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Quotes of the Day:
"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair."
– C. S. Lewis
"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
– Thomas Jefferson
"The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way you can make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him."
– Henry L. Stimson
1. U.S. experts voice concerns over Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy stance
2. Military chief inspects naval readiness, calls for deterrence against N.K.
3. PPP's interim leader calls for ex-President Yoon to leave party
4. DP's Lee rallies in liberal stronghold; PPP's Kim apologizes for martial law decree
5. Asia’s Role In the US Shipbuilding Surge
6. Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Says It Will Conduct First-Ever Joint Exercise With South Korean Marine Corps
7. Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin meets Trump at Qatar state dinner
8. APEC trade ministers meet in S. Korea amid global trade tension
9. Top S. Korean, U.S. trade negotiators hold talks at APEC meeting
10. USTR Greer holds talks with Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang: Seoul officials
11. DP's Lee leads PPP's Kim 49 pct to 27 pct: poll
12. Tour program to Panmunjom to be resumed this week
13. Drone that allegedly flew over Pyongyang closely resembles ROK asset: Report
14. Number of North Korean defectors in South’s public sector hits record high
15. How Lee Jae-myung wants to reshape foreign policy (IMPORTANT READ)
16. Kim Moon-soo compares Yoon impeachment to 'communist states like North Korea'
17. 'Championing justice, human rights and good values still in US interests'
1. U.S. experts voice concerns over Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy stance
I will attend an off the record meeting with representatives from Lee's campaign this week to hear the candidate's views.
I will try asking about unification in particular (including views on human rights and the use of information to help the Korean people in the north).but also an assessment of regional threats to South Korea (beyond the north) and how he intends to protect South Korea. Obviously the ROK/US alliance will be a keep topic of discussion as well as trilateral cooperation with Japan.
U.S. experts voice concerns over Lee Jae-myung's foreign policy stance
Eight Korea experts in Washington question Lee's stance on cross-Strait tensions and regional security
Kim Seo-young,
Yu Jung-in
Published 2025.05.15. 16:17
Updated 2025.05.15. 21:26
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks at a campaign rally in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province on May 14. /Nam Kang-ho
At a recent event hosted by a Washington D.C. think tank, a panelist noted that Lee Jae-myung, once dubbed “South Korea’s Bernie Sanders,” is now being compared to Donald Trump. The panelist added that concerns over the credibility of Lee’s campaign promises make it unclear what policies he would actually pursue if elected. In the United States, Sanders, a leading figure in progressive politics, and Trump stand at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
With South Korea’s snap presidential election set for March 3, Washington is paying close attention to who will lead one of its top Indo-Pacific allies. Lee, the Democratic Party candidate and current front-runner in most polls, has drawn increasing interest. However, having spent much of his political career in local government, Lee remains relatively unknown in Washington. His last visit to the U.S. capital was in 2016 when he was mayor of Seongnam.
Korea watchers in Washington are increasingly voicing concerns over the ambiguity surrounding Lee Jae-myung’s foreign and security policy. In December, Lee pointed to former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s “antagonistic diplomacy toward North Korea, China, and Russia, and a pro-Japan foreign policy” as grounds for the first parliamentary impeachment motion. Yet in a January interview with The Washington Post, he reversed course, saying that Japan’s military buildup did not pose a threat. More recently, Lee sparked controversy during a May 13 campaign rally in Daegu, where he said, “We can say ‘xiexie’ [thank you] to both China and Taiwan and get along with everyone. Whether they fight or not has nothing to do with us. Isn’t that right?”
Eight foreign policy and security experts interviewed by the Chosun Ilbo on May 14 expressed concern over Lee’s remark, saying it was surprising for a South Korean politician and presidential candidate to suggest that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are unrelated to South Korea. “If China tries to change the status quo in Taiwan by force, the consequences for South Korea’s economy and security could be disastrous,” one expert said. “South Korea cannot separate its security interests from Taiwan’s.”
Andrew Yeo, Korea chair at the Brookings Institution, highlighted the risks, saying, “Given South Korea’s reliance on trade and manufacturing, stability in the Taiwan Strait and the free flow of commerce are crucial. Saying ‘what does that have to do with us’ suggests Korea is unconcerned about regional developments.” He added, “Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait cannot be taken for granted. The next South Korean administration should strengthen cooperation with the U.S. and Indo-Pacific partners to ensure regional stability.”
Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, was deeply involved in the U.S.-North Korea negotiation process during Trump’s first presidency. He noted that “South Korea’s response to the Taiwan Strait conflict is sovereign authority for its political leaders. With its close proximity to the area, a potential conflict will impact South Korea’s security and economy negatively. Disruption in semiconductor supply chains alone has the power to shake global economies.” David Maxwell, a Vice President at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy added that “[t]he two countries (South Korea and Taiwan) are strategically interconnected, and failure to defend one will almost certainly compromise the defense of the other. A new security architecture must therefore be built that synchronizes all U.S. and allied forces in the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) theater. Attempting to defend Taiwan while allowing the Korean Peninsula to fall—or vice versa—would result in strategic disaster for the United States.” Maxwell commended South Korea’s efforts to maintain positive relations with neighboring countries, but emphasized that its priorities should lie in “upholding identity as a defender of the rules-based international order.” Bruce Bennett, an adjunct senior international/defense researcher at RAND Corporation, elaborated, “If I were [presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung], I would have been more cautious expressing views on the Taiwan Strait issue. If China takes over Taiwan, it could exert pressure on South Korea, and the motivation to do so would be much stronger. China could demand that South Korea abandon certain industries–like AI semiconductor production–to strengthen its regional and global economic dominance.”
The USS John Finn, a U.S. Navy 7th Fleet destroyer, sails through the Taiwan Strait. /Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, pointed out that, “Chinese action against Taiwan would have significant and potentially cataclysmic impacts on South Korea’s economy and security.” In his eyes, “Seoul remains reluctant, if not resistant, to defining the role it would play if China were to invade Taiwan. Seoul’s reticence is due to its focus on the existential North Korean threat, fear of economic retaliation from China (its largest trading partner) and the perception that Taiwan is far away and not a South Korean responsibility.” Klingner critically spoke, “South Korea exists today because 70 years ago an international coalition defended it against attack and guaranteed its sovereignty. Seoul should consider doing for Taiwan what others did for its nation 70 years ago.” This reluctance to defend another democracy “could have significant repercussions for its alliance with the United States.” Evans Revere, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, stated, “The cross-strait conflict could not only change the dynamics of regional security but could also escalate into a broader conflict involving the United States, South Korea’s only treaty ally,” noting that “it was surprising that senior South Korean politicians and presidential candidates claimed that this is unrelated to us.” Revere highlighted that the escalating conflict over Taiwan could turn into a bigger regional confrontation involving the United States, given its status as South Korea’s sole treaty ally. “I’m surprised South Korea’s politicians and presidential candidates are dismissing the severity of the issue.”
Since the return of the Trump administration, a growing narrative around the “strategic flexibility” of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has taken hold among U.S. political figures and Korea experts. Elbridge Colby, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and a key figure to shaping MAGA’s (“Make America Great Again”) defense policy, has been a leading advocate for shifting USFK’s mission from deterring North Korea to countering China. As the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) begins drafting its new National Defense Strategy (NDS), Schriver noted that the U.S. and South Korea will explore a variety of ways to cooperate in response to the U.S.-China strategic competition, commenting that South Korea’s alliance burden would not be limited to cost-sharing for USFK. U.S. counterparts have shifted their attention to South Korean officials, asking for responses on the country’s future role in the possible turnout of Taiwan’s contingency. Patrick M. Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute, stated that U.S. forces, including USFK, remain high on alert to respond to threats against regional and global stability. Cronin emphasized that “the next South Korean president must ensure the South Korean military is prepared for simultaneous, multifaceted crises.”
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech to troops during a visit to the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during his first term in 2017. /Newsis
2. Military chief inspects naval readiness, calls for deterrence against N.K.
With all due respect to the Chairman our deterrence must focus on deterring an invasion of the South and the use of nuclear weapons and all WMD.
