Quotes of the Day:
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."
- John F. Kennedy
"May we never forget our fallen comrades. Freedom isn't free."
- Sgt. Major Bill Paxton
"Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it."
- Unknown
1. Yoon calls for firm response to N.K. provocations
2. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases back to above 100,000
3. Top N. Korean diplomat affirms 'full support' for China's global security proposal
4. PPP is sending a delegation to Ukraine
5. Unfathomable veto by China and Russia
6. Will China, Russia Keep Blocking Action Against N.Korea?
7. Yoon Suk-yeol drops by neighbors, Defense Ministry, JCS
8. Yoon’s strong start
9. South Korea in dilemma over Canada's request to send artillery ammunition
10. CEOs in Korea and Japan vow to restore bilateral economic ties
11. 'Devotion' trailer teases the story of a Medal of Honor recipient who tried to save his wingman in the Korean War
12. N. Korea compels party members to contribute household medicine and food for those in quarantine
13. For two North Korean escapees, losing local elections in the UK feels like a victory
1. Yoon calls for firm response to N.K. provocations
We must not become obsessed with north Korean provocations. We should view them as opportunities to advance our strategy.
Yoon calls for firm response to N.K. provocations | Yonhap News Agency
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol called for a firm response to North Korean provocations during a visit to the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday.
It was the first time the president has visited the building shared by the ministry and the JCS after he relocated the presidential office to what used to be the defense ministry's headquarters upon taking office on May 10.
The presidential office, and the buildings of the defense ministry and the JCS are now located on the same compound in Yongsan, central Seoul.
"I appreciate the hard work you put into moving offices, as the presidential office moved into the defense (ministry) space that you had used until now," Yoon said as dozens of troops and workers welcomed him with cheers and applause.
"Our security situation is becoming more serious by the day, and without your dedication to national security, our economy and all of our social activities would not be able run properly," he said.
The relocation was a campaign promise Yoon had made to help him connect better with the public. Yoon believed the previous presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, was located on a lofty hill that made the president unapproachable.
During the visit, Yoon took part in a virtual conference with Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and other ranking military officers to check the military's readiness posture.
"President Yoon stressed that our military should serve as a reliable pillar that protects our people's lives and wealth under any circumstance, and ordered that a firm military readiness posture be maintained," the presidential office said in a press release.
"Moreover, he noted that in the case where North Korea carries out a provocation, it should be dealt with firmly and strictly, and for this, troops should maintain a firm mental readiness posture," it said.
Yoon received an Air Force bomber jacket as a gift. It took him several attempts to close the zipper.
"I don't often find clothes that fit me, because I'm fat, and I often go to Itaewon to buy clothes," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. "Thank you very much for getting a jacket that fits me very well. I will wear it often whenever the security situation is grave or during civil defense training."
Itaewon is a neighborhood close to the presidential office, which is often associated with foreigners and in particular American troops because of its close proximity to a U.S. military garrison.
(END)
2. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases back to above 100,000
Not quite ready for the regime to declare success but I think that day is coming soon.
(3rd LD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases back to above 100,000 | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with comments from unification ministry in last 3 paras)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's new suspected coronavirus cases bounced back to above 100,000 for the first time in three days, its state media said Monday amid speculation that Pyongyang may be moving to relax some of its antivirus measures.
More than 100,710 people showed symptoms of fever and one death was reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.
The total number of fever cases reported since late April came to more than 3.55 million as of 6 p.m. Sunday, of which more than 3.36 million have recovered and at least 188,530 are being treated, it added. The death toll stood at 70.
The country's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15. The number dropped below 100,000 on Friday and Saturday.
North Korea did not release its fatality tally for those dates, but no additional deaths appear to have been reported as the total death toll as of Sunday remained unchanged.
On May 12, the reclusive North reported its first COVID-19 case, having claimed to be coronavirus-free for over two years and announced a shift to the "maximum emergency" virus control system.
Meanwhile, multiple sources in China said the lockdowns had been partially eased in Pyongyang as of noon Sunday.
The secretive nation's media offered no immediate clue as to whether such a measure had been formally introduced.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, carried no relevant report. It instead said that the southwestern province of South Pyongan around the capital has enforced stricter lockdowns in the region.
It added new cases have continued to decline across the country but urged people not to show even the "slightest laxity" against the pandemic.
South Korea's unification ministry said the pandemic appears to be winding down, at least ostensibly. It pointed out reports released by the North Korean authorities and said it is keeping a close eye on the latest pandemic situation.
"As North Korean media outlets have not yet reported on the lifting of lockdowns, we will need to further check (to confirm whether they were lifted)," the ministry's spokesperson Cho Joong-hoon told a press briefing.
