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Quotes of the Day:
"Nobody is more inferior than those who insist on being equal."
– Friedrich Nietzsche
“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.”
– Isaac Asimov
“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. US Forces Korea leader says his troops deter China, guard ‘freedom’s front yard’
2. N.K. leader Kim oversees anti-air combat, air raid drills, calls for stronger war preparations
3. N. Korea bristles at U.S. designation as country not cooperating with counterterrorism efforts
4. America and South Korea Are Preparing for North Korean Commando Raids
5. Ex-President Yoon announces departure from PPP, urges support for party candidate Kim
6. Presidential candidates head to Gwangju ahead of democracy uprising anniversary
7. Trump says S. Korea wants to make trade deal with U.S.
8. U.S. nominee for East Asia policy stresses 'commercial diplomacy'
9. U.S. lawmaker submits bill to establish inter-parliamentary dialogue between S. Korea, U.S., Japan
10. Why Google Maps is still broken in South Korea: It might not be about national security anymore
11. Why Japan, South Korea inch closer
12. Photos show how North and South Korea train special forces
13. U.S. seeks Korean help rebuilding maritime supply chain
14. USFK Commander urges broader mission to deter China
15. South Korea, North Korea to 'closely consult with each other' on strengthening naval power
16. “North Korean authorities use home phones to monitor residents”
1. US Forces Korea leader says his troops deter China, guard ‘freedom’s front yard’
"The triangle of nations"
Part of the silk web of the US alliance system.
The other thing to keep in mind is that US forces in Korea are the only forces on the Asian mainland even if South Korea is an "island" cut off from the mainland by north Korea. This poses a dilemma for China.
Excerpts:
The Korean Peninsula “sits right in the center” of the map of Asia, Brunson said, adding that South Korea, Japan and the Philippines form a “triangle of nations” that are connected to the U.S. through mutual defense treaties.
Japan and the Philippines often clash with China over territorial disputes. Earlier this month, Japan’s Foreign Ministry accused a Chinese helicopter of entering its airspace near the Senkaku Islands, prompting its air force to scramble fighter jets.
Japan and China have asserted competing claims to the Senkakus, a group of five islets roughly 250 miles west of Okinawa.
Filipino vessels have also confronted Chinese ships in the South China Sea, with some encounters resulting in injuries.
“Our presence in the region gives our adversaries pause and ultimately supports the defense of the homeland from freedom’s front yard,” Brunson said. “By being forward-stationed, we effectively operate inside an adversaries anti-access area denial bubble and inside their headspace.”
US Forces Korea leader says his troops deter China, guard ‘freedom’s front yard’
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · May 16, 2025
Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, delivers a keynote presentation at the Land Forces Pacific Symposium in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, May 15, 2025. (Johanna Pullum/U.S. Army)
The top U.S. commander in South Korea likened the peninsula’s strategic location in the Indo-Pacific to a “fixed aircraft carrier floating in the water” near China, during a keynote address Thursday in Hawaii.
Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, who leads U.S. Forces Korea, delivered remarks at the Army’s Land Forces Pacific Symposium in Waikiki Beach, urging attendees to rethink the significance of land-based power in the region.
“What immediately stood out to me as I looked at the map was the position of the Korean Peninsula and the fact that it’s on the Asian continent, has a sizable U.S. force posture, is inside the first island chain, and is the closest allied presence to Beijing,” he said.
Brunson added: “At night, from a satellite image, [South Korea] looks like an island or like a fixed aircraft carrier floating in the water between Japan and mainland China.”
He emphasized the need for military strategists to go beyond conventional north-oriented map views and consider regional geography when assessing strategic positioning.
Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, most of them at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
While USFK’s primary mission is to defend the South against a potential North Korean attack, the command’s presence also plays a role in deterring China, one of Pyongyang’s closest allies.
After the United States deployed its $800 million Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system to South Korea in 2017, China complained that the move threatened its regional interests, then slapped broad boycotts against Seoul.
The Korean Peninsula “sits right in the center” of the map of Asia, Brunson said, adding that South Korea, Japan and the Philippines form a “triangle of nations” that are connected to the U.S. through mutual defense treaties.
Japan and the Philippines often clash with China over territorial disputes. Earlier this month, Japan’s Foreign Ministry accused a Chinese helicopter of entering its airspace near the Senkaku Islands, prompting its air force to scramble fighter jets.
Japan and China have asserted competing claims to the Senkakus, a group of five islets roughly 250 miles west of Okinawa.
Filipino vessels have also confronted Chinese ships in the South China Sea, with some encounters resulting in injuries.
“Our presence in the region gives our adversaries pause and ultimately supports the defense of the homeland from freedom’s front yard,” Brunson said. “By being forward-stationed, we effectively operate inside an adversaries anti-access area denial bubble and inside their headspace.”
In addition to leading USFK, Bruson also heads United Nations Command and the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, all headquartered at Camp Humphreys. He assumed command on Dec. 20, succeeding retired Army Gen. Paul LaCamera.
David Choi
David Choi
David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · May 16, 2025
2. N.K. leader Kim oversees anti-air combat, air raid drills, calls for stronger war preparations
Externalize threats when faced with internal problems that challenge the regime.
N.K. leader Kim oversees anti-air combat, air raid drills, calls for stronger war preparations | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · May 17, 2025
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw anti-air combat and air raid drills by an air force flight group this week, stressing the need for constant and stronger war preparations across all military units, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday.
Kim gave the guidance during his visit Thursday to the flight group under the Guards 1st Air Division of the Korean People's Army, calling on "all the units of the entire army to bring about a radical turn in the preparations for war in constant war posture," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The drills were aimed at familiarizing flying corps as well as anti-air missile, radar and electronic warfare subunits with the mission to detect, track and destroy enemy cruise missiles and suicide drones, according to the KCNA.
The drills included a test of a new-type long-range precision glide guided bomb and a target attack exercise, as well as a training program for destroying enemy drones with a helicopter, precision bombing of naval targets and a demonstration flight of strategic reconnaissance drones and multipurpose drones, the KCNA said.
Kim touted the drills as "very useful" for allowing pilots to gain experience in modern air combat methods, and presented directions for the development of air weapon systems, air defense means, detection and electronic warfare integrated systems and anti-drone integrated systems, according to the KCNA.
The drills proved the air defense capabilities of the groups under the Guards 1st Air Division, the state media noted.