Provocations are a part of the regime's political warfare and blackmail diplomacy strategies. It is nearly impossible to deter provocations because we are unwilling to impose sufficents costs to the regime for its provocations.
Military chief inspects naval readiness, calls for deterrence against N.K. | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 15, 2025
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top military officer inspected naval units and the submarine command Thursday, urging firm naval readiness to deter any provocations by North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo made the call as he boarded the ROKS Jeongjo the Great destroyer and visited the submarine force command, the Jinhae Naval Base Command and the naval special warfare flotilla based in Jinhae, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the JCS.
Boarding the destroyer, Kim urged troops to familiarize themselves with the warship's combat system and equipment to preemptively deter and respond to the North's nuclear and missile threats.
The 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, armed with an advanced missile interception platform, was delivered to the Navy in November last year and is expected to be deployed by December.
While visiting the submarine force command, Kim instructed the command to maintain a firm readiness posture against the enemy's potential provocations.
As part of the visit, Kim also conducted a command flight on the P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, the JCS said.
The Navy completed its acquisition of six P-8As last year with an aim to deploy them this year. Dubbed the "submarine killer," the P-8A is capable of conducting an array of missions, including anti-submarine, anti-surface, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo (C) visits the ROKS Jeongjo the Great destroyer in Jinhae, some 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on May 15, 2025, in this photo provided by the JCS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 15, 2025
3. PPP's interim leader calls for ex-President Yoon to leave party
Excommunication?
PPP's interim leader calls for ex-President Yoon to leave party | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · May 15, 2025
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- The new interim leader of the People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday urged former President Yoon Suk Yeol to leave the party to help it win the June 3 presidential election, as the party struggles to narrow the gap in the critical race against its rival Democratic Party (DP).
Calls have been growing within the PPP for the ousted president to sever his ties with the party, with many party members believing that his departure is necessary to help boost its presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo's stagnant poll numbers.
The conservative PPP, to which Yoon belongs, has shown signs of distancing itself from him as the party struggles to catch up with the DP's presidential contender Lee Jae-myung, with less than three weeks to go before the election.
"I believe the (former) president will make a rational decision," Rep. Kim Yong-tae said during a press conference shortly after being formally named the interim PPP leader. "As the interim leader, I would respectfully recommend the president leave the party."
Kim Yong-tae, new interim leader of the People Power Party, makes remarks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
The election will pick a successor to Yoon, who was removed from office on April 4 over his botched martial law attempt, leaving the PPP in limbo and an internal rift.
PPP's Kim Moon-soo has largely retained a neutral position about Yoon's potential exit from the party, saying it's up to Yoon to decide whether to leave the PPP.
"A president's party departure is a matter that will be decided by the president," Kim told reporters Thursday when asked about the issue.
Some PPP members said that it will be difficult for Kim Moon-soo, as the presidential candidate, to make an explicit statement calling for Yoon's departure, raising the view that Kim Yong-tae will likely be at the forefront to make it happen.
"The fact that (Yoon's) impeachment was just is acknowledged by many people," Kim Yong-tae said in an interview with SBS Radio earlier in the day. "We plan to put everything to an end before the end of this week."
The interim leader also said the PPP will revise the party charter and regulations to ban presidents affiliated with the party from intervening in party affairs.
"We'll push for institutionalizing party democracy by normalizing the relationship between the ruling party and the president," Kim said. "We plan to prohibit the president from intervening in key party affairs, such as internal elections, nominations and appointments of party officials."
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · May 15, 2025
4. DP's Lee rallies in liberal stronghold; PPP's Kim apologizes for martial law decree
(2nd LD) DP's Lee rallies in liberal stronghold; PPP's Kim apologizes for martial law decree | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 15, 2025
(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks, details throughout)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung held a campaign rally in South Jeolla Province on Thursday, while People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo apologized for the failed martial law bid by former President Yoon Suk Yeol, with less than three weeks to go before the presidential election.
Lee, Kim and Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party have formed a three-way race for the June 3 presidential vote to pick a successor to Yoon, who was ousted over his failed martial law bid. So far, the DP's Lee has maintained a comfortable lead in opinion polls.
A National Barometer Survey conducted this week showed that Lee of the DP was leading Kim with 49 percent support against Kim's 27 percent, with the minor party's Lee in third with 7 percent.
South Jeolla Province is considered a stronghold for the DP, and Kim of the PPP, which remains at odds over Yoon's ouster, issued his second public apology for Yoon's failed martial law bid.
In Seoul, Kim said he "sincerely" apologized for Yoon's martial law debacle, in an apparent move to broaden his support base as he struggled to catch up with the DP candidate.
Lee of the DP kicked off the fourth day of his official campaign by holding live YouTube talks with the youth at Hwagae Market in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, to address concerns related to employment, housing and child care.
Lee then traveled to the cities of Gwangyang, Yeosu and Suncheon, and is set to visit Mokpo in Jeolla Province, commonly known as Honam, a traditional support base of the liberal DP, to appeal to voters.
During the rally in Gwangyang, Lee criticized Yoon, saying he had mistaken his presidential position for that of a king.
Lee also said he is considering the name "People's Sovereignty Government" for his administration if elected.
"I am thinking over what to call the next government, and I think its symbol will be the people's sovereignty," he said.
In a Facebook post, Lee also expressed his "sincere" gratitude to teachers and acknowledged their dedication in guiding students in commemoration of Teacher's Day, which fell on Thursday.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, gives a thumbs-up to voters during a campaign stop in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, southwestern South Korea, on May 15, 2025, ahead of the June 3 presidential election. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Kim of the PPP, on the other hand, focused on the Seoul metropolitan area the same day, starting off with a breakfast meeting on artificial intelligence (AI) and corporate strategies at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business.
During the meeting, Kim pledged to amend the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which penalizes employers and corporations for fatal accidents in public places.
"If I become the decision-maker, I will make sure that this harmful law no longer disturbs you," Kim said.
Kim then visited Sindorim Station in southwestern Seoul to greet commuters.
Kim Moon-soo (R), the presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, shakes hands with a supporter during a campaign stop in a subway station in Seoul on May 15, 2025, ahead of the June 3 presidential election. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
He also held a luncheon meeting with Joseph Yun, acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, at the U.S. ambassador's residence in central Seoul, and discussed various issues, including the bilateral alliance, trade and North Korea's nuclear program.
Kim's emphasis on economic and foreign policy issues reflects his strategy to appeal to voters in the Seoul metropolitan area, who tend to be less influenced by regional sentiment and are more sensitive to policies.
Kim campaigned in Daegu, Busan and other parts of the Yeongnam region in the country's southeast earlier this week to rally support from conservative voters before returning to Seoul.
On Friday, he plans to visit Pangyo in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Suwon and Hwaseong before visiting the central cities of Cheonan, Sejong, Cheongju and Daejeon.
This combined photo taken May 12, 2025, shows the presidential candidates of South Korea's major political parties -- (from L to R) Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok of the minor conservative New Reform Party -- making stump speeches in the central city of Daejeon, the southeastern city of Daegu and Seoul, respectively. The 22-day official campaign period for the June 3 presidential election kicked off the same day. (Yonhap)
julesyi@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 15, 2025
5. Asia’s Role In the US Shipbuilding Surge
I heard a statistic at a conference this week that said China outproduces the US in shipping by 200 times.
My recommendation is a JAROKUS Shipbuilding consortium.
Excerpts:
Assess the viability of U.S. shipbuilding efforts with Asian allies in competing against the scale of China’s shipbuilding capabilities.
National security experts increasingly recognize there is no viable path to addressing the shipbuilding gap between the United States and China that does not involve close cooperation with U.S. allies. U.S. shipyards are too far behind, and the obstacles to an industry turnaround are too great to be quickly remedied. Such cooperation, both through expanded partnerships and the construction of vessels in allied yards, would be mutually beneficial.
By leveraging its allies’ shipbuilding capabilities, the United States can meet its naval and commercial shipping needs more quickly and at lower cost. Allied shipyards, meanwhile, could tap into a new source of demand at a time when Chinese shipyards appear increasingly dominant. Indeed, allowing the use of allied-built commercial vessels could unlock significant latent U.S. demand for domestic water transportation (ships account for just 2 percent of domestic freight movement largely due to inflated capital costs) to help fill allied orderbooks.
