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Quotes of the Day:
"All too often, when we see injustices, both great and small, we think, That's terrible, but we do nothing. We say nothing. We let other people fight their own battles. We remain silent because silence is easier. Qui tacet consentire videtur is Latin for 'Silence gives consent.' When we say nothing, when we do nothing, we are consenting to these trespasses against us."
– Roxane Gay
"Armies were like plants, immobile, firm-rooted, nourished through long stems to the head. We might be a vapour, blowing where we listed...I knew the Turkish Army exactly, and even allowing for their recent extension of faculty by aeroplanes and guns and armoured trains (which made the earth a smaller battlefield) still it seemed they would have need of a fortified post every four square miles."
– T.E. Lawrence
An AI generated quote from de Tocqueville about American freedom: "When a nation has reached this point, it must either change its laws and mores or perish, for the well of public virtue has run dry: in such a place one no longer finds citizens but only subjects." De Tocqueville cautions that when a nation becomes indifferent to self-governance and merely obeys authority, it has lost its virtue and risks descending into servitude.
1. Ex-Trump official’s blunt statements on alliance rattle South Korea
2. [INTERVIEW] International community should keep condemning North Korea's provocations
3. US official raises alarm over forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China
4. Pentagon refuses to comment on whether Korea should offer lethal arms support to Ukraine
5. Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan underline 'resolve' against N. Korea's threats, ties with Russia
6. Top S. Korean, Canadian military officials discuss cooperation in Indo-Pacific
7. New Axis and liberal international order
8. FM Cho to visit China next week for talks with Wang Yi
9. [News Analysis] Yoon's first 2 years marked by intense confrontations, lack of leadership
10. Don’t ignore the proposal from down under
11. ＜Inside N. Korea＞April rations at the largest iron mine was just 3 kilograms of corn per worker…Anxiety-ridden workers voluntarily mobilize to farming work
12. US discusses North Korea with China, raises repatriation concerns
13. N. Korean lectures emphasize necessity of nuclear weapons for happiness of future generations
14. N. Korea's new campus for elite party school is nearing completion
15. Editorial: Semiconductor factories leaving Korea for the US to weaken Korea’s backbone industry
1. Ex-Trump official’s blunt statements on alliance rattle South Korea
Here are a few of my tweets in response to some of Colby's tomfoolery.
He called Korea a secondary fight.
"Secondary fight?" So does that mean the defense of Taiwan is more important than the defense of Korea? Asking for a friend. It is in our national interest to support both democracies - one blood ally and one important friend. Arguing for one over the other sacrifices both.
So does that mean the threat to Taiwan is a primary threat to the US? If we can let the ROK fend for itself why can’t we let Taiwan fend for itself? What makes it more important than the ROK?
He said that the ROK has to accept more responsibility for its own defense. This kind of talk really chaps my a** as they say. It is an admission that someone does not know much about the ROK/US alliance and especially about the ROK military and how it is fully responsible for the defense of its nation. The US stations troops on the Korean peninsula and contributes to deterrence and defense because it is in US interests to do so. But it is an insult to our blood ally when people say the ROK has to depend on the US for its defense.
Just so everyone is clear the ROK commitment to its defense is much greater than the US contribution. The US presence is important for deterrence but it will be ROK soldiers that will do the vast majority of fighting and dying (and causing the nKPA to die) for their country.
Ex-Trump official’s blunt statements on alliance rattle South Korea
Focus on China could come at Seoul's expense, Colby says in interview
washingtontimes.com · by Andrew Salmon
By - The Washington Times - Thursday, May 9, 2024
SEOUL, South Korea — A senior Trump administration official’s frank remarks about strategic U.S. priorities in Asia have sent ripples of fear across South Korea.
Elbridge Colby, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy and force development, said in interviews with leading news outlets that Washington should not “break its spear” fighting for South Korea against the threat from North Korea while China poses the main challenge to U.S. interests in the region.
Mr. Colby, a China hawk, made clear he was speaking for himself, but he is considered an influential foreign policy voice and could be in line to become national security adviser in a second Trump administration.
“Unbelievable,” said Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean general. “If the U.S. is really thinking this, it’s ‘Thanks very much, United States, for helping us for the last seven decades.’”
Some say Mr. Colby’s remarks foreshadowed potential new monetary demands for stationing U.S. troops in South Korea, a favorite talking point of President Trump.
Asked at a press conference Thursday whether a reelected Mr. Trump might demand more money from Seoul for the stationing of 28,500 U.S. troops on the peninsula, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol instead talked up the strength of the bilateral alliance.
“What’s clear is that there is strong support for the South Korea-U.S. alliance from across the public and private sectors in the U.S., both parties, the Senate, the House, and the executive branch, and I am certain the firm alliance between South Korea and the U.S. will not change,” he said. “If we tackle issues based on that, I believe we will be able to smoothly resolve various negotiations and problems.”
A person who briefs senior U.S. officers in South Korea said privately that Mr. Colby’s statements appeared to reflect a continuing priority of a Trump foreign policy: pressuring South Korea, Japan and possibly NATO to pay more for the security U.S. troops provide around the globe.
According to the World Bank, the U.S. spends 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defense. Japan, home to 50,000 U.S. service members, spends 1.1% of its GDP, and South Korea spends 2.7%. Among NATO countries, Canada spends 1.2% of GDP on defense, Germany 1.4%, the Netherlands 1.6%, Italy 1.7%, France 1.9%, Britain 2.2% and Poland 2.4%.
Mr. Colby gave an unusually blunt voice to matters usually discussed behind closed doors and off the record.
U.S. troops in South Korea, he said, “should not be held hostage to dealing with the North Korean problem because that is not the primary issue for the U.S.,” he said in an interview Tuesday with the Yonhap News Agency. “The U.S. should be focused on China and the defense of South Korea from China over time.”
Most U.S. troops in South Korea are posted well away from the tense border with North Korea. They are deployed in a series of bases on the Yellow Sea Coast facing China.
Yet with China the No. 2 market for South Korean exports after the U.S. and a key location for South Korean corporate investment, Seoul officials usually refuse to discuss the possibility of war with China. Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, told a press conference that his primary mission remains to deter the nuclear-armed regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
In the event of war, U.S. forces are expected to massively reinforce South Korea and counterattack. Mr. Colby, however, said the U.S. should not deploy its main force against what he characterized as a secondary threat.
“If you are assuming that the United States is going to break its spear, if you will, fighting North Korea, that is an imprudent assumption for us to make or for you to make,” he told Yonhap. “South Korea is going to have to take primary, essentially overwhelming responsibility for its own self-defense against North Korea because we don’t have a military that can fight North Korea and then be ready to fight China.”
Stating that a U.S. president might be unwilling to take the ultimate risk in the face of a nuclear threat from North Korea, Mr. Colby’s frankness impressed some listeners.
“I was rather convinced by [Mr. Colby’s] honest comment that Uncle Sam cannot promise to defend Korea’s security at the cost of sacrificing an American city to North Korea’s nuclear attack,” the Washington correspondent of the JoongAng Daily, a leading newspaper, said after an April interview.
