Quotes of the Day:
"The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable."
-Sun Tzu
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
- Winston Churchill
"The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people."
- Walt Whitman
1. In South Korea, Ukraine War Revives the Nuclear Question
2. South Korea's president-elect wants U.S. nuclear bombers, submarines to return
3. Special Representative for the DPRK Kim’s Meeting with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative Liu
4. Defending South Korea: Coordination, Co-location, Simplicity, and Morale in National Security
5. Yoon delegation discusses deployment of U.S. strategic assets to S. Korea with NSA Sullivan
6. U.N. panel probing N.K. acquisition of vessel previously registered in S. Korea
7. Cabinet approves initial funds for presidential office relocation
8. Japanese lawmakers hope to improve ties with South Korea when new leader takes office
9. New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister
10. New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister
11. N. Korea poses 'real' threats to U.S. and allies: Gen. Milley
12. Transition team chief seeks China's cooperation for stability on Korean Peninsula
13. Kim Yo Jong’s second statement criticizing S. Korea may have been toned down due to internal criticism
1. In South Korea, Ukraine War Revives the Nuclear Question
Not a surprise. It has been on Korean minds long before Ukraine.
Yes, everyone focuses on Ukraine giving up their nuclear weapons. But what I think is important about Putin's War right now is our publicly stated fear of escalation to nuclear war and how that has self deterred us from intervening (I do not think we need to directly intervene and I think it would be strategically counterproductive to do so, but I do not think we should never take the option off the table because it gives the impression that Russia's nuclear weapons deter us and confirms what the Kim family regime has always believed, e.g., that the US will never attack another country that possesses nuclear weapons. Our self deterrence gives Kim Jong-un freedom of action).
But the Korean peninsula is different. We are treaty allies with South Korea and it is my belief that if the north attacks the South we will come to its defense despite the fact that north Korea is a rogue nuclear-armed state. It is most important for the US to demonstrate strategic reassurance (to our ROK allies) and strategic resolve.
But the question for the South Koreans is how will nuclear weapons enhance their defense and their strategic position? South Korea and the ROK/US alliance possess the firepower to destroy north Korea with conventional forces and weapons. Will north Korea actually be deterred by South Korean nuclear weapons or by the return of US nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula? What military advantage will the alliance achieve with either South Korean or US nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula? I fear there is only a psychological benefit for those who believe they should possess nuclear weapons. It will make someone feel good but will give the ROK and the alliance a false sense of security.
But if we are not going to defend South Korea against a nuclear armed north Korea then perhaps we should pull out US troops now and help the South develop their own nuclear weapons. I wonder how Northeast Asia would look after we did that?
If the major US national interest in Northeast Asia is to prevent war then we need to focus on that and it is the presence of US troops and the commitment to the alliance and the defense of South Korea that provides the assurance that war can be prevented by deterring Kim Jong-un from attacking the South.
In South Korea, Ukraine War Revives the Nuclear Question
Seoul abandoned a covert program in the 1970s, but some argue it is time for the country to embrace its nuclear ambitions and safeguard against a Russia-style invasion.
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Demonstrators in Seoul last month protesting North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile test.
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April 6, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET
SEOUL — When Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s, experts debated whether the decision would make the country safer or more vulnerable to an invasion from Moscow, its nuclear-armed neighbor.
Since the conflict began, South Koreans have flooded online chat rooms with discussions about their country’s need to have nuclear weapons to prevent an invasion from North Korea, their own nuclear-armed neighbor. On Tuesday, North Korea warned that it would use its nuclear weapons “at the outset of war,” should one with the South ever start.
Like Ukraine, South Korea once had nuclear weapons within its borders. And Seoul abandoned its own covert nuclear program in the 1970s in exchange for security guarantees from the United States. But as they watch Ukrainians battle Russian forces and plead for outside military assistance, many South Koreans fear that was a mistake.
“There is no justice in this world, only national interests,” said one commentator on Twitter. “We must build our own defense, arming ourselves with nuclear weapons, unless we want to find ourselves in the sorry state Ukraine is in now.”
South Koreans have demanded nuclear weapons for years as North Korea expanded its arsenal and provoked Washington with missile tests. In one recent survey of South Koreans, 71 percent of the respondents supported arming the country with nuclear weapons, according to a research paper published in February by the Carnegie Endowment and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
President Donald J. Trump with Kim Jung-un, the leader of North Korea, and Moon Jae-in, the president of South Korea, at the Demilitarized Zone in 2019.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times
While North and South Korea see the war in Ukraine differently — with the North supporting Russia and the South condemning Moscow’s military adventurism — both countries appear to have drawn similar conclusions from the conflict.
For South Koreans, the war has shown the extent to which a nuclear-armed power can get away with invading a non-nuclear neighbor when fears of nuclear war make intervention less likely. And for the North, it offered further proof of the advantages of a homegrown nuclear deterrent.
Analysts say North Korea is now more determined than ever to keep its nuclear arsenal, as the South confronts its own vulnerability.
“The war in Ukraine is a chilling reminder that when things get really dicey, there is a limit to how much your friends can do for you,” said Cho Kyong-hwan, a member of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning in Seoul. “At the end of the day, you only have your own power to defend yourself.”
Drawing parallels between South Korea and Ukraine can be misleading. South Korea ranks sixth in the world in military strength and North Korea is 30th, according to the Global Firepower Index, which ranks conventional war-making capabilities. (Ukraine is 22nd and Russia is second.)
Ukraine is not a NATO member and does not have a formal alliance with the United States, whereas Seoul and Washington are bound by a mutual defense treaty.
When the defense chiefs of the United States and South Korea held their annual meeting in December, Washington renewed its commitment to “extended deterrence,” vowing to defend its South Korean ally with all its military capabilities, “including nuclear,” should war break out on the Korean Peninsula. About 28,500 American troops are stationed here.
