Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

"To be clear, DoD's main effort - integrated deterrence, is SOCOM's main effort. … Since 1942, your SOF have accumulated six decades of strategic competition experience. Now combined with over two decades of hard-earned combat experience in the Global War on Terror. These eight decades make your special operations tailor-made for this era."

– USSOCOM Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton in his 2024 opening remarks to the #HASC Intelligence and Special Operations subcommittee.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Understanding a person does not mean condoning; it only means that one does not accuse him as if one were God or a judge placed above him."

– Erich Fromm

1. N. Korea ramping up preparations for art festival marking late founder's birth

2. S. Korea urges N. Korea to resolve abductee issue after UN resolution adoption

3. Russia summons S. Korean ambassador to protest against Seoul's sanctions: Sputnik

4. Senior UNHCR official stresses need for mechanisms in place for asylum-seekers (ROK Contributions to UNHCR)

5. U.S. ambassador to U.N. making arrangements to visit S. Korea: official

6. North Korean no-no: Carrying bags on your shoulder

7. US ally seizes Chinese vessels (ROK).

8. N. Korea imports large amounts of rice from northeastern China

9. New commander of U.S. 8th Army takes office

10. Samsung to Fortify U.S. Chip Revival by Swelling Its Texas Investment to $44 Billion

11. Editorial: North Korea pushes ahead with weapons development at an alarming rate

12. S. Korea, Japan 'should normalize bilateral defense relations': CSIS

13. North Korea wipes “reunification” from school textbooks

14. Kim Jong Un has only just started his diplomatic game with Japan

1. N. Korea ramping up preparations for art festival marking late founder's birth

I bet there are some pundits who might interpret this as the north sending a signal it wants to negotiate. Is this a sign of opening? (I think not)

While art festivals are common, usually (but not always) massive military parades are held on the Day of the Sun and the country's most advanced weapons are displayed.

N. Korea ramping up preparations for art festival marking late founder's birth | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · April 5, 2024

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been ramping up preparations for an art festival celebrating the 112th birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung this month, with art troupes from Russia, China and Mongolia expected to participate in the event, state media reported Friday.

North Korea is preparing to hold the 33rd April Spring Friendship Art Festival between April 11 and 25 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's grandfather, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper.

The North celebrates Kim's birthday on April 15 as a national holiday, also called the Day of the Sun.

Around 20 art teams from Russia as well as art troupes from China and Mongolia, including the China National Symphony Orchestra, will take part in the upcoming art festival, the newspaper said.

Foreign artists will attend the festival by sending recorded footage of their performances to North Korea and the North will air an edited version via its state-run Korean Central Television.

The spring art festival has been held in April in even-numbered years. In 2020, North Korea canceled the event due to its COVID-19 border shutdown, and the country broadcast recorded footage of art performances in 2022.

This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on April 2, 2024, shows a propaganda image published over the 33rd April Spring Friendship Art Festival that will be held in April on the occasion of the 112th birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

sooyeon@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Soo-yeon · April 5, 2024

2. S. Korea urges N. Korea to resolve abductee issue after UN resolution adoption

South Korea is sustaining a human rights upfront approach.

S. Korea urges N. Korea to resolve abductee issue after UN resolution adoption | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · April 5, 2024

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea welcomed Friday the adoption of a United Nations resolution denouncing North Korea's egregious human rights violations and called on the North to take measures to resolve the issue of detainees, abductees and prisoners of war.

The call came a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted by consensus the resolution denouncing North Korea's widespread and systematic human rights violations at the 55th regular session of the UNHRC in Geneva. It marked the 22nd consecutive year the resolution was adopted.

"The government is deeply concerned over systemic, widespread and grave violation of human rights that continues in North Korea and urges the North to take measures to enhance human rights according to the resolution, including resolving the issue of abductees, detainees and prisoners of war as well as ensuring access to information to North Korean residents," Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, told reporters in a regular press briefing.

Kim said the government has actively taken part in drawing up the resolution and vowed to closely work with the international community to resolve the issue as well as enhance overall rights conditions in the North.

The ministry has stepped up efforts to resolve the rights issue and muster international support for the repatriation of victims. In March, ministry officials visited Geneva with the son of Choi Chun-gil, a South Korean missionary detained in the North.

Choi is one of six South Koreans currently detained in the North for years, including two other missionaries -- Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kook-kie -- with their whereabouts or fates unknown.

Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, speaks in a regular press briefing at the government complex in Seoul on April 5, 2024. (Yonhap)

mlee@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · April 5, 2024

3. Russia summons S. Korean ambassador to protest against Seoul's sanctions: Sputnik

No surprise. I hope Ambassador Lee was smiling on the inside as he took the tongue lashing as he is on the right side of the issue.

But Russia doth protest too much.

Russia summons S. Korean ambassador to protest against Seoul's sanctions: Sputnik | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · April 5, 2024

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- Russia's foreign ministry has summoned South Korea's top envoy to Moscow to protest against Seoul's sanctions on its vessels and nationals, Russia's Sputnik news agency reported Friday.

On Tuesday, South Korea imposed sanctions on two Russian individuals and their companies involved in the illegal sending of North Korean IT workers overseas, as well as two Russian vessels involved in shipping containers of military supplies between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko summoned South Korea's Ambassador to Moscow Lee Do-hoon and said that Moscow considers the sanctions as "another unfriendly step" by Seoul, Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

Moscow also called on Seoul to "abandon counterproductive sanctions and force measures that provoke a further increase in tension on the Korean Peninsula," it quoted the statement as saying.

This graphic image provided by Yonhap News TV shows the flags of South Korea (L) and Russia. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · April 5, 2024

4. Senior UNHCR official stresses need for mechanisms in place for asylum-seekers (ROK Contributions to UNHCR)

Some important information about ROK contributions. Another example of the ROK as a global pivotal state.

Excerpt:

Mazou, who oversees operations in seven regions with expertise on emergency response and security management, applauded South Korea's increasing contributions in the official development assistance (ODA) as "remarkable," especially when the contributions from other countries have fallen short to match the surge of refugees globally.