Mr. Chun suggested that a Trump win in November could fuel a move widely debated in South Korea over the past two years.
“If the U.S. is really thinking this, I am assuming it recognizes that [South Korea] needs its own nuclear deterrent,” he said.
Proponents say that strategy would slash Seoul’s dependence on Washington and stabilize the Korean Peninsula under the “mutually assured destruction” principle. Opponents fret it would ignite a chain reaction and end the global campaign to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Colby’s remarks faced immediate pushback online.
“South Korean media is talking about Elbridge Colby’s comments on reshaping the alliance and maybe the withdrawal of [U.S. troops],” Harry Kazianis, senior director of national security affairs
at the Center for the National Interest, wrote on X. “What we often forget is that … Congress mandated hearings and oversight if this were to happen.”
Others questioned Mr. Colby’s motives, noting the jockeying for influence of those around Mr. Trump should he win in November.
“There is a major trend in D.C. right now among Republicans starting to confess their undying loyalty to the coming regime,” said David Park, a Washington-based businessman and retired U.S. Army major. “This guy and many others are parroting or buttressing what we thought was the Trump policy four years ago so that they can get a seat in February 2025 in his administration.”
Mr. Park, who is Korean American, said Mr. Colby’s statements make strategic sense if a Trump administration downgrades other issues — including the North Korean threat and Russia’s war in Ukraine — to turn all its guns against Beijing.
“His interpretation makes sense if Trump does indeed stop supporting Ukraine to make room for a major stance against China,” he said. “Korea would be a distraction.”
• Andrew Salmon can be reached at asalmon@washingtontimes.com.
Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
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2. [INTERVIEW] International community should keep condemning North Korea's provocations
As I wrote previously, Kim Gunn is a good man. I hope he does well as an Assemblyman.
[INTERVIEW] International community should keep condemning North Korea's provocations
The Korea Times · May 10, 2024
Kim Gunn, a first-term lawmaker-elect of the ruling People Power Party, poses during an interview with The Korea Times at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Diplomat-turned-lawmaker lauds Yoon's decision to improve ties with Japan
Editor’s note
This article is the second in a series by The Korea Times featuring interviews with lawmakers-elect who are well-versed in diplomacy and national security. — ED.
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Gunn, a first-term lawmaker-elect from the ruling People Power Party's satellite People Future Party, emphasized the importance of the international community working together to unanimously condemn North Korea’s military provocations.
Kim, a seasoned diplomat who served as the special representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration before earning a proportional representative seat in the 22nd National Assembly, said Pyongyang’s goal is to “routinize” its missile tests in an attempt to move on to bigger provocations.
“North Korea believes its continued violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolutions will trigger indifference in South Korea and the international community. However, we should work tirelessly with our allies and like-minded countries to send a strong message to North Korea that its provocative acts cannot be tolerated,” he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
“Also, we should impose sanctions on North Korea’s illegal cyber activities, particularly those intended to finance its weapons and missile development.”
The lawmaker-elect expressed his intention to advance bills related to developing a sanctions clause and supporting the enhancement of subnational diplomacy in the Assembly, where he is expected to serve on the foreign affairs committee.
“Compared with other countries that have an applicable law when imposing sanctions, South Korea implements sanctions based on the guidelines held by relevant ministries,” he said. “While working as a career diplomat, I realized the importance of subnational diplomacy. I wish there is a framework, in which a central government can support diplomatic activities by local governments.”
Kim helped shape Yoon’s “audacious initiative” that laid out the foundation of the current administration’s approach to North Korea. Regarding criticism that it's a failed strategy, given Pyongyang's apparent escalation of bellicose rhetoric and activities, Kim expressed disappointment that North Korea refused to even come to the negotiating table.
“Critics misunderstand the characteristics of the audacious initiative. It is premised on the idea of a comprehensive, step-by-step denuclearization of North Korea and the normalization of inter-Korean relations in exchange for corresponding political and military measures such as providing diplomatic assistance for normalizing U.S.-North Korea bilateral relations in addition to economic assistance and infrastructure investment,” he explained.
“We should continue to move forward with the 3D principle, consisting of taking a holistic approach that ‘deters’ North Korea’s nuclear threats, ‘dissuades’ Pyongyang’s nuclear development, and pursues ‘dialogue.’”
Kim Gunn, a first-term lawmaker-elect of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The diplomat-turned-lawmaker believes that the complete denuclearization of North Korea is still attainable.
“The complete denuclearization of North Korea is a goal that cannot and should not be given up. For the past 30 years, under both conservative and progressive administrations, South Korea has pursued a common goal of peacefully achieving the denuclearization of North Korea. It takes time, but if we consistently push for it with principles, we will eventually be able to reach denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
Kim asserted that North Korea’s recent "two states" narrative suggests that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un perceives his regime as threatened by South Korean influences such as K-pop and K-dramas.
“It’s absurd to suddenly claim that the North doesn't share the same ethnic background with the South and won’t seek unification. It suggests that Kim is being pushed into the corner to the point that he is making irrational decisions,” he said.
As a member of the Assembly, Kim said he would continue efforts to enhance South Korea’s diplomatic presence. That includes reaffirming its commitment to a strong alliance with the United States and Japan.
Asked about Seoul’s chilled relations with Beijing and Moscow, Kim said South Korea faces a critical choice that needs to be made.
“Strategic ambiguity is the worst form of diplomacy for South Korea to follow. As a buffer state, we need to pursue our national interests and principles that are fundamental to our survival. Since South Korea is a liberal democratic country, we must strengthen solidarity with like-minded countries that share the same values,” he said, referring to the Yoon administration's diplomatic strategy based on the “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative.
However, he remained optimistic about improving ties with China and Russia.
“As neighboring countries, there are areas where we can seek mutual benefits. In other words, we could create mutually beneficial partnerships.”
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their talks in San Francisco, Nov. 16, 2023. Yonhap
Kim identified improving ties with Japan as a significant diplomatic milestone for the Yoon administration.
“Without the normalization of South Korea-Japan bilateral ties, there can be no trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. President Yoon made a bold decision on Japan policy and the general public embraced the idea, paving the way for future-oriented relations,” he said.
Kim said he doesn’t think the result of the U.S. presidential election would pose a challenge to Seoul, adding that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will remain “resilient.”
“Looking back at history, we have had challenging moments but we overcame them. We may have to make adjustments to our foreign policy based on continue t remainthe upcoming U.S. presidential election, but I'm confident that our alliance with the U.S. will continue remain strong in the future,” he said.
The Korea Times · May 10, 2024
3. US official raises alarm over forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China
China is complicit in north Korean human rights abuses.
US official raises alarm over forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China
Jung Pak urged China to prevent the return of people to a country where they might face harm
Associated Press
Published May 9, 2024 2:18pm EDT
foxnews.com · by Associated Press
Video
Jack Keane warns Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are all 'collaborating'
Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.) discusses China's support for Russia.
