Quotes of the Day:
"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion."
- Alexander the Great
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
- Warren Bennis
"Plans are nothing; planning is everything."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
1. New defense minister orders 'stern, immediate' response if N. Korea provokes
2. A New President Faces Familiar Challenges in Seoul
3. Shrimp to Whale by Ramon Pacheco Pardo — how South Korea became a powerhouse
4. Individual and group protesters flock to presidential office in Yongsan
5. Yoon Starts Presidency by Meeting Foreign Dignitaries
6. U.S., S. Korea share common objective of denuclearizing Korean Peninsula: State Dept.
7. N. Korea likely to continue nuclear, missile development in 2022: US military
8. Britain firm on N. Korea sanctions, expects cooperation with S. Korea on Ukraine: minister
9. Former deputy national security adviser tapped as new spy agency chief
10. Yoon expresses hope for reopening of Seoul-Tokyo air route to bolster exchanges
11. Yoon Suk-yeol has busy second day as president with a more casual style
12. China tries to prevent South Korea from joining US-led coalition
13. State Dept. reacts to Yoon's North Korea policy
14. Outnumbered ruling party faces difficult challenges
15. Visiting Japanese reps pledge warmer ties
16. Yoon says inflation is biggest problem in first secretary meeting
17. U.S. 'second gentleman' gets a kick out of Seoul
18. Yoon's inauguration ceremony raises hope for inclusive, multicultural society
19. Cadres involved in most recent ballistic missile launches recalled to Pyongyang
20. N. Korea permits mass mobilizations of factory workers to agricultural areas
1. New defense minister orders 'stern, immediate' response if N. Korea provokes
President Biden used stern deterrence HERE
(2nd LD) New defense minister orders 'stern, immediate' response if N. Korea provokes | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with additional info in paras 10-12)
By Song Sang-ho and Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- New South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup called Wednesday for a "stern and immediate" response in case of a "direct" North Korean provocation, as he took office amid rising concerns about the recalcitrant regime's possible nuclear test.
Lee, a retired three-star general, made the call during a video-linked meeting of top military officials -- the first such gathering under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration -- shortly after his inauguration ceremony.
"We have to maintain a solid defense posture in all domains -- land, sea and air -- so as to proactively respond to security threats from all directions," Lee was quoted by his office as saying.
Lee then directed the top brass to respond "sternly and immediately" in light of "self-defense" if the North launches a "direct" provocation, according to the defense ministry.
During his inauguration ceremony earlier in the day, Lee also warned of a stern response to the North's possible "tactical" provocations and stressed his commitment to cementing the alliance with the United States.
"We will increase cohesion in the military alliance between South Korea and the U.S. and expand mutually beneficial defense cooperation with friendly nations," he said.
His inauguration came as the allies are stepping up security coordination amid forecasts that the North could carry out a nuclear test between Yoon's inauguration on Tuesday and U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul for their first in-person summit slated for May 21.
In the speech, Lee also pledged to "dramatically" strengthen the country's so-called three-axis system designed to counter the North's security threats.
The system consists of the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict; the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform; and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD).
The new minister also expressed his wish to develop the defense industry into a "strategic cutting-edge industrial sector that leads our economic growth."
Later in the day, Lee visited the Air Force Operations Command and the Air and Missile Defense Command at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, to check their readiness posture.
"The Air Force must maintain a firm readiness posture to overwhelmingly respond to any North Korean provocations amid the grave security situation marked by the North's rising missile threats and the possibility of its nuclear test," Lee said.
Lee also said South Korea will continue to build a multilayered missile defense system by upgrading Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile interceptors, deploying the medium-range surface-to-air missile, named the Cheongung II, and introducing additional early warning radar systems.
A graduate of the Korea Military Academy, Lee previously served in various high-profile military positions, such as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the Army's 7th Corps.
(END)
2. A New President Faces Familiar Challenges in Seoul
A New President Faces Familiar Challenges in Seoul
Yoon Suk-yeol wants to remake South Korea as a global player, but first he must contend with challenges from Japan and North Korea.
May 10
Yoon Suk-yeol. (Photogrph by Jung Yeon-Je/Getty Images.)
South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, was inaugurated today and has as his main goal remaking Seoul into a global player consistent with its position as a top 10 world economy. But issues closer to home—the simmering feud with Japan, China’s economic coercion, and North Korea’s long-held desire to subjugate the South Korean people—will dominate his presidency.
Yoon was elected to a single five-year term in March by a narrow margin, less than 1 percent, over the ruling party’s candidate Lee Jae-myung. Consistent with his desire to elevate South Korea’s international standing, Yoon spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He emphasized that Seoul should enhance its role in the pressure campaign against Russia but is unlikely to provide military equipment to Ukraine. Yoon noted that South Korea has provided $10 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine but argued that “we need to provide more such aid.”
But just as all politics are local, Yoon will likely spend a majority of his first year in office focused on issues that more directly affect South Korea. This should start with repairing relations with Japan, which have been fractured overlingering resentments related to Japan’s occupation of Korea in the first half of the 20th century. In 2018, South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered that two Japanese companies compensate workers who were treated as forced laborers during World War II, a matter that Japan says was settled by a 1965 treaty. Yoon affirmed that he is focused on a “future-oriented” relationship with Japan that benefits South Korean people and companies. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in March after Yoon’s election that “Japan-South Korea relations are in a very severe condition, and we cannot leave them as they are.”
Both leaders are trying to reduce tensions in the relationship, and Japaneses Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was scheduled to attend Yoon’s inauguration, marking the first time since 2018 that a Japanese foreign minister has visited South Korea. Repairing the Seoul-Tokyo and trilateral relationship should be President oBiden’s top priority when he travels to South Korea and Japan from May 20-24 for separate meetings with Yoon and Kishida.
Yoon also must navigate South Korea’s relationship with Beijing within the context of the tense U.S.-China relationship. Xi Jinping objected to Seoul’s 2017 decision to deploy a U.S.-made missile defense system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), to counter North Korea’s expanding missile threat. Beijing claimed the system could be used to track its military movements. Beijing then used economic coercion against South Korean targets to secure a pledge from Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in, not to deploy additional THAAD systems.
The missile defense issue could become an irritant between Seoul and Beijing once again. North Korea has tested more missiles in 2022 than the previous two years combined, and reportedly tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile over the weekend. During the campaign, Yoon said he would reverse Moon’s pledge to not deploy additional THAADs. This could create tensions with Beijing, but Yoon’s incoming national security adviser, Kim Sung-han, in February highlighted that “The economic retaliation [from China] continues even now in some areas, but to us, [missile defense is] a matter of life and death, and China does not seem to fully understand that.”
Seoul’s relationship with the Quad, a U.S., Australia, India, and Japan group centered on Indo-Pacific issues, but unofficially focused on countering China, could inflame tensions with Beijing even if South Korea does not join the group. White House press secretary Jen Psaki last week threw cold water on South Korea joining the group, noting that “the Quad will remain the Quad.” Yoon said he is focused on working “together on vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies to create a synergy with Quad countries.”
Yoon has criticized Moon Jae-in’s singular focus on North Korea to the detriment of a global role for Seoul. But the Kim regime is an existential threat to South Korea and will dominate Yoon’s presidency. Yoon wants to focus on strengthening deterrence of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. It is not a coincidence that after Yoon’s election the Kim regime is testing and showing off ballistic missiles and increasing its rhetoric on potential nuclear use during a military conflict. What’s more, Pyongyang could conduct its seventh nuclear test, and first since 2017, as early as this month after repairing its nuclear test site.
That presents challenges not just for Yoon but for the United States. Kim Jong-un likely sees Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a possible blueprint for the Kim family’s long-held desire to subjugate South Korea. If Biden does not deter Putin from using a nuclear or chemical weapon in Ukraine, Kim will be emboldened. Yoon could question the utility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, which could lead to discussions on whether Seoul should seek its own nuclear weapons program.
Yoon has promised a two-track approach to North Korea, offering economic incentives if Kim takes irreversible steps toward denuclearization while also promising humanitarian aid and keeping military channels open for communication. He will advocate for increasing pressure on North Korea, something the Biden administration has been unwilling to do. Yoon and Kishida will be aligned on this issue and could try to get Biden’s attention as he deals with other pressing foreign policy priorities.
While Yoon wants to increase South Korea’s global role, issues in his own backyard will consume his presidency. Biden should embrace Yoon’s election as an opportunity to shake-off his laissez-faire North Korea policy and counter the Kim regime’s goal of conquering South Korea.
