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Quotes of the Day:
Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.
– John F. Kennedy
“We are not simply to bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheel of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
– Socrates
1. "U.S. Experts on Halting Loudspeaker Broadcasts to North Korea: 'South Korea's Unilateral Concession Is a Strategic Mistake'"
2. Loudspeakers Go Quiet on Korean Border, Ending a Year of Audio Aggression
3. Analysis: Broadcast suspension reveals early lack of diplomatic acumen
4. BAE Systems brings South Korea’s Hanwha into intelligence-gathering constellation
5. Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones
6. Army rotates Colorado-based Stryker brigade to South Korea for ongoing deterrence mission
7. Steve Bannon says South Korea must choose: US or China
8. North Korea goes silent after Seoul halts propaganda broadcasts
9. USFK confirms stance on strategic flexibility, suggests U.S. troops in Korea already deterring China
10. U.S. eyes broader military role in Indo-Pacific
11. How US Forces Korea is changing its tune on mission to counter North Korea
12. 1 million North Koreans for Russia? Kremlin propaganda gets a reality check
13. Cambodian crypto market linked to North Korea still active despite US crackdown
14. Challenging Korean fatalism about a conflict in Taiwan
15. S. Korea in 'close contact' with US amid report of Kim snubbing Trump's letter
16. Korean border goes quiet, Trump overture — Is new breeze blowing?
17. Troop deployment to Russia earns N. Korea $525 million annually
18. N. Korea discharges uranium waste into waters flowing to S. Korea
19. Pyongyang’s driving craze prompts licensing reform to protect Kim Jong Un
1. "U.S. Experts on Halting Loudspeaker Broadcasts to North Korea: 'South Korea's Unilateral Concession Is a Strategic Mistake'"
Below is an AI translation of a Chosun Ilbo article with important comments and criticism from a number of Korea watchers, to include Hyun Seung Lee from north Korea along with Lee Jong Seok's defense.
Here are my full comments I provided to the journalist but were slightly truncated - li.e., he left off "political warfare" to describe Kim's strategy.
This is as significant a strategic mistake as the US eliminating VOA and RFA. The US and South Korea are ceding the information domain to the propaganda of north Korea’s Propaganda and Agitation Department.
And sadly this action will in no way garner trust with the Kim family regime. Kim views this action as success for his political warfare strategy which seeks to sow division in South Korean society and drive a wedge in the ROK/US Alliance.
"U.S. Experts on Halting Loudspeaker Broadcasts to North Korea: 'South Korea's Unilateral Concession Is a Strategic Mistake'"
https://www.chosun.com/international/us/2025/06/12/J6OAFZE77JEXHHMPYHEKPCOA6E/?outputType=amp
Washington DC 9 Korean Peninsula Experts Serial Interviews
"North Korea is already benefiting from China and Russia, so there is little incentive"
Weakening of information inflow into North Korea expected... "North Korean people's lifeline cut off"
National Intelligence Service Director Candidate "Yoon administration neglects and assists in leaflet distribution"
Even on loudspeakers, "It is a misjudgment to think North Korea is afraid"
Washington = Correspondent Eun-joong Kim
Entered 2025.06.12. 05:27 | Modified 2025.06.12. 10:29
Following President Lee Jae-myung’s request to halt the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets, and the military’s subsequent suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts on June 11, the new administration has rolled out a series of conciliatory measures toward North Korea. Experts on Korean Peninsula affairs in Washington, D.C., contacted by this newspaper, said, “This was expected, so it’s not surprising,” but added, “Since North Korea is already getting what it wants from China and Russia, it’s difficult to expect any meaningful changes in easing tensions or advancing peace on the peninsula.” They also expressed concern that the move would negatively impact the inflow of information into North Korea, which is vital for raising awareness of freedom and human rights among North Koreans and fostering internal change.
This measure was directly ordered by President Lee, with Presidential Office spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stating at a briefing, “This is a fulfillment of a promise made to the people during the presidential campaign.” After North Korea sent balloons filled with filth last June, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration resumed loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years as a countermeasure, but now the broadcasts have been halted again. Despite the South Korean government’s goodwill, North Korea continues its own propaganda broadcasts toward the South. David Maxwell, vice president of the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center (APS) and former U.S. Army Special Operations Command officer, called the move “as significant a strategic mistake as if the U.S. eliminated Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA),” adding, “Unfortunately, this will not help gain the trust of the Kim Jong-un regime at all, and Kim will see this as proof that his strategy of sowing division in South Korean society and driving a wedge in the U.S.-ROK alliance is working.”
Sydney Seiler, former U.S. intelligence official and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, “The main reason for instability on the Korean Peninsula is North Korea’s expanding nuclear arsenal and its strategic cooperation with Russia,” and “there is little correlation between loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflet distribution, and inter-Korean tensions. This measure will not have a meaningful impact on easing tensions or advancing peace.” Evans Revere, former principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, also commented, “Pyongyang continues its own propaganda broadcasts and shows no sign of recognizing South Korea’s move,” adding, “Kim Jong-un is already enjoying benefits such as sanctions evasion and diplomatic protection through his relationships with Beijing and Moscow. Seoul does not seem to have a strong card in this new game.”
Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute, said, “Both Trump and President Lee are sure to make new efforts to ease tensions,” but “diplomacy with Pyongyang will be harder than ever.” Bruce Bennett, senior researcher at RAND Corporation, noted, “When Kim Jong-un declared the abandonment of unification a year and a half ago and designated South Korea as North Korea’s main adversary, he made it clear that all parties would remain adversaries regardless of which party governs the South. Kim is likely to feel that these two concessions are not enough.” However, Bennett added, “Kim is likely to continue refusing negotiations, but only time will tell. Contact with North Korea will reveal Kim’s true position.”
Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), said, “This measure, taken just eight days after President Lee’s inauguration, is an inappropriate unilateral concession,” adding, “Information inflow should not be used as a bargaining chip, but South Korea has effectively given up its leverage over North Korea. Unilateral concessions only weaken South Korea’s position.” Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, stated, “North Korea has rejected all dialogue attempts by the Moon Jae-in administration and the Biden and Trump administrations in the U.S. over the past five years, including a recent personal letter from Trump. In Washington, there are concerns that President Lee will pursue an excessively conciliatory policy toward North Korea, as previous progressive governments did by offering benefits to Pyongyang without conditions.”
Human rights experts are particularly worried that the inflow of information into North Korea, which South Korea and the U.S. have worked on for 30 years, will be weakened. Amid sweeping federal restructuring following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, media outlets like VOA and RFA, which served as a window for North Koreans to access the outside world and played a key role in publicizing North Korea’s internal situation internationally, have been effectively shut down. Olivia Enos, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said, “With channels for North Koreans to access outside information shrinking, this announcement from the South Korean government could not have come at a worse time,” adding, “It chills freedom of expression in South Korean civil society and removes a critical lifeline for North Koreans considering escape across the 38th parallel.”
Lee Hyun-seung, a researcher at the Global Peace Foundation and an elite North Korean defector, said, “External information weakens the morale of North Korean officers and soldiers, induces changes in consciousness, and ultimately reduces hostility toward South Korea and the U.S. If the South Korean government blocks this itself, North Korea will interpret it as a sign that ‘South Korea has surrendered to the Kim Jong-un regime.’”
◇ Lee Jong-seok: “The belief that North Korea fears loudspeakers is a misjudgment”
The Moon Jae-in administration amended the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act in 2020 to ban the distribution of anti-North Korea leaflets, but in September 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled the ban unconstitutional, saying it excessively restricted freedom of expression. Lee Jong-seok, nominee for the first director of the National Intelligence Service under President Lee and architect of his foreign and security policy pledges, wrote in a Kyunghyang Shinmun column last year, “The Yoon administration only emphasized freedom of expression and appeared to tolerate or condone leaflet distribution,” adding, “I believe the notion that ‘North Korea fears loudspeakers more than any South Korean weapon’ is a misjudgment.”
2. Loudspeakers Go Quiet on Korean Border, Ending a Year of Audio Aggression
And I am also concerned with other paths for information flow into the north from balloons, to radio, TV, and other electronic methods.
We need a sophisticated and holistic information campaign to support our diplatica and security efforts and to help the Korean people in the north create conditions for change.
Loudspeakers Go Quiet on Korean Border, Ending a Year of Audio Aggression
Pyongyang halts daily transmissions of animal noises soon after Seoul ended broadcasts of K-pop and news
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/loudspeakers-go-quiet-on-korean-border-ending-a-year-of-audio-aggression-73f629ae
By Timothy W. Martin
Follow
June 12, 2025 4:28 am ET
Loudspeakers have been used as an expression of tension between the two countries. Photo: Donga Daily/ Getty Images
Key Points
What's This?
- North and South Korea halt loudspeaker broadcasts after year of airwave aggression.
- South Korea’s new president favors engagement, with a spokeswoman saying the curtailment is aimed at reducing military confrontation.
- Tensions rose in 2024 when North Korea abandoned hopes of peaceful reunification.
SEOUL—Relations between North and South Korea have soured so badly that a respite from loudspeaker noise is considered a small diplomatic victory.
For the past year or so, the two Koreas—still technically at war and increasingly hostile toward one another—have engaged in daily airwave aggression around their shared border. The North pumped out animal noises and wails; the South blared boy-band music and news.
