Informal Institute for National Security Thinkers and Practitioners

Quotes of the Day:

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient.

Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

~Margaret Atwood

“If you want to know where your heart is, watch where your mind goes when you daydream.”

– Walt Whitman

“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded – here and there, now and then – are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as “bad luck.”

– Robert A. Heinlein – Time Enough For Love

1. United Nations General Assembly High-Level Plenary Meeting Addressing Human Rights Abuses and Violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Statement by Greg Scarlatoiu, President and CEO

2. USFK commander rejects speculation on troop cut in S. Korea, reaffirms commitment

3. North Korea’s hackers compromise Fortune 500 companies

4. North Korea Infiltrates U.S. Remote Jobs—With the Help of Everyday Americans

5. North Korea says Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ reeks of ‘arrogance’

6. How North Korea Botched the Launch of a Warship

7. Trump’s Foreign Policy Crossroads

8. U.S., ROK personnel enhance counter gray zone burden sharing through routine SOF core activity training

9. US, South Korean troops team up for day and nighttime live-fire training near DMZ

10. South Korean soldier charged with leaking joint exercise info to Chinese agents

11. China, Japan, South Korea Three Countries with Long-Standing Grievances Attempt to Set Them Aside

12. Will South Korea Build the Bomb?

13. Close S. Korea-Japan coordination crucial amid Trump policy moves: ex-Japanese minister

14. U.S. Embassy appears to suspend scheduling new student visa interviews

15. S. Korea's childbirths rise for 9th month in March amid post-pandemic marriage boom

16. South Korean presidential debate mired in top contender’s alleged link to North Korea

17. “US actively participates in UN General Assembly North Korea Human Rights High-level Meeting”

18. Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Riles Nuclear-Armed Foes

A must read for anyone who wants to understand why we need a human rights up front approach with an information campaign to help the Korean people in the north free themselves and achieve a free and unified Korea. Academics and policymakers (and POTUS, SECSTATE, and SECDEF speechwriters) alike should be citing Greg's excellent remarks at the UN General Assembly.

You can also watch and listen to Greg present his excellent remarks here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLf7Od750ds&list=WL&index=39

"De Oppresso Liber" - to free the oppressed. Or better: to help the oppressed free themselves. I really wish we could execute an unconventional warfare campaign to help the Korean people in the north to free themselves. If anyone needs one I have a few drafts.

United Nations General Assembly High-Level Plenary Meeting Addressing Human Rights Abuses and Violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Statement by Greg Scarlatoiu, President and CEO

https://www.hrnkinsider.org/2025/05/united-nations-general-assembly-high.html

Posted by Committee for Human Rights in North Korea with No comments

United Nations General Assembly

High-Level Plenary Meeting

Addressing Human Rights Abuses and Violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Statement by Greg Scarlatoiu, President and CEO

Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK)

Your Excellency Philemon Young, President of the General Assembly at its 79th session; Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights; Professor Elizabeth Salmón, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK; Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen:

Please allow me to speak on behalf of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea—HRNK. We're an NGO holding UN ECOSOC consultative status. Since 2001, we have embarked on a mission to research, investigate, and report on human rights violations perpetrated by the DPRK regime.

The point I wish to emphasize is that DPRK human rights violations reinforce a regime that is exporting violence and instability—not only in the Northeast Asia region, but also in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

You may all be familiar with the fact that the DPRK has been exporting weapons and ammunition to the terrorist groups that have encircled the State of Israel through Iran. The Type 73 submachine gun—you can see it in the hands of each and every fighter in the Middle East, whether you're talking about Syria, whether you're talking about Iraq, or whether you're talking about Yemen.

The first time the North Korean Musudan ballistic missile was tested—that's a missile based on an old Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile—it did not happen in North Korea. It happened in Iran.

You all remember that massive missile attack against Israel. Those liquid-fuel missiles were based on a North Korean design.

And you know, we see what's happening on the Ukrainian front right now. Millions—millions—of North Korean artillery shells have been exported to Russia, to the Ukrainian front. KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles have been deployed against Ukraine—Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian civilians: men, women, children.

Even troops from the 11th Armed Corps of the Korean People's Army—the North Korean People's Army—have been deployed to the Ukrainian front. 11,000 of them, at the very least. The numbers are increasing.

I do not believe reports that they're just gun fodder. They're not. They're very good troops—well-trained, well-fed, well-indoctrinated. What they have to learn is combined operations: artillery, drones, infantry. They're learning fast.

So, what is the point I'm trying to make here? The point I'm trying to make is that North Korea is no longer just a Korean Peninsula threat. The DPRK is no longer just a Northeast Asian threat. The DPRK is exporting instability and violence to the Middle East and to Europe. And the root cause of this is the human rights violations that the DPRK perpetrates.

Let me quote my good friend John Sifton, and my colleagues at Human Rights Watch, who issued a press release on May 18—just yesterday:

“The United Nations General Assembly should establish a new body to examine the connections between the North Korean government's repressive system and its military programs and nuclear weapons development.”

Concerned governments need to send high-level officials to this plenary today to offer specific ideas on how the General Assembly can better hold North Korea accountable—by documenting the links between the DPRK’s human rights abuses and its weapons programs.

Ladies and gentlemen, what do we know about human rights denial in North Korea?

Most of the 25 million people of North Korea are victims of the Kim family regime's policy of human rights denial. The people of North Korea face discrimination based on a loyalty-based system called Songbun.

The regime preserves itself through producing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, maintaining the Korean People's Army, and keeping its key elites happy through access to luxury goods and hard currency procured from the outside world—generally through illicit means, and also in violation of applicable UN sanctions.

In order to procure the resources needed to preserve itself, the regime oppresses and exploits its people at home and abroad. Prior to COVID, we knew that there were about 100,000 North Korean people deployed—primarily to Russia, China, and the Middle East. Up to 90% of their salaries were being confiscated by the regime.

This DPRK regime perpetuates itself through overwhelming coercion, control, surveillance, punishment, as well as strict information control.

We also know that the major agents of potential change in North Korea are the very people of North Korea. And when I say change, I mean peaceful change—peaceful transformation.

All right. I'm an adopted American, a naturalized American. I was on the streets of Bucharest in December 1989, during the anti-communist revolution. I know how terrible a non-peaceful transformation can be.

What we need in North Korea is peaceful transformation. We need a coherent information campaign focused on telling the North Korean people three stories: the abysmal human rights situation; the corruption of their leadership, particularly the inner core of the Kim family; and the truth about the outside world—especially the free, democratic, and prosperous Republic of Korea, South Korea.

Like-minded UN member states—democracies—must reassume leadership.

We must retake the high ground we once held on DPRK human rights at the UN, and the General Assembly can play an extraordinary role in this process. We must resuscitate the coalition of these like-minded UN member states and democracies. We need stronger UN General Assembly resolutions. We need to advance human rights through multilateral diplomacy, and we need to focus on a human rights-upfront approach to the North Korean conundrum.

We must truly rely on the members of this like-minded coalition. We know who they are: the EU, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and other UN member states. Of course, the Global South—the Global South is extraordinarily important. We must rely on our friends, our partners, our allies in the Global South, who have themselves experienced tremendous human rights violations. They can be absolutely helpful—tremendous, critical allies.

Advancing human rights through multilateral international diplomacy will be key to what I propose as a human rights-upfront approach to the North Korean conundrum.

And of course, I'm speaking on this hallowed ground at the UN. When you say a human rights-upfront approach, what you mean is bringing together the three branches: political, humanitarian, and human rights.

What I mean by this is placing human rights front and center as we deal with the DPRK. What I mean is inducing peaceful change in North Korea.

So let us try to empower the people—and I repeat, the people—of North Korea. Let us step up efforts to send them information from the outside world—information telling them three fundamental stories:

1. The story of their own human rights.

2. The story of the corruption of their leadership.

3. The story of the outside world—especially the story of South Korea, the Republic of Korea.

North Korea joined the UN at the same time as South Korea, in 1991. Upon becoming a UN member state, North Korea assumed international obligations. It must observe the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

North Korea acceded to the two core human rights covenants in 1982—nine years before joining the UN: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The DPRK has also joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

And yet, each and every conceivable civil, political, economic, social, and cultural right is violated in North Korea.

Let us take a look at the constitution of the DPRK. Please excuse this shameless exercise in self-promotion—it's on our website, hrnk.org. You can take a look at the constitution of the DPRK there.

The constitution and other laws supposedly protect rights such as freedom of religion and freedom of assembly—but none of these rights are observed in practice. All that matters is North Korean ideology and the TPMI—the Ten Principles of Monolithic Ideology.

So again, we used to think about North Korea as a Korean Peninsula issue, as a regional issue. That is no longer the case.

In order to support the regime—and to support the exportation of instability and violence to the Middle East and Europe—the DPRK regime relies on human rights violations.

And I will strongly argue in favor of a human rights approach to the DPRK. Unless we resolve the abysmal human rights situation, there will be no answer to this challenge.

And we have had a report from the UN COI—the United Nations Commission of Inquiry. I know that some of the distinguished delegates here have an issue with country-specific mechanisms, and that is all right.

But in February 2014, a UN Commission of Inquiry—three head commissioners: one Serbian, Sonja Biserko; one Australian, Michael Kirby; and one Indonesian, Marzuki Darusman—found that crimes against humanity were being committed in North Korea, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the state.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I will argue that the DPRK regime thrives on crimes against humanity. This regime thrives on human rights violations.

And if we are to bring some resolution to the Korean Peninsula—if we are to restore peace, prosperity, and stability to the Northeast Asia region and other parts of the world—we must focus on North Korean human rights.

Thank you very much for listening, and please remember: hrnk.org.

Thank you very much.

2. USFK commander rejects speculation on troop cut in S. Korea, reaffirms commitment

I would note that even if there were plans to move some troops from Korea to Guam or anywhere else it does not mean a reduction of the US commitment to deterring war and supporting the defense of Korea (with the buk of the dense of Korea conducted by the ROK military). And it certainly does not mean abandonment. General Brunson made the very important point and analogy with the "inter-war years" when militaries adapt, change, and evolve and though he did not say this specifically, can experience a revolution in military affairs. With changing technology, doctrine and concepts of operation, defense plans, policies, and strategy, changes to force posture are almost inevitable. BUt any changes must not be interpreted as abandonment of our defense commitments. We may only be upholding those commitments in different (and more modern and effective) ways.