Developing such a symbiotic relationship, however, is contingent on addressing daunting political obstacles – namely, the Jones Act and laws prohibiting the construction of military vessels outside the United States. Whether the Trump administration can overcome these laws will go a long way toward determining the scope and scale of allied shipbuilding cooperation.
Asia’s Role In the US Shipbuilding Surge
Insights from Colin Grabow.
https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/asias-role-in-the-us-shipbuilding-surge/
By Mercy A. Kuo
May 15, 2025
The U.S. Military Sealift Command’s Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) departs Hanwha Ocean shipyard after a seven-month overhaul at Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, Mar. 12, 2025.
Credit: Grady Fontana, Military Sealift Command Far East
The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Colin Grabow – associate director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute – is the 461st in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”
Examine the feasibility of the Trump administration’s plans to revive the shipbuilding industry in the United States.
Any revival of U.S. commercial shipbuilding must overcome several formidable obstacles. Foremost is the chasm in competitiveness between U.S. shipyards and their international counterparts. U.S.-built oceangoing merchant ships can be four or more times the world price, and recent examples suggest this price differential is approaching a factor of six.
Closing that gap is a gargantuan task – indeed, it is likely impossible.
Competitive merchant ship construction requires building at scale to justify the large expenditures on infrastructure and technology needed to compete. U.S. shipyards, however, collectively build small numbers of ships – averaging less than three per year in recent decades – and thus cannot make the investments required to operate on the shipbuilding frontier.
The result is a longstanding and well-known technological inferiority.
But the problems go deeper. U.S. shipyards face a well-documented shortage of skilled labor that hinders their ability to meet current demand, much less raise output. Other challenges include the lack of a domestic supply chain – U.S.-built ships extensively rely on imported materials – and rising input costs. Shipbuilding consumes significant quantities of steel, yet tariffs are driving up its cost.
Such factors make the construction of large commercial ships through comparative advantage alone highly unlikely. If this is to take place, it will almost certainly have to be as a subsidized, money-losing enterprise.
Explain the impact of the Jones Act of 1920 on U.S. shipbuilding capabilities.
Reasons for U.S. shipbuilding’s decline are multicausal, but the Jones Act and its protectionist antecedents bear substantial blame for a lack of shipbuilding competitiveness that dates to the late 1800s. Rather than developing a niche within the fiercely competitive large global market, U.S. shipyards build small volumes and feature reduced specialization by operating in a captive domestic market. Shipbuilding success requires innovation, scale, and specialization, but Jones Act protectionism deters all three.
The result is a mounting cost/quantity trap. As prices rise, demand falls, triggering further price increases as economies of scale further erode. Notably, three 3,600 TEU containerships ordered from the Philly Shipyard in 2022 feature anticipated delivery costs of $334.5 million each. One Jones Act carrier recently took the extraordinary step of spending millions of dollars to convert a 1980-built steamship to LNG propulsion in China rather than purchase a new U.S.-built vessel.
U.S. shipbuilding now accounts for one-tenth of one percent of global commercial output, trailing even far smaller European countries. That the world’s largest and most innovative economy has been reduced to such a state is perhaps the clearest indication of the Jones Act’s tranquilizing effect on shipbuilding competitiveness.
Analyze the role of Japan and South Korea in U.S. shipbuilding development.
South Korean firms are no strangers to U.S. shipbuilding, having partnered with General Dynamics NASSCO since 2006 and been longtime suppliers of designs and materials for Philly Shipyard. South Korea’s integration into U.S. shipbuilding supply chains is extensive. Veteran class tankers built by the Philly Shipyard, for example, each required approximately 500 containers of material and 25 bulk shipments of larger items from South Korea.
More recently, South Korea has become more directly involved through Hanwha Ocean’s $100 million acquisition of the Philly Shipyard. Hyundai Heavy Industries, meanwhile, has signed memoranda of understanding with Fairbanks Morse Defense, which produces ship engines and components, and Huntington Ingalls Industries, America’s largest military shipbuilder.
Such developments are welcome, but expectations should be tempered by what may be accomplished. Korean ownership and partnerships will not single-handedly produce Korean levels of productivity and efficiency. Without the orderbook to justify significant upgrades and investments, a substantial capabilities gap will persist.
How are Asian shipbuilders responding to the prospects of U.S. demand for their capabilities?
U.S. interest in leveraging the world-class shipbuilding capabilities of its allies has not gone unnoticed in South Korea. Last year, Hanwha Ocean began performing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations on U.S. naval auxiliary vessels. One such operation has been completed, and another is underway. The company is seeking contracts to repair up to six ships this year.
Beyond MRO, Hanwha’s acquisition of the Philly Shipyard is also widely viewed as a means of entering the market for military vessel construction, which is statutorily limited to U.S. shipyards.
Hyundai Heavy Industries, meanwhile, has also signaled its interest in both MRO (seeking contracts for 2-3 repairs this year) and building ships for the U.S. Navy. Although building military vessels overseas currently faces significant legal barriers, President Trump has indicated a willingness to work with Congress to enable the purchase of “top of the line” ships from allied shipyards. If successful, South Korean shipyards appear poised to capitalize.
Assess the viability of U.S. shipbuilding efforts with Asian allies in competing against the scale of China’s shipbuilding capabilities.
National security experts increasingly recognize there is no viable path to addressing the shipbuilding gap between the United States and China that does not involve close cooperation with U.S. allies. U.S. shipyards are too far behind, and the obstacles to an industry turnaround are too great to be quickly remedied. Such cooperation, both through expanded partnerships and the construction of vessels in allied yards, would be mutually beneficial.
By leveraging its allies’ shipbuilding capabilities, the United States can meet its naval and commercial shipping needs more quickly and at lower cost. Allied shipyards, meanwhile, could tap into a new source of demand at a time when Chinese shipyards appear increasingly dominant. Indeed, allowing the use of allied-built commercial vessels could unlock significant latent U.S. demand for domestic water transportation (ships account for just 2 percent of domestic freight movement largely due to inflated capital costs) to help fill allied orderbooks.
Developing such a symbiotic relationship, however, is contingent on addressing daunting political obstacles – namely, the Jones Act and laws prohibiting the construction of military vessels outside the United States. Whether the Trump administration can overcome these laws will go a long way toward determining the scope and scale of allied shipbuilding cooperation.
Authors
Contributing Author
Mercy A. Kuo
Mercy A. Kuo is Senior Contributing Author at The Diplomat.
6. Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Says It Will Conduct First-Ever Joint Exercise With South Korean Marine Corps
Hmmm.. are they or aren't they?
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Says It Will Conduct First-Ever Joint Exercise With South Korean Marine Corps
However, its South Korean counterpart says it has no such plan.
https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/japan-ground-self-defense-force-says-it-will-conduct-first-ever-joint-exercise-with-south-korean-marine-corps/
By Takahashi Kosuke
May 14, 2025
Philippine Marines and Republic of Korea special reconnaissance Marines load into a combat rubber raiding craft during training with U.S. Marines assigned to Reconnaissance Company, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as part of exercise KAMANDAG 8 at Marine Base Gregorio Lim, Ternate, Philippines, Oct. 20, 2024.
Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms
On May 13, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) announced it will conduct a joint exercise with the South Korean Marine Corps in the Philippines in early June, part of a larger multilateral drill.
If it goes according to plan, this will mark the first time for the JGSDF to hold a joint exercise with any South Korean ground force, namely, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Corps and ROK Army.
However, South Korean media such as Yonhap news agency and News1 reported on the same day that the ROK Marine Corps has no plans to conduct joint training with the JGSDF.
The two nations signed a memorandum to institutionalize security cooperation, including information sharing and joint training, at the Japan-South Korea-U.S. defense ministers’ meeting held in Tokyo on July 28, 2024. The naval and air forces of Japan and South Korea have already conducted joint training within the framework of the Japan-South Korea-U.S. trilateral and other groupings.