News of North Korea’s recent ICBM launch was broadcast on a television screen in Seoul Station in March.Credit...Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA, via Shutterstock
Still, many in the country cannot shake the fear that they might one day be abandoned by the United States.
South Koreans questioned Washington’s commitment to the alliance when President Donald J. Trump demanded what they said were exorbitant sums for keeping American troops in the country. They watched in disbelief as the United States led a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year.
And as they witnessed Washington’s failure to prevent the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they wondered whether the United States would stop North Korea from invading the South, especially at the risk of leaving American cities and military bases in the Asia-Pacific more vulnerable to a nuclear attack.
“We don’t see global American leadership anymore. Instead, we rather find it feckless and helpless,” Lee Sang-min, a senior lawmaker affiliated with the governing Democratic Party, told a parliamentary hearing in February. “We even get skeptical whether we should rely entirely on the United States on issues that relate directly to our survival and prosperity.”
People in both Koreas view themselves as a small nation that has suffered numerous invasions and been occupied and divided by foreign forces. A once-common Korean saying advised: “Don’t trust the Americans and don’t be fooled by the Soviets, the Japanese will rise again and the Chinese will kill you — Koreans, be careful!”
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has called his nuclear arsenal a “treasured sword” that will safeguard his country once and for all from foreign invaders. “We must be strong,” Mr. Kim said after resuming intercontinental ballistic missile tests in March. Only “nuclear war deterrence” will protect North Korea from “all threats and blackmails by the imperialists.”
Not long ago, similar ideas were popular in South Korea. In the 1990s, a novel titled “The Rose of Sharon Blooms Again” became a runaway best seller, with a plotline promoting nuclear nationalism.
In the book, the C.I.A. is suspected of assassinating a Korean nuclear physicist to stop him from building nuclear weapons, but South and North Korea join forces to build them — and deter another Japanese invasion of Korea.
“Who can guarantee that the Americans will remain our protector forever?” the protagonist, a newspaper reporter chasing the C.I.A. plot, says in the novel’s most famous line.
President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk signing the trilateral statement on the nuclear disarmament of Ukraine, in Moscow on Jan. 12, 1994.
In real life, South Korea’s military dictator, Park Chung-hee, embarked on a covert nuclear weapons program in the 1970s, when the United States began reducing its military presence in the country. Washington forced Seoul to abandon the program, promising to keep the country under its so-called nuclear umbrella.
Russia-Ukraine War: Key Developments
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U.N. meeting. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine addressed the United Nations Security Council, detailing the horrors he saw in Bucha, the Kyiv suburb where Russian troops have been accused of killing civilians, and laying out a powerful indictment of the U.N.’s failure to prevent the invasion.
On the ground. As Russian forces have retreated around Kyiv, Ukrainian and Western officials said that Russia appeared to be positioning troops for an intensified assault in the eastern Donbas region, where the port city of Mariupol remains under a brutal siege.
In 1991, the United States withdrew all of its nuclear weapons from South Korea, once numbering as many as 950, as part of the global nuclear arms reduction program. But Washington could not stop North Korea from building its own nuclear arsenal.
That has left South Korea facing three nuclear states to the north and west: North Korea, Russia and China.
“South Koreans wonder who would protect them if the United States bowed out,” said Lee Byong-chul, an expert in nuclear proliferation at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.
Washington fears that if Seoul were to build nuclear weapons, it would trigger a regional arms race and eliminate any hope of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Secretary of the Army Christine Elizabeth Wormuth said last month that she “would be hesitant to contemplate” bringing nuclear weapons back to the peninsula.
Analysts like Mr. Cho, however, have argued it is time for Washington to boost South Korea’s confidence in extended deterrence. One possibility, they say, is to introduce a nuclear-sharing agreement with Seoul, similar to the one in which NATO aircraft would be allowed to carry American nuclear weapons in wartime.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III greets South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook at a December news conference in Seoul.Credit...Pool photo by Kim Hong-Ji
When considering such options, South Koreans have more than a belligerent North Korea in mind: In the Carnegie Endowment survey, 56 percent of the respondents said that China would be “the biggest threat” to South Korea in the next 10 years.
If China were to invade Taiwan — the self-governing, democratic island that Beijing claims as its own — would North Korea, Beijing’s ally, see that as an opportunity to invade the South? And if Washington were facing conflicts in both Taiwan and South Korea, how would it respond?
Uncomfortable questions such as these have led to “greater calls for South Korea to actually have its own nuclear deterrent,” said Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, during an online forum last month. “This is an issue that we’re really going to have to grapple with in the near future.”
2. South Korea's president-elect wants U.S. nuclear bombers, submarines to return
We can neither confirm nor deny the presence or location of US nuclear weapons.
South Korea's president-elect wants U.S. nuclear bombers, submarines to return
SEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) - Advisers to South Korea's president-elect sought redeployment of U.S. strategic assets, such as nuclear bombers and submarines, to the Korean peninsula during talks held on a visit to Washington, one of the advisers said on Wednesday.
The team of foreign policy and security aides to incoming president Yoon Suk-yeol met U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan as Yoon seeks a more constant security presence to deter threats from North Korea as it steps up weapons tests.
"Deploying the strategic assets is an important element of reinforcing the extended deterrence, and the issue naturally came up during the discussions," Park Jin, a four-term lawmaker who led the delegation, told reporters.
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He added that both sides explored ways to bolster U.S. extended nuclear deterrence at the talks on coordinating efforts against the North Korean threat held on a trip that also aimed to secure an early summit with President Joe Biden. read more
A White House official asked about such talks, and whether Washington supported the deployments to South Korea, responded that both sides had "discussed generally" the U.S. defence commitments, but did not elaborate.