But now there is some peace and quiet. Seoul suspended its loudspeaker broadcasts on Wednesday, while Pyongyang, hours later, appeared to reciprocate.
The change dovetails with a new South Korean president, the left-leaning Lee Jae-myung, who comfortably won the country’s snap election last week. Lee backs engagement with the Kim Jong Un regime—and has bristled at the approach taken by his impeached predecessor, the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who believed peace was achieved through strength.
Balloons.
Balloons.
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03:21
00:0105:23
From the Archives: In 2024, North Korea launched trash balloons across the border into South Korea. WSJ’s Timothy Martin traveled to the world’s most militarized border to observe the tensions. Photo: Kim Jae-Hwan/Zuma Press
South Korea’s abrupt curtailment of loudspeaker broadcasts, a presidential spokeswoman said, was aimed at restoring trust and reducing military confrontation between the two countries. On Thursday, South Korea’s military said it hadn’t detected any North Korean broadcasts that day.
The inter-Korean border is one of the world’s most fortified. In recent years, North Korea laid down new land mines and blew up roads that connected to the South. Seoul resumed live-fire drills just miles from Kim regime territory.
The dueling loudspeakers—an expression of tension over the decades—returned last June. South Korea moved first as a response to the Kim regime’s dispatch of trash-filled balloons. The North followed suit the following month.
Tensions had been elevated since early 2024. That was when Kim abandoned hopes of peaceful reunification, declared Seoul the country’s top enemy and scrubbed references to the South from the national anthem, the logo of the flagship airline and elsewhere.
Write to Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com
3. Analysis: Broadcast suspension reveals early lack of diplomatic acumen
Interesting analysis from Professor Robertson.
I still think we need to understand the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime and frankly I do not see much of that among some Korean watchers.
I also think the professor RObertson overthinks this issue with president Trump. I don't think this has any impact on his thinking about President Lee.
Analysis
Analysis: Broadcast suspension reveals early lack of diplomatic acumen
Had Lee Jae‑myung first informed Trump, and timed it to follow their meeting, he would have played to Trump’s well-documented need for personal credit.
https://www.junotane.com/p/south-koreas-early-move-on-broadcasts-demonstrates-poor-diplomatic-advice?publication_id=3970475&post_id=165707339&isFreemail=false&r=7i07&triedRedirect=true
Jun 11, 2025
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Significance. President Lee’s loudspeaker suspension aligns with his liberal mandate and appeals to domestic stakeholders. Yet the lack of pre-coordination with the U.S., particularly with Trump, reflects a critical oversight in diplomatic choreography.
By earlier involvement and crafting a joint narrative, Lee would have reduced the risk of misinterpretation, amplified alliance solidarity, and controlled the messaging trajectory—fortifying his credibility both domestically and abroad. Importantly, it would have played to Trump’s well-documented need for personal credit.
Analysis. On 11 June 2025, President Lee Jae‑myung ordered the suspension of anti‑North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the DMZ. The decision is one component of his campaign promise to restore inter-Korean trust and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and marks the first tangible step toward easing inter‑Korean tensions under his administration.
The Yoon Administration restarted propaganda broadcasts aimed at North Korean border areas in mid‑2024 in retaliation for North Korea’s trash‑balloon campaign. Although questionable in their effectiveness, the commencement/cessation of broadcasts has acted as signals of intent, and contributed to changes in inter-Korean relations.
The cessation brings immediate relief to border residents troubled by constant noise, and promises further respite if North Korea reciprocates. The decision to do so holds domestic symbolism and importantly signals to Lee’s support base that the new administration intends to carry through on its promises.
Mainstream media reporting has centered on humanitarian benefits and campaign fulfillment, but has largely overlooked the omission of advanced U.S. messaging coordination—a blind spot that will allow right‑leaning American outlets to portray the move as dangerous appeasement.
South Korea’s right-wing media and opposition figures will seize on Lee’s unilateral announcement to frame him as aligned with North Korean interests and disconnected from U.S. strategic consensus. These narratives will rapidly filter through to U.S. right-wing media ecosystems via social media amplification, risking the emergence of a hardened personal animosity between Trump and Lee.
This was precisely the dynamic seen in the deterioration of relations between Trump and leaders such as Zelensky, Abdullah, and Ramaphosa—where initial messaging missteps allowed durable negative perceptions to take hold.
Past incidents—such as distortions of Zelensky’s political links to Biden, Abdullah’s regional diplomacy, and Ramaphosa’s policies on land expropriation—demonstrate how conservative narratives can rapidly reframe gestures, particularly when they occur outside of an agreed messaging framework.
The Lee Administration appears to underestimate the distorting impact of U.S. domestic political filters and demonstrated a lack of diplomatic strategy.
Had Lee Jae‑myung first informed Trump of his intention, and deliberately timed the suspension of broadcasts to follow a public signal or announcement from Trump, he would have neutralized a substantial part of this vulnerability. It would have played to Trump’s well-documented need for personal credit and public ownership of key events, allowing Trump to frame the move as a product of U.S.–ROK cooperation.
By failing to do so, Lee ceded narrative control and ensured that U.S. right-wing commentators will fill the gap with their own, potentially damaging interpretations. Lee’s approach reflects a lack of diplomatic finesse and a failure to appreciate the second- and third-order effects of signaling in allied domestic contexts.
Moving forward, this gesture may ease immediate tension and create space for renewed dialogue with North Korea—but its lack of preliminary alignment with Washington could leave it vulnerable to backlash or reinterpretation.
Impact. In the immediate term, South Koreans in border regions will need to await North Korea’s reciprocal move but will be reassured that the first step was taken. The Lee Administration’s early signal will position it for opening dialogue with North Korea in the medium term.
Analysts will need to monitor how the move is interpreted in U.S. social media and conservative press. The first meeting between Trump and Lee is scheduled for 15-17 June. The decision to halt propaganda broadcasts before meeting Trump represents a missed opportunity. Given current domestic and international failures, Trump needs a victory or demonstration of strength, and Lee currently represents an easy target.
4. BAE Systems brings South Korea’s Hanwha into intelligence-gathering constellation
BAE Systems brings South Korea’s Hanwha into intelligence-gathering constellation
spacenews.com · by Jason Rainbow · June 11, 2025
TAMPA, Fla. — BAE Systems has partnered with South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Systems to explore using its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology in Azalea, the British defense prime’s planned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance constellation.
The companies announced an agreement June 10 to look at combining Hanwha’s SAR expertise with BAE’s ultra-wideband radio frequency (RF) technology for the multi-sensor network, which would use onboard satellite processors to deliver rapid, secure insights for military and disaster response needs.
The collaboration follows a similar agreement BAE announced with Finnish SAR operator Iceye in 2022, when it unveiled plans for Azalea and a target to launch its first four-satellite cluster with SpaceX in 2024.
Iceye is still providing a SAR satellite for the initial cluster, now slated to launch to low Earth orbit (LEO) later this year, according to Rachael Hoyle, space director for BAE’s digital intelligence division.
However, Hoyle said the other three satellites BAE is providing will only carry RF sensors, not optical cameras as previously envisaged.
“[We’re] expecting future Azalea missions to also contain optical capabilities,” she added via email.
BAE declined to disclose financial details.
“The new collaboration between BAE Systems and Hanwha Systems will allow the UK to deepen its relationship with South Korea and enable both countries to expand into new international markets,” Hoyle said.
“In addition, by working together to deliver a multi-sensor satellite system, the companies will provide space capabilities that will help South Korea to meet its domestic requirements.”
Hanwha, which has plans for its own constellation of broadband satellites, was an early investor in U.K.-based OneWeb but recently moved to sell its entire 5.4% stake in the LEO operator for about $88 million following its 2023 merger with Eutelsat of France, Reuters reported.
Related
spacenews.com · by Jason Rainbow · June 11, 2025
5. Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones
Adversarial cooperation of the CRInK
Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones
zona-militar.com · by Redacción · June 10, 2025
Framed by an interview conducted in Washington on June 7, the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, warned that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for the large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones as a reward for its support of the invasion of Ukraine. The issue had already been hinted at during the month of February, at which point elaborate reports emerged from Japanese media outlets claiming that Pyongyang was preparing to produce Russian drones within its territory with Moscow’s support, adding to other signs of support, among which we can highlight assistance for the modernization of KN-23 missiles and the delivery of Pantsir defense systems.
Delving into some details of the interview, conducted by Howard Altman for the specialized outlet The War Zone, the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) stated that Russia is currently able to produce around 2,000 units per month of drones belonging to the Iranian-origin Shahed family, although it hopes to increase production in the near future to around 5,000 and incorporate various improvements in terms of range, payload, and attack patterns. These are particularly among the most widely used weapons in the conflict, so the start of production in North Korea would allow for the reinforcement of Russian inventories, as well as represent a significant boost in its attack capabilities in the event of conflict with its southern counterpart.
In the words of Lieutenant General Budanov himself: “There are agreements for the initiation of the creation of capabilities to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Garpiya and Geran types (Editor’s note: the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed-136 drones) on North Korean territory. This will undoubtedly change the regional military balance between North Korea and South Korea.” It is unknown, however, in what quantities Pyongyang would be capable of producing these kinds of systems, as the parties are still in the organizational stages of the production process.