And by the way, the ROK press should acknowledge the most important command position to the ROK which is the Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) which is the command that has responsibility for deterrence and defense of Korean and is a bilateral command (not a US command) that is "co-owned" equally by South Korea and the US. USFK is not a warfighting headquarters and is a subunified command of Indo-Pacom. And USFK certainly does not have any operational control of ROK forces. The ROK press should be primarily addressing him as the Commander of the ROK/US CFC and not commander of USFK which is a minor role in comparison to his other two commands, the ROK/US CFC and the United Nations Command.

USFK commander rejects speculation on troop cut in S. Korea, reaffirms commitment | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 28, 2025

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson dismissed a recent report on a potential troop cut of American troops stationed in South Korea on Wednesday, calling the 28,500-strong USFK a "physical manifestation of the U.S. ironclad commitment."

Brunson's remarks came just days after The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is considering withdrawing some 4,500 troops, or 16 percent of the command, and relocating them to other locations in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam, as part of an informal policy review yet to be presented to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Both Seoul and Washington have denied the report, with the Pentagon calling it "not true" and reaffirming that America remains "fully" committed to the defense of South Korea and strengthening the alliance. South Korea's defense ministry also ruled out any discussion taking place over the issue, which it stressed is a matter requiring bilateral consultation.

"I've got four hats, truthfully, and one of the hats that I wear is the senior U.S. military officer assigned to the Republic of Korea, and in that role, my job is to speak at the behest of the chairman," Brunson told an online symposium organized by the Institute for Corean-American Studies when asked about the issue.

"The chairman has not called me and told me anything else," he said, referring to the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The report came amid speculation that Washington may partially pull out the USFK to seek "strategic flexibility" to broaden the command's role to better deal with China's growing assertiveness or potentially request a hike in Seoul's share of stationing American troops in the country.

While Brunson acknowledged that "all things," including changing the force, can be up for discussion in "interwar years" to deal with technological developments and the contemporary operating environment, he underscored the strategic importance of the USFK in an ever-evolving security landscape.

"USFK is the physical manifestation of the U.S. ironclad commitment to the U.S.-ROK mutual defense treaty. ... It's a strategic, dynamic presence and deterrent that's forward-postured and incredibly capable," he said.

This Jan. 9, 2025, file photo shows Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, giving a salute as he attends a ceremony with Adm. Kim Myung-soo, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the defense ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Depicting South Korea's geographic location in the region as an "aircraft carrier" that sits between the East and West seas, as well as Japan, Brunson stressed that such a strategic presence helps curb Russian threats in the East Sea and Chinese threats in the Yellow Sea.

"No one in the U.S. military is on the Asian continent. I am," the USFK commander said. "No one other than our forces on the peninsula could achieve effects from the peninsula against the adversary in our area."

Against such a backdrop, the USFK commander, who also serves as chief of the U.N. Command (UNC) and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, highlighted the growing significance of the UNC as a multinational framework.

"This multilateralism is in action. It functions, and it works," Brunson said, noting the UNC's composition involving 18 member states that are also members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and AUKUS. "This matters, because if conflict comes, we won't have time to build the team."

The commander said as a means of ensuring "peace through strength," strategic flexibility could involve "sometimes to go into other places" in the face of regional circumstances, mentioning continued Russian and Chinese incursions on the Korean Peninsula.

"We have to move where the problems are that we might ameliorate them," Brunson said.

"We've got to be flexible in our planning, and we absolutely have to be flexible in our execution, because the one good thing that we have here that would allow us to demonstrate strategic flexibility is a strong ROK military, and that's unlike any place else in the world," he said, using the acronym for South Korea's official name.

When asked about whether South Korea should seek its own nuclear armament against North Korea's nuclear threats, Brunson said it is a "sovereign concern" that would be best answered by the winner of the upcoming June 3 presidential election.

On combined drills between the allies that will be conducted under the newly elected government, Brunson said talks are under way with the South Korean military to prepare for their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, usually conducted in August.

mlee@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Lee Minji · May 28, 2025

It is good to see my old friend and former colleague Mathew Ha writing again about north Korea.

Excerpts:

Guidance from cybersecurity firms is useful, but only the federal government has the visibility from its investigations of operations against multiple victim organizations to identify common techniques. Guidance from the FBI also carries greater weight with companies that must make new investments to protect themselves from malicious cyber schemes.

North Korea is deploying its hackers around the world and tasking them with bringing back funds for the regime. American companies need, at the very least, more robust guidance from their government if they hope to stand a chance at detecting and thwarting Pyongyang’s advances.

North Korea’s hackers compromise Fortune 500 companies

They're armed with AI and supported by China

washingtontimes.com · by Mathew Ha and Annie Fixler

- Monday, May 26, 2025

OPINION:

Although Beijing and Moscow pose the most “active and persistent” cyberthreats, according to U.S. intelligence, Pyongyang is demonstrating with artificial intelligence just how dangerous hackers can be. North Korean hackers are using AI deepfakes to trick recruiters and human resource personnel at some of the largest companies around the world, as well as cybersecurity firms themselves.

Employed by unwitting Western companies, these hackers earn six-figure salaries, money that feeds into Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. They also plant malware they can use to steal data and extort the companies when and if they get exposed. As North Korean cybercriminal operations become more sophisticated, American companies will continue falling victim unless the U.S. government helps them better protect themselves.

AI use in criminal schemes

North Korean hackers used to rely on virtual private networks and aliases to hide their true identities in order to get information technology jobs. Interviews used to be enough to weed out most fraudulent applicants or catch a malicious actor who might have been savvy enough to secure a position. Now, according to reporting from Politico and Wired, AI-generated deepfakes are becoming key to Pyongyang’s success, rendering existing screening tools increasingly irrelevant.

Here is how the scheme works: North Korean operatives create fake LinkedIn pages using stolen information and pirated or AI-generated profile pictures. When they receive a response to one of the hundreds of applications they have submitted to job listings, they use AI-generated deepfakes to impersonate their LinkedIn identities and AI chatbots to feed them answers to interviewer questions. With stolen Social Security numbers, background checks come back clean as well. Pyongyang then uses American accomplices to sign employment forms, receive paychecks and run laptop farms to prevent the companies from detecting internet communications that connect back to North Korea.

In March, Pyongyang launched Research Center 227, an effort within its overseas intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, to focus on AI-enabled cyberattack capabilities. According to cybersecurity firm DTEX, Research Center 227’s objectives are to use AI to neutralize defenses, steal information and money, and automate information collection and analysis. Although the IT worker scheme long predates this center, the capabilities and skills it develops will enhance this operation and the other vast criminal enterprises that fund the regime.

Chinese support is critical

The U.S. government has long warned that North Korean hackers obfuscate their identities to secure IT jobs. In December, Washington indicted 14 such hackers. A month later, the Treasury Department issued sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for generating illicit revenue for the regime as part of this conspiracy. These measures, however, have done little to thwart North Korea’s schemes, especially as China continues to support Pyongyang’s efforts.

A report from cyberintelligence firm Strider said at least 35 Chinese companies have supported the IT workers’ plot. Using Liaoning China Trade, a company Treasury sanctioned in January, as a starting point, Strider identified 35 affiliated companies in China. The firm warned that these affiliates pose “a significant risk to Western businesses … exposing them to potential sanctions violations and serious reputational harm.” The report also finds that large Chinese and Russian firms often provide day jobs for North Korean hackers.

North Korea not only sends its hackers abroad but also creates companies in China and Russia to facilitate its cybercriminal activities. The December indictment noted that the entities set up companies in China and Russia to funnel more than $88 million to Pyongyang’s coffers.

Companies need mitigation guides

Although the sanctions and indictments have done little to deter North Korean cyberoperations, they can help companies thwart the attacks. The charges require the Justice Department to gather copious amounts of evidence and conduct extensive technical forensic analysis. The U.S. government can use this evidence to create mitigation guides to help private companies implement hiring practices that would better protect them from North Korean malfeasance. The more information companies have, the better they can secure themselves.

The FBI did issue guidance in January, but its recommendations fall short of what is needed. The stated “recommendations for strengthening remote-hiring processes” should provide more guidance focused on mitigating the use of deepfakes. Its “recommendations for data monitoring,” meanwhile, should go further than simply restating general cybersecurity guidance about monitoring network traffic. They should include more tailored ideas. For example, cybersecurity firm SentinelOne recommends disabling remote desktop applications on the laptops of new hires so those employees must be physically in front of the laptop to operate it rather than being able to connect to the device from around the world.

Guidance from cybersecurity firms is useful, but only the federal government has the visibility from its investigations of operations against multiple victim organizations to identify common techniques. Guidance from the FBI also carries greater weight with companies that must make new investments to protect themselves from malicious cyber schemes.

North Korea is deploying its hackers around the world and tasking them with bringing back funds for the regime. American companies need, at the very least, more robust guidance from their government if they hope to stand a chance at detecting and thwarting Pyongyang’s advances.

• Mathew Ha is an adjunct fellow with the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Annie Fixler serves as CCTI’s director and is a senior fellow with FDD.

washingtontimes.com · by Mathew Ha and Annie Fixler

3. North Korea Infiltrates U.S. Remote Jobs—With the Help of Everyday Americans

Sophisticated north Korean operations? Useful idiots? Greedy idiots? Or all of the above?

We must not be deceived by the caricature that north Korea is some backward country living in darkness (while it is in many ways, it has flashes of illicit brilliance).

North Korea Infiltrates U.S. Remote Jobs—With the Help of Everyday Americans

A LinkedIn message drew a former waitress in Minnesota into a type of intricate scam involving illegal paychecks and stolen data

https://www.wsj.com/business/north-korea-remote-jobs-e4daa727

By Robert McMillan

Follow and Dustin Volz

May 27, 2025 9:00 pm ET

Christina Chapman looked the part of an everyday American trying to make a name for herself in hustle culture.

In prolific posts on her TikTok account, which grew to more than 100,000 followers, she talked about her busy life working from home with clients in the computer business and the fantasy book she had started writing. She posted about liberal political causes, her meals and her travels to see her favorite Japanese pop band.

Yet in reality the 50-year-old was the operator of a “laptop farm,” filling her home with computers that allowed North Koreans to take jobs as U.S. tech workers and illegally collect $17.1 million in paychecks from more than 300 American companies, according to federal prosecutors.

In a June 2023 video, she said she didn’t have time to make her own breakfast that morning—“my clients are going crazy,” she said. Then she describes the açaí bowl and piña colada smoothie she bought. As she talks, at least 10 open laptops are visible on the racks behind her, their fans audibly whirring, with more off to the side.