However, it has been long regarded as very difficult for the JGSDF to work with its South Korean counterpart. This is because historically the Imperial Japanese Army had played a central role in Japan’s military and political control over the Korean Peninsula, which developed from the start of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894. Japan fully colonized the peninsula from 1910 until its defeat and the end of World War II in 1945.
Given the fraught history, a joint drill involving the ground forces of the two East Asian nations would represent yet another sign of a healthier bilateral relationship between Tokyo and Seoul – if it comes to pass.
The JGSDF said the exercise will be part of multilateral drills called KAMANDAG 9, with a focus on natural disasters and other emergencies. It also includes participation from the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Philippine Marine Corps. KAMANDAG 9 is scheduled to take place in the Quezon area of Palawan Island and at Marine Corps Base Bonifacio on Luzon Island in the Philippines from May 26 to June 6. Japan and South Korea have both taken part in past KAMANDAG exercises, but always participated in separate drills.
An officer with the ROK Marine Corps told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that would be the case again this year, saying there was “no plan” to hold joint drills with the JGSDF. “We will conduct combined drills with the United States and the Philippines [at KAMANDAG 9], but have no plan to do so with the JGSDF,” Yonhap quoted the ROK Marine Corps officer as saying. “Just like last year, the South Korean Marine Corps and JGSDF will hold separate exercises.”
In response, a spokesperson at the JGSDF on May 14 pointed out to The Diplomat the fact that during KAMANDAG 9, for the first time there will be integrated exercises involving four countries, including Japan and South Korea. The drills are scheduled to take place on June 1 and 2.
“Although this is not a separate bilateral drill with the South Korean Marine Corps, we regard this as both participating in the same multilateral drill,” the spokesperson said, adding that “there seems to be a difference in perception.”
“In any case, we are currently confirming the situation,” the spokesperson stressed.
The spokesperson told The Diplomat that a total of about 110 personnel will participate from the JGSDF, mainly from the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, which is responsible for the defense of remote islands. About 50 personnel from the South Korean Marine Corps and about 200 personnel from the Philippine Marine Corps will also participate, while the U.S. Marine Corps will send two MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft and several crew members.
The JGSDF said its objectives in participating in the joint training are to improve disaster relief and humanitarian assistance capabilities through amphibious operations conducted in cooperation with regional partners and to further contribute to the realization of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
On November 8, 2024, General Yoshida Yoshihide, chief of staff of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, gave a speech to about 200 South Korean military cadets who were visiting Tokyo.
“The Joint Staff Office will continue to steadily advance defense cooperation with the ROK, contributing not only to peace and stability in Northeast Asia but also to the realization of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” the JSO said in a press release at that time.
Under former South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, security cooperation between Japan and South Korea, and between Japan, the United States, and South Korea, made great strides, with the goal of deepening security cooperation apparently against North Korea and other regional rivals. However, Yoon’s impeachment in early April threw many of his policies, including the emphasis on renewed Japan-South Korea relations, into question.
South Korea will elect a new president on June 3, the day after the Japanese and South Korean ground forces are reportedly scheduled to take part in the exercises.
“With a presidential election underway in South Korea, any mention of joint training with the Japan Self-Defense Forces would be burdensome for the South Korean Marines,” Kim Dae-young, a military expert who used to work at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, pointed out.
Authors
Contributing Author
Takahashi Kosuke
Takahashi Kosuke is Tokyo Correspondent for The Diplomat.
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7. Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin meets Trump at Qatar state dinner
There are deals to be done.
Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin meets Trump at Qatar state dinner
https://www.chosun.com/english/people-en/2025/05/15/EUZCTSOHMBBUBKOSKQVRTEBQCM/
By Suk Nam-jun,
Lee Jung-soo
Published 2025.05.15. 15:41
Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin (left) meets with U.S. President Donald Trump (center) and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of a state dinner in Doha, Qatar, on May 14. / Screenshot from RSBN YouTube channel
Chung Yong-jin, chairman of South Korea’s Shinsegae Group, met with U.S. President Donald Trump during the president’s visit to Qatar, part of his broader tour of the Middle East.
The two briefly spoke and shook hands before entering a dinner hosted on May 14 in Doha by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in honor of Trump. Chung was among the select guests invited to the event, where he was seen engaging with both leaders ahead of the meal.
According to people familiar with the matter, the Qatari government extended the invitation to Chung, citing his longstanding ties with the Trump family. His presence at the dinner was reportedly arranged in recognition of that relationship, as Qatari officials sought to include a familiar figure during the high-profile diplomatic event.
Chung’s connection to Trump dates back several years. In December, while Trump was still president-elect, the two met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Chung later attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony and, more recently, invited Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to S. Korea.
8. APEC trade ministers meet in S. Korea amid global trade tension
Again, the ROK government continues to function despite the presidential political turmoil.
(2nd LD) APEC trade ministers meet in S. Korea amid global trade tension | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more info in last 4 paras)
By Kim Na-young
JEJU, South Korea, May 15 (Yonhap) -- Trade ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) met on South Korea's resort island of Jeju on Thursday to discuss challenges facing global trade, as the chief negotiators of major economies sought bilateral talks with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
The APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting will be held through Friday at the International Convention Center in southern Jeju, under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper," according the Seoul's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Top trade officials from the 21 APEC members are taking part in the two-day event, as well as senior officials from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
A trade ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies kicks off on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju on May 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
Soon after its start, the venue for the APEC ministers' meeting bustled with a series of bilateral meetings as many major APEC member countries, including South Korea, Japan and China, are currently undergoing trade negotiations with Washington over U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff measures.
South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo was set to hold talks with the USTR later Thursday on the sidelines of the MRT meeting.
The scheduled meeting follows Greer's bilateral talks with China's top trade envoy, Li Chenggang, held earlier Thursday.
A separate one-on-one meeting between the USTR and South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun is planned for Friday.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L) shakes hands with South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting on Jeju Island on May 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
Greer's meetings with South Korean officials come after their countries agreed in Washington last month to craft a "package" deal on tariff and other economic cooperation issues by early July, when the 90-day pause on the Trump administration's country-specific reciprocal tariffs, including 25 percent duties on South Korea, will end.
Seoul has proposed expanding bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding and energy sectors as part of efforts to lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods, according to government officials.
"Today, the global environment surrounding APEC economies faces an array of challenges," Cheong said in his opening remarks at the start of the APEC meeting, highlighting uncertainties in trade and supply chains.
"International organizations such as the WTO and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have downgraded their projections for global trade and economic growth," he added.
"Given this challenging global trade environment, the role of APEC is more crucial than ever ... and the world is paying keen attention to this year's MRT meeting."
The APEC meeting will mainly discuss three agenda items -- artificial intelligence (AI) innovation for trade facilitation, connectivity through multilateral trading system and prosperity through sustainable trade, according to Seoul's industry ministry.
This photo provided by Seoul's trade ministry shows South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo (R) and Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang during their bilateral talks held on the sidelines of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju on May 15, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Meanwhile, Cheong also met with the Chinese trade envoy earlier in the day, where the two sides discussed multilateral trade system and global supply chain issues.
Cheong and Li discussed multilateralism and global supply chain issues, while agreeing on needs for joint efforts to facilitate working-level talks on expanding the bilateral free trade agreement to include the service and investment sectors, according to the trade ministry.
The Seoul trade minister told reporters "there was no discussion on the economic security issue" during the talks.
From Wednesday, South Korea held bilateral meetings with eight APEC member nations, including China, Vietnam, Mexico and the Philippines, as well as WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to discuss various trade issues.
The country plans to hold six other bilateral meetings with APEC economies until Friday.
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
9. Top S. Korean, U.S. trade negotiators hold talks at APEC meeting
(LEAD) Top S. Korean, U.S. trade negotiators hold talks at APEC meeting | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with latest info in first 5 paras; ADDS photo)
By Kim Na-young
JEJU, South Korea, May 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo met with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on Thursday to discuss tariff and other trade issues on the sidelines of a trade ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Seoul's industry ministry said.
Cheong and Greer held a one-on-one meeting at around 7:30 p.m., after wrapping up their first day of the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting on the southern resort island of Jeju.
