Quotes of the Day:
"Often the oppressor goes along unaware of the evil involved in his oppression so long as the oppressed accepts it."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."
- Simone de Beauvoir
"You either support a peaceful transfer of power, or you do not."
-Anonymous
1. Joint Statement on the Republic of Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting
2. S. Korea mulling unilateral sanctions on N. Korea if it tests nuke: FM
3. Yoon gives credentials to new ambassador to U.S.
4. Yongsan Park opens on trial basis
5. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 50,000
6. N. Korea keeps mum on key party meeting in unusual move
7. S. Korean, Chinese defense chiefs hold talks on N. Korea, launch new hotlines
8. Yoon to attend NATO summit in Spain on June 29-30
9. Kim Jong-un's Money Supply Must Be Turned off
10. Yoon Marks 1 Month in Office
11. N.Korea Squandered $650 Million Firing Missiles This Year
12. Medicine shortages make life difficult for Hyesan residents
13. People living outside of Pyongyang complain about unfair medicine distributions
14. N. Korea relocates over 40 families away from China-North Korea border region
15. US, South Korea respond to North's missile tests — with missile tests
16. ‘N. Korea arbitrarily resumes Kaesong Industrial Complex,’ RFA reports
17. After veto on North Korea, China says 'let's see' on U.N. action over a nuclear test
18. US, South Korea establish new forum to tighten critical tech cooperation
1. Joint Statement on the Republic of Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting
If we really want to influence north Korea and China the next step should be integrated missile defense and then ultimately a trilateral alliance.
Values based alliances.
Excerpt:
ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation, grounded in our shared values, demonstrates that democracies can build a better future for their people, and the Vice Foreign Ministers and the Deputy Secretary decided to meet in Tokyo to continue their regular trilateral consultations as we advance our shared efforts.
Joint Statement on the Republic of Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting - United States Department of State
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Joint Statement on the Republic of Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial Meeting
Media Note
June 8, 2022
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The following is the joint statement released by the Vice Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Korea and Japan and the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States.
Begin Text.
Republic of Korea (ROK) First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyundong, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and Japan Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo met today in Seoul to discuss how our three countries will work together to address the challenges of the 21st Century for the benefit of the region and the world.
The Vice Foreign Ministers and the Deputy Secretary strongly condemned the repeated unlawful ballistic missile launches by the DPRK. They reaffirmed the outcomes of the May 27 Minister-level trilateral joint statement and committed to advance trilateral security cooperation to curb threats from the DPRK. The Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ steadfast commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan, including extended deterrence. The Vice Ministers and the Deputy Secretary urged the DPRK to abide by its obligations under relevant UNSC resolutions and immediately cease actions that violate international law, escalate tensions, destabilize the region, or endanger global peace and security, and instead engage in dialogue toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They stressed that a path to serious and sustained dialogue remains open and urged the DPRK to return to negotiations, while also expressing their hope that the DPRK will respond positively to international offers of assistance to fight against COVID-19. They reaffirmed the importance of achieving a swift resolution to the abductions issue.
The Vice Foreign Ministers and the Deputy Secretary discussed a range of pressing regional and global issues, including our joint efforts to support Ukraine, restore Myanmar to a democratic path, bolster engagement with ASEAN and within ASEAN-led architecture, enhance cooperation with Pacific Island countries, strengthen economic and energy security, prioritize women’s empowerment and workforce development, uphold international law, and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive.
ROK-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation, grounded in our shared values, demonstrates that democracies can build a better future for their people, and the Vice Foreign Ministers and the Deputy Secretary decided to meet in Tokyo to continue their regular trilateral consultations as we advance our shared efforts.
End Text.
2. S. Korea mulling unilateral sanctions on N. Korea if it tests nuke: FM
This indicates a realistic understanding of the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime and is in line with President Yoon's statement that there will be no appeasement of north Korea. This will not go over well with the engagers.
S. Korea mulling unilateral sanctions on N. Korea if it tests nuke: FM | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is considering imposing unilateral sanctions on North Korea if it conducts a new nuclear test, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday.
Foreign Minister Park Jin made the remark two days ahead of his trip to Washington D.C., for talks with his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken, amid concerns over the possibility of the North's conducting its seventh nuclear test.
"The new government has reviewed the matter of unilaterally imposing sanctions on North Korea and is discussing various detailed measures," Park said during an interview with Yonhap News TV, when asked about the possibility of Seoul and Washington imposing unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang.
The U.N. Security Council last month failed to adopt U.S.-proposed new sanctions in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests due to vetoes by China and Russia, and skepticism lingers over additional measures at the U.N. level.
The conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which pledged a tougher stance on Pyongyang, took office last month.
Park said the North seems to have completed all preparations for a nuclear test and the timing may depend on the "political determination" by the regime's leadership.
If the widely speculated nuclear test is carried out, the minister said South Korea will coordinate with the international community to send a strong message to North Korea and respond with "a resolute deterrence posture" against its provocation.
When asked whether China and Russia would oppose additional sanctions despite the North's nuclear test, he said Seoul will concentrate diplomatic efforts on persuading the permanent Security Council members to draw a "firm resolution" on the recalcitrant regime.
(END)
3. Yoon gives credentials to new ambassador to U.S.
(LEAD) Yoon gives credentials to new ambassador to U.S. | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with Cho's remark in paras 3-5)
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol gave credentials to new Ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong on Friday.
Cho received the credentials during a ceremony at the presidential office before heading to Washington this weekend. A former vice foreign minister, Cho recently served as a lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party.
Cho said he will focus on expanding the scope of the bilateral alliance to entail broad elements for economic security by facilitating strategic communication efforts.
"I will make the Korea-U.S. economic security (partnership) a major asset for our country," Cho told reporters.
He also emphasized the importance of upgrading existing operational plans to better reflect North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
The ambassador is expected to arrive in Washington ahead of Foreign Minister Park Jin's visit to the U.S. capital on Sunday.
(END)
4. Yongsan Park opens on trial basis
Yongsan Park opens on trial basis | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- A former U.S. Forces Korea base site near the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol opened as a public park on a trial basis on Friday, drawing crowds of people trying to get a first-hand look at the site that had been off limits to ordinary citizens for the past 120 years.
Yongsan Park has been under construction on the site previously used as USFK's Yongsan Garrison, as the USFK headquarters relocated to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The government had initially planned to complete the park by 2027, but the plan has been postponed.
On Friday, part of the park opened to the public on a trial basis.
A 27-year-old who previously worked as a translator while serving his military service at the U.S. base welcomed the government's move to turn the base into a park.
"It is meaningful that the site has been returned to (Seoul) earlier than scheduled," Na Eui-hyun said.
A 71-year-old visitor, only identified by his surname Chang, said the visit was to satisfy his curiosity.
"Japanese people first used the site and then later U.S. soldiers have so far used it. I have been so curious how big the place is," Chang said.
Visitors should make online reservations in advance, and up to 500 people can visit the site per two-hour time slot and 2,500 per day.
The new Yoon Suk-yeol government relocated the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the defense ministry compound in the Yongsan district in an effort to move out of a "symbol of imperial power" and get closer to the people.
(END)
5. N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 50,000
Excerpts:
North Korean health officials are "voluntarily and dutifully preserving their unity" and "acting in concert" to fight the pandemic, according to the KCNA.
"More fully displayed are the great traits of Korean-style socialism where all the people help each other, share pain and stick together to brave ordeals whenever they are in difficulties," it reported. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
(LEAD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 50,000 | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info from 5th para; ADDS photo, byline)
By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea reported less than 50,000 new fever cases for the first time since it announced a COVID-19 outbreak last month, according to its state media Friday.
Around 45,540 people showed symptoms of fever 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. It provided no further information regarding additional deaths.
The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.34 million as of 6 p.m. Thursday, of which more than 4.26 million have recovered, and at least 83,980 are being treated, it added.
The country's daily fever tally has been on a downward trend after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15.
North Korean health officials are "voluntarily and dutifully preserving their unity" and "acting in concert" to fight the pandemic, according to the KCNA.
"More fully displayed are the great traits of Korean-style socialism where all the people help each other, share pain and stick together to brave ordeals whenever they are in difficulties," it reported. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The state-controlled news agency's report seems aimed at strengthening the internal solidarity of the impoverished country, known for its dilapidated health care system and malnutrition among many of its 25 million people.
Observers here question the credibility of its coronavirus statistics, with the North stating that its death toll stood at just 71 as of June 3. That figure means that North Korea's COVID-19 fatality rate stands at just 0.002 percent, compared to South Korea's 0.13 percent posted a day earlier.
On May 12, North Korea disclosed its first COVID-19 case after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years.
(END)
6. N. Korea keeps mum on key party meeting in unusual move
Excerpts:
As of Friday morning, however, the official Korean Central News Agency and other North Korean media outlets have not carried articles on the session, while the outside world is monitoring the possibility of a new message from the secretive regime especially in relation to inter-Korean relations, stalled denuclearization talks with the United States or its reported plan for another nuclear test.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification pointed out that it is "unusual" for the North to stay silent on the plenary meeting.