Anthony Ruggiero is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Anthony previously served in the U.S. government for more than 19 years, including as director for North Korea (2018-2019) and senior director for counterproliferation and biodefense (2019-2021) on the National Security Council. Follow Anthony on Twitter @NatSecAnthony. FDD is a Washington, D.C.-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.
3. Shrimp to Whale by Ramon Pacheco Pardo — how South Korea became a powerhouse
Elizaneth Shim said in her tweet describing this: "Colonialism, war and division ironically served as a springboard to begin anew."
Shrimp to Whale by Ramon Pacheco Pardo — how South Korea became a powerhouse
This careful retelling of two millennia of history celebrates the country’s economic and cultural success but ignores its dark sides
Irene of K-pop band Red Velvet performs at an awards ceremony in January © Imazins via Getty Images
I was in the foyer of a sleek hotel in Seoul in the summer of 2019 when Donald Trump’s security team began streaming out of the building. The US president had suddenly decided to rip up the agenda and protocol of a much-planned diplomatic visit to South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and head north to the demilitarised zone to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un.
It is hard to think of a greater insult to Moon but, adroitly, he tagged along. Trump got his desired headlines: “The first sitting president to set foot in North Korea.” Moon got a continuation of the crucial relationship with the US, an unexpected, possibly unwanted, encounter with his northern counterpart, and an enhanced reputation for making the most of an occasionally unpredictable diplomatic hand.
This is part of what Ramon Pacheco Pardo means by calling South Korea a shrimp among whales. Throughout its millennia-long history Korea has had to fit itself around great powers — above all, China and Japan, which have had designs on its territory and its people, and on replacing its culture with their own, not least in the period of Japan’s colonisation between 1910 and 1945.
Now, though, Korea — or the South at least — has become a whale itself, he argues. Despite Trump’s casualness towards the relationship, Seoul remains a key US ally. It has the world’s 10th-largest economy, forged by semiconductors, cars, ships, batteries and phones. In the past decade, startling new additions have been its K-pop music industry, with boy band BTS now the most successful in the world, and films such as Parasite that have won global awards.
This is a book by someone who adores South Korea and has done so since his first trip there as a student. I’m all for that, as someone who has also fallen for the deep charms of the country. But while Pacheco Pardo, professor of international relations at King’s College London, makes some good points, he does not shed enough light on the reasons for the triumphs, nor does he acknowledge enough the problems behind South Korea’s global success.
In a careful retelling of two millennia of history, Pacheco Pardo makes a central point: that Korea’s history is separate from that of Japan or China and the essential “koreanness” of the place goes back to its roots. Its food, its language, its customs, its sense of identity have a long history.
He also makes clear that its current economic and cultural success depended on key decisions by rulers down the ages. Most striking, almost 600 years ago, an inspired leader, King Sejong, commissioned the Hangul alphabet: he jettisoned the pictorial (and harder to learn) characters of Chinese and Japanese in favour of an alphabet based on the shape of your mouth when you make the sounds. It has underpinned the accessibility of Korean culture.
You might add to that the state support for the creation of the chaebol (“wealth clan”) system in the 1960s — the business conglomerates, steered by rich families with close ties to government, that forged the country’s commercial success. Most recently, the studios that churn out K-pop stars are an almost unique example of government deciding to build up the creative industries — and succeeding.
But Pacheco Pardo ignores the darker side of this success story, above all the closeness of the chaebol to government. That has fostered corruption allegations and some blame it for economic slowdown.
Such boosterism underplays the real difficulties South Korea faces, at home in a complex, changing society, and abroad, in what anyone would call a tough neighbourhood
He does not touch on the dark side of the music industry — its pressures, which have led to suicides and near-starvation diets. He acknowledges the intensity of university entrance exams but praises the classlessness of the system. He makes light of the status of women, which is indeed changing but from a point that shut them out of much of the economy.
In his closing paragraph, he asserts: “As South Korea and South Koreans evolve, one thing is clear: a bright future awaits the country . . . Let’s make this clear: South Korea has arrived; South Korea is here to stay.” Such boosterism underplays the real difficulties that South Korea faces, at home in a complex, changing society, and abroad, in what anyone would call a tough neighbourhood.
To achieve Pacheco Pardo’s wish for its future, South Korea will have to achieve change in some of the foundations of its past success, such as the overly close and cosy relationship between business and government. It will have to navigate the diplomacy with its ostracised northern neighbour and with the great powers — China, the US and Japan — that want to shape the fortunes of the region.
Not easy — and nothing like as easy as this blithe account makes it seem. But Pacheco Pardo does capture the remarkable scope of recent triumphs that give South Korea both agility — as Moon’s diplomacy has shown — and the affection of a global audience.
Bronwen Maddox is director of the Institute for Government think-tank
4. Individual and group protesters flock to presidential office in Yongsan
This should be no surprise.
Individual and group protesters flock to presidential office in Yongsan | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- The streets around the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol in the central Seoul district of Yongsan appear to be replacing the neighborhood of Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office and residence compound, as a new magnet for individual and group demonstrators.
On Wednesday, the second day of Yoon's presidency, civic and labor activists held a string of press conferences in front of the new presidential office compound, seeking to deliver various complaints and policy demands to the new leader. Nearly 10 one-person protesters also moved from near Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan on the same day.
The flocking of group and individual demonstrators to Yongsan is expected to accelerate in the future, as a local court on Wednesday allowed protest marches within 100 meters of the new presidential office compound.
Throughout Wednesday, civic and social organizations held press conferences one after another in front of the main gate of the War Memorial of Korea located just across the street from the new presidential office.
The National Public Transport Workers' Union, an affiliate of the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and Rep. Bae Jin-kyo of the minor opposition Justice Party, held a joint news conference there to urge Yoon to accelerate the conversion of non-regular workers in the public sector to regular workers in accordance with an agreement signed with the preceding Moon Jae-in government.
They stressed that promises made in the name of the Korean government should be properly kept and implemented regardless of regime change.
Then, employees of Asiana KO, a subcontractor of Asiana Airlines Inc., met reporters on the same spot to demand the reinstatement of dismissed workers.
In the afternoon, a civic group from Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, held a press conference there to call for the business suspension of Legoland Korea, which recently opened in the Gangwon Province city, over three accidents and the punishment of those responsible. The Progressive Party held a news conference to demand the Yoon government change its policies on nuclear energy and power company privatization.
As many as eight one-person protesters, most of them relocating from a square next to Cheong Wa Dae, also secured their respective positions on the sidewalk in front of the war memorial's west gate from the early morning. They were holding pickets with various phrases appealing to the president.
The atmosphere in the Yongsan district was generally calm, as police officers were intensively deployed on streets around the presidential office and stood in every alley leading to the office. But there were some disturbances.
A protester, who said he had staged a one-person demonstration in front of Cheong Wa Dae for the past five years over his damage caused by forced urban redevelopment, clashed with police while trying to set up a single-person tent on the sidewalk in front of the war memorial at around 11 a.m.
Police permitted only news conferences and one-person protests within 100 meters of the presidential office building after interpreting the current law as banning assemblies and demonstrations in the areas. Accordingly, the only rally in the Yongsan district on Wednesday was held near Samgakji Station, a subway station on Line 4 and Line 6 that is located outside the 100-meter radius.
But the landscape is likely to change a lot in the future, as the Seoul Administrative Court put the brakes on the police ban on assemblies and demonstrations within 100 meters of the presidential office in its ruling on a petition filed by activists opposed to discrimination against sexual minorities.
In its ruling, the court permitted marches within 100 meters of Yongsan's presidential office but banned marchers from staying in one place continuously in consideration of security and vehicle congestion concerns.
(END)
5. Yoon Starts Presidency by Meeting Foreign Dignitaries
Yoon Starts Presidency by Meeting Foreign Dignitaries
May 11, 2022 09:40
President Yoon Seok-youl began his term in office on Tuesday by landing an invitation to China. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, who was here for Yoon's inauguration, passed on an invitation from President Xi Jinping.
Wang quoted Xi as saying he hoped Korea will develop and live in peace under Yoon's leadership. Xi did not visit Korea in the five years of former President Moon Jae-in's presidency.
President Yoon Seok-youl poses for a photo with Douglas Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Yongsan, Seoul on Tuesday. /Newsis
Yoon also met delegates from other foreign countries who attended the inauguration. The first foreign delegation in his new office in Yongsan was led by Douglas Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
Yoon said the bilateral alliance made it possible for Korea to prosper and Emhoff's visit shows it has a bright future.