Pyongyang has remained unresponsive to Seoul's proposal for coronavirus cooperation for two weeks since the ministry attempted to send a fax message across the border to offer working-level consultations and medical assistance on May 16.
(END)
3. Top N. Korean diplomat affirms 'full support' for China's global security proposal
The US (with its vassal states) is to blame.
Excerpt:
"The world is now faced with grave crisis and challenge due to the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S. and its vassal states that are shaking international peace and stability at the basis," he wrote.
Top N. Korean diplomat affirms 'full support' for China's global security proposal | Yonhap News Agency
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threw its weight behind a new global security initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Monday, making clear its geopolitical stance amid a growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
In a piece posted on the foreign ministry's website, Vice Minister Pak Myong-ho stressed that Pyongyang's commitment to further boosting relations and cooperation with its most important ally and economic benefactor remains firm "despite the complicated international situation."
"The world is now faced with grave crisis and challenge due to the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S. and its vassal states that are shaking international peace and stability at the basis," he wrote.
Pak then extended "full support" for the global security initiative set forth by Xi at the 2022 Boao Forum for Asia last month, calling the proposal a "manifestation of the will of the Chinese Party and government" to make an active contribution to establishing a fair international security system and building a "new peaceful world."
During his keynote speech, Xi said the initiative seeks to promote global security, respect national sovereignty and adhere to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, though he did not outline the details of his plan.
Pak added his country will "continue to work together with comrades of China to safeguard the peace and stability in the Asia and the world as well as the genuine international justice, and make active efforts to develop as ever the bilateral exchange and cooperation."
(END)
4. PPP is sending a delegation to Ukraine
South Korea stepping up per President Yoon's intent (February Foriegn Affairs article).
Monday
May 30, 2022
PPP is sending a delegation to Ukraine
People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok, center, campaigns in Daejeon on Monday ahead of local government elections. [YONHAP]
The conservative People Power Party (PPP) announced Monday that party leader Lee Jun-Seok will lead a delegation to visit Ukraine after the June 1 local government elections.
The party’s Special Delegation for Korea-Ukraine Freedom and Peace Solidarity, which will include Lee and other PPP lawmakers, will visit Ukraine in early June, with a detailed schedule to be announced later, according to a party press release.
The PPP offered “deep sympathy for the recent situation in Ukraine and wishes for an early peace” in the announcement, adding that the party’s delegates hope to “meet and comfort the Ukrainian people with good wishes from the Korean people.”
The release noted that the delegation would be the first from a political party in an Asian country, saying, “[The visit] will be a good opportunity to express the PPP’s support and solidarity with Ukraine and the party’s hopes for an end to the war as soon as possible.”
The PPP leader attended a live video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the National Assembly in April. Lee uploaded a post to Facebook shortly after, in which he said, “The time has come for the ruling and opposition parties to open their minds and discuss both humanitarian support for Ukraine and greater direct support,” without specifying what the latter would entail.
While Korea is the world’s sixth largest weapons exporter, it has balked at Ukrainian requests for lethal weapons, citing the country’s diplomatic and security situations and the impact on its own military’s readiness posture.
Instead, it has provided Kyiv only with humanitarian relief and non-lethal military supplies such as bulletproof helmets, blankets and medical supplies, according to Seoul’s defense ministry.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov requested anti-aircraft weapons from then-Defense Minister Suh Wook during a call in early April. But Seoul has said it would be unable to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine.
In an April interview with NPR, Kim Jong-dae, a former defense official and visiting professor at Yonsei University's Institute for North Korean Studies, said that Seoul’s reluctance to deliver weapons aid to Ukraine stems partly from South Korea’s own reliance on Russian missile technology.
According to Kim, Ukraine is especially interested in South Korea’s Cheongung surface-to-air missiles, developed by LIG-Nex1. However, South Korea does not have large surplus Cheongung stockpiles, and supplying Ukraine would entail taking currently deployed missiles off the front lines.
5. Unfathomable veto by China and Russia
There should be no doubt about CHinese and Russian complicity in north Korean malign activities from nuclear and missile development to human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
Monday
May 30, 2022
Unfathomable veto by China and Russia
North Korea has fired 23 missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), through 17 rounds so far this year. The country has finished preparations for its seventh nuclear test. But tougher sanctions against North Korea could not be passed at the United Nations Security Council due to vetoes by China and Russia. The two countries have more or less given permission to Pyongyang’s nuclear test. The reasoning by Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, to object the new sanctions was preposterous.
The new resolution drafted a day after North Korea launched three missiles, including an ICBM, last week proposed to cut the amount of oil and other fuel North Korea can import.