"South Korea is an example of a country that can shift from conflict, difficulties, to being a country that helps," he said, noting the transformation of the country from an "aid recipient" to one of the top donors of the organization.

South Korea set the ODA budget at a record high of 6.3 trillion won (US$4.7 billion) for this year, up 31.1 percent from the previous year. Of the total, 17.5 percent is earmarked for humanitarian crisis response projects in countries affected by war and disasters.

In 2022, the U.N. refugee agency received some 5.8 billion won in aid, failing to meet the 10.7 billion-won budget it had set for the year.

Mazou said South Korea's overall funding to the UNHCR, combining the contributions from the private sector, stood at about $71-73 million over the past three years.

"Korea is doing a lot more and more, and we see that increasing and we're really encouraging Korea to do more on the political level."

(LEAD) (Yonhap Interview) Senior UNHCR official stresses need for mechanisms in place for asylum-seekers | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · April 5, 2024

(ATTN: CORRECTS headline, lead, paras 2-4 to clarify Mazou's remarks; TRIMS)

By Kim Hyun-soo

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- Countries should make sure that they have mechanisms to provide refugees and asylum-seekers with the help they need, a senior official of the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.

Raouf Mazou, assistant high commissioner for operations of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), made the remarks during a visit to Seoul, highlighting that one of the UNHCR's roles is to support countries in providing assistance and asylum to those fleeing persecution.

"The most important thing is that people who arrived in a country should be in a position of seeking asylum and explaining why they need international protection," Mazou said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.

"All people who arrive in a country, whether it is in Italy, whether it is in the U.S., whether it is in Switzerland, they should put in place mechanisms for people who arrive to be able to seek asylum," Mazou said.

"We're created to remind countries of the importance of that institution of asylum, making sure that you have mechanisms for people to be able to be given asylum," he said.

Raouf Mazou, assistant high commissioner for operations of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on April 5, 2024, as provided by the UNHCR. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

According to UNHCR data, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in the same year as a result of persecution or human rights violations, an increase of about 19 million people year-on-year, marking the largest leap on record. The figure includes refugees, asylum-seekers or internally displaced people.

Mazou, who oversees operations in seven regions with expertise on emergency response and security management, applauded South Korea's increasing contributions in the official development assistance (ODA) as "remarkable," especially when the contributions from other countries have fallen short to match the surge of refugees globally.

"South Korea is an example of a country that can shift from conflict, difficulties, to being a country that helps," he said, noting the transformation of the country from an "aid recipient" to one of the top donors of the organization.

South Korea set the ODA budget at a record high of 6.3 trillion won (US$4.7 billion) for this year, up 31.1 percent from the previous year. Of the total, 17.5 percent is earmarked for humanitarian crisis response projects in countries affected by war and disasters.

In 2022, the U.N. refugee agency received some 5.8 billion won in aid, failing to meet the 10.7 billion-won budget it had set for the year.

Mazou said South Korea's overall funding to the UNHCR, combining the contributions from the private sector, stood at about $71-73 million over the past three years.

"Korea is doing a lot more and more, and we see that increasing and we're really encouraging Korea to do more on the political level."

Mazou also called for South Korea to take a more active approach, citing the country's election to the U.N. Security Council as a nonpermanent member for the 2024-25 term, calling it an "opportunity in which Korea can put its weight in."

Media and lawmakers also play a critical role in helping people understand that providing asylum is not a negative act, he added.

Pointing to the issue of deep-seated prejudice against refugees and the low refugee acceptance rate in South Korea hovering at around 2 percent on average, Mazou suggested that the issue of accepting refugees should be considered from a much broader perspective, such as understanding why they had to leave their homeland.

"You need to understand the reasons why people are leaving and make sure that you address these reasons," Mazou said, noting that climate change served as one of the main reasons.

"One needs to look at displacement movements, migration, in a much more holistic way and really see what are the causes," he said.

sookim@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · April 5, 2024

5. U.S. ambassador to U.N. making arrangements to visit S. Korea: official

U.S. ambassador to U.N. making arrangements to visit S. Korea: official | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · April 5, 2024

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is planning to travel to South Korea to discuss pending issues, a foreign ministry official said Friday.

Earlier, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that Thomas-Greenfield is making arrangements to travel to South Korea and Japan in mid-April for possible meetings with government officials, citing diplomatic sources.

"We are in talks with the U.S. on the ambassador to the U.N.'s visit to South Korea," the official said.

Thomas-Greenfield is expected to meet with high-level officials in Seoul to discuss cooperation on various pending issues on the U.N. Security Council, including the North Korean nuclear issue.

South Korea and Japan currently serve as two of 10 nonpermanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The United States is one of the five permanent members of the council.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in New York on March 17, 2023. (Yonhap)

julesyi@yna.co.kr

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en.yna.co.kr · by Yi Wonju · April 5, 2024

6. North Korean no-no: Carrying bags on your shoulder

I remember when US soldiers were not allowed to carry shoulder bags or backpacks on one shoulder. At least we are more enlightened than the Kim family regime (note sarcasm).

But on a serious note, the regime is expending a lot much effort to maintain ideological purity and it is amazing that something like a shoulder bag is considered an ideological threat to the regime.

North Korean no-no: Carrying bags on your shoulder

That smacks of the capitalist South. Instead, youth are told to use backpacks or carry bags in one hand, socialist style.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/bags-04042024175412.html

By Son Hyemin for RFA Korean

2024.04.04

North Korean authorities are cracking down on college students who carry their bags using shoulder straps, as the woman on the right is doing in this photo of students walking along a street in Pyongyang, July 24, 2017. Instead, they should hold them in their hands, like the other two women, or on their backs.

Ed Jones/AFP

In North Korea, carrying a bag with a strap on your shoulder can get you in trouble – because that’s the way they do it in the capitalist South.

Instead, true socialists carry bags on their back or in one hand, people are told, sources in the reclusive country said.