In addition, the head of Ukrainian intelligence again stated that Russia is working closely with North Korea to improve the accuracy of its KN-23 missiles, which are also known under the designation Hwasong-11. It is worth recalling in this regard that Pyongyang supplied this type of weaponry to its Russian ally as part of its support for the invasion of Ukraine, although the first batches of missiles sent performed poorly in various respects. According to reports from the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, many of these missiles failed to maintain their programmed trajectory accurately, while others even exploded mid-flight due to technical failures; with Russia’s help, this would have radically changed.
In line with the above, as mentioned earlier, this is not the only example of Russian support for North Korea as part of a cooperation agreement that does not solely affect the defense sphere. It is illustrative to note, in this regard, that Moscow has reportedly recently sent at least one of its Pantsir air defense systems to reinforce its North Korean ally’s capabilities, which previously relied mainly on outdated S-75 and S-125M systems. In turn, during the 2024 Reagan National Defense Forum, U.S. Admiral Samuel Paparo (of INDOPACOM) hinted that a potential transfer of MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets to the North Korean Air Force is also being outlined in order to allow it to replace its already obsolete MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21 jets.
Finally, reviewing some details of the military assistance that North Korea has reportedly sent to Russia so far—reason for which it would be benefiting from all these matters—we can find a wide range of elements. According to Ukrainian intelligence, this translates, for example, into more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in the Kursk region, the shipment of 122 mm D-74 howitzers, Koksan M1989 self-propelled artillery guns, and various caliber MRLS-type rocket launchers, along with several batches of missiles and ammunition.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
Publicidad
zona-militar.com · by Redacción · June 10, 2025
6. Army rotates Colorado-based Stryker brigade to South Korea for ongoing deterrence mission
What can Strykers deter if they are in Guam?
Army rotates Colorado-based Stryker brigade to South Korea for ongoing deterrence mission
Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · June 12, 2025
Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division arrive at Osan Air Base, South Korea, on May 30, 2025. (Oniel McDonald/U.S. Army)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — A Stryker brigade from Colorado arrived in South Korea late last month as the Army’s latest rotational unit tasked with deterring regional threats for the next nine months.
Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson flew into Osan Air Base on May 30 to replace troops from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, according to an Eighth Army news release Wednesday.
The outgoing Stryker team, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., has served in South Korea since October. It will officially transfer authority to the incoming team in a ceremony Wednesday at Camp Casey, about 15 miles from the border with North Korea.
“Our presence in Korea is a clear demonstration of U.S. resolve, and the Raider Brigade is honored to enhance our long-standing alliance,” Col. Clint Tisserand of 4th ID said in the release. “This deployment is more than a rotation; it’s a chance to sharpen our edge and uphold the commitment we share with [South Korea].”
During its rotation, the 7th ID soldiers took part in numerous joint drills with South Korean troops, including the 10-day Freedom Shield exercise on air, land, sea and cyberspace.
Roughly 3,500 soldiers and 1,500 prepositioned vehicles comprise the rotational force, which supports the 2nd Infantry Division headquartered at Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military installation overseas.
The Army began rotating units into South Korea in 2013 to bolster the country’s defenses against the North, while also offering U.S.-based soldiers the opportunity to train in unfamiliar terrain. The rotations are also viewed as a deterrent to China’s growing military influence in the region.
Initially composed of armored brigade combat teams with heavy equipment like M1A2 Abrams tanks, the rotational force shifted in 2022 to lighter, more mobile Stryker brigades equipped with eight-wheeled combat vehicles.
David Choi
David Choi
David Choi is based in South Korea and reports on the U.S. military and foreign policy. He served in the U.S. Army and California Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Stars and Stripes · by David Choi · June 12, 2025
7. Steve Bannon says South Korea must choose: US or China
I would not normally go to Bannon for advice on Korea but he is not wrong. The "balancing act" is fantasy.
But we should also note that South Korea has long ago made its choice on October 1st, 1953 with the Mutual Defense Treaty.
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/kor001.asp
The Parties undertake to settle any international disputes in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations, or obligations assumed by any Party toward the United Nations.
The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of either of them, the political independence or security of either of the Parties is threatened by external armed attack. Separately and jointly, by self help and mutual aid, the Parties will maintain and develop appropriate means to deter armed attack and will take suitable measures in consultation and agreement to implement this Treaty and to further its purposes.
Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties in territories now under their respective administrative control, or hereafter recognized by one of the Parties as lawfully brought under the administrative control of the other, would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes.
The Republic of Korea grants, and the United States of America accepts, the right to dispose United States land, air and sea forces in and about the territory of the Republic of Korea as determined by mutual agreement.
This Treaty shall be ratified by the United States of America and the Republic of Korea in accordance with their respective constitutional processes and will come into force when instruments of ratification thereof have been exchanged by them at Washington.(2)
This Treaty shall remain in force indefinitely. Either Party may terminate it one year after notice has been given to the other Party.
Steve Bannon says South Korea must choose: US or China
Trump ally calls Seoul's balancing act a "fantasy," warns of rising Chinese influence and regional war risks
https://www.chosun.com/english/people-en/2025/06/12/BPFUK2ZSIBFSVPY5ELGP2IXUU4/
By Kim Eun-joong (Washington),
Park Su-hyeon
Published 2025.06.12. 15:41
Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to U.S. President Donald Trump and a leading figure in the MAGA movement, has sharply criticized South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy, calling it unrealistic and dangerous in a phone interview with The Chosun Ilbo.
Bannon warned that Lee’s efforts to balance ties between Washington and Beijing are a “fantasy.”
“It is impossible for South Korea to strike a balance between the U.S. and China,” Bannon said. “The country must take a firm stance to prevent Chinese influence.”
He also took issue with Lee’s past remarks downplaying the Taiwan Strait crisis as unrelated to the Korean Peninsula.
“A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would spark a massive war involving South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines,” Bannon said. “No U.S. ally should be speaking that way.”
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 21, 2024./AP-Yonhap
As the architect of Trump’s 2016 presidential victory and the voice behind the influential War Room podcast, Bannon continues to shape far-right discourse despite his 2024 conviction and four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress. His recent claim that South Korea’s new administration is backed by the Chinese Communist Party has stirred debate at home and abroad.
Asked why he focuses so heavily on South Korea, Bannon said the country may now be an even more important ally than Japan.
“It’s tragic that a left-wing party beholden to the Chinese Communist Party has taken power in such a key partner country,” he said. “We will not stay silent.”
Bannon dismissed Lee’s so-called “pragmatic diplomacy” as naive—and dangerous.
“Quote me directly: That’s full of shit,” Bannon said. “This is classic CCP political warfare. If South Korea believes in freedom and democracy, it cannot claim neutrality between the U.S. and China. You can’t balance between liberty and slavery.”
He invoked history to emphasize his point.
“The Chinese Communist Party never had South Korea’s interests in mind. They want to slowly strip away your freedom. First it was North Korea, then Hong Kong—and now they want Seoul,” he warned. “Don’t let Seoul become the next Hong Kong.”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, left, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone at the presidential residence in Seoul’s Hannam-dong on the night of June 6, 2025. According to the presidential office, Trump invited Lee to visit the United States during their first phone call, which lasted about 20 minutes. At right, Trump is seen during a phone call in 2018 during his first term in office./South Korean Presidential Office, AP-Yonhap
On the prospect of a Trump-Lee summit, Bannon said the terms must be clear.
“South Korea must commit to strengthening the U.S.-Korea alliance and publicly sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party,” he said. “China will drag out trade negotiations, but we can’t let them gain ground.”
While some MAGA supporters favor isolationism, Bannon argued that most understand the strategic value of South Korea.
“Americans remember the courage of South Koreans who fought against Chinese aggression during the Korean War,” he said. “Japan has limitations due to its constitution. But South Korea hosts 30,000 U.S. troops. That makes Korea potentially more critical to U.S. interests than Japan.”
Asked whether Trump might withdraw those troops, Bannon responded:
“Pulling U.S. combat troops from Asia would be a massive error. China wants that. And they may pressure the Korean government to make it happen.”
He doubled down on his criticism of President Lee’s views on Taiwan.
“If President Lee says the Taiwan crisis is unrelated to Korea, then he’s not behaving like an ally of the United States,” he said. “If China invades Taiwan, it will quickly draw in America’s regional allies—including Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.”
“If China succeeds in politically dominating South Korea, it could try to use Seoul as a pawn in its Taiwan ambitions.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a dinner at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 27, 2019./AFP-Yonhap
On the possibility of another Trump-Kim summit, Bannon said it remains a major agenda item.
“Trump and Kim have a very special relationship,” he said. “If Trump visits the Peninsula again, that will be a major part of the trip.”
He also praised Trump’s second-term performance, particularly on immigration.
“People said it would take years to secure the border. He did it in 60 days,” Bannon claimed. “Illegal immigrants are being deported in large numbers. The world is more dangerous than it was before World War II, and Trump is doing everything he can to stop World War III.”
With a growing South Korean audience for his podcast, Bannon offered a message:
“You need to get politically organized,” he said. “Not just against domestic opposition, but globally. Show the world that Koreans will fight for freedom and prosperity—and never kneel to Chinese dictators.”
☞ Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon, often called “Trump’s brain” and “the godfather of MAGA,” is a far-right political strategist and media personality. Born in 1953 in Virginia, he served as a naval officer, worked in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs, and later founded the conservative news outlet Breitbart. He led Trump’s 2016 campaign and briefly served as White House chief strategist. Though he later fell out with Trump, Bannon remains a key figure in the MAGA movement through his podcast War Room.