Of 15 members of the UN Security Council, 13 approved a resolution to enforce tougher sanctions on North Korea in accordance with the provision in Resolution 2397 that calls for strengthened sanctions on fuel imports for North Korea if the recalcitrant country fires an ICBM. But the resolution was blocked by the two permanent members of the Security Council — China and Russia. It is the first time a punitive resolution on North Korea was voted down since the country carried out its first nuclear test in 2006.
The concerns about a new Cold War in which China, Russia and North Korea unite amid the escalating U.S.-China conflict and the West’s confrontation with Russia over its Ukraine invasion may be coming true.
China’s UN envoy Zhang argued that the latest South Korea-U.S. summit in Seoul and the United States’ toughened Indo-Pacific strategy provoked North Korea to resort to missile launches. He warned that Beijing would take a “stern and firm initiative to defend the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the Asia Pacific region” if there are plans to spread “the flames of war” to Northeast Asia, blaming the U.S. for causing the situation by using the Korean Peninsula as a card for the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy.
Seven decades ago, China backed North Korea in its invasion of South Korea. Yet how a top Chinese envoy could casually speak of “flames of war” cannot be understood.
China as well as Russia have used the North Korean nuclear issue as a leverage for their relationship with the United States. They have blatantly violated UN resolutions aimed at containing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Their veto has given more or less a go-ahead to Pyongyang to conduct another nuclear test. China must take responsibility for helping North Korea complete its dangerous nuclear and missile programs.
6. Will China, Russia Keep Blocking Action Against N.Korea?
Without a doubt, yes. We will never again see cooperation with China and Russia on north Korea as long as Xi and Putin remain in power (and Kim Jong-un too).
Will China, Russia Keep Blocking Action Against N.Korea?
China and Russia have blocked any additional sanctions against North Korea as the renegade country continues ballistic missile tests and gears up to conduct another nuclear test. Although 13 out of the 15 member nations of the UN Security Council supported further sanctions, China and Russia have veto rights and blocked the move. This is the first time a UNSC resolution on sanctions against North Korea were voted down amid a new cold war against China and Russia by the U.S. and its allies. All nine UNSC sanctions resolutions since the North's first nuclear test in 2006 were passed.
The latest sanctions aimed to reduce North Korea's annual oil imports by another 25 percent from the current 4 million barrels. In 2017, the UN passed an "automatic" sanction resolution to tighten the spigot on North Korea's oil imports after each nuclear test or missile launch. After the North conducted its sixth nuclear test and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, China and Russia ended up backing the measure. North Korea has test fired several ballistic missiles so far this year, but China and Russia continue to ignore their previous decisions to support the automatic sanction resolution. The Chinese ambassador to the UN blamed the U.S. instead by saying Washington "holds the key to breaking the deadlock."
In March, China and Russia also blocked a UNSC statement condemning North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which blew up in mid-air. And last week Chinese and Russian fighter jets buzzed South Korea's air defense identification zone without identifying themselves just after North Korea launched a brace of missiles. It is from China that North Korea imports most of the necessary materials to produce missiles such as carbon fiber and high-strength aluminum. The North also has a lot of Russian weapons. If China and Russia had adhered to UNSC sanctions against North Korea in the first place, Kim Jong-un’s nuclear buildup would not have been possible. Both China and Russia are to blame now that the North has a nuclear arsenal.
After realizing that his empty denuclearization promises were not working, Kim immediately resorted to resuming provocations, yet China and Russia are demanding a further easing of sanctions against the North. At every crisis, Xi secretly opened the spigot, while Russia looked the other way. Both China and Russia are using North Korea as a weapon against the U.S. and its allies, and Kim certainly knows what is going on. North Korea's seventh nuclear test is widely expected to involve a tactical nuclear warhead that could be used on the conventional battlefield and poses a very real threat to South Korea. Will China and Russia continue to stymie UN sanctions when that happens? In that event South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will have to take their own emergency measures.
7. Yoon Suk-yeol drops by neighbors, Defense Ministry, JCS
He is going to be known as the national security president.
Monday
May 30, 2022
Yoon Suk-yeol drops by neighbors, Defense Ministry, JCS
President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, poses with defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff officials during his Monday morning visit to the Defense Ministry's relocated headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [YONHAP]
President Yoon Suk-yeol called for a "firm response" by the military to North Korean provocations during a visit to the Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) headquarters on Monday.
Yoon's visit to the building, shared by the ministry and the JCS, was his first since his May 10 inauguration and the relocation of the presidential office to the defense ministry's previous headquarters.
Located 200 meters away from the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, the Defense Ministry building swarmed with a crowd of around 100 people before Yoon's arrival.
The president set out from the presidential office at 11:05 a.m. and was accompanied on the short walk to the ministry by Kim Sung-han, chief of the National Security Office, and Kim Yong-hyun, chief of the presidential security service.