Tap To Watch

In 2023, Christina Chapman posted a TikTok that had racks of laptops visible in the background. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the laptops in this clip of the video.

Chapman was one of an estimated several dozen “laptop farmers” that have popped up across the U.S. as part of a scam to infiltrate American companies and earn money for cash-strapped North Korea. People like Chapman typically operate dozens of laptops meant to be used by legitimate remote workers living in the U.S.

What the employers—and often the farmers themselves—don’t realize is that the workers are North Koreans living abroad but using stolen U.S. identities. Once they get a job, they coordinate with someone like Chapman who can provide some American cover—accepting deliveries of the computer, setting up the online connections and helping facilitate paychecks. Meanwhile the North Koreans log into the laptops from overseas every day through remote-access software.

Chapman fell into her role after she got a request on LinkedIn to “be the U.S. face” for a company that got jobs for overseas IT workers, according to court documents. There’s no indication that she knew she was working with North Koreans.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the scam more broadly involves thousands of North Korean workers and brings hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the country. “That’s a material percentage of their economy,” said Gregory Austin, a section chief with the FBI.

With international sanctions freezing money flows, North Korea has grown creative in its quest for cash. North Korean hackers have stolen more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. With laptop farming, they have flipped the gig economy on its head and found ingenious ways to trick companies into handing over paychecks.

It’s becoming a bigger problem for companies that use remote workers, said Adam Meyers, a senior vice president at CrowdStrike. The cybersecurity company recently identified about 150 cases of North Korean workers on customer networks, and has identified laptop farms in at least eight states.

The workers, typically technology specialists, are trained in North Korea’s technical education programs. Some stay in North Korea while others fan out to countries like China or Russia—to hide their North Korean connection and benefit from more reliable internet—before seeking their fortunes as IT workers for Western companies.

Sometimes they’re terrible employees and are quickly dismissed. Others last for months or even years.

“These DPRK IT workers are absolutely able to hold down jobs that pay in the low six figures in U.S. companies and sometimes they can hold multiple of these jobs,” the FBI’s Austin said.

They work for almost any conceivable sector that uses remote labor. One cybersecurity company discovered two years ago that it had employed nine North Korean workers—all via staffing agencies, according to court documents. Two of them logged in each morning through Chapman’s laptop farm.

The workers sometimes appear to steal data for espionage or to use as ransom.

Late last year, Ryan Goldberg, an incident response manager at cybersecurity company Sygnia, got a look at a laptop that was returned to a client—a life-sciences company—after the FBI raided an East Coast laptop farm.

As the MacBook booted up, he was amazed by what he saw: a series of seven custom-written programs designed to get around antivirus software and firewalls, giving the North Koreans a virtually undetectable back door into the corporate network.

One program allowed them to spy on Zoom meetings. Others could be used to download sensitive data without being detected. “The way they were employing remote control was something we’d never seen before,” said Goldberg. “They really thought outside of the box on this.”

But first, they need to recruit an American to open the door.

A 2024 FBI poster for North Korean nationals wanted in a scheme in which workers used false identities to get remote jobs with U.S. companies. Photo: Jim Salter/AP

‘I don’t know what to do’

The North Koreans start by sending out thousands of requests to people on job-related sites such as LinkedIn, Upwork and Fiver, investigators say. Their wide net often catches people in a time of financial need—people like Chapman, who got the LinkedIn message in March 2020.

Chapman, a former waitress and massage therapist then living in a small town north of Minneapolis, had finished a coding boot camp around that time, hoping to become a web developer. It wasn’t working out. On Jan. 21, 2021, she pleaded for help finding a place to live in a tearful post on TikTok.

“I live in a travel trailer. I don’t have running water; I don’t have a working bathroom. And now I don’t have heat,” she said. “I’m really scared. I don’t know what to do.”

Court documents say Chapman began working with the North Koreans by around October 2020 and her involvement steadily grew. By January 2023, she had moved to Arizona and was earning enough income to move into a four-bedroom home that she shared with a roommate in Phoenix, with a yard for her chihuahuas, including Henry, Serenity and Bearito.

Chapman was a jack-of-all-trades for her “clients.” She’d help send their falsified W-2 tax forms or other verification documents when they got hired. The workers had their company laptops sent to her address. She’d unpack them, install remote access software and power them on for the North Koreans to log on. She made sure connections ran smoothly and helped troubleshoot any issues. Sticky notes on the computers identified the company and the worker they were supposed to belong to.

Screenshots from Chapman's June 2023 Tiktok video with laptops in the background.

In April 2022, a worker who had just been hired as an American, using the screen name “Max,” messaged Chapman about an I-9 form, used to establish an employee’s eligibility for work in the U.S.

“Please ship out the hand signed I-9 form by the end of the day,” he wrote. “The company send message again. Could you please help me today?”

“Yes. I’ll get it out today,” Chapman wrote. “I did my best to copy your signature.”

“haha. Thank you,” he replied.

The devices didn’t always stay at her house. She shipped 49 laptops, tablets and other computers overseas, many to Dandong, a Chinese city on the border with North Korea.

She sometimes received paychecks at her house, signed them and deposited them to her bank, and then forwarded the funds to another account after taking a cut, according to court documents.

AI video tricks

One of the North Koreans’ most remarkable feats is the way they leverage gig workers to get around almost any controls corporations can put up to detect them.

“They realized it’s really easy to hire people to do anything,” said Taylor Monahan, a security researcher with the crypto company MetaMask who is part of a tightknit community of investigators that studies North Korean teleworkers. “They just know the system that well.”

Beyond laptop farms, they hire U.S. proxies to simply provide a mailing address to receive packages or paychecks, or to hand over their own identification to the North Koreans. Others will pass “liveness checks”—pretending to be the actual employee every time the employer needs them to turn a camera on. They hire people to create legitimate accounts on freelance platforms that are then handed over to the North Koreans.

At one point, North Koreans were using generative artificial intelligence to alter their appearance during online job interviews. But when interviewers figured out an easy way to detect it—ask interviewees to wave their hand in front of their face, a move that causes the AI software to glitch—the North Koreans started hiring tech-savvy people to ace the interviews, Monahan said.

The scam also creates problems for unsuspecting Americans whose personal information gets stolen to obtain jobs, said Meyers of CrowdStrike. Typically the North Koreans take the minimum amount of tax deductions, leaving the person whose identity they stole with a tax liability, he said. Chapman’s laptop farm “created false tax liabilities for more than 35 U.S. persons,” prosecutors said in court documents.

For companies employing the North Koreans, their data is at risk—and the workers Chapman helped were able to get jobs at “a top-5 national television network and media company, a premier Silicon Valley technology company, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, an iconic American car manufacturer, a high-end retail chain, and one of the most recognizable media and entertainment companies in the world,” according to her indictment.

Chapman helped one worker, “Marcus,” set up for a remote job he’d obtained at a “classic American clothing brand headquartered in California” through an IT staffing agency. Six months into his job, Marcus was downloading data from his employer and sending it off to a computer in Nigeria.

People used computers at the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang in 2019. Photo: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

‘Computer business’

Chapman’s posts on TikTok ramped up in 2023. She described her work life in one, saying she’s had another busy morning. “I start at 5:30, go straight to my office, which is the next door away from my bedroom, and I start taking care of my clients. Computer business,” she said. “It’s now almost noon and I’m just now getting to eat.”

In another post that May, she unboxed a $72 green ring in her backyard. “This is my first jewelry I’ve ever purchased with care instructions,” she said. That night she and her roommate went out to see a drunken Shakespeare performance, where the players are inebriated.

In August she traveled to Canada and Japan to see her favorite Japanese boy band. That same month, she messaged with several overseas workers about their I-9 forms.

“In the future, I hope you guys can find other people to do your physical I9s. These are federal documents. I will SEND them for you, but have someone else do the paperwork. I can go to FEDERAL PRISON for falsifying federal documents,” she wrote, according to her indictment.

The North Koreans deemed Chapman so helpful that two months later, when they grew frustrated with another alleged laptop farm operator in Virginia, they asked that its operator ship the device to her home.

On Oct. 27, 2023, the FBI raided Chapman’s laptop farm and found more than 90 computers.

Her secret hustle was over. In December, she was nearly out of money. She was facing serious federal charges, but she glossed things over for her “lovelies,” the name she gave her followers on TikTok.

“I lost my job at the end of October and didn’t get paid for that last month,” she said. “Even though I have been applying to at least three to four jobs every day, I haven’t found anything yet.”

As the months dragged on, she tried selling coloring books on Amazon. She opened an Etsy shop. She started a GoFundMe to drum up rent money.

In August 2024, she moved into a homeless shelter in Phoenix. “I will be back soon,” she said in her last TikTok, posted in October. “It’s been a hell of a roller coaster.” She continues to live at a shelter, her lawyer said.

This February she pleaded guilty to wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering charges. Her total earnings amounted to just under $177,000. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she faces a maximum of just over nine years in prison. She is set to be sentenced on July 16.

Write to Robert McMillan at robert.mcmillan@wsj.com and Dustin Volz at dustin.volz@wsj.com

4. North Korea says Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ reeks of ‘arrogance’

I suppose to north Korea it is "offensive" that we would want to shoot down their missiles to protect our homeland.

But we should keep in mind the north Korea contributes to two of the most important threats of the 21st century – missile attack and cyber attack. We must "offensively" address these threats to protect America.

North Korea says Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ reeks of ‘arrogance’

President Donald Trump has touted the missile defense system as a way to ward off threats from Russia, China and North Korea. Pyongyang sees offensive capability.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/05/27/north-korea-trump-golden-dome/

May 27, 2025 at 3:45 a.m. EDTToday at 3:45 a.m. EDT

3 min

127

President Donald Trump speaks about his plan for a “Golden Dome” missile defense system at the White House last week. (Alex Brandon/AP)

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee

SEOUL — North Korea blasted President Donald Trump’s plans for a defense shield designed to track and intercept missiles Tuesday, calling it a “very dangerous” and “threatening” move that could be used for offensive purposes.

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The U.S. plan is “a typical product of ‘America first,’ the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice,” the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for American Studies said, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. It raises security risks under the guise of a defense system, the Pyongyang-based institute reportedly said.

It “is an outer space nuclear war scenario supporting the U.S. strategy for unipolar domination with the preemptive establishment of the outer space-based military substructure, not a ‘defensive measure’ to cope with the ‘threat’ from someone,” according to the report, citing a memorandum released Monday.