Yoon, set to be sworn in on May 10, is mapping out his foreign policy agenda after winning the March 9 election, just as tension flares after neighbouring North Korea launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last month. read more
The deployment of U.S. bombers, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines is part of Yoon's election plank promising to "respond firmly" to the North's threats. read more
JOINT DRILLS
Yoon has also vowed to "normalise" joint military drills with the United States that were scaled back under outgoing liberal President Moon Jae-in, in a bid to placate Pyongyang and resume stalled talks to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons.
North Korea has long denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for war, and the allies have reduced field training and shunned use of major weapons such as bombers and air carriers, focusing instead on computer simulations.
But Park did not elaborate when asked about plans for regular spring exercises, which domestic media have said could include nuclear bombers for the first time in nearly five years. read more
"We agreed that what's most important is to maintain deterrence so that we can strongly respond to any possible North Korean provocations," he said, whether ICBM launches or psychological warfare in the form of verbal attacks.
The delegation invited Biden to visit Seoul when he travels to Asia to meet the Quad grouping of nations, which also includes Japan, Australia and India, Park added.
He also delivered a letter to Biden from Yoon highlighting his "solid willingness and vision" to advance ties not only on North Korea but also economic security and other issues, he said.
Park's name is being floated as a strong candidate to be foreign minister, along with that of Cho Tae-yong, a lawmaker of Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) who was also in the delegation.
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Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
3. Special Representative for the DPRK Kim’s Meeting with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative Liu
I heard it was a very long meeting.
Special Representative for the DPRK Kim’s Meeting with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative Liu - United States Department of State
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Special Representative for the DPRK Kim’s Meeting with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative Liu
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April 5, 2022
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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
On April 5 Special Representative for the DPRK Sung Kim met with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming in Washington, D.C., to discuss recent developments in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Special Representative Kim condemned the DPRK’s March 24 ICBM launch, the latest in a series of increasingly escalatory actions by the DPRK. He noted that each of the DPRK’s 13 ballistic missile launches this year constituted clear violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and posed a serious threat to regional stability, and reiterated the importance of responding firmly to these escalatory actions. Special Representative Kim reaffirmed that the United States is committed to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with the DPRK. Special Representative Kim and Special Representative Liu discussed opportunities to advance our shared goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and how to encourage the DPRK to engage in meaningful negotiations.
4. Defending South Korea: Coordination, Co-location, Simplicity, and Morale in National Security
I think it was the wrong decision to relocate the ROK/US CFC headquarters to Camp Humphreys. I do not think that bell can be unrung at this late date but perhaps Dr. O's recommendations will be considered. My experiences working in the ROK/US CFC were similar but in one case as a combined planner ROK and US officers' desks were located side by side. Our coordination was simple, smooth, and easy and morale was great.
Defending South Korea: Coordination, Co-location, Simplicity, and Morale in National Security
Tara O
[기고]
‘용산 대통령 집무실’ 옆에 꼭 있어야 하는 것
타라 오 미 허드슨연구소 동아시아연구센터 객원연구원
2022-04-04 오후 5:19:34
▲ 경기도 평택의 주한 미8군 사령부 photo 조선일보
Defending South Korea: Coordination, Co-location, Simplicity, and Morale in National Security
Tara O
Among activities in the conduct of military duties, “coordination” is an underappreciated endeavor. Coordinating well takes a lot more energy and effort than it appears. Coordination is crucial, whether it be for developing operational plans, sharing intelligence, or developing a budget. It is a critical ingredient in the military principle of Unity of Effort. As such, coordination is a key activity of all military headquarters, such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, (JCS) and the Ministry of National Defense (MND). A well-oiled machine runs well, and for military operations, coordination is that oil, and an engine without oil does not run well, if at all. Without coordination, some projects do not even start. In effect, robust coordination between CFC and the ROK JCS and ROK MND, and between ROK JCS and ROK MND are important to well-prepared deterrence on the Korean Peninsula.
Coordination requires communications. While some communications can be done by an open phone line, the majority simply cannot, due to the need to protect classified information. This requires special communications conduits. The need for face-to-face interaction cannot be replaced by electronic methods alone, and in some cases, it can take even more time and effort to coordinate over electronic methods than traveling to meet in person.
This means geography is important. Co-location in the same building provides for the highest level of coordination. At least building in the same compound is the next best answer. As the distance furthers, the amount of effort to coordinate and the amount of time required to effectively coordinate increase exponentially. As a U.S. Air Force officer working at the Combined Forces Command at Yongsan during two different assignments, I describe my personal experience.
When my counterpart’s office was right down the hallway from my office in the same building, same floor, I went to visit often, perhaps 3-5 times a day. Not only did this help deconflict schedules or make for smoother military exercise execution, but it also built friendship and trust— extremely valuable intangibles, which engender good morale. And good morale in the military is priceless.
During my second tour in Korea, when my counterpart was in another building next door, I did not visit as often. Having a different responsibility was probably a factor, but distance also mattered. Once I moved to another office, my counterparts were at the ROK JCS building—the new building at the MND complex. While I would have liked to have visited three to four times a week, I visited about once a week or two. I had to consider how taking lengthier time for visits would impact my other duties.
Simplicity, one of the principles of war, is in the works here. Proximity with my counterpart made coordination simple. Further distance reduced simplicity (increased complexity).
With the move of CFC from Yongsan Garrison near the ROK MND/JCS in Seoul to Garrison Humphreys at Pyongtaek, the physical distance became a lot wider, and with that came increased complexity in coordination. The plan to relocate the JCS to the outskirts of the city would add more complexity from not only increased distance from the MND, but also from spreading out different parts that need to constantly coordinate on matters related to defending South Korea.