In the meeting, Cheong and Greer discussed pending trade issues between the two sides and the progress of Washington's trade negotiations with other countries, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Cheong told reporters the Seoul government will work to "get the most out of" Greer's visit, saying it aims for "orderly" negotiations with the U.S.
South Korea is one of the first countries that began trade talks with the U.S., but an upcoming presidential election in June is slowing progress in the ongoing negotiations.
Thursday's meeting comes after the countries agreed last month to craft a "package" deal on U.S. tariffs and economic cooperation issues by early July, when the 90-day pause on the U.S.' new country-specific tariffs, including 25 percent duties on South Korean goods, will end.
Seoul has proposed expanding bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding and energy sectors as part of efforts to lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods.
Greer is also set to hold a meeting with South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun on Friday.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L) shakes hands with South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting on Jeju Island on May 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
The APEC ministerial meeting began earlier in the day and is set to close Friday.
The Jeju event is drawing keen attention as South Korea and other major APEC member nations, such as Japan and China, are undergoing trade negotiations with Washington.
Greer earlier met with Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang, also taking part in the APEC meeting here, according to Seoul officials. Details of the meeting were not immediately available.
The Greer-Li meeting came after their countries reached a deal in high-stakes talks held in Geneva over the weekend to temporarily reduce their tariffs for 90 days.
Under the agreement, the U.S. slashed its tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent from 145 percent, while Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods have been brought down to 10 percent from 125 percent.
Meanwhile, Cheong said he, too, met with the Chinese trade envoy earlier in the day, where the two sides discussed multilateral trade system and global supply chain issues.
He said Li stressed the importance of multilateralism and China's efforts to support global supply chains in their meeting.
"But there was no discussion on the economic security issue," he noted.
This photo provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy shows South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo (R) and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (2nd from L) holding a bilateral meeting on the southern Jeju Island on May 15, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
10. USTR Greer holds talks with Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang: Seoul officials
South Korea continues to demonstrate that it is a global pivotal state (that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, is a partner in the arsenal of democracies, and seeks to uphold the rules based international order).
USTR Greer holds talks with Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang: Seoul officials | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
JEJU, South Korea, May 15 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer held bilateral talks Thursday with Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, Seoul government officials said.
The Greer-Li meeting was held on the sidelines of a trade ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) currently under way here, according to the officials.
Earlier this week, Washington and Beijing jointly announced they have reached a deal in a high-stakes dialogue in Geneva to temporarily reduce tariffs for 90 days for further negotiations.
Under the agreement, the U.S. slashed its tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent from 145 percent, while Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods have been brought down to 10 percent from 125 percent.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L) shakes hands with South Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo during the APEC trade ministers' meeting on Jeju Island on May 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Na-young · May 15, 2025
11. DP's Lee leads PPP's Kim 49 pct to 27 pct: poll
Can this gap be bridged or will it be a runaway?
DP's Lee leads PPP's Kim 49 pct to 27 pct: poll | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · May 15, 2025
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung was leading his People Power Party rival Kim Moon-soo with 49 percent support against Kim's 27 percent, a survey showed Thursday.
In a National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from Monday to Wednesday, candidate Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party came next with 7 percent.
More than half of respondents, or 57 percent, said they were in favor of regime change by the DP through the June 3 presidential election, while 32 percent hoped to extend the rule of the former governing PPP.
Support for parties stood at 42 percent for the liberal DP and 28 percent for the conservative PPP.
The survey was conducted by pollsters Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research on 1,000 people aged 18 and older.
The margin of error was 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
This composite image shows Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung (L), People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo (C) and New Reform Party presidential candidate Lee Jun-seok. (Yonhap)
hague@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Haye-ah · May 15, 2025
12. Tour program to Panmunjom to be resumed this week
Tour program to Panmunjom to be resumed this week | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · May 15, 2025
By Park Boram
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry is set to resume its tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone this week following its suspension in late 2023 due to military tensions, officials said Thursday.
"The government plans to resume the Panmunjom field trip Friday through a special tour program after it was suspended for public safety reasons," a ministry official said.
The government had initially halted the Panmunjom tour in July 2023 after U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King crossed the border into North Korea during a tour to the Joint Security Area near the border, resulting in heightened military tensions.
In November that year, the tour was partially resumed, but it was completely suspended again about a week later as North Korean soldiers on duty in the North's part of Panmunjom began carrying heavy firearms, pushing up military tensions in the border area.
Since then, only foreigners, including foreign Korean War veterans, have been allowed to visit Panmunjom through an irregular tour program, while it has remained off-limits to South Koreans.
As part of the upcoming resumption, the first group of 17 government officials and executives from state-run firms, who are currently taking a state-operated unification education course, is scheduled to tour Panmunjom on Friday, ministry officials said.
The resumption, however, will be currently limited to policy-related visitors, while the timing for reopening the tour for the general public will be determined later based on safety conditions.
This file photo, provided by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, shows foreign Korean War veterans and their families touring Panmunjom in July 2024. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · May 15, 2025
13. Drone that allegedly flew over Pyongyang closely resembles ROK asset: Report
One explanation could be that the drone resembles the South's because the north has copied it.
Drone that allegedly flew over Pyongyang closely resembles ROK asset: Report
Government analysis adds to suspicions about Seoul’s role in intrusion denounced by North Korea
https://www.nknews.org/2025/05/drone-that-allegedly-flew-over-pyongyang-closely-resembles-rok-asset-report/
Joon Ha Park May 15, 2025
Photos released by North Korean state media of an alleged ROK drone scattering anti-regime leaflets and South Korean S-BAT military reconnaissance drones at a parade in 2023 | Image: KCNA, edited by NK News
Experts at South Korea’s state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) have concluded that a drone that North Korea claimed flew over Pyongyang in October closely resembles an ROK reconnaissance asset, amid suspicions that the Yoon administration sent the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to scatter propaganda leaflets.
According to a report submitted to Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Boo Seung-chan’s office, the drone featured in DPRK state media exhibits a “high degree of similarity” to a UAV operated by the ROK military’s Drone Operations Command. The report does not specify the model, which appears to resemble the domestically produced S-BAT.
The ADD report cites identical characteristics in key areas — actuator placement on the vertical tail fins, data link antenna positioning, and engine features including the exhaust outlet, cooling ducts, and actuator mechanisms. But it noted differences in the lower fuselage, stating the DPRK may have made modifications to enable leaflet distribution.
The analysis also confirms that UAVs of this class have the range and navigational capabilities to carry out the flight alleged by DPRK stage media, which claimed that flight data from the downed drone indicated it had taken off from Baengnyeong Island, located off North Korea’s west coast.
Despite the similarities, the report stops short of stating that the drone shown in state media was definitely a South Korean UAV, acknowledging the possibility that the DPRK may have acquired or reverse-engineered the drone design.
The findings are likely to fuel debate about whether Seoul was behind the alleged drone flight, which critics say exacerbated tensions with the North and may have even been a deliberate attempt to provoke Pyongyang ahead of then-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law.
A section of the ADD report comparing North Korean state media images of the alleged drone with the South Korean military’s S-BAT drone | Image: ROK Agency for Defense Development via Boo Seung-chan’s office
North Korea’s foreign ministry first accused South Korea of sending a drone over Pyongyang last October, claiming that the UAV had dropped anti-regime leaflets over the capital multiple times. The DPRK leader’s sister Kim Yo Jong warned Seoul would be “destroyed” if the DPRK detected another drone.
South Korea’s military refused to confirm or deny the allegations, and around a week later, Pyongyang announced that it had recovered a South Korean drone, publishing images of the asset that the ADD used for its analysis.
A spokesperson for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said at a regular defense ministry briefing on Thursday that the ADD conducted the analysis in line with lawmakers’ requests during last year’s National Assembly audit. They emphasized that the report does not constitute an official government conclusion about the drone’s origin.
But opposition lawmaker Boo, whose office released the ADD’s findings Wednesday, said the report “effectively confirms through scientific and technical evidence” that South Korea sent the drone, demanding an investigation into whether the operation aimed to justify military escalation.