Upon arriving at the ministry at 11:15 a.m., Yoon was greeted with a bouquet of flowers and an air force bomber jacket.
The jacket featured a blue rectangular nametag embroidered with the words, "20th President Yoon Suk-yeol" over the upper left section of the front, with the circular presidential seal affixed to the upper right portion.
Yoon, who immediately donned the jacket, joked, "I have to go to Itaewon to buy clothes because I'm fat and don't usually have clothes that fit me, so thank you so much for preparing a jacket that fits my body." The comment elicited laughter from the crowd.
Yoon's tour of the ministry was meant to underline his administration's focus on national defense as South Korea faces escalating threats from North Korea, which has conducted 17 missile tests this year alone and is believed to be preparing for its seventh nuclear weapons test, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence.
His visit to the Defense Ministry came five days after he announced the replacement of several top military brass and named Kim Seung-kyum, the former vice commander of the Deputy Commander of Combined Forces Command, as the next JCS chairman.
"Our security situation is growing graver by the day, and without your commitment to national security, our economy and society would not be able to function properly," Yoon said in remarks to military officials and reporters.
Yoon apologized for the inconvenience caused by the move of the presidential office into the Defense Ministry's old headquarters, noting that ministry staff "worked very hard to move their workspace" and expressing his "deep gratitude" for accommodating the change.
After wrapping up his public greetings, Yoon entered a conference with Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and current JCS Chairman Won In-choul to discuss the country's defense posture, with chief and deputy commanders of the armed forces attending by video link.
At the meeting, Yoon said, "Our military should be ready under any circumstances to serve as a strong bulwark that protects the lives and property of the people," warning that South Korea would respond "firmly and sternly" in case of a North Korean provocation, according to a presidential office press release.
BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]
8. Yoon’s strong start
Positive support from the Joongang Ilbo. But most of the press and the people did not give him a honeymoon period or a first hundred days.
Monday
May 30, 2022
Yoon’s strong start
Lee Ha-kyung
The author is the chief editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.
So far, President Yoon Suk-yeol is living up to his word. After a journalist from the Washington Post pointed out that his cabinet is filled with mostly men, he named four female ministers and vice ministers. After National Assembly Deputy Speaker Kim Sung-hee talked about gender disputes, Yoon said, “As I started politics just a while ago, I apparently had a narrow perspective. I will expand it.” He then kept his promise. Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won, a political veteran, was astonished at Yoon’s “spontaneous responses.”
President Yoon wore a sky blue color tie, close to the symbolic color of the Democratic Party, when he gave a budget speech at the National Assembly. He shook the hands of all lawmakers and exchanged greetings. It was a dramatic and emotional six minutes. “There will be consultations with the National Assembly leaders in advance when the government has a new policy to push forward,” Yoon promised. It was a strong signal of bipartisan cooperation.
Yoon hosted an unprecedented event by inviting business leaders from small and medium companies along with heads of the top five chaebol to a garden in front of the presidential office in Yongsan. Although it was raining, he made visits to all 60 tables and told the guests to visit him whenever they have a hard time. The event’s guests said the president was a humble man, just like a neighbor. The top 10 companies promised to invest more than 1,000 trillion won ($804.4 billion) over the next five years to create 380,000 jobs in tandem with his conviction that the private sector will lead the growth.
President Yoon Suk-yeol, third from left, encourages leaders of small and big companies to seek symbiotic growth after a hand-printing event in the garden of the presidential office in Yongsan, May 25. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Yoon also attended the democratization movement commemoration ceremony in Gwangju on May 18 along with his cabinet members and party lawmakers, met with the victims’ families and sang the anthem. It was a moment the new president’s genuine intention was revealed.
In Aesop’s Fables, a boastful athlete brags that he once jumped higher than an Olympic athlete on the Island of Rhodes. His neighbors challenged him to restage the jump on the spot by saying “Hic Rhodus, hic saltus! [Here is Rhodes, jump here!]” The phrase was quoted by Hegel and Karl Marx to stress the importance of concrete action in real life, not empty words.
Yoon, a political rookie no one has expected, is making his best efforts each day. He is finally ending the era in which a head of state puts all efforts for the delusive income-led growth and nuclear phase-out policies after denying reality and being enslaved to old ideology.
The new president is resolute and determined to bid farewell to the old era. But the legislature is still controlled by a party with a dramatically different perspective. They failed to win the March 9 presidential election due to their hypocritical behavior, and they lost public support by abusing the majority to completely take away investigative powers from the prosecution. And yet, they were the fighters who sacrificed themselves to achieve democratization against the authoritarian regime. As they are fiercer than most of the new administration who are still insensitive to the change of time, Yoon can only get their cooperation when he shows he has fundamentally changed.