8. North Korea goes silent after Seoul halts propaganda broadcasts
This will be used to justify South Korea's action. See how nice the Kim family regime is with its reciprocity? (please note my sarcasm)
north Korea's loudspeakers were purely for harassment and their use was hostile. South Korea's loudspeakers provided news and K-pop.
But it is not just loudspeakers on the DMZ that should concern us. It is the likely attempt to prevent all information from going into the north.
There will be no change in north Korea without a sophisticated and holistic information campaign. The Lee Administration appears to muzzle such a capability. And the US has abdicated its role in the information domain with the closure of VOA and RFA.
The only "winner" here is Kim Jong Un. His political warfare strategy is working. He is getting South Korea and the US to reinforce his hold on power by preventing the Korean people in the north access to information - and we should recall the UN Commission of INquiry of 2014 notes that one of the gross violations of human rights is the isolation for the Korean people in the north and the denial of information from the outside world.
North Korea goes silent after Seoul halts propaganda broadcasts
Move follows President Lee's decision to stop anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker campaign in bid to ease border tensions
https://www.chosun.com/english/north-korea-en/2025/06/12/YQLRNEBYYRAIRFOLM6WSBO24XY/
By Yang Ji-ho,
Park Su-hyeon
Published 2025.06.12. 15:43
North Korea has gone quiet along its southern border, South Korea’s military said on June 12, marking a possible de-escalation in a year-long psychological standoff between the two Koreas.
The shift came just one day after South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered a halt to Seoul’s anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts — a symbolic yet sensitive gesture aimed at lowering tensions.
“There were no North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts detected today,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, fueling speculation that Pyongyang may have responded in kind after Seoul pulled the plug on its own campaign at 2 p.m. the day before.
A loudspeaker used for North Korea's broadcasts toward the South is seen next to a North Korean guard post, as viewed from the Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju, South Korea, on Feb. 16, 2025./Yonhap
The North’s noise broadcasts — a mix of static, propaganda and jamming signals — had continued in parts of the western front up until late June 11, but have since stopped entirely, according to the military. Broadcast patterns had previously varied across regions, but as of June 12, the border zone was silent on both sides.
Seoul had reactivated its loudspeakers in June last year in retaliation for what it described as a series of provocations from Pyongyang, including missile launches and trash-carrying balloon campaigns. North Korea followed suit a month later, unleashing a barrage of sound from its own speakers — an echo of Cold War-era tactics.
Now, both campaigns appear to be paused.
President Lee, who has called for a “pragmatic but principled” approach to inter-Korean relations, framed the move as a gesture toward peace — and relief for civilians living near the heavily fortified frontier.
“I ordered the military to suspend loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North as of 2 p.m. on June 11,” Lee said in a social media post. “This is to ease the suffering of residents in the border area who have endured the noise for far too long.”
Lee added that he hopes the measure “will reduce military tensions and help rebuild trust between the two Koreas.”
9. USFK confirms stance on strategic flexibility, suggests U.S. troops in Korea already deterring China
We need agility. Strategic agility. Of US forces. And of ROK forces. Of all alliance forces.
To go where we need to go, when we need to go and accomplish what needs to be accomplished, recognizing that sometimes that might be in the KTO.
General Brunson, on behalf of the US and the ROK/US alliance is creating a dilemma for China and the entire CRInK.
What deters China is our alliances in the aggregate. The ROK/US alliance.The Japan/US alliance. The Philippines/US alliance. And the Australian/US alliance. In addition, other relationships contribute (AUKUS. QUAD and even NATO-IP 4 (Korea, Japan, New Zealsand, and Australia). The power and capabilities of all these relationships have a deterrent effect. Despite political rhetoric such as talk of balancing, etc. Xi must consider that when push comes to shove these countries know that there will be no "neutrality" and they will act in their own best interests and those interests lie in alliances.
Thursday
June 12, 2025
dictionary + A - A
USFK confirms stance on strategic flexibility, suggests U.S. troops in Korea already deterring China
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-06-12/national/defense/USFK-confirms-stance-on-strategic-flexibility-suggests-US-troops-in-Korea-already-deterring-China/2328993
Published: 12 Jun. 2025, 20:58
Army Gen. Xavier Brunson testifies during an Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill, Sept. 17, 2024, in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]
United States Forces Korea (USFK) has officially confirmed its stance on strategic flexibility, stating that its mission is not limited to defense against North Korea.
USFK spokesperson Col. Ryan Donald on Tuesday confirmed that the command’s mission “remains peninsula-focused” but also supports “the broader objectives of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command," in a report by NK News on Thursday.
Related Article
He acknowledged that USFK engages in “operations, activities and investments across the region as part of the broader Indo-Pacific strategy," according to the NK News report.
The statement aligns with earlier remarks by USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson regarding the Korean Peninsula functioning like an “aircraft carrier.” It suggests that USFK’s troops and assets may be used flexibly depending on Washington’s strategic needs in the region.
This indicates not only the possibility of future shifts in USFK’s mission and role, but also that the U.S. military presence in Korea is already playing a part in countering China’s influence in the region.
Donald had acknowledged on Tuesday that “as the Department of Defense prioritizes deterring China, it is essential that we work with Seoul to modernize the Alliance and calibrate U.S. force posture on the Peninsula to reflect the realities of the regional security environment," while addressing rumors of potential force reductions on the peninsula.
General Xavier T. Brunson receives the United States Forces Korea flag from U.S. Navy admiral Samuel John Paparo, commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek on Dec. 20, 2024. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
He reiterated Gen. Brunson’s earlier reference to China’s behavior in the Indo-Pacific as a challenge defined by the “tyranny of distance.”
“The Indo-Pacific region presents significant challenges, especially when it comes to sustaining operations, largely defined by the tyranny of distance,” Donald said. “Korea occupies a critical location for regional security and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Gen. Brunson has previously highlighted USFK’s role in countering China during events such as the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC )symposium and a virtual forum hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) on May 27, describing Korea as "inside the first island chain and is the closest allied presence to Beijing.”
Regarding a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Brunson said: “When you look at a map, certain things become very evident to you. So in the case of a potential U.S. v. China, if that were to come about — and we’re not looking for that — who has better posture than we do in Korea?”
With USFK now echoing these views as part of its official position, observers see it as a preemptive signal from Washington regarding potential changes to USFK’s role.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE YU-JUNG [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]
10. U.S. eyes broader military role in Indo-Pacific
U.S. eyes broader military role in Indo-Pacific
https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20250612/5656330/1
Posted June. 12, 2025 07:33,
Updated June. 12, 2025 07:33
The U.S. administration has once again urged its allies to join in applying military pressure on China as it develops the National Defense Strategy (NDS) to guide the second Trump administration’s defense policy. Experts say this reflects Washington’s intent to redefine the role of U.S. Forces Korea, emphasizing the need for Asian countries to boost military spending and the importance of “maximum flexibility” for U.S. forces. However, South Korea was not explicitly mentioned.
On Tuesday, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby posted on X (formerly Twitter) about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s testimony before the House Budget Committee. The testimony outlined the Trump administration’s defense priorities and the fiscal year 2026 defense budget plan. Colby highlighted Hegseth’s remarks from the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian security conference in Singapore, where the secretary stressed that Asia-Pacific allies must significantly increase defense spending.
In his written response, Secretary Hegseth warned that Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific region. He added that if China achieves this goal, it could disrupt U.S. reindustrialization efforts and threaten the American economy. “Such a scenario must not materialize,” he said firmly, adding that the Department of Defense will prevent it.
Last Saturday, China’s two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, crossed the South China Sea to enter the Philippine Sea for the first time with escort ships. This move is seen as a provocative gesture signaling China’s claim to maritime authority beyond the U.S.-defined strategic defensive line. Two days later, the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz entered the South China Sea following the departure of the Chinese carriers.
Recognizing China’s military threats as immediate and tangible, Washington is expected to intensify its pressure on Beijing. In his congressional testimony on Tuesday, Secretary Hegseth said nuclear deterrence remains the highest priority for homeland defense. He also pledged to promote “maximum flexibility” for U.S. forces and strengthen cooperation with allies to counter China’s provocations across the Indo-Pacific.
The term “maximum flexibility” refers to securing the broadest possible strategic options for deploying U.S. and allied military forces. Rather than restricting U.S. forces to specific regions or missions, the administration seeks to maintain a wide range of responses to China’s threats.
These shifts align with ongoing discussions within the Trump administration about redefining or reorganizing the role of U.S. Forces Korea. The new approach seeks to ensure that U.S. forces are not limited to defending the Korean Peninsula against North Korea but can also be deployed to nearby areas, including Taiwan, in the event of conflict. Even before taking office, Deputy Secretary Colby expressed the view that U.S. Forces Korea’s mission should shift from focusing on North Korean defense to deterring China, while South Korea should assume greater responsibility for its own defense.
Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com
11. How US Forces Korea is changing its tune on mission to counter North Korea
Excerpts:
Paradoxically, Chris Green of the International Crisis Group, said a greater regional role for USFK could help overcome long-standing ROK fears of abandonment, despite concerns about “becoming more of a target for China.”
“[Gen Brunson’s recent remarks] prove that the U.S. sees more value in USFK than just as a provider of security to South Korea,” he said. “Now South Korea knows that they are a serious asset, that means the U.S. is not going to withdraw its troops in full.”