DP lawmakers have accused former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun of approving the covert drone mission to lay the foundation for Yoon’s martial law declaration, while alleging the Presidential Office bypassed normal military channels to order the operation.
North Korean state media showed former ROK defense minister Shin Won-sik inspecting S-BAT drones in January. | Image: KCNA (Oct. 19, 2024)
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said it’s not far-fetched to conclude that South Korea flew the UAV over Pyongyang.
“While the technical feasibility is still under debate, the operation would align with the Yoon administration’s broader strategy of infiltrating North Korea with outside information,” he said.
But the expert emphasized that the allegations are not proven facts, suggesting the government could launch a more thorough investigation of the case if frontrunner Lee Jae-myung wins the June 3 presidential election.
Yang Uk, a military analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, urged caution against drawing “definitive conclusions” from photos released by North Korea.
He noted that many UAV design elements are publicly accessible online or displayed at defense exhibitions, making it plausible for North Korea to replicate or simulate the appearance of a South Korean platform.
The expert also suggested that such an ROK operation should “not automatically be deemed improper,” while arguing for the benefits of some level of strategic ambiguity.
“Even if it were South Korea’s, confirming that would not serve our national interest.”
On April 18, the International Civil Aviation Organization dismissed North Korea’s request to investigate the alleged violation of its airspace. The U.N. Command has stated it is reviewing the case but has not released its findings.
Edited by Bryan Betts
14. Number of North Korean defectors in South’s public sector hits record high
Yes, the entire north Korean diaspora is critical to unification planning and the actual execution of the unification process. They are key communicators, serve as the trusted bridge between the Korean people in the north and South, and should assume key leadership positions in the unification process.
Number of North Korean defectors in South’s public sector hits record high
Seoul says 211 escapees working in government and administrative roles, calling them critical for reunification
https://www.nknews.org/2025/05/number-of-north-korean-defectors-in-souths-public-sector-hits-record-high/
Jooheon Kim May 15, 2025
North Koreans in Pyongyang | Image: NK News (Sept. 2015)
The number of North Koreans working in South Korea’s public sector has reached an all-time high, according to Seoul’s unification ministry, highlighting government efforts to expand defector employment.
As of the end of last year, 211 North Korean defectors held jobs in the public sector, an increase of 17 from the previous year, a ministry report released on Wednesday shows. Among those, 37 worked in central government agencies and 82 in local governments, with the remainder employed in administrative support roles.
The report states that the government has committed to expanding support for hiring defectors through initiatives such as giving greater weight to defector employment in performance reviews of government agencies and local municipalities, as well as holding regular briefings for local officials and human resource managers to highlight the contributions of defector employees.
“North Korean defectors, who have lived under a different system, and now fulfill their duties in the civil service, working alongside colleagues, and communicating with the public will serve as a strong foundation for the integration of South and North Korean residents and for reunification,” Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho told defectors in public service on Wednesday.
About 30,000 North Korean defectors live in South Korea, alongside some 60,000 family members, the report states, highlighting the growing need to increase their participation in public service.
Ji Seong-ho, a high-ranking defector who currently serves as the nominal governor of North Hamgyeong Province under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, told NK News that defectors are “irreplaceable resources” for preparing for reunification.
“Their lived experience and understanding of North Korean society make them uniquely positioned to contribute to the integration process,” he said.
He also addressed concerns over so-called reverse discrimination, a point of contention among some South Koreans who view government grants and benefits North Korean escapees receive as unfair.
“People often say defectors are receiving special treatment, but they don’t start from the same place as everyone else,” Ji said. “Their inclusion isn’t about favoritism — it’s about national strategy.”
The conservative Yoon administration emphasized initiatives aimed at supporting North Korean defectors as a key part of its inter-Korean strategy, which focused on drawing attention to DPRK human rights violations and downplayed engagement. These measures have included establishing North Korean Defectors’ Day and increasing financial settlement support for new arrivals.
However, Yoon’s impeachment has raised concerns about whether this support will continue under South Korea’s president, with some fearing that the Democratic Party would place less emphasis on DPRK human rights issues.
In the first quarter of this year, a total of 38 North Korean refugees arrived in South Korea, according to government figures, with more than half of the new arrivals in their 20s and 30s.
While North Korean defector numbers have recovered somewhat from an all-time low of 63 in 2021, they still remain far below the pre-pandemic figure of over 1,000 escapees in 2019 and the record high of nearly 3,000 in 2009.
Edited by Alannah Hill
15. How Lee Jae-myung wants to reshape foreign policy
This is the most comprehensive articulation of Lee's foreign policy stances. Overall he is seeking "balance." I only hope it is not a naive balance that overlooks the nature, objectives, and strategies of both the PRC/CCP and the Kim family regime.
But here is an interesting excerpt that is buried deep in the article, one that I think is trying to legitimize his focus on north Korea, China, and Russia by tying it to conservative President Roh Tae Woo's Nordpolitik.
Excerpts:
Lee emphasized the significance of navigating relations with China and Russia, especially at a time when a deteriorating global trade environment, hit by tariff wars, is weighing heavily on export-reliant South Korea.
Lee notably mentioned the Northern Policy — also known as Nordpolitik — of conservative former President Roh Tae-woo, stands out as one of the most consequential legacies of conservative governments in his meeting with South Korea's five major business lobbies on May 8.
Lee explained that the Northern Policy laid the groundwork for diplomatic normalization with China and the Soviet Union, the precursor to modern-day Russia, and opened the door to expanded trade and economic ties with both communist powers at that time.
“Does it really matter if our customers are from communist countries? By establishing diplomatic ties with Russia and China, we opened two enormous markets — and a lot of our domestic companies saw significant growth as a result. I believe we must continue down that path,” Lee said during the meeting.
"I am convinced that the government’s critical task going forward is to expand our economic territory through diplomacy and trade policy."
How Lee Jae-myung wants to reshape foreign policy
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · May 14, 2025
Front-runner in presidential race eyes reset with North Korea, China and Russia — without veering from 3-way security partnership with US, Japan
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, delivers a stump speech in the southeastern port city of Busan on Wednesday, ahead of the June 3 presidential election. (Yonhap)
Recasting himself as a foreign policy pragmatist grounded in national interest, South Korea’s presidential front-runner Lee Jae-myung is signaling a reset of the strategic compass for the country’s foreign and North Korea policy.
On the Korean Peninsula, Lee prioritizes reducing military tensions and reviving long-stalled dialogue with North Korea — a step he sees as essential to ensuring that Seoul is not sidelined in what he views as an inevitable US bid to thaw relations with the Kim Jong-un regime as part of its strategy to counter China.
Zooming out, Lee has publicly advocated recharting South Korea’s foreign policy away from former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s values-based diplomacy — instead calling for a recalibration of ties with China and Russia, underscoring their deep economic interdependence and geographical proximity.
While affirming the Korea–US alliance as a strategic cornerstone and recognizing the significance of trilateral security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, Lee has consistently rejected being boxed into binary choices that would come at the expense of ties with Beijing and Moscow.
“The Korea–US alliance is important. We must preserve it and further develop it. And we must engage in security cooperation with the US and Japan. But that doesn’t mean we should turn other countries into enemies, does it?” Lee said during an outdoor campaign stop Tuesday in Daegu, a conservative stronghold.
“At the same time, we should also maintain amicable relations with China and Russia — trade with them, and cooperate with them. Isn’t that what we ought to be doing?”
Lee Jae-myung raises both hands after delivering a speech on Dongseong-ro, a bustling street in the conservative stronghold of Daegu on Tuesday. (Joint Press Corps via Yonhap)
Lee’s campaign has yet to release a detailed foreign and North Korea policy road map, apart from Monday's 10 major policy initiatives. However, his public statements and remarks since launching his bid have offered a window into the contours of how he plans to redraw the lines if elected in the early presidential election on June 3.
In doing so, Lee has begun to reshape his narrative — one long defined by criticism of his past skepticism toward the stationing of US Forces Korea and trilateral security cooperation with the US and Japan, and by opponents who have cast him as “pro-China” or “pro–North Korea.”
However, Lee still draws a clear line: South Korea, he argues, must not be unconditionally tethered to the alliance or rigidly confined by the Korea–US–Japan trilateral bloc.