The first test of Yoon’s willingness for cooperative politics will be the conflict surrounding Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon’s excessive power. Yoon has decided to create a new human resources information management team under the Justice Ministry to vet candidates for public office. “The presidential secretariat must focus on policies. It is wrong for the office to dig dirt on others. That is why I shut down the office of the senior secretary for civil affairs,” said Yoon. He will let the secretariat nominate candidates, while the ministry will verify them for checks and balances. Yoon volunteered to scale back the president’s massive powers. There is no reason to question his true intention even before the new appointment system is implemented.
The Democratic Party thinks differently. It complains that information about candidates for high-ranking posts will be directly reported to Justice Minister Han. They claim that Yoon is replacing the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs with the Justice Ministry. They said it goes against the Constitution and other laws if the prime minister and the Ministry of Personnel Management are ruled out from the appointment process and incumbent prosecutors are vetting the candidates. Critics also said the data can be abused by the prosecution for investigations.
In a democracy, it is natural that different opinions are presented. That is why a process is necessary. It is inappropriate for Yoon to just change the executive decree to bypass the National Assembly. He must listen carefully to the concerns that the vetting process will be handed over to the Justice Ministry, while the prime minister’s office and the Ministry of Personnel Management are ruled out.
If Yoon is persuaded by the Democratic Party, he must change his argument boldly. That is democracy. That is the politics of Yoon, who promised to innovate himself. And that is the start of true cooperative politics. You cannot ignore the opinions of the opposition when you want to bolster the economy and national security while trying to reform pension system, labor and education.
9. South Korea in dilemma over Canada's request to send artillery ammunition
No dilemma. Just send it. DO the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
South Korea in dilemma over Canada's request to send artillery ammunition
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives a speech virtually to the National Assembly in Seoul, April 11. Korea Times photo'Lack of cause' for Russian retaliation
By Kang Seung-woo
South Korea, sticking to a stance of sending only non-lethal supplies to Ukraine, has found itself in a tricky situation over a new request to export lethal artillery ammunition to Canada, after the North American country sent its own shells to the war-torn Eastern European country.
The South Korean government has maintained that there are limits on sending lethal weapons to Ukraine due to possible fallout in diplomatic ties with Russia, and there is speculation that a possible ammunition shipment from Seoul to Ottawa could be seen by Moscow as indirect support from South Korea for Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Canadian government has inquired if Seoul could export tens of thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells to Ottawa due to an ammo shortage there. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February, Canada has sent its own ammunition to Ukraine.
"It is true that Canada has asked if we can export artillery shells," deputy ministry spokesman Army Col. Moon Hong-sik said during a regular press briefing.
"However, there has been no official process or progress made in this regard yet," he continued.
Moon refused to elaborate on whether other countries have also requested ammo exports for similar reasons.
The Ukrainian government, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has asked the South Korean government to supply military equipment to help the country's fight against Russian aggression.
However, the defense ministry has said that there are limits to providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing the security situation and the potential impact on the military's readiness posture.
Instead, South Korea has focused on providing largely humanitarian support, with it set to ship a third batch of non-lethal aid, comprised of gas masks and mask canisters that are worth 1.5 billion won ($1.18 million), by next month.
Russia has designated South Korea as an "unfriendly" nation, citing the latter's participation in international sanctions against Russia, including export controls and Moscow's removal from the SWIFT network, through which trillions of dollars change hands in cross-border payments.
"Along with the designation of South Korea as an unfriendly country, Russia will stand up for North Korea against the international community's punishment for its provocations such as ballistic missile and nuclear tests," said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
In fact, Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution last week that proposed tougher sanctions on North Korea following its ballistic missile launches.
However, there is also speculation that possible retaliation from Russia toward South Korea would be limited.
"So far, there have been no retaliatory actions against countries that have sent military equipment to Ukraine even though Russia has strongly condemned them," a diplomatic source said.
"Due to possible fallout, including exits of multinational companies operating there, the Russian government also seems to remain very cautious before taking any action," the source continued.
A defense ministry official also said there was little room for Russia to object.
"As Canada wants to import ammunition for its stockpiles, it is not that we are supplying weapons to Ukraine, leaving little chance for Russia's resistance," the official said.
"There is a lack of cause for retaliation against South Korea," the official said.
10. CEOs in Korea and Japan vow to restore bilateral economic ties
Good. Perhaps business will lead the way to better relations. Both countries must put national security and national prosperity first while pledging to manage the historical issues.