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Trump announced last week that his administration would proceed with a multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” missile defense system that would use a constellation of satellites and space-based weapons to intercept attacks on the United States.

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Trump had been pushing the idea — akin to the Iron Dome system over Israel but also with weapons based in space instead of just on land — for months, citing increasingly sophisticated threats from countries such as Russia, China and North Korea.

It could be operational within three years, before the end of his second term, Trump said in the Oval Office when announcing the plan.

“Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,” he said. Funding for the system was included in the budget bill passed by House Republicans that is now being considered in the Senate.

North Korea has been rapidly upgrading and expanding its weapons arsenal under leader Kim Jong Un, who has called for the development of single missiles that can each drop several nuclear warheads. That technology would aim to overwhelm the missile defense systems of the United States and its allies.

In June last year, North Korea said it had successfully tested three independently targeted warheads and a decoy. South Korea disputed the claim, saying the test was of a suspected hypersonic missile that had exploded and failed mid-flight.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has criticized efforts by the United States, Japan and South Korea to cooperate more closely in the face of missile threats from Pyongyang.

The United States has established Space Force units in Japan and South Korea, and the three countries launched an information system in 2023 to share real-time data for North Korean missile launches. Pyongyang criticized both initiatives.

“Clear is the aim sought by the U.S. in its persistent attempt to build an integrated missile defense system with Japan” and South Korea, the state media report read.

North Korea also took a jab at the ballooning costs of the American commercial space industry, saying the Golden Dome plan and other missile-defense efforts are “the means of offering profits to ensure the constant boom of the U.S. munitions monopolies.”

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that deploying and operating just the space-based interceptors of the missile defense system could cost from $161 billion to $542 billion over the next two decades. Last week, Trump said he estimated the system would cost $175 billion.

What readers are saying

The comments on the article about North Korea's criticism of the U.S. "Golden Dome" missile defense system largely express skepticism and criticism of the initiative. Many commenters draw parallels between the "Golden Dome" and past defense projects like Reagan's "Star Wars,"... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

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By Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, covering Japan and the Korean peninsula. follow on X@myhlee

5. How North Korea Botched the Launch of a Warship

Imagery at the link.

How North Korea Botched the Launch of a Warship

Satellite images and videos show how launching a 5,000-ton warship into the water sideways can cause it to capsize if done incorrectly.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/world/asia/north-korea-warship-destroyer.html?gaa_at=la&gaa_n=ASWzDAjxZlMxQGulGVIEhwoPlqdfBqDAlK8_NSWmz3tkolKdZerJDs_dl9qz-FCARmk%3D&utm

Open modal at item 1 of 2

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Maxar Technologies

By Choe Sang-Hun and Jiawei Wang

May 27, 2025

Updated 12:22 p.m. ET

Leer en español

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, watched the country’s newest 5,000-ton destroyer capsize during its launch last week in an embarrassing military failure. Experts say a technique used to maneuver the ship into the water sideways was part of the problem.

It was the first time analysts had observed North Korea using the sideways launch for warships and pointed to a lack of experience, as well as political pressure from Mr. Kim for quick results, for the mishap. Three shipyard officials, including the chief shipyard engineer, and a senior munitions official have been arrested, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, after Mr. Kim called the capsizing a criminal act.

Satellite imagery from three days before the accident showed the 470-foot-long vessel, the biggest class of warships Pyongyang has ever built, on top of a launch ramp. About 40 meters from the ship, a structure that appeared to be a viewing area and likely where Mr. Kim was stationed during the incident, was under construction.

Image

Credit...Maxar Technologies

The destroyer was assembled in Chongjin, a port city on North Korea’s northeastern coast, which is known for producing smaller vessels, such as cargo ships and fishing boats. In a report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research institute in Washington, analysts said the shipyard “undoubtedly” lacked expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships.

The ill-fated warship was assessed by analysts to be the same size and configuration as the Choe Hyon guided missile destroyer, the North’s first destroyer and the most powerful surface ship the country has ever built. That vessel is the pride of Mr. Kim’s ambitious plan to modernize and expand his Soviet-era naval fleet, and was the centerpiece of a grand christening ceremony last month in Nampo, a west coast port near Pyongyang.

State media footage showed an elaborate event with confetti and fireworks that was attended by Mr. Kim and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae. A large viewing platform was set up near the Choe Hyun, which was already afloat in the water.

Video

CreditCredit...Korean Central Television via Reuters

That launch went smoothly, according to state media. Engineers used a technique common for large and heavy vessels. They appear to have built the Choe Hyun inside a roofed construction hall in Nampo, brought it out on a floating dry dock and then set it afloat by letting water into the dry dock, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean Navy captain.

But the shipyard in Chongjin didn’t have a dry dock large enough to build a Choe Hyun-class destroyer nor an incline to slide the ship stern first into the water. Engineers built the ship on the quay under a netting. When it was completed, they had to launch it sideways off the platform.

When properly executed, the vessel glides down the slipway lengthwise and briefly plunges into the water, like this 3,500-ton USS Cleveland warship did in Wisconsin in 2023.

Video

CreditCredit...Sheriff Randy Miller via Storyful

Often a tugboat is stationed nearby to assist after the launch.

But when engineers tried to push the North Korean destroyer into the water, it lost its balance, state media said. Satellite imagery taken two days after the accident showed the ship covered in blue tarp and lying on its right side. The bow was stuck on the ramp as the stern jutted into the harbor. The viewing platform had been removed.

Image

Credit...Maxar Technologies

Launching big ships sideways requires delicate balancing work, said Mr. Choi, the retired South Korean Navy captain. The heavy weapons mounted on the destroyer could have made the task even more difficult, he added.

A few days after the first Choe Hyun-class destroyer was launched last month, Mr. Kim proudly watched it test-fire various missiles. He has visited shipyards to exhort engineers to meet his timetable for naval expansion and appears to have planned to launch the second destroyer with similar fanfare and weapons tests.

Engineers at Chongjin, who worked with less developed facilities than their peers in Nampo, must have felt enormous pressure after the successful launch in Nampo, South Korean analysts said. That might have led them to cut corners, they said.

North Korea has said that it can restore the ship’s balance by pumping out the seawater. In another 10 days or so, it could repair the ship’s side damaged in the accident, according to state media.

But the damage looked worse than the country claimed, said Yang Uk, an expert on the North Korean military at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. The accident may be due not only to a defective sideways launching system but also to the ship’s structural imbalance, he said.

“The ship looks a bit twisted after the accident,” he said. “It doesn’t appear to have been built with the structural strength required for a warship.”

Choe Sang-Hun is the lead reporter for The Times in Seoul, covering South and North Korea.

Jiawei Wang is a video journalist for The New York Times based in Seoul.

See more on: Kim Jong-un

6. Trump’s Foreign Policy Crossroads

Typical mainstream media. They did not describe the entire CRInK. They neglected the very real threat from north Korea. (Yes, I am biased).

Perhaps if we don't talk about north Korea and ignore it, it will just go away. But the truth is north Korea is not and never has been "cool" to policy makers and pundits. You have to be crazy or a glutton for punishment to focus on north Korea.

Trump’s Foreign Policy Crossroads

The President faces key moments of decision on U.S. adversaries.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-foreign-policy-russia-china-iran-adversaries-b36e8f80

By The Editorial Board

May 27, 2025 5:42 pm ET

President Donald Trump Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

President Trump’s foreign policy has been coasting so far on his verbal threats and public cajoling. But he’ll soon face moments of decision on U.S. adversaries that will echo throughout his second term and could determine his legacy.

The first year of presidencies often sets the tone for the events that follow on foreign policy. Joe Biden’s Afghan withdrawal gutted U.S. deterrence and convinced Vladimir Putin and Iran’s mullahs they’d meet little resistance if they sought military gains. Barack Obama let China occupy islands in the South China Sea and steal U.S. secrets with little resistance.

Ronald Reagan rebuilt U.S. defenses and began the pushback against the Soviets that led to victory in the Cold War. Mr. Trump sent an early deterrence message in his first term with a robust campaign against Islamic State.

But the world has changed in eight years, and Mr. Trump now faces crucial decisions on Russia, Iran and China. Those adversaries are increasingly working together against American interests. Will the President send a message of deterrence or weakness?

• Russia and Ukraine. The President entered office promising to end the war in short order, but Vladimir Putin isn’t cooperating. The Russian seems intent on continuing the war until Ukraine submits to his terms, and he is mobilizing forces for a summer offensive.

Ukraine will soon confront weapons shortages that make it more vulnerable to a Russian breakthrough. That’s especially true for air defenses, including U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors. Ukraine has been able to block most of Mr. Putin’s recent barrages of drones and missiles. But as its defenses wane, Ukraine will have to choose between defending its civilians in cities or its forces on the front lines. Mr. Trump is worried about needless deaths, and rightly so. Those deaths will increase if he fails to rearm Ukraine.

Mr. Trump has mused about leaving the two countries to fight it out. But walking away won’t insulate America from the consequences. If Ukraine succumbs, Mr. Putin will advance his forces closer to more of the NATO border. As important, Mr. Trump will send a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. can’t sustain support for an ally under siege.

Beijing will conclude that its support for Russia’s war carried little cost, and that its alliance with Russia has paid off. The message will be that if China moves on Taiwan, Mr. Trump is unlikely to respond with more than verbal protests or toothless sanctions. Instead of restoring U.S. deterrence, Mr. Trump would further undermine it.

• Iran’s nuclear program. Mr. Trump began his second term by restoring sanctions “maximum pressure” and issuing an ultimatum to Tehran: Dismantle your nuclear program in verifiable ways, or the U.S. will dismantle it by force. This is a red line of the President’s own drawing, and the world is now watching to see if he’ll enforce it.

Iran is trying to do what it has always done in negotiations: String out talks and press for loopholes that will let it retain the ability for a nuclear breakout on short order. That’s what the dispute over Iran’s domestic uranium enrichment is all about.

If Iran resists a deal on the terms Mr. Trump has laid down, the President will have to act with force, or support Israel in doing so, or his threats will be seen as hollow. This will be seen as another case in which Mr. Trump stakes out a maximalist position but will settle for much less. U.S. deterrence will suffer another credibility setback.

Military action always carries risks, including that it might not destroy all of Iran’s buried centrifuges. But it would set back the program for months or years. More important, it would signal that Mr. Trump means what he says about nuclear proliferation.

