‘s refusal to engage with South Korea and the U.S. the Yoon administration has reached out to North Korea with its “audacious initiative” to help Pyongyang develop its economy. According to a Ministry of Unification White Paper published in April 2023, the priority is efforts to denuclearize North Korea, normalize inter-Korean ties, improve the North’s human rights records, and prepare for unification. These are impressive goals, certainly shared by the U.S. and others.

‘South Korea is model for all countries’

By Amb. Joseph R. DeTrani - - Monday, April 24, 2023

washingtontimes.com · by The Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com

OPINION:

On the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, the state visit of President Yoon Suk Yeol is an opportunity to reflect on past challenges and successes and strategize on upcoming challenges and opportunities to enhance the alliance and contribute to world peace.

Indeed, South Korea is a model for all countries. From a country devastated by the Korean War that ended with an Armistice on July 27, 1953, to a dynamic liberal democracy with the 10th largest GDP and a world leader in mobile phones, semiconductors, automobiles, chemicals, music and cinema. The “miracle of the Han River” is testimony to what a free market economy, tethered to the rule of law and the universal values that undergird its democracy, is capable of accomplishing.

President Yoon‘s first year in office has been impressive. He has worked hard to strengthen South Korea‘s allied relationship with the U.S. He has reached out to Japan, holding the first summit in over a decade with Japanese Prime minister Kishida Fumio in mid-March. These and other initiatives have contributed to South Korea‘s status as a “global pivotal state”, having been invited to the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in May 2023, with the potential for an eventual invitation to join the G7, making it a G8.

An understandable priority for the Yoon administration is relations with North Korea. Despite North Korea‘s refusal to engage with South Korea and the U.S. the Yoon administration has reached out to North Korea with its “audacious initiative” to help Pyongyang develop its economy. According to a Ministry of Unification White Paper published in April 2023, the priority is efforts to denuclearize North Korea, normalize inter-Korean ties, improve the North’s human rights records, and prepare for unification. These are impressive goals, certainly shared by the U.S. and others.

Given North Korea‘s race to build more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver these nuclear weapons, the Yoon administration has worked closely with the Biden administration to enhance efforts to contain and deter North Korea, while reaching out to Pyongyang to provide humanitarian assistance and engage in a dialogue. To date, North Korea has rebuffed South Korea‘s and the U.S.’s outreach. Joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises have resumed, to ensure that the Joint Command can respond to any military provocation from the North.

The state visit of President Yoon and discussions with President Biden come at a critically important time. Tension on the Korean Peninsula is at an all-time high, with North Korea building more tactical and strategic nuclear weapons and an array of ballistic missiles capable of delivering these weapons of mass destruction. The recent launch of a solid fuel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) the Hwasong 18 reportedly capable of reaching the whole of the U.S. is indicative of Pyongyang’s efforts to threaten all countries.

SPECIAL COVERAGE: Celebrating 70 Years: The United States & South Korea Alliance

Since the Korean War, China has had a long-allied relationship with North Korea, with an extant Peace and Friendship Treaty between the two countries. China’s President Xi Jinping, in a recent message to Kim Jong-un, stressed the traditional friendship between China and North Korea, noting that “the international and regional situations are now changing seriously and in a complicated way and I am willing to strengthen strategic communications with Comrade General Secretary Kim, jointly lead the direction of development of China-DPRK relations, and promote friendly cooperation between the two sides to a higher level,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.

China has significant leverage with North Korea, given their allied relationship and North Korea‘s reliance on the crude oil, petroleum products and trade with China. Indeed, North Korea‘s economic survival depends on China. And it is this leverage, and China’s previous role as the host of the Six Party Talks with North Korea from 2003-2009 that hopefully will convince China to use its significant influence with North Korea to get the North to return to negotiations with the U.S. and South Korea and refrain from additional nuclear tests and missile launches.

China is South Korea‘s largest trading partner, with 26% of its exports in 2022, followed by the U.S. with 16%. China has reached out to South Korea, based on a relationship of mutual benefits, given their trade and economic relationship and concern for nuclear developments with North Korea. In that context, China facilitating a dialogue between the two Koreas would be an appropriate gesture to the South.

Also on the likely agenda will be South Korea‘s concern with the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act and media speculation in the South about U.S. protectionism. Addressing these concerns will be an important part of these discussions.

The state visit of President Yoon Suk Yeol will be an opportunity for the leaders of both countries to recommit to an enduring allied relationship.

• Ambassador Joseph R. DeTrani is the former Special Envoy for Negotiations with North Korea and the former Director of the National Counterproliferation Center. The views are the author’s and not any U.S. Government agency or department.

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A Satellite Phone That Works Anywhere? The U.S.-China Rivalry Makes That Harder.

Both countries want to dominate the technology, and that makes having one system that works in both countries tricky

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-us-technology-satellite-phones-2fd2bb22

By Yang JieFollow

April 24, 2023 10:00 am ET

Building an affordable service that works everywhere on the planet has been the dream of mobile telephony since its early days. Companies in the U.S. and China are among those getting closer to delivering that service through satellite technology.

But there is a problem. Both of the superpowers are determined to dominate the technology, and each has the ability to tarnish the dream for the other. Each can wield regulations to prevent the other’s satellite services from being used within its own borders.

Anyone watching U.S.-China relations recently knows that kind of lose-lose outcome is all too plausible. It may be a long time before Elon Musk can achieve his promise last year of “eliminating dead zones worldwide.” Mr. Musk’s rocket and satellite company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, is expanding its services for customers around the globe—but not in China.