- Jung Pak, the senior U.S. official for North Korea, has voiced concerns about China's repatriation of North Koreans in Tokyo.
- The talks followed a recent visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
- Pak urged China to uphold its obligations, preventing the return of people to a country where they might face harm.
The senior U.S. official for North Korea discussed the country with her Chinese counterpart in Tokyo on Thursday, and expressed concerns about the forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China, the U.S. State Department said.
The discussions between Jung Pak and China's Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming followed a visit to Beijing last month by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the department said in a statement
Pak noted North Korea's "provocative and irresponsible rhetoric toward its neighbors," and stressed concern about its deepening military cooperation with Russia. She said Russia’s veto of a mandate extension for a U.N. panel that monitored North Korea sanctions would hamper efforts to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions, the statement said.
NORTH KOREA ISSUES NUCLEAR 'WARNING SIGNAL' TO US, SOUTH KOREA
"She also expressed continued U.S. concerns regarding the forcible repatriation of North Koreans, including asylum seekers, to the DPRK and called on Beijing to uphold its non-refoulement obligations," the statement, said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name.
The senior U.S. official for North Korea discussed the country with her Chinese counterpart in Tokyo on Thursday, and expressed concerns about the forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China, the U.S. State Department said. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
The U.N. principle of non-refoulement is supposed to guarantee that "no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm."
A South Korea-based human rights group reported in December that up to 600 North Koreans had "vanished" after being forcibly deported by China and warned they may face imprisonment, torture, sexual violence and execution in North Korea.
That report by the Transitional Justice Working Group came about two months after South Korea lodged a protest with China over the suspected repatriation of a large number of North Koreans who were trying to flee to South Korea.
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Beijing's foreign ministry said in October there were no North Korean "defectors" in China but North Koreans had illegally entered for economic reasons and that China always handled the issue according to the law.
Pak last spoke to Liu in February following a previous Feb. 16 meeting between Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in which the U.S. side said the two "affirmed the importance of continued communication on (North Korea) issues at all levels."
Sino-U.S. relations have shown signs of improvement in recent months with steps to re-establish communication channels after ties sank to their lowest levels in decades, but many points of friction remain, including China's close relations with Russia.
In Tokyo, Pak also discussed North Korea with South Korean and Japanese counterparts and underscored the importance of maintaining close trilateral cooperation in addressing the threat it posed, a separate U.S. statement said.
foxnews.com · by Associated Press
4. Pentagon refuses to comment on whether Korea should offer lethal arms support to Ukraine
That is the right answer. We should not demand or pressure the ROK to do so. It must make its own decision based on its own interests. It should not do it simply because north Korea is providing missiles to Putin.
That said, I believe it is in the ROK interests to support another democracy as a responsible member of the international community and a global pivotal state. It is the right thing to do.
Excerpts:
"I will let the Republic of Korea (ROK) speak for itself when it comes to what they feel comfortable with providing to support Ukraine," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told a press briefing, referring to South Korea by its official name.
"The ROK is an incredible ally, and they certainly have provided non-lethal assistance to Ukraine and support the broader effort to deter and prevent Russian aggression in Ukraine," he added.
(LEAD) Pentagon refuses to comment on whether Korea should offer lethal arms support to Ukraine | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 10, 2024
(ATTN: RECASTS headline for clarity; ADDS more info in 5th para)
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Yonhap) -- A Pentagon spokesperson refused Thursday to comment on whether the United States wants Seoul to provide lethal arms support to Ukraine, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his administration's policy against any provision of offensive weapons to the war-torn country.
Seoul has maintained a stance to offer humanitarian and non-lethal defense assistance to Ukraine, such as protective suits, demining equipment and other military supplies, though pressure has continued for arms support to the country.
"I will let the Republic of Korea (ROK) speak for itself when it comes to what they feel comfortable with providing to support Ukraine," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told a press briefing, referring to South Korea by its official name.
"The ROK is an incredible ally, and they certainly have provided non-lethal assistance to Ukraine and support the broader effort to deter and prevent Russian aggression in Ukraine," he added.
He was responding to a question over whether Washington wants Seoul to provide 155-mm artillery rounds and other offensive weapons to Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 23, 2024 in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)
Ryder said that Washington is thankful to any country that backs Ukraine.
"We are just grateful for any nation that can contribute in some way to help send a clear signal to authoritarian regimes that invading your democratic, peaceful neighbor is not acceptable behavior," he said.
During a press conference on Thursday (Korea time), Yoon said South Korea is doing its best to provide humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Ukraine but stands by its policy of not providing offensive, lethal weapons to any nation in conflict.
Ryder also responded to a question about Russia's reported plan to conduct drills on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, and the possibility of related military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
"I've seen that reported in the press and I would just say again that it's irresponsible, reckless saber-rattling," he said. "That is dangerous given the current climate ... international security environment."
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 10, 2024
5. Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan underline 'resolve' against N. Korea's threats, ties with Russia
Keep up the pressure. Keep up the fire.
Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan underline 'resolve' against N. Korea's threats, ties with Russia | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 9, 2024
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Yonhap) -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan emphasized their "resolve" against North Korea's "grave" security threats and its growing military cooperation with Russia during a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday, the State Department said.
Lee Jun-il, director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, held the talks with U.S. Senior Official for North Korea Jung Pak and Hiroyuki Namazu, director general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs at Tokyo's foreign ministry.
Their talks came amid persistent tensions caused by Pyongyang's continued push for its nuclear and missile programs and its tough rhetoric against Seoul and Washington.
"The three sides underscored their continued resolve in the face of the grave security threats posed by the DPRK's provocations, unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, and deepening military cooperation with Russia," the department said in a release.
DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
They underscored the importance of maintaining close trilateral cooperation in addressing North Korean threats, promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and restarting dialogue and diplomacy with the reclusive regime, according to the department.
They also stressed the value of cooperation in addressing human rights and humanitarian challenges created by North Korea, including protections for North Korean asylum seekers and the need for the immediate resolution of the issues of abductions, detainees and unrepatriated prisoners of war, it said.
Separately, Pak met with Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs in Tokyo.
She reiterated concerns over the forcible repatriation of North Koreans, including asylum seekers, to North Korea, and called on Beijing to uphold its non-refoulement obligations.
This file photo, provided by Seoul's foreign ministry, shows Lee Jun-il (L), director general for North Korean nuclear affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, shaking hands with Jung Pak, a U.S. diplomat in charge of North Korean nuclear issues, at the ministry in Seoul on July 26, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 9, 2024
6. Top S. Korean, Canadian military officials discuss cooperation in Indo-Pacific
Top S. Korean, Canadian military officials discuss cooperation in Indo-Pacific | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 10, 2024
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- The top military officers of South Korea and Canada held phone talks Friday to discuss ways to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, Seoul's military said.
The talks between Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo and his Canadian counterpart, Gen. Wayne Eyre, took place at the Canadian side's request to share details of its update to its defense policy released last month, according to the JCS.
The document outlines Canada's efforts to maintain military readiness, such as boosting defense spending, and points out the need to respond to challenges from Russia and China.