• China. Mr. Trump told Journal editors in October that Mr. Xi wouldn’t blockade or invade Taiwan because the Chinese leader knows Mr. Trump would impose crippling tariffs. But the President has already imposed such tariffs and retreated when financial markets rebelled. This can’t have impressed Mr. Xi. The problem is that broad-based tariffs hurt the U.S. as much as they do China, which is why Mr. Trump backed down.

Mr. Trump has to decide what kind of relationship he wants with China, and on much more than trade. Mr. Xi will want to use any trade concessions he makes, if he offers any, to win Mr. Trump’s concessions on Taiwan or America’s role in the Pacific. But so far it isn’t clear what Mr. Trump wants—other than a smaller U.S. trade deficit.

The President has more time to decide on China than he does Iran or Russia. But what he chooses on the latter two will influence what is possible with Beijing. The next few months may be as significant for America’s role in the world as any since the end of the Cold War.

U.S., ROK personnel enhance counter gray zone burden sharing through routine SOF core activity training

Photo By Spc. Justin Yarborough | A member of the Jeju Special Operation Unit, fires their rifle during training at... read more

JEJU CITY, JEJUDO [CHEJU-DO], SOUTH KOREA

05.28.2025

Story by Maj. Christopher Mesnard

Special Operations Command Korea S

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/498996/us-rok-personnel-enhance-counter-gray-zone-burden-sharing-through-routine-sof-core-activity-training

CAMP HUMPHREYS, SOUTH KOREA – Personnel from Special Operations Command Korea completed two weeks’ worth of forensics, entry, and specialized tactics training with South Korean counterparts near Jeju City, Republic of Korea between May 7-23, 2025.

The training events continue a decades-long relationship between U.S. special operations forces and their ROK Allies with the intent of advancing skills to meet mutual homeland defense needs.

The need for defense readiness stems from North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program advancement, conventional military build-ups, increased gray-zone and irregular activities, unprecedented malicious cyber-based activities, and the Kim regime’s propensity for leveraging other nations in the Northeast Asia region for their own transactional and belligerent purposes.

“Our first priority is to ensure the defense of our homelands,” reaffirmed Brig. Gen. Derek N. Lipson, SOCKOR commander. “We do this every day through a ready, capable, and combined special operations force that deters aggression, competes below the level of armed conflict, and will prevail in crisis or conflict if our adversaries ever miscalculate our commitment to a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.”

Divided into classroom and practical application programs of instruction, the two weeks of training advanced the continuum of readiness Lipson emphasizes remains critical for ensuring a credible deterrent force and stability in the region.

“When I think of what it takes to bring a fully trained and equipped operator with their appropriate enablers into a fight, we can’t expect to surge readiness when a crisis hits,” said Lipson. “For any future crisis response, which is our no fail mission in SOF, our nations’ ability to win is based on the investment in hardware, capabilities, and most importantly the people and relationships we have right now.”

The combined teams near Jeju City conducted various instructional blocks focused on forensics activities, small unit tactics, extending cyber-based options to the tactical edge, and the ability to identify chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear material.

Through this training, Lipson envisions a ready force that meets the needs of senior leaders looking to compete below the level of armed conflict while also meeting the broader defense and security needs that maintain a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.

Recently, Gen. Xavier Brunson, U.S. Forces Korea, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command commander emphasized the geographic proximity of USFK to the DPRK, Russia, and PRC and the command’s ability to provide options to the nation’s most senior leaders.

Additionally, Brunson stated the command’s ability to impose costs on adversaries in competition and crisis should be factored in to how the leaders of those nations perceive USFK’s role in the region. For Brunson, the unquestionable sentiment he wants adversaries to arrive at is that today is not the day to disrupt peace and stability in the region.

“In any conflict, time and distance are pervasive adversaries,” said Brunson. “We can, however, leverage [USFK’s] geography and positional advantage to great effect. Our presence in the region gives our adversaries pause and ultimately supports the defense of the homeland from freedom’s front yard.”

As the special operations proponent for USFK, SOCKOR enables a ready and capable SOF to meet national defense requirements in Northeast Asia while upholding Alliance commitments with the ROK.

The personnel at SOCKOR routinely train with ROK and multinational counterparts to meet national defense requirements in support of the ironclad U.S.-ROK Alliance and meet the needs of senior leaders.

For more information on the routine training SOCKOR conducted on Jeju, view the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service at: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9032019/us-sof-rok-coast-guard-conduct-bilateral-forensics-cbrn-identification-training-jeju

8. US, South Korean troops team up for day and nighttime live-fire training near DMZ

A question was asked of General Brunson last evening at the ICAS event. Will the next ROK President curtail large scale exercises the way the Moon administration did? Of course he cannot speculate on that.

US, South Korean troops team up for day and nighttime live-fire training near DMZ

Stars and Stripes · by Trevares Johnson · May 28, 2025

American and Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, or KATUSA, soldiers train together at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, May 20-22, 2025. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)

POCHEON, South Korea — U.S. and South Korean troops recently held live-fire drills near the North Korean border, aiming to sharpen their combat readiness as tensions continue to tick up on the peninsula.

American and Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, or KATUSA, soldiers trained together at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, May 20-22. Mixed squads — part of Theater Air Naval Ground Operations, or TANGO, security force — moved through the day-to-night exercises under live-fire conditions, simulating battlefield scenarios designed to build trust and coordination.

Their weapons included M4 carbines, M320 grenade launchers and M249 machine guns.

“We’re training all the time,” U.S. Army Capt. Moses Sun, commander of the 72-soldier security force, told Stars and Stripes during the training. “We’ve developed standard operating procedures internally to be able to operate outside of the limited language barrier.”

The force, stationed at K-16 Air Base in Seongnam, is a combined light infantry company that provides security for Command Post TANGO, a facility for Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, during armistice and active hostilities.

Yun Mo Koo, the unit’s first KATUSA team leader, called the training a turning point for unit cohesion.

“My team has grown to trust me,” he said. “I’m commanding my team during field operations and we’re performing great. I’m confident in our abilities and the training we’re getting.”

The drills followed a simulated North Korean nuclear counterstrike earlier in May and the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, events that have added volatility to the region.

Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as part of a longstanding defense alliance aimed at deterring aggression on the peninsula.

Trevares Johnson

Trevares Johnson is a reporter and photographer at Osan Air Base, South Korea. He is a Defense Information School alumnus working toward a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Colorado State University.

Stars and Stripes · by Trevares Johnson · May 28, 2025

9. South Korean soldier charged with leaking joint exercise info to Chinese agents

China is conducting active espionage and subversion and South Korea. And one of its objectives is to drive a wedge in the ROK/US alliance. In this case the information gained is probably of lesser importance than the fact they recruited a South Korean soldier which is likely intended to sow distrust among allies.

South Korean soldier charged with leaking joint exercise info to Chinese agents

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi and Yoojin Lee · May 27, 2025

U.S. airmen with the 51st Security Forces Squadron discuss security measures during Ulchi Freedom Shield at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Aug. 22, 2024. (Sabrina Fuller-Judd/U.S. Air Force)

A South Korean soldier raised in China has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified military information about joint U.S.-South Korean exercises to Chinese intelligence agents, prosecutors said this month.

The 22-year-old army supply specialist, whose name has not been released, was arrested April 18 and charged with leaking military secrets and accepting bribes from foreign agents, according to a redacted indictment filed May 15 by the Military Prosecutors’ Office in Gangwon District.

Prosecutors allege the soldier transmitted information — including details related to Ulchi Freedom Shield, a large-scale joint military exercise with the United States — to China’s Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department.

The leaked documents reportedly contained sensitive details such as base names, troop schedules and logistical capabilities, along with participating troops’ personal information.

The soldier allegedly received about $12,215 via the Chinese digital payment platform Alipay, according to the 15-page indictment.

Prosecutors said the soldier came into contact with Chinese agents last year after posting a photo of himself in uniform on RedNote, a Chinese social media app. Agents allegedly commented on the image and later contacted him with offers of paid translation work.

Born in 2003, the soldier was raised in Beijing by his maternal grandfather, a retired Chinese soldier, the indictment said. His mother, a Chinese national, operated a language school and his father is South Korean.

The soldier enrolled at Macau University of Science and Technology in 2021 to study hotel management but left in 2023 to fulfil South Korea’s mandatory 18-month military service.

While serving, he allegedly traveled to China multiple times to meet with intelligence agents. Between August and February, prosecutors say he accessed the South Korean National Defense Network using his military credentials, photographed files with an iPhone purchased in China, and uploaded them to a Chinese server.

“The defendant harmed South Korea and the U.S.’s military interests by leaking confidential military information to the Chinese intelligence agency,” the indictment said.

U.S. Forces Korea acknowledged but did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment Tuesday.

The case follows a string of suspected Chinese espionage incidents in South Korea.

Two Chinese teenagers were arrested March 21 for allegedly photographing military aircraft near Suwon Air Base, about 20 miles south of Seoul. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service have reported 11 similar cases of illegal photography near military sites since June 2024, according to lawmakers briefed by the agency on April 30.

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.

Yoojin Lee

Yoojin Lee is a correspondent and translator based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. She graduated from Korea University, where she majored in Global Sports Studies.

Stars and Stripes · by David Choi and Yoojin Lee · May 27, 2025

11. China, Japan, South Korea Three Countries with Long-Standing Grievances Attempt to Set Them Aside

Excerpt:

Historical grievances in East-Asian cultures like China, South Korea, and Japan are deeply ingrained and unlikely to be genuinely resolved. Cooperation on North Korea’s nuclear threat is more a necessity than ideological alignment. The best they can hope for is compartmentalizing tensions for short-term gains, while retaining underlying mistrust. Progress will be incremental, driven by immediate needs rather than enduring partnerships. Ultimately, China’s outreach to Japan and South Korea is not just about North Korea but part of Xi’s broader effort to reshape regional influence amid U.S. strategic expansion in Asia.

Opinion / Perspective| The Latest

China, Japan, South Korea Three Countries with Long-Standing Grievances Attempt to Set Them Aside

https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/05/28/china-japan-south-korea-north-korea-security-cooperation/

by Charles Davis

05.28.2025 at 06:00am

Is there any chance East Asian security could serve as the common thread to allow three historic adversaries a way forward in cooperation?

The 11th Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting between China, South Korea, and Japan was held in Tokyo on March 22, 2025. South Korea and Japan were clearly seeking reassurance from China regarding the increasingly unpredictable and threatening behavior of North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, particularly concerning his nuclear ambitions. While the foreign ministers made little progress on this issue, there are indications that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping may be more inclined to support South Korea and Japan if doing so results in economic gains for China.