Emhoff delivered a personal letter from U.S. President Joe Biden in which he expressed hopes of cooperating closely with Yoon over the next five years.
Yoon then met Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who also handed him a letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Yoon expressed hopes that the two leaders "will try together to improve bilateral relations. I look forward to meeting [Kishida] as soon as possible."
President Yoon Seok-youl and first lady Kim Keon-hee attend a banquet at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Tuesday. /Yonhap
Yoon ended his first day with a banquet at Hotel Shilla in downtown Seoul, where guests were served with a mixture of traditional Korean dishes made from locally-sourced ingredients throughout the country and some fusion recipes. A spokesman said the dinner was "a combination of cuisines" to symbolize national unity and also global harmony and exchanges.
Yoon's main office at the new presidential building in Yongsan will be on the second floor in a bid to increase transparency since the press room is on the ground floor, but Yoon is temporarily using the fifth floor until the renovation is complete. His presidential quarters in Hannam-dong are also under renovation, so he will commute from his home in Seocho-dong for a while.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
6. U.S., S. Korea share common objective of denuclearizing Korean Peninsula: State Dept.
To achieve denuclearization we have to look past denuclearization - a free and unified Korea.
U.S., S. Korea share common objective of denuclearizing Korean Peninsula: State Dept. | Yonhap News Agency
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Yonhap) -- The United States and South Korea share a common objective of completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and will continue to coordinate closely on ways to achieve that goal, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday.
State Department Press Secretary Ned Price made the remarks after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his government will help revive North Korea's economy if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear ambition.
"We have been and we will continue to coordinate closely with the ROK to address the threat posed by the DPRK's unlawful WMD programs, its ballistic missile program as well, and to advance our shared objective on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Price said when asked about Yoon's offer for North Korea, referring to South and North Korea by their official names, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.
"It's an objective we share with this ROK government," he added. "And I know that we look forward to the opportunities ahead over the phone, in person, including when the president travels to the ROK in just a matter of days, to continue these discussions with the new ROK administration on how we can advance and promote that goal."
U.S. President Joe Biden is set to visit Seoul next week for a summit with Yoon, who took office on Tuesday (Seoul time).
North Korea has avoided denuclearization talks since late 2019. It has also ignored all U.S. overtures since Biden took office early last year.
Price reiterated U.S. concerns over North Korea's continuing provocations, which the state department earlier said may include a nuclear test before the end of the month.
"I wouldn't want to put a specific timeframe on it," he said when asked about the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test before Biden's trip to Asia from May 20-24 that will also take him to Japan.
"We have seen three ICBM tests. We have seen additional ballistic missile tests, and we have spoken of our concern that the DPRK may mount another nuclear test in the near term," he added.
(END)
7. N. Korea likely to continue nuclear, missile development in 2022: US military
I wonder if there are any dissenting opinions within the IC. Does anything think this is not an accurate assessment?
(LEAD) N. Korea likely to continue nuclear, missile development in 2022: US military | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of remarks from the director of national intelligence, minor edits in paras 2, 10-13; ADDS photo)
By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is expected to continue advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities this year to increase its leverage in any potential negotiations with the United States, the top U.S. military intelligence official said Tuesday.
The remarks by Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, come amid speculation that Pyongyang may conduct a nuclear test as early as this month.
"We expect North Korea to continue its nuclear, missile, and military modernization efforts in 2022 as it emphasizes bolstering its strategic deterrence and countering the military capabilities of the U.S.–South Korean alliance," Berrier said in a global threat assessment report submitted to the Senate armed services committee before a budget hearing.
"Kim Jong-un will likely use these developments to try to increase his leverage in any potential negotiations with the United States," he added, referring to the North Korean leader by his name.
North Korea has already staged 15 rounds of missile launches this year, while also ending its self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile testing after more than four years by firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in March.
Berrier noted the North may conduct additional weapons tests, including a nuclear test.
"To demonstrate North Korean strength and resolve, leadership could consider further missile testing of various ballistic and cruise missiles, conduct a cyberattack, or test another nuclear device," he said.
A state department spokesperson said last week that the North may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test as early as this month.
Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear tests, with the last test held in September 2017.
Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said the North continues to produce fissile materials, including uranium, for nuclear weapons.
"Fissile material production continues in North Korea, which maintains its plutonium program and probably is expanding it uranium enrichment program," she said in her own threat assessment report submitted to the Senate committee.
"Kim remains strongly committed to expanding the country's nuclear weapons arsenal and continuing ballistic missile research and development," she added.
Berrier noted the North will seek to justify its actions by blaming the U.S. and South Korea.
"North Korea will probably continue to justify its actions by using U.S. policy, South Korea's military modernization, and combined U.S.–South Korean military exercises as pretext to normalize North Korea's military advancements," he said in his report.
The North periodically accuses U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises of being war rehearsals. Seoul and Washington have repeatedly denied the accusation, saying the exercises are strictly defensive in nature and that they harbor no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.
(END)
8. Britain firm on N. Korea sanctions, expects cooperation with S. Korea on Ukraine: minister
Time for South Korea to 'step up" as President. Yoon wrote in his Foreign Affairs article. Ukraine is one place to step up.
(Yonhap Interview) Britain firm on N. Korea sanctions, expects cooperation with S. Korea on Ukraine: minister | Yonhap News Agency
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- A top British official emphasized the need for the strict enforcement of international sanctions against North Korea and reaffirmed London's commitment to continued support for "a diplomatic solution" for peace on the peninsula.
Amanda Milling, minister of state for Asia and the Middle East, also described South Korea as a key partner in London's regional strategy and expressed hope for its proactive role in dealing with the Ukraine issue.
"Sanctions (on Pyongyang) must continue to be strictly enforced," she said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the British ambassador's official residence in Seoul on Tuesday.
She pointed out that the North's missile and nuclear programs pose a "real threat" to regional and global stability, and stressed that U.N. sanctions should remain in place until it takes concrete steps toward "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization."
The North has continued to escalate tensions with a string of provocative acts, including ballistic missile launches and reported preparations for another nuclear test.
The U.N. Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting in New York on Wednesday (local time) to discuss the problem. Britain is a veto-wielding member of the council. South Korea, though not a formal member, also plans to attend it as a country directly concerned over the issue.
"As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, we will continue to support the United States in efforts and work closely with our international partners for a diplomatic solution," she added.
Milling, a member of Parliament, was on a visit here as Britain's chief delegate to the inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol earlier Tuesday. She paid a courtesy call on Yoon and handed a book written by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, "The Churchill Factor," to him. She also had a meeting with Park Jin, Yoon's pick for foreign minister.
Among the major topics in the meetings was the ongoing war in Ukraine, with ways to add pressure on Russia and cooperate on post-war recovery efforts in Ukraine discussed, according to Milling.
South Korea has provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine, maintaining a cautious approach toward whether to join arms supplies.
"South Korea can go further in terms of supporting the international community in both condemning Russia but also the actions that we can take against (Vladimir) Putin's regime," she said, stressing the importance of "action." She stopped short of elaborating.
On the relationship between Seoul and London, she noted it has deepened in recent years and has the potential for further development.
Britain views South Korea as "a key partner" in its "tilt" toward the Indo-Pacific and has high expectations for the new government in terms of its pledge for Seoul to play a greater role in regional and global affairs.
"We really welcome President Yoon's foreign and national security blueprint, which is a new vision of the Asia-Pacific and his support and desire for a global order based on a kind of liberal democratic values," she said.
The minister also hoped for expanded bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, including trade, climate, technology and health, welcoming Seoul's "strong commitment and high ambition" regarding the issue of modifying their free trade agreement (FTA) that went into effect in January 2021.
The two sides could enhance the FTA via upcoming renegotiations in terms of emerging issues, including rules of origin and investment provisions, as well as digital, climate and SMEs, she said, adding, "We feel that we can go further."
(END)
9. Former deputy national security adviser tapped as new spy agency chief
Yes, an interesting and diverse background.
(profile) Former deputy national security adviser tapped as new spy agency chief | Yonhap News Agency
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- Kim Kyou-hyun, tapped as new chief of South Korea's state intelligence agency under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is known for his broad expertise on diplomacy and his versatile career ranging from defense to national security.
Kim, who served as deputy national security adviser to former conservative President Park Geun-hye, has worked in several key posts, especially handling affairs related to the United States, since joining the foreign service in 1980.