Kim was accompanied by a group of party and military officials, including Ri Pyong-chol, general adviser for the munitions policy of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, and Kim Yong-hwan, president of the Academy of Defence Sciences.
This photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 27, 2025, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from L) inspecting a defense science research project from March 25-26, 2025. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Park Boram · May 17, 2025
3. N. Korea bristles at U.S. designation as country not cooperating with counterterrorism efforts
Show us how you are cooperating with CT efforts. What are you doing to counter Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis for example?
N. Korea bristles at U.S. designation as country not cooperating with counterterrorism efforts
en.yna.co.kr
N. Korea bristles at U.S. designation as country not cooperating with counterterrorism efforts | Yonhap News Agency
Park Boram
All News 07:48 May 17, 2025
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea denounced the United States on Saturday for designating it as a country that does not fully cooperate with Washington's fight against terrorism, warning that further U.S. "provocations" would escalate hostility with Pyongyang.
The North's foreign ministry issued the warning, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), days after the U.S. State Department designated the North, along with Cuba, Iran, Syria and Venezuela, as uncooperative in the fight against terrorism.
The ministry decried the designation as a "political provocation," saying that "the more the U.S. provokes the DPRK with unnecessary and inefficient malicious acts, the further it will escalate the irreconcilable hostility between the DPRK and the U.S.," according to its statement dated Friday.
DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"The 'anti-terrorism' advocated by the U.S. is nothing but an excuse to justify interference in internal affairs of other countries," the ministry said, adding that "no one has asked the U.S. to lead international anti-terrorist efforts, nor has anyone invested it with such power."
It is North Korea's stance to resolutely oppose all forms of terrorism threatening international peace and security, and Washington's anti-terrorist efforts are irrelevant to Pyongyang's will against terrorism, the ministry said.
"The DPRK will never tolerate any outside attempt to impair and violate the dignity, sovereign rights and security interests of the state but take effective and proper measures to cope with the U.S. hostile provocations in all spheres," the ministry said.
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Keywords
#North Korea U.S. ties #North Korea foreign ministry
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4. America and South Korea Are Preparing for North Korean Commando Raids
That used to be the purpose of Foal Eagle when it was held in the fall up to the 1990s. It was a rear area defense and SOF offset exercises. The (then) Second ROK Army (SROKA) would train to defend targets throughout the South and to counter north Korean SOF, while ROK and US SOF would attack targets in the South simulating attacks against targets in the north to serve as the opposing forces for SROKA.
America and South Korea Are Preparing for North Korean Commando Raids
May 16, 2025
By: Stavros Atlamazoglou
The National Interest ·· May 16, 2025
Topic: Security
Blog Brand: The Buzz
Region: Asia
May 16, 2025
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Frequent and realistic training with partners like South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines is important in order to bolster regional deterrence capability against China.
This week, the U.S. Navy linked up with its South Korean counterpart for a rare exercise designed to counter North Korean commandos—part of a wider series of maritime exercises in the Indo-Pacific.
South Korea’s Counter-Special Operations Exercise
According to the Navy, the one U.S. guided missile destroyer and eight South Korean surface combatants and submarines, supported by naval assets, trained in anti-submarine, anti-mine warfare, maritime communications, and dynamic coordinated maneuvering. The allied warships also reportedly drilled on their maritime counter-special operations skills.
A Maritime Counter-Special Operations Exercise is quite rare. It is rather odd that part of the exercise took place in open water, as the information released by the U.S. Navy and its South Korean counterpart suggests. Typically, maritime special operations have more to do with attacks on installations and using maritime assets for infiltration and exfiltration than with anything on open water.
Special operations forces can operate across all domains of warfare. In the maritime domain, these forces will typically use their training and expertise to create holes in enemy defenses or sink ships in port. For instance, the U.S. Navy SEALs—America’s premier maritime special operations unit—train regularly on how to infiltrate enemy port facilities and place specialized limpet mines on enemy warships and support vessels.
Other special operations units, like the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Regiment, colloquially known as the “Green Berets” or the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Raiders, will use the maritime domain as a means to an end rather than the end itself. For example, a Green Beret operational detachment trained as combat divers might use a submarine to infiltrate a non-permissive environment and link up with a local guerrilla force. Conversely, a SEAL platoon will use a submarine to approach an enemy port to place surveillance devices or attack enemy shipping.
Regular Exercises Help Enhance U.S.-South Korea Interoperability
Working with allies and partners is the best way for the U.S. Navy to be ready for actual combat against North Korea and even China in the Indo-Pacific.
“Enhancing proficiency at sea is a priority for our destroyers, and there’s no better way to do this than sailing with our Korean teammates,” U.S. Navy Capt. David Huljack, the Commanding officer of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, said in a press release. “We will continue to seek opportunities to strengthen our ties and improve our collective maritime capabilities.”
DESRON 15 is the Navy’s largest guided-missile destroyer unit, with nine Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers—all of which are forward-deployed around the Indo-Pacific area of operations.
Frequent and realistic training with partners like South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines is important in order to bolster regional deterrence capability against China.
“The U.S. Navy regularly operates alongside our allies in the Indo-Pacific region as a demonstration of our shared commitment to upholding international law. Bilateral operations such as this one provide valuable opportunities to train, exercise and develop tactical interoperability across allied navies in the Indo-Pacific,” the Navy concluded about the combined operations with the South Korean military.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / Yeongsik Im.
The National Interest · by Trevor Filseth · May 16, 2025
5. Ex-President Yoon announces departure from PPP, urges support for party candidate Kim
Probably not enough damage control to make a difference.
(4th LD) Ex-President Yoon announces departure from PPP, urges support for party candidate Kim | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Boram · May 17, 2025
(ATTN: UPDATES with DP candidate's reaction in paras 15-16)
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- Former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday announced his departure from the People Power Party (PPP), urging the public to support the party's presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo.
In a post on his Facebook account, Yoon said, "I am leaving the People Power Party today," adding, "Although I am leaving the party, I will continue to stand at the forefront to defend freedom and national sovereignty."
He also called on voters to unite behind Kim, emphasizing the importance of participating in the upcoming election.
"Please give your support to Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party. Make sure to cast your vote. Every single vote is a path toward safeguarding this country's freedom, sovereignty and prosperity," he said.
Yoon was removed from office in April over his botched martial law attempt in December and is facing a criminal trial.
Calls have been growing within the conservative 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 Kim's stagnant poll numbers against Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung.