CEOs in Korea and Japan vow to restore bilateral economic ties
Business leaders from Korea and Japan pose during the Korea-Japan Economic Association's (KJE) teleconference held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul and the Okura Tokyo, Monday. From left are SeAH Steel Vice Chairman Lee Hui-ryung, Samsung Electronics President Lee In-yong, Korea International Trade Association Chairman Koo Ja-yeol, Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, KJE Chairman Kim Yoon, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Poongsan Group Chairman Ryu Jin, POSCO Holdings President Chon Jung-son and TCC Steel Chairman Sohn Bong-rak. Newsis
By Park Jae-hyuk
Business leaders from Korea and Japan agreed Monday to reconsolidate their economic ties under the two countries' new governments, overcoming a years-long diplomatic feud during their previous administrations. They made the promise during a teleconference held simultaneously in Seoul and Tokyo by the Korea-Japan Economic Association (KJE) to discuss ways to strengthen the economic partnership between the two countries.
"As we had once experienced difficulties, we should take the initiative in all sectors, including trade, industry, investment, finance and tourism, based on our deeper trust," said KJE Chairman Kim Yoon, who is also the chairman of Samyang Holdings.
Japan-Korea Economic Association Chairman Mikio Sasaki said he expects the two countries' governments to make progress in their talks, so that businesspeople in both countries can engage in economic activities without concerns.
Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun emphasized the necessity of future-oriented economic cooperation between the two countries to cope with the supply chain crisis and climate change.
Korean Ambassador to Japan Kang Chang-il said that the government should not hinder the two neighboring countries' economic cooperation and expected them to accelerate efforts to improve bilateral relations under their new governments.
But Kazuchika Iwata, Japan's parliamentary vice minister of economy, trade and industry, warned that Korea-Japan relations could deteriorate further if the conflict over wartime forced labor intensifies even more.
Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Chairman Koo Ja-yeol proposed a collaboration between the two countries in the hydrogen industry to achieve carbon neutrality.
Among the 163 Korean participants were Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo, Samsung Electronics President Lee In-yong, POSCO Holdings President Chon Jung-son, SeAH Steel Vice Chairman Lee Hui-ryung, Poongsan Group Chairman Ryu Jin and TCC Steel Chairman Sohn Bong-rak.
There were 116 participants from Japan, including the top executives of the country's major conglomerates.
Businesspeople from the two countries have held the annual conference without a break since 1969, despite difficulties stemming from political disputes, economic crises and natural disasters, according to the KJE.
During the Moon Jae-in administration, Korea's economic cooperation with Japan weakened, since the Japanese government restricted the exports of key materials to Korea in retaliation against the Korean Supreme Court's ruling that ordered a Japanese firm to provide compensation for wartime forced labor.
However, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has emphasized the importance of cooperation with Japan.
Earlier this month, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won said he seeks to visit Japan next month to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
KITA will also resume the exhibition of Korean products in Tokyo next month, for the first time in three years.
In July, the Federation of Korean Industries will hold a meeting with the Japan Business Federation.
11. 'Devotion' trailer teases the story of a Medal of Honor recipient who tried to save his wingman in the Korean War
It won't be top gun but I look forward to seeing this.
'Devotion' trailer teases the story of a Medal of Honor recipient who tried to save his wingman in the Korean War
The film focuses on the life of the first African-American naval aviator.
BY NICHOLAS SLAYTON | PUBLISHED MAY 28, 2022 7:21 PM
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This year audiences will be able to go to the movies and see the story of a trailblazing, brave Navy aviator and his heroics in combat. It’s not Top Gun: Maverick, but a new movie about a real-life hero: Jesse L. Brown. Brown was the son of a sharecropper who overcame the obstacles of segregation to become the first African-American naval aviator. He died on Dec. 4, 1950, while his comrade and close friend Thomas Hudner tried to save him behind enemy lines. Brown and Hudner’s story is being told in the new movie Devotion and the first teaser trailer was just released ahead of Memorial Day.
It’s a rare Hollywood look at the Korean War–the teaser trailer even calls it “America’s forgotten war.” The trailer doesn’t say much on the plot, but gives audiences a glimpse of Brown (Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors) struggling to overcome racism in the military and his struggle to become a pilot. It also focuses on his partnership-turned-friendship with Hudner (Top Gun: Maverick’s Glen Powell, again playing a Navy aviator), as the two go into combat over the Korean peninsula.
Brown and Hudner’s story is well known in military history but not as widespread in mainstream circles. Brown earned his pilot wings in 1948, serving aboard the USS Leyte alongside Hudner, going into combat during the Korean War. Spoiler warning: The pilots took off in their F4U Corsairs on Dec. 4, 1950 to do reconnaissance and support 15,000 Marines at the base of the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines were surrounded and outnumbered by almost 100,000 Chinese troops. Brown’s plane was hit and he was forced to crash land. He survived the crash but was injured and trapped inside his cockpit, behind enemy lines. Hudner then intentionally crashed his plane nearby and tried to free his friend and evacuate. He was unsuccessful.