“Of course, the Korea–US alliance is indeed the foundation of the Republic of Korea’s foreign policy,” Lee said during a televised debate for the party primary on April 25. “And because bloc alignments also carry weight, trilateral cooperation among Korea, the US and Japan is also important. But we cannot be unilaterally bound to those alone.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, attend a ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in central Moscow on May 9. (AFP)
Russia, China
Instead, Lee has argued that Seoul cannot afford to turn its back on either Beijing or Moscow in pursuit of its national interest, given their geographical proximity and deep economic entanglement.
“Even if we wanted to abandon ties with China and Russia, we couldn’t. We’re intertwined with them — what choice do we have?” Lee said in an interview released on the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation’s YouTube channel in mid-April. “Our economies are deeply intertwined with them and geography makes separation impossible. It’s fate — our destiny.”
Lee emphasized the significance of navigating relations with China and Russia, especially at a time when a deteriorating global trade environment, hit by tariff wars, is weighing heavily on export-reliant South Korea.
Lee notably mentioned the Northern Policy — also known as Nordpolitik — of conservative former President Roh Tae-woo, stands out as one of the most consequential legacies of conservative governments in his meeting with South Korea's five major business lobbies on May 8.
Lee explained that the Northern Policy laid the groundwork for diplomatic normalization with China and the Soviet Union, the precursor to modern-day Russia, and opened the door to expanded trade and economic ties with both communist powers at that time.
“Does it really matter if our customers are from communist countries? By establishing diplomatic ties with Russia and China, we opened two enormous markets — and a lot of our domestic companies saw significant growth as a result. I believe we must continue down that path,” Lee said during the meeting.
"I am convinced that the government’s critical task going forward is to expand our economic territory through diplomacy and trade policy."
Lee also defended his “xie xie” comment from March 2023, which had sparked criticism among those who saw it as "pro-China." At the time, Lee suggested that the then Yoon Suk Yeol administration could avoid provoking China by acting irrespective of the Taiwan issue. Speaking in figurative language, he said South Korea should simply say "xie xie" — thank you in Mandarin — to both China and Taiwan.
“I said we should just get along with other countries — say ‘xie xie’ to China, ‘xie xie’ to Taiwan. Whether China and Taiwan fight or not, what does that have to do with us? Did I say anything wrong?” Lee told supporters during Tuesday's outdoor campaign in Daegu.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacts as he speaks to reporters after a Japanese negotiator held ministerial talks at the White House regarding US tariffs, at the prime minister?s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on April 17. (Reuters)
Japan
On Lee's Japan policy, the core is a two-pronged strategy: seek cooperation on issues of economy and trade as well as security — while maintaining a principled stance on historical and territorial disputes.
Lee has made clear that strategic cooperation with Tokyo, particularly in the fields of economy and security, is a necessity — especially with the heightened geopolitical uncertainties under the second Trump administration.
Lee notably offered an affirmative response when SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won — who also chairs the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry — suggested during a May 8 meeting that South Korea should forge stronger economic solidarity with Japan.
Lee concurred on the need to cooperate with Japan against Trump’s chaotic tariff wars.
“These difficulties are being faced across many countries, which means we share similar positions and interests,” Lee said. “In that sense, I fully agree with the need for coordinated responses with neighboring countries like Japan. We must begin preparing in advance.”
However, Lee has clarified that he remains sharply critical of Japan’s stance on historical disputes stemming from its colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, its territorial claims over South Korea’s Dokdo islets, and the release of contaminated water from Fukushima.
“Though I’ve been highly critical of Japan’s conduct, I believe that, from a macro perspective, cooperation is necessary,” Lee said in the interview on the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation’s YouTube channel.
“We should pursue a dual-track approach. Let’s continue to confront issues like history and the Dokdo dispute, but there’s no reason to carry that tension into economic matters or the social and cultural domains."
Still, Lee stressed the imperative to resolve long-standing issues as a key prerequisite to elevating bilateral ties to a higher level in a May 9 congratulatory message to a forum on Seoul–Tokyo relations.
“Complex challenges still remain between our two countries — including historical disputes and the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima,” Lee said in the speech. “In particular, historical issues must be addressed if we are to build a truly future-oriented relationship.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (center) oversees the North Korean army conducting a joint strike drill involving long-range artillery and a new variant of tactical ballistic missiles on the eastern front on May 8, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (Yonhap)
Potential US–North Korea thaw
On North Korea policy, Lee views that the US has little choice but to improve relations with North Korea as its strategic rivalry with China intensifies — a shift he believes South Korea should capitalize on by resurrecting long-stalled inter-Korean dialogue.
“To contain China, the US will have to improve its relationship with North Korea,” Lee said in the interview uploaded to the YouTube channel of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation. “In fact, Washington has no other option — it will inevitably move in that direction.”
Lee’s position is that South Korea must not be sidelined in the event of a resumption of diplomacy between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"If the US improves its relationship with North Korea while we remain on the sidelines as a third party, it could be seriously problematic for us," Lee said in the interview. "Instead, we can work with the US to create a win-win situation on this issue. That could also open the door to improving inter-Korean relations."
Lee noted that this evolving dynamic presents opportunities for Seoul to turn the tide in inter-Korean relations — especially at a time when ties between the two Koreas have reached their lowest point in years.
"I believe we can make the most of this opportunity and juncture. Communication, cooperation, and trust-building between the two Koreas are truly crucial,” Lee said during the party primary debate on April 23.
"While it is not yet time to speak of grand ideas like unification, we must begin with peaceful coexistence. We should not allow hostility to deepen any further. Of course, strentngning national security with strong defense capabilities is fundamental.”
Then-US President Donald Trump (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet for a social dinner on Feb. 27, 2019, at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, for their second summit meeting. (White House)
Lee has repeatedly pointed out that the current breakdown of inter-Korean relations has been driven by the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s hardline North Korea policy.
“There may be various reasons, but inter-Korean relations have seriously deteriorated — and the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s reckless tit-for-tat hardline policy has had a significant impact on that,” Lee said during the April 23 debate.
Against the backdrop, Lee underscored that “easing military tensions and restoring trust between the two Koreas is an urgent task” on his Facebook post on May 2.
"We will establish an inter-Korean military joint committee and restore communication channels to manage military clashes and other inter-Korean risks in a stable manner.”
In addition to restoring severed inter-Korean hotlines, Lee further pledged to reinstate the now-defunct Inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed on September 19, 2018, and to halt hostile acts by both sides — including the launching of balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border.
“Now is the moment to ease military tensions and to open a pathway to dialogue — a necessity for both South and North Korea," Lee said on the day when North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles on May 8.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · May 14, 2025
16. Kim Moon-soo compares Yoon impeachment to 'communist states like North Korea'
Thursday
May 15, 2025
dictionary + A - A
Kim Moon-soo compares Yoon impeachment to 'communist states like North Korea'
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-05-15/national/politics/Kim-Moonsoo-compares-Yoon-impeachment-to-communist-states-like-North-Korea/2308132
Published: 15 May. 2025, 15:15
Updated: 15 May. 2025, 18:02
People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo speaks during a news conference in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 15. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate for the conservative People Power Party (PPP), apologized once again for former president Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law but called the Constitutional Court “communist” for unanimously deciding to impeach him.
Kim’s remarks were made during a second apology on Thursday, speaking at an emergency news conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. His first apology was delivered to the public on Monday, around 160 days after Yoon's botched attempt to enforce military power over the nation.
Related Article
“Even if martial law is a power granted to the president under the Constitution in times of emergency, it should not be invoked unless the country is in a state of chaos that cannot be controlled by police forces alone,” said Kim.
“If I had known in advance, I would have told President Yoon that martial law was not an option and explained why in detail,” he said. “I sincerely and respectfully apologize.”
However, Kim took issue with the Constitutional Court's unanimous ruling in Yoon’s impeachment case.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, greet supporters as they leave the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul, and head to their private home in Seocho-dong on April 11, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
“The verdict was eight to zero — and not just this time,” said Kim. “It was the same with former President Park Geun-hye. Maybe journalists are okay with it, but unanimous decisions like that are common in communist states like North Korea under Kim Jong-un or China under President Xi Jinping.”