"I believe the (former) president will make a rational decision," Rep. Kim Yong-tae, interim party leader, said during a press conference on Thursday. "As the interim leader, I would respectfully recommend the president leave the party."
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol appears at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on May 12, 2025, to attend the third hearing of a trial over insurrection charges in connection with his declaration of martial law. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
PPP candidate Kim had largely retained a neutral position about Yoon's potential exit from the party, saying it was up to Yoon to decide whether to leave the PPP, while more centrist members of the party had called for the leadership to voluntarily expunge Yoon's party affiliation.
After Yoon's announcement, the PPP candidate said he "respects" the former preisdent's decision to leave the party.
"We will humbly accept his decision and work to make the party more united and innovative, so that the party, the campaign and the presidency can align with the will of the people," Kim Moon-soo told reporters after a campaign meeting at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul.
When asked whether there had been any prior coordination with Yoon on his withdrawal, candidate Kim replied, "None at all."
Rival parties slammed Yoon's PPP departure, claiming that his statement lacks a sense of apology to the public for his martial law fiasco.
DP spokesperson Rep. Hwang Jung-a said during a briefing, "Yoon Suk Yeol's departure statement is filled with delusion and self-obsession, with no trace of reflection or apology."
"The PPP has forever branded itself as a pathetic remnant of insurrectionists, having failed to expel the leader of insurrection with its own hands."
Lee Jae-myung, the DP's presidential candidate, dismissed Yoon's move as a "political tactic."
"Yoon should have been expelled from the party," he told reporters while campaigning in the southwestern city of Gwangju. "I thought it was a political tactic, not a sincere attitude."
Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor New Reform Party, also criticized Yoon.
"It is repugnant that the very person who caused chaos consumed by delusions of election fraud is speaking of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty, happiness and security." Lee wrote on his Facebook account.
Kim Moon-soo (R), presidential candidate of the People Power Party, speaks during a campaign meeting held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 17, 2025. (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Boram · May 17, 2025
6. Presidential candidates head to Gwangju ahead of democracy uprising anniversary
Presidential candidates head to Gwangju ahead of democracy uprising anniversary | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 17, 2025
SEOUL/GWANGJU, May 17 (Yonhap) -- Key presidential candidates ramped up their election campaigns in the liberal stronghold of Gwangju on Saturday, a day ahead of an anniversary marking a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city.
With the official campaigns for the June 3 presidential election entering the sixth day, both Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo headed to Gwangju and nearby Naju, with the 45th anniversary of the uprising set to take place on Sunday.
In his third day of campaigning in the southwestern region, Lee emphasized the "spirit of Gwangju" and noted how its people had confronted martial law forces during the May 18 uprising.
"You are protecting this nation," he said to voters in Naju. "Hundreds of people were victimized during the long and gruesome military regime but it all came to end with the May 18 pro-democracy movement."
"It is the spirit of Honam that put an end to this violent and anachronistic regime," Lee said, in an apparent reference to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid.
As part of his weekend campaign in Gwangju, Lee is set to visit the May 18th National Cemetery and attend ceremonies marking the anniversary of the democracy uprising.
Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung attends a campaign speech in the southwestern city of Naju on May 17, 2025. (Yonhap)
The PPP's Kim paid respect to victims of the democracy movement as he visited the May 18th National Cemetery earlier Saturday.
The former labor activist paid tribute to victims as he visited their graves, recalling how he was imprisoned at a prison cell in Gwangju where one of the victims died from a hunger strike.
Speaking in an election policy committee meeting held in Gwangju, Kim vowed to fight for democracy until the end.
"No corruption or dictatorship of any kind can exist under the May 18 sprit," Kim said.
"What we see in front of us is an unprecedented dictatorship," he said, criticizing the DP candidate and his party for seeking the impeachment of the chief state auditor and prosecutor.
People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo speaks during an election policy committee meeting held in the southwestern city of Gwangju on May 17, 2025. (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 17, 2025
7. Trump says S. Korea wants to make trade deal with U.S.
Trump says S. Korea wants to make trade deal with U.S. | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
By Song Sang-ho and Kim Dong-hyun
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has said that South Korea wants to make a trade deal with the United States, as Seoul is striving to secure exemptions from his administration's "reciprocal" and sectoral tariffs.
Trump made the remarks in a Fox News interview released Friday, saying that he will not conclude deals with "everybody," as a large number of America's trading partners seek to strike deals to avoid or minimize the impact of new U.S. levies.
"I am in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us ... South Korea wants to make a deal with us," he said.
"I am not going to make deals with everybody. I am just going to set the limit. I'll make some deals, but ... because I can't ... you can't meet with that many people," he added.
Trump claimed that 150 countries want to make deals with the U.S.
This photo, released by the Associated Press, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking with reporters as he signs an executive order at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2025. (Yonhap)
Seoul and Washington have been conducting bilateral consultations with a focus on four major categories: tariff and non-tariff measures, economic security, investment cooperation and currency policy.
Seoul has been seeking to reach a "July package" deal with the Trump administration before July 8, when Trump's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends.
Reciprocal tariffs, including 25 duties on South Korea, went into effect on April 9, but Trump placed the pause on the tariffs to allow for negotiations.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
8. U.S. nominee for East Asia policy stresses 'commercial diplomacy'
(LEAD) U.S. nominee for East Asia policy stresses 'commercial diplomacy' | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 8-9)
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's pick for the top diplomat for East Asia policy has highlighted his desire to pursue "commercial diplomacy" with countries in the Indo-Pacific if confirmed, as Trump seeks to reduce America's trade deficit, attract foreign investments and boost domestic manufacturing.
During a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, Michael DeSombre, the nominee for assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, laid out three key priorities for U.S. Indo-Pacific policy, including cooperation with allies and partners to enhance deterrence.
"First, to promote U.S. strength and security by working closely with our allies, partners and friends in the Indo-Pacific to enhance deterrence and counter malign activities by our adversaries. Second, to promote U.S. prosperity through robust commercial diplomacy and reciprocal trade relations with all countries in the Indo-Pacific," he said of the priorities.
"And third, make the United States safer by eliminating the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into our country from Asia and ensure that all countries accept back their citizens that are illegally in our country," he added.
Aside from promoting U.S. diplomatic and security interests, the nominee made clear his commitment to expanding "commercial opportunities" in diplomacy with countries in the region.
"If confirmed, I will ensure that all of the embassies in EAP have strong commercial diplomacy teams which we will support from here in Washington D.C.," he said.
