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Quotes of the Day:
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
- Thomas A. Edison
"If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people."
- Confucius
"A Just Man - He stands on the side of the right with such conviction, that neither the neither the passion of a mob, nor the violence of a despt can make him overstep the bounds of reason."
- Baltasar Gracian
1. The Threat of China Is Making Friends of Traditional Foes
2. S. Korean, Japanese FMs discuss bilateral ties, cooperation on global issues
3. Yoon meets with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima
4. Full text of joint statement adopted at S. Korea-Canada summit
5. Yoon, India PM agree to advance cooperation in defense, cutting-edge technologies
6. Yoon apologizes to Korean atomic bombing victims in Japan
7. China's exports to North Korea surge in April
8. North Korea prepares to launch new spy satellite, state media reports
9. Trudeau’s wide-stance pose with Korean politician splits critics
10. Germany welcomes diplomatic thaw between S. Korea, Japan: Scholz
11. Germany's Scholz to make brief, symbolic visit to S. Korea
1. The Threat of China Is Making Friends of Traditional Foes
"That which does not kill me makes me stronger" -Nietszche. The threat of China and north Korea are making the ROK-US cooperation strong.
My comments below.
The Threat of China Is Making Friends of Traditional Foes
Newsweek · by Gordon G. Chang · May 19, 2023
Japan and South Korea have agreed to link radar systems to share real-time data on North Korea's missile launches, Reuters reported on May 9. Senior representatives from the two countries and the United States plan to finalize an agreement on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security conference. The event begins June 2 in Singapore.
A pact will result in Japan receiving live radar data of North Korean missile launches faster because the South's radars are far closer to launch sites. Tokyo-based Lance Gatling of Nexial Research tells Newsweek that with the information from South Korea, Japan will be able to turn its radars to the right direction before the North Korean missiles even appear on the horizon. Moreover, South Korea can obtain data from Japan's earth observation satellites.
As Gatling points out, the only deal pursuant to which South Korea and Japan share military information is the 2016 General Security of Military Information Agreement, better known as GSOMIA. This pact, however, does not authorize the exchange of real-time data.
Both Japan and South Korea—formally, the Republic of Korea—are treaty allies of the U.S., but the two countries are not allies of each other.
Military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images
The South, especially when it has been governed by so-called "progressive" governments, has treated Japan as an enemy. For instance, former President Moon Jae-in, whose term ended a year ago this month, distanced his country from the United States and Japan and embraced North Korea and China.
Moon, under intense pressure from Washington, did not formally terminate GSOMIA but essentially ended his government's participation in it.
Moon's successor, the "conservative" Yoon Suk Yeol, has reversed course. Yoon, for example, is reviving GSOMIA and working closely with Tokyo, but he has suffered an inevitable loss of popularity in the process. South Koreans, across the political spectrum, remember that at the beginning of the last century Japan both annexed Korea, turning it into a colony, and tried to obliterate Korean identity. Hatred of Japan today runs deep in both Koreas.
Yet Yoon, the current president, can see that South Korea faces existential threats from China and North Korea and that the U.S. cannot easily defend his country without Japan's active assistance. He has, therefore, cooperated with American attempts to build defense ties between his government and Tokyo.
That cooperation was symbolized by South Korean and Japanese flag officers hitching a ride on the USS Maine, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, in April. The embarkation was a first.
The U.S. has a stake in closer Seoul-Tokyo ties. "The recent improvement in Republic of Korea-Japan relations is an important step toward enhancing the national security and national prosperity of both nations and the United States," David Maxwell of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Newsweek. "In particular, the increasing military cooperation among the three countries in terms of air-power integration, maritime activities, cyber coordination, and missile defense is focusing them toward an integrated missile defense system and establishing the foundation for a possible future trilateral alliance."
This, Maxwell points out, is a situation that China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea—North Korea—"desperately want to prevent."
It is, however, Chinese and North Korean provocations that are forcing South Koreans to shelve, at least for the moment, centuries of enmity. Moreover, those provocations are moving Japan away from now-ingrained pacifism. In Tokyo, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in December announced a plan to increase defense spending by more than 50 percent in five years.
Hostile Chinese and North Korean activities will inevitably push Seoul and Tokyo even closer together. Gatling believes that they will cooperate in data collection involving their peripheral seas, namely the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan. South Korea calls the last body of water the East Sea.
Success in limited areas, Gatling notes, "should encourage broader talks in the future, normalizing such exchanges and hopefully highlighting the potential value of a direct, bilateral security relationship between South Korea and Japan."
The U.S. has not yet been successful in creating that "trilateral alliance" in North Asia, but Washington has been busy stitching up alliances and near-alliance arrangements elsewhere. There is, for instance, the AUKUS pact of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, announced in 2021. The deal reinforces treaty and other arrangements binding Canberra, London, and Washington to each other.
Moreover, Australia, Japan, India, and the U.S. form the Quad, which is not a formal multilateral alliance but is nonetheless operationalized by military agreements. In particular, India and the U.S. have been working closely with each other, entering into a 10-year defense framework agreement in 2015. The Quad, like AUKUS, is the result of a shared perception that the People's Republic of China must be contained.
China, which maintains the world's largest military, is the strongest military power in the region, but it is by no means as strong as the coalitions that are forming in reaction to its belligerence.