N. Korea keeps mum on key party meeting in unusual move | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has not yet made public the details of the latest major ruling Workers' Party meeting in what the South Korean government views as a highly unusual move
On Thursday, the North's state media reported that the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee kicked off in Pyongyang the previous day with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.
As of Friday morning, however, the official Korean Central News Agency and other North Korean media outlets have not carried articles on the session, while the outside world is monitoring the possibility of a new message from the secretive regime especially in relation to inter-Korean relations, stalled denuclearization talks with the United States or its reported plan for another nuclear test.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification pointed out that it is "unusual" for the North to stay silent on the plenary meeting.
"This marks the first time North Korea has not reported (quickly) on the development of the plenary meeting of the party's central committee since leader Kim Jong-un took power," Cha Duck-chul, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.
(END)
7. S. Korean, Chinese defense chiefs hold talks on N. Korea, launch new hotlines
Or they could just exchange cell phone numbers and skype addresses or provide a zoom link.
(3rd LD) S. Korean, Chinese defense chiefs hold talks on N. Korea, launch new hotlines | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 11-12, 16)
By Song Sang-ho
SINGAPORE, June 10 (Yonhap) -- The defense chiefs of South Korea and China held bilateral talks on the margins of a security forum in Singapore on Friday, with North Korea's continued saber-rattling high on their agenda.
The talks between Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, came as Seoul seeks to secure regional cooperation to stop Pyongyang's provocations amid concerns about the possibility of the regime carrying out a nuclear test.
Lee called on China to play a constructive role to encourage the North's denuclearization.
"Minister Lee stressed the need for South Korea and China to work together to make the North understand the benefits that it can get from abandoning nuclear arms outweigh the costs of possessing nuclear arms," Seoul's defense ministry said in a press release.
The Chinese minister expressed Beijing's hope for cooperation with Seoul in addressing Korean Peninsula issues, reaffirming his country's goal for the peninsula's denuclearization, according to the ministry.
The two ministers also made public the opening of two additional bilateral military hotlines to help forestall accidental clashes, in line with their related agreement last year.
The launch of the phone lines -- each linking the two countries' Navies and Air Forces -- came as Seoul has been striving to enhance communication with Beijing in the wake of Chinese warplanes' repeated, unannounced entries into South Korea's air defense identification zone.
The latest addition brought the total number of hotlines between the two countries to five, including one between their defense ministries.
The ministers also discussed the issue related to the installation of a U.S. THAAD missile defense battery in South Korea.
Lee defended it as an "indispensable, defensive" step taken in the face of the North's evolving nuclear threats, according to a Seoul official. China has opposed the THAAD unit, arguing it hurts its security interests.
In addition, Lee explained the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's work to formulate its own Indo-Pacific strategy.
He told Wei the strategy is geared toward promoting the "rules-based" order incorporating such values as freedom of navigation and overflight, according to the official.
During the talks, the two ministers also agreed to seek reciprocal visits to each other's country and bolster exchanges of military personnel, including one at a vice ministerial level.
Seoul and Beijing last held in-person defense ministerial talks in November 2019.
Earlier in the day, Lee held separate talks with his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, to discuss their respective countries' envisioned strategies for the Indo-Pacific region and other issues.
The minister also met with his counterpart from New Zealand, Peeni Henare, to discuss regional security and arms industry cooperation.
(END)
8. Yoon to attend NATO summit in Spain on June 29-30
Hopefully there will be a summit with Prime Minister Kishida. but still no confirmation.
(LEAD) Yoon to attend NATO summit in Spain on June 29-30 | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: UPDATES with details from 2nd para)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend a NATO summit in Spain later this month in what will be his first overseas trip since taking office, a presidential official said Friday.
The summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is scheduled to be held in Madrid on June 29 and 30, and Yoon will be the first South Korean president to attend the periodic gathering.
"The president's attendance at the NATO summit will be his first overseas trip since taking office and will be an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation with NATO allies and partners to maintain the values- and rules-based international order, and to expand our country's role as a global pivotal nation," the official told reporters.
During the summit, Yoon will attend a session with the 30 NATO members and partner nations, such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Georgia and the European Union.
He also plans to hold multiple bilateral summits with the leaders of "key European nations" on the sidelines, the official said without elaborating.
On a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which has been widely reported as a possibility, the official declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of ongoing discussions.
If realized, it would be the first summit between the two countries in over two years amid a protracted dispute over historical issues stemming from Tokyo's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
When asked about a potential meeting with Ukrainian officials, the official said the possibility remains open.
The NATO summit is expected to set the direction of the military alliance over the next decade as member states deal with Russia's war in Ukraine and other global issues.
Yoon's participation will be at the official invitation of NATO.