It’s the latest example of authorities controlling even the personal details of North Koreans’ lives.

Women are told they can’t wear shorts, people are punished for using loan words from English, which they may have learned from South Korean TV dramas that get smuggled into the country on thumb drives, and couples getting married are strongly discouraged from holding wedding banquets or even clinking wine glasses at the reception.

Most of these no-nos come under the draconian Rejection of Reactionary Thought and Culture Law, which aims to root out an invasion of so-called capitalist behavior.

Bag violators can have their bags confiscated, be kicked out of school or even sent to labor centers for daring to tote their loot close to their hips, sources say.

“A patrol organized by the Socialist Patriotic Youth League cracked down on a college student who wore a bag on their side at the main gate of Hamhung Medical University,” a resident of the eastern province of South Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “This is the first case of a crackdown on college students for how they carry bags.”

He said that the crackdown will continue until April 15, the Day of the Sun, a major holiday in North Korea that commemorates the life of leader Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung.

Fashion item

Bags are one of the few ways that North Korean youths can express their individuality.

Prior to the 1990s, the government provided all school supplies, including backpacks for students.

This ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Aid from Moscow dried up, ruining North Korea’s centrally planned economy and throwing the country into the “Arduous March,” which is what North Koreans call the 1994-1998 famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Since then, it fell on the students to provide their own bags, which have become a fashion item of sorts.

To counter this tendency, authorities supplied backpacks to students in elementary, middle and high schools this year but were not able to provide backpacks to all incoming college and university students because of production shortages.

So the crackdown instead puts the burden on the students to appear uniform.

But young people are influenced by South Korean TV shows and movies, which are illegal for them to watch.

“College students prefer to wear shoulder bags with long straps on their side because they often watch South Korean TV shows,” a resident of the western province of South Pyongan told RFA on condition of anonymity for personal safety.

She said that the administration at Pyongsong University of Education and Teachers Training College announced at the school’s opening ceremony that from now on, anyone carrying a bag on their side would be punished for spreading the culture of the South Korean “puppets,” a demeaning term for its southern neighbor that alludes to its close ties with the United States.

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

7. US ally seizes Chinese vessels (ROK)

The ROK defended its waters and fishing grounds against Chinese malign activities.

US ally seizes Chinese vessels

Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · April 3, 2024

South Korea's Coast Guard seized five Chinese vessels for allegedly fishing illegally in the country's waters late last month, confiscating boats and deporting several crew members.

The coast guard said it carried out the raid while on patrol with the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries within the country's exclusive economic zone.

An exclusive economic zone is a 200-nautical-mile (230-mile) zone in which maritime law grants a coastal country the sole right to natural resources.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing significantly harms global fish stocks, ecosystems, and the livelihoods of lawful fisherfolk. China, with the world's largest distant-water fishing fleet, plays a substantial role in this issue.

The joint patrol's 30 participating vessels and three aircraft waters were operating in the vicinity of Jeju Island from March 25-31, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

The country's coast guard said that, on average, 300 Chinese vessels fish illegally in the country's exclusive waters each day, with that figure dropping to an estimated 140 during periods of intensified crackdowns.

One of the Chinese boats had prepared 31 large fishing nets, each one worth over $44,000, according to the maritime law enforcement agency. Patrol members destroyed 20 of these and planned to take possession of the others.

A Chinese vessel was also caught trespassing in waters near the de facto maritime boundary separating South Korea from the North.

The crew was found to have underreported their catches. They were also using a type of net banned in South Korea because it was specially designed to catch even young fish, depleting local stocks.

The Coast Guard issued a total of $333,000 in fines and arrested one of the boats' captains. Five of the Chinese nationals were later deported, according to the report.

Indian and South Korean Coast Guard ships in the Bay of Bengal on June 10, 2016. South Korea's Coast Guard seized five Chinese vessels for allegedly fishing illegally in March. Indian and South Korean Coast Guard ships in the Bay of Bengal on June 10, 2016. South Korea's Coast Guard seized five Chinese vessels for allegedly fishing illegally in March. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

"We will take strong measures against those who conduct illegal fishing activities, which ruin marine resources by sweeping up young fish," Korea JoongAng Daily quoted one Coast Guard official as saying.

The official pointed out that Seoul regularly discloses illegal fishing activities with international perpetrators' countries of origin during diplomatic talks and presses them to take preventative action.

"China exercises the right to develop and use the fisheries resources on the high seas in accordance with relevant international law including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Seas," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S. told Newsweek. He said China maintains a complete system of distant-water fisheries management" and is a leader in carrying out "voluntary fishing moratoriums in certain parts of the high sea."

Liu added that China voluntarily places fishing moratoriums "in certain parts" of the ocean and conducts the world's "most rigorous steps in vessel position monitoring and management."

"We are willing to work with South Korea to promote the continued healthy development of fishing cooperation between the two sides," he said.

Newsweek reached out to the Korea Oceanographic Data Center with written requests for comment.

Chinese fishing vessels are often linked to overfishing and resource exploitation in international waters and in the exclusive economic zones of other nations, challenging efforts to sustain marine populations and enforce regulations.

Last month, Chinese fishing boats suspected of breaking Vanuatu's fishing laws were boarded by officials of the South Pacific nation's fisheries agency, along with U.S. Coast Guard members who were patrolling with them under a capacity-building program known as Operation Pacific Blue.

Update 4/4/24, 10:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a comment from the Chinese embassy in the U.S.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek · by Micah McCartney · April 3, 2024

8. N. Korea imports large amounts of rice from northeastern China

China is some kind of friend.