EAP is short for East Asia and Pacific.
Commenting on the importance of Taiwan, DeSombre stressed the need for the U.S. and its allies to back Taiwan.
"Our relationship with Taiwan is a very important. They're a great partner of ours," he said. "And we should seek to strengthen that partnership and also encourage our allies and partners to support Taiwan."
South Korea has been paying attention to his nomination for the assistant secretary post, which deals with a broad range of regional issues, including security challenges from North Korea.
DeSombre is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, a New York-based law firm, where he leads affairs related to mergers and acquisitions in Asia. He joined the firm in 2021 after serving as the ambassador to Thailand from 2020-2021.
He has a bachelor's degree in quantitative economics and a master's degree in East Asian studies from Stanford University. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School.
This photo, captured from Sullivan & Cromwell's website, shows Michael DeSombre, a former U.S. ambassador to Thailand. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
9. U.S. lawmaker submits bill to establish inter-parliamentary dialogue between S. Korea, U.S., Japan
U.S. lawmaker submits bill to establish inter-parliamentary dialogue between S. Korea, U.S., Japan | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill to establish an inter-parliamentary trilateral dialogue among South Korea, the United States and Japan as part of efforts to deepen cooperation in tackling shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
On Thursday, Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) introduced the "U.S.-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation Act" aimed at creating permanent channels of communication and coordination among the three countries' legislative bodies. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
"As we face growing threats in the Indo-Pacific, now is the time to invest in our closest alliances rooted in democratic values," Bera was quoted as saying in a press release.
"Routine inter-parliamentary dialogue will help ensure the United States, Japan and South Korea continue to meet shared challenges together -- promoting a free, open, inclusive and healthy Indo-Pacific region that safeguards our mutual security and prosperity for decades to come," he added.
This photo, taken on June 16, 2024, shows Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) speaking during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Washington. (Yonhap)
Other lawmakers joining Bera in the legislation effort include Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Mike Kelly (R-PA). Bera, Connolly, Wilson and Kelly serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Korea Caucus, while Castro and Smith are co-chairs of the Congressional Japan Caucus.
Connolly pointed out that trilateral cooperation between the U.S. and its two Asian allies is "paramount" to countering China's "malign influence."
Bera's office said that the bill builds on the momentum for cooperation from the "Camp David" summit, the trilateral summit that took place at the presidential retreat in Maryland in August 2023.
The summit produced a series of landmark agreements, including the three countries' "Commitment to Consult" each other in the event of a shared threat.
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en.yna.co.kr · by Song Sang-ho · May 17, 2025
10. Why Google Maps is still broken in South Korea: It might not be about national security anymore
Why Google Maps is still broken in South Korea: It might not be about national security anymore
koreaherald.com · by Moon Joon-hyun · May 17, 2025
South Korea cites security. Google cites data restrictions. But the real story may be what neither side wants to admit.
(Screenshot from Google Maps)
It’s 2025, and if you try to get walking directions in Seoul using Google Maps, you will still run into the same dead end: the "Can't find a way there" screen.
For many tourists, it’s both frustrating and baffling. Google Maps offers turn-by-turn walking directions in cities as far-flung as Pyongyang, the capital of the hermit kingdom of North Korea — yet, in Seoul, one of the most digitally advanced cities in the world, it can’t guide you from your hotel to the nearest subway station?
Google Maps in South Korea does not provide walking directions (left), and while it offers public transit routes with real-time updates, the walking segments are shown only as vague dotted lines without step-by-step guidance (right).
For almost two decades, the issue has been blamed on national security. South Korea has strict laws that block the export of high-precision map data, supposedly to prevent misuse by hostile actors. But in 2025, that argument is wearing thin, and a more fundamental tension is coming into focus: Should Google be allowed to freely commercialize taxpayer-funded public data without meeting the standards that domestic companies must follow?
Google says it needs Korea's best map. But that's only half the story.
The map at the center of this issue is a government-built, high-resolution 1:5000 digital base map maintained by the National Geographic Information Institute. It’s publicly funded, annually updated, and rich with layers like sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and road boundaries. Any Korean citizen or entity can access and use it for free.
Google claims that without exporting this data to its global servers, it cannot fully enable core features like walking, biking or driving navigation.
The global map giant, which relies on processing map data through its global infrastructure, has repeatedly asked the Korean government for permission to export the NGII base map. Its latest request, filed in February this year, is the third since the issue first surfaced in 2007 and again in 2016. A final decision from the government is expected this August.
Screenshots from South Korea’s National Geographic Information Institute show the publicly available 1:25,000-scale map (left) and the more detailed 1:5,000-scale map (right), which includes finer features like pedestrian paths and building outlines. (Screenshots from National Geographic Information Institute)
But experts say Google’s "we can’t do it without the map” argument is overstated.
“Yes, the 1:5,000 map would help, especially for pinpointing pedestrian pathways,” said Choi Jin-moo, a geographic information science professor at Kyung Hee University. “But Google could build the necessary layers on its own, using its vast trove of satellite imagery and AI processing, just like it does in countries that don’t share any base map data at all.”
The evidence is all around. OpenStreetMap, a crowdsourced platform, offers walking navigation in South Korea. So does Apple Maps, despite not having access to NGII’s dataset or exporting any official Korean geospatial data.
Google Maps offers full walking (left) and driving (right) directions in Pyongyang, North Korea — features that remain unavailable in South Korea. (Screenshots from Google Maps)
Google already provides walking directions in places like Pyongyang, where mapping data is sparse, and in countries like Israel and China, which impose strict restrictions on geospatial exports. “If Google can make it work in North Korea,” Choi said, “then clearly the map is not the only barrier.”
In other words, what Google gains by accessing the NGII map might not be feasibility, but convenience. "Rather than spending time and money building its own map layer, it would get a ready-made foundation that is free, publicly funded, and immediately monetizable through ads and API licensing," Choi added.
S. Korea's national security argument is crumbling
South Korea’s longstanding concern is that exporting detailed mapping data could expose key infrastructure to hostile threats, particularly from North Korea. But experts argue that in 2025, this reasoning no longer holds up to scrutiny.
“You can already buy sub-meter commercial satellite imagery of South Korea from private providers,” said Choi Ki-il, professor of military studies at Sangji University.
In its latest proposal, Google offered to blur sensitive sites if the government supplies coordinates. But even that sparked legal concerns. Under Korea’s military laws, simply compiling a list of protected locations could be a violation.