For his actions, Brown was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross while Hudner’s efforts to save his friend and wingman earned him the Medal of Honor.
“With courageous efficiency and utter disregard for his own personal safety, Ensign Brown, while in support of friendly troops in the Chosin Reservoir area, pressed home numerous attacks destroying an enemy troop concentration moving to attack our troops,” Brown’s citation for the Distinguished Service Cross read. “So aggressive were these attacks, in the face of enemy anti-aircraft fire, that they finally resulted in the destruction of Ensign Brown’s plane by anti-aircraft fire. His gallant devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
Devotion is adapted from Adam Makos’ biography Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice. J.D. Dillard directs the film.
Hudner, who passed away in 2017, tried throughout the years to recover Brown’s remains from North Korea, but was unsuccessful. Both men were honored by the Navy by having ships named for them, the frigate the USS Jesse L. Brown (later decommissioned and sold to Egypt) and the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, respectively.
Devotion will hit theaters with a limited release Oct. 14 and opens wide Oct. 28.
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12. N. Korea compels party members to contribute household medicine and food for those in quarantine
Because the party and the government cannot.
N. Korea compels party members to contribute household medicine and food for those in quarantine - Daily NK
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s donation of his own household medicine appears to have influenced the recent call for people to contribute their own drugs
On Tuesday, state media ran a story about ordinary people donating food to those in need. (Rodong Sinmun - News1)
North Korea is compelling party members to contribute household medicine and food, ostensibly for people in quarantine. It appears, however, that people locked in isolation in either facilities or at home are not receiving any support.
A source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Thursday that with the number of fever cases skyrocketing across several regions of the country, there is insufficient food and medicine to provide to those in quarantine.
“Because of this, each regional party committee is convening emergency meetings and coercing party members to take the lead in sharing their medicine and food,” he said.
North Korea has been suffering from chronic shortages of medicine since the virtual collapse of the country’s medical system after the Arduous March of the 1990s. Those shortages have grown even more acute with the closure of North Korea’s borders after the global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
With North Korean authorities issuing lockdowns for regions and workplaces nationwide following their first official announcement of a COVID-19 outbreak on May 12, purchasing medicine has become challenging for many people.
Faced with this situation, North Korean authorities are forcing party members to cough up household medicine in their possession, ostensibly for “support.” The authorities seem intent on emptying people’s cupboards of medicine that the government cannot supply through the nation’s medical system.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s donation of his own household medicine appears to have influenced the recent call for people to contribute their own drugs. North Korea may be attempting to create an image of the nation overcoming the crisis with the country’s supreme leader at the center; in short, pushing the idea that party members are voluntarily participating in donations after being inspired by Kim’s initiative and example.
In fact, Rodong Shinmun has been encouraging this kind of atmosphere in articles that introduce the stories of officials, workers and ordinary people who are contributing medicine, supplies and cash to those in need. These articles include, “We are Strong Because of These Wonderful Virtues and Customs” (page 5 of Wednesday’s edition) and “Warm Hearts Make the Pain Disappear and Beautify Our Lives” (page 4 of Tuesday’s edition).
North Korea is forcing party members to contribute not only medicine, but also food, the source told Daily NK.
“In the past, the authorities specified how many kilograms of corn and how much money to give per person, but now, they are telling people to give everything they can contribute,” the source said, adding, “Even if they are party members, how can they give what they don’t have? It’s like trying to squeeze water out of dry wood.”
The source said even though party members are struggling, too, the authorities do not seem to care. The government’s pressure on people to just accept “non-tax burdens” is sparking considerable discontent, he claimed.
However, drugs and food that have been collected by the state are apparently not reaching those in quarantine.
People in quarantine facilities are failing to receive even the fever medicine they need, the source said.
“They are receiving just salt water to gargle, so there’s plenty of complaints that if this is how it’s going to be, it would be better to just [leave the isolation facilities],” he added.
Another Daily NK source in North Pyongan Province said families quarantined at home are not being provided meals from the government.
“People who were unable to prepare meals secretly go out at night to the homes of vegetable sellers to buy food to eat,” she said. “Because this often takes place at night, security teams and enforcement squads have been formed to go out at night with guns to prevent people from moving around.”
Daily NK reported earlier this week that some Pyongyang residents were boldly breaking quarantine to purchase food or daily necessities, leading to frequent arrests.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
13. For two North Korean escapees, losing local elections in the UK feels like a victory
This is a message the Korean people in the north need to hear. Thanks to Radio Free Asia for getting it to them.
For two North Korean escapees, losing local elections in the UK feels like a victory
Britons Timothy Cho and Jihyun Park say their candidacies validated their hard road to freedom.
By Jung Minh Noh
2022.05.15
Timothy Cho and Jihyun Park are not typical British politicians. Their route to becoming candidates for the Conservative and Unionist Party in last week’s local elections began more than a decade ago when they escaped from North Korea.