That's why the inking of a Japan-South Korea-U.S. deal next month in Singapore is crucial. At the moment, Japan is called America's "cornerstone ally" in Asia. Extended cooperation with Seoul will mean America will soon have two cornerstones in the region.
Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China. Follow him on Twitter @GordonGChang.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Newsweek · by Gordon G. Chang · May 19, 2023
2. S. Korean, Japanese FMs discuss bilateral ties, cooperation on global issues
S. Korean, Japanese FMs discuss bilateral ties, cooperation on global issues | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · May 20, 2023
HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan held talks Saturday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues.
In the meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, at a hotel in Hiroshima, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin assessed that bilateral ties have normalized following President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Japan in March and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's South Korean trip earlier this month.
Park further expressed hopes to continue efforts to improve bilateral relations, and cooperate on regional and global issues through consultations with Hayashi and a summit scheduled between Yoon and Kishida on Sunday.
Hayashi said he was pleased with the swift resumption of so-called shuttle diplomacy between the countries made possible through the resolute decisions by leaders of South Korea and Japan. He also expressed his wish to cooperate to further solidify ties between the two countries.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (L) shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, before holding bilateral consultations. (Yonhap)
odissy@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 장동우 · May 20, 2023
3. Yoon meets with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima
(LEAD) Yoon meets with Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 19, 2023
(ATTN: UPDATES with Yoon's remarks during meeting, other details; CHANGES dateline, photo)
By Lee Haye-ah
HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Friday, saying he is sorry their homeland could not be with them when they suffer sorrow and pain.
Yoon was the first South Korean president to meet with Korean victims of the bombing, which took place when the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule. The meeting came as Yoon was in Hiroshima for a Group of Seven summit.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) helps a Korean victim of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing take a seat during a meeting with a group of Korean victims at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 19, 2023. (Yonhap)
"When our compatriots fell victim to the bombing, we were a colony, and after liberation, our country was weak and subject to a communist invasion, and in a very difficult state," Yoon said at a hotel where some 20 victims and their descendants gathered. "And so when our compatriots were under such hardship and pain in a foreign land, the Republic of Korea government, the state, were not by your side."
The Republic of Korea is South Korea's formal name.
"I came here as the president representing the government and the state, and deeply apologize over the fact that your native land could not be with you at the scene of your sorrow and pain, and once again offer my deepest comfort," he added.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (2nd from L, back row) and first lady Kim Keon Hee (2nd from R, back row) meet with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 19, 2023. (Yonhap)
Yoon noted that a new government agency tasked with helping overseas Koreans will launch next month in line with one of his campaign pledges, and that the agency will provide systematic support and protection to the Korean diaspora.
He also invited the victims and their families to visit South Korea soon to witness how much their native land has changed and developed.
Presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said earlier that the meeting would demonstrate Yoon's commitment to "continuing to resolve historical issues while at the same time pursuing a better future for the two countries."
"This can be understood as symbolically demonstrating the commitment of South Korea and Japan to not close the door on history, while opening the door to the future," he said during a press briefing in Seoul.
Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plan to pay a joint visit to a cenotaph for Korean A-bomb victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park later this weekend.
Around 50,000 Koreans fell victim to the atomic bombing, including 30,000 killed, after many were brought to Japan to work as forced laborers during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, according to the Korea Atomic Bombs Victim Association.
hague@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 19, 2023
4. Full text of joint statement adopted at S. Korea-Canada summit
Another joint statement that includes Korean unification (not just South Korea and the United States)
We should look for the upcoming statements from South Korea and Germany and SOuth Korea and the EU to include some about unification.
Excerpt;
Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated Canada's support for the goals of ROK's Audacious Initiative to achieve a denuclearized, peaceful, unified and prosperous Korean Peninsula. This support includes the augmentation of Canada's naval presence and participation in multinational operations in the region, such as joint efforts to monitor UN Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea.
Full text of joint statement adopted at S. Korea-Canada summit | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 17, 2023
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- The following is the full text of a joint statement adopted by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during their summit in Seoul on Wednesday.
Leaders' Joint Statement in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between the Republic of Korea and Canada: Stronger Together for the Next 60 years
We, President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, met today in Seoul. We reaffirmed the strength and depth of the friendship between our two countries as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of ROK-Canada diplomatic relations.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hold a joint press conference after their summit at the presidential office in Seoul on May 17, 2023. (Yonhap)
Rooted in strong people-to-people ties dating back to the late 19th century, our friendship was reinforced on the battlefield during the Korean War. Over the last six decades, our relations have grown closer, from the opening of embassies in our respective countries to the signing of the Korea-Canada Free Trade Agreement (KCFTA) and the Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I) Cooperation Agreement. Every day, our ties grow stronger through our shared commitment to promoting and protecting democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and multilateralism, and thanks to the people who contribute to shaping our respective communities in the ROK and Canada, reflecting the multifaceted richness of our relationship.
Through our respective Indo-Pacific Strategies, the ROK and Canada share a common vision for a more secure, free, prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable region, offering numerous synergies and areas for future cooperation. Both our countries are engaged and active globally, and we are eager to advance together our shared values and priorities in multilateral and regional fora, including at the UN, G20, and the OECD; as partners collaborating through and with NATO and the G7; and with ASEAN, whose centrality we have reaffirmed in our respective Indo-Pacific strategies.