How to Use the iPhone 14’s Satellite SOS If You’re in an Emergency

From the sea

The new services work through networks of satellites orbiting the Earth. Phones can link up to one of these satellites even from the middle of a desert or ocean where there are no cell towers or base stations nearby.

While specialized satphones have been around for decades, recent services offered by the likes of Apple Inc. bring the satellite technology to regular smartphones. IPhone users with Apple’s latest operating system can beam short distress messages from places off the cellular grid.

The technology pays no heed to national boundaries. Not so with the regulation of the technology: Each country has the authority to decide whether to allow satellite signals to transmit within its territory, similar to current regulations covering Earthbound cellphone networks.

“Getting such permission could become a major challenge,” says Brady Wang, an analyst at Counterpoint Research.

After decades of negotiations by telecommunications companies, cellphone users can generally get roaming service when they travel abroad. That includes Americans traveling to China.

Such negotiations are just beginning over satellite service. That is why Apple’s service was initially available only in the U.S. and Canada, and more recently has expanded to parts of Europe.

Several days before Apple announced its service, Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese telecommunications-equipment maker that has been sanctioned by the U.S. government, introduced a similar service designed for stranded users in an emergency. It works only within China.

Chinese services aren’t likely to be permitted in the U.S. or closely allied countries, says Larry Press, professor of information systems at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

SpaceX’s plans

The Starlink service from SpaceX, which requires a special antenna, is available in parts of the U.S. as well as most of Europe, Japan, Australia and elsewhere. A map online shows plans to cover most of the globe eventually, with the exception of China and Russia.

SpaceX has teamed up with T-Mobile US Inc. so that T-Mobile users with regular smartphones could tap into the SpaceX satellite network for basic service when they are off the cellphone grid. That service will be available in most parts of the U.S.

U.S. and Chinese companies are also moving on separate tracks in building the satellite systems behind the new services, raising the prospect of a world bifurcated between a pro-China zone using Chinese-made devices and satellites and a pro-U. S. zone using devices built from components of largely American, European, Japanese and Korean origins.

Already, the U.S. and China are sometimes clashing over access to the heavens where thousands of satellites now vie for real estate. In one instance, China filed a complaint to the United Nations that said astronauts aboard the country’s space station had to take emergency action to avoid colliding with SpaceX satellites.

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Industry analysts say the U.S. holds a significant advantage in the competition. Major U.S. tech firms and startups are participating in the race. A SpaceX executive recently said it has launched more than 4,000 satellites.

In orbit

Most of the satellites that talk to mobile devices on the ground are deployed in low Earth orbit, or LEO, which under one definition refers to satellites less than 1,200 miles from the Earth. In general, those satellites cost less to launch and offer better transmission.

Huawei’s service uses China’s self-developed Beidou satellite network, in which the satellites are more than 10,000 miles from Earth. Huawei users can’t receive texts.

Beijing has its own plans for LEO broadband with state funding, which it wants to roll out in China and in developing nations that Beijing would like to make part of its sphere of influence, according to a report published by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies in December.

Through 2020, China submitted to the International Telecommunication Union plans to launch 12,992 low-Earth-orbit broadband internet satellites. It doesn’t have the capacity to launch all of those satellites today, says Mr. Press, the Cal State professor.

A Chinese official said in March that a state-owned aerospace company planned to build a constellation of satellites that are only 90 to 180 miles from Earth. The first launch is set for September.

“China is steadily progressing toward its goal of becoming a world-class space leader, with the intent to match or surpass the United States by 2045,” said the 2023 annual threat assessment of the U.S. intelligence community, released in March. “Even by 2030, China probably will achieve world-class status in all but a few space technology areas,” the report said.

Ms. Yang is a Wall Street Journal tech reporter based in Japan. She can be reached at jie.yang@wsj.com.

10. All Koreans Evacuated from Sudan

It seems like every country is using their Special Forces to evacuate their citizens.

As an aside, I recommend watching the film, "Escape from Mogadishu," which is the story of how north and South Korean diplomats had to work together to get their staffs out of Somalia during the civil war there.

All Koreans Evacuated from Sudan

english.chosun.com

April 25, 2023 09:32

All 28 Korean nationals have been evacuated from strife-torn Sudan, the government said Monday.

Aided by Korean special forces, the 28 boarded a C-130J Super Hercules transport airplane at Port Sudan International Airport and were flown to the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah, where they took a KC-330 transport aircraft to Korea. They are scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon.

Koreans arrive at the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah on Monday, in this grab from Al Arabiya TV.

Around 50 Korean troops including members of the Army's 707th Special Mission Group and Air Force Combat Control Team were tasked with getting the Koreans out of danger.

"A bus carrying 28 Korean nationals arrived from Khartoum at Port Sudan International Airport at 9:40 p.m., where the military plane was waiting for them," the presidential office said.

Cars carrying evacuees head to Port Sudan from Khartoum in Sudan on Sunday. /AFP-Yonhap

The government had initially planned to airlift them from Khartoum but the airport in the capital was already closed as fighting between rival military factions escalated. Instead it moved them to eastern Port Sudan 850 km away along with other nationals under the protection of UN soldiers.

The Navy's Cheonghae unit was also dispatched from Salala Port in Oman, where it is conducting its anti-piracy mission, to help evacuation from Port Sudan in case airlifting was not possible.