N. Korea imports large amounts of rice from northeastern China

However, the rice being imported is of such poor quality that it is typically used to feed livestock in China, a source told Daily NK

By Seulkee Jang - April 5, 2024

https://www.dailynk.com/english/n-korea-imports-large-amounts-of-rice-from-northeastern-china/

A cargo truck travels from Dandong, Liaoning Province to Sinuju, North Pyongan Province, via the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge on the morning of Jan. 20, 2024. (Daily NK)

North Korean authorities have recently imported large quantities of rice from northeastern China. The imports appear to be aimed at stabilizing rice prices as North Korea enters a period when food supplies often run short.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in China told Daily NK on Tuesday that North Korea’s large-scale imports of rice from northeastern China began in mid-March. The rice arrived on freight trains from China’s Dandong to North Korea’s Sinuiju.

In January, Chinese customs authorities tightened inspections of projects shipped to North Korea, making it difficult to load Sinuiju-bound freight trains not only with items restricted by U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea, but also with food.

Chinese authorities have even blocked shipments of rice, prompting North Korean trading companies to repeatedly request permission to import rice on freight trains even though sanctioned items are not allowed.

As North Korean food shortages worsened this spring, North Korean trading companies pushed even harder for access to Chinese rice, and Chinese customs began approving rice imports on freight trains in mid-March, the source said.

But the rice being imported is of such poor quality that it is typically used to feed livestock in China, the source said. The rice is powdery and often moldy or mixed with dirt and other adulterants – in short, it is a miserable quality of rice that is not even sold in the Chinese market.

The rice sells for RMB 2,300 (about USD 316) per ton. In fact, the rice being imported by North Korea costs only half as much as the benchmark for Asia, Thai long-grain white rice (free on board, 100% Grade B), which was selling for USD 607 per ton on Mar. 27.

“While North Korean trading companies spend a lot of money on luxury products, they can’t buy expensive rice because their rice budget is meager. This suggests that rice isn’t considered an important product,” the source said.

The Chinese are still leery about trade in Dandong and Sinuiju

Curiously, the Chinese trains from Dandong do not carry any cargo when they return across the border from Sinuiju, the source said.

Because day laborers often help load and unload trade goods from freight trains in China, trade between North Korea and China is difficult to keep from prying eyes. The Chinese government appears to be so sensitive about the cargo of freight trains running between Dandong and Sinuiju because the international community is closely monitoring Dandong in connection with sanctions against North Korea.

This may be why trade between North Korea and China has recently picked up in Hunchun, in China’s Jilin Province, rather than in Liaoning Province.

“Not even steel or cement can be sent from Dandong to North Korea. Wallpaper is one of the only building materials that can be loaded onto trains there. But in Hunchun, steel products cross the border easily, and processed goods such as wigs and false eyelashes are also sent from North Korea to Hunchun,” the source said.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.

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

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

Read in Korean

9. New commander of U.S. 8th Army takes office

New commander of U.S. 8th Army takes office | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · April 5, 2024

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- The new commander of the U.S. Eighth Army in South Korea took office Friday, with a pledge to support the "ironclad" commitment to the alliance between South Korea and the U.S.

Lt. Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve replaced Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson as the commander of the Eighth Army and chief of staff of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command during a ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul.

Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command, as well as senior U.S. and South Korean military officials attended the change-of-command ceremony.

"I welcome this opportunity to serve with our ROK allies and will give my full effort in support of the ironclad commitment to the alliance between our nations," LaNeve said at the ceremony, referring to South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Lt. Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve (3rd from L) receives the Eighth Army's guidon from Gen. Paul LaCamera (4th from L), the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, during a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on April, 5, 2024, in this photo posted on the Eighth Army's X account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

LaNeve previously served as the former commander of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division.

On Monday, Burleson received the Gukseon Medal, the second-highest class in the Order of National Security Merit, from the South Korean government in recognition of his service in the country. He is set to retire after 36 years of military service next month.

Gen. Paul LaCamera, the commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, and Lt. Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, the new commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, attend a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on April, 5, 2024, in this photo posted on the Eighth Army's X account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

ejkim@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Eun-jung · April 5, 2024

10. Samsung to Fortify U.S. Chip Revival by Swelling Its Texas Investment to $44 Billion

Yet Samsung and other chip manufacturers who are investing in factories in the US cannot find enough qualified workers, South Korean request 30,000 work visas (not immigrant visas) over the next 5 years to bridge the gap and to provide trainers for American workers but the US has denied them.

Think about that. Companies are building big factories to build high tech equipment (chips) and we cannot find enough qualified American workers.

Samsung to Fortify U.S. Chip Revival by Swelling Its Texas Investment to $44 Billion

South Korean firm plans to add a second semiconductor factory and advanced-packaging facility at its new hub outside Austin

https://www.wsj.com/tech/samsung-to-fortify-u-s-chip-revival-by-swelling-its-texas-investment-to-44-billion-6d2d1799?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1

By Jiyoung Sohn

in Seoul and Asa Fitch

in New York

April 5, 2024 4:57 am ET

Samsung is capable of producing advanced semiconductors vital to artificial intelligence and national defense. PHOTO: MATTHIAS OESTERLE/ZUMA PRESS

Samsung 005930 -0.94%decrease; red down pointing triangle Electronics plans to more than double its total semiconductor investment in Texas to roughly $44 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, a significant breakthrough in the U.S.’s quest to make more of the world’s cutting-edge chips. The South Korean company’s new spending will be concentrated in Taylor, Texas, where Samsung is building a semiconductor hub and has other nearby existing operations, the people said. The additions include a new chip-making factory, and a facility for advanced packaging and research and development.

Samsung is one of just three firms, along with Intel and

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, capable of producing advanced logic semiconductors vital to artificial intelligence and national defense. These companies sit at the heart of the Biden administration’s push to strengthen the U.S.’s chip-making capabilities, as Washington simultaneously seeks to undercut Beijing’s tech advances. To help finance the broader Texas expansion, Samsung is expected to receive billions of dollars in subsidies from the U.S. Chips Act, the people said. Talks with the Commerce Department remain ongoing, though Samsung is expected to receive one of the largest payouts given to a single company.

An event to announce Samsung’s broadened investments is expected to be held on April 15 in Taylor, according to the people familiar with the matter. Samsung declined to comment. The Commerce Department declined to comment, saying that it is unable to discuss any specific company projects.