Recent Meeting Between China, South Korea, and Japan

The meeting between China, South Korea, and Japan is notable for the effort in bridging historical divisions in pursuit of mutual goals. However, these discussions aren’t likely to yield deep cooperation or substantial agreements, as all three cultures are honor-based and there is notable perceived dishonor among the nations. Confucianism influences each, ingraining the value of filial piety, respect for ancestors, and maintaining honor in both personal and professional life. This cultural framework ensures the past is not just remembered, but actively informs identity and future decisions. Furthermore, the differing strategic priorities of the three nations—China’s competition with the U.S., South Korea’s alignment with Washington, and Japan’s cautious engagement with Beijing—create additional fundamental obstacles.

Regardless of the outcome, China will use the opportunity to assert regional dominance and reinforce the need for regional relationships in lieu of U.S. influence. China will seek an opportunity to secure long-term commitments, while South Korea and Japan will be more pragmatic in seeking immediate relief from current security concerns.

Historical Problems Between China, South Korea, and Japan

These countries have old axes to grind and deeply entrenched historical grievances. Given these obstacles, the likelihood of sustained cooperation is extremely low. China’s perception of Japan is deeply tied to the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), with atrocities like the Nanking Massacre shaping Chinese perceptions of Japan. Territorial disputes also muddy the waters and exacerbate tensions. The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands are a great example of this hurdle. These will continue to be working tools for garnering domestic support in both governments. On the other hand, South Korea and Japan also have longstanding issues. Japan’s colonial rule over Korea (1910–1945) included forced labor and sexual slavery—these unresolved violations fuel resentment, with South Korea demanding justice and reparations. Likewise, South Korea and China have the obstacle of North Korea, as well as the economic sanctions China imposed during the THAAD missile defense system deployment. These varied historic difficulties now hinder a coordinated effort to address North Korea’s nuclear program concerns.

North Korea’s Nuclear Program

North Korea’s nuclear program is the beacon of instability in East Asia. It represents direct challenges to both regional stability and global security. Kim’s regime continues to advance intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capabilities, lauding North Korea’s ability to reach the U.S. mainland with the Hwasong-18 missile’s improved range and reliability. North Korea’s production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium remains undiminished, with current estimates suggesting quantities for 20–60 nuclear warheads.

While both Japan and South Korea would be much more comfortable if China were to apply pressure on Kim, the reality is that North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear ambitions. They will remain central to a security strategy that relies on the military element of national power to be heard. Diplomatic pressure will not lead to denuclearization, but with the right carrot, it could secure a temporary limit on testing or expansion. However, Iran is a consideration. The relationship between these two unpredictable regimes underscores a broader network of military cooperation that continues despite international pressure.

Iranian-North Korean Military Cooperation

Technology and expertise exchange is fundamental in missile development for both countries. Historically, they have shared ballistic missile designs originating from the A.Q. Khan network, and recent reports indicate military collaboration is unabated. This partnership is a key counterbalance to Western influence and sanctions. While Iran may use North Korean expertise to advance its missile capabilities, North Korea is receiving less benefit from nuclear-specific collaboration. While US and Israeli attempts to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program might weaken the effects of cooperation, Kim’s network of illicit procurement will remain resilient.

Potential Impact of Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Program

South Korea and Japan may feel that Chinese political intervention would better serve regional stability than that of a U.S. or partnered targeting of Iran’s nuclear program, believing a military operation could yield mixed outcomes for North Korea’s behavior.

A successful strike on Iran’s program might temporarily sever technology-sharing links between the two nations, weakening North Korea’s procurement networks and setting Iran back years. Additionally, the response would align with the current U.S. action-based approach to instability, letting the discussions occur after the consequences are clear. Such actions could signal international resolve, potentially deterring North Korea’s near-term negative behavior. Or it could force North Korea to entrench its relationship with Russia and challenge China to demonstrate support by doubling down on its nuclear strategy.

Examples of Political Engagements with North Korea

A review of previous political engagements with North Korea reveals their inherent limitations:

The Six-Party Talks (2003–2009) failed to produce lasting results, with North Korea using the talks to extract concessions while continuing nuclear development. Realistically, North Korea views such negotiations as opportunities to stall, while using the international stage to legitimize its regime rather than as a pathway to compromise.
In 2018, the Singapore Summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump temporarily suspended nuclear tests but again lacked binding agreements. Kim leveraged the summit to garner global attention and assert his view of international legitimacy without committing to substantive denuclearization.
Kim again used the Inter-Korean Dialogue (2018 Panmunjom Declaration) to gain visibility on the international stage. Still, North Korea quickly abandoned the temporary military de-escalation zones for its more aggressive rhetoric.

Final Thoughts

Historical grievances in East-Asian cultures like China, South Korea, and Japan are deeply ingrained and unlikely to be genuinely resolved. Cooperation on North Korea’s nuclear threat is more a necessity than ideological alignment. The best they can hope for is compartmentalizing tensions for short-term gains, while retaining underlying mistrust. Progress will be incremental, driven by immediate needs rather than enduring partnerships. Ultimately, China’s outreach to Japan and South Korea is not just about North Korea but part of Xi’s broader effort to reshape regional influence amid U.S. strategic expansion in Asia.

(Disclaimer: Thoughts and assessments in this work are those of the author and are not meant to reflect organizational opinions of the Warrant Officer Career College or the Army.)

Tags: grievances, nuclear deterrence, Nuclear Negotiation, nuclear nonproliferation

About The Author

Charles Davis
CW4 Charles Davis serves on the Warrant Officer Career College faculty. He currently instructs International Strategic Studies at all levels of Warrant Officer Education. CW4 Davis is a U.S. Army War College Strategic Broadening Program graduate with a Master’s Degree with Honors in Intelligence Studies from American Military University. CW4 Davis is also a recipient of the Military Intelligence Corps Knowlton Award.

12. Will South Korea Build the Bomb?

An excellent question that we can only guess the answer to.

I am reminded that South Korea is a global pivotal state that chooses to be a peaceful nuclear power, that is a partner in the arsenal of democracies that supports the rules based international order. Thinking that statement trough should give us some insights.

Of course a friend always reminds me of this question when you think through both history and the current international security situation: Why wouldn't they build a bomb?

Will South Korea Build the Bomb?

https://fpriinsights.substack.com/p/will-south-korea-build-the-bomb?utm

Vol. 4 - May 2025 Members Newsletter

Connor Fiddler

May 28, 2025

∙ Paid

President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has reignited uncertainty on the Korean Peninsula over the future direction of US policy. During his first term, Trump’s approach was marked by an unpredictable mix of outreach to North Korea and sharp demands for increased defense spending and direct payments from Seoul for the continued presence of US forces. Now, the Trump administration is reviving those demands—warning that failure to comply could lead to a withdrawal of American troops. Coupled with rising threat perceptions in Seoul, the renewed fear of US abandonment is prompting South Korea to more seriously consider the development of its own nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s First Move Toward Nuclear Weapons

This is not the first time South Korea has seriously considered developing its own nuclear arsenal. During the Cold War, the United States deployed nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula for 33 years—from 1958 to 1991—peaking at approximately 950 warheads in 1967. The deployment was intended to strengthen deterrence against North Korea while allowing for a reduction in the conventional US military footprint. However, by the mid-1970s, US officials grew concerned that South Korean dictator General Park Chung-hee was pursuing an indigenous nuclear program—driven by many of the same concerns raised by contemporary advocates: an intensifying threat environment and doubts about the credibility of American security guarantees.

Much of this anxiety stemmed from President Richard Nixon’s 1969 visit to the region, during which he announced what would come to be known as the Guam Doctrine. While the doctrine reaffirmed US treaty commitments and promised defense against nuclear-armed adversaries like the Soviet Union or China, it made clear that the United States would no longer automatically provide manpower to defend allies against other forms of aggression, in order to avoid another Vietnam War quagmire. For Seoul, the implications were troubling. It remained unclear whether the United States would respond to a North Korean attack. Many in South Korea’s defense establishment concluded that an independent nuclear capability was the only reliable way to ensure national survival. A 1974 telegram from the US embassy in Seoul captured this sentiment, warning that “based only on growing independence of Korean attitude toward defense matters and increasing doubts about [the] durability of US commitments, most senior ROK defense planners desire to obtain capability eventually to produce nuclear weapons.” After sustained diplomatic pressure from Washington, Seoul ultimately abandoned the program in exchange for more explicit security assurances from the United States.

Hedging Against Abandonment

Today, we’re seeing the emergence of many of the same variables that pushed South Korea in the 1970s to explore pursuing nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s threat environment is rapidly expanding beyond just North Korea. China’s military buildup and growing coercion against South Korea and its neighbors are deeply worrying South Korean defense planners. Additionally, the new security treaty between Russia and North Korea which exchanged Russian aid and military technology for North Korean fighters and large quantities of 122-mm and 152-mm artillery ammunition for its invasion of Ukraine is helping strengthen the North Korean armed forces and modernize its nuclear and missile capabilities.

A recent survey by The Asan Institute for Policy Studies demonstrated just how deep this concern runs amongst the South Korean people. Public support for the South Korea-US alliance remains very high with 96% of respondents agreeing that the alliance will be necessary for the foreseeable future. However, public confidence in the United States is low. Only 49% of South Korean respondents believe that the United States would use nuclear weapons to defend South Korea. In response to these concerns about American dependability, South Koreans now overwhelming support developing indigenous nuclear weapons with 76% support.

Source: ASAN Institute for Policy Studies

However, despite strong and growing public support for nuclear weapons, South Korea’s elite remain far more cautious. An April 2024 survey conducted by CSIS found that only 34% of South Korean elites supported nuclear development, while 66% opposed it. To navigate this public-elite divide, some defense planners have advocated for a strategy of nuclear latency—developing the technical capacity to quickly build a bomb without incurring the political and economic costs of full nuclearization.

South Korea at the Crossroads

Seoul faces a difficult strategic dilemma. South Korea can either absorb greater costs to remain under the US nuclear umbrella or pursue nuclear independence to satisfy domestic demands—at the risk of provoking backlash from the United States, neighboring powers like China, Russia, Japan, and Taiwan, and the broader international community. The costs of going nuclear are steep: beyond the financial burden of building and sustaining an arsenal, the diplomatic fallout could permanently damage South Korea’s global standing. Yet the costs of failing to shore up deterrence amid growing doubts about American reliability could prove far more dangerous. For policymakers in Washington, the warning signs should be alarming. North Korea is growing more ambitious and militarily capable as it deepens coordination with new partners. In response, the South Korean public is increasingly demanding more drastic measures. Since the 1950s, US policy has centered on maintaining security on the Korean Peninsula. While burden-sharing and cost-sharing initiatives are important, the United States cannot lose sight of its ultimate objective: a stable and secure peninsula. Reassuring South Koreans of American commitments needs to be a priority.