“I believe the Republic of Korea is a great liberal democracy,” he said. “A court that fails to reflect diverse perspectives and viewpoints poses a grave threat to our democracy.”
When asked whether Yoon should leave the party, Kim once again drew the line: “That’s for President Yoon to decide.”
“As a presidential candidate, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say whether he should leave or stay.”
Police stand in front of a picket sign that denounces former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as a North Korean communist spy in front of the National Assembly complex in western Seoul on Dec. 8, 2024. [KIM MIN-YOUNG]
Kim vowed there would be no imposition of martial law if he were elected president. “Even if a president has the emergency power to declare martial law, I would never exercise that authority,” he said.
“Some call us a ‘martial law party,’ and even worse, some say we are the ‘insurrection party,’” Kim said. “Isn’t the Democratic Party [DP] the real insurrection party? Their legislative moves are nothing short of legislative rebellion meant to shield their own crimes.”
Kim attacked the liberal DP for unilaterally passing revisions to the Public Official Election Act and the Criminal Procedure Act in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, claiming the bills were aimed at exonerating DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks while on the campaign trail in Busan on May 14. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]
“They’re pushing through five evil self-pardoning bills just for Lee,” Kim said.
“Erasing a powerful figure’s crimes through legislation and intimidating the judiciary is a crime that destroys liberal democracy,” he continued. “If Lee becomes president, he’ll sign those five self-exonerating bills into law to erase his own wrongdoings.”
Kim also commented on the reinstatement of Jang Ye-chan, a former senior PPP official who ran as an independent after his nomination was rescinded last year due to his controversial remarks.
“Some members have been unintentionally outside the party, but I will embrace all of them,” Kim said. “Like a blast furnace, we will melt down our differences with passionate unity to foster the talent this country needs.”
People Power Party's presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo bows to his supporters while on the campaign trail on May 12 in Daegu. [NEWS1]
Kim tried to distance himself from the controversy surrounding former Defense Minister Chung Ho-yong’s appointment and dismissal.
“I was on a local schedule for three days and was not consulted on that matter,” Kim said. “It seems to have been a clerical error.”
The PPP’s central election committee had appointed Chung, a key figure in the military junta of the Fifth Republic, as a senior adviser on Thursday but reversed the decision within five hours due to public backlash.
Chung was convicted in 1997 for his role in the Dec. 12 military coup and the suppression of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, receiving a seven-year prison sentence.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]
17. 'Championing justice, human rights and good values still in US interests'
I hope that PresidentTrump chooses Ambassador Tan to be the US Ambasador to South Korea.
'Championing justice, human rights and good values still in US interests'
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20250515/championing-justice-human-rights-and-good-values-still-in-us-interests
open image galleryMorse Tan, former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice in the U.S. Department of State, poses on the steps of Congress in Washington, May 3, after the 2025 Capitol Forum concluded. Courtesy of organizers
By Kim Ji-soo
- Published May 15, 2025 1:40 pm KST
- Updated May 15, 2025 3:33 pm KST
Former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice, Morse Tan says Korea needs to understand U.S. president in context
WASHINGTON — Morse Tan, a former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice in the U.S. Department of State during President Donald Trump's first administration, recalled that the nature of his office at that time had limitations in talking about his work on genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity globally and in specialized regions like North Korea.
"In fact, there was one time at a conference at Maryland, different bureaucrats were worried that I would make U.S. policy public through my prayers. So I wasn't even allowed to pray freely," Tan said, laughing. The 51-year-old is a devout Christian known for not skipping prayers.
A 1.5-generation Korean American (he left Seoul at the age of 2), his office within the State Department dealt with mass atrocities and provided advice on how to address injustices around the globe to the secretary of state. It is an office not commonly seen in other countries' foreign ministries, dedicated to pursuing justice and addressing injustices. While he could not go into detail, he said he did what he could to advance the situation in North Korea, such as helping the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor implement a $10 million budget to send information into North Korea. His office also worked to invite North Korean defectors, such as Ji Sung-ho, to highlight North Korean human rights issues.
These days, as a senior executive director for the Center for Law and Government at Liberty University, the well-known North Korea and international criminal law expert tries to increase the Korean American community's awareness of human rights issues in North Korea and around unification.
In his role as ambassador-at-large, he said he was exposed to classified information that changed his worldview.
"You cannot see the world the same as before," Tan said.
In an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 Capitol Forum held May 3, Tan forecast that human rights will remain an important part of the agenda for President Donald Trump in his second term. Tan pointed out that during the 2018 Singapore Summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the second-most-important point talked about was human rights issues.
"And a lot of people don't even realize that in addition to that, he actually featured (North Korean defector) Ji Sung-ho in the State of the Union address," Tan said.
Having visited South Korea recently, Tan also spoke about popular perceptions of the U.S. president in South Korea, stating that Trump's actions and words in his first term showed that he has human rights on his agenda. "It has to be understood in the context of the negotiation that he was having with Kim Jong-un," he said.
Asked whether other global issues, such as the war in the Middle East, the Ukraine war and tariffs, were distracting Trump's attention away from North Korea, Tan agreed. Yet at the same time, the former ambassador said that human rights remain on Trump's watch list. "I don't know if you've noticed during the State of the Union address made, Trump was talking about how he was going to talk about tariffs even with friends and he said that right after mentioning South Korea. So in other words, he's saying South Korea is a friend, an ally. ... I think that's important to note."
He addressed concerns in South Korea about the Korea-U.S. alliance becoming strained over such issues as tariffs and the possibility that Seoul will have to cover more of the cost-sharing for stationing approximately 28,500 U.S. soldiers in South Korea.
"I hear a lot of concern in South Korea about the alliance and the friendship with the U.S. I don't think that's true at all. It is 100 percent false to think that. ... I think the U.S. Trump administration has no intention to break the alliance, break the friendship or break the defense treaty that it has with South Korea," Tan said. "But that does not mean that he's still not moving forward with the tariffs."
Tan added, "I think it's a misinterpretation of the tariffs to think that they're just set in stone and there is nothing that could be done about it. It's all part of a bigger negotiation, and so I think that needs to be understood."
Tan noted that Hyundai Motor is moving ahead with plans to build a plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, also having tapped former U.S. ambassador to Korea, Sung Kim as CEO.
Regarding Trump's request that South Korea take part in the Alaska liquefied natural gas project, Tan said, "Infrastructure returns multiples on what is invested. Usually, it is also a smart security move." He further noted that the steel, semiconductors and automobiles sectors could provide a win-win for both South Korea and the United States in tariff negotiations.
Asked what would convey the real, essential Trump to Korean audiences, Tan mentioned Trump spoke at the South Korean National Assembly during his first term.
Tan, whose family roots extend to North Korea, said he would be eager and willing to serve in the second Trump administration, working on North Korea issues or those affecting the whole of the Korean Peninsula.
“What I would do initially in a second Trump administration would be to do whatever I can to help the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
Tan, as a legal expert, has a plan in mind to address justice after the potential unification of the two Koreas. "There would be a hybrid tribunal that is part domestic and part international that could deal with the worst offenders of human rights and worst atrocities. Then, a second level where the Korean domestic judiciary that will deal with a large middle category of offenders and the third tier of those who have done the least serious offenses," he said. He added that the plan could involve a truth and reconciliation commission to get more facts, all the while helping to rebuild North Korea.
The current geopolitical landscape is volatile as the U.S. and China square off. With an ever-increasing amount of hybrid warfare, such as cyberattacks, election interference and espionage, dividing people, Tan stressed that South Korea should be aware of these conflicts. Nevertheless, the former ambassador — whose profession exposed him to a world far removed from that of ordinary people — embraces civic engagement in his personal life and, as a deeply committed Christian, advocates for what he sees as the good and morally upright path.
"I think it is very much in the interests of the United States of America to be the champion of justice, human rights and good values around the world ... such things are good things in and of themselves inherently, intrinsically, and this is always a good thing for everyone all around the world and therefore should be championed," he said.
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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