Samsung’s additional investments add to the $17 billion that the company had previously committed more than two years ago to Taylor, located just outside of Austin, for a cutting-edge chip-making plant.

The factory broke ground in 2022, with plans to start mass production as early as this year. The costs of building this first chip-making plant have increased due to inflation and other factors, requiring several billion dollars in extra investment, according to people familiar with the matter.

The second Taylor-based chip factory is expected to cost more than $20 billion, the people said. Samsung’s R&D efforts are expected to be warehoused inside those two plants. The size of the investments in these two factories could shift depending on market conditions.

The planned facility for advanced packaging—a key final step in the production of high-end AI chips like those made by

Nvidia—will have a price tag of roughly $4 billion, the people said.Earlier on Friday, Samsung said it expects a 10-fold increase in its first-quarter operating profit, to roughly $4.9 billion. This tops industry analysts’ estimates, as the chip industry awakens from a protracted downturn.

Samsung’s supersize chip investment in Texas adds fresh momentum to one of President Biden’s marquee domestic agendas as he seeks re-election in November. Many of the highest-profile projects have seen costs rise and face delays.

U.S. chip-making dominance has been a priority for Washington, which has earmarked tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to woo back local production that had migrated to Asia.

The Chips Act, which passed two years ago, set aside $53 billion in grants for projects like Samsung’s—and the money has only recently begun to flow.

Intel was awarded $8.5 billion for several chip plants planned in the U.S. last month, following a $1.5 billion grant to GlobalFoundries for projects in New York and Vermont in February. TSMC and Idaho-based Micron, a memory chip maker, are also expected to receive grants under the program.

The spree of projects aims to bolster domestic supplies of critical semiconductors. The U.S. share of chip-making declined to about 12% in 2020 from 37% in 1990, a fall that is increasingly seen as a national-security liability in an age when chips underpin advanced weapons, cyberwarfare and AI.

In a speech in February, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said that based on the level of industry interest in Chips Act funding, the U.S. was on track to produce roughly 20% of the world’s most advanced logic chips by the end of this decade.

Samsung’s big bet in Texas is comparable to those made by its chief rivals. TSMC is building two chip-making factories in Arizona, with a projected investment of $40 billion. Intel’s total investment in U.S. projects in the next five years is expected to exceed $100 billion.

Samsung began semiconductor operations in Austin in 1996, starting with memory chips. The site later transitioned into the contract chip-manufacturing business. The Taylor chip making plants are expected to be filled with equipment for producing the industry’s cutting-edge logic chips for customers.

Two years ago, Samsung floated the prospect in filings made to the Texas controller’s office of potentially investing upward of $200 billion toward building 11 new chip-making plants in Texas over the next two decades.

Samsung, the world’s largest memory maker by revenue, is also racing alongside South Korea’s

SK Hynix and Micron for leadership in high bandwidth memory, a critical component of artificial-intelligence computing.HBM can speed up computing times by stacking multiple DRAM memory—used commonly for helping devices or servers multitask—on top of each other and merging them as one.

HBM has become the go-to type of memory to work in tandem with graphic-unit processors made by the likes of Nvidia that power AI computing. To enable faster data-processing speeds, the two types of chips are currently bundled together using “2.5-D” packaging techniques. Major chip makers including TSMC, Samsung and Intel are investing in 2.5-D packaging as well as next-generation 3-D packaging.

Earlier this week, South Korea’s SK Hynix announced its plans for a $3.9 billion facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, for advanced chip-packaging, mainly for HBM. SK Hynix is the exclusive partner to Nvidia for the most-advanced HBM currently in the market.

Samsung’s planned advanced chip-packaging facility is expected to carry out packaging for HBM and provide 2.5-D and 3-D packaging technologies, according to people familiar with the matter.

At one of his company’s events last month for AI developers, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang said his company was in the process of determining whether Samsung’s next-generation “HBM3E” product could be a viable option. He stopped by Samsung’s booth and autographed one of the chips. He wrote: “Jensen approved.”

Write to Jiyoung Sohn at jiyoung.sohn@wsj.com and Asa Fitch at asa.fitch@wsj.com

11. Editorial: North Korea pushes ahead with weapons development at an alarming rate

You know what iI have to say about the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. We must put this in the proper context.

Excerpt:

North Korea is in the process of realizing the “Five Strategic Weapons Tasks” outlined by Kim in January 2021. The five tasks refer to developing hypersonic missiles, multi-warhead guidance technology, solid-fuel ICBMs, nuclear-powered submarines and reconnaissance satellites. North Korea claims at least three of these projects have been completed, and the rest are nearing completion. The goal is to finalize the tasks before the next party congress in 2026, but the North may likely announce an “early completion” within this year or the following year.

Editorial: North Korea pushes ahead with weapons development at an alarming rate

https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/04/05/PRQ5634X3VAABKMMYO6SO6T4LQ/

By The Chosunilbo

Published 2024.04.05. 08:45

North Korea said that it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, according to the Korean Central News Agency on April 3. / News1

North Korea claims to have successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and are capable of intricate maneuvers, making them difficult to track and intercept. This missile reportedly features an upgraded engine that extends its range, and its warhead has been replaced with a glider type from a cone shape to maximize maneuverability compared to the missile launched in January. The U.S. and South Korea’s missile defense systems may find it difficult to intercept such a missile.

“We have completely realized the nuclear weaponization of all missiles,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said after observing the launch. He declared that nuclear weapons are now deployed on a full range of missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) targeting the U.S. mainland, short-range missiles designed for attacks on South Korea, and intermediate-range missiles that could reach U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. While these claims may be a mixture of exaggeration and bravado, it is evident that Kim is dedicating extensive resources and efforts to nuclear and missile development and, as a result, is making technological advances at an alarming rate.