The ROK and Canada are not only friends and partners but also neighbors in the strategic region of the North Pacific – a key region identified in our respective Indo-Pacific Strategies. Stability, security, and sustainability in the North Pacific have become increasingly consequential for the future of our people. For this reason, we are committed to advancing shared interests in the region, together with our like-minded partners, and addressing common challenges collectively in a more effective way. To that end, we agreed to explore further cooperation among North Pacific countries based on common values and our shared economic security and prosperity.
President Yoon's successful visit to Ottawa last September -- the first bilateral visit of his presidency -- was a new milestone for ROK-Canada relations, as we agreed to upgrade our bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, based on five shared priorities in the areas of values, security, prosperity, sustainability, and beyond.
Last September, we affirmed that the ROK and Canada are "Stronger Together". Today's meeting was an opportunity to review the significant progress achieved in implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss advancing our partnership and deepening our relationship even further to ensure a brighter, more secure, and more sustainable future for the people of our countries.
Stronger Together for a More Peaceful, Democratic, and Just World
We agreed to continue working together to promote and defend the rules-based international system, democracy, freedom, human rights, and gender equality. To that end, our two countries will cooperate closely at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral level, including at the United Nations and through joint action within various initiatives and organizations such as the Freedom Online Coalition, the Media Freedom Coalition, and the Community of Democracies.
Canada welcomes ROK's recent announcement of its intention to host a third Summit for Democracy. Both countries look forward to continuing the significant momentum that has been built through this initiative and working towards democratic renewal.
We discussed the impact of emerging technologies on preserving democratic values and institutions and the threats posed by disinformation and information warfare. We agreed to work closely together to develop, along with other like-minded countries, policies that are grounded in inclusion, human rights, and the rule of law, in order to defend against and to increase citizen and societal resilience to disinformation online. We reiterated our commitment to working together with like-minded partners, including through forums like the Global Partnership on AI, to advance our shared vision for the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence. We also agreed to cooperate in strengthening multilateral governance frameworks for the usage and applications of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.
Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated Canada's support for the goals of ROK's Audacious Initiative to achieve a denuclearized, peaceful, unified and prosperous Korean Peninsula. This support includes the augmentation of Canada's naval presence and participation in multinational operations in the region, such as joint efforts to monitor UN Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea.
Canada remains committed to working closely with the ROK and the international community to address the DPRK's actions that violate UN Security Council resolutions and destabilize the North Pacific region. We condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile and nuclear programs and called on the DPRK to return to denuclearization talks as the sustainable way forward for long-lasting peace, security, and prosperity.
The ROK and Canada are also deeply concerned about the severe violations of human rights in North Korea and the regime's complete disregard for the well-being of its people. We remain committed to strengthening cooperation to protect and promote human rights in North Korea, seek accountability, and improve the living conditions of the North Korean people. To that effect, we announced today that Canada and the ROK will work together to advance human rights in North Korea.
Prime Minister Trudeau welcomed President Yoon's important and meaningful steps toward improving ROK-Japan relations and extended support for expanding future-oriented ROK-Japan cooperation, which will contribute to peace and stability in the region.
We condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia's illegal and unjustifiable full-scale invasion of Ukraine and will continue working closely together, in coordination with the international community, to respond to Russia's severe violations of international law and human rights. Russia's brutal actions represent a fundamental threat to global peace and security on which our countries' longer-term stability and prosperity depend.
We reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. The ROK and Canada remain steadfast in our commitment to protect and defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to provide Ukraine with the political, security, economic and humanitarian assistance it requires, and we will coordinate with our like-minded partners longer-term plans to ensure Ukraine's independence, security and stability.
We reaffirmed our strong support for international rules and norms, including freedom of navigation and overflight as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and reiterated our opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo.
Defending peace and freedom in the region and globally requires that the ROK and Canada strengthen collaboration in defense and security. To that end, the ROK Ministry of National Defense and the Canadian Department of National Defence have decided to increase their collaboration and enhance bilateral defense cooperation. We also recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Materiel and Research & Development Cooperation. These arrangements will serve as mechanisms to facilitate overarching dialogue and cooperation on defense materiel and R&D matters, including the exchange of technical information, loans of materiel, joint test and evaluation activities, and harmonizing defense and national security requirements between the ROK and Canada.
As part of our expanded partnership in defence and security, we also welcomed the recent announcement by our Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the launch of negotiations for an Information Security Agreement on industrial security and defense, which will contribute to deepening our bilateral security cooperation and increase information sharing and defense collaboration.
In addition, the ROK and Canada will explore opportunities to work more closely together on maritime security and countering illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Canada will deepen its cooperation in this area with the ROK in the North Pacific region.
We have also discussed our mutual commitment to peacekeeping and Women, Peace and Security, and have committed to explore concrete action to promote and advance a meaningful participation of women in defence & security, peace operations and peace negotiations.
We will also strengthen our cooperation in addressing non-traditional security threats that increasingly destabilize our societies, including climate change, health and food security, cyber and emerging disruptive technologies.