He served as first vice foreign minister and minister at the South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C. before being appointed the deputy national security adviser in 2014. As head of the secretariat of the National Security Council the same year, he led the South Korean delegation at the first high-level talks with North Korea in seven years.
Kim doubled as senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and second deputy national security adviser from 2015 to 2017.
Working as an official in charge of international cooperation at the defense ministry in 2006, he dealt with various issues on the Seoul-Washington alliance, including a push for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) to Seoul.
Kim has earned a reputation for his strong leadership and negotiation skills during his time at the foreign ministry as well as strategic insight on national security.
Under the Moon Jae-in administration, he was investigated by prosecutors for allegedly doctoring documents on Cheong Wa Dae's response to a deadly ferry sinking in 2014 but was not punished.
Born in 1953, Kim has a rather unique educational background with a dentistry degree from Seoul National University. He received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 1994.
(END)
10. Yoon expresses hope for reopening of Seoul-Tokyo air route to bolster exchanges
Don't be misled by the headline as I was. This is the route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports, not Inchon and Narita. I flew this route in 2019 (first time flying onto Kimpo since 2000 and the airport has held up well considering its age).
Yoon expresses hope for reopening of Seoul-Tokyo air route to bolster exchanges | Yonhap News Agency
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday that South Korea will take steps to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports this month so as to bolster exchanges between the two countries.
Yoon made the remark during a meeting with a Japanese parliamentary delegation visiting him on his second day in office, stressing that restoring frayed relations between the two countries will serve the interests of both sides.
He said the government plans to set up antivirus measures at Seoul's Gimpo International Airport to test all travelers before reopening the route to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
"If Japan can exempt them so that they can immediately do business in Japan, I expect the restoration of the Gimpo-Haneda route can lead to active exchanges between our two peoples," Yoon told the delegation who came to Seoul to attend his inauguration ceremony the previous day.
Yoon expressed hope that the two sides will open a new frontier in their relationship in the spirit of a 1998 joint declaration by then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi.
"South Korea and Japan are the closest neighbors and key cooperation partners that share liberal democratic values and a market economy," Yoon said. "Restoring and improving stagnant South Korea-Japan relations at an early date is in both countries' common interest."
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated to their worst level in years amid ongoing disputes over wartime sex slaves, forced labor and other issues stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Fukushiro Nukaga, a lawmaker of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, said he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before departing for Seoul, and that Kishida had three things to say.
The first was that the most important thing is to improve bilateral relations based on the friendly cooperative relationship that was formed following the normalization of ties in 1965.
Kishida also stressed the importance of strengthening strategic cooperation trilaterally with the United States and resuming active exchanges between the South Korean and Japanese people, Nukaga said.
(END)
11. Yoon Suk-yeol has busy second day as president with a more casual style
Note the photo at the link. Although it is unusual to see a photo of the president and staff working in shirt sleeves, I notice they remain in "uniform" - all with white shirts and coonservative ties!
As I have written, President Yoon is vulnerable to criticism for appearing to be too close or for trying to emulate the US. Note the White House comment and the "stern" response comment from DEFMIN Lee.
President Yoon's apparent alignment with the US is due to ROK interests that happen to be in synch with the US. He will have to counter the propaganda from the north and the criticism from his political opposition that he is "kowtowing" to the US.
Newly inaugurated Lee, a retired three-star general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), made the remarks in his first meeting with top military brass under the Yoon administration to evaluate North Korean trends and review the South's readiness posture. Attendees included the JCS chief and commander-level officials.
...
He continued, "If North Korea carries out a direct provocation, we will respond sternly and immediately, according to the rights to self-defense."
...
In an inaugural address, Yoon promised North Korea an "audacious plan" to help its economy in exchange for progress towards its "complete denuclearization."
Starting his second day in office Wednesday morning, Yoon arrived at the presidential compound by motorcade at around 8:30 a.m. after a 12-minute commute from his residence in Seocho District, southern Seoul. He will be commuting to work in this fashion for the next month or so until the foreign ministers' residence is remodeled into a new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, near the Defense Ministry compound.
He is working from a temporary presidential office on the fifth floor of the Defense Ministry main building, while his permanent office is remodeled on the second floor.
Yoon has pushed for a "free" and open communications style, modeled after the White House. His aides were urged to remove their jackets to appear more casual at their first meeting.
Wednesday
May 11, 2022
Yoon Suk-yeol has busy second day as president with a more casual style
President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at his first meeting with senior presidential secretaries at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul Wednesday, with jackets off for a more casual look. [YONHAP]
President Yoon Suk-yeol called on his aides to monitor the impact of a possible North Korean nuclear test on security and state affairs in his first meeting with senior secretaries Wednesday.
Kicking off a busy second day in office, Yoon held the meeting with senior presidential secretaries at his new office in the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan District, central Seoul, and discussed security and economic challenges.
"The current security situation is tough," said Yoon. "There's talk of a resumption of [North Korea's] nuclear tests, and foreign countries are concerned. In case such a situation occurs, you will have to closely monitor and prepare for not only how it affects security but other areas of state affairs."
Yoon's remarks came after North Korea conducted a series of missile launches in recent weeks, heightening tensions on the peninsula. On March 24, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), breaking a self-imposed moratorium on longer-range missiles kept since late 2017.
Analysts have said that North Korea could also be preparing a seventh nuclear test, possibly around U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul next week for a summit with Yoon scheduled for May 21.
During Wednesday's meeting, Yoon also addressed economic difficulties, saying inflation was the biggest problem.
On the same day, Yoon's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup called for a "stern and immediate" response in case of a "direct provocation" from Pyongyang.
Newly inaugurated Lee, a retired three-star general and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), made the remarks in his first meeting with top military brass under the Yoon administration to evaluate North Korean trends and review the South's readiness posture. Attendees included the JCS chief and commander-level officials.
They evaluated North Korea's recent missile provocations, including its ICBM and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches, as well as signs of preparations for a nuclear test at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site North Hamgyong Province.
"The security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the advancement of North Korea's missile threat and the possibility of a nuclear test, is very serious," said Lee, according to his ministry. "We must maintain a firm readiness posture in the domains of land, sea and air to proactively respond to security threats from all directions."
He continued, "If North Korea carries out a direct provocation, we will respond sternly and immediately, according to the rights to self-defense."
In his inaugural speech, Lee also pledged to strengthen the South's three-axis system designed to counter North Korean security threats.
The South Korean three-axis system was a term abandoned by the Moon Jae-in administration and revived by Yoon during his presidential campaign. It refers to three defenses against North Korean nuclear and missile threats: a Kill Chain pre-emptive strike system, Korean Air and Missile Defense system and Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation plan.
On Wednesday, Yoon appointed Kim Kyou-hyun, a former deputy national security adviser and vice former minister, as director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Kwon Chun-taek, a former NIS official and diplomat, was named first deputy director of the NIS, a post that directly deals with North Korea intelligence.
Yoon was sworn in as Korean president in a ceremony Tuesday attended by some 41,000 people including former presidents and foreign dignitaries.
In an inaugural address, Yoon promised North Korea an "audacious plan" to help its economy in exchange for progress towards its "complete denuclearization."
Starting his second day in office Wednesday morning, Yoon arrived at the presidential compound by motorcade at around 8:30 a.m. after a 12-minute commute from his residence in Seocho District, southern Seoul. He will be commuting to work in this fashion for the next month or so until the foreign ministers' residence is remodeled into a new presidential residence in Hannam-dong, near the Defense Ministry compound.
He is working from a temporary presidential office on the fifth floor of the Defense Ministry main building, while his permanent office is remodeled on the second floor.
Yoon has pushed for a "free" and open communications style, modeled after the White House. His aides were urged to remove their jackets to appear more casual at their first meeting.
Later in the day, Yoon met with more foreign dignitaries who had attended his inauguration the previous day, including Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Yoon also held meetings with delegations from Canada, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
To a Japanese parliamentary delegation led by Fukushiro Nukaga, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and chairman of the Japan-Korea Parliamentarians' Union, Yoon said, "It is in the common interest of the two countries to restore and improve the stagnant Korea-Japan relations as soon as possible."
Yoon stressed that Japan is South Korea's "closest neighbor and a major cooperative partner that shares liberal democratic values and a market economy," adding that he looks forward to "opening new horizons in our cooperative relationship."
Megawati delivered a congratulatory letter from Indonesian President Joko Widodo extending an invitation to Jakarta.