Here are some recommendations: 1. Co-locate CFC, JCS, and MND near each other, instead of dispersing them in different places. 2. Rather than moving JCS to the outskirts of Seoul, build a new JCS building on Yongsan Post. 3. Re-locate ROK-U.S. CFC from Pyeongtaek to the Yongsan Post. This does not mean the return of all the units prior to the relocation to Pyeongtaek. There still should be plenty of space to build a presidential residence, park, and other facilities on Yongsan, although a study would be required. 4. Leave the Dragon Hill Lodge, which is for the morale and welfare of the troops.
Dr. Tara O is an Adjunct Fellow at Hudson Institute and the East Asia Research Center. As an officer in the U.S. Air Force, she served three tours in Korea, including two at the ROK-US CFC.
She holds a BA in International Relations from the University of California at Davis, an MPA in Public Policy and International Affairs from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Texas at Austin.*
군사 임무 활동에서 ‘공조(coordi-nation)’는 과소평가되어 있다. 그러나 공조는 보기보다 훨씬 더 많은 에너지와 노력을 요구한다. 작전 계획을 수립하거나, 정보를 공유하거나, 예산을 마련하기 위해서 공조란 매우 중요하다. 그렇기에 공조는 ‘노력의 집대성(Unity of Effort)’이란 군사원칙의 핵심요소인 것이다. 따라서 이러한 공조는 한·미연합사령부, 합참, 국방부 등 모든 군 사령부의 핵심 활동이다. 기름칠이 잘된 기계가 부드럽게 작동하듯이, 군사작전의 경우 공조는 그 윤활유라 할 수 있고, 그런 윤활유 없는 엔진은 결코 잘 작동할 수 없는 것이다. 협동 없이 일부 프로젝트는 시작조차 할 수 없다. 이같이 한·미연합사와 합참, 국방부의 강력한 공조는 잘 갖추어진 한반도 억지력에 매우 중요하다.
협동에는 커뮤니케이션이 필요하다. 일부 통신은 개방 전화선으로 할 수 있겠지만, 대부분의 경우엔 기밀 정보 보호 때문에 그렇게 할 수 없다. 이 경우에는 특수한 통신선이 필요하다. 대면 상호작용의 필요성은 전자적인 방법만으로는 대체될 수 없으며, 경우에 따라서는 직접적인 상호대면 커뮤니케이션을 위한 여정보다도 더 많은 에너지와 시간을 소요할 수 있다.
이것은 거리가 중요하다는 것을 의미한다. 같은 건물에 위치한다면 최고 수준의 공조가 가능하다. 그렇지 않다면, 적어도 가까운 거리에 위치하는 것이 차선책이 될 것이다. 거리가 멀어질수록 공조해야 할 노력과 효과적인 공조를 위한 시간이 기하급수적으로 증가할 것이다. 필자는 용산 한·미연합사령부에서 미 공군 장교로서 서로 다른 두 가지 임무를 수행하며 근무했었다. 이런 개인적인 경험담에서 하는 이야기다.
합참과 연합사를 가까이 둬야 하는 이유
당시 나의 카운터파트 사무실은 같은 건물, 같은 층에 위치했었기 때문에 나는 하루에 3~5번 정도 자주 방문하곤 했다. 이는 일정의 불일치를 해소하고 원활한 군사훈련 수행에 도움이 되었을 뿐만 아니라, 우정과 신뢰, 즉 매우 가치 있는 무형 자산을 구축하여 사기를 북돋는 데도 도움이 됐다. 군에서의 사기 진작은 매우 귀중하다.
두 번째 한국 근무 때는 내 카운터파트가 옆 건물에서 근무했었다. 따라서 자주 방문하지는 않았다. 임무가 달랐던 것이 주 요인이었겠지만 우리 둘 사이의 거리도 한몫했다. 내가 다른 사무실로 옮겼을 때, 내 카운터파트들은 국방부 단지 안에 있는 한국 합참 건물에 있었다. 일주일에 서너 번 방문하고 싶었으나, 실제로는 일주일이나 2주일에 한 번 정도만 방문했다. 방문 주기가 길어짐에 따라 임무에 어떤 영향을 줄지 나는 깊이 고민해야만 했다. 전쟁의 원칙 중 하나인 단순성은 여기서 작용한다. 카운터파트와의 가까운 거리는 서로의 공조를 간단하게 만든다. 반대로 상호간의 거리가 멀어지면 단순성을 감소시킨다(복잡성이 증가).
한·미연합사가 서울 용산기지에서 평택 험프리 기지로 이전하면서 물리적 거리가 훨씬 멀어졌고 이에 따라 공조 작업은 복잡해졌다. 합참을 시 외곽으로 이전하는 계획은 국방부와의 거리가 멀어지는 것을 의미한다. 뿐만 아니라 지속적으로 공조해야 할 남한 방어와 관련된 사안들을 포함해 여러 부분들도 분산시키게 될 것이다. 그래서 필자는 다음과 같은 것들을 권장하고 싶다.
1. 연합사, 합참, 국방부를 서로 다른 곳에 분산시키지 말고 가까운 곳에 배치한다.
2. 합참을 서울 외곽으로 옮기지 말고 용산기지 안에 합참 청사를 신설한다.
3. 한·미연합사를 평택에서 용산으로 재배치한다. 그렇다고 평택의 모든 부대를 용산으로 재이전하라는 것은 아니다. 검토해봐야겠지만 대통령 관저, 공원, 기타 시설들을 지을 수 있는 공간이 충분히 있을 것이다.
4. 병사들의 사기를 진작시키는 드래곤힐로지호텔은 남겨둔다.