(END)
9. Kim Jong-un's Money Supply Must Be Turned off
Excellent recommendation. To do so we need to attack the regime's global illicit activities, weapons proliferation, and implement secondary sanctions on banks and financial institutions that are allowing the regime to receive funds.
And we need to take the data on the expenditures on weapons testing and incorporate that into information influence activities to inform the Korean people in the north that they are not eating so that Kim can test missiles.
Kim Jong-un's Money Supply Must Be Turned off
North Korea spent more than W800 billion so far this year to fire 33 long-range ballistic and other missiles (US$1=W1,255). That is enough money to buy coronavirus vaccines for its entire population or make up for most of the impoverished country's food shortfall this year. Yet Kim Jong-un has splurged it on his missiles. This is the true color of a tyrant.
"We achieved our goal of becoming a nuclear power and it is only a matter of time before we become an economic power," he claimed, and then harangued officials to "value every grain of rice, gram of cement and piece of timber" in their austerity campaign. North Korea faces an economic crisis not seen since the famine in the 1990s that killed millions of its people. Yet Kim always blames subordinates for his idiocy.
When the North saw a major coronavirus outbreak, Kim told people to drink willow leaf tea and recommended honey for coughs and keeping their windows open. That was as good as telling them to fend for themselves. When the international community offered to help in 2020, Kim threw a tantrum and responded by launching nine missiles in succession.
Yet the Moon Jae-in administration in South Korea continued to hail Kim as being a "leader who cares for his people" and an "enlightened monarch." Moon and his government were desperate to please Kim in order to arrange another summit, which they had convinced themselves would magically win them the next election. They followed Kim's wishes and drastically curtailed joint military exercises with the U.S. and even banned South Korean civic groups from sending propaganda leaflets across the border.
The North Korean leader is only interested in staying in power, and the North Korean people are his tools. North Korea is engaged in smuggling and cyber hacking to keep Kim's pockets lined with cash to spend on developing new missiles. This must be stopped. Stronger sanctions should be imposed to make it impossible for the North to funnel money that should be spent on vaccines and food into weapons of aggression, and finding humanitarian ways to help its people must be tightly controlled so the regime cannot steal even one grain of rice.
10. Yoon Marks 1 Month in Office
And the buried lede is President Yoon likes to cook for his wife and may cook for journalists.
Excerpts:
His major accomplishments so far have been a successful summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and financial support to businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic by executing the biggest-ever supplementary budget. But he faces the daunting task of taming soaring inflation, responding to an impending North Korean nuclear test and gaining the cooperation of opposition lawmakers who dominate the National Assembly.
Yoon Marks 1 Month in Office
June 10, 2022 12:09
President Yoon Suk-yeol marked his first full month in office on Friday. Speaking to reporters on his way to the presidential office in Yongsan the previous day, Yoon said, "I don't usually have particular feelings when it comes to my first month or first year in a job. I just need to work hard because so many urgent matters need to be addressed."
Since he was inaugurated on May 10, Yoon has behaved atypically for a president, talking to reporters on his way to work and going to workaday restaurants with his staff.
Yoon is also the first Korean president to live outside the presidential palace of Cheong Wa Dae and be driven to his new downtown office from his home in southern Seoul. This will continue when he moves to the new presidential residence in Hanam-dong next month.
He has also been spotted out with his wife Kim Keon-hee buying shoes in a department store and eating snacks in a market.
President Yoon Suk-yeol (center) answers questions from reporters at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul on Friday, marking his first month in office. /News1
Thursday's was his 12th impromptu conversation with reporters since his inauguration. In the past, presidential meetings with reporters were rare formal events that happened not much more than once a year. Now they are taking place almost every day unless there is urgent other business.
Yoon does not hesitate to comment on sensitive issues like criticism over his appointments of senior prosecutors to high-ranking government posts. When he was campaigning for the presidency, Yoon said, "I won't eat alone and will not hide from the public" -- a veiled reference to his predecessors Park Geun-hye, who notoriously hid in the bowels of the presidential palace from all but her closest confidants, or Moon Jae-in who only held an annual press conference.
Yoon likes to eat out with officials. Last month, he also offered to have a meal and drinks with opposition lawmakers and promised to invite journalists to the presidential office's cafeteria once it is completed or even cook for them. Yoon once said he is serious about cooking and has cooked for his wife over the decade they have been married.
His major accomplishments so far have been a successful summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and financial support to businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic by executing the biggest-ever supplementary budget. But he faces the daunting task of taming soaring inflation, responding to an impending North Korean nuclear test and gaining the cooperation of opposition lawmakers who dominate the National Assembly.