During their talks, the two sides shared their assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and discussed ways to enhance military cooperation within the Indo-Pacific region, the JCS said.
"The two sides shared the view that South Korea and Canada have to expand their scope of cooperation in terms of the military and the arms industry for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region," it said.
South Korean companies have recently sought to expand their foothold in the Canadian maritime defense sector as the Royal Canadian Navy seeks to replace its aging fleet of Victoria-class submarines with new models.
South Korea's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Adm. Kim Myung-soo (L) and his Canadian counterpart, Wayne Eyre, hold video talks on May 10, 2024, in this image released by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 10, 2024
7. New Axis and liberal international order
Axis of Four.
LIO = LIberal International Order
We need to be considering the Axis of Four/dictators/totalitarians and the effects of the combined efforts of the four. We should move past the myopic focus on China as the pacing threat and look at the bigger picture.
Excerpts:
They do not believe that the West will accept their rise to power on the world stage. They oppose outside meddling in their internal affairs, the expansion of U.S. alliances and the use of coercive sanctions.
The Axis of Four does not need a coherent plan for an alternative international order to upset the existing system. The shared opposition to the present order’s core principles and their determination to bring about change are a powerful foundation for collective action.
...
Strong relations among the Axis of Four have emboldened Pyongyang. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, who now enjoys strong backing from both China and Russia, abandoned his country's traditional policy of peaceful unification with South Korea and stepped up its threats against Seoul, engaging in nuclear blackmail and missile tests, expressing it has no interest in dialogue.
The Axis represents a new center of gravity, where other countries dissatisfied with the existing order can turn.
...
The Axis nations are united in their opposition to the LIO and its U.S. leadership, and is determined to change the way the world has worked since the end of the Cold War.
The United States and its partners must acknowledge this Axis as the most dangerous challenge to the LIO. They must reinforce and improve the foundations of the existing international order and push back against those attempting to undermine it.
It may be impossible to stop the emergence of the new Axis, but keeping it from upending the current LIO is an achievable goal.
New Axis and liberal international order
The Korea Times · May 9, 2024
By Kim Sang-woo
The fragmented global response to the war in Ukraine shows that while the U.S. and its allies see policies as rooted in efforts to preserve the liberal international order (LIO), many emerging countries see them differently.
The emerging countries see it as part of an effort by a small number of countries to preserve their own decades-old advantages at the expense of a large part of the world’s population.
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jalshankar said that, “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problem.”
Leaders of many of these emerging countries believe that too little attention is paid to the fact that many former colonies have become increasingly powerful nations in their own right.
“We refuse to be the pawn in a new Cold War,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in November 2022. His views are shared in some form or another by many leaders of these emerging countries.
In the next two decades, these emerging countries will climb the ranks of the world’s largest economies and populations, reshaping the structure of world politics in the process.
Washington and its allies should accept that not only are these countries emerging, but also that as they grow, they will not align with Washington on many international issues.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many of these countries declined to support Ukraine, refusing to take concrete action with regard to sanctions on Russia or weapons for Kyiv.
On a visit to Beijing in 2023, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to work with China to “balance world geopolitics” — a phrase that implied upending American global primacy.
Even India, which sees China as an adversary and has grown much closer to the United States in recent years, is unlikely to back the U.S. militarily in the event of a war over Taiwan.
In the main, the grievances of emerging countries revolve around their perception that they are being excluded from the main decision-making structures and the global international institutions which make up the LIO.
Thus, there needs to be more emphasis on joint problem-solving and reform of institutional structures which allows more space for diplomatic cooperation with the emerging countries.
The emphasis needs to be on solving problems together, finding new roads into the future which include the emerging countries rather than telling them to simply follow the rules of the LIO.
Above all, it is important to earn the trust of the emerging countries and to make them feel that they are truly part of the LIO.
Fortunately, emerging countries don’t want to be vassals of China anymore than they want to be vassals of America. They are not swing states ready to pick sides in a new Cold War.
In fact, they actively seek a more fluid and multipolar world, one in which they believe they will have more leverage and freedom to maneuver. Many maintain closer ties with the United States than China.
But even when progress on common interests are made, the emerging countries will also maintain relationships with U.S. adversaries. And particularly concerning is the rise of the so-called Axis of Four — China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
All four countries see the United States as the primary obstacle to establishing their spheres of influence, and they want Washington’s minimal presence in their respective regions.
They reject the principle of universal values and interpret the West's championing of its brand of democracy as an attempt to undermine their legitimacy and promote domestic instability. They insist that individual states have the right to define their own democracy.
They do not believe that the West will accept their rise to power on the world stage. They oppose outside meddling in their internal affairs, the expansion of U.S. alliances and the use of coercive sanctions.
The Axis of Four does not need a coherent plan for an alternative international order to upset the existing system. The shared opposition to the present order’s core principles and their determination to bring about change are a powerful foundation for collective action.
Strong relations among the Axis of Four have emboldened Pyongyang. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, who now enjoys strong backing from both China and Russia, abandoned his country's traditional policy of peaceful unification with South Korea and stepped up its threats against Seoul, engaging in nuclear blackmail and missile tests, expressing it has no interest in dialogue.
The Axis represents a new center of gravity, where other countries dissatisfied with the existing order can turn.
Wars arise from certain conditions, such as territorial disputes, the need to protect national interests or the interests of an ally, or a threat to regime survival. And the likelihood of war increases when there are competing orders.
The United States will need to address the destabilizing effects of revisionist countries acting in concert, and it should try to disrupt their coordinated efforts to subvert important international rules and institutions. Washington, furthermore, should actively promote the attractions of the existing LIO and persuade the emerging countries how it can be made better.
The Axis nations are united in their opposition to the LIO and its U.S. leadership, and is determined to change the way the world has worked since the end of the Cold War.
The United States and its partners must acknowledge this Axis as the most dangerous challenge to the LIO. They must reinforce and improve the foundations of the existing international order and push back against those attempting to undermine it.
It may be impossible to stop the emergence of the new Axis, but keeping it from upending the current LIO is an achievable goal.
Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project and a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
The Korea Times · May 9, 2024
8. FM Cho to visit China next week for talks with Wang Yi
FM Cho to visit China next week for talks with Wang Yi
The Korea Times · May 10, 2024
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul holds phone talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb. 6, in this photo provided by the Korean foreign ministry. Yonhap
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will visit China early next week for talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the foreign ministry said Friday, marking the first trip to Beijing by a South Korean top diplomat in more than six years.
Cho's two-day trip to Beijing from Monday through Tuesday comes as South Korea faces the task of managing the relationship with China that has soured amid Seoul's strong alignment with the United States under the Yoon Suk Yeol government.
It will mark the first visit to China by a South Korean foreign minister since November 2017, when then Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha paid a visit during the administration of then President Moon Jae-in.
His visit also comes ahead of a widely expected trilateral summit among the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan that Seoul seeks to capitalize on to boost the three-way cooperation with its Asian neighbors. The summit is most likely to take place from May 26-27.