Bruce Bennett of RAND said it would be “naive” to believe that recent trilateral cooperation with Japan, U.S. and ROK was focused solely on North Korea.
“[But] now as China is becoming a more serious threat to all three of our countries, it is only natural that U.S. Forces Korea make some preparation to defend against potential Chinese aggression,” he continued, suggesting that even President Lee Jae-myung will want USFK to be prepared to defend the South against Chinese attack.
Overall, Tharp said he expected any USFK changes would work out despite concerns about erratic decision-making from Washington.
“I would say that the professional military guys are doing their best to make sure that things are done in the right way,” he said.
How US Forces Korea is changing its tune on mission to counter North Korea
USFK commander has touted 28,500-strong force’s proximity to China, amid questions about ROK stance on Taiwan conflict
https://www.nknews.org/2025/06/how-us-forces-korea-is-changing-its-tune-on-mission-to-counter-north-korea/
Chad O'Carroll June 12, 2025
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and North Korean soldiers at a parade | Images: U.S. Department of Defense, Lee Jae-myung via X, Rodong Sinmun (Feb. 9, 2023), edited by NK News
The leadership of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has been increasingly explicit in recent weeks about the possibility of expanding its mission beyond the Korean Peninsula and North Korean threats, highlighting the strategic value of stationing a 28,500-strong military force on China’s doorstep as the Trump administration turns its focus to countering Beijing.
USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson repeatedly emphasized the peninsula’s proximity to China at two recent events, while a USFK spokesperson acknowledged to NK News this week that the military force plays a broader role within Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
A shift to countering China and preparing for Taiwan contingencies would represent a significant evolution for a force that has traditionally focused exclusively on deterring North Korea, raising questions about South Korea’s position on its ally’s expanded regional ambitions — questions that USFK officials have declined to address.
But while USFK’s changing role may put Seoul in a tough position, experts say it may ultimately serve South Korea’s interests as it faces an increasingly assertive China and looks to guarantee a long-term U.S. military commitment to the region.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the combined U.S.-South Korea forces, speaks at the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium in Hawaii on May 15, 2025. | Image: U.S. Army
WHAT USFK IS SAYING
USFK Commander Gen. Brunson has been leading the charge when it comes to shifting messaging around the military force’s role.
“When you look at a map, certain things become very evident to you. So in the case … (of) you know, a potential U.S. v. China, if that were to come about — and we’re not looking for that — who has better posture than we do in Korea?” Gen. Brunson said at an online event hosted by the Institute for Corean-American Studies on May 27.
The general also ventured into hypothetical territory. “Could you imagine if there were no peninsula, but the U.S. put an aircraft carrier where the peninsula is? That’s the threat that’s provided from Korea.” He noted that no other U.S. military forces are positioned 400-600 miles from Beijing.
Speaking at LANPAC earlier in May, Gen. Brunson similarly highlighted Korea’s strategic geography, noting that “it’s on the Asian continent, has a sizable U.S. force posture, is inside the first island chain and is the closest allied presence to Beijing.”
He also emphasized that USFK’s presence “imposes cost, changes the calculations of leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russia, and China, and provides options for our nation’s most senior leaders.”
Pressed about the possibility of the U.S. military force expanding its mission, USFK spokesperson Col. Ryan Donald told NK News on Tuesday that the command’s mission “remains peninsula-focused” but also supports “the broader objectives of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.” He acknowledged that USFK engages in “operations activities, and investments across the region as part of the broader Indo-Pacific strategy.”
“The Indo-Pacific region presents significant challenges, especially when it comes to sustaining operations, largely defined by the tyranny of distance,” Col. Donald said. “Korea occupies a critical location for regional security and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Despite talk of a broader regional mission, USFK officials maintain that the shift won’t compromise peninsula defense.
“U.S. Forces Korea remains forward-deployed, combat-ready and fully engaged with our Republic of Korea counterparts,” Col. Donald stated, calling USFK’s presence “a clear demonstration of the United States’ unwavering commitment under the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty.”
The messaging appears calibrated to emphasize dual capabilities. Gen. Brunson stressed at the LANPAC event that USFK can “leverage our geography and positional advantage to great effect,” while stating at the ICAS event that the trilateral partnership with South Korea and Japan provides “a credible deterrent to the DPRK and other regional challenges.”
Yet when asked about South Korea’s position on an expanded USFK role — particularly regarding potential Taiwan contingencies that could provoke Chinese retaliation against Seoul — Col. Donald said “USFK does not have information to share on this matter at this time.”
This silence is notable given China’s economic retaliation against South Korea following the 2016 THAAD deployment, which cost Korean businesses billions of dollars and severely impacted ties with Beijing under the former Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in governments.
Asked about a potential Taiwan contingency at the ICAS event, Gen. Bruson emphasized that he is prepared “to stand and hold with what I have here on the peninsula currently.”
“Should other missions be given, then I will do those things that I’ve been ordered to do. And I’m going to leave that at that.”
Addressing rumors of potential force reductions on the peninsula, Col. Donald acknowledged Tuesday that “as the Department of Defense prioritizes deterring China, it is essential that we work with Seoul to modernize the Alliance and calibrate U.S. force posture on the Peninsula to reflect the realities of the regional security environment.”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung recites the presidential oath at his inauguration on June 4, 2025 | Image: ROK Ministry of Culture
MIXED DEVELOPMENT FOR SOUTH KOREA
USFK’s evolving mission reflects Washington’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy under the policy leadership of Elbridge Colby, even as it raises the possibility of tensions with Seoul over American forces pivoting to China while North Korea’s nuclear arsenal continues to grow.
Steve Tharp, a retired U.S. Army officer and Department of the Army civilian who has served in Korea for over 30 years, said there is historical precedent for USFK’s changing mission. “We’ve always been evolving … this has never been static and the only thing constant is change,” he said.
Tharp pointed to the Vietnam War as an example, when he said U.S. leadership “stripped our units as the best and brightest to go fight in Vietnam” and left USFK unprepared to face DPRK provocations from 1967-69.
He also expressed optimism when it comes to potential South Korean opposition to a more China-focused role, citing Washington’s ability to work things out in the past even with an “anti-U.S. administration like Roh Moo-hyun.”
More than five Korean military and foreign policy experts notably declined to comment to NK News about the recent USFK rhetoric, with one alluding to sensitivities at the beginning of a new presidential term in the ROK.
But in an article for the left-leaning Hankyoreh on Wednesday, Kim Jung-sup of Sejong Institute said the most worrisome development “would be the U.S. Air Force using the Korean Peninsula as an airbase.”
“The most important thing is to prevent U.S. fighters from taking off from and landing at the airbases in Osan and Gunsan while engaging in operations in or around the Taiwan Strait,” he wrote.
“If we cannot prevent that, we need to compromise by calling for a portion of USFK to be transferred to the U.S. base in Okinawa.”
Paradoxically, Chris Green of the International Crisis Group, said a greater regional role for USFK could help overcome long-standing ROK fears of abandonment, despite concerns about “becoming more of a target for China.”
“[Gen Brunson’s recent remarks] prove that the U.S. sees more value in USFK than just as a provider of security to South Korea,” he said. “Now South Korea knows that they are a serious asset, that means the U.S. is not going to withdraw its troops in full.”
Bruce Bennett of RAND said it would be “naive” to believe that recent trilateral cooperation with Japan, U.S. and ROK was focused solely on North Korea.
“[But] now as China is becoming a more serious threat to all three of our countries, it is only natural that U.S. Forces Korea make some preparation to defend against potential Chinese aggression,” he continued, suggesting that even President Lee Jae-myung will want USFK to be prepared to defend the South against Chinese attack.
Overall, Tharp said he expected any USFK changes would work out despite concerns about erratic decision-making from Washington.
“I would say that the professional military guys are doing their best to make sure that things are done in the right way,” he said.
Edited by Bryan Betts
12. 1 million North Koreans for Russia? Kremlin propaganda gets a reality check
Excerpts:
“Kim knows Ukraine is at the breaking point and he does have an incentive to send in troops for a ‘joint victory,’” Monday said, noting this could set up an expected Kim visit to Moscow.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin last met during a summit in Pyongyang last June, signing a de facto military pact that paved the way for the DPRK soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war and the dispatch of more North Korean laborers to Russia in violation of U.N. sanctions.
Ultimately, while the idea of a million North Koreans aiding Russia serves as effective propaganda fodder, making it seem like Moscow enjoys strong support from its friends, the realities on the ground make such a scenario far-fetched.
Still, even limited deployments — whether laborers under student visas or rear-area personnel — could deepen the countries’ growing entanglement and test the enforcement of international sanctions in the months ahead.
1 million North Koreans for Russia? Kremlin propaganda gets a reality check
Russian TV host’s mass deployment proposal faces strategic limits but helps normalize ties that once seemed outlandish
https://www.nknews.org/2025/06/1-million-north-koreans-for-russia-kremlin-propaganda-gets-a-reality-check/
Anton Sokolin June 12, 2025
North Korean soldiers in a truck in Sept. 2012 (left) and Vladimir Solovyov during his show on June 5, 2025 | Images: Eric Lafforgue and Evening with Vladimir Solovyov via smotrim.ru, edited by NK News
A top Russian state TV host has floated the idea of inviting 1 million North Koreans to support Moscow’s war effort and economy in retaliation for U.S. sanctions — a proposal that, however outlandish in practice, points to Russian propaganda’s willingness to brandish a dangerous partnership that has reached unparalleled levels thanks to the invasion of Ukraine.