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
11. N.Korea Squandered $650 Million Firing Missiles This Year
We cannot emphasize this data enough. It is hard to justify that Kim should be doing this when his country and people are faced with such suffering. He does not need to do this for security. The US is not going to attack north Korea but these tests do not deter us. Kim conducts them to support his political warfare and blackmail diplomacy and even if his strategy is successful it will not benefit the people. But there are engagers who blame the US for driving Kim to have to spend this exorbitant amount of funds and resources on deterrence and defense at the expense of the people.
There is no logical justification for this - I know I should try to put myself in Kim 's shoes and look at it from his perspective. I think I do. But I don't think Kim's sees the US as a threat requiring development of these military capabilities. I think Kim sees the benefit of hyping the threat to oppress the people and spend money on missiles and other advanced weapons to support his two major lines of effort to support his strategy 1) political warfare and blackmail diplomacy to subvert and coerce the ROK/US alliance, et. al., and 2) the development of advanced warfighting capabilities to be able to support the first line of effort and to be able to use frcem when conditions are right, to dominate the Korean peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
Again, two key points we must not forget:
The root of all problems in Korea is the existence of the most evil mafia- like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime that has the objective of dominating the Korean Peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State.
The only way we are going to see an end to the nuclear program and military threats as well as the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity being committed against the Korean people living in the north by the mafia-like crime family cult known as the Kim family regime is through achievement of unification and the establishment of a free and unified Korea that is secure and stable, non-nuclear, economically vibrant, and unified under a liberal constitutional form of government based on individual liberty, rule of law, and human rights as determined by the Korean people. In short, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).
N.Korea Squandered $650 Million Firing Missiles This Year
June 09, 2022 12:59
The total cost of the 33 missiles North Korea has fired so far this year amounts to somewhere between US$400 and 650 million. That would buy the impoverished country enough COVID vaccines for its entire population of some 25 million and nearly solve its food shortage this year.
The North has fired six long-range ballistic missiles, one medium-range Hwasong-12 missile, and 26 short-range missiles, including KN-23 Iskander missiles, since early this year.
The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses estimates the total cost of those missiles at between $400 and 650 million, including the cost for materials (50 to 80 percent), personnel cost (10 to 30 percent), and other expenses (10 to 20 percent).
The cost of firing each long-range ballistic missile is estimated at between W25 and 37.5 billion, each medium-range missile at between W12.5 and 37.5 billion, and each short-range missile at between W3.8 and 6.3 billion (US$1=W1,257).
/News1
The North seems to be focusing on testing new missiles it has developed since 2017. Each Scud or Rodong missile, the older mainstays of the North, cost somewhere between W1 and 2 billion.
With that money the North Korean regime could buy up to 32.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccines for the entire North Korean population. The amount is also equal to the cost of buying 510,000 to 840,000 tons of rice at Pyongyang market prices, which could almost make up for its shortage of 860,000 tons of rice this year.
"This shows that the regime's wrongful policy is responsible for North Korean people’s poor health and poverty," People Power Party lawmaker Shin Won-sik of the National Assembly's Defense Committee said. "It's wrong to think we should give unconditional assistance to the North."
- Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
12. Medicine shortages make life difficult for Hyesan residents
You cannot fix a broken and failed medical system during a crisis.
Medicine shortages make life difficult for Hyesan residents - Daily NK
"People with fever symptoms are suffering even more as the price of 10 fever-reducing pills equals that of 2kg of rice,” a source told Daily NK
FILE PHOTO: In this August 2018 photo, apartments can be seen in Hyesan, Yanggang Province. (Daily NK)
Amid the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea, medicine shortages are making life difficult for many people in Hyesan, Daily NK has learned.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on May 31 that “as the [COVID-19] pandemic spreads rapidly throughout the country, many people are struggling with high fever, but suffer even more because they can’t afford to buy medication.”
According to the source, while North Korean authorities are making efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the country is facing a shortage of fever medicine. As a result, prices have soared, making medicine inaccessible to many people in the country.
“In the Songbong District of Hyesan, people can’t go outside because there is a fever patient in almost every house. On top of that, the price of fever reducers is so high that people can’t even buy them,” the source said.
In Hyesan, one fever reducer (one pill) used to go for around KPW 300 in Hyesan, but with the recent increase in people suffering from fevers, the price soared to KPW 500-700 in just a few days. As of May 20, the price had apparently increased even further to about KPW 700-1,000 a pill.
“People with fever symptoms are suffering even more as the price of 10 fever-reducing pills equals that of 2kg of rice,” the source said.