Yoon noted that Touader's visit was the first by the Central African Republic's president to Seoul in 20 years.
He also held a group meeting with delegates from Qatar, Nigeria, Ecuador and Mongolia.
Yoon later attended a reception for overseas Koreans at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, central Seoul.
12. China tries to prevent South Korea from joining US-led coalition
Strategic competition between the US and the PRC over influence on the Korean peninsula.
Excerpts:
"The Wang dispatch and his remarks reflect the Chinese government's concerns that the new Korean government may turn away from the balanced diplomacy and support the U.S.' anti-China alliance," Chung added.
During his meeting with Yoon, Wang suggested five proposals for Korea-China relations, one of which said the two sides should jointly boost coordination and cooperation on affairs related to the Korean Peninsula, while appropriately handling sensitive issues. Those remarks appeared to be mindful of possible Korean support for the anti-China platforms.
"There are a bulk of the U.S.-led platforms, aimed at containing China, and there are the Quad, the envisaged Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, AUKUS and of course, THAAD," Chung said.
AUKUS is an enhanced trilateral security partnership, comprised of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. and THAAD stands for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a U.S. anti-missile shield.
"For China's part, it hopes that the Korean government will not join them," Chung added.
China tries to prevent South Korea from joining US-led coalition
President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan during their meeting in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Yoon's strong commitment to Korea-US alliance, ironically, bolsters leverage in ties with China
By Kang Seung-woo
Chinese leader Xi Jinping's invitation to President Yoon Suk-yeol on the day of his inauguration reflects Beijing's attempt to keep Seoul from getting closer to Washington amid an ever-intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.
In an unprecedented move, China's Vice President Wang Qishan, the highest-level official sent by the Chinese government to Seoul on the occasion of Korea's leadership change, made the invitation public following his meeting with Yoon, Tuesday.
In response, Yoon thanked Xi for the invitation, adding that he was looking forward to meeting his Chinese counterpart in Seoul. Xi's unexpected invitation came just ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's scheduled visit to Seoul. Yoon and Biden will hold their first summit in Seoul, May 21
"Given that the Yoon administration is seeking to strengthen its alliance with the United States or bolster trilateral cooperation among Korea, the U.S. and Japan as the priority of its foreign policy direction, which is drastically different from the Moon Jae-in government's balanced diplomacy, the Chinese government wants the new Korean government to at least maintain its existing stance," said Chung Jae-hung, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute.
Under the Moon administration, Korea walked a tightrope between its security ally, the U.S., and largest trade partner, China, avoiding joining the Washington-led anti-Beijing coalition. Wielding its economic status, Beijing has also made efforts to have Seoul distance itself from Washington as it perceives Korea as the weakest link in the U.S. alliance network. Such efforts appear to have paid off.
However, Yoon has vowed to make a shift in diplomacy and place the alignment with Washington at the center of his foreign policy priorities.
"The Wang dispatch and his remarks reflect the Chinese government's concerns that the new Korean government may turn away from the balanced diplomacy and support the U.S.' anti-China alliance," Chung added.
During his meeting with Yoon, Wang suggested five proposals for Korea-China relations, one of which said the two sides should jointly boost coordination and cooperation on affairs related to the Korean Peninsula, while appropriately handling sensitive issues. Those remarks appeared to be mindful of possible Korean support for the anti-China platforms.
"There are a bulk of the U.S.-led platforms, aimed at containing China, and there are the Quad, the envisaged Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, AUKUS and of course, THAAD," Chung said.
AUKUS is an enhanced trilateral security partnership, comprised of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. and THAAD stands for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a U.S. anti-missile shield.
"For China's part, it hopes that the Korean government will not join them," Chung added.
Lee Sang-man, director of the China Center at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, believes that it is time to re-establish Korea's relations with China under the Yoon administration, saying that Seoul has secured initial leverage in bilateral ties.
"Yoon's strong rhetoric that his administration will closely work with the U.S. in terms of its foreign policy has struck a nerve in the Chinese government, which pre-emptively made a gesture by sending Wang, Xi's so-called right-hand man, to the inauguration ceremony," said Lee, who previously denounced Yoon's anti-China remarks as being "unrealistic."
"For now, we have gained leverage, giving us more room to maneuver."
Saying the Yoon administration is filled with experts on U.S. relations who are hostile toward China, Korea needs to flexibly take advantage of the current situation in its relations with China, while standing firm in response to possible economic retaliation, Lee noted.
Since Korea approved the deployment of a THAAD battery on its soil in 2016, China has been carrying out an economic retaliation campaign by imposing unofficial boycotts on Korean products and enforcing tourism restrictions. China claims that the system's radar can be used to spy on its military maneuvers.
13. State Dept. reacts to Yoon's North Korea policy
My words for the DEFMIN's comments, in response to a north Korean kinetic provocation, respond decisively at the time and (in the vicinity of the) place of the attack.
Excerpts:
Meanwhile, Seoul’s New Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop vowed Wednesday that South Korea would “respond firmly in the name of self-defense” if the North commits a “tactical provocation.”
Lee’s remarks, made at his appointment ceremony at the Defense Ministry, were interpreted as a reference to acts of armed hostility committed by the North against the South, such as the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, both of which took place in 2010 during the conservative administration of Lee Myung-bak.
Wednesday
May 11, 2022
State Dept. reacts to Yoon's North Korea policy
Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop pays his respects at the National Cemetary in Dongjak District, southern Seoul on Wednesday following his appointment ceremony. [YONHAP]
The United States and South Korea remain committed to the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula and will continue to coordinate closely to achieve that goal, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said Tuesday after President Yoon Suk-yeol outlined a North Korea policy in his inaugural address Tuesday.
“We have been and we will continue to coordinate closely with the ROK to address the threat posed by the DPRK's unlawful WMD programs, its ballistic missile program as well, and to advance our shared objective on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” U.S. State Department Press Secretary Ned Price said, referring to North and South Korea by the acronyms for their respective official names, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
Price made the remarks after being asked about South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s promise to deliver assistance to revive North Korea’s economy if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons program.
Meanwhile, Seoul’s New Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop vowed Wednesday that South Korea would “respond firmly in the name of self-defense” if the North commits a “tactical provocation.”
Lee’s remarks, made at his appointment ceremony at the Defense Ministry, were interpreted as a reference to acts of armed hostility committed by the North against the South, such as the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, both of which took place in 2010 during the conservative administration of Lee Myung-bak.
Tensions between North and South Korea have historically worsened when the presidency in Seoul has switched hands from liberals to conservatives, although how much of this is due to conservatives’ harder line towards Pyongyang remains a matter a debate among experts.
While the North has played down Yoon’s election victory in tightly controlled domestic media reports, it has kept up a steady stream of missile launches that began in January in the days leading up to his inauguration.
Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff have reported two missile launches by the secretive North last week, with one ballistic missile launch detected on May 4 and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launch on Saturday.
North Korean state media did not issue reports on either test, leaving observers to ponder the message — and technological significance — of the tests.
Following the May 4 launch and absence of a customary report the following day from state media, experts surmised the North was either maintaining silence because the test fell short of expectations or because they were preparing a bigger test.
However, the regime’s silence continued after the SLBM test on the weekend, which South Korean military experts have determined was a mini-SLBM.
Experts judged it to be an improved version of the KN-23 — a North Korean version of Iskander, a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system — due to its flight characteristics.
“The performance must have improved. It was not just a simple modification,” said former National Defense University professor Kwon Yong-soo. “That would make interception more difficult.”
Following the SLBM test, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry joined the United States and Japan in calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council this week.
Under successive Security Council resolutions, Pyongyang is banned from conducting tests of ballistic missile technology.
14. Outnumbered ruling party faces difficult challenges
The "ruling" party might not be able to "rule."
Outnumbered ruling party faces difficult challenges
People Power Party seeks to wield influence with public opinion
Published : May 11, 2022 - 14:51 Updated : May 11, 2022 - 14:51
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong (center), floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, is on his way to attend a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. (Joint Press Corps)
South Korea’s conservative People Power Party has become the ruling political party as of Tuesday with President Yoon Suk-yeol starting his five-year term, but the party faces a steep uphill battle at the parliament with weak legislative power and comparatively small foothold.
The People Power Party is outnumbered and essentially has no power to push any legislative agenda on its own. It was only since last year that the conservative party recovered enough to start staging comebacks in critical elections, paring back losses over the past five years.