Stronger Together for Sustainable Growth and Prosperity for Everyone
The ROK and Canada recognize that achieving our shared priorities of protecting our democratic values and the rule of law, strengthening peace and security, addressing climate change, and creating jobs and prosperity for everyone also require us to enhance our cooperation and coordination on issues related to economic security, ST&I, climate resiliency, and environmental stewardship.
We share the conviction that prosperity is dependent on a rules-based multilateral trading system and we will continue working together in various multilateral fora, including the WTO, in particular through the Ottawa Group.
We will strengthen our trade and economic relations in the Indo-Pacific region, and work together to advance shared priorities and economic interests with other Indo-Pacific partners. In this vein, President Yoon welcomes and supports Canada's participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) upon consensus among its members.
Together, the ROK and Canada will reinforce a more open, predictable, sustainable and inclusive regional economic order. We welcomed the outcomes of the inaugural High-Level Economic Security Dialogue between our respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Industry. The ROK and Canada will continue to work closely together to coordinate economic security priorities, including on establishing predictable investment environments, on advanced and emerging technologies, on attracting new business and investment to the region, bringing SMEs into global value chains, and creating sustainable jobs. We express opposition to economic coercion and remain committed to upholding a rules-based global economic system.
To further improve our mutual understanding and capacity to respond to the threats, challenges, and opportunities to our economic stability, trade, and investment flows, we are announcing the launch of an Economic Policy Dialogue between senior officials in our respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
We also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Critical Mineral Supply Chains, the Clean Energy Transition and Energy Security. This MOU will further cooperation toward strengthening and securing supply chains for clean energy and critical minerals between the ROK and Canada. This will support the development of clean technologies that will power green and sustainable economic growth and position the ROK and Canada as globally competitive players in areas including batteries and zero-emission vehicles.
Building on the success of the KCFTA, our governments will work together to further increase bilateral trade ties and work to address obstacles to the flow of goods and services between our countries, which will ensure the creation of jobs, particularly in the middle-class in both economies. The ROK and Canada share many economic challenges and we can leverage our respective expertise to meet them, particularly through cooperation and commercial exchanges in sectors including ICT/AI and Life Sciences. The ROK and Canada further commit to dialogue aimed at enhancing cooperation in agricultural research, given our shared interests in sustainable agriculture and food systems.
The triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are the most devastating and impactful global challenges to our peace and security, economic prosperity and social cohesion. We are resolved to take bold action to address these crises, mitigate their impacts, and support responsible environmental stewardship for the generations to come. We believe that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand. Our joint efforts will result in more resilient economies and people, and foster innovation in clean and green solutions to the climate crisis.
The ROK and Canada have both committed to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 through the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as well revising National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans by COP16 in 2024. Together, we can advance global implementation of this ambitious framework by focusing our collective efforts on halting and reversing biodiversity loss and putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050.
Prime Minister Trudeau welcomed President Yoon's agreement to join the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge (GCPC). This leader-driven initiative, launched by Prime Minister Trudeau at COP26 in 2021, sets a concrete target for carbon pricing coverage to drive action and greater ambition, offering a forum to bring leaders together, spotlight ongoing initiatives, support emerging pricing systems, and track collective progress. The ROK is the first country in Asia to join the GCPC, and ROK's participation will demonstrate leadership on regional cooperation on climate change and energy security.
Prime Minister Trudeau also welcomed the participation of several ROK's local governments in the Powering Past Coal Alliance and its cooperation with Canada on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and other clean technology solutions like Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). The ROK and Canada will continue sharing information and best practices to support the transition from coal power generation to cleaner energy.
Committed to clean oceans without plastic, we will continue working together to address plastic pollution.
Stronger Together Through People-to-People Connections
We emphasized the deeply rooted people-to-people ties that form the foundation of our robust bilateral relations. We believe that the strength of our democratic institutions, the cohesiveness and resilience of our societies, and the spirit of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship at the core of our prosperity depend on our ability to invest in and empower all our people while championing gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.
The ROK and Canada remain committed to creating conditions that enable everyone, including women and girls, minorities, and young people, to contribute meaningfully to the development of peaceful and prosperous societies, both domestically and globally. We agree to continue working closely together and sharing best practices on strengthening the social and economic fabric of our societies.
Today, we proudly announced the new youth mobility arrangement, with an annual quota of 12,000 people, which builds upon the memorandum of understanding from 1995. This arrangement provides increased work and travel opportunities for Korean and Canadian youth to further people-to-people exchanges and experience each other's countries. It will mark a true milestone for the deepening of the bonds of mutual understanding between the future generations.
We also look forward to 2024-2025 as the ROK-Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges. This initiative will enable Canadians and Koreans to celebrate the achievements of our artists, creators, innovators, and intellectuals while fostering stronger ties through dialogue and collaboration. It will also be an opportunity to actively encourage cultural partnerships and undertake projects in various fields including culture, arts, sports and creative industries.
Through our respective Indo-Pacific Strategies, we have also committed to invest more in supporting the people in the region and in providing development assistance to help our regional partners, especially in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, to build resilience, address climate change and support sustainable growth.
Stronger Together for a Brighter Future
Our meeting today reaffirms the deep bonds uniting the ROK and Canada, our shared values and interests, and our commitment to continually strengthen and expand our multifaceted Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including in the Indo-Pacific and North Pacific regions.