[해당 기고의 원문은 아래에서 확인]
ⓒ weekly.chosun.com 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지
5. Yoon delegation discusses deployment of U.S. strategic assets to S. Korea with NSA Sullivan
Excerpts:
The South Korean lawmaker said the letter highlights the need to further upgrade the South Korea-U.S. alliance in order to tackle the North Korean nuclear issue while also enhancing the level of cooperation between the countries on a range of regional and global issues including climate change and supply chain resiliency.
"We also had consultations on ways to enhance the joint defense posture of South Korea and the U.S. and strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence," Park said of his meeting with Sullivan.
Park added their discussions also included the possible deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea.
"Deploying strategic assets is an important part of strengthening extended deterrence as I said just now. You may understand South Korea and the U.S. discussed the issue today in that sense," said Park.
Yoon delegation discusses deployment of U.S. strategic assets to S. Korea with NSA Sullivan | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, April 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean delegates representing President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol discussed the possible deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea in a meeting with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday, the chief delegate said.
Rep. Park Jin of Yoon's People Power Party also said the sides discussed a need to hold a bilateral summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Yoon at an early date.
"The two sides also exchanged views on the need to hold a U.S.-South Korea summit at an early date since their two leaders remain determined to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Park told reporters after meeting with Sullivan at the White House.
Park said the group, called the U.S.-South Korea policy consultation delegation, also delivered a personal letter for Biden from Yoon that was given to the White House national security advisor.
The South Korean lawmaker said the letter highlights the need to further upgrade the South Korea-U.S. alliance in order to tackle the North Korean nuclear issue while also enhancing the level of cooperation between the countries on a range of regional and global issues including climate change and supply chain resiliency.
"We also had consultations on ways to enhance the joint defense posture of South Korea and the U.S. and strengthen the U.S. extended deterrence," Park said of his meeting with Sullivan.
Park added their discussions also included the possible deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea.
"Deploying strategic assets is an important part of strengthening extended deterrence as I said just now. You may understand South Korea and the U.S. discussed the issue today in that sense," said Park.
Strategic assets generally refers to formidable military hardware such as nuclear-powered submarines, aircraft carriers and long-range bombers that are often used as a show of force to deter provocations or aggression by potential adversaries.
South Korea's defense ministry earlier said in a report to President-elect Yoon's transition team that it plans to hold discussions with the U.S. on the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea amid growing tensions with North Korea.
The U.S. currently maintains some 28,500 troops in South Korea under the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty with Seoul.
North Korea conducted 12 rounds of missile launches this year, including seven rounds in January alone that marked the largest number of missile tests it conducted in a single month.
Pyongyang also launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile since November 2017 on March 24.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
6. U.N. panel probing N.K. acquisition of vessel previously registered in S. Korea
Hmmmm... enquiring minds want to know. WHow did this happen and who is at fault?
U.N. panel probing N.K. acquisition of vessel previously registered in S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- A U.N. panel of experts is investigating North Korea's suspected acquisition last year of a vessel previously registered as a South Korean-flagged ship, its annual report showed Tuesday.
The panel for the U.N. Security Council sanctions committee on the North has been tracing the transfer of the Sierra Leone-flagged Ocean Sky by a Hong Kong-incorporated firm, Asia Ocean Shipping, to the North Korean entity, Ryongsung Trading Corp., between May 24 and May 30 last year, according to the report.
Adopted in November 2016 following the North's nuclear test months earlier, UNSC Resolution 2321 bans the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to the North of new vessels. The ban was extended to used vessels under Resolution 2397 the following year.
The vessel in question departed from South Korea's southeastern city of Busan on May 11 last year. Before that, it was sailing as a South Korean-flagged vessel under the name of the Daeho Sunrise, according to the report.
During its investigation, the panel found that the vessel had been under the ownership and management of its previous owner, Daeho Shipping Co., from Feb. 28, 2011, through May 17, 2021.
A mainland China and Hong Kong broker sought out a Seoul-based broker in March last year to purchase the vessel. The vessel was finally handed over to the unnamed buyer on May 4 that year, the report said.
The vessel was observed on satellite imagery at a Chinese shipyard on Oct. 1. It last transmitted signals for a satellite-based vessel identification system on Nov. 13 in waters outside the shipyard, the report said.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
7. Cabinet approves initial funds for presidential office relocation
Maybe it will happen.
(2nd LD) Cabinet approves initial funds for presidential office relocation | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS more info in last 4 paras)
By Joo Kyung-don
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- The Cabinet on Wednesday approved 36 billion won (US$29.5 million) in reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office.
The spending was approved in an extraordinary Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, a day after President Moon Jae-in ordered the swift approval of the relocation budget.
Kim said the approval was made in the context of cooperation for a "smooth government transition without a security vacuum" amid the heightening situation on the Korean Peninsula.
"In any case, there should never be even a small gap in defense posture," he said. "North Korea's recent military moves are ominous. We are also in a situation where we need to carry out military exercises with the United States successfully."
The higher tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalate, the more carefully the presidential office relocation should be pushed for, Kim said, noting that the project also involves relocating the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Yoon has been pushing to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, saying the relocation would help him connect better with the people.
Moon's office had initially expressed concern that a hurried relocation could leave a security vacuum, but Moon later said he would cooperate after carefully examining the project.
The initial budget is less than the amount that Yoon's side has sought for.
Yoon earlier estimated the relocation cost to be around 49.6 billion won, including 11.8 billion won for moving the defense ministry to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in the same compound, 25.2 billion won for remodeling the defense ministry building into the presidential office, 9.9 billion won for moving the office of the presidential security service and 2.5 billion won for remodeling the official residence of the Army chief of staff into the presidential residence.
The initial budget will first cover 11.6 billion won for establishing essential security facilities like the national crisis management center, 11.8 billion won for moving the defense ministry, 10.1 billion won for setting up general offices and 2.5 billion won for remodeling the official residence of the Army chief of staff.