Korea Launches Military Operation to Evacuate Nationals from Sudan

english.chosun.com

11. South Korea, US presidents to meet in Washington – amid wary glances in the direction of Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow

From the always insightful Professor Sung Yoon Lee.

South Korea, US presidents to meet in Washington – amid wary glances in the direction of Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow

theconversation.com · by Sung-Yoon Lee

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on April 26, 2023 – a rare state visit that comes as the two nations seek to confront common concerns.

The event is only the second state visit to the U.S. of a foreign head of state during the Biden administration, following a trip by President Emmanuel Macron of France in late 2022. That the White House handed the honor to Yoon, a relative political novice before taking office in May 2022, may come as a surprise to some foreign policy observers. Seoul does not carry the same clout in international politics as some other U.S. allies. It is an important economic partner but so, too, are Japan, Germany, Canada and Mexico – all of whom rank above South Korea in terms of overall U.S. trade.

Why, then, the pomp and ceremony for Yoon? As a scholar of Korean political history and U.S.-East Asia relations, I believe the answer can be found in three locations on the map and their respective governments: Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow. The White House meeting might well frame the event around the strengthening of ties between Seoul and Washington, but in reality they will want to send a message of unity in the face of saber-rattling – and worse – by North Korea, China and Russia.

A friendship forged in war

Washington and Seoul’s relationship was forged in the bloody crucible of the Korean War of 1950-53. For several decades, the alliance was lopsided, especially in the lean two decades following the armistice of 1953 when the South Korean subsistence economy was almost totally dependent on U.S. aid. But over the past two decades, South Korea has evened up the ledger, becoming a world leader in electronics, shipping, vehicles, arms and pop culture. The U.S-South Korea alliance has developed into one based as much on economic interests as diplomatic and strategic concerns.

Even the awkward issue of recent reports of alleged U.S. spying on the South Korean presidential office is not likely to dampen the show of friendliness expected on display during the bilateral meeting.

After all, Biden and Yoon have more serious matters to contend with. The state visit follows a year in which North Korea fired nearly 100 missiles into the skies in and around the Korean Peninsula, Russia brazenly invaded Ukraine, and China upped its rhetoric around the disputed island of Taiwan. And each will need addressing in the summit.

North Korean missiles

To South Korea, the threat of the isolationist state to its north is the most existential. Biden will likely underscore the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea against a nuclear-armed North Korea.

But the threat is not confined to imperiling the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s intercontinental ballistic missiles now have the capability to hit the U.S. mainland. Such a development may be intended to draw Washington’s attention, but it has another consequence: aligning the existential threat that South Korea faces with that of the United States.

Growing apprehension in South Korea – where more than 70% now favor a domestic nuclear weapons program rather than rely on its powerful ally – means that Yoon will seek U.S. reassurances that go beyond the rhetoric of “extended deterrence” and promises of an “ironclad” alliance.

North Korean leader Kim, having told the world last week that he is gearing up to launch a spy satellite into space, has also used the opportunity of Yoon’s U.S. visit to step up the country’s ballistic missiles tests – a reminder to his two main adversaries that he can always make life for them difficult.

China’s regional push

That China and Russia continue to block any move at the U.N. Security Council to punish North Korea over its tests only emboldens Pyongyang.

But the threat posed by North Korea is not the only East Asian security concern for the U.S. or South Korea. The rise of China as an Indo-Pacific force – and a rival to Washington’s and Seoul’s economic and strategic interests – is another likely topic to come up in the White House meeting.

Indeed, Yoon may have foreshadowed U.S. and South Korean thinking on China with comments made to the Reuters news agency just days ago.

“The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan, but like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue,” he said. Yoon may just have been echoing what Biden and he declared at the pair’s first summit in Seoul in May 2022 over the importance of preserving “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an essential element in security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.” But the remark raised the ire of officials in Beijing to howls of protest. And the fact that a South Korean leader should join the U.S. as it ups the rhetoric over Taiwan will likely be welcomed by Washington and, of course, Taipei.

It also comes on the back of efforts by Yoon to make amends with Japan – an erstwhile “friend of a friend” in regards to the U.S., but one with which Seoul has long-festering wounds going back to the Japanese occupation of Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands on March 16, 2023. Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP

In March, Yoon visited Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – the first official bilateral meeting between the two countries’ leaders in 12 years.

Friendlier terms between Tokyo and Seoul – both democracies – serve Washington’s plans to counter the influence of autocracies in the region, forming a quasi-trilateral alliance structure.

Biden will be hoping to isolate China further through economic means. Yoon will visit Boston during his trip, underscoring the importance of collaboration in the biotech and high-tech industries. It comes as South Korea’s leading microchip producers, including Samsung and SK Hynix, face pressure from the U.S. to curtail their semiconductor business in China. Yoon will be seeking to promote U.S.-Korean joint investment in the semiconductor sector to compensate for the impact from reducing sales to China’s market.

Ukraine’s need for weapons

And then there is the war in Ukraine, which tends to loom over diplomatic matters since Russia’s invasion.

In the past, South Korea has remained largely parochial on security issues, understandably, given the threat it faces on the peninsula. For example, no previous administration has even floated the notion of military support for the U.S. in the event of war in the Taiwan Strait.

Similarly, Seoul has provided only economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, although it is the world’s eighth-biggest exporter of arms. But Yoon’s vision for his nation is that of a “global pivotal state” that places freedom, values and international rules-based order at the heart of its foreign policy – and that opens up the possibility of further intervention.

If Biden is able to coax his guest to commit to supply, discreetly, more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, it will prove a win for both Yoon’s vision as well as that of Biden.