We have tasked our Ministers of Foreign Affairs to collaborate with their respective Cabinet colleagues in leading the development and implementation of an Action Plan outlining concrete efforts and initiatives under each of the five shared priorities of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Expressing his gratitude for President Yoon's invitation and hospitality, Prime Minister Trudeau concluded by saying that he looks forward to President Yoon's attendance at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima and the NATO Summit in Vilnius. His presence at both meetings would exemplify ROK's Global Pivotal State vision and offers an opportunity to further discuss cooperation on several issues addressed today.
Embracing a Forward-Looking Vision for a Stronger Partnership
As we conclude this historic visit, the ROK and Canada are poised to embrace a forward-looking vision that will shape the future of our bilateral relationship. We have achieved important progress, strengthening our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through concrete initiatives and agreements, the launch of the High-Level Economic Security Dialogue, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Critical Mineral Supply Chains, the Clean Energy Transition, and Energy Security, and the renewal of the Youth Mobility Arrangement (Working Holiday Program).
Building on these accomplishments, our nations stand united in a shared commitment to strengthening democracy, promoting peace and security, and championing sustainable growth and prosperity for all. The ROK and Canada will continue working together to empower our people, advance innovation, and embrace human rights and gender equality. As we embark on the next 60 years of our bilateral relations, we are united in our determination to deliver concrete progress under our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, address regional and global challenges, and create lasting opportunities for the people of our nations.
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en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 17, 2023
5. Yoon, India PM agree to advance cooperation in defense, cutting-edge technologies
Something that is happening behind the scenes are discussions about unification. I think even in the excerpts below we can assume that unification was discussed.
Excerpts:
Yoon and Modi held in-person talks for the first time, agreeing to develop the special strategic partnership between the two countries in a substantive manner, according to Lee.
"The two leaders agreed to advance cooperation not only in arms, which include K-9 self-propelled howitzers, but also in cutting-edge technologies, such as digital, bio-health and space," the spokesperson said.
"In particular, they agreed to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that went into effect between South Korea and India in 2010 and to further expand bilateral trade and find new areas of cooperation to prepare for the next 50 years," he said.
Yoon especially requested Modi's interest in ensuring reasonable tariffs for South Korean businesses operating in India.
The two leaders also discussed issues related to the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, sharing the view that the two like-minded nations are building a firm framework for cooperation on the basis of democratic solidarity.
Yoon, India PM agree to advance cooperation in defense, cutting-edge technologies | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 20, 2023
By Lee Haye-ah
HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed Saturday to advance cooperation in defense and cutting-edge technologies, the presidential office said.
Yoon and Modi met on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima as both their countries were invited to attend the gathering as guests.
"The president said South Korea and India should jointly respond to regional and global issues in solidarity as countries that share democratic values," presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a written briefing, noting Yoon thanked Modi for taking part in the Summit for Democracy co-hosted by South Korea and the United States in March.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at their summit at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
"Prime Minister Modi expressed his agreement, saying the two countries should strengthen strategic communication and cooperation," he said.
The meeting came as South Korea and India mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
Yoon and Modi held in-person talks for the first time, agreeing to develop the special strategic partnership between the two countries in a substantive manner, according to Lee.
"The two leaders agreed to advance cooperation not only in arms, which include K-9 self-propelled howitzers, but also in cutting-edge technologies, such as digital, bio-health and space," the spokesperson said.
"In particular, they agreed to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that went into effect between South Korea and India in 2010 and to further expand bilateral trade and find new areas of cooperation to prepare for the next 50 years," he said.
Yoon especially requested Modi's interest in ensuring reasonable tariffs for South Korean businesses operating in India.
The two leaders also discussed issues related to the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, sharing the view that the two like-minded nations are building a firm framework for cooperation on the basis of democratic solidarity.
They agreed to jointly contribute to regional peace and stability by harmonizing South Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy and India's Act East Policy.
They also agreed to jointly support efforts to fight climate change and help develop emerging and developing nations in the so-called Global South.
Yoon and Modi agreed to meet again and continue discussions on the occasion of the Group of 20 summit to be held in India in September, while activating high-level channels between the two countries, Lee said.
hague@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · May 20, 2023
6. Yoon apologizes to Korean atomic bombing victims in Japan
Friday
May 19, 2023
dictionary + A - A
Yoon apologizes to Korean atomic bombing victims in Japan
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/05/19/national/diplomacy/Korea-Yoon-Suk-Yeol-atomic-bombing-victims/20230519230047343.html
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, meets with a Korean victim of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, Friday. He became the first Korean president to meet with a group of Korean bombing victims during his trip to Hiroshima for the G7 summit. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and apologized that Korea was not with them through their suffering during a visit to Japan on Friday for the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
“I come as the president representing the government and the country, and I sincerely apologize for not being able to be with our country at the scene where our compatriots were suffering such sorrow and pain,” Yoon told the victims. “Once again, I would like to express my deepest consolation to you all.”
He became the first Korean president to meet with the Korean victims of the bombing, which took place toward the end of the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule over Korea.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and another one on Nagasaki three days later. Some 30,000 Koreans, many of them who were in Japan as wartime forced laborers, were killed in Hiroshima during the bombing.
“When our compatriots were bombed, we were in under colonial rule, and after liberation and gaining independence, our country was powerless and faced difficulties because of communist invasion,” Yoon said. “As a result, our compatriots suffered hardships and pain in a foreign country, and the Korean government and state was not by your side.