The government said further spending needed for the relocation will be discussed later in consideration of upcoming South Korea-U.S. military exercises and the construction situation of security-related facilities.
The passage of the reserve funds will quicken the pace of the relocation work, but officials said it appears to be virtually impossible to complete the office relocation before Yoon's inauguration on May 10 as the Cabinet approval came nearly two weeks later than expected.
"We expect the relocation to be completed in June," an official close to Yoon's team told Yonhap News Agency on the phone. "If the approval of funds came on March 22 as planned, we would have been in the remodeling phase by now."
Yoon has vowed to never move into Cheong Wa Dae, calling it a "symbol of imperial power."
If the relocation is not completed by his inauguration, Yoon's side earlier said he will continue to work from the transition team's office.
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)
8. Japanese lawmakers hope to improve ties with South Korea when new leader takes office
We can hope.
Japanese lawmakers hope to improve ties with South Korea when new leader takes office
Statues of Peace have been erected in South Korea and other countries to honor the victims of sexual slavery, known euphemistically as comfort women, by the Japanese military during World War II. (Pixabay)
TOKYO – Japanese lawmakers say now is the time to improve ties with South Korea as a new South Korean president prepares to take office next month.
Members of the nonpartisan Japan-South Korea Parliamentarians’ Union pledged on Tuesday to work toward improving relations between Japan and South Korea when President-elect Yoon Seok-youl, of South Korea’s People Power Party, takes office May 10.
“Now is the chance to go back to the basics to build mutual understanding and improve Japan-Korea relations for the peace and stability of Asia,” said Fukushiro Nukaga, the group’s chairman and a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Yoon is seen as a leader who wants to improve relations between the two countries, according to a report Tuesday by Japanese broadcaster TBS.
The parliamentarians’ union promotes relations between Japan and South Korea. About 50 lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and other parties attended Tuesday’s meeting, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The group agreed to promote ties by meeting with South Korean lawmakers in Japan and Korea, and by assessing the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic, NHK reported.
Historical differences between Japan and South Korea, such as the World War II-era comfort women sexual slavery issue and an ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, have soured their relationship in recent years.
In January, the Japanese embassy in Seoul returned a holiday gift box from South Korea’s presidential Blue House because it contained an image of the disputed islands.
Yoon has voiced support for stronger U.S. ties and a tougher stance against neighboring North Korea.
9. New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister
We cannot prevent nuclear testing. Even if we buy off Kim and prevent near term tests he will ratchet up tension again to extract more concessions. And at some point the regime will test in order to advance the program.
(LEAD) New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with ministry's press release in paras 8-10)
By Yi Won-ju
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's outgoing point man on North Korea urged the country's incoming administration Wednesday to adopt a "forward-looking" approach toward North Korea, especially in order to prevent nuclear weapons testing amid heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Unification Minister Lee In-young made the remarks during his last regular press conference in his capacity as the liberal Moon Jae-in government's top official on Pyongyang.
Earlier this week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement warning that her country could use nuclear forces against South Korea to "take initiative at the outset of war."
"The North has broken its moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and there are many signs regarding nuclear tests as well. We must put an end to this right here," Lee said.
A silver lining is that the North has not crossed the "red line" yet in terms of the moratorium on nuclear testing, which is regarded as a far more serious strategic provocation than the test-firing of a long-range missile on a lofted angle. Even China and Russia did not conceal their uneasiness or anger over the North's previous underground nuclear experiments.
Concerns have grown about the future of already soured inter-Korean ties, with Moon, who has endeavored to advance the Korea peace process, set to be succeeded by Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party in May.
The minister said the Yoon administration needs to seek a "very forward-looking and active policy for peace" to stop the North from testing its nuclear weapons and create momentum for the resumption of dialogue. He raised the need for Yoon to take a "contrarian" approach amid the widespread view that conservative South Korean administrations tend to be more hawkish toward Pyongyang than liberal ones.
Meanwhile, Lee's ministry said it has reached out to the North to confirm the fate of the South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort, after detecting signs of the North dismantling some facilities.
"Last week, we asked the North via the inter-Korean joint liaison office to provide a full explanation on the dismantlement of facilities on Mount Kumgang, as it requires an agreement between the Koreas," the ministry said in a press release. "As of now, the North has not made any official announcement."
A senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity that there has been "progress in the North's dismantlement work compared to before," referring to a floating hotel in the resort known as Haegumgang.
Pyongyang earlier announced that it would remove the facilities at Mount Kumgang, once regarded as a key symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation, since leader Kim called for tearing down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities in 2019.
Tensions have escalated recently on the Korean Peninsula after the North fired its first ICBM since November 2017, formally ending its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing, last month.
Observers here voice worries that the North could engage in additional provocative acts, like a nuclear test, on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of its founding leader Kim Il-sung on April 15 and the founding anniversary of the North Korean People's Revolutionary Army on April 25.
They say Pyongyang may try to use additional provocations to put more pressure on the new South Korean government to be launched on May 10 and the Joe Biden administration ahead of the mid-term elections in November.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
10. New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister
We cannot prevent nuclear testing. Even if we buy off Kim and prevent near term tests he will ratchet up tension again to extract more concessions. And at some point the regime will test in order to advance the program.
I think we have an opportunity with the incoming Yoon administration to craft policies and strategies that are better aligned between the US and the ROK based on shared assumptions about the nature, objectives, and strategy for the Kim family regime.