Connor Fiddler is the Associate Deputy Director for the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

13. Close S. Korea-Japan coordination crucial amid Trump policy moves: ex-Japanese minister

POTUS is helping drive the ROK and Japan to closer cooperation.

Close S. Korea-Japan coordination crucial amid Trump policy moves: ex-Japanese minister | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · May 28, 2025

By Kim Seung-yeon

JEJU, South Korea, May 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Japan should step up dialogue and coordination on shared security and economic challenges, such as U.S. tariff measures, as such efforts would benefit both countries amid uncertain policy directions in Washington, a former senior Japanese diplomat said Wednesday.

Kenichiro Sasae, who served as vice foreign minister from 2008-2010, made the remarks, stressing that both Tokyo and Seoul face a host of similar issues that may call for joint responses when dealing with the second Donald Trump administration.

"I do think that it's beneficial for both sides to exchange views and coordinate on how to respond to Trump's deals," Sasae said during a media roundtable on the southern island of Jeju, where he was visiting to attend the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity.

"It's in our mutual interest to discuss what issues we're concerned about, and how we might be able to address them ... in terms of security and the economy," he said.

Given shared concerns over Trump's tariff hikes and security issues, such as burden-sharing with the United States for the stationing of American troops, Sasae suggested that the current diplomatic landscape could elevate bilateral cooperation to a new level beyond the security and economic realms.

Former Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae speaks during a media roundtable on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, on Jeju Island, South Korea, on May 28, 2025. (Yonhap)

"There are common issues like nuclear energy, natural gas, where Japan and South Korea can respond jointly and pursue shared interests by working together," he said.

Regarding the longstanding historical issues stemming from Japan's 1910–1945 colonial rule of Korea, Sasae emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue to prevent bilateral relations from falling into yet another downward spiral.

During his time as a diplomat, he was deeply engaged in the crafting of the landmark 1998 joint declaration adopted by then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Kenzo Obuchi.

In the declaration, the two leaders called for overcoming the past and building new relations, with Obuchi expressing remorse for the "horrendous damage and pain" Japan's colonial rule inflicted on the Korean people.

Sasae is known to have played a key role in persuading his reluctant government to include the word "apology" for the colonial period.

"I think there are many areas where it has fallen short," he said of the declaration in retrospect.

"It's important that the shuttle diplomacy between heads of state continues," he said, referring to the regular leaders' exchanges that resumed under the former Yoon Suk Yeol government.

In light of South Korea's upcoming presidential election next week, Sasae expressed hope that the next leader would build upon the past progress rather than overturn it.

"No matter who becomes president (in South Korea), historical issues should be addressed based on the difficult processes that have already been undertaken," he said. "I hope that whoever wins, his policies will help move relations forward, rather than overturning what has been achieved."

elly@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Seung-yeon · May 28, 2025

14. U.S. Embassy appears to suspend scheduling new student visa interviews

Another self inflicted wound. The effect of our culture war and grievance culture. At least our allies should be an example from these policies. The relationships built through education contribute to the strength of our alliances.

U.S. Embassy appears to suspend scheduling new student visa interviews | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 28, 2025

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Embassy in South Korea appears to have paused scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants amid reports of Washington preparing to require social media vetting for such applicants.

The embassy's website no longer shows available dates for those seeking to schedule interviews for student visas, according to posts on online student communities.

U.S. news outlet Politico earlier reported the Donald Trump administration ordered U.S. Embassies and consular offices to halt new interviews for student visa applicants as it considers requiring all such applicants to undergo social media vetting, citing a cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul has yet to clarify whether it has outright suspended scheduling new interviews, but noted that scheduling for non-immigrant visa interviews are flexible and that visa applicants can continue to submit their applications.

People seeking to apply for visas to the United States wait outside the U.S. Embassy in South Korea in central Seoul on May 28, 2025. (Yonhap)

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Chae Yun-hwan · May 28, 2025

15. S. Korea's childbirths rise for 9th month in March amid post-pandemic marriage boom

Some demographic good news.

S. Korea's childbirths rise for 9th month in March amid post-pandemic marriage boom | Yonhap News Agency

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · May 28, 2025

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The number of babies born in South Korea increased for the ninth consecutive month in March, data showed Wednesday, in a positive sign for a country struggling with a demographic crisis.

A total of 21,041 babies were born in March, up 6.8 percent from 19,694 babies born a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The upward trend in births has continued since July 2024, the agency said. It also marked the first time in 10 years that the number of babies born in March increased on-year.

In the first quarter of 2025, the number of newborns rose 7.4 percent from a year before to 65,022, marking the largest on-year increase for any first quarter since the agency began compiling relevant data in 1981.

It also represents the highest number of first-quarter births in three years, after 68,339 recorded in the first quarter of 2022.

This file photo, taken Sept. 12, 2024, shows newborn babies at a hospital in Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, also rose by 0.05 from a year earlier to 0.82 in the January-March period, largely due to increased childbirths among women in their 30s.

"When measured to the third decimal point, the total fertility rate in the first quarter is slightly higher than in 2023 but still lower than in 2022," a Statistics Korea official said. "It remains to be seen whether the current trend will continue."

The agency attributed the increase in births to a notable rise in marriages following the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Korea, where childbirth outside marriage is rare, a rise in marriage registrations tends to lead to higher birth rates.

The number of couples tying the knot rose 11.5 percent on-year to 19,181 in March, marking the 12th consecutive month of growth.

For the January–March period, marriages increased by 8.4 percent to 58,704, the highest first-quarter figure since 2019, when the number stood at 59,074.

South Korea has long struggled with a declining birth rate as more young people delay or opt out of marriage and parenthood. In response, the government has rolled out various incentives, including marriage benefits and child care subsidies, in an effort to reverse the trend.

In a positive shift, 2024 marked the first year in nine years that the annual number of births increased, buoyed by a post-pandemic rise in marriages, shifting societal attitudes and demographic shifts.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths in March rose slightly by 0.2 percent on-year to 31,141, resulting in a natural population decline of 10,100 for the month.

South Korea has reported more deaths than births every quarter since the fourth quarter of 2019.

The number of divorces in March fell 3.2 percent on-year to 7,210, the data also showed.

khj@yna.co.kr

(END)

en.yna.co.kr · by Kim Han-joo · May 28, 2025

16. South Korean presidential debate mired in top contender’s alleged link to North Korea

Will this have any impact on South Korean voters?

Excerpts:

“Despite U.N. sanctions, the issue of illegal remittances to the North have surfaced. On May 9, president of the Korean American Association in Washington officially filed a complaint with the U.S. Treasury, State Department, and U.N. Security Council, accusing Lee of secretly transferring 10 billion South Korean won (US$8 million) to North Korea,” said Kim.

South Korean prosecutors allege that between 2019 and 2020, during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, Lee directed the Ssangbangwool Group to transfer US$8 million to North Korea, including US$5 million intended for a smart farm project and US$3 million to facilitate a prospective visit by Lee to Pyongyang.

Lee’s former deputy governor, Lee Hwa-young, was convicted and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement in the scheme, which encompassed bribery and unauthorized fund transfers to North Korea.

Lee denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.

He contends that the prosecution’s case lacks merit and is an attempt to undermine his political career. The case is ongoing.

South Korean presidential debate mired in top contender’s alleged link to North Korea

Lee Jae-myung is accused of orchestrating an illicit transfer of funds to North Korea.

By Taejun Kang for RFA

2025.05.28

https://www.rfa.org/english/korea/2025/05/28/south-korea-presidential-dabate-north-korea/

South Korea’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party is seen on a screen as supporters gather outside the MBC media centre to watch the televised presidential debate for the forthcoming June 3 presidential election in Seoul on May 27, 2025. (Pedro Pardo/AFP)

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The final televised presidential debate ahead of South Korea’s June 3 election was dominated by fierce scrutiny over the leading candidate from the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung’s alleged involvement in illegal cash transfers to North Korea.

The topic took center stage during the foreign policy and national security portion of the debate, when Lee underscored the importance of dialogue and peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang. Stressing that South Korea’s defense budget is double that of the North’s, he argued for diplomacy.

However, his remarks provided an opening for conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and centrist Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, who launched coordinated attacks highlighting Lee’s alleged “North Korea risk.”

Kim accused Lee of being at the center of a scandal involving illegal funds sent to North Korea.

“Despite U.N. sanctions, the issue of illegal remittances to the North have surfaced. On May 9, president of the Korean American Association in Washington officially filed a complaint with the U.S. Treasury, State Department, and U.N. Security Council, accusing Lee of secretly transferring 10 billion South Korean won (US$8 million) to North Korea,” said Kim.

South Korean prosecutors allege that between 2019 and 2020, during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, Lee directed the Ssangbangwool Group to transfer US$8 million to North Korea, including US$5 million intended for a smart farm project and US$3 million to facilitate a prospective visit by Lee to Pyongyang.

Lee’s former deputy governor, Lee Hwa-young, was convicted and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement in the scheme, which encompassed bribery and unauthorized fund transfers to North Korea.

Lee denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.

He contends that the prosecution’s case lacks merit and is an attempt to undermine his political career. The case is ongoing.

“That money is now feeding the Kim family and returning to us as nuclear threats. I will pursue a transparent and upright inter-Korean relationship,” Kim said.

(L to R) South Korea’s presidential candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party pose for photographs ahead of the third televised presidential debate for the forthcoming June 3 presidential election on May 27, 2025.

Lee Jun-seok followed up by questioning Lee about his campaign pledge to relocate shipping giant HMM’s headquarters to the city of Busan.

When Lee identified HMM’s predecessor as Hyundai Merchant Marine, Lee Jun-seok pointedly noted that the company had once engaged in North Korean projects that cost it some $200 million – an affair that many would consider a major scandal today.

“Regardless of domestic court rulings, the Ssangbangwool remittance case could make Lee subject to U.S. sanctions. Even if he becomes president, U.S. immigration law Section 212 could bar his entry,” said Lee Jun-seok.

Lee pushed back during the debate.