North Korea is in the process of realizing the “Five Strategic Weapons Tasks” outlined by Kim in January 2021. The five tasks refer to developing hypersonic missiles, multi-warhead guidance technology, solid-fuel ICBMs, nuclear-powered submarines and reconnaissance satellites. North Korea claims at least three of these projects have been completed, and the rest are nearing completion. The goal is to finalize the tasks before the next party congress in 2026, but the North may likely announce an “early completion” within this year or the following year.

North Korea is currently supplying Russia, which is invading Ukraine, with substantial amounts of ammunition and military equipment. Russia is suspected of providing military technology in return. A reconnaissance satellite that was successfully launched after three attempts and other weapons that have shown rapid technological advances could be the result of Russian assistance.

Recently, the government seized a cargo ship traveling from North Korea to Russia on suspicion of violating sanctions. The cargo ship was allegedly loaded with North Korean coal intended for export to Russia. This incident is merely the tip of the iceberg. China is also aiding North Korea by flouting sanctions, similar to Russia in this regard. Significant threats to our security are unfolding around us at this very moment, something that should not be overlooked just because we are in the midst of a general election.

12. S. Korea, Japan 'should normalize bilateral defense relations': CSIS

Download the 20 page CSIS report here: https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2024-04/240404_Armitage_USJapan_2024.pdf?VersionId=PdawHvNzZEMSK4CJwzyh7AZ2Nbx_g7Th

S. Korea, Japan 'should normalize bilateral defense relations': CSIS

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · April 5, 2024

By Ji Da-gyum

Published : April 5, 2024 - 14:34

For the second time this year, fighter aircraft from South Korea, the US and Japan conducted a trilateral escort flight of US bombers operating in the Indo-Pacific, Dec. 20, 2023. (US Air Force)

South Korea and Japan should work towards "normalizing bilateral defense relations through a first-ever joint security declaration" in light of the growing necessity to strengthen connections between their respective militaries, according to a report from a Washington-based think tank released Thursday.

The report titled "The US-Japan Alliance in 2024: Toward an Integrated Alliance," sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), emphasized that the "need for connective tissue" between the South Korea-US and US-Japan alliances is "greater than ever before."

The report emphasized the significance of enhancing connections, especially given Japan's swift advancement in defense capabilities, including long-range counterstrikes. It further referenced the establishment of trilateral dialogue structures at the strategic level, following the Camp David summit in August 2023, as instrumental in achieving this objective.

"The allies should now move to establish formal connections at the operational level, including through exchanges of liaison officers at respective commands, the inclusion of observers at bilateral exercises and the establishment of a trilateral contingency planning cell," the report read.

"To support these changes, Japan and South Korea should move purposefully and promptly to normalize bilateral defense relations through a first-ever joint security declaration."

The report cited the 2007 Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation as a template for South Korea and Japan to model after.

The 2007 non-binding political statement, which was renewed in 2022, initially outlined various areas of cooperation in both traditional and non-traditional security realms. These encompassed a wide range of initiatives, from disarmament and the counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems to maritime and aviation security, as well as humanitarian relief operations, including disaster relief efforts.

The report, chaired by former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Harvard Emeritus Professor of the Kennedy School of Government Joseph Nye, included the participation of eight other researchers, among whom were CSIS Senior Vice President for Asia and Korea Chair Victor Cha and Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute Wendy Cutler.

The report also underscored that the US-Japan alliance "should consider G7 expansion to include Australia and South Korea, the world’s next two largest advanced democracies and partners that are increasingly critical to global political and economic responses."

The Group of Seven countries consist of the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan.

The report clarified that the G7 has become increasingly significant as the "primary international forum for upholding the international rules-based order, from support to Ukraine to combating Chinese economic coercion."

The expansion of the G7, described as "perhaps the only effective" global governance institution, is imperative to incorporate other like-minded partners who share values and possess resources essential for shoring up the rules-based international order.

"Given the challenges facing today’s international environment, it is time to bring additional voices with meaningful capacity and aligned views to the table," the report read. "This is not charity."

koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · April 5, 2024

13. North Korea wipes “reunification” from school textbooks

And the regime is wiping out hope of the Korean people in the north. And confusing them too. They were promised that when the north developed nuclear weapons it would bring peace and prosperity and that unification would change their lives for the better. Kim now has to hide his failures and erase regime promises.

North Korea wipes “reunification” from school textbooks

Teachers have been tasked with crossing out phrases identified by the Workers' Party as being problematic, a source told Daily NK

By Mun Dong Hui - April 5, 2024

dailynk.com

North Korea wipes “reunification” from school textbooks - Daily NK English

A classroom at a North Korean school (DPRK Today)

North Korean authorities have ordered that the word “reunification” be removed from students’ textbooks, Daily NK has learned.

“The education authorities were ordered to review all textbooks from the beginning of March to the end of the month. The plan is to prepare a new batch of textbooks,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In the wake of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s policy speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly in January, in which he ordered the complete elimination of “such terms as ‘reunification,’ ‘reconciliation,’ and ‘fellow countrymen’ from the national history of our republic,” North Korean education officials are now updating the country’s textbooks.

“For this year, schools have been ordered to use pens or pencils to cross out words banned by the state in textbooks. The orders were sent from the Ministry of Education to the provincial education offices and from there to the administration of each school, where they were carried out by the teaching staff,” the source said.

Since there is not enough time to produce and distribute revised textbooks this school year, as a stopgap measure, teachers at each school are expected to go through each textbook with their students to cross out the banned words so that they are no longer visible.

“Teachers have explained to their students that the orders must be followed because they are in line with the party’s efforts to establish a correct view of history,” the source said.

Some teachers punished for failing to carry out order

At the end of March, an elementary school teacher in Uiju, North Pyongan Province, was fired after making students leave all their textbooks in their desks because the orders were too cumbersome to carry out.

“Teachers were supposed to spend five minutes before class crossing out the phrases identified by the party and giving the students a correct understanding of the party’s policies. But this was apparently a bridge too far for one teacher, who was taken to task for proceeding with the lesson without crossing out any words or even opening the textbooks,” the source said.

The teacher was punished for dereliction of duty for disobeying the party’s order and failing to explain to the students that the order was in line with party policy.