Yoon further extended an invitation for the victims to visit Korea in the near future in the meeting with some 20 bombing victims and their descendants to see the changes and advancements in their home country.
The meeting is a part of Yoon's continued efforts to “resolve historical issues while at the same time pursuing a better future for the two countries,” presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon said in a briefing Friday.
Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived in Hiroshima earlier that day for a three-day trip for the G7 Summit and a series of bilateral meetings.
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a bilateral summit at a hotel in Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Also on Friday, Yoon held bilateral summits with the leaders of Australia and Vietnam on the sidelines of the G7 meeting.
Yoon and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to increase cooperation in the defense and arms industries and minerals for the development of high-tech industries, according to the presidential office.
In the summit with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Yoon focused on the growing economic cooperation, expressing hope that the two countries will work together to reach the goal of $150 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
Yoon noted that Vietnam was Korea's third-largest trading partner behind China and the United States last year.
He said there are 8,000 Korean companies operating in Vietnam that “support the close economic cooperation relationship between our two countries,” said his office.
Yoon is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the leaders of India, Indonesia, Britain and Japan during the trip.
South Korea was one eight guest countries invited by Japan to attend the G7 leaders' summit, alongside Australia, Brazil, Comoros, the Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Yoon is also scheduled to visit the monument for Korean atomic bomb victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at their summit in Hiroshima on Friday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
7. China's exports to North Korea surge in April
I assume China is concerned with potential instability in north Korea.
But wigs???
China's exports to North Korea surge in April
koreaherald.com · by Yonhap · May 20, 2023
By Yonhap
Published : May 20, 2023 - 16:12 Updated : May 20, 2023 - 16:12
(123rf)
China's exports to North Korea soared in April from a year earlier, with wigs and fertilizer among major shipments, Chinese customs data showed on Saturday.
Chinese outbound shipments to the isolated country surged 69% year-on-year to $166 million in April, data released by China's General Administration of Customs showed.
The top export items in terms of value were processed hair and wool used in wigs, worth about $11.6 million, and diammonium hydrogen phosphate, a widely used fertilizer, worth $8.84 million.
Pyongyang purchased $5.07 million of rice from China in April. In Jan-April, Chinese exports to North Korea leapt to $603 million from $270.59 million a year earlier, according to the customs data.
North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity and South Korea's DongA Ilbo newspaper reported in mid-February that Pyongyang's food crisis may have deteriorated.
The country has been under UN sanctions for its missile and nuclear programmes since 2006. (RT)
8. North Korea prepares to launch new spy satellite, state media reports
North Korea prepares to launch new spy satellite, state media reports
Experts say the launch site will be ready in June or July.
By Jung Min Noh and Jaewoo Park for RFA Korean
2023.05.19
rfa.org
North Korea is preparing to launch a spy satellite that it claims will bolster its defensive capabilities, state media reported, boasting that its launch would be “ a clear stride forward” in military science and technological development.
Satellite imagery of the likely launch site of a rocket that would put it into orbit suggests that it will be ready in June at the earliest, experts told Radio Free Asia.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported that Kim Jong Un inspected the preparatory committee for the satellite launch on Tuesday.
“The more desperately the U.S. imperialists and south Korean puppet villains escalate their confrontational moves against the DPRK, the more fairly, squarely and offensively the DPRK will exercise its sovereignty and just right to self-defense to deter them and defend the country,” the agency reported Kim as saying, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. (KCNA deliberately does not capitalize the word “south” in “South Korea” on its English website.)
The news of Pyongyang’s military satellite plans comes just weeks after a summit between South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, where the two sides agreed to increase security cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to extended deterrence in response to the North Korean nuclear threat.
KCNA reported that the satellite was ready for mounting after it passed an assembly inspection and tests for its durability in the vacuum of space.
Pyongyang, we have a problem
Although the report said Kim had approved the “future action plan” of the preparatory committee, which suggests that a launch is imminent, the launch site is not quite ready for a rocket that would be able to put it in Earth’s orbit, satellite imagery revealed.
The Sohae Satellite Launching Station, located in Tongchang-ri on the country’s northwestern coast, is currently under construction.
Though the station has an existing launch site, images from U.S. imaging firm Planet Labs showed work on a 470-meter (510-yard) tunnel and a road that would connect the old site with a new launch site, and a pier.
Also visible are new buildings, a new launch pad, and accommodations for construction workers.
The images indicate that construction is accelerating there: exposed soil on an April 30 image gives way to a finished concrete surface on May 16, and a box-shaped structure replaces a flat surface in about the same period of time.
In addition, movements presumed to be related to launch preparations have been observed in images of the launch site.
Based on the imagery, a launch won’t be possible until June or July, Bruce Songhak Chung, a researcher at the South Korea-based Korean Institute for Security and Strategy, told RFA’s Korean Service.
Chung, who often analyzes satellite imagery of North Korea as part of his research, said that the boxlike structure has a role in the process of loading the satellite onto a rocket.
“Even if you mount a satellite, there's a lot of fuel injection and other work to do. It doesn't look like it’s at that phase yet,” he said. “We have to wait and see.”.