“The cash transfer had nothing to do with me. There are even rumors the funds were used for gambling after stock manipulation investigations began. I believe the truth will be revealed,” he argued.

While the allegations dominated the evening, Lee found some support from Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labour Party. Kwon criticized North Korea’s psychological provocations along border areas and highlighted residents’ suffering.

“I completely sympathize. Taking a hardline stance alone isn’t the solution,” Lee said.

Lee previously said he believed the current strategy toward the North has tipped too far toward confrontation.

Relations between the two countries since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War have waxed and waned for decades between unremitting hostility and attempts at rapprochement.

While acknowledging the “hostile” nature of current inter-Korean relations, he argued in multiple media interviews that South Korea’s strong military and alliances – particularly with the U.S. and Japan – already provide sufficient deterrence.

Instead, he insisted on “communication and engagement” with the North, signaling a return to the approach of previous Democratic Party governments.

“US actively participates in UN General Assembly North Korea Human Rights High-level Meeting”

Seoul-Handohyeong hando@rfa.org

2025.05.28

https://www.rfa.org/korean/in-focus/2025/05/28/un-north-human-right-interest/

Sean Jeong, the representative of Han Voice, testifies at the high-level meeting on North Korean human rights held at the UN headquarters in New York on the 20th. (UN website)

Anchor: A Korean expert analyzed that the US is still interested in North Korean human rights, saying that it is known that the US actively participated in the implementation stage of the recent UN General Assembly high-level meeting on North Korean human rights. Han Do-hyung reports from Seoul.

A report titled 'Implications and Implications of the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on North Korean Human Rights' released on the 27th by Kim Min-jung, deputy director of the Unification Human Rights Research Center at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) under the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.

Regarding the high-level meeting held by the UN General Assembly on the 20th to discuss the human rights situation in North Korea, Vice Minister Kim evaluated the meeting as “the first case of official discussion of the North Korean human rights issue at a high level” and “a turning point that sought to strategically reestablish the North Korean human rights agenda within the international security framework.”

Deputy Director Kim said that while high-level meetings of the UN General Assembly are usually held to focus on global agendas such as climate change and nuclear security, it is rare for them to deal solely with human rights issues in a specific country.

He explained that there was a conference on North Korean human rights in 2014 as well, but that was a separate event hosted by individual countries rather than the UN General Assembly like this conference.

In particular, Deputy Director Kim diagnosed that “this meeting is an example showing that the United States continues to maintain strategic interest in the North Korean human rights issue.”

There have been concerns that the United States is withdrawing its interest in North Korean human rights issues, following the successive suspension of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) budget execution and the reorganization of the Department of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), but this meeting has served as an opportunity to alleviate some of these concerns.

Deputy Director Kim said, “According to diplomatic sources, the European Union (EU) led the design and organization of this meeting, while the Trump administration in the second term in the United States was actively involved in the implementation phase,” and analyzed that the United States’ substantive involvement in this meeting shows that it still maintains a strategic interest in the North Korean human rights issue.

In a phone call with Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 28th, Deputy Director Kim said, “I heard that the U.S. government provided a lot of support, including inviting the two North Korean defectors,” and added, “I evaluate the biggest implication as confirming that the U.S.’s North Korea human rights policy has not changed.”

Two young North Korean defectors testified in person at the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on the 20th, reporting in English on the human rights situation inside North Korea. These are the words of Deputy Director Kim Min-jung.

[Kim Min-jung, Deputy Director of the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) Unification Human Rights Research Center] We have confirmed that the US North Korea human rights policy has not changed amid international cooperation. This time, we started the process of inviting North Korean defectors in the US and later took charge of the action plan. From what I have heard individually, I heard that the US played a large role in various aspects, including the cost.

Kim Eun-joo (left) and Kang Gyu-ri (right) giving testimony at the UN General Assembly.

18. Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Riles Nuclear-Armed Foes

That is good enough for me. If our enemies hate it it must mean we are doing the right thing.

Seriously, if we can develop an effective system it could be a game changer.

I sometimes wonder if the ABM treaty was the right thing to do decades ago? What if we had started developing ABM capabilities long ago - would we be in a position to keep adapting to the emerging threats or would fewer threats have emerged if our enemies realized we could consistently adapt to mitigate them?

Of course the nuclear theorists had a lot to say about this with their game theory - An ABM capability would have been destabilizing (according to them) and could have led to an early use of nuclear weapons out of fear they would no longer have utility with an effective ABM system in place.

Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Riles Nuclear-Armed Foes

China, Russia and North Korea—harboring weapons that could reach U.S.—assail missile-shield plan as a blow to global stability

https://www.wsj.com/world/trumps-golden-dome-riles-nuclear-armed-foes-de1957df

By Austin Ramzy

Follow, Thomas Grove

Follow and Timothy W. Martin

May 27, 2025 8:01 am ET

President Trump wants to develop a ‘Golden Dome’ antimissile shield before the end of his term. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Key Points

What's This?

Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile-defense plan is opposed by China, Russia and North Korea, who call it a dangerous arms race.
Golden Dome combines ground-based interceptors with satellites, guarding against hypersonic missiles and other high-tech threats.
Experts warn Golden Dome could spur missile proliferation, as the US lags in hypersonic weapons; China and Russia develop counter-space capabilities.

President Trump’s “Golden Dome” plan has riled the three countries whose weapons technology poses the greatest threat to American territory, with China, Russia and North Korea claiming the missile-defense project is driving a dangerous new arms race.

Trump wants a Golden Dome shield in place by the end of his term, which would combine ground-based interceptors with satellites to guard U.S. territory against high-tech threats, including hypersonic missiles.

The Chinese, North Koreans and Russians are all developing such missiles, as well as new weapons intended to evade U.S. defenses and combat America in outer space. The three are also increasingly helping each other militarily.

North Korea slammed the Golden Dome on Tuesday as the “largest arms-buildup plan in history.” China and Russia in a joint statement earlier this month called the project “deeply destabilizing.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a briefing to journalists Tuesday, said the plan “represented a direct disruption to the foundations of strategic stability.”

All three countries have also denounced Trump’s call for space-based interceptors, saying they risk turning space into a battlefield.

Experts say that a potential risk of the Golden Dome is that a comprehensive defensive system encourages a proliferation of missiles, including nuclear-capable weapons. It comes as the last major nuclear treaty between leading nuclear powers Russia and the U.S. is set to expire next year, potentially leading Moscow to accelerate the deployment of nuclear warheads.

“This missile-defense mirage gives you the illusion you can protect yourself but you’re driving all these countries to build all these hundreds and thousands of missiles so you end up in the worst of both worlds,” said Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.

A Chinese guided-missile destroyer in Shandong province. Photo: Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

The U.S. says increasing threats make it necessary to build a more comprehensive missile-defense system and rejects criticism that the plan will militarize space.

“We have more recently observed China’s satellites engaging in what can only be described as dogfighting maneuvers in space,” said Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, the U.S. Space Force commander in the Indo-Pacific, at a space conference in Australia on Tuesday. “These high-speed, combat-oriented operations on orbit serve as further evidence that Beijing is actively preparing to challenge the U.S. and our allies in space.”

The Golden Dome plan represents a dramatic transformation in how the U.S. aims to confront such threats.

The U.S. says its missile defenses are directed at so-called “rogue states,” primarily North Korea, which aren’t considered peer nuclear powers. Meanwhile, the U.S, Russia and China seek to prevent nuclear attack through deterrence.

Trump’s Golden Dome plan implicitly recognizes that the arms-control era has passed and mutually assured destruction is no longer a sufficient deterrent to nuclear war.

The threats

A major emerging concern for U.S. defense is hypersonic weapons, which can travel at least five times the speed of sound, fly low and maneuver before hitting a target, making them difficult to detect, let alone intercept.

In the hypersonic race, the U.S. is behind. China, the leader, tested such a missile in 2021, which flew at speeds of more than 15,000 miles an hour as it circled the globe before striking a target in China.

In a sign of the Pentagon’s progress, the U.S. military recently completed successful test flights of a reusable hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft.

When President Vladimir Putin first introduced Russia’s hypersonic weapons in 2018, an animated graphic showed a missile heading toward the West Coast of the U.S. “Missile-defense systems are useless against them, absolutely pointless,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the launch of a hypersonic missile in 2018. Such weapons are difficult to detect and intercept. Photo: Kremlin Pool/Zuma Press

Russia’s hypersonic weapons could potentially be stopped by a system such as the proposed Golden Dome because they travel at much slower speeds during initial launch and before hitting their target, leaving them susceptible to interceptors, said David Wright, a researcher at the Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Intercepting Russia’s strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles could be much harder. At the first stage after launch, when a rocket pushes the missile up into—and out of—the atmosphere, an interceptor would have to be extremely close to respond to it in time.

That would mean covering the territory across all of Russia’s 11 time zones to intercept the missile in time, said Podvig.

“You need to have a lot of them so that some of them are close enough to every launch point,” he said.

North Korea already has a missile with the range to potentially strike the U.S.—and leader Kim Jong Un wants more long-range weapons that can fly farther, carry bigger payloads and be deployed more quickly.

The country is pursuing hypersonic technology, underwater nuclear-armed drones and tactical weaponry, although military experts say they aren’t yet combat-ready.

The shield

The U.S. installed dozens of ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California beginning in the early 2000s, and has tested interceptors fired by the Aegis combat system to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles, a system that was used successfully by Navy destroyers against Iranian weapons targeting Israel last year. Land-based versions of the system have been installed in Romania and Poland.

The U.S. also fields Patriot missile systems for shorter-range threats and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or Thaad, which is used for smaller areas including in South Korea and Guam.

Trump’s goal of seeing his Golden Dome shield in place in little more than three years would be difficult to accomplish, according to military experts.

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Any missile-defense shield would likely only offer protection from about 85% of incoming missiles, said Podvig. That could promote a false sense of security, while also spurring rivals to produce more weapons, he said.

Golden Dome plans for space-based interceptors have also raised concerns of a surge in space-based systems. A Congressional Budget Office assessment said that such a system for downing one or two missiles fired by a smaller adversary such as North Korea could require more than 1,000 interceptors.

To defend against Russia or China, with many more warheads, such a system would require potentially tens of thousands of satellites.

Russia and China view such space-based interceptors “as indistinguishable from offensive weapons, arguing that a better-protected United States might be emboldened to pursue more aggressive military actions,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “This heightens the risk of Russia and China intensifying their development of anti-satellite and other counter-space capabilities.”