The real issue, Choi believes, is the symbolic discomfort of ceding data sovereignty to a global tech platform.
“There’s a psychological reluctance to let any part of our national digital infrastructure sit on foreign servers,” he said. “But we need to be honest about the threat level."
“This is primarily about control, not national security or technical capability,” said professor Yoo Ki-yoon, a smart city infrastructure expert at Seoul National University. “Google wants to integrate Korea into its global system on its terms, without storing data locally, without paying Korean taxes at the level domestic firms do, and without meaningful oversight.”
Who really stands to gain or lose?
The economic stakes are just as complex as the technical ones. South Korea’s location-based services market is worth over 11 trillion won ($7.6 billion) according to 2023 Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport data, with over 99 percent of companies in the space being small or mid-sized. These firms rely on the same public mapping data Google wants, but they do so under heavy conditions. They must store the data domestically, pay full local taxes, and invest in additional surveying and development.
Giving Google free access, critics warn, could reshape the market in its favor. Developers might rush to build on Google’s API, only to find themselves locked into a system where prices spike later, just as they did in 2018 when Google restructured its Maps API pricing globally.
“There’s a risk of long-term dependency,” said Ryo Seol-ri, a researcher at the Korea Tourism Organization. “Right now, Korean platforms like Naver and Kakao have limitations, but at least they’re governed by Korean rules. If Google becomes the dominant layer, we lose that control.”
Despite launching a multilingual version back in 2018, Naver Map only began expanding foreign-language support for place filters and business info like opening hours and amenities in October. (Naver)
Still, Ryo admits the issue is far from urgent for most stakeholders. “From a tourism perspective, this isn’t what drives people to or from Korea. Visitors are definitely inconvenienced, but they expect to be. It’s baked into the experience now.”
That may be the most important reason the situation hasn’t changed, and likely won’t any time soon.
There’s no single player with the incentive to fix it. The Korean government doesn’t want to set a precedent by giving up control of its mapping infrastructure. Google doesn’t want to build from scratch if it can pressure its way into a shortcut. And while tourists may grumble, broken Google Maps hasn’t kept them from coming.
Tourism professor Kim Nam-jo of Hanyang University said, “Improving map usability would make Korea more tourist-friendly, sure, but it won’t suddenly boost visitor numbers. That’s why no one sees it as urgent enough to fix.”
mjh@heraldcorp.com
koreaherald.com · by Moon Joon-hyun · May 17, 2025
11. Why Japan, South Korea inch closer
Why Japan, South Korea inch closer
Will their troops work together to save democracy in Asia? Perhaps. Meanwhile, an election in South Korea reveals a shift toward reconciliation.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0516/Why-Japan-South-Korea-inch-closer?icid=rss
| Reuters
Military officers from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea shake hands during military exercises in 2024.
- By the Monitor's Editorial Board
May 16, 2025, 2:13 p.m. ET
For Asia’s democracies – the ones eager to work together to fend off the region’s autocratic bullies – a May 13 announcement in Tokyo was welcome news: For the first time, South Korean and Japanese troops would be operating shoulder to shoulder in a joint military exercise in early June.
The two neighboring nations, a ferryboat ride apart, would notch one more success in their slow reconciliation over painful memories, such as forced labor, from Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
Alas, South Korea quickly denied the news, even though its forces will be participating with those of the United States and the Philippines in the annual exercise – which includes Japan.
One possible reason for this conflicting information: South Korea holds a presidential election June 3, the day after the military drills. In Korean politics, relations with Japan have long been a hotly contested topic.
Nonetheless, the election itself is showing just how much the South Korean people are moving to work through dark periods of history, especially after an official apology and remorse by Japan for certain past atrocities.
The leading candidate for president, Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, has shed much of his past anti-Japan rhetoric. He now says the two countries should have a free trade agreement and that historical and territorial issues should not carry over to social, economic, and cultural ties.
One obvious reason for this shift is geopolitical. China and North Korea are becoming more aggressive toward their neighbors. Meanwhile, the U.S. under President Donald Trump appears to be less of a solid economic partner with his high tariffs. Japan and South Korea realize they now have much more in common than old frictions. Their economic wealth per capita, for example, is closely equal.
Yet perhaps a bigger driver of closer ties are young Japanese and Koreans. They revel in each other’s cultural exports – anime and K-pop, for instance. About half of 18-to-29-year-olds in South Korea see the Japanese as kind and hardworking, according to a 2023 poll. Each country provides the largest share of tourists to the other. Most young Koreans do not carry the memories of their grandparents from the Japanese occupation.
Perhaps the Korean troops in the coming military exercises may actually want to meet their Japanese counterparts. Politicians, take note. That would make history, rather than rehash it. Democracy in Asia would be the better for it.
12.
13.
12. Photos show how North and South Korea train special forces
See the slideshow at the link: https://www.newsweek.com/us-south-korea-north-korea-news-special-forces-training-2073063?utm
Photos show how North and South Korea train special forces
Newsweek · by Ryan Chan · May 16, 2025
The training enhanced what the U.S. military called "rapid infiltration capabilities" between American and South Korean special operations forces. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un demanded that his army be prepared to fight and win a war at any time.
Why It Matters
The American and South Korean militaries regularly conduct exercises and training to enhance their deterrence against North Korea, which has threatened the allies with its nuclear and missile arsenals. Pyongyang is estimated to possess about 50 nuclear warheads.
North Korea has long railed against the alliance's training sessions, which it describes as "war rehearsals." For the U.S. and South Korea, special warfare drills are designed to hone the skills necessary for carrying out "decapitation" operations against Kim and his country's leadership.
In Focus
United States Naval Special Warfare operators and South Korea's Naval Special Warfare Flotilla personnel conducting a combined air assault training event at Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex near Pocheon in South Korea on April 18.
What To Know
U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators and South Korea's Naval Special Warfare Flotilla took part in nighttime training at Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex near Pocheon, South Korea, the U.S. Special Operations Command-Korea announced in a Facebook post on Monday.
Photos released on Thursday showed American and South Korean military personnel arriving at the objective building in a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during the "combined air assault training event" that took place on April 18.
The training involved a "direct action raid," seizure of a time-sensitive target and the ability to exploit a site, the command said. During the dill, American operators conducted a fast-rope infiltration while their South Korean counterparts seized "complementary objectives."
Meanwhile, North Korea conducted two drills on Tuesday at a training camp in Pyongyang involving special operations and tank units, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim observed the events alongside top military and political officials.