(LEAD) New S. Korean gov't needs 'forward-looking' policy on N. Korea to prevent nuke testing: minister | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with ministry's press release in paras 8-10)
By Yi Won-ju
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's outgoing point man on North Korea urged the country's incoming administration Wednesday to adopt a "forward-looking" approach toward North Korea, especially in order to prevent nuclear weapons testing amid heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Unification Minister Lee In-young made the remarks during his last regular press conference in his capacity as the liberal Moon Jae-in government's top official on Pyongyang.
Earlier this week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement warning that her country could use nuclear forces against South Korea to "take initiative at the outset of war."
"The North has broken its moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and there are many signs regarding nuclear tests as well. We must put an end to this right here," Lee said.
A silver lining is that the North has not crossed the "red line" yet in terms of the moratorium on nuclear testing, which is regarded as a far more serious strategic provocation than the test-firing of a long-range missile on a lofted angle. Even China and Russia did not conceal their uneasiness or anger over the North's previous underground nuclear experiments.
Concerns have grown about the future of already soured inter-Korean ties, with Moon, who has endeavored to advance the Korea peace process, set to be succeeded by Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party in May.
The minister said the Yoon administration needs to seek a "very forward-looking and active policy for peace" to stop the North from testing its nuclear weapons and create momentum for the resumption of dialogue. He raised the need for Yoon to take a "contrarian" approach amid the widespread view that conservative South Korean administrations tend to be more hawkish toward Pyongyang than liberal ones.
Meanwhile, Lee's ministry said it has reached out to the North to confirm the fate of the South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort, after detecting signs of the North dismantling some facilities.
"Last week, we asked the North via the inter-Korean joint liaison office to provide a full explanation on the dismantlement of facilities on Mount Kumgang, as it requires an agreement between the Koreas," the ministry said in a press release. "As of now, the North has not made any official announcement."
A senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity that there has been "progress in the North's dismantlement work compared to before," referring to a floating hotel in the resort known as Haegumgang.
Pyongyang earlier announced that it would remove the facilities at Mount Kumgang, once regarded as a key symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation, since leader Kim called for tearing down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities in 2019.
Tensions have escalated recently on the Korean Peninsula after the North fired its first ICBM since November 2017, formally ending its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing, last month.
Observers here voice worries that the North could engage in additional provocative acts, like a nuclear test, on the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of its founding leader Kim Il-sung on April 15 and the founding anniversary of the North Korean People's Revolutionary Army on April 25.
They say Pyongyang may try to use additional provocations to put more pressure on the new South Korean government to be launched on May 10 and the Joe Biden administration ahead of the mid-term elections in November.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)
11. N. Korea poses 'real' threats to U.S. and allies: Gen. Milley
There are many more threats than the nuclear and missile programs, There is proliferation, sanctions evasions, global illicit activities (and General Nakasone mentioned cyber). There is also the possibility of instability and regime collapse which a very real possibility and could lead to conflict. And then there is the scale of human suffering in the north due to the regime's human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
And we must never forget the root of all problems/threats in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
(LEAD) N. Korea poses 'real' threats to U.S. and allies: Gen. Milley | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, more information in last 5 paras)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, April 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a real danger to the U.S. homeland, as well as U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday.
Milley also said the North shows no signs of giving up its efforts to further advance its military capabilities.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) continued weapons testing and development poses real threats to our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific as well as the homeland," the Army general said in a written testimony submitted to the House Committee on Armed Services before a budget hearing on the day.
"The DPRK continues to enhance its ballistic missile capability and possesses the technical capacity to present a real danger to the US homeland as well as our allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name.
North Korea staged 12 rounds of missile tests this year, including seven in January alone that marked the largest number of missile launches it has conducted in a single month.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed the North presents "persistent threats" to the U.S.
"We face persistent threats from North Korea, with its nuclear arsenal and developing missile capability," he said in his own written testimony to the House armed services committee.
Officials in Seoul and Washington have said the North appears to be repairing underground tunnels at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site that was purportedly dismantled in 2018 as proof of its willingness to denuclearize.
Pyongyang in January said it may restart "all temporarily-suspended activities," apparently referring to its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing.
The country fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on March 24, marking its first ICBM test since November 2017.
"(North Koreans) show no signs of relenting in their myopic focus on military capability at the expense of their citizens and peace of the Korean Peninsula as well as the entire region," Milley said.
The U.S. Department of Defense earlier submitted a request for a 4.1 percent increase in defense spending for fiscal year 2023, partly citing threats posed by North Korea.
"This budget gives us the resources we need to deliver on that promise. Our budget reflects our National Defense Strategy and the focus of that strategy on the pacing challenge of China," the defense secretary said earlier, adding, "It preserves our readiness and deterrent posture against the threats we face today: the acute threat of an aggressive Russia and the constantly emerging threats posed by North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations."
The Joe Biden administration is seeking $813.3 billion in overall defense spending for fiscal year 2023, including a $733 billion budget for the defense department.
Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said the North also poses cyber threats to the U.S. with an increased willingness to act on those threats.
"Iran and North Korea are cyber adversaries growing in sophistication and willingness to act," Gen. Paul Nakasone said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
"North Korea uses its cyber actors to generate revenue through criminal enterprises, such as hacking-for-hire and theft of cryptocurrency," he added.
A U.N. panel of experts earlier said the North may have stolen as much as $400 million in cryptocurrency in 2021 alone, citing a report from a cybersecurity firm.
Nakasone said the U.S. currently maintains the ability to counter such threats, noting his command works with the Departments of State and Treasury to "stem Pyongyang's campaigns."
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
12. Transition team chief seeks China's cooperation for stability on Korean Peninsula
Yes, we must continue to seek Chinese cooperation yet we must never forget that China will not solve ROK and US security problems on the Korean peninsula. We can only hope to gain some cooperation where our very few interests sufficiently align.