On his talk show last Thursday, Vladimir Solovyov suggested that as a first step to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible new sanctions over Moscow’s refusal to make peace with Ukraine, Russia could quit the DPRK sanctions regime and lift all restrictions.
“Let’s give them everything they need like food supplies,” said the TV presenter, often described as the Kremlin’s “mouthpiece.” “Let’s invite some of the guys from North Korea, just a few. For example, half a million to work in the national economy and another half a million in the second line, in the rear — no need to send them to the front.”
Known for inflammatory remarks and threats against the West, Solovyov went on to say that Moscow could task North Korean workers and soldiers with reaching Lviv in western Ukraine, adding snarkily that while they’re at it they could rebuild that city and Kyiv too.
The remarks underscore how Moscow is using provocative rhetoric to test international reactions and normalize escalatory scenarios — even those involving North Korean personnel on European soil.
But analysts argue that while smaller-scale deployments may be possible, Pyongyang’s own strategic caution, domestic constraints and diplomatic calculations make any large-scale mobilization highly improbable for now.
WHY PYONGYANG WON’T GO FOR IT
While mass deployments of laborers and servicemen to Russia could generate additional funds for the Kim Jong Un regime and reinforce the Russian army and economy, experts told NK News that North Korea is unlikely to play along, at least not on the scale Solovyov is pushing.
Fyodor Tertitskiy, a lecturer at Seoul’s Korea University, said Kim Jong Un’s whims are the “only criterion” for whether to deploy one million laborers and fighters to Russia but that such a move looks “highly unlikely.”
He suggested that Pyongyang might consider “scaling back its troop involvement” in Ukraine after the Kursk operation, making it unlikely that it will play along with Moscow and risk more lives in the war.
However, while additional deployments of troops may not be in the cards for Pyongyang, the prospects of North Korea sending laborers to Russia could be more realistic.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said in a recent interview that Russian security chief Sergei Shoigu tried to strike a deal to bring in “labor migrants” from North Korea to replace Central Asian workers during his latest trip to Pyongyang.
Russia and North Korea are also set to resume a direct railway link between their capitals next week, with experts suggesting the move may boost Russian tourism and also lead to an uptick in DPRK labor exports.
Chris Monday, a Russia researcher at Dongseo University, told NK News that while a million North Koreans is far more than a country with an estimated population of 26 million can realistically provide, smaller groups of laborers and troops may still reach Russia as Moscow tries to “go up the escalation ladder without nuclear threats.”
“We must understand that Solovyov isn’t an independent pundit but a Kremlin mouthpiece,” he said. Using talking heads like Solovyov, Moscow seeks to “reassure the public that there will be no nuclear war and no forced draft” while showing the West it has “unlimited means to counter-escalate.”
By making outrageous and daring remarks, Solovyov is “preparing the audience for Kremlin moves,” Monday said. “He says ‘half a million!’ so that 40,000 sounds reasonable and mild.”
“It’s not long ago that a military partnership with North Korea and a full invasion of Ukraine would have sounded fantastic,” he said. “But thanks to this kind of ‘anchoring,’ Kremlin moves seem like realist master strokes.”
However, Monday suggested that Pyongyang’s grounded view of geopolitics and its future relations with the U.S. and South Korea could limit its willingness to play along.
“Kim Jong Un will be reluctant at this stage to antagonize [new ROK President] Lee Jae-myung [with mass deployments],” Monday said. “This might provide an incentive for restraint. He also might want to see what Trump has to offer.”
The expert added that DPRK troops are tied up with construction, policing and border defense in North Korea, making deployment a security risk.
But he suggested limited numbers of DPRK troops could still reinforce the 11,000-12,000-strong contingent already deployed to Russia.
Kim Jong Un in front of a Hwasong-11A SRBM TEL | Image: KCNA (May 9, 2025)
“Kim knows Ukraine is at the breaking point and he does have an incentive to send in troops for a ‘joint victory,’” Monday said, noting this could set up an expected Kim visit to Moscow.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin last met during a summit in Pyongyang last June, signing a de facto military pact that paved the way for the DPRK soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war and the dispatch of more North Korean laborers to Russia in violation of U.N. sanctions.
Ultimately, while the idea of a million North Koreans aiding Russia serves as effective propaganda fodder, making it seem like Moscow enjoys strong support from its friends, the realities on the ground make such a scenario far-fetched.
Still, even limited deployments — whether laborers under student visas or rear-area personnel — could deepen the countries’ growing entanglement and test the enforcement of international sanctions in the months ahead.
Edited by Alannah Hill
13. Cambodian crypto market linked to North Korea still active despite US crackdown
We must attack the regime's all-purpose sword of cyber.
Cambodian crypto market linked to North Korea still active despite US crackdown
Huione platform operating via mirror site after measures aimed at halting money laundering by DPRK cybercriminals
https://www.nknews.org/2025/06/cambodian-crypto-market-linked-to-north-korea-still-active-despite-us-crackdown/
Shreyas Reddy June 12, 2025
Mirror site of Huione Crypto, one of the Cambodian firm's main cryptocurrency-based services targeted by the U.S. Treasury | Image: Screenshot of Huione Crypto homepage (June 12, 2025)
A Cambodian online marketplace linked to North Korean money laundering appears to be carrying out business as usual despite claiming to have shut down last month, according to a U.S. blockchain intelligence firm, after Washington blacklisted the platform.
The Chinese-language service Huione, also known as Haowang, continued processing transactions worth billions of dollars from a mirror site even after ceasing operation on its main homepage and the takedown of its official Telegram channels in early May, Chainalysis said in a blog post on Thursday.
In fact, the site’s activity actually increased after the cryptocurrency-based platform’s supposed “shutdown,” which Chainalysis said showcases “a highly resilient system that operates largely independent of its public-facing infrastructure.”
The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) previously moved to designate Huione as a “primary money laundering concern” and cut it off from the U.S. financial system, citing its role in North Korean cybercriminals’ laundering of stolen cryptocurrency worth some $37 million in 2023.
This approach helps “isolate bad actors without immediate judicial scrutiny” as it serves more as a protective mechanism rather than an asset freeze, while U.S. banks typically sever ties immediately after the announcement to avoid regulatory risk, Chainalysis explained.
As a result, Huione should have lost U.S. dollar access immediately after the announcement, even though the designation has yet to be finalized, but transactional data suggests it remained largely unaffected.
Despite Washington’s efforts to disrupt Huione’s operations, Chandana Seshadri, a non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center told NK News that the platform’s return in a new form was always a likely outcome.
She added that mirror sites like the one used in this case tend to pop up immediately after law enforcement operations, and the likely use of multiple alternative sites would make cracking down on Huione’s complex web operations more challenging.
HOW HUIONE WORKS
Huione primarily operates as a “guarantee service,” acting as a guarantor or escrow provider for online transactions, ostensibly in order to prevent fraud.
In reality, however, the platform has long served as a hub for online scammers and money laundering, and it is the leading player in a growing list of Chinese-language guarantee services that have eclipsed dark web sites as the most active online channel for illicit financial activities.
Chainalysis explained that sites like Huione typically offer a wide range of “money movement services” such as fund transfers to prepaid cards, cash-to-cryptocurrency conversions, in-person cash pickups and more complex methods involving multiple sources and conversion channels.
“These operations display characteristics suggesting deep integration with other crime networks, often advertising through coded language and explicit disclaimers about security protocols,” the report said.
Kristen Patel, a professor at Syracuse University, told NK News that North Korean cybercriminals are likely continuing to use the Cambodian marketplace after finding previous success with laundering virtual funds stolen from the virtual fund management and payments services Atomic Wallet, Coinspaid and Alphapo in 2023, although no further cases have been reported.
At the same time, Huione is just one of several tools used by North Korean cybercriminals to launder cryptocurrency and may not offer them any particular benefits, according to Seshadri.
However, she added that the law enforcement authorities would likely prioritize taking down such sites due to North Korea’s involvement rather than that of organized crime groups, with services like Huione representing a “soft underbelly” they can target more easily than other elements of Pyongyang’s laundering network.
Haowang Guarantee’s announcement of its shutdown | Image: Screenshot of Haowang Guarantee website (May 13, 2025)
Huione’s new site, operating under the domain name huione[.]me, lists the Huione-promoted stablecoin USDH, whose value is pegged to the U.S. dollar, and the Huione-linked virtual token XOC for trading. It also promotes its Android and iOS apps that aren’t available in the two operating systems’ official app marketplaces.
Domain records show the new site was registered in February, two months before FinCEN’s announcement, highlighting Huione’s apparent preparedness to continue operations under the radar even if it were forced to shut down.
Patel pointed to the shift to an alternate site as proof the Cambodian company is taking steps to mitigate risks like any other business, adding that it did not even have to change tactics to circumvent the U.S. restrictions and keep growing.
“They already have redundant systems in place and different ways of moving money, because that’s just how professional money launderers work,” she said.
The wider guarantee services ecosystem also reflected signs of Huione’s continued operations, with no service growing enough to reflect a migration of the Cambodian platform’s users.
Chainalysis assessed that this is down to Huione’s core processing capabilities largely remaining intact, allowing users to continue using established money laundering networks.