According to photos released by the state news agency, tanks were firing at targets, while troops practiced marksmanship and trained in drone operations. During the exercises, a half-naked soldier was seen smashing a stone placed on a fellow soldier's back with a hammer.
Kim said war games should be conducted based on the principles of enhancing the initiative, independence and creativity of commanders, with the goal of maintaining and strengthening the "qualitative superiority" of the country's armed forces, the report added.
In Focus
The North Korean military conducting training at a camp in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 13.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Special Operations Command-Korea said: "Naval Special Warfare provides maritime special operations force capabilities to enable Joint Force lethality and survivability inside denied and contested areas."
The U.S. Forces Korea wrote on Facebook: "This was more than training—it was a test of grit, skill, and seamless teamwork."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said: "Our revolutionary armed forces are now in charge of not a few fronts, but the most important among them is the anti-imperialist class front and making full preparations for war is their most crucial task."
What Happens Next
Military training and exercises are likely to continue across the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. has also dispatched military assets to nearby Japan for contingency operations.
About the writer
Ryan Chan is a Newsweek reporter based in Hong Kong, where he previously had over a decade of experience at a local newspaper, covering China and current events around the world. His focus is on security and defense issues in the Western Pacific region. He is a graduate of Hong Kong Baptist University. You can get in touch with Ryan by emailing r.chan@newsweek.com.
Newsweek · by Ryan Chan · May 16, 2025
13. U.S. seeks Korean help rebuilding maritime supply chain
JAROKUS Shipbuilding consortium.
U.S. seeks Korean help rebuilding maritime supply chain
https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20250517/5608192/1
Posted May. 17, 2025 07:27,
Updated May. 17, 2025 07:27
Jamieson Greer, a top official at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, met with leading South Korean shipbuilders this week in an effort to strengthen cooperation amid Washington’s push to revitalize its maritime industry and curb Chinese dominance.
According to HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean, Greer met with HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun and Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-chul in Jeju on Thursday. Discussions ranged from shipbuilding and maintenance to port crane supply and broader maritime collaboration.
Chung highlighted HD Hyundai’s partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries, a major U.S. defense contractor. The two companies signed an MOU in April to work together on enhancing productivity and advanced shipbuilding technologies.
The talks also touched on the global port crane market, which is heavily dominated by China’s ZPMC with a roughly 70% share. HD Hyundai Samho controls only 3.6%, but its technological capabilities are considered world-class. “We appreciate the U.S. commitment to restoring its shipbuilding capabilities and are ready to support where needed,” said Chung.
Greer also met with Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheol to discuss long-term strategies for reinforcing U.S. shipbuilding competitiveness. Hanwha Ocean plans to transfer its smart production system from its Geoje shipyard to Philly Shipyard, which it acquired in December. “We aim to become a strategic partner in rebuilding America’s shipbuilding strength—not just through technology transfer, but by establishing a solid production base,” said Kim.
김형민 기자 kalssam35@donga.com
14. USFK Commander urges broader mission to deter China
USFK Commander urges broader mission to deter China
Posted May. 17, 2025 07:27,
Updated May. 17, 2025 07:27
한국어
The role of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) should extend beyond deterring North Korea to countering broader regional threats, General Xavier Brunson, commander of USFK, said on May 15 (local time). Speaking at the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium hosted by the Association of the United States Army in Honolulu, Brunson emphasized the strategic necessity of a continued U.S. ground presence on the Korean Peninsula amid growing concerns over China, Russia, and North Korea.
“The mission of USFK is not solely focused on North Korea,” Brunson said, calling South Korea’s geographic location “an island or a fixed aircraft carrier floating between Japan and mainland China.” He underscored the importance of maintaining forward-deployed ground forces to respond to multiple regional threats.
His remarks reflect a rare public acknowledgment by a sitting USFK commander of the need for greater strategic flexibility and an expanded role for American forces in Korea. The comments align with Washington’s increasing focus on the Indo-Pacific as a central theater in long-term strategic competition with China.
Brunson noted that Korea’s location helps the U.S. military overcome the “tyranny of distance” — a major challenge in projecting power across the vast Indo-Pacific region. He said USFK plays a critical role in shaping the strategic calculus of adversaries in Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow, while offering U.S. leaders more operational options in a crisis.
The general also praised South Korea’s defense industry, citing Hanwha Ocean’s recent overhaul of a U.S. Navy logistics ship. He said South Korea’s shipbuilding and maintenance capabilities are increasingly valuable to U.S. operations in the region.
Brunson emphasized the need to institutionalize joint training among South Korea, the United States, and Japan. “U.S.-ROK-Japan cooperation should be routine, and any barriers to that must be removed,” he said. "Washington seeks to conduct joint drills with as many allied partners as possible on the Korean Peninsula."
Brunson’s comments echo a broader trend among current and former U.S. defense officials advocating an expanded mission for USFK as part of efforts to counter China’s military rise. At a May 13 seminar hosted by the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security in Washington, Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs under the Trump administration, predicted that a second Trump term would pursue greater operational flexibility for forces in Korea to compete with China.
Ely Ratner, who served in the same role under the Biden administration, said South Korea must look beyond North Korea and engage more actively in “mini-lateral” regional efforts.
The Washington Post recently reported that the Pentagon’s new interim defense guidance prioritizes preparations for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and calls for a global repositioning of U.S. forces to support that strategy.
김윤진 기자 kyj@donga.com
15. South Korea, North Korea to 'closely consult with each other' on strengthening naval power
Do not be misled by the headline. This is a Google translation of an RFA report. The South is consulting with its agencies about north Korean naval capabilities , not consulting with north Korea.
South Korea, North Korea to 'closely consult with each other' on strengthening naval power
Seoul-Hong Seung-wook hongs@rfa.org
2025.05.16
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in-focus/2025/05/16/north-korea-navy-nuclear-russia/
Anchor: The South Korean government has announced that related ministries are closely consulting on the trend of North Korea's naval power reinforcement, including the construction of new destroyers. There are also concerns that this naval power reinforcement could lead to nuclear warfare. Hong Seung-wook reports from Seoul.
On the 12th, local time, American media outlets specializing in North Korea released satellite photos and an analysis showing that North Korea is strengthening its naval power by building new destroyers and constructing shipyards.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies' Beyond Parallel reported that a new warship that appears to be of the 5,000-ton class is being built at a shipyard in Chongjin, and 38 North reported that large-scale construction has been observed at the Chongjin Port shipyard.