At the moment, the People Power Party controls 109 out of 300 seats at the National Assembly, and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has almost absolute power in the parliament by controlling 168 seats. When combining forces with other Democratic Party-friendly legislators, the liberal party can control as many as 175 seats.
With incomparably small foothold, the People Power Party has no choice but to request for help and cooperation from the Democratic Party in trying to fulfill the initiatives set by the Yoon administration, but the liberal party has been anything but accommodating in recent weeks.
The Democratic Party has deliberately sought to delay the confirmation procedures for a number of Yoon’s Cabinet picks with rigorous checks on ministerial nominees.
Yoon started his presidential term Tuesday with only seven ministers whose confirmation hearings ended successfully with reports signed and sealed by the National Assembly. Confirmation processes are still underway for the prime minister nominee and 11 other ministerial nominees.
The Democratic Party has especially opposed the appointment of Yoon’s Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo and Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, threatening to use its parliamentary dominance to prevent any nominees it deems unqualified from serving in the Cabinet.
In South Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval, and the president can appoint figures for any other ministerial posts without gaining approval from the legislative branch.
The Democratic Party has also vocally opposed the Yoon administration’s move to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which requires revisions to the Government Organization Act to be discussed and approved at the National Assembly.
Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, submitted a bill on the matter last week, but the Democratic Party has doubled down on keeping the ministry intact.
The main opposition party has certainly shown the public what it’s capable of when it’s determined. It unilaterally passed two controversial bills on stripping investigative powers from the prosecution.
Late last month, the Democratic Party used its majority power in the parliament to forcefully shut down filibuster attempts from the People Power Party so it could stage new provisional assembly sessions and put the proposed revisions to the Prosecutors’ Office Act and the Criminal Procedure Act to a final vote.
The two bills were promulgated into official law at former President Moon Jae-in’s last Cabinet meeting on May 3.
The People Power Party is determined to rely on public opinion as its power in waging legislative negotiations, believing that the Democratic Party would also fear public backlash if it wants to stay put in elections and maintain their threshold.
“To overcome this situation of being a party with the minority government, I will have the public opinion stay on our side,” Kweon said upon winning the floor leader election on April 8.
“I will correctly analyze the reason behind our party’s victory in the presidential election while consistently pursuing the core campaign promises that were welcomed by the people and fulfilling them as real outcomes.”
The People Power Party insisted the Democratic Party work toward unity and cooperation upon the Yoon administration’s launch, saying the people should not be hurt from the “haughtiness and self-complacency” of the Democratic Party.
“The Democratic Party has received a cold ruling from the people in the presidential election and should be on course to stay in line with public sentiment,” Rep. Kim Hyung-dong, a spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement Tuesday.
“But it has shown no regrets and is weaponizing its dominance in terms of number of legislative seats to continue its politics of haughtiness and self-complacency.”
Yet the party’s first attempt to rely on public opinion ended unsuccessful, as the liberal party bulldozed its prosecution reform drive without consideration of the public acceptance. The conservative party asked the liberal party to reconsider, as the public is not too receptive of the bills under discussion.
According to a Realmeter poll of 1,017 adults conducted on April 13, 52.1 percent of respondents said they were opposed to completely stripping investigative powers from the prosecution, as opposed to 38.2 percent who agreed the move should be put into place.
Backed by Yoon’s vocal opposition to the initiative, Kweon and his party proposed to hold a national referendum on the prosecution reform on the sidelines of the June 1 local elections, but the Democratic Party ignored the suggestion and used its legislative majority to pass both bills.
15. Visiting Japanese reps pledge warmer ties
Good words. But actions speak louder than words. And we need positive action from both sides.
Wednesday
May 11, 2022
Visiting Japanese reps pledge warmer ties
Fukushiro Nukaga, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and head of the Japan-Korea parliamentary association, right, greets National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, left, at the Assembly in western Seoul on Wednesday. [OFFICE OF SPEAKER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY]
Korean and Japanese parliamentary members agreed to work to improve relations in a meeting in Seoul on Wednesday.
A Japanese parliamentary delegation headed by Fukushiro Nukaga, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and head of the Japan-Korea parliamentary association, met with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug at the Assembly in western Seoul.
“We hope that Korea and Japan will be able to face their history together and develop a future-oriented relationship from there,” Park said, according to his office.
The Yoon Suk-yeol government, which began its first day on Tuesday, has said it wants to improve ties with Japan.
Relations are in a deep freeze over a number of historical issues including compensation for Korean victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery and forced labor, both of which stem from the 1910-45 Japanese occupation of Korea.
“Both Korea and Japan know fully well each other’s positions [on these issues],” Park said in the meeting. “What we need is resolved will from the leaders to bring both countries to engage on levels deeper than friendly gestures.”
In response, Nukaga stressed that it is important that politics “don’t get in the way of the people,” so they can develop direct people-to-people ties.
Japan recently announced its intention to open its borders to foreign tourists, though only fully vaccinated ones, as early as next month. The country is currently closed to tourists.
The forced labor issue, including court rulings from Korea to liquidate some Japanese companies’ assets to compensate forced laborers, was discussed during the meeting, according to the speaker’s office.
Traveling with Nukaga in the delegation were lawmakers Takeo Kawamura and Seishiro Eto.
From the Korean side, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-jung joined the meeting.
16. Yoon says inflation is biggest problem in first secretary meeting
Excerpt:
“The economy is challenging right now. The biggest problem is the price,” Yoon said at the meeting in the morning.
Yoon says inflation is biggest problem in first secretary meeting
President tells senior secretaries to keep close eye on economic indicators
Published : May 11, 2022 - 15:30 Updated : May 11, 2022 - 17:22
President Yoon Suk-yeol (Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday raised concerns about rising inflation and economic difficulties in his first meeting with senior aides, telling them to keep a close eye on economic indicators and find measures to combat inflation.
“The economy is challenging right now. The biggest problem is the price,” Yoon said at the meeting in the morning.
His remarks come as Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho on the same day outlined price stability as a top priority policy task.
In recent months, growing consumer good prices have increased the burden on households. The inflation rate jumped to 4.1 percent in March and 4.8 percent in April after staying at 3 percent for five consecutive months from October last year, according to Statistics Korea.
“International raw material prices are fluctuating due to the Ukraine crisis, and wheat prices, in particular, have skyrocketed, affecting our diet,” Yoon said. “Energy prices and all these things have gone up, the red light is just coming on in industrial competitiveness and stagflation.”
Yoon told the officials to monitor various economic indicators and continue to work on how to tamp down inflation.
“If you stay in your own offices, things don’t work normally,” he said, urging them to work until the “soles of the shoes are worn out” and that they should visit his office frequently.
The new president also mentioned security crises such as the North Korean nuclear issue.
“There is a lot of concern in foreign countries, and now there is talk of resuming nuclear tests (of the North),” he said, asking his aides to carefully monitor and prepare for how it will affect other parts of state affairs and security.
This year, North Korea staged 15 weapons tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, raising the severity of the provocation. Amid growing concerns over North Korea’s resumption of nuclear tests, the US has recently requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The Security Council is scheduled to hold a public meeting on Wednesday in New York to discuss North Korea’s recent missile launch.
Regarding some media reports that said there was no mention of “unity” in his inauguration speech on Tuesday, Yoon said he did not include the word because maintaining national unity is part of “what we do every day.”
In his inauguration speech, Yoon used the word “freedom” 35 times but did not mention “unity.”
Former President Moon Jae-in, in his retirement speech Monday, called on the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol government to move toward national unity, which he said had shattered since the election.
After Wednesday’s meeting with his aides, Yoon met with a series of diplomatic missions to Seoul who attended the ceremony.
He met with former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera, Speaker of the Senate of Canada George Furey and Saudi Arabian envoys to discuss ways to promote bilateral cooperation.
At the meeting with former Indonesian President Megawati, Yoon said, “Indonesia is our only special strategic partner in ASEAN. We look forward to the leadership of Indonesia, chair country of the G-20 and ASEAN next year and we ask for your support for Korea.”
Then in a separate meeting, he told Sen. Furey that “Korea and Canada are indispensable countries in terms of value.” The new government will further develop existing relationships to foster exchanges and cooperate with Canada on future industries such as batteries and AI, he said.
17. U.S. 'second gentleman' gets a kick out of Seoul
Excerpt:
What message would you like to send to Korean readers?