Given that the North Korean authorities have arranged lectures for teachers explaining the party’s change of course on South Korea and charged them with passing on this new direction to future generations, the teacher in question was also criticized for having ideological problems, the source said.

“Teachers attended emergency lectures – one in February and one in March – organized by provincial, city, and county education authorities. In these lectures, teachers were told to revise their lesson plans and to avoid using unnecessary words [such as “reunification”] with their students. The same lectures stressed that teachers are revolutionaries charged with preparing the next generation to lead the future of the fatherland and that they should be ideologically equipped as only such revolutionaries should be,” the source said.

“While teachers have been banned from singing songs like ‘Reunification, May You Come Soon,’ they think it’s ridiculous that textbooks have to be revised by hand and that they can’t even say the word ‘reunification’ in the classroom. But they have to keep quiet, knowing that they could be fired for saying the wrong thing,” he added.

Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.

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

Read in Korean

Mun Dong Hui

Mun Dong Hui is one of Daily NK’s full-time reporters and covers North Korean technology and human rights issues, including the country’s political prison camp system. Mun has a M.A. in Sociology from Hanyang University and a B.A. in Mathematics from Jeonbuk National University. He can be reached at dhmun@uni-media.net

Kim Jong Un has only just started his diplomatic game with Japan

The Yoon administration’s “audacious initiative” and “peace through strength” policies do not conflict with Japan’s efforts to reach out to North Korea

By Gil-sup Kwak - April 5, 2024

dailynk.com

Kim Jong Un has only just started his diplomatic game with Japan - Daily NK English

South Korean President Yoon Seok Yul, who visited Japan as an observer to the G7 Summit, meets with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before the U.S.-Japan-South Korea summit on May 21, 2023. (Yonhap News)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is an ambitious gambler with some big hang-ups.

In early 2024, 13 years into his reign, Kim made a bold move by rejecting the national reunification narrative that was his grandfather’s and father’s legacy, not to mention the theoretical foundation of the regime, and instead indulging in saber-rattling and advocating the “two states” narrative of Korea.

After deciding to cut ties with South Korea, Kim took the unusual step of addressing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as “Your Excellency” in a message of condolence for an earthquake on the Noto Peninsula on Jan. 5. This soon elicited a positive response from Japan, and on Feb. 9, Kishida expressed his interest by personally noting that he “strongly feels the need to boldly change the status quo.”

Kim Yo Jong, a power broker in the shadow of the North Korean leadership, responded with a tantalizing statement on Feb. 15, saying that if Japan changes its stance on the issues of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and its past abductions of Japanese citizens (which we will call the “two preconditions”), “the day of the prime minister’s visit to Pyongyang may come.”

The South Korean and international press began to report that North Korea, shocked by the previous day’s announcement that South Korea and Cuba would establish diplomatic relations, was responding by pursuing dialogue with Kishida, who is eager to hold a summit with Kim.

But despite expectations of a quick breakthrough in dialogue between North Korea and Japan, and despite more than a month of behind-the-scenes contacts, Kim Yo Jong declared in a statement on Mar. 26 that North Korea was suspending dialogue with Japan. “Japan has no courage to change history […] or to take the first step for the new DPRK-Japan relations,” Kim said, adding that North Korea would “reject any contact and negotiations with the Japanese side.”

Prospects for the DPRK-Japan dialogue dimmed further after critical statements by North Korean Ambassador to China Ri Ryong-nam and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Mar. 29.

Look at the substance, not the surface

On the surface, North Korea’s disclosure of Japan’s confidential proposals for dialogue and its aggressive rejection of negotiations with Japan, both of which deviate from its typical diplomatic principles and practices, could be interpreted as the North’s abandonment of dialogue and negotiations.

But closed-door negotiations between low-level officials are not the kind of thing that can be abruptly stopped in light of the following factors: (1) both Kim Jong Un and Kim Yo Jong have personally raised the possibility of dialogue this year; (2) dialogue was raised shortly after Kim advanced his “two states” narrative; and (3) North Korea needs to escape its diplomatic isolation and change the narrative after South Korea’s diplomatic coup with Cuba; finally, (4) the very fact that the rhetoric and criticism exchanged by North Korea and Japan has been so open and rapid only shows how much they are interested in each other.

Let us also consider that (1) Kishida is in trouble, with an approval rating of less than 20% before the Liberal Democratic Party leadership vote scheduled for September; that (2) resuming dialogue with Japan would be a good opportunity to stir up domestic strife in South Korea and undermine trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan (North Korea regards Japan as the weakest link in their trilateral relationship); and that (3) North Korea is currently pursuing long-term projects that require large amounts of resources, including its 20×10 regional development policy. Taking all these considerations into account, I think it would be rather hasty to assume that North Korea has completely written off dialogue with Japan.

Instead, our preparations should be based on the assessment that North Korea’s heavy-handed pressure tactics amount to brinkmanship aimed at forcing Japan’s hand on the “two preconditions”. This is also evident in Kishida’s comments on Mar. 28 that he “still believes a summit would contribute to peace and stability in the region,” despite the cold shoulder he has received from North Korea.

Assessments and projections

North Korea and Japan began negotiations on the normalization of their relations in 1990 and reached notable milestones with the Tripartite Declaration (between the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and the Socialist Party of Japan) in September 1990, the North Korea-Japan Pyongyang Declaration in September 2002, and the Stockholm Agreement in May 2014. But efforts to implement these various agreements have never made much progress because of the obstacles of the abductee issue and North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

North Korea’s main goal in normalizing relations with Japan is to seek reparations from Japan, while Japan’s main goal is to resolve the abductee issue and secure a position as a regional peacemaker. But since Kim Jong Un is in no hurry to open up the country and is not in danger of being replaced, he is taking his time and employing various tactics in dealing with Japan.

In the future, Kim can also look forward to building a multifaceted system of cooperation with Russia, given Russia’s demand for armaments in its war against Ukraine and Putin’s promised visit to North Korea, which will happen sooner or later.