Cho will discuss with Wang "issues of common interest, from bilateral relations, the trilateral summit and the Korean Peninsula, to regional and global issues," the ministry said in a press release.
Cho also plans to have a meeting with South Korean businesspeople working in China and discuss ideas and efforts on how to bolster bilateral business exchanges with Beijing.
Bilateral ties between Seoul and Beijing deteriorated to a low point last year when Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Xing Haiming publicly warned his host country that it would "definitely regret it" if it "bets on China's defeat" in its rivalry with the U.S.
Xing's remarks were seen to reflect Beijing's displeasure over Seoul moving closer to Washington in a departure from the previous Moon Jae-in government that gave weight to its relationship with China.
Beijing has also reacted angrily to Yoon's comments about maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, a highly sensitive issue that China considers to be its own affair in which no other countries have right to intervene.
South Korea has been looking to improve its ties with China, given the strategic need to do so with its largest trading partner and a key player in its diplomacy with North Korea.
Taking office as foreign minister early in January, Cho stressed the importance of keeping a "stable" relationship with Beijing, citing the potential for deeper cooperation in the economy, North Korean issues and other areas.
In their first phone talks in February, Wang extended an invitation to Cho to visit Beijing to further advance the bilateral relationship.
During the visit, Cho also plans to convene a conference of South Korean consuls general stationed in China's regional provinces to stress the importance of municipal-level exchanges in the development of bilateral ties.
In late April, Cho held talks with Hao Peng, the communist party secretary of China's Liaoning province, in Seoul and discussed cooperation in supply chains and investment. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · May 10, 2024
9. [News Analysis] Yoon's first 2 years marked by intense confrontations, lack of leadership
I think President Yoon has shown excellent international leadership as the global pivotal state and a member of the. arsenal of democracy. It is engaged around the world and most importantly he demonstrated not only leadership but political courage to improve the relationship with Japan.
[News Analysis] Yoon's first 2 years marked by intense confrontations, lack of leadership
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · May 9, 2024
By Son Ji-hyoung
Published : May 9, 2024 - 15:55
President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the briefing room in his office for a news conference held in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk Yeol spent his first two years in office facing persistent and intense political confrontations, public censure over his unilateral approach to communication, and controversies surrounding his wife that have cast a shadow over his policy initiatives and foreign affairs activities.
Having been elected to South Korea's most powerful office only six months after entering politics, the 63-year-old former prosecutor has remained unpopular domestically for the past two years, with his approval rating in the low 30-percent range for most of his tenure.
With the ruling bloc's April general election defeat, chances to reverse course now appear scarce for the president, who had never held an elected office before becoming president and is now floundering with his term less than halfway through.
"I think that the ruling bloc's defeat in the April National Assembly election wasn't a question of policy, but rather a result of a majority of South Korean voters disagreeing with President Yoon's leadership style," Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor of international relations at King's College London.
Since his inauguration in 2022, Yoon has had to work with an opposition-controlled National Assembly.
Against this backdrop, Yoon chose to focus on foreign affairs -- restoring ties with Japan, tilting to the United States, visiting 18 countries and holding 153 formal meetings with foreign leaders -- instead of resolving domestic political problems.
Also, Yoon chose to give his political rivals the cold shoulder. Before the April election defeat, Yoon had never held formal talks with his political opponent, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who chairs the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
Yoon was quoted as saying by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in September that his meeting with a figure currently on criminal trial "could be seen as unfair," given that Lee is facing multiple criminal allegations.
In return, Lee's party ramped up offensives against the ruling bloc by ramming through bills without the ruling party's consultation. Yoon responded by exercising his veto power nine times, the second-highest number of vetoes in the first two years of a presidency.
The main opposition also called for investigations into Yoon's family members including first lady Kim Keon Hee.
"With the result of the 2022 presidential election being so tight, I think that voters would have expected more dialogue between the president and his party on the one hand and the opposition on the other," Pacheco Pardo said.
The legislative gridlock has also delayed efforts at reform, such as to the public pension system. During Yoon's first two years, only 40 percent of government-proposed bills passed the parliament, compared to rates of between 80 and 90 percent over the past two decades.
"It is hard to determine how much his leadership actually hurt his party in the National Assembly, but it is safe to say that it didn’t help," said Karl Friedhoff, fellow for Asia Studies at the US-based think tank Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Beleaguered by enemies
Yoon continues to face the risk of not being able to have a domestic policy breakthrough in the remaining three years, as the main opposition party is set to dominate the new National Assembly session that kicks off next month.
The April general election also allowed budding parties seeking to challenge Yoon to debut in the National Assembly.
Rebuilding Korea Party Chair and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk fell from grace when Yoon, then the prosecutor-general, led an investigation into his family's admissions forgery scandal. New Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok was estranged from the People Power Party although his leadership yielded victories in both the presidential and local elections in 2022. Both figures won a seat at the April election, and so did a dozen of their party members combined.
Yoon's enemies are not limited to political opponents. Yoon's lingering standoff with doctors shows no signs of abating, as Seoul has been moving to increase the number of doctors and doctors themselves are against it.
Yoon also has a history of locking horns with labor unions, pushing through back-to-work orders on striking truckers who protested the government's rejection of extending the freight rate hike.
"Many South Korean voters are tired of constant bickering over minor issues," said Pacheco Pardo.
In his first year of Yoon's presidency, the conservative ruling party was successful in two elections earlier in the year.
Following Yoon's narrow victory against then-liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung in March 2022, the conservative party was also victorious in the local election in June 2022, winning 12 out of 17 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts.
But the ruling party suffered defeat in a by-election in September -- an event that proved to be a bellwether for the April general election.
The People Power Party lost its bid for the Seoul Gangseo-gu Office head position, as it pushed ahead with its plan to let Kim Tae-woo of the People Power Party attempt to regain his seat as the former head.
The by-election was held to fill the position that Kim used to hold. Kim was forced out of the position after he was found guilty of leaking information about presidential office affairs during the liberal former Moon Jae-in administration as a special investigator. Yoon had pardoned Kim in August, three months after he was convicted by the top court.
Friedhoff argued that the ruling bloc's agenda-setting lacked consistency and substance through Yoon's first two years.
He said Yoon's presidential election pledge to disband the Ministry of Gender Equality, and the ruling party's proposal to expand Seoul to incorporate Gimpo suggest the ruling bloc is "out of ideas and out of step."
"The question the public is asking is, 'Do the conservatives actually have an agenda?'" Friedhoff said.
External turbulence
Yoon is expected to remain steadfast in his foreign policy in the remainder of his three years in office.
One of the most notable points in Yoon's foreign policy so far is mending ties with Japan. Yoon met his Japanese counterpart, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, seven times in his first two years, more than several past presidents -- Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in -- did during their terms.
But experts noted that there are issues that need to be addressed to create a solid foundation for Seoul's restored ties with Tokyo and prepare for the US presidential election in November.
Friedhoff said that historical issues are not fully settled between Seoul and Tokyo, contrary to Yoon's words that "Korea-Japan relations must now go beyond the past."