State visits are by their nature ceremonial – and 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance. But as strategic and economic concerns converge, the future relationship between the countries is being redefined by how the two allies confront simultaneously geopolitical concerns on South Korea’s doorstep, the wider region and the world beyond.

theconversation.com · by Sung-Yoon Lee

12. Yoon, Biden to sign statement detailing US extended deterrence

So there will be the traditional joint statement. Then there will be a separate statement on extended deterrence. Will there be sufficient detailed information in the extended deterrence statement to satisfy people in South Korea and help restore their confidence in extended det. rrence? But more importantly will the statement on extended deterrence have a deterrent effect on Kim Jong Un. Unfortunately we cannot know what is in KJU's mind.

Yoon, Biden to sign statement detailing US extended deterrence

The Korea Times · by 2023-04-25 16:43 | Foreign Affairs · April 25, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting with South Korean nationals at a hotel in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). YonhapPresident describes his visit as 'innovative and historic landmark' for alliance

By Nam Hyun-woo

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a special statement during their upcoming summit in Washington, D.C., detailing strengthened U.S. extended deterrence to protect South Korea. Yoon is now on a six-day state visit to the U.S. and the summit will take place on Wednesday (local time).

The special statement, which will be signed in addition to a joint declaration, is expected to contain details about the collaborative planning and joint execution of nuclear weapons.

Senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Eun-hye told reporters Monday, "Presidents Yoon and Biden will release an additional statement on extended deterrence as part of the summit's outcome, and we expect this to contain advanced measures."

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said Monday that the two presidents will "release a statement that deals with the question of extended deterrence, particularly in the context of the threat and the evolving threat posed by the DPRK." The DPRK stands for North Korea's official name: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Extended deterrence refers to a U.S. commitment to protect its allies by threatening to choose a nuclear response in the event of an attack on them.

Senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Eun-hye speaks during a press conference at the South Korean press center in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). Yonhap

Although both Kim and Sullivan did not elaborate on what the additional statement will say, it is anticipated to contain details of strengthening the U.S.' extended deterrence commitments, while keeping the obligation of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"We believe that the statement will send a very clear and demonstrable signal of the United States' credibility when it comes to its extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the people of Korea," Sullivan said. The ROK is South Korea's official name.

"And we also believe that the ROK has been a good steward of its non-proliferation obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and will continue to do so," he added.

In the wake of progress in the development of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Yoon has been looking to the U.S. to strengthen the level of extended deterrence, as South Korea is not developing its own nuclear weapons or deploying U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil.

Given this background, political observers believe that South Korea will likely ask to participate in the nuclear planning stage if the South was attacked by North Korean nuclear weapons, with the U.S. launching a counterattack.

So far, the U.S. has been affirming its extended deterrence commitment to South Korea, using the full range of America's defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense systems.

However, Seoul has been seeking to elevate that further as Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program continues to progress and the two allies will clearly state that in the additional statement.

Along with the extended deterrence, Sullivan said the two presidents will announce major deliverables on cyber cooperation, climate mitigation and bilateral investments, as well as on strengthening the two countries' people-to-people ties during the summit.

During a meeting with South Korean nationals in Washington D.C., Monday, Yoon said that his visit will be "an innovative and historic landmark" for the alliance between South Korea and the U.S.

"I am visiting the U.S. as a South Korean president and as the first leader of the Indo-Pacific region on a state visit for the first time in 12 years upon the invitation of the Biden administration," Yoon said.

"This highlights the importance that the United States places on the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. It also serves as evidence that both countries share universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, and are the best partners in practicing international solidarity based on these values."

Yoon said he will use the state visit as a vehicle for detailed and practical discussions of the two countries' partnerships in advanced technologies, economic security, extended deterrence and people-to-people ties.

The Korea Times · by 2023-04-25 16:43 | Foreign Affairs · April 25, 2023

13. A dialog on civilization could bring peace to East Asia

Excerpts:

The current center of gravity in the world, in terms of education, science, and economic power has shifted decisively toward Northeast Asia.

Korea, Japan and China can lead the way in promoting a transformation of the civilization in Northeast Asia, and the world, if we look back at our shared past not just in nostalgia, but with the intention of finding opportunities for spiritual and ethical innovation.

A dialog on civilization could bring peace to East Asia - UPI.com

By Emanuel Pastreich

upi.com

1/3

Discussion of the traditional cultures of Korea, China and Japan should include not just history experts, but also scientists, policymakers, businessmen and ordinary citizens. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

TOKYO, April 25 (UPI) -- Despite the efforts of numerous NGOs, government coalitions, academics and journalists to find common ground in Northeast Asia, to build bonds between China, the Koreas, and Japan over the last 20 years, the progress toward peace has been slow and the massive increase in military spending in the region suggests that things are going in the wrong direction.

It is painfully obvious that the focus on promoting trade, removing barriers to investment by the wealthy and the hosting of meetings at luxury hotels between ministers, vice ministers, CEOs and technical experts has not created greater peace, but rather an exclusive dialog between a tiny handful of men in suits on financial issues that are incomprehensible to the man in the street.

It is natural to think that cooperation between the three countries should take place at the highest levels. The problem is that "highest" refers to rank and salary, not to the level of philosophical awareness, historical vision, or spiritual insight.

Peace is not the absence of war because everyone is too busy getting rich and indulging in pornography, food and video games. Peace is a culture of its own that grows up from shared values deep in the soul and that requires us rather to be aware of the traditions of the last 3,000 years to build a community based on respect, love and compassion in Northeast Asia.