“Huione’s ability to function at scale with a complex infrastructure suggests a shift toward more decentralized, embedded financial systems designed to evade conventional disruption,” the report said.
COMBATING GUARANTEE SERVICES
Huione’s undiminished operations demonstrate the challenge of disrupting the illicit networks supporting North Korean laundering.
Washington has previously attempted to crack down on other tools used by Pyongyang to conceal and convert stolen cryptocurrency through sanctions and criminal charges, but many of these services have remained active or resurfaced after closures.
To address such challenges, Chainalysis called for an “ecosystem-wide response” built on enforcement strategies that go beyond simple takedowns and focus instead on the infrastructure supporting such services.
The firm emphasized that such efforts must extend beyond national borders and foster real-time information sharing between financial intelligence units, law enforcement and regulatory bodies, while blockchain intelligence must also be incorporated to uncover hidden infrastructure.
Echoing Chainalysis’ recommendations, Seshadri called for greater training for law enforcement to identify mirror sites and alternative platforms that allow illegal services to persist under “new packaging,” as well as greater transnational coordination.
“FinCen, as the forerunner, has provided the first action, but to improve law enforcement efficiency it would need better regional support,” she said.
However, Patel stated that going after organizations like Huione is like playing “whack-a-mole.”
“It’s kind of futile after a while,” she said. “You have to go after the individuals, not necessarily the entities themselves, because they’re going to just rebrand.”
But even if Washington targets individuals, Patel expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s administration has effectively given “a pass to crypto bad guys” with actions such as pardoning the former head of Silk Road, a dark web marketplace shut down in 2013 for facilitating the sale of drugs and other contraband.
Rather than demonstrating Washington’s ability to curb North Korean cybercrime, the expert said this case is a “bellwether” for the difficulties of targeting illicit crypto actors linked to DPRK laundering.
“It just shows the limits of U.S. power,” she said.
Edited by Alannah Hill
14. Challenging Korean fatalism about a conflict in Taiwan
The first and third questions are appropriate. The second question belies the Hangoryeh's agenda. The more appropriate second question might be: "in the event of a conflict on Taiwan, how does South Korea protect its interests (security, economic, and political) while upholding its reputation as a global pivotal state, a partner in the arsenal of democracies that seeks to uphold the rules- based international order."
Excerpts:
In this context, the conflict over Taiwan presents a particularly great risk. From what perspective should South Korea approach this issue? There are three questions to consider.
First, what are the implications of changes in the status of the Taiwan Strait to the greater East Asian order, and how critical of an issue is it to South Korea? Second, how can we reduce our chances of involvement in the event of an armed conflict over Taiwan? Third, if South Korean troops are called on to defend Taiwan in the framework of the South Korea-US alliance, how should South Korea respond?
[Column] Challenging Korean fatalism about a conflict in Taiwan
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/english_editorials/1202267.html
Posted on : 2025-06-11 17:21 KST Modified on : 2025-06-11 17:21 KST
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Korea faces a two-sided challenge over Taiwan: While it must ramp up its own ability to defend itself, it must also avoid being drawn into conflict that is not Korea’s to fight
On June 29, 2019, US President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. (Reuters/Yonhap)
By Kim Jung-sup, principal fellow at the Sejong Institute
The South Korea-US alliance will no doubt face changes and challenges on several fronts during the Trump era. The US Department of Defense recently internally distributed its interim national defense strategic guidance, in which it indicated that Washington will prioritize the deterrence of China in the Indo-Pacific.
The US appears to be adjusting its main defense objectives by limiting them to preventing an invasion and occupation of Taiwan by China and to protecting the US homeland. When it comes to other threats, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called on US allies to take increased responsibility for their defense.
Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of US Forces Korea, has also referred to USFK as part of a greater US Indo-Pacific strategy, in what many see as an expression of intent to refocus US military capacity and readiness on deterring China.
This is a two-sided challenge for South Korea. For the peace and safety of the Korean Peninsula, we need to ramp up efforts to bolster our ability to defend ourselves. But at the same time, we also need to gather our wisdom to ensure that we do not become dragged into the conflicts of greater nations against our will.
In this context, the conflict over Taiwan presents a particularly great risk. From what perspective should South Korea approach this issue? There are three questions to consider.
First, what are the implications of changes in the status of the Taiwan Strait to the greater East Asian order, and how critical of an issue is it to South Korea? Second, how can we reduce our chances of involvement in the event of an armed conflict over Taiwan? Third, if South Korean troops are called on to defend Taiwan in the framework of the South Korea-US alliance, how should South Korea respond?
First off, some believe that if Taiwan is invaded and taken by China, a portion of the waters of East Asia will effectively become China’s. Some also warn that if Taiwan falls, the US-Japan alliance and the South Korea-US alliance could falter, and that the US will ultimately be driven out of East Asia and the Western Pacific. Because of that, they argue, South Korea should view a conflict in Taiwan as a conflict directly involving Korea, and that we should share the burden of defending Taiwan with the US.
However, this perspective is excessively pessimistic and overly simplistic. If the US fails to defend Taiwan, US credibility will take a hit, but it is extreme to conclude that it would result in the US losing its position and influence in the region. As demonstrated by the Vietnam War, the dominoes don’t fall quite as easily as some would think. We therefore need to be leery of the argument that South Korea’s national security is directly tied to the fate of Taiwan.
Second, we need to overcome the fatalistic view that sees Korea being inevitably drawn into any conflict that occurs over Taiwan. The most worrisome scenario would be the US Air Force using the Korean Peninsula as an airbase. This is the problem of the “strategic flexibility” of US troops stationed in Korea.
However, if we play our cards right, Korea could reduce its chances of being dragged into a conflict. The most important thing is to prevent US fighters from taking off from and landing at the airbases in Osan and Gunsan while engaging in operations in or around the Taiwan Strait. If we cannot prevent that, we need to compromise by calling for a portion of USFK to be transferred to the US base in Okinawa.
This is a reasonable option for the US when it comes to refueling, supply transport, and flight security. In this regard, our stance differs from that of Japan.
Guam and Okinawa have served as hub bases for the deployment of US forces from the get-go. Geographically, the Senkaku Islands are 350 km away from Taiwan, and Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost island, is a mere 110 km away from Taiwan.
This is why former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once said, “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.” However, we need to be more careful before concluding that a conflict in Taiwan is a conflict in Korea. And we must not forfeit efforts to reduce our chances of involvement.
Lastly, the defeatist claim that South Korea, as a US ally, cannot avoid becoming involved in a Taiwan conflict, is overblown. Some say that if South Korea abandons its duty of mutual defense, there will be no future for the alliance. However, from South Korea’s perspective, the deterrence of the North Korean threat remains the highest national priority, just as it’s always been.
Even if an armed conflict breaks out over Taiwan, it’s important for the alliance to prevent North Korea from entertaining ideas of military adventurism.
If the US gets involved in Taiwan, it will need to avoid becoming entangled in a second front in the Korean Peninsula. In this regard, the most that South Korea could do is provide diplomatic support and military supplies — indirect support that does not involve combat.
The peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait are very important. If a conflict breaks out, it is likely that it will expand into a greater war between superpowers that exceeds Ukraine in its gruesomeness. For that reason, it’s imperative that the international community adheres to an opposition to any and all attempts to change the status quo by force.
But we also need to avoid the pitfalls of obsessing with fatalistic theories that posit we have no say in the matter. It’s a dangerous world out there. Korea would do well to remain as flexible and balanced as possible while dealing with these thorny issues.
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
15. S. Korea in 'close contact' with US amid report of Kim snubbing Trump's letter
Is Kim subbing POTUS (and probably POTROK too) because he feels he is in the catbird seat with support from Russia and the adversarial cooperation of the CRInK?
S. Korea in 'close contact' with US amid report of Kim snubbing Trump's letter
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20250612/south-korea-in-close-contact-with-us-amid-report-of-kim-jong-un-snubbing-trumps-letter
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U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk before a meeting at the Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjeom in this June 30, 2019 photo. AFP-Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
- Published Jun 12, 2025 4:33 pm KST
- Updated Jun 12, 2025 9:30 pm KST
US leader’s early outreach to North Korea sparks fears Seoul may be sidelined
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday it is working closely with the United States to revive dialogue with North Korea, amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently rejected a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump.
"South Korea and the United States are maintaining close communication at all levels on North Korea policy, including U.S.-North Korea dialogue. The U.S. has reaffirmed its commitment to coordination on multiple occasions," Lee Jae-woong, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said.
The remarks followed a report by the U.S.-based outlet NK News that North Korean diplomats at their mission to the United Nations in New York refused to accept the letter despite repeated delivery attempts by U.S. officials.
While declining to comment directly on Trump’s letter, Lee emphasized the ministry's ongoing efforts to reopen communication with Pyongyang to ease tensions and build trust.
Although South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean affairs, would not comment on the issue, the foreign ministry's stance marks a stark contrast to the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon's government adopted a hardline stance against Pyongyang, emphasizing denuclearization over engagement and often responding to North Korea's escalating missile tests with stepped-up joint military drills, leading to a significant deterioration of inter-Korean communication channels and increasingly heated rhetoric from both sides.
The foreign ministry’s remarks came hours after the White House said Trump remains open to talks with Kim, following the media report.
"The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un and would like to see progress made at the Singapore summit," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing, Wednesday (local time). She neither confirmed nor denied reports of Kim’s refusal.