"Relations with Japan need to be improved in a way that also takes care to address the underlying historical difficulties ... the ground will inevitably shift and revert in the future," Friedhoff said.
Friedhoff added that Seoul will need to increase its pursuit of "minilaterals" -- activities involving small numbers of countries -- in order to brace for the possibility of a former US President Donald Trump victory and the turbulence that comes with it.
"That could include Japan, but should also include countries like Australia, India and the Philippines, for example," he said.
Attention is also being paid to whether Seoul would manage to successfully host the trilateral summit of Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo.
"I believe that South Korea will strive to talk to China, just as the US, Japan, France or Germany are also doing," Pacheco Pardo said. "I think that this is normal."
koreaherald.com · by Son Ji-hyoung · May 9, 2024
10. Don’t ignore the proposal from down under
Thursday
Published: 09 May. 2024, 20:00
Don’t ignore the proposal from down under
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-05-09/opinion/columns/Dont-ignore-the-proposal-from-down-under/2043568
Lee Baek-soon
The author is a former Korean Ambassador to Australia.
Nearly three years have passed since Aukus — the trilateral security partnership among Australia, Britain and the United States — was established in September 2021. The respective defense ministers of the three original members released a meaningful joint statement last month announcing that tripartite security cooperation will expand from military to technology affairs. In other words, they are considering the incorporating Korea, Japan, Canada and New Zealand into Pillar 2, which involves technology cooperation, while confining the membership of Pillar 1, dealing with military cooperation, to the three original members.
In the following U.S.-Japan summit in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden recommended that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida join Pillar 2. The second pillar focuses on cooperation around cutting-edge technologies such as quantum computing, cybersecurity, supersonic missiles and fighter jets.
The United States now wants to ally with Western countries in its lonely battle with China on the high-tech frontier to effectively block the nation from possible technology transfers and speed up its own research and development.
China opposed the U.S. move and criticized Japan’s willingness to participate in Pillar 2 of Aukus. In a recent 2+2 meeting between the foreign and defense ministers of Korea and Australia in Melbourne, the latter nation reportedly proposed that Korea join the second pillar. Given Korea’s positive response to the proposal, the time has come to weigh the merits and demerits of participation.
The formation of Aukus in 2021 attracted close attention from the rest of the world because it represented not only a tripartite military alliance, but also a trilateral security body among countries with Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. The launch of Aukus was considered a signal that America would change its decades-old alliance structure based on the hub-and-spoke model.
That system has functioned well for the past 70 years since America’s emergence as a superpower after World War II. But problems arose with the gradual decline of U.S. power around the globe owing largely to China’s dramatic rise. The United States can hardly rely on the hub-and-spoke system to manage and protect its all allies on a one-to-one basis.
The solution U.S. strategists have come up with is the so-called lattice structure. The novel concept came into the spotlight during a recent security debate hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The new alliance model still puts United States at its center, but a number of groups, each consisting of three to four countries, rally around it in consolidated alliances with Uncle Sam.
The United States will try to create more lattice-structured alliances in addition to the Quad, or quadrilateral security dialogue, and the Aukus in the future. In terms of structural dynamics, the new security network will be more solid and resilient than the hub-and-spoke network.
The Korea-U.S. alliance is based on the traditional security model. But under the current system, a spoke can be damaged or broken if security conditions of the two countries change or external factors affect them.
The United States will surely prefer the new security model as it doesn’t mandate a myriad of one-on-one alliances. If the conventional security model aims to one-sidedly protect U.S. allies, the new one is designed to jointly demonstrate their military power. Washington will most likely move in that direction. Korea must thoroughly consider whether to join a lattice structure defense mechanism in the future.
In such a context, Korea must engage in trilateral security cooperation with America and Japan more aggressively than it has before and consider the creation of small — yet multilateral — security bodies centered around Korea. I also hope our government considers the proposal from Australia to invite Korea to Pillar 2 of the Aukus. Some countries will surely oppose Korea’s participation in the pillar, but Australia’s proposal is an opportunity for our nation nevertheless.
Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
11. ＜Inside N. Korea＞April rations at the largest iron mine was just 3 kilograms of corn per worker…Anxiety-ridden workers voluntarily mobilize to farming work
Policies of the Kim family regime are unable to solve the food and economic problems of the north.
＜Inside N. Korea＞April rations at the largest iron mine was just 3 kilograms of corn per worker…Anxiety-ridden workers voluntarily mobilize to farming work
asiapress.org
Musan Mine viewed from the Chinese side of the border. It is North Korea's largest iron mine with reserves of about 1.3 billion tons. Photo by Nam Jeong-hak, March 2012
In Musan, North Hamgyong Province, only three kilograms of corn were given out as food rations for April, an ASIAPRESS reporting partner said. Meanwhile, many people are being recruited to work in the surrounding rural areas, and the difficult food situation is causing the Musan area's residents to become increasingly desperate. (JEON Sung-jun / KANG Ji-won)
◆ Monthly rations include just 3 kilograms of corn, leading to widespread anxiety about food shortages
"In April, there was nothing except three kilograms of corn of workers' rations, and there was no holiday supply (for Kim Il-sung’s birthday on April 15). Each institution or enterprise handed out its own supply of cooking oil or work shoes, but most of them didn’t hand out anything,” a reporting partner in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, told ASIAPRESS in late April.
Home to North Korea's largest iron mine, Musan County is a medium-sized city with an estimated population of 100,000 located on the North China border. The Musan Mine Union Enterprise is a large enterprise that includes several factories and workplaces, as well as its own university and skilled labor training center. As such, it is possible that there may be differences in rations between different workplaces.
Three kilograms of corn is equivalent to five days' worth of food for a single worker, so there is widespread fear among the population of food shortages. In addition, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the North Korean authorities have tightened control over private economic activity, including trade through markets. The current situation of increased dependence on rations poses a serious threat to the survival of residents in industrial areas.
A view of the central urban district of Musan County. Photographed from the Chinese side of the border shortly after the massive flooding of the Tumen River in October 2016 (ASIAPRESS)
◆ Enticed by promises of rations, people flock to farming areas
Meanwhile, people at the mine were selected to be mobilized to farms around the mine, the reporting partner said.
"They create rural support shock teams and send them to farms in the Musan Township. The teams are organized in the form of squads or work groups, and 20 people are selected from each workplace in the mine."
Every year in North Korea, workers and residents of urban areas are sent to the countryside to work on farms.
"During the rural support period, (the company) gives them two weeks of food rations and the rest is paid for by the rural people. But because there is no food supply even if you work in the mines, people competed with each other to go. It started as a petition, but then there were too many people, so they ended up selecting volunteers and dispatched them on (April) 29."
The poor food situation is pushing people to head to rural areas to obtain rations, something they had previously avoided. Since April, signs of a humanitarian crisis have continued to be reported from various parts of North Korea.
※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.