This year also marks the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s establishment of diplomatic relations with China, and exchanges and cooperation between the two countries are taking place at various levels. These facts suggest that North Korea need not worry too much about establishing contact with Japan.

But Kishida’s position is quite different. He has proposed holding a summit with North Korea without preconditions to resolve the abductee issue, and right now he needs some kind of dramatic turnaround before the leadership election in September. He knows better than anyone that former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s approval rating jumped more than 20% immediately after he visited North Korea and adopted the Pyongyang Declaration in 2002.

Therefore, Kishida is likely to keep knocking on the North Korean door, regardless of the response he receives. He may also try to get Biden’s blessing for Japanese dialogue with North Korea when the two men hold a summit in Washington on Apr. 10.

Going forward, the most important factor in North Korea’s decision on whether or not to resume dialogue with Japan is likely to be (1) whether Japan changes its stance on North Korea’s “two preconditions.” Other factors include (2) North Korea’s strategic and tactical assessment of the formation of a neo-Cold War alignment between North Korea, China and Russia on the one hand and South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on the other, and any related plans it may have; (3) an analysis of the speed and scope of opening up to the outside world based on the “two-state” narrative; (4) the continuation of the war in Ukraine, which has broad implications for the economy, foreign policy, military, and technology; (5) the course of the U.S. presidential election; and (6) the need for Japan to act as a mediator in the event of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

From the Japanese perspective, North Korea represents (7) a political game that Kishida can play before the September leadership vote; (8) a chance to give national interest a greater role in foreign policy amid the formation of a neo-Cold War orientation; and (9) being part of North Korea’s path to becoming a “normal country.”

Conclusions and responses

Summing up the discussion thus far, we can draw up the following roadmap for North Korea’s course of action: playing hard to get in 2024, initiating full-fledged dialogue in 2025, and normalizing diplomatic relations and selling off the right to claim damages for cash in 2026. Pyongyang’s strategies for the short term, mid-term and long term are inevitably linked to the outcome of the U.S. presidential election this coming November.

(1) Likely scenario

We can imagine the following scenario, which I break down in detail here. (A) For now, North Korea keeps pressuring Japan to give ground on its “two preconditions.” (B) The North ratchets up tensions with one-off provocations and local clashes occurring after it revises its constitution (crisis management/weakening trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan). (C) North Korea carries out a seventh nuclear test before the US presidential election in November (cementing status as a nuclear weapon state). (D) In 2025, it pursues arms reduction talks with the new US administration and launches negotiations to normalize relations with Japan. (E) The Ninth Party Congress is held early, in October 2025 (unveiling a new policy line for the fourth phase of Kim’s rule). (F) North Korea uses diplomatic relations with Japan to secure funds in exchange for forfeiting the right to claim damages.

(2) Role of the government

Therefore, the South Korean government should not assume that the North Korea-Japan talks have been scuttled. It is true that North Korea’s two preconditions are fundamental issues that would not be easy for Japan to accept. But that does not mean negotiations are impossible.

Both politics and diplomacy are fickle things — and opposites attract, as they say. It would be wiser to hash out a range of contingency plans with the assumption that it is just a matter of time before North Korea and Japan reach an agreement.

It has already been 35 years since North Korea and Japan began negotiations to normalize their relations, and North Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile development has already rounded the last corner and is headed for the finish line. Right now, the North Korean leaders are likely considering what actions they should take when those development programs are complete.

In other words, Kim may envision the Ninth Party Congress, which will be his third party congress since taking power, as a milestone for building a completely independent and powerful socialist state. In the near term, it is also possible that small-scale skirmishes will occur between South and North Korea after Pyongyang adds a territorial provision based on the “two states” narrative to the North Korean constitution.

As such, the South Korean government needs to thoroughly prepare for the possibility of Kishida following in the footsteps of Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump.

We must not disregard recent developments including the comment by Mira Rapp-Hooper (senior director for Indo-Pacific Affairs with the U.S. National Security Council) on Mar. 4 that the US would consider “interim steps” aimed at North Korea’s denuclearization, as well as the Russian veto on Mar. 28 blocking the extension of an expert panel that has been monitoring violations of sanctions against North Korea. Everything is connected; everything has an impact.

So the important thing is working closely with Japan and the US. We should neither prevent Japan from making contact with North Korea, nor disregard any contact it makes. In the global community, the only consideration is each country’s national interest. Recall that many are willing to “make a deal with the Devil” to prevail in elections and diplomacy. That’s why South Korea ought to proactively consult with Japan and provide information and ideas, while also urging Japan to stick to principle in its dealings with the North.

(3) The attitude of the public

But some people are still blabbering about South Korea being sidelined in geopolitical jockeying, clinging to an outdated perspective marked by anti-Japanese sentiment, utopian dreams and dichotomous thinking.

Korea needs to wake up. We are not in the 20th century anymore—this is a time when every country is ready to change course and change partners at any time if that serves the national interest.

Even if North Korea and Japan do move forward with dialogue, that does not mean South Korea will be shoved to the side. Unlike the past, South Korea has a strong partnership with Japan both on a bilateral level and on a trilateral level with the US.

The Yoon administration’s “audacious initiative” and “peace through strength” policies do not conflict with Japan’s efforts to reach out to North Korea. Instead, we should opt to make full use of Japan’s potential role as a mediator. Rather than indulging in any antipathy we may feel for Japan and China, it’s time to ponder how we can make use of them.

Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.

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

Read in Korean

Gil-sup Kwak

Kwak is the president of One Korea Center and adjunct professor at Kookmin University’s Unification and Convergence Program. He currently serves as a policy advisory member at the Ministry of Unification and was the director of the North Korea Department at the Institute for National Security Strategy from 2014 to 2017. Before that, he served as a North Korea intelligence officer at the National Intelligence Service. His published works include “Yoon Seok-yeol vs. Kim Jong-un” (2022) and “Kim Jong-un and Biden’s Nuclear Clock.”