We need a high-level dialog between China, Korea and Japan that is not about trade policy or supply chains, but rather about the traditions of spiritual and institutional peace, about how the philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and other native traditions have been used to build peace in the past.

Profound thinking

I know from my own study of literature and philosophy of the 18th and 19th centuries, that there are numerous examples of profound thinking on how to build peace native to East Asia that are virtually unknown today. In that past, we can find true common ground.

The building of a culture of peace in Northeast Asia requires an understanding of the deep wisdom to be found in our shared past, a gathering of inspired people to speak honestly and freely about current challenges and to propose new solutions and a movement across the entire region to rediscover that part of Northeast Asia that has been forgotten.

Those who stood for spiritual understanding and a civilization of peace were at least as important as those who laid down the first train tracks, or built the first post offices, in the project of modernization.

We must not stop at academic conferences that bring together scholars to present specialized papers on culture, philosophy and history for specialists. Such efforts are at a distance from governance, from diplomacy and from the experiences of common people.

Spiritual traditions

Korea, Japan and China can join hands and affirm a commitment to internationalism in an Eastern, not just Western, sense.

They can encourage closer cooperation in Northeast Asia between people that draws on the traditions of Confucianism and Buddhism and put forth an inspiring vision for the world of what is possible going forward.

That requires a true dialog of civilizations that moves beyond the trite and the superficial.

To do so requires seriousness in our discourse, in our writings and in our speech that has been lost over the last 40 years.

First, we must grasp our historical position. You can barely find anything that is traditional in the big cities of South Korea, China and Japan. Whether you are looking at clothing, or architecture, fast food, or even value systems, superficial reflections of a commercialized West have taken over Northeast Asia.

If we find traditional food or clothes, they are made in factories and marketed as commodities -- they rarely represent the deep culture of peace and cooperation of Asia's past.

Culture of consumption

Ever since the Opium Wars demonstrated the tremendous technological prowess of the West, the cultural discourse in Asia has permanently tilted toward the European tradition and the assumption that Western culture guaranteed advanced technology necessary for survival.

But the Opium Wars were not won because of the superiority of Western culture, but rather because the West rapidly embraced a coal-based industrial society that has brought with it tremendous advantages, but that has also dehumanized us by making technology the standard by which we judge people and progress.

Now that we see the negative impact of that culture of consumption on the East, we can understand that scholars of Korea, China and Japan who questioned industrialization in the 19th century and favored a sustainable agricultural-based economy were not wrong and the Europeans who insisted on modernization at any cost were short-sighted.

Our discussion of the traditional cultures of Korea, China and Japan should include not just history experts, but also scientists, policymakers, businessmen and ordinary citizens. We must be willing to question our basic assumptions about our values.

We should together consider how the philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism offer fresh approaches to living our lives today and suggest new directions for innovation in governance, education and the preservation of the environment.

Identifying the best of the discourse on government, on the economy and on political ethics from the traditions of Korea, China and Japan over the last 2,000 years will offer us access to tremendous visions of what is possible in the future.

Common ground

Equally important is bringing Koreans, Chinese and Japanese together to assess the potential of past cultures to avoid most ideological conflicts and to emphasize common ground.

The shared riches are tremendous. Korea, China and Japan share thousands of years of sophisticated governance, which was based on sustainable agriculture and emphasized ethical rules. We are not looking to Asia's rich past for entertainment or tourism. We are looking for solutions to the overwhelming threats that we face today such as climate change, unsustainable development and the collapse of industrial society.

The creative review of Asia's common heritage at this critical historical moment could be a moment similar to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in the United States. Leading scholars and thoughtful political figures gathered to discuss how the best of Greek and Roman ideas about governance could be reinterpreted to form the basis for ethical government in the modern age.

That Constitutional Convention in the United States, because of the profundity of the discussion and seriousness of the intentions, set the stage for a new conception of democracy that would inspire generations of activists to press for political reform in the French Revolution and thereafter.

The efforts of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in drafting the U.S. Constitution built on an earlier such effort -- the European Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries -- are noteworthy. Moreover, Confucian ideas of ethical governance that is not dependent on the church, or on a monarchy, were central to the Enlightenment debates that inspired figures like Benjamin Franklin to advocate for a constitution in the United States.

Renaissance thinkers in Italy and France during the 15th century seized on the best of ancient Greece and Rome and creatively reinterpreted it as a means of injecting vitality into a moribund civilization. They found transformative power in that past culture that helped them push toward new horizons.

The current center of gravity in the world, in terms of education, science, and economic power has shifted decisively toward Northeast Asia.

Korea, Japan and China can lead the way in promoting a transformation of the civilization in Northeast Asia, and the world, if we look back at our shared past not just in nostalgia, but with the intention of finding opportunities for spiritual and ethical innovation.

Emanuel Pastreich is a senior fellow at the Global Peace Foundation, working in Tokyo to bring peace to East Asia with a focus on Korean peaceful unification. He also serves as the president of the Asia Institute, a think tank that builds bridges between individuals in Asia and around the world to respond to climate change, the impact of technological change on human society, the rapidly shifting nature of international relations and the spread of a culture of anti-intellectualism. He is also an affiliate of the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University.

The Global Peace Foundation is affiliated with the ultimate holding company that owns UPI.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

upi.com

14. U.S. expert says North unready to carry out 7th nuke test

I hope Kim Jong Un does not take this as a challenge and then go ahead and conduct a test just to show Burce Beenett!