TEL launch
There is also a possibility that the satellite could be launched from the back of a TEL (transporter erector launcher) truck, said Martyn Williams, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center.
“They could do a TEL launch at any time,” said Williams. “But we think they are going to use Sohae. In that case it will not be this week.
Pictures of a model of the satellite released by KCNA indicate that it would allow Pyongyang to take images comparable to those of commercial imagery firms, Joseph S. Bermudez, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told RFA. Most commercial satellite imagery has a resolution of between 2 and 5 meters.
“I guess [the satellite] seems about 60 centimeters by 60 centimeters by 80 centimeters and from 75 to 100 kg,” said Bermudez. “It seems very similar to Planet Labs'. … If it's successful and 'there's a big if', it should probably have a resolution of less than 3 meters."
Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
rfa.org
9. Trudeau’s wide-stance pose with Korean politician splits critics
See photo at the link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/19/justin-trudeau-korea-wide-stance-photo-manner-legs
Trudeau’s wide-stance pose with Korean politician splits critics
Korean media praises prime minister’s gesture, known as ‘manner legs’, while some Canadians say it is embarrassing country
The Guardian · by Leyland Cecco · May 19, 2023
Justin Trudeau and Kim Jin-pyo, the South Korean national assembly speaker, in Seoul on Friday. Photograph: Yonhap/EPA
Justin Trudeau’s hair has made international headlines, as have his fumbling handshakes and propensity to appear shirtless when cameras are near. Now, the Canadian prime minister’s well-mannered legs are getting their moment in the spotlight
Ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Trudeau and a delegation of Canadian ministers were in South Korea to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as an attempt to salvage a multibillion-dollar battery plant deal.
Before giving a speech to the national assembly, Trudeau posed for photographs with Korean politicians, including with the national assembly speaker, Kim Jin-pyo.
Amid the clatter of camera shutters, Kim raised on his tiptoes, poking fun at the 20cm (8in) height gap between the two leaders.
Trudeau bent momentarily down to Kim’s level, prompting laughter from the Korean delegation. He then spread his legs to put himself at a similar altitude to Kim, a move known in South Korea as “manner legs”, meant to level the height between two people.
Korean media largely praised the gesture, with the outlet Chosun calling it a “heartwarming scene” and YTN suggesting it showed a “caring” mindset.
The Canadian conservative outlet True North, however, wrote the meeting had “some Canadians accusing Trudeau of embarrassing Canada while abroad once again”.
It was not the first time the prime minister’s greetings with political leaders have received attention.
In February, a handshake with the Alberta premier, Danielle Smith, a fierce critic of the prime minister, quickly devolved into an awkward fumble.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau greets political opponent with awkward handshake
Read more
Trudeau was also the first to effectively dodge former president Donald Trump’s forceful handshake strategy that left world leaders and political rivals looking bewildered. In their first meeting in 2017, Trudeau put a hand on Trump’s shoulder to brace himself.
And in 2016, Trudeau attempted to shake hands with former presidents Barack Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico, awkwardly crossing his arms over and grabbing Peña Nieto’s wrong hand.
In his visit to Seoul, Trudeau also met with President Yoon Suk Yeol, pitching greater collaboration between the two nations, but also drawing distinctions over how the countries pursue gender equality and child care policies.
As part of the state visit, Trudeau visited the grave of Frank Schofield, a Canadian missionary who supported Korean independence from the Japanese empire and is the the first foreigner buried in the Seoul National Cemetery.
The Guardian · by Leyland Cecco · May 19, 2023
10. Germany welcomes diplomatic thaw between S. Korea, Japan: Scholz
Germany welcomes diplomatic thaw between S. Korea, Japan: Scholz
The Korea Times · May 19, 2023
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz/ Yonhap
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Friday his government clearly welcomed an approach by South Korea and Japan to rapidly thaw long-strained bilateral ties, emphasizing the need for close cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo over geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
In an exclusive written interview with Yonhap News Agency ahead of his visit to South Korea for summit talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Scholz said such initiatives to mend ties between Seoul and Tokyo required "political courage and broader perspective."
During the summit, Scholz said he will give Yoon his explicit respect for such initiatives.
South Korea and Japan are "close partners to us, sharing values and goals," Scholz said, adding that, along with Germany, the three nations "are firmly convinced that conflicts around the world should be resolved under the rules of international law." The interview was conducted in German and translated into English.
Yoon held a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul earlier this month. The summit was the second of its kind in less than two months and marked the resumption of "shuttle diplomacy" between the countries' leaders after a 12-year hiatus.
Bilateral relations have warmed significantly since the Yoon administration offered in March to resolve a dispute over wartime forced labor by compensating the Korean victims without contributions from Japanese firms.
The German chancellor plans to arrive in Seoul on Sunday for the summit with Yoon after attending a Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan. He will first visit the Demilitarized Zone, which separates the two Koreas, ahead of the summit.
On North Korea, Scholz said Germany is monitoring developments related to the country's missile tests and that it condemns such threatening actions in the strongest terms.
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their summit in New York in this September 2022 file photo. NewsisHe stressed that North Korea's missile provocations are in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and that they cannot be justified in any way.
To increase pressure on North Korea, Scholz said Germany is imposing sanctions against North Korea at the European Union-level to apply pressure to the North's regime and that they were aimed at the country's leadership as opposed to average people undergoing harsh lives.