In relation to this, the South Korean government announced on the 16th that it is keeping a close eye on the matter, while being cautious about whether the information is true or not. These are the words of Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Unification.
[Kim In-ae, Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification] I would like to inform you that the relevant ministries are closely consulting and sharing information on issues related to North Korea’s weapons development.
This is according to a state-run media report that North Korea recently launched a new 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer, the Choe Hyun-ho, and that General Secretary Kim Jong-un supervised the first weapons test-firing conducted three days later.
At the time, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said that it would take a considerable amount of time to power up the 'Choi Hyun-ho' and raised the possibility that it may have received technical assistance from Russia. These are the words of Lee Seong-jun, head of the public relations office of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
[Lee Seong-jun, Public Relations Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (on the 1st)] Choi Hyun-ho has been revealed, but it seems like it will take a considerable amount of time for him to be operational. Looking at the weapons and equipment that have been revealed, it is possible that he received technology, funds, or assistance from Russia.
As such moves by North Korea to strengthen its naval power could lead to so-called 'nuclear power', suggestions have been raised within South Korea that South Korea should take diplomatic and military action.
In a report released that day, Choi Yong-hwan, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) under the National Intelligence Service, said, “What is concerning about the trend of strengthening North Korea’s naval power is that it is highly likely to be linked to nuclear warfare,” and assessed that the warships currently under construction are showing characteristics that indicate they can operate nuclear weapons.
It was also diagnosed that one of the potential risks is North Korea creating an ocean-going operational fleet to connect the East Sea and the West Sea, thereby expanding its scope of activity to all directions, east, west, south, and north.
They also raised concerns that the two countries could strengthen military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including receiving technical assistance from Russia in the process of strengthening naval power, and that the two countries could conduct joint training exercises around the Korean Peninsula.
Related Articles
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Visits Navy to "Eradicate Enemy's Will to Provoke"
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff: "It will take considerable time for North Korea to deploy new destroyer"
Chief Researcher Choi suggested that in order for South Korea to respond to this, it must prevent the “entrenchment of a Cold War-style conflict structure” around the Korean Peninsula, and that after the Russo-Russian War, it must work to improve relations not only with South Korea and Russia but also with China.
Militarily, he emphasized that the ROK-US alliance as well as ROK-US-Japan security cooperation should be strengthened, as the strengthening of North Korea's naval power could lead to an increase in its nuclear threat capabilities.
Commander of US Forces Korea: “US Forces Korea Stationing Necessary Due to Threats from China and Russia”
Meanwhile, Commander of the US Forces Korea Xavier Brunson said today that the US needs to continue stationing ground troops in Korea to deal with threats from China and Russia.
General Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on the 10th.
Commander of US Forces Korea Xavier Brunson speaks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. on the 10th of last month. (Capture from Senate Armed Services Committee hearing video)
Commander Brunson said this at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) discussion held in Hawaii on this day, saying that US forces in Korea play a big role in overcoming the distance between the mainland and the Indo-Pacific region.
[General Xavier Brunson, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea] Our presence in Korea changes the calculus of the North Korean, Russian and Chinese leadership, imposes costs, and gives us another option in any conflict. We can use our geographic and positional advantages to great effect.
Commander Brunson expressed concern that North Korea was receiving technological assistance from Russia in exchange for sending troops, noting that “North Korea is advancing its weapons systems in ways that we would not have expected them to do.”
He continued, “I am also concerned that North Korea may learn how to mount nuclear weapons on its own aircraft,” and assessed that “North Korea is making a leap forward that would have taken years if it had not cooperated with Russia.”
He also said, “South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation should be established as a practice, and obstacles to that should be removed,” and expressed his desire to train with all possible partner countries on the Korean Peninsula.
This is Hong Seung-wook of RFA's Free Asia Broadcasting in Seoul.
Editor Yang Seong-won
The launching ceremony for the 5,000-ton new multipurpose destroyer 'Choi Hyun-ho' was held at Nampo Shipyard on the 25th of last month, attended by Chairman Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)
Anchor: The South Korean government has announced that related ministries are closely consulting on the trend of North Korea's naval power reinforcement, including the construction of new destroyers. There are also concerns that this naval power reinforcement could lead to nuclear warfare. Hong Seung-wook reports from Seoul.
On the 12th, local time, American media outlets specializing in North Korea released satellite photos and an analysis showing that North Korea is strengthening its naval power by building new destroyers and constructing shipyards.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies' Beyond Parallel reported that a new warship that appears to be of the 5,000-ton class is being built at a shipyard in Chongjin, and 38 North reported that large-scale construction has been observed at the Chongjin Port shipyard.
In relation to this, the South Korean government announced on the 16th that it is keeping a close eye on the matter, while being cautious about whether the information is true or not. These are the words of Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Unification.
[Kim In-ae, Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification] I would like to inform you that the relevant ministries are closely consulting and sharing information on issues related to North Korea’s weapons development.
This is according to a state-run media report that North Korea recently launched a new 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer, the Choe Hyun-ho, and that General Secretary Kim Jong-un supervised the first weapons test-firing conducted three days later.
At the time, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said that it would take a considerable amount of time to power up the 'Choi Hyun-ho' and raised the possibility that it may have received technical assistance from Russia. These are the words of Lee Seong-jun, head of the public relations office of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
[Lee Seong-jun, Public Relations Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (on the 1st)] Choi Hyun-ho has been revealed, but it seems like it will take a considerable amount of time for him to be operational. Looking at the weapons and equipment that have been revealed, it is possible that he received technology, funds, or assistance from Russia.
As such moves by North Korea to strengthen its naval power could lead to so-called 'nuclear power', suggestions have been raised within South Korea that South Korea should take diplomatic and military action.
In a report released that day, Choi Yong-hwan, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) under the National Intelligence Service, said, “What is concerning about the trend of strengthening North Korea’s naval power is that it is highly likely to be linked to nuclear warfare,” and assessed that the warships currently under construction are showing characteristics that indicate they can operate nuclear weapons.
It was also diagnosed that one of the potential risks is North Korea creating an ocean-going operational fleet to connect the East Sea and the West Sea, thereby expanding its scope of activity to all directions, east, west, south, and north.
They also raised concerns that the two countries could strengthen military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including receiving technical assistance from Russia in the process of strengthening naval power, and that the two countries could conduct joint training exercises around the Korean Peninsula.