Tuesday

April 25, 2023

dictionary + A - A

U.S. expert says North unready to carry out 7th nuke test

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/04/25/national/northKorea/korea-nuclear-test/20230425191220925.html

Bruce Bennet, security expert with RAND Corporation, speaks at the Asan Plenum 2023 in Seoul on Tuesday. [ASAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES]

North Korea is not technologically ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test, a noted U.S. security expert with RAND Corporation told a forum in Seoul on Tuesday.

“If Kim Jong-un had the technology under control, he would have done the test by now,” Bruce Bennet said, speaking at the Asan Plenum 2023 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. “If you put a 5-kiloton nuclear warhead down on an airfield, you’re not going to neutralize the airfield. You got to put a much bigger warhead down. I don’t think he’s looking for 2-kiloton or 5-kiloton nuclear warheads.

“I think he’s looking for something much more powerful, and to get those in miniaturized version, that’s a challenge technologically and it takes years.”

Experts, citing satellite images of the North’s nuclear test site, have said for months that the regime appears ready to conduct a nuclear weapons test, which would be its seventh.

The last was in 2017, to which the UN Security Council issued a sanctions resolution, and even partners like China urged North Korea to refrain from further provocative military actions.

North Korea has been ramping up its military activity in recent years, testing over 90 ballistic missiles including the powerful Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It also showcased this year its capacity to launch ICBMs powered by solid propellants.

Other experts taking part in the forum said North Korea may be refraining from the expected nuclear test because of politics with Beijing.

“The nuclear test card is not a card for America or South Korea. This is a card which can be played by Kim Jong-un towards Xi Jinping,” said Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean ambassador to the U.K. who defected to the South and is now serving as a legislator with South Korea's conservative People Power Party.

Noting that the North has not conducted a nuclear test since 2017, quickly followed by Kim and Xi’s first meeting in March the following year, Thae pointed to the “strategic communication“ Beijing and Pyongyang have agreed to maintain ever since.

Thae said the expression can denote a certain pledge between the two leaders, in which Beijing will not ask Pyongyang to denuclearize and will also block new sanctions resolutions at the United Nations.

As for what Kim Jong-un pledged in return, Thae said the North Korean leader may have promised "not to carry out a nuclear test without [prior notification] or approval from Xi Jining.”

The forum also focused on South Korea’s response to the growing North Korean nuclear threat, including noticeably growing public support for Seoul's development of an independent nuclear deterrent.

Despite the considerable alarm such rhetoric may cause Washington, Seoul’s military ally, it is also something that the U.S. government could use as a stick when it comes to dealing with the North.

“I have to admit that when North Korea did their first ICBM-related test last year, I was just absolutely surprised that the U.S., at least publicly, didn't do anything to stop them from doing a second test,” Bennet said. “We didn't say hey, if you do a second test, we’re going to reinvigorate nuclear weapons storage in South Korea. We’re going to provide information operations against you. Kim is scared to death about outside information.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]

15. North Koreans souring on Kim Jong-un’s ‘beloved child’ Ju-ae: lawmaker

North Koreans souring on Kim Jong-un’s ‘beloved child’ Ju-ae: lawmaker

koreaherald.com · by Kim Arin · April 25, 2023

By Kim Arin

Published : Apr 25, 2023 - 15:27 Updated : Apr 25, 2023 - 18:07

Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, the National Assembly intelligence committee’s executive secretary, speaks to The Korea Herald during an interview on April 18. (Im Se-jun/The Koera Herald)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s only publicly seen child, Ju-ae, is stirring up ire among local people there for her extravagant clothing and well-fed appearance, according to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, the executive secretary of the National Assembly intelligence committee.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service believes that Kim’s daughter, officially referred to by the North Korean government as the “most beloved child,” is becoming increasingly resented by many in North Korea, as the country endures a worsening food crisis, Yoo told The Korea Herald.

As a result of the ban on the sale of grain at markets imposed at the end of last year, coupled with intermittent COVID-19 border closures and lockdowns, a year of even more food insecurity is likely ahead for North Korea, he said.

“Most North Koreans live under severe restrictions. The sight of the young Ju-ae wearing fancy clothes is frustrating people,” he said.

Following a plenary session of the intelligence committee last month, Yoo told reporters in a closed-door briefing that Ju-ae has expensive hobbies like skiing and horseback riding, and that she is being homeschooled.

“To date, our intelligence service believes that Ju-ae is the middle child. It is still unclear if Kim’s firstborn is a son, and there is a third child whose sex also remains unknown,” Yoo said. “There are speculations that Kim may not have any sons.”

Yoo said that the NIS does not necessarily believe Ju-ae has already been designated as the heir to succeed Kim, but added, “Kim parading his daughter at public events is understood to be a means to justify power passing down to the next generation in his family.”

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)

16. S. Korea expected to play bigger role in operation of US nuclear assets

I wonder what this bigger role is and what does it mean by "operation?"

I hope the NSA is not over promising here. He likely is not from our perspective but our Korean counterparts may read too much into this.

Excerpts:

Regarding the document, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it will send a "very clear and demonstrable signal of the United States' credibility when it comes to its extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea and to the people of Korea." Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.

...

"The joint statement is likely to contain information sharing, joint planning and joint execution of U.S. nuclear assets, as President Yoon has mentioned several times prior to his visit to the U.S.," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

"Though the document itself may not go into further details on how the two nations will carry out the operation, the statement shows Washington's increased efforts to reassure Seoul of the effectiveness of its extended deterrence."