A map of North Korea (ASIAPRESS)
asiapress.org
12. US discusses North Korea with China, raises repatriation concerns
US discusses North Korea with China, raises repatriation concerns
Beijing routinely labels North Koreans as illegal ‘economic migrants’ and forcibly repatriates them.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/us-china-talk-nk-05092024225859.html
By Taejun Kang for RFA
2024.05.09
Taipei, Taiwan
U.S. Deputy Special Representative Jung Pak speaks in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024.
Ahn Young-joon/Pool via Reuters
The senior U.S. official for North Korea met with her Chinese counterpart in Tokyo and expressed concern about the forcible repatriation of North Koreans from China, the U.S. State Department said.
During Thursday’s discussions with China’s Special Representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs Liu Xiaoming, Jung Pak noted North Korea’s “provocative and irresponsible rhetoric toward its neighbors,” the department said in a statement.
“She [Pak] also expressed continued U.S. concerns regarding the forcible repatriation of North Koreans, including asylum seekers, to the DPRK and called on Beijing to uphold its non-refoulement obligations,” said the department. DPRK, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is North Korea’s official name.
The U.N. principle of non-refoulement is supposed to guarantee that “no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and other irreparable harm.”
Pak also stressed concern about Pyongyang’s deepening military cooperation with Moscow, saying that Russia’s veto of a mandate extension for a U.N. panel that monitored North Korean sanctions would hamper efforts to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the statement.
Pak’s remarks came after international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch published a report on Wednesday saying China had recently forcibly returned about 60 North Koreans.
“The Chinese government forcibly returned about 60 North Korean refugees on April 26, putting them at grave risk of enforced disappearance, torture, sexual violence, wrongful imprisonment, forced labor, and execution,” said HRW.
It cited Stephen Kim, the pseudonym of an underground missionary, as saying that the Chinese government had forcibly returned the North Koreans from China’s Jilin and Liaoning provinces.
Kim told HRW that the Chinese authorities had apprehended at least 92 North Koreans since January but could not confirm whether anyone among the 92 was forcibly returned on April 26, adding that it was highly unlikely.
This round of forced returns came soon after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with China’s third highest official, Zhao Leji, on April 13. HRW noted that the meeting had “raised concerns among North Koreans in exile and rights activists that China might speed up forced repatriations of North Koreans.”
Beijing routinely labels North Koreans as illegal “economic migrants” and forcibly repatriates them under a 1986 bilateral border protocol with Pyongyang.
China’s foreign ministry said in October last year there were no North Korean “defectors” in China but North Koreans had illegally entered for economic reasons and that China always handled the issue according to the law.
HRW earlier reported that it confirmed China had forcibly returned more than 670 North Koreans since Pyongyang closed its northern border in early 2020. This includes more than 500 North Koreans on Oct. 9, 2023; 40 on Sept. 18, 2023; 80 on Aug. 29, 2023; and about 50 in July 2021.
In Tokyo, Pak also discussed North Korea with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts and underscored the importance of maintaining close trilateral cooperation in addressing issues around North Korea, including security threat, human rights and humanitarian challenges created by the North, the department said in a separate statement.
Edited by Mike Firn.
13. N. Korean lectures emphasize necessity of nuclear weapons for happiness of future generations
The regime is addressing the failed promise that my good friend Ri Jong Ho described. Nuclear weapons were supposed to bring peace and prosperity for the Korean people in the north. Kim could not achieve that and now the Propaganda and Agitation Department must change the narrative.
The Korean people in the north suffer and sacrifice because of KimJong Un's deliberate policy decision to prioritize nuclear weapons over the welfare of the people in order to ensure that KJU remains in power.
This is an indication of nascent but perhaps growing resistance inside north Korea. The question is how can the international community nurture and support such resistance to allow the Korean people in the north to change conditions and follow their path to freedom (and per Article 21 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights that self determination of government by the people is a human right).
N. Korean lectures emphasize necessity of nuclear weapons for happiness of future generations - Daily NK English
The seminars “were aimed at public grievance about the government building nuclear weapons when people are so financially strapped they can barely keep food on the table," a source told Daily NK
By Jong So Yong - May 10, 2024
dailynk.com · by Jong So Yong · May 10, 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test-firing of a new land-to-sea missile, the Padasuri-6, on Feb. 14, 2024, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Feb. 15. (KCNA)
Recent lectures for officials at major regional universities was based on material explaining the reasons for North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles from the Workers’ Party Propaganda and Agitation Department, Daily NK has learned.
“Since Apr. 25, propaganda officials from the North Hamgyong Provincial Party Committee have been delivering lectures based on material from the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea to officials at Chongjin Medical University, O Jung-hup Chongjin Teaching College and Chongjin Pedagogical University,” a source in the province told Daily NK on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, the material from the Central Committee was titled, “Our cherished comrade Kim Jong Un, the sun of Juche Joseon, is an unparalleled patriot who safeguards the future of our style of socialism that unfolds in children’s smiles.”
The source explained that the lectures focused on expounding upon the determination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the party and the state to finish developing defensive nuclear weapons and missiles so as to protect the smiles of children, who are the future of the country.
“The lectures first emphasized the importance of Kim’s undying revolutionary ideology while explaining why children’s bright smiles symbolizes the strength and hope of socialism,” the source said.
“Second, there was an in-depth discussion of how Kim’s idea of building a state with powerful defense capabilities is connected to children’s smiles and the strength of socialism, as well as how developing nuclear weapons and missiles is related to the formation of a wealthy and powerful state,” the source said.
In effect, the lectures emphasized the fact that nuclear weapon and missile development is indispensable for the happiness of future generations and the economic development of the state.
In addition, the lectures also underscored what has been achieved by welfare and education policies implemented in the name of promoting children’s well-being and mentioned how socialist systems have been supporting children’s healthy growth and development.
“The officials from the provincial party committee’s propaganda and agitation department who spoke during the seminar reiterated that Kim’s love for future generations was reflected in the state development strategy and that his idea of building a powerful socialist state through nuclear weapon and missile development is ultimately aimed at safeguarding children’s future,” the source said.
“These lectures made clear once more that instead of being indoctrinated with vain hopes about reunification, the young generation needs to be inculcated with the idea of advancing nuclear weapons and missiles to seize South Korea by force and to safeguard the future of the state,” the source said.
By elucidating why nuclear weapon and missile development is needed through these lectures, the leadership aims to counter public criticism that the government has been focusing so much on building up defense capabilities that it has neglected the people’s economic difficulties.
The source said the lectures “were aimed at public grievance about the government building nuclear weapons when people are so financially strapped they can barely keep food on the table.”
“In the end, lectures of this sort are designed to instill a better understanding of the state’s ideology and policies and to motivate people to contribute to the development of the state,” 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
dailynk.com · by Jong So Yong · May 10, 2024
14. N. Korea's new campus for elite party school is nearing completion
"Haves" and "Have Nots" in the Socialist Workers Paradise.
N. Korea's new campus for elite party school is nearing completion - Daily NK English
Construction of the school buildings on the new campus is expected to be completed in mid-May 2024
By Bruce Songhak Chung - May 10, 2024
dailynk.com · by Bruce Songhak Chung · May 10, 2024
North Korea is busy completing the construction of buildings on the new campus for the Central Cadres Training School, which is responsible for training top officials for the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).