Both Cho and Park ended up settling in Greater Manchester in 2008, naturalized as Britons, and after acclimating to a democratic society that offered a stark contrast to life they fled, sought the opportunity to represent their respective communities in the northwestern English city.
Although they were among a host of Conservatives to lose to Labour Party candidates in the May 5 election, both of the North Korean escapees told RFA’s Korean Service that they considered their campaigns to be a victory of sorts.
“I lost the election, but I feel like I have won. I feel like I have reached out to the people in my constituency, and I feel like they accepted and embraced me,” said Cho, who ran for a contested councilor seat of the Denton South ward of Greater Manchester’s Tameside borough.
In his race against Labour’s Claire Reid, Cho secured 35% of the vote, 9 percentage points higher than his first attempt last year to win a seat.
“The process of escaping from North Korea and coming here was a series of challenges, and I think this latest challenge is a beautiful race. I am so grateful to even run for office because I have experienced the flower of democracy,” Cho said.
“Since I was running for the same constituency, many of the voters recognized me. I could see that my opponent viewed me as a serious rival and was nervous from the start because there was a high chance that I would receive more votes than last year,” he said.
Cho also said he appreciated that his opponent publicly recognized him as a conservative candidate rather than simply as a “North Korean refugee” or “defector.”
He said he was especially proud to have been able to connect with the many low-income voters in his district through his own experiences growing up in extreme poverty in North Korea and the tough times he endured after settling in England in 2008.
Timothy Cho (3rd from right) campaigning prior to the 2022 UK local elections. Photo: Timothy Cho
When he arrived, Cho said he spoke no English, had few friends, and had to work his way through university. The freedom he was afforded in Britain, where his hard work translated into better opportunities, was a constant source of motivation, he said.
“The more I did, the more I thought of the people who remain in North Korea,” Cho said. “It really breaks my heart to think of my siblings, who are still in the darkness of North Korea. But if they lived in a free society like I do, they could be living the life I am living, and more politicians and businessmen would have come out our family,” said Cho.
“This is why I work harder.”
Cho said he plans to run for office again at the first opportunity. Until then he said he will continue advocating for North Korean human rights.
Timothy Cho and Jihyun Park, expressed their feelings about running in local elections in the UK after losing their respective races on May 5, 2022. Photo: Timothy Cho and Jihyun Park's Twitter accounts
A personal victory
Jihyun Park didn’t win her race for one of three contested councilor seats in the Ramsbottom ward of Greater Manchester’s Bury borough — Labour candidates took all three slots — but Park felt good anyway because she said the election cemented her status as a Briton.
“I challenged myself with the heart of being British, and not to place myself as an outsider or as a stranger. I think a lot of people voted for that challenge,” she told RFA.
“I describe [my candidacy] as victory for humanity, because it gave a message to many people that the challenge was not a failure, but rather a personal victory,” she said. “I will continue to challenge myself.”
Park also ran in elections last year, but this year’s election was different. Because of redistricting, she was now trying to represent an area she does not herself live in.
She also was able to successfully become a candidate without the party nominating her, she introduced herself to the voters and was elected to represent the Conservatives on her own merits.
“Unlike in last year’s election, I was interviewed in front of the residents and became a candidate chosen by them which was very important to me and made me feel proud. The candidates were interviewed one by one to see what they could do for the people. I was glad and impressed that they chose me,” Park said.
Like Cho, Park said she chose to focus on the needs of the residents of Ramsbottom rather than her background. But her life as a North Korean refugee and rights activist did help, she said.
She characterized her candidacy as bringing a message of hope to the people, and she hopes one day to share her experiences of living in a democratic political system with North Koreans. She also used her platform to draw attention to the challenges of living in the country she fled from.
“I had conversations with election commission officials, and I said that in North Korea we never know where and how our votes are used and we do not have the right to vote,” she said.
Though North Korea holds elections, usually there is only one party-selected candidate running for each office. All able-bodied people are required to show up and vote for that candidate.
“I am so impressed by the system here in the United Kingdom, where everyone has the right to vote, and they can see how their votes are counted,” she said.
Jihyun Park (right) campaigning ahead of the 2022 local UK elections . Photo: Jihyun Park
Many of the voters, she said, were surprised to learn she fled from North Korea.
She plans to return to her role as co-director of an advocacy group called Stepping Stones, which she founded in 2017 to raise awareness about human rights abuses in North Korea, in particular against women and children.
“Although I lost in the election, I’m saying it’s a victory for humanity because I realize once again how great it is to live in this place. I think I’ve done my best during this election because I have shown and told the people how precious it is to have the freedoms we enjoy here.”
Translated by Claire Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