The document could include other details such as scaling up combined military exercises involving U.S. strategic assets, as well as upgrading the current vice minister-level talks on nuclear weapons to minister-level meetings held on a regular basis, Park said.

S. Korea expected to play bigger role in operation of US nuclear assets

The Korea Times · by 2023-04-25 11:19 | Entertainment & Arts · April 25, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol greets Korean nationals upon his arrival at Blair House in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). Yoon is scheduled to hold a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Two nations likely to agree on joint planning, operation of nuclear weapons

By Lee Hyo-jin

Seoul and Washington are likely to agree on carrying out joint planning and joint execution of U.S. nuclear assets, according to defense analysts, Tuesday, which would mark a major upgrade of the U.S. extended deterrence provided to its ally.

According to both governments, President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will release an additional joint statement on strengthened extended deterrence after their summit at the White House on Wednesday (local time).

Regarding the document, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it will send a "very clear and demonstrable signal of the United States' credibility when it comes to its extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea and to the people of Korea." Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.

It is the first time in history for the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. to ink separate statements on extended deterrence as an outcome of a summit.

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to defend its allies with nuclear and missile capabilities in the event of an attack on them. The Yoon administration sees extended deterrence as the current best practical option for South Korea to deter North Korea's evolving nuclear threats.

"The joint statement is likely to contain information sharing, joint planning and joint execution of U.S. nuclear assets, as President Yoon has mentioned several times prior to his visit to the U.S.," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

"Though the document itself may not go into further details on how the two nations will carry out the operation, the statement shows Washington's increased efforts to reassure Seoul of the effectiveness of its extended deterrence."

A B-52 bomber, C-17 strategic transport aircraft and F-22 fighter jets of the U.S. Air Force fly over the Korean Peninsula during a joint air drill in South Korea on Dec. 20, 2022. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

The document could include other details such as scaling up combined military exercises involving U.S. strategic assets, as well as upgrading the current vice minister-level talks on nuclear weapons to minister-level meetings held on a regular basis, Park said.

The two countries have so far held three rounds of bilateral Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) meetings between Korea's vice foreign and defense ministers and their U.S. counterparts.

Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, a think tank, also expects the joint planning and joint execution of nuclear weapons to be the centerpiece of the soon-to-be-announced joint statement.

"Such a move would be highly meaningful since it is the first time for the U.S. to agree to the South Korean military's participation in the planning and execution of its nuclear weapons. It will be a big step forward in upgrading the extended deterrence," he said.

However, Shin noted that it remains to be seen to what extent South Korea will be able to take part in managing U.S.-owned nuclear weapons.

The researcher was also skeptical of the possible introduction of a Korean version of NATO's nuclear-sharing pact with the U.S.

"The term 'Korean version of NATO's nuclear sharing agreement' seems ambiguous at this point. But if we are talking about permanent stationing of nuclear assets, that is unlikely to be included in the joint statement," Shin said, stressing that the U.S. government strongly opposes the spread of nuclear weapons.

Washington's pledge for a strengthened nuclear umbrella comes amid growing skepticism among South Koreans about the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence due to the advancement of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile prowess. The idea that Seoul should develop its own nuclear deterrent has been gaining public support here.

Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), sees the decision of obtaining nuclear weapons as South Korea's call.

"South Koreans are understandably worried and wonder if they can still count on the United States to defend them if, by doing so, it would put U.S. cities at risk of nuclear annihilation. Koreans are concerned that their country could meet the same fate as Ukraine ― another nonnuclear state attacked by a nuclear-armed neighbor," read his column published in The Washington Post, Monday.

The researcher further wrote, "Ultimately, it should be South Korea's call. We should refrain from applying heavy-handed pressure and respect whatever decision our democratic ally makes."

The Korea Times · by 2023-04-25 11:19 | Entertainment & Arts · April 25, 2023

17. Biden to unveil new efforts to protect S. Korea from nukes

Biden to unveil new efforts to protect S. Korea from nukes

AP · by AAMER MADHANI · April 24, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will use this week’s celebratory state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to underscore that the U.S. is ready to step up its efforts to deter a North Korean attack on South Korea, according to the White House.

Biden will announce specific new nuclear deterrence efforts as well as a new cyber security initiative, economic investments and an educational partnership, part of an effort to highlight the breadth and depth of the two countries’ relationship as they mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

White House officials say Biden hopes to put a particular emphasis on the United States’ “iron clad” commitment to deterring nuclear action by North Korea as Pyongyang has stepped up ballistic missile tests, including flight-testing a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time earlier this month. The recent test is seen as a possible breakthrough in the North’s efforts to acquire a more powerful, harder-to-detect weapon targeting the continental United States.

Sullivan didn’t offer details on the new deterrence efforts ahead of the leaders’ announcement, but said that the U.S. is looking to send a clear message to Pyongyang about its increasingly aggressive rhetoric.

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“What I will say is that we believe that the statement will send a very clear and demonstrable signal of the United States’ credibility when it comes to its extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea and to the people of Korea,” Sullivan said, using the formal name for South Korea.

Biden also hopes to use the visit, which begins Tuesday, to underscore the importance of South Korea and Japan building on their security ties.

Biden has sought opportunities to help the historic rivals improve their long, fraught relationship as the Indo-Pacific region becomes increasingly complicated. He held trilateral meetings with Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that largely focused on the North Korea threat on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia last November and at the NATO summit in Madrid in June.