This is Trump's first known attempt to reach out to Pyongyang since beginning his second term in January. During his first term, he exchanged several communications characterized as "personal letters" with Kim and held three in-person meetings focused on denuclearization, though the talks ultimately collapsed without an agreement.
Anticipation is high that Trump will revisit his unfinished legacy with North Korea during his second term, although the timing remains unclear.
Observers believe that his earlier-than-expected outreach could raise concerns in Seoul about being sidelined in U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. South Korean officials were reportedly unaware of Trump's latest letter.
If the reports are accurate, North Korea's refusal to accept the letter are seen by some as a calculated move aimed at gaining leverage in any future negotiations.
A South Korean military facility equipped with loudspeakers used for anti-North Korea broadcasts is seen in a border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap
A South Korean military facility equipped with loudspeakers used for anti-North Korea broadcasts is seen in a border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap
The U.S. leader's overture comes at a sensitive moment, as President Lee Jae-myung seeks to revive inter-Korean engagement after years of deadlock under his conservative predecessor Yoon.
As part of those efforts, Lee ordered the military to turn off its propaganda loudspeakers aimed at the North on Wednesday. North Korea appeared to reciprocate on Thursday by silencing its loudspeakers along the border — a possible sign of thaw after a year of tit-for-tat broadcasts.
"There were no areas where North Korea’s loudspeaker broadcasts were detected today," South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
A military official noted that North Korea’s broadcasts had varied by location and time, with the last one heard late Wednesday night.
Lee vowed to restore inter-Korean communication channels promptly with an aim to prevent potential clashes.
"We will put an end to wasteful acts of hostility and resume dialogue and cooperation," Lee said in a congratulatory message marking the 25th anniversary of the 2000 inter-Korean summit. The message was delivered by senior presidential secretary for political affairs Woo Sang-ho during a commemorative event held in Seoul.
While some see North Korea's apparent conciliatory response to the South's suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts as a hopeful sign, prospects for meaningful dialogue remain uncertain.
In recent years, North Korea has refused to engage in dialogue with either South Korea or the United States, while steadily advancing its nuclear capabilities and strengthening military ties with Russia.
Pyongyang and Moscow signed a strategic partnership agreement last June, and North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim sent a congratulatory letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day, which falls on June 12.
"It is the unshakable will of the government of the DPRK and of my own to steadfastly carry on DPRK-Russia relations," Kim said in the letter, according to KCNA. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
"I and the DPRK will always stand with you and the Russian Federation," he added.
kim jong-un
Lee Hyo-jin
I cover South Korea's foreign policy, defense and security issues on the Korean Peninsula. Before that, I reported on immigration policies and human rights — topics I continue to follow closely. I strive to gain an accurate understanding of the issues I cover and am particularly interested in stories that amplify often overlooked voices. Tips and story ideas via email are always welcome.
lhj@koreatimes.co.kr
16. Korean border goes quiet, Trump overture — Is new breeze blowing?
I expect this is the first article we will see that will lead to a spate that will postulate that we are back on the engagement path while there will be none among the engager community that recognize that Kim is conducting political warfare and blackmail diplomacy and that his strategies are strengthened because of the adversarial cooperation of the CRInK.
Ironically, shutting off the animal noises from the north Korean loudspeakers will be interpreted as a major concession by Kim by those who want nothing more than hopeful engagement.
Korean border goes quiet, Trump overture — Is new breeze blowing?
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · June 12, 2025
Visitors use binoculars to look at a view of the Kaepung village, a North Korean town, located on the inter-Korean border, from South Korea’s Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Ganghwa County, Incheon, Thursday. (Yonhap)
President Lee pledges to 'swiftly restore' inter-Korean communication channels
Silence fell on the inter-Korean border for the first time in about a year, as North Korea abruptly halted its propaganda and noise broadcasts on Thursday — a day after Seoul preemptively paused its own loudspeaker broadcasts along the frontier.
Uncertainty still surrounds whether Pyongyang’s pause will endure or mark a turning point, as inter-Korean relations are at their lowest ebb, underscored by North Korea’s designation of South Korea as an “enemy” in its constitution and amid the rapidly shifting international landscape.
However, with President Lee Jae-myung's preemptive measures to restore confidence and North Korea’s apparent response, his pledge to promptly restore now-severed inter-Korean hotlines has nevertheless raised cautious hopes.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Thursday that “there has been no noise since the last anti-South Korea broadcast was heard late last night on the western front." The military, however, is "closely monitoring North Korea’s movements” to see whether the halt to anti-South Korean propaganda broadcasts will continue, JCS added.
The liberal Lee administration has fully paused loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, around a year after the previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration resumed propaganda broadcasts in June 2024 in response to Pyongyang’s launches of trash-filled balloons.
North Korea had responded to anti-South Korea broadcasts since July last year, transmitting eerie and raucous sounds such as screeching metal, ghostly wails and animal noises, which had tormented residents in border areas for nearly a year.
“As North Korea responded to our government’s pause of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the North, the suffering of residents in border areas has been alleviated,” a senior Unification Ministry official said on condition of anonymity Thursday during a closed-door briefing. “This has been assessed as a meaningful opportunity to ease military tensions between the two Koreas and restore mutual confidence.”
The halt to propaganda broadcasts came after the Unification Ministry publicly urged civic groups on Monday to stop sending anti-North Korea leaflets across the inter-Korean border, marking a shift from the previous policy under the Yoon administration.
A military facility housing loudspeakers for anti-North Korea broadcasts stands near the inter-Korean border in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
'End to wasteful acts of hostility'
President Lee pledged to "strive to promptly restore the suspended inter-Korean communication channels” in his congratulatory message on Thursday, marking the 25th anniversary of the June 15 inter-Korean summit in 2000.
"We will put an end to wasteful acts of hostility and resume dialogue and cooperation," Lee said. "The Lee Jae-myung administration will make every effort to achieve a peaceful, coexistent and prosperous Korean Peninsula."
North Korea has refused to answer regularly scheduled military-to-military calls from South Korea since April 7, 2023. The two Koreas are supposed to hold calls twice daily —in the morning and afternoon — via liaison and military hotlines.
Pyongyang did not respond to Seoul’s call through the liaison hotline Thursday morning, according to the Unification Ministry.
However, a group of South Korean experts raised caution about resuming inter-Korean dialogue in the report “Policy Considerations on the Prospects of a US-North Korea Summit” issued by the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul on Thursday.
"If the Lee administration pursues dialogue simply for the sake of dialogue without stringent demands or verification on the nuclear issue, it may face serious backlash in the future," read the report, principally authored by Chun Chae-sung, a professor at Seoul National University, reflecting a consensus of expert opinions.
"It is important to ensure that the goal of improving inter-Korean relations does not lead to the implementation of an incomplete nuclear policy jointly pursued by the Trump and Lee administrations."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Trump overture rebuffed by Pyongyang
Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokesperson, said Wednesday that Trump "remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un, and he'd like to see the progress that was made at that summit in Singapore."
The White House’s response came after NK News, a Seoul-based media outlet specializing in North Korea issues, reported Wednesday that North Korean diplomats in New York had refused to accept a letter from Trump to Kim on multiple occasions, citing an unnamed informed source.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea’s refusal to receive Trump’s letter — if the media report is true — could be seen as Kim telling Trump to first take action.
“It is a message of pressure that preemptive measures, such as a substantive change to the US' hostile policy toward North Korea, must be taken in order to restore leader-to-leader relations through exchanging personal letters as did in the past,” Lim said.
Trump and Kim held three in-person summits between 2018 and 2019 and exchanged at least 27 personal letters, according to publicly disclosed records, as key means to build rapport between the two leaders.
Lim also noted that growing alignment between North Korea and Russia, and internal circumstances in North Korea — such as Kim's goal to inspire anti-South and anti-American sentiment for the regime's stability — could be reasons for its apparently cold response to Trump's letter.
“However, it is difficult to conclude that North Korea’s position is fixed and unchanging in the mid-to-long term,” Lim added, pointing to various factors, including developments in the war in Ukraine and consequent changes in US–Russia relations.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
koreaherald.com · by Ji Da-gyum · June 12, 2025
17. Troop deployment to Russia earns N. Korea $525 million annually
Renting your military is profitable.
Troop deployment to Russia earns N. Korea $525 million annually
https://www.dailynk.com/english/troop-deployment-russia-earns-north-korea-525-million-annually/
Most of the income comes in goods rather than cash, including oil, diesel, wheat flour, industrial parts and military technology
By Lee Sang-yong - June 12, 2025
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported March 7, 2024, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had paid a visit the previous day to critical operational and training bases of the Korean People’s Army on the western front and toured training facilities there. The photograph depicts North Korean soldiers doing exercises. (Rodong Sinmun, News 1)
North Korea earns an estimated $43.8 million monthly — or $525.6 million yearly — through its troop deployment to Russia. The country has made an additional $6 million when condolence payments for soldiers killed in action are included.
A high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea reported recently that North Korean troops deployed to Russia receive graduated salaries based on their rank through an agreement with Moscow. Commanders receive $5,000 monthly, technical specialists earn $3,500, non-commissioned officers make $3,000, and ordinary enlisted men get $2,800.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) determined that North Korea has dispatched about 15,000 troops. The source says about 2% hold command rank, 8% are technical specialists, 10% are non-commissioned officers, and 