An analysis of the construction site using high-resolution Maxar satellite imagery shows that the exterior of the new buildings is largely complete as the project deadline of mid-May approaches. Visible infrared satellite imagery taken at night also shows that lights remain on into the wee hours of the morning, indicating that work is progressing rapidly.
Once completed, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new campus is expected to be a lavish affair, with all eyes on whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter will attend. The opening ceremony of the new campus is expected to take place on June 1, the 78th anniversary of the founding of the school.
The new campus for the WPK Central Cadres Training School
The new campus for the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Central Cadres Training School. Kim Jong Un personally selected the site for the campus near the confluence of the Hapjang and Daedong rivers, and has encouraged its construction with on-the-spot inspections. Satellite imagery: WorldView-2 (©2024 Maxar, U.S.G. Plus)
The new school buildings overlook the confluence of the Hapjang and Taedong rivers in the Imhung area of Pyongyang’s Taesong district. The site of the new campus was personally chosen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has visited the construction site to check on progress and cheer on the workers. Kim is also expected to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will likely be held on a grand scale, to tout one of his signature leadership achievements.
An examination of progress on the construction using satellite images (with a resolution of 50 centimeters) taken on May 3 by the Maxar WorldView-2 satellite shows that the facades of most of the buildings on the new campus have been completed. The campus replaces the Ryongsong Airfield, which was reserved for Kim’s personal use, and is located 500 meters from the Paekhwawon State Guest House, a building used to house foreign dignitaries. The campus is expected to cover about 30 acres.
The school will continue educating elites destined for key political roles
The WPK’s Central Cadres Training School is highly regarded in North Korea as “the sanctum and apex of the training of party officials, which provides education and training for Juche-type party officials who have infinite loyalty to the leader.” Notably, only Central Cadres Training School graduates can be appointed WPK Central Committee secretaries or party secretaries in the country’s largest enterprises. It is thus essential to attend this school in order to enter the upper echelons of the political elite.
Site of new campus used to be Kim’s exclusive Yongsong (Ryongsong) Airfield
Kim Jong Un’s personal Yongsong Airfield before it was bulldozed. It is now the site of the nearly completed new campus of the WPK Central Cadres Training School, an essential stop on the way for those destined to join North Korea’s political elite. Satellite imagery: SkySat (©2023 Planet Labs PBC, U.S.G. Plus)
The image above shows Kim Jong Un’s personal Yongsong Airfield in the Imhung area of Pyongyang’s Taesong district before its demolition. A review of satellite imagery from Planet Labs’ SkySat (with a resolution of 50 centimeters) shows that work to demolish the airfield began in late March 2023. There was a concrete runway, 30 meters wide and 800 meters long, that appeared to have been built in 2015.
Night view of construction at the Central Cadres Training School
A night view of the construction site at the new campus. Lights remain on late into the night as workers hurry to complete the project on schedule. Satellite imagery: WorldView-2 (background) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (green filter) (©2024 Maxar, U.S.G. Plus)
A night view of the school’s new campus was also analyzed using visible infrared satellite imagery taken on May 1. The images show that the Paekhwawon State Guest House and half of the new campus are illuminated by floodlights at the late hour of 1:30 AM. This suggests that workers were working late into the night to complete construction before the scheduled completion date in mid-May.
The site of the old campus in Tongdaewon-2 in the capital’s Tongdaewon district was rather small at seven acres, and the facilities were old and dilapidated. North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung, took the lead in establishing a school (originally called the Central Party School) to train high-level officials on June 1, 1946, the year after Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule. The school was renamed Kim Il Sung Higher Party School in April 1972 to celebrate Kim’s 60th birthday. Then, in 2021, under Kim Jong Un, it received its current name of Central Cadres Training School. The new expanded campus is 4.3 kilometers from the school’s current location.
Construction of the school buildings on the new campus is expected to be completed in mid-May 2024, which will likely be marked by an extravagant ribbon-cutting ceremony. The school’s opening ceremony is expected to take place on June 1, the 78th anniversary of the school’s founding. There is considerable interest in whether Kim Jong Un will bring his daughter Ju Ae to these official events.
Incidentally, there is some speculation that the name “Ju Ae” given by NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman in a television interview following his trip to North Korea in 2013 may not even be correct. The story goes that Rodman may have misunderstood Kim Jong Un’s use of the Korean phrase “Jeo ae,” which means “that girl,” as the name “Ju Ae” when introducing his daughter.
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
dailynk.com · by Bruce Songhak Chung · May 10, 2024
15. Editorial: Semiconductor factories leaving Korea for the US to weaken Korea’s backbone industry
Editorial: Semiconductor factories leaving Korea for the US to weaken Korea’s backbone industry
https://www.chosun.com/english/opinion-en/2024/05/10/SISQ4IZECNFGNI2I274ZWDCHRE/
By The Chosunilbo
Published 2024.05.10. 08:54
Updated 2024.05.10. 10:05
Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Semiconductor Plant./Samsung Electronics
According to a forecast by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the production rate of advanced semiconductors smaller than 10 nanometers in South Korea is expected to drop from the current 31% to less than 10% by 2032.
This decline is attributed to major players like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, who are presently sharing the global advanced semiconductor market with Taiwan’s TSMC but have chosen to establish their latest factories in the United States instead of S. Korea.
In contrast, the U.S. production share is expected to rise from 0% to 28% in the next eight years, fueled by aggressive strategies, including a subsidy of $52.7 billion and various incentives aimed at attracting factories.
Encouraged by the U.S. policy of reshaping the semiconductor supply chain, Samsung Electronics is constructing an advanced foundry in Texas, and SK Hynix is building a packaging plant in Arizona. With a $6.4 billion subsidy, Samsung plans to produce next-generation cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips at its plant in the U.S.
The Biden administration in the United States has implemented a comprehensive act to support its semiconductor industry. The goal is to produce 20% of advanced semiconductors domestically by 2030, and current projections suggest that this target will be significantly exceeded.
On the other hand, South Korea’s semiconductor industry faces an uncertain future, despite the government’s announcement of a project to develop a semiconductor mega-cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. The government plans to invest 622 trillion won ($455.4 billion) by 2043 in this project.
This is because issues such as delays in the construction of Samsung’s Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant due to transmission line problems and delays in starting construction at SK Hynix’s Yongin plant due to water supply issues are hindering the S. Korean government’s plans.
Moreover, with the strict 52-hour workweek policy and other regulatory hurdles such as the Severe Accident Punishment Act (SAPA), the exodus of semiconductor firms from S. Korea could accelerate further.
Securing advanced semiconductor business inside the country is crucial, not only for economic reasons but also for national security. Taiwan is putting in an all-out effort to defend TSMC’s factories, underscoring the geopolitical significance of maintaining semiconductor production locally.
If the prediction by the SIA comes true and the share of domestic production of advanced semiconductors declines significantly, it could lead to a national disaster.
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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