“A woman from Songbong District in Hyesan and her teenage daughter are suffering from high fevers of more than 40 degrees Celsius. While the woman managed to get a hold of 10 pills of fever reducing medication, they are not doing well,” the source said. “The woman just wanted to buy an apple for her daughter to eat, but didn’t even have the money for that. She broke down crying, and her neighbors all cried along with her.
“Poor people are dying after having to resort to reducing their fever with cold water because they can’t buy medication,” the source continued, adding, “This is the reality faced by people with fevers in Hyesan.”
Translated by Vilde Olaussen. Edited by Robert Lauler.
13. People living outside of Pyongyang complain about unfair medicine distributions
The people know the problem is the regime. Kim deliberately prioritizes nuclear weapons and missiles, the military, and the elite in Pyongyang over the welfare of the Korean people. We have to use information and influence to inform them of the alternate paths they have to a better future. They need to learn the ROK's unification policies and see what unification will be like.
People living outside of Pyongyang complain about unfair medicine distributions - Daily NK
“In our country, Pyongyang comes first in everything. So whatever it is, the capital gets supplied first, and provinces get whatever is left over," a source told Daily NK
FILE PHOTO: In this photo taken in Namyang, North Hamgyong Province, people can be seen walking and sitting on a local street. (Daily NK)
There are dramatic differences in how medicine is being supplied in Pyongyang and the rest of the country, a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Wednesday.
While the government is carrying out large-scale efforts in Pyongyang to supply medications, no drugs are being provided to hospitals or pharmacies in other areas of the country, the source said.
North Korean authorities have widely reported through TV, newspapers and other media that the government has held discussions on stabilizing the drug supply, but in localities throughout the country – including North Hamgyong Province — no drugs are being distributed, he claimed.
The source said that provincial residents who hear daily propaganda about the government mobilizing soldiers to distribute drugs in Pyongyang are complaining that they can “really feel the difference between Pyongyang and the provinces.” Provincial residents cannot help but express discontent at how Pyongyang takes priority even in matters of life or death, he added.
The source told Daily NK that one resident of Chongjin complained of pain after several days of high fever, a sore throat, coughing and other symptoms, but was put into 15 days of quarantine without any medication since no drugs could be found at hospital dispensaries or marketplaces.
At the time, quarantine authorities simply put the person’s home under lockdown, taking no measures to treat him.
“In our country, Pyongyang comes first in everything. So whatever it is, the capital gets supplied first, and provinces get whatever is left over,” the source said. “Recently, medications were imported from China, but provincial residents haven’t gotten access to them.”
The source further complained that the government was telling provincial residents to pick willow leaves or take hwangbaeksan (a traditional medicine) because no drugs were left over following distributions in Pyongyang.
“It seems the government hasn’t cared from the start whether people in the provinces live or die,” he added.
The source further told Daily NK that government propaganda claiming that the COVID-19 situation has stabilized is causing discontent among many people in the provinces because they are suffering without proper access to medications.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
14. N. Korea relocates over 40 families away from China-North Korea border region
Is this a deliberate process to move the people who know how to smuggle across the Chinese border?
N. Korea relocates over 40 families away from China-North Korea border region - Daily NK
Since the second half of 2021, North Korea has been relocating people living on the border with China as punishment for various crimes
FILE PHOTO: A border sentry at a checkpoint in Sinuiju wearing a gas mask. (Daily NK)
Last month, the North Korean government relocated a large number of families considered “impure elements” from North Hamgyong Province’s border region to remote rural regions in the province, Daily NK has learned.
As general frustration toward the government has intensified over the prolonged closure of the country’s borders, North Korean authorities appear to be using these kind of forcible relocations to create an atmosphere of fear aimed at supressing “anti-regime behavior.”
A source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that over 40 families were relocated from Hoeryong and the border region of Musan County to remote farms in Kilju County and Orang County in early and mid-May.
They were all families that the government had labelled “impure elements” after their relatives were arrested for the illegal use of foreign mobile phones or sent to concentration camps on charges of espionage.
North Korea has been relocating people living on the border with China since the second half of 2021. The main categories of people subject to relocation are users of illegal foreign mobile phones, people suspected of espionage, the families of defectors, the families of missing people, and people who have complained about party policies.
Daily NK reported in April that North Korean authorities were forcing families with two or more missing relatives to move to rural areas.
Faced with the possibility of being forcible relocated, people in the country’s border region are closely watching what they say and do, the source said.
“The reason that people along the border had been doing better than those in the interior despite the difficult situation in the country is because they’d been getting money from relatives [defectors] in China and South Korea,” said the source. “But the closure of the border and the crackdown on Chinese mobile phones have made things so hard for people [in the border region] that they face conditions little better than those in the interior.