Last month, South Korea announced a plan to compensate Koreans who performed forced labor during Tokyo’s colonial rule that doesn’t require Japanese companies to contribute to the reparations.

Biden hailed the step as a “groundbreaking new chapter” in cooperation between the countries. Yoon followed up by visiting Tokyo later in March for talks with Kishida. It was the first summit between the two nations’ leaders in Japan since 2011.

Sullivan said Biden also plans to highlight Yoon’s “determination and courage” in rapprochement with Japan during the visit.

Ahead of the Yoon visit, the United States, South Korea and Japan conducted a joint missile defense exercise last week aimed at countering North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal.

Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wants to pressure the United States into accepting North Korea as a legitimate nuclear power and hopes to negotiate an easing of sanctions from a position of strength.

The United States and South Korea conducted their biggest field exercises in years in March and have also held separate naval and aerial drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.

South Korean officials said that the two leaders would discuss human rights concerns in North Korea. Experts believe the food situation in North Korea is the worst it has been under Kim Jong Un’s 11-year rule, but they still say they see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths. Kim vowed to strengthen state control over agriculture and take a spate of other steps to increase grain production, according to North Korean state media.

Meanwhile, the White House recently declassified and released intelligence findings that show that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons to fuel the war in Ukraine in a deal that would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return. The White House previously said North Korea had provided the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, with arms to help bolster its forces as they fight side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in a virtual speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said there is a “dire human rights situation on the ground” and urged the international community to work together “to ease the anguish of ordinary North Korean people.”

As part of his visit to Washington, Yoon is scheduled on Tuesday to tour NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center with Vice President Kamala Harris. The South Korean president will visit the Korean War Memorial with Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday evening. The two leaders and aides will hold formal talks and a joint news conference on Wednesday before Yoon is honored with the state dinner.

Yoon is to deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday before traveling to Massachusetts where he is scheduled to speak at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Biden has spent considerable time getting to know and consulting with Yoon since he took office.

The Democratic administration has also been full of praise for Yoon’s leadership in the IndoPacific and beyond. South Korea has provided Ukraine with about $230 million in non lethal assistance since Russia’s invasion more than 14 months ago.

The visit also follows just weeks after scores of highly classified documents were leaked which have complicated relations with allies, including South Korea. The papers viewed by The Associated Press indicate that South Korea’s National Security Council “grappled” with the U.S. in early March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

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.

Seoul has also been supportive on U.S.-led sanctions and export controls targeting Russia since the start of the war. And South Korea has announced plans to invest more than $100 billion in the U.S. since the start of Biden administration, including a new Samsung advanced semiconductor factory in Texas and a Hyundai electrical vehicle plant in Georgia.

Yoon in an interview with Reuters last week said that Seoul could potentially extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if that eastern European nation were to face large-scale civilian attack by Russia.

“The summit will also celebrate what we’ve been able to do under President Yoon’s leadership since he took over,” Sullivan said. “The ROK is stepping up around the world.”

Yoon is the second ally to be honored by Biden with a state visit. French President Emmanuel Macron was honored with a state visit in December.

AP · by AAMER MADHANI · April 24, 2023

18. U.S. respects 'sovereign decisions' on weapons support to Ukraine: White House official

U.S. respects 'sovereign decisions' on weapons support to Ukraine: White House official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · April 25, 2023

By Lee Haye-ah

WASHINGTON, April 25 (Yonhap) -- The United States respects the "sovereign decisions" of countries on whether to provide weapons support to Ukraine, a White House official said Tuesday when asked if the U.S. will request such aid from South Korea.

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, was responding to a question about whether U.S. President Joe Biden will have a message for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding providing further aid to Ukraine, including ammunition, during their summit at the White House on Wednesday.

"We are grateful for the continued support that the Republic of Korea provides to Ukraine -- more than US$200 million thus far, humanitarian assistance and non-lethal capabilities for the Ukrainian armed forces," Kirby said during a briefing with South Korean reporters.

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, holds a press briefing with South Korean reporters in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2023. (Yonhap)

"Every nation has to decide for itself whether or not it will support Ukraine and to what degree it's willing to support Ukraine. Some nations provide advanced legal capabilities, some nations do not. We respect those sovereign decisions," he said.

Yoon signaled a shift in South Korea's policy of providing only non-lethal aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying in an interview with Reuters published last week that it might be difficult to insist only on humanitarian or financial assistance if Ukraine comes under a large-scale attack on civilians.

"It is up to the elected leadership in those countries and the people of those countries to determine how much support they're willing to give to Ukraine," Kirby said. "We absolutely have every expectation that the war in Ukraine will be discussed as a part of this state visit. But we certainly would not speak for President Yoon and for any additional support he may or may not be willing to provide."

Yoon is currently on a six-day state visit to the U.S., which will include the summit with Biden and various events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.

Kirby said the U.S. is especially appreciative of Yoon's efforts to improve South Korea's relationship with Japan.

Yoon held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo last month in the wake of his administration's decision to compensate Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor without asking for contributions from Japanese companies.

"It is very much in keeping with President Biden's desire to improve our trilateral relationships," Kirby said. "These are two treaty allies, who we respect and admire, whose security commitments we will absolutely abide by. And to see that the relationship between the Republic and Japan growing closer is a good thing, again, not just for the region but for the world, and we applaud and we thank President Yoon for his significant role in improving those relations."

hague@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · April 25, 2023

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

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

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

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

Access NSS HERE

Company Name | Website

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