However, it is also important to be open to dialogue with Pyongyang, Scholz said, adding that Germany is ready to support South Korea's initiative for talks with North Korea.
The chancellor also praised South Korea for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and participating in sanctions against Russia, while saying it was up to each nation to determine how they decide to help out Ukraine.
Scholz also stressed the importance of nations properly acknowledging historical misdeeds and sincerely atoning for past atrocities, as exemplified in former German Chancellor Willy Brandt's historic moment of remorse for Nazi war crimes at a monument in Warsaw in 1970.
Also, he noted the importance of preserving historical memories and expanding them from the perspective of future generations.
The chancellor will be the first German leader to visit Seoul in 13 years since former Chancellor Angela Merkel's trip in 2010 to attend a Group of 20 summit. He will also be the first German chancellor to visit Seoul for a bilateral meeting in 30 years since former Chancellor Helmut Kohl's visit in 1993. (Yonhap)
The Korea Times · May 19, 2023
11. Germany's Scholz to make brief, symbolic visit to S. Korea
We should expect a joint statement that will include unification.
Germany's Scholz to make brief, symbolic visit to S. Korea – DW – 05/19/2023
DW
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to arrive in Seoul on Sunday to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol — a move full of symbolic significance despite the fact that the visit is scheduled to last only a few hours. Scholz will arrive in South Korea from Japan, where he is attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima. He is scheduled to immediately travel to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that marks the border with North Korea. German government officials have been quoted as saying that Scholz requested a visit to the DMZ as he wished to witness the division of the Korean Peninsula firsthand. The divide echoes the split between East and West Germany that developed in the wake of World War II and was only resolved in 1990, after the two German states agreed to once again become a unified nation.
After the visit to the DMZ, the chancellor is scheduled to return to Seoul for discussions with President Yoon. Scholz and his wife, Britta Ernst, will attend a dinner hosted by the South Korean leader before flying out for Germany later the same evening.
Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel, traveled to South Korea for a G20 summit in 2010, but Scholz is the first German chancellor to visit the country for bilateral talks since Helmut Kohl in 1993.
Security expected to take center stage
Scholz and the Korean leader have a number of shared concerns to address in their talks, including regional security challenges in Northeast Asia such as the unpredictable regime in North Korea and the increasingly aggressive leadership in Beijing.
Japan, South Korea put new focus on militaries
In recent years, the German frigate Bayern and a flight of German fighter aircraft have taken part in multilateral exercises with their South Korean, US and Japanese counterparts.
According to analysts, Yoon is keen for the German chancellor to agree to sending more military units to the Indo-Pacific region in future as a demonstration of Germany's commitment to security.
The war in Ukraine will be another major topic — South Korea has already contributed non-lethal military equipment, such as medical aid, body armor and generators, to Ukraine. During his visit, Scholz may try to pressure Seoul to directly provide military hardware to hard-pressed Kyiv. So far, Yoon's administration has been reluctant to do so, getting around the issue by providing artillery shells to the US and thus enabling Washington to provide a similar amount of shells from its own stockpiles to Ukraine.
Yoon is also likely to seek to work more closely with German companies on trade and investment, including in the areas of renewable energies, according to analysts.
'Deep respect and affection' for Germany
Given the brevity of Scholz's trip, no major announcements are expected following his meeting with Yoon. But for many South Koreans, the visit goes beyond day-to-day politics.
"Regional security will be one of the top priorities and the war in Ukraine is still going on, but for us Koreans it is important that the leader of a nation that was once completely divided is coming here to see our situation," said Lim Eunjung, an associate professor of international studies at Kongju National University in Gongju.
Scholz (left) will be the first German chancellor to visit South Korea for direct talks in 30 yearsImage: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance // Oliver Contreras/UPI/Newscom/picture alliance
"I feel that Koreans have a deep respect and affection for Germany because of what we as nations have been through," she told DW. "And when we look at Germany today, their experiences of reunion and economic development, we see what is possible. We want that as well."
Adding to the symbolism of the visit, this year also marks the 140th anniversary of the establishment of formal bilateral relations between Germany and South Korea and the signing in November 1883 of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, Yonhap News reported.
Showing solidarity, connection between East and West
Patrick Hein, a lecturer in political science at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, said Scholz's visit to the DMZ also carries weight.
"That is a significant stop when he is only in Korea for a very short time and many foreign leaders do not go there at all," he explained. "I think the German leader wants to show solidarity on many levels with Yoon, especially at a time when the North-South relationship is so very tense."
South Korea: Germany is a major 'values partner' for us
Hein noted that the two leaders would likely discuss reform of the United Nations Security Council, which both governments favor, as well as the reconstruction of Ukraine after the fighting there is over.
Lim Eunjung said all support expressed by European nations for South Korea was gratefully received as it has a nuclear-armed neighbor north of the DMZ. The country is also flanked to the north by Russia and to the west by China.
"Korea is geographically a long way from Europe, of course, but events in East Asia and Europe influence each other so we are connected, and it is important that we continue to work together as like-minded nations," she added.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
Correction, May 19, 2023: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 2023 was the 140th anniversary of the establishment of formal bilateral relations between Germany and Russia. It is, in fact, Germany and Korea. DW apologizes for the error.
DW
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
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