“The families that have [recently] been relocated have relatives who were arrested for using Chinese mobile phones or various other crimes, and the government is sending them far from the border to prevent them from committing new crimes or running away,” he continued, adding, “It’s likely that families of people who are suspected of crimes or who have been arrested by the Ministry of State Security will continue to be forcibly relocated in the future.”
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
15. US, South Korea respond to North's missile tests — with missile tests
This article is illustrative of those who blame the US and call for appeasement of the regime because they refuse to recognize and accept the nature, objectives,and strategy of the Kim family regime.
US, South Korea respond to North's missile tests — with missile tests - Responsible Statecraft
While it might seem like the right thing to do at the moment, military showcasing doesn’t replace the hard work of diplomacy.
US, South Korea respond to North’s missile tests — with missile tests
Standing before the Seoul National Cemetery, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to respond “firmly and strictly” (“단호하고 엄정하게”) to any provocations from North Korea. Yoon described North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles as not only a threat to the Korean Peninsula but also a threat to Northeast Asia and the world.
Whether such strong words and military responses to North Korea’s missile tests will deter or provoke it remains an open question and a test for the Yoon administration, now in its third month. What is certain is that tensions will grow on the Korean Peninsula at a time when the U.S. appears distracted by the brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia as well as countering the supposed existential threat posed by China.
To President Biden’s credit, its officials have sought to delink the goals of denuclearization from addressing North Korea’s Covid-19 crisis. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink noted at an event co-hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Korea Foundation in Washington that the United States “continue[s] to support efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and COVID-19 vaccines to the DPRK. We see this humanitarian crisis as separate from making progress on denuclearization and we do not and will not link the two.”
The problem is that action speaks louder than words. And unless diplomatic efforts are given adequate space to succeed, they will be drowned out by military shows of force, the latter of which plays into the North Korean government’s narrative that it is under threat and in need of nuclear weapons to survive.
As South Koreans remember those who fought to defend their nation during the Korean War, American and North Koreans would also do well to remember that while shooting missiles may seem like the right thing to do at the moment, they do nothing to address the fundamental security and political conditions on the peninsula. A true way to honor the veterans of that war would be to stop the saber-rattling and negotiate a peace treaty before missile tests become missile attacks.
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16. ‘N. Korea arbitrarily resumes Kaesong Industrial Complex,’ RFA reports
RFA has good contacts inside north Korea.
‘N. Korea arbitrarily resumes Kaesong Industrial Complex,’ RFA reports
Posted June. 10, 2022 08:05,
Updated June. 10, 2022 08:05
‘N. Korea arbitrarily resumes Kaesong Industrial Complex,’ RFA reports. June. 10, 2022 08:05. by Ji-Sun Choi [email protected].
North Korea has brought equipment installed by South Korean businesses in the Kaesong Industrial Complex back into operation arbitrarily to produce school uniforms and clothes for the domestic market according to Radio Free Asia. The South Korean Unification Ministry made it clear that any unilateral infringement of South Korean citizens’ property rights obviously goes against relevant inter-Korean agreements, for which it has zero tolerance.
“Early next week, I returned to the region accompanied by those at a government agency in charge of clothes manufacturing with finished goods of summer school uniforms made from the Kaesong Industrial Complex transported in containers,” an official of the North Hwanghae Province was quoted as saying on Wednesday (local time). “Since March, South Korean businesses have been running in Kaesong after the central government permitted the resumption of equipment used to sew and cut out clothes.”
An official at the Unification Ministry said on Wednesday that the government inquired of the North about the movement of unidentified vehicles in the Kaesong complex.
17. After veto on North Korea, China says 'let's see' on U.N. action over a nuclear test
Yes, let's see how serious China is in halting north Korean nuclear threats and upholding the rules based international order. (note my sarcasm)
After veto on North Korea, China says 'let's see' on U.N. action over a nuclear test
UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (Reuters) - China's U.N. envoy said on Thursday that Beijing does not want to see North Korea carry out a new nuclear test, which is partly why China vetoed a U.S.-led bid to impose new U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang over renewed ballistic missiles launches.
But Ambassador Zhang Jun warned against making presumptions on how Beijing might react at the United Nations if North Korea goes ahead with its first nuclear test since 2017. Washington has warned such a test could happen at "any time" and it would again push for more U.N. sanctions. read more
"Let's see what will happen, but I think we should not prejudge what will happen with a nuclear test," Zhang told Reuters, two weeks after China and Russia vetoed imposing more U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea. read more
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"The denuclearization is one of the key goals of China," Zhang said. "We do not want to see another test."