Related Articles
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Visits Navy to "Eradicate Enemy's Will to Provoke"
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff: "It will take considerable time for North Korea to deploy new destroyer"
Chief Researcher Choi suggested that in order for South Korea to respond to this, it must prevent the “entrenchment of a Cold War-style conflict structure” around the Korean Peninsula, and that after the Russo-Russian War, it must work to improve relations not only with South Korea and Russia but also with China.
Militarily, he emphasized that the ROK-US alliance as well as ROK-US-Japan security cooperation should be strengthened, as the strengthening of North Korea's naval power could lead to an increase in its nuclear threat capabilities.
Commander of US Forces Korea: “US Forces Korea Stationing Necessary Due to Threats from China and Russia”
Meanwhile, Commander of the US Forces Korea Xavier Brunson said today that the US needs to continue stationing ground troops in Korea to deal with threats from China and Russia.
General Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on the 10th.
Commander of US Forces Korea Xavier Brunson speaks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. on the 10th of last month. (Capture from Senate Armed Services Committee hearing video)
Commander Brunson said this at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) discussion held in Hawaii on this day, saying that US forces in Korea play a big role in overcoming the distance between the mainland and the Indo-Pacific region.
[General Xavier Brunson, Commander of U.S. Forces Korea] Our presence in Korea changes the calculus of the North Korean, Russian and Chinese leadership, imposes costs, and gives us another option in any conflict. We can use our geographic and positional advantages to great effect.
Commander Brunson expressed concern that North Korea was receiving technological assistance from Russia in exchange for sending troops, noting that “North Korea is advancing its weapons systems in ways that we would not have expected them to do.”
He continued, “I am also concerned that North Korea may learn how to mount nuclear weapons on its own aircraft,” and assessed that “North Korea is making a leap forward that would have taken years if it had not cooperated with Russia.”
He also said, “South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation should be established as a practice, and obstacles to that should be removed,” and expressed his desire to train with all possible partner countries on the Korean Peninsula.
This is Hong Seung-wook of RFA's Free Asia Broadcasting in Seoul.
Editor Yang Seong-won
16. “North Korean authorities use home phones to monitor residents”
The three watchwords for north Korean security: control, control, control.
This is a Google trasnlation of an RFA reprot.'
“North Korean authorities use home phones to monitor residents”
Seoul-Moon Seong-hui xallsl@rfa.org
2025.05.15
https://www.rfa.org/korean/in-focus/2025/05/15/north-korea-a-landline-telephone-surveillance-wiretapping/
Anchor: It has been reported that North Korea's Ministry of State Security is wiretapping citizens' conversations through landline phones in their homes. Reporter Moon Seong-hui has the inside story from North Korea.
In North Korea, mobile phone use has become widespread, but because mobile phones are so expensive, residents still value landlines and home phones more. Recently, home phones have been rapidly spreading to rural areas, which is a great help to farmers who make a living by selling wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, and livestock.
However, multiple sources in Yanggang Province revealed that canceling landline phones has become a trend among residents as it is known that these landline phones have hidden wiretapping devices.
A source from Yanggang Province (who requested anonymity for personal safety) reported on the 10th, “The fact that there was a wiretapping device hidden in the landline was made known to the residents by the families of the security agents,” and “As requests to cancel landlines poured in all at once, the provincial Post and Telecommunications Management Office stopped canceling phone calls starting in early May.”
The source explained, “The fact that a wiretapping device was hidden in the landline was leaked to the public by a family from the 15th Bureau (Radio Monitoring Bureau) of the Ministry of State Security in Yanggang Province in early February, when the censorship of reactionary ideology and culture was at its peak.” He added, “I understand that the family was exiled to Pungseo County.”
“When these facts became known, in February, students at Hyesan Technical College studying semiconductor design disassembled Chinese and domestic landline phones to find wiretapping equipment,” the source added. “As a result, they discovered a strange (wiretapping) device in the handle of a domestic landline phone.”
The source said, “Students at Hyesan Technical College confirmed that there was no problem with making phone calls even if the device in question was removed,” and added, “Families with landline phones quickly took their phones apart to remove the device in question, and later even requested that their landline phones be canceled.”
Another source explained, “Until 2017, households that wanted to install a landline had to prepare the phone in advance,” adding, “Until then, landline phones were not manufactured domestically, so residents had no choice but to purchase Chinese-made landline phones.”
“However, since 2018, North Korea has been producing a large number of domestically-made landline phones, such as the Meari, Ulrim, and Samilpo, so by 2022, the Post and Telecommunications Management Bureau will replace all Chinese-made landlines with domestic ones,” the source added. “Instead, all Chinese-made ones have been recalled, so Chinese-made landlines are now very rare.”
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May 2016, Pyongyang Maternity Hospital neonatal ward telephone
A telephone in the neonatal ward at Pyongyang Maternity Hospital in May 2016 (Reuters)
In relation to this, a senior official from Yanggang Province (requesting anonymity for personal safety) said on the 12th, “The residents are well aware that the state is wiretapping conversations on their cell phones,” and “I thought the same thing about landlines, but I never imagined that even everyday conversations (inside homes) would be eavesdropped on.”
The source explained, “Corporate officials in Yanggang Province are shocked by the fact that the State Security Agency is listening in on residents’ every conversation using their landlines,” and “The Yanggang Province State Security Agency conducted extremely intense internal censorship and ideological struggle for the entire month of March due to the exposure of the secret of the surveillance of residents.”
“The chief of the investigation department who was accused of taking bribes during the inspection received a stern warning, and a young captain was dismissed from his post,” the source added. “The technical instructor of Bureau 15 who leaked the secrets of the landline to his family was dismissed from his post and exiled to Yongmun-ri, Pungseo County, 2,000 meters above sea level.”
The source continued, “Residents who were shocked by the fact that their landline phones were used as a means of family surveillance have become even more suspicious of cell phones,” and explained, “It has become a matter of etiquette to not carry cell phones at all in places where many people gather or where confidential conversations are taking place.”
If you have a home phone, your friends won't want to visit you.
The source added, “Recently, when the provincial telecommunications office ignored requests to cancel landlines, residents have been cutting off their landlines altogether.” He continued, “Friends who said they would come over to play if they had a landline have canceled their plans, and neighbors are quickly leaving without being able to talk about deep issues.”
This is Moon Sung-hui of RFA's Free Asia Broadcasting in Seoul.
Editor Yang Seong-won
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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