So first of all, my message is what I shared with President Yoon yesterday in anticipation of President Biden's visit, to reiterate how important the relationship is between the United States and Korea and how we are all looking forward to the new administration here and our administration moving forward together. We are so closely aligned in all aspects. It’s a very unique, exciting and interesting time for both of our countries. And the fact that the president is coming here, and speaking here, shows how much the United States values this relationship. And I feel very fortunate to be a part of that. And I can't wait to come back and build upon the relationships that I've personally made just in this brief time I've been here.
Wednesday
May 11, 2022
U.S. 'second gentleman' gets a kick out of Seoul
Douglas Emhoff, center, visits Gwangjang Market in Seoul with television personality Hong Seok-cheon, right, on Wednesday. [KIM HYUN-DONG]
"The outgoing President Moon Jae-in and the new President Yoon Suk-yeol shaking hands during the inauguration as the whole world was watching was really impactful. I was honored to watch the scene," said Douglas Emhoff, husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first "second gentleman" of the United States, in an exclusive interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.
U.S. President Joe Biden chose Emhoff to deliver a personal letter to Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for the inauguration. Emhoff was the first foreign dignitary to visit the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Tuesday. The JoongAng Ilbo was the only domestic news outlet to interview Emhoff. The interview was conducted over a course of a day at the U.S. Embassy residence, Habib House.
Emhoff, described by CNN as the “Best 21-century husband,” spoke frankly about gender equality and criticisms of Vice President Harris.
On Tuesday, after visiting the Korean War Memorial in the morning, Emhoff met with members of the U.S. army in Korea and their relatives at the embassy residence. After that, he went to Gwangjang Market to sample its famous food with television personality and restaurateur Hong Seok-cheon, then strolled along nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream to greet passersby.
Security was strict, but the second gentleman maintained his easygoing smile. “He seems like the kind of person who would go to a high-end restaurant but it was nice to see him at the market,” said Cha Hong-gyu, a 70-year-old Seoulite who ate bindaetteok at the same restaurant as Emhoff. “I saw the good side of America in him.”
“Every time a new dish such as kimbap came out, he was curious and delighted, and he was always considerate of the people next to him,” said Hong Seok-cheon. Looking at a previous JoongAng Ilbo article about him from the Dec. 29, 2020 edition, Emhoff said, “I can’t read Korean yet, but the photo is my favorite so I’m glad.”
The following are edited excerpts of conversations with Emhoff.
Q. What were your first impressions of Korea, and were there any memorable moments so far?
A. It was an incredible day and a half. It feels like we’ve been here a week. We’ve put a lot of events into a short amount of time so it has made it really impactful. One, to have had the president of United States ask me to lead the United States delegation to the inauguration of your new president is quite the honor. And two, to see new President Yoon and former President Moon shake hands in front of your entire country and the world, to show that peaceful transfer of power, that to me was so impactful. And it's such a great visual for the world when democracies are under attack all over the world, to have your country show the world how it's done. Also, I was at the Korean War Memorial, and to see how our countries came together all those years ago and are still so close was meaningful. And the real message of this trip and certainly President Biden's upcoming trip is to strengthen an already strong relationship and bring it into the future even closer.
What left an impression on you during your trip?
The food and the culture were impressive. We also got to visit Netflix Korea, and to see all the great things they're doing and to experience the local cuisine in the market was enjoyable. And coming from Los Angeles, I'm already very steeped in Korean culture and Korean food and, and I love kimchi. So I've had it double portions at every single meal since I've been here.
You must feel pressure as the first-ever "second gentleman."
This is my third international trip and all have been incredibly memorable, and have stayed with me. I talk about them within the administration and to the people I meet. The world takes notice when I'm on international trips. The folks in the embassy, they take notice of the trips that are made to other countries. And so being able to come here to the embassy and speak to the folks who have dedicated their lives to public service and in service of their country, our military, and also the spouses and the families who support them, that's the stuff that I'll never forget. And I get almost emotional talking to them and thinking about it because of all the dedication and sacrifice that they have made, not just related to Korea, but also during the trips I made in the first months of the administration over 30 states.
Was there a little bit of frustration for you to have to give up your career as a lawyer?
No frustration at all. It’s an honor. I love my wife. I love my country. Sometimes I say, 'I did this for love and country.' But I also love my career. I did it for 30 years. I humbly say I was very good at it and I was successful. And I think for all people in careers, you have to really love what you do. And if you love what you do, you're going to get a lot out of it. And I really loved being a lawyer, but when this opportunity came up, there was not even a question that I was going to take a step back so my wife can become the first woman vice president and do everything I can to help her succeed.
That is a ringing message, not just for those in the U.S. but also in Korea.
Lifting women up so that they can carry out important roles is a very manly thing. It’s also good for economic growth, to lift women up so that they can do their jobs. That is not taking away opportunities from men, but men and women growing [at the same time]. I also want to say that Vice President Harris lifts me up and helps me with my duties. We help each other. She was also very proud that President Biden chose me to lead the U.S. delegation to your inauguration this time.
Gender equality has become a somewhat sensitive topic in Korea these days. Do you have a message for the men and women of Korea?
I have spoken very publicly and loudly about equity and gender equity in particular, and how important it is for men to lift up women and not keep them down. It is not only a question of fairness. It's a question of equality, but it's also good for men. Women succeeding doesn't mean men don't succeed. Women succeeding means women are succeeding and men can also succeed. And I would also argue that when we lift up women, we lift up our entire economy and we lift up the organizations in which we work, whether it's a business, government, education or military, whatever organization you're in. So it's a false choice to suggest that by women succeeding, a man is missing out.
I think men all over the world need to understand that. And by lifting up women, they're going to lift up everyone including themselves and create more opportunity for everyone. I would also say working for the first woman vice president in the United States, and being married to her, it helps our entire administration. I was just here at the embassy meeting, the folks that work here and the women in the military, all coming up to me, some with tears in their eyes, grabbing my hand, telling me to make sure I tell her what she means to them. The fact that my wife was able to go from district attorney to attorney general to Senator, to now vice president of the United States of America, shows women all across our country, but all across the world, what is possible. And this representation, it matters.
There is still a lot of criticism of the Vice President. What is your take on this?
We say it comes with the territory. It’s part of being in politics. It's part of taking on a leadership role, but she's tough. She's strong. And nothing affects her. And as I mentioned, she was an elected district attorney of San Francisco, an elected attorney general of the biggest state in the union, in California, elected United States Senator now elected Vice President. So she doesn't have time to focus on anything other than working for the American people, period.
What message would you like to send to Korean readers?
So first of all, my message is what I shared with President Yoon yesterday in anticipation of President Biden's visit, to reiterate how important the relationship is between the United States and Korea and how we are all looking forward to the new administration here and our administration moving forward together. We are so closely aligned in all aspects. It’s a very unique, exciting and interesting time for both of our countries. And the fact that the president is coming here, and speaking here, shows how much the United States values this relationship. And I feel very fortunate to be a part of that. And I can't wait to come back and build upon the relationships that I've personally made just in this brief time I've been here.
18. Yoon's inauguration ceremony raises hope for inclusive, multicultural society
Yoon's inauguration ceremony raises hope for inclusive, multicultural society
Migrant women attend a Korean language class at a multicultural family support center in Seongbuk District, Seoul, in this undated file photo. Korea Times file
Experts call for tailored approach to meet diverse needs of migrants
By Lee Hyo-jin
President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony held in the National Assembly on Tuesday has raised hope for an inclusive society among the multicultural community in Korea. The ceremony featured a performance by the Rainbow Choir, a choral group made up of the children of multicultural families, and an immigrant from Cambodia, who was selected as one among 20 members of the public to walk together onto the stage with Yoon.
At a bell-ringing ceremony held prior to the inauguration, an immigrant from the Philippines was invited to be present as one of the 20 representatives of people from different regions and social backgrounds.
Migrants' rights activists said it was encouraging to see residents of foreign nationality better represented, with some interpreting their presence as a sign that the Yoon administration would broaden the nation's immigration policy over the next five years.
Cha Yun-kyung, board chairman of the Migrant Youth Foundation, called for comprehensive migrant policies encompassing the diversifying needs of foreign residents.
"The previous government's multicultural policies were heading in the right direction in general, but they lacked a tailored approach," Cha told The Korea Times.
He explained, "In the early 2000s, the government's multicultural policies were mainly focused on promoting international marriages in rural regions and were limited to helping foreign wives adapt to society. But over the two decades, foreign national residents have grown not only in number but also in diversity."
"Therefore, the various difficulties experienced by migrants depending on their age, occupation and nationality should be addressed separately."