The double veto publicly split the 15-member Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006. The body has steadily - and unanimously - ratcheted up sanctions over the years in a bid to cut off funding for North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
However, in recent years China and Russia have been pushing for an easing of sanctions on humanitarian grounds - and in the hope that North Korea can be convinced to return to negotiations with the United States on giving up its nuclear weapons.
"Only with dialogue we see the improvement in the situation. With sanctions, we see the further deterioration," Zhang said. "Our basic position is very clear - sanctions don't solve the problems."
North Korea has carried out dozens of missile launches this year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, breaking a test moratorium it self-imposed after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met then-U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 for the first of three meetings. The talks failed to make any progress.
Zhang has urged Washington to ease unilateral sanctions on North Korea and end joint military exercises with South Korea in a bid to revive talks with Pyongyang. The United States says it has repeatedly reached out to North Korea, but received no response to its offer of talks without preconditions.
"To the U.S. we are telling them to take concrete actions and to be engaged in dialogue. We are also telling our DPRK friends to really be engaged in serious dialogue with the United States," Zhang said, referring to North Korea's formal name - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Zhang said it was not "mission impossible" to restart talks between North Korea and the United States.
"The United States is the number one superpower in the world. If the United States wants to engage in dialogue with anyone in the world, it's not a difficult thing," he said. "It's up to DPRK to make their decision, but definitely our willingness is there."
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Reporting by Michelle Nichols Editing by Alistair Bell
18. US, South Korea establish new forum to tighten critical tech cooperation
An excellent step forward for the alliance.
US, South Korea establish new forum to tighten critical tech cooperation - Breaking Defense
Both nations will host annual technology forums, starting later this year, on specific topics. The first will focus on space domain awareness.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a semiconductor during his remarks before signing an Executive Order on the economy in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON: During a recent visit to South Korea, President Joe Biden and a team of US officials established a new annual forum to broaden cooperation on emerging technologies in areas the Defense Department deems critical: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space development, cyberspace, semiconductors, batteries and civil nuclear power.
The annual meet-up will be an extension of the Technology Cooperation Subcommittee (TCSC), established in 1990 for DoD science and technology cooperation with the Republic of Korea (ROK). Each meeting will focus on specific topics, starting with space domain awareness.
The first forum is anticipated to be held later this summer or early fall in Korea, David Honey, deputy undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said today at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Biden’s visit in late May came a few months after the White House released its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February, which called for closer collaboration with allies on emerging technologies and strengthening regional security partnerships in order to counter China.
“The strategy pointed to the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure and resilient,” Honey said. “The ROK is a critical element of this strategy. Like the ROK, we aim to promote regional security and capacity building.”
Also in February, Heidi Shyu, Undersecretary for Research and Engineering, published her strategic vision for the department aimed at 14 critical areas including quantum science, hypersonic weapons and directed energy.
In a Feb. 1 memo obtained by Breaking Defense, Shyu placed those 14 technologies into three broad categories: seed areas of emerging opportunity, effective adoption areas and defense-specific areas.
Beyond the space domain awareness meeting, Honey today said those three pillars will help deliver top technology to DoD, and the US and ROK want to focus on five areas that impact global supply chain security. Those five areas include AI and machine learning, increasing investment in fifth- and future-generation wireless technology, developing open and secure 5G and 6G network devices and architectures and quantum science and sensors.
“Our near-term technology focus is on advanced atomic clocks and quantum sensors to improve navigation and timing reliability beyond GPS and improve our access to the spectrum,” Honey said.
The military services have increasingly become focused on finding GPS alternatives, which can be vulnerable to jamming and spoofing.
The Army has its own project called the One World Terrain, which serves as a 3D map of the globe used for training in GPS-denied environments, and earlier this year DARPA, the Pentagon’s technology research agency, put out a call seeking industry partners to develop robust optical clocks that rely less on GPS and enable more resilient timing capabilities.
“Optical precision timing techniques provide a means for orders of magnitude higher precision and accuracy, but, just as importantly, they enable more resilient timing capabilities with less reliance on GPS by virtue of longer holdover times and usage of optical signals that are more difficult to jam or spoof,” DARPA’s Broad Agency Announcement for the project, called the Robust Optical Clock Network, said.
ROCkN is anticipated to be 100 times better than current clocks and GPS, Tatjana Curcic, program manager for the ROCkN project, told Breaking Defense in an interview. The program could also lead to a potential future networked clock architecture for all military activities.
Honey added the US-ROK alliance, established in 1953, “remains the linchpin of peace and security in the western Pacific and the Korean peninsula.”
“This alliance continues to maintain a robust combined defense posture to protect the Republic of Korea against any threat or adversary,” he added.
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