(2nd LD) Transition team chief seeks China's cooperation for stability on Korean Peninsula | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS details from Chinese embassy's press release in last two paras)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- Transition team Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo on Wednesday called for China's cooperation for stability on the Korean Peninsula, as he met with Beijing's top envoy to Seoul.
Ahn and Ambassador Xing Haiming met at the transition team's office and discussed bilateral relations at a time of heightened tension surrounding North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
"One of my concerns is that North Korea (recently) test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile and signs are emerging that tensions will rise," Ahn said.
"I ask for a lot of cooperation from you on these issues based on a common understanding that bringing stability to the Korean Peninsula will be of great help to the national interests of both South Korea and China," he said.
On Xing's response, Shin Yong-hyeon, the transition committee's spokesperson, said the ambassador conveyed North Korea's displeasure with the United States.
"All I can say is that (Xing said North Korea) was unable to achieve what it wanted with regard to the U.S.," she told reporters of the part of the meeting that was held behind closed doors.
"(Xing) repeatedly explained China's principle of denuclearization and keeping peace on the Korean Peninsula at all costs, and resolving the issue through dialogue," she added.
When asked whether the two discussed the issue of THAAD, a U.S. antimissile system deployed to South Korea despite China's opposition, Shin said there was no mention of the related policy.
But the ambassador expressed his concern about the emergence of anti-China and anti-South Korea sentiment in the respective countries following the THAAD controversy and stated such issues should be "managed well," she said.
The ambassador expressed his personal delight at meeting Ahn, saying he had heard many good things about the chairman.
He expressed agreement with Ahn on the importance of developing a future-oriented and stable bilateral relationship, saying he will also work toward that goal.
"As this year is the 30th anniversary (of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China), I will work to make (the relationship) even better so as to allow it to expand in the future," Xing said.
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul later issued a press release on the meeting, quoting Xing as having said "there was a reason" for the current rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and "that (reason) should be fundamentally resolved."
The embassy also said China was working toward securing "peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," achieving the denuclearization of the peninsula, and resolving pending problems "through dialogue and negotiation."
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
13. Kim Yo Jong’s second statement criticizing S. Korea may have been toned down due to internal criticism
Hmmm... interesting speculation.
If you recall my previous comments about Moon's speech in Pyongyang in September 2018 it was a major miscalculation by Kim that undermined the 7 decades of propaganda (they saw an articulate, compassionate, smart, and logical leader with whom they believed Kim could work and make a deal). . Since then the regime has used hard rhetoric against the South to try to repair the damage. Perhaps they could not put the genie back in the bottle and "some people '' in the north are tired of the confrontation. This may bode well for our (hopefully) forthcoming strategic influence through information advantage campaign.
Kim Yo Jong’s second statement criticizing S. Korea may have been toned down due to internal criticism
One expert told Daily NK that North Koreans may feel fatigued by the authorities’ attempts to generate an atmosphere of confrontation with South Korea
Kim Yo Jong meeting with South Korean government officials in June 2019. / Image: Ministry of Unification
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, yet again criticized South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook’s comments about “preemptive strikes” just two days after issuing an earlier statement blasting the comments.
However, Kim toned down her rhetoric compared to her previous criticism, a move seemingly aimed at soothing an upset North Korean public.
According to what Daily NK has learned from a source in North Korea on Tuesday, many North Koreans reacted poorly to Kim’s previous statement issued on Sunday.
Discussing on Sunday the South Korean defense ministry’s comments about “preemptive strikes” on the North, Kim said, “As long as the South Korean military revealed its intent to seek provocative incentive of serious level and escalate a showdown with the DPRK, I will give a serious warning upon authorization.”
She went on, threatening, “South Korea should discipline itself if it wants to stave off disaster,” employing coarse language such as “maniac” and “scum-like guy.”
North Korea printed the press statement in the Rodong Sinmun, so it could be read by regular North Koreans. This was an extraordinary move, and suggests the authorities were trying to promote regime cohesion by heightening the atmosphere of inter-Korean confrontation.
However, many people responded with complaints such as, “It would be better if a war broke out and everything got plowed over,” “Die in a war, die of starvation, it’s all the same” and, “If a war breaks out, the first person I want to shoot is our party [committee] secretary.”
With the economy continuing to deteriorate due to border closure in the wake of COVID-19 and protracted international sanctions, and now political tensions rising on the Korean Peninsula, the North Korean public is apparently aiming its discontent at the authorities themselves.
Faced with the negative reaction to its first statement, North Korea used more restrained, cooler language in its second statement criticizing the South, said the source.
“We will not fire even a single bullet or shell toward south Korea,” said Kim in her second press statement on Tuesday. “This opinion comes not from an obvious contrast with a nuclear weapons state in the light of military capabilities but from the fact that the north and the south of Korea are of the same nation who should not fight against each other.”
In a telephone conversation with Daily NK, Dong-A University professor Kang Dong-won said North Koreans have been dealing with significant economic troubles due to the protracted border closure. In this situation, North Koreans may feel fatigued by the authorities’ attempts to generate confrontation, he added.
He said North Korea may have tried to promote unity by blaming the outside world for its internal problems, but local discontent — already focused on the government — has apparently risen to a considerable level.
Meanwhile, some observers believe the unprompted issuing of a second press statement regarding the same matter could be an attempt to build justification for a coming provocation.
That is to say, even though Kim said North Korea “opposes war” several times in her latest statement, that “anti-war” position could simply be a means to shift responsibility for a later military provocation onto the outside world.
Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Seoul’s Ewha University, said North Korea says its weapons development programs are “self-defensive,” and that its primary enemy is not South Korea or the United States, but “war itself.” He said North Korea could use this position as rationale to justify provocations.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
Seulkee Jang is one of Daily NK’s full-time journalists. Please direct any questions about her articles to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