In particular, Cha viewed that the government should pay more attention to the challenges faced by undocumented migrant children, or those born between foreign nationals who are undocumented.
Although there is no official data, the number of children who are undocumented in Korea is estimated to be around 20,000. As they are virtually invisible according to government records, these children are deprived of basic human rights to education, health and protection from violence.
"On top of humanitarian issues, the continued neglect and alienation of these children could backfire as a huge burden to society," he said, stressing that undocumented children should immediately be guaranteed such basic rights.
Children of multicultural backgrounds attend a foreign language and culture class at an elementary school in Seoul in this undated file photo. Korea Times file
Moon Sook-hyun, head of the Ansan Multicultural Family Support Center, said the government should improve its support of the employment of migrant women, who are increasingly wishing to enter the job market, moving away from the outdated stereotypes of foreign national wives as only child bearers and family caregivers under Korea's enduring patriarchal culture.
"Just like Korean nationals, migrant women also want stable employment. But currently, most positions offered to them are unstable, low-paid, part-time jobs in coffee shops or factories," she said. "Many women who come to our center ask how they can get employed in the public sector such as in state-run facilities, where they don't have to worry about their salary payments being delayed or unfair treatment."
Moon also said the government should consider increasing the number of multicultural family support centers across the country amid the quickly culturally diversifying population.
According to Moon, even her multicultural support center in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, which is the largest of its kind in the country, is overburdened with residents who need support in childcare, education and employment.
Meanwhile, the two experts gave mixed opinions on the new government's plan to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which oversees policies for migrant women and their children.
Currently, Korea's immigration policy is handled separately by different branches of the government: the Ministry of Labor covering migrant workers, the Ministry of Gender Equality of Family creating the policy for marriage migrants and their children, the Ministry of Education handling international students, the Ministry of Justice covering visa status and other administrative affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dealing with ethnic Koreans overseas.
"As I've said, the numbers of marriage migrants and their children have drastically increased in recent years. And their diversifying needs seem to have outgrown the ministry's capacity," said Cha. "It is time for the government to establish an overseeing agency dedicated to migrant issues to ensure policy coordination among relevant government bodies."
Moon said, "There are different opinions on that matter. Some view that policies supporting multicultural families should be moved to the Ministry of Health and Welfare as they are welfare measures in a broader sense, while some insist that the Gender Equality and Family Ministry is still the most suitable government organization to carry out the policies."
19. Cadres involved in most recent ballistic missile launches recalled to Pyongyang
Why no proposagnada about recent launches? Were there failures? Is this recall to discipline cadres for failures?
Excerpts:
Accordingly, cadres involved in the last two tests apparently face no substantive punishments such as so-called “revolutionizing measures” — i.e., forced labor or ideological training — for failing to achieve their objectives.
The source said the officials involved in the May 4 test will finish their meetings before the weekend, while those involved in the SLBM test on May 7 will finish early next week.
Accordingly, there is speculation that North Korea may engage in continued shows of force, including nuclear tests and missile launches, in the weeks following the inauguration of South Korea’s new presidential administration.
Professor Lim Eul Chul of South Korea’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) at Kyungnam University said that while it is prudent to wait and see what will happen, North Korea may have discovered that the recent test results were insufficient to demonstrate improvement of the country’s capabilities.
As a result, Pyongyang could publicize everything at once after perfecting the weapons through additional launches, he added.
Cadres involved in most recent ballistic missile launches recalled to Pyongyang - Daily NK
North Korea may engage in continued shows of force, including nuclear tests and missile launches, in the weeks following the inauguration of South Korea’s new president
A photograph released by North Korea after a test launch of a new submarine-based ballistic missile, called the Pukguksong-3, in 2021. (Rodong Sinmun)
North Korean authorities are keeping unusually mum about their two most recent ballistic missile launches.
A high-ranking source in North Korea told Daily NK yesterday that cadres who were involved in the missile launches were recalled to Pyongyang immediately following the tests.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile — presumed to be an ICBM — from Pyongyang’s Sunan area towards the East Sea on May 4.
North Korea usually discloses missile launches in KCNA or other state media the next day while explaining their significance. This time, however, no media reports appeared on May 5.
Moreover, North Korea has issued no reports regarding its launch of an SLBM from the waters off Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, on Saturday.
The source suggested this is because the two recent launches failed to attain their initially targeted thresholds.
He told Daily NK that the North Korean authorities recalled to Pyongyang around 10 individuals from each of the weapons’ development teams on May 5 and 8, the two days that followed each of the tests. Once recalled, the researchers took part in conference meetings.
The around 20 individuals who were recalled were all cadres belonging to the Academy of National Defense Science and Second Economic Committee.
The conferences were focused on giving detailed reports of the results of the launches and analyzing why they failed to achieve their targets, and there are ongoing meetings about how to craft responses to these failures.
According to the source, North Korean authorities do not regard the tests failing to achieve their objectives as a major problem. They are focusing instead on addressing the failures and ensuring that the future development schedule proceeds without a hitch.
This is because with the test schedule pushed back, officials must quickly resolve problems and begin the next stage of testing.
Accordingly, cadres involved in the last two tests apparently face no substantive punishments such as so-called “revolutionizing measures” — i.e., forced labor or ideological training — for failing to achieve their objectives.
The source said the officials involved in the May 4 test will finish their meetings before the weekend, while those involved in the SLBM test on May 7 will finish early next week.
Accordingly, there is speculation that North Korea may engage in continued shows of force, including nuclear tests and missile launches, in the weeks following the inauguration of South Korea’s new presidential administration.
Professor Lim Eul Chul of South Korea’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) at Kyungnam University said that while it is prudent to wait and see what will happen, North Korea may have discovered that the recent test results were insufficient to demonstrate improvement of the country’s capabilities.
As a result, Pyongyang could publicize everything at once after perfecting the weapons through additional launches, he added.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
20. N. Korea permits mass mobilizations of factory workers to agricultural areas
I think this is another indicator of the desperate situation in the north.
You would think they could make better use of their personnel than through drumming. The gentleman standing with the megaphone reminds me of going through SERE training back in the 1980's during the Cold War when much of our resistance training was focused on resisting communist interrogation and indoctrination activities.In addition to the communist style self criticism sessions one of the interesting things I recall is the when they made us do work there would be designated prisoners who would be in charge of morale" and motivation. Three prisoners would stand near everyone else doing work and the first prisoner would have to yell "work harder." The second would have to yell, "work faster." The third in turn would yell as directed by the cadre, "Work more quicklier."
N. Korea permits mass mobilizations of factory workers to agricultural areas - Daily NK
A photo of North Korean farmers spraying pesticides published by North Korean media on May 5. (Rodong Sinmun - News1)
Faced with pressing food and rural labor shortages, North Korea recently began permitting mass mobilizations of factory workers to provide labor in agricultural areas, Daily NK has learned.
A source in South Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that, following a Central Committee order on May 5, the authorities have allowed certain groups of people to move about without travel certificates starting this week.
“While mobilizations of agricultural labor had previously been limited to a handful of organizations such as the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea, factories and enterprises in Pyongyang and in provincial, city, and county jurisdictions will begin full-scale mobilizations of agricultural labor from this week,” he explained.
The source added that the new measure enables unrestricted movement of workers at factories and enterprises to agricultural villages suffering labor shortages.
North Korea has restricted individuals from freely traveling throughout the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest measure shows that, with the start of the farming season, the authorities intend to ensure that workers can move in an unrestricted fashion to agricultural villages.
North Korea has also ordered intensified crackdowns on individuals caught moving around on private business during the farming season. Anyone caught is to be subject to forced labor.
On Aug. 25, 2020, North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security declared a curfew from 8 PM to 5 AM during April to September and 6 PM to 7 AM from October to March. The curfew is still in effect.
Moreover, the authorities completely banned movement between regions, stopping locals from traveling to different cities and counties without a travel certificate.
The source said the authorities have enabled only workers supporting agricultural villages to travel without certificates, taking into account the labor shortages on farms. He said the government’s move to enable this sort of movement amounts to a general mobilization order to support agricultural villages.
Meanwhile, the authorities have ordered factories and enterprises in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, to mobilize workers for farming activities in agricultural villages. Workers at factories located near farms under their purview are being mobilized to work on a daily basis, while workers at factories located more than 50 li (15 miles) from the farms they are supporting are being mobilized in weekly shifts.
The source pointed out, however, that many farm managers are saying they are under pressure because they are now responsible for feeding the workers mobilized to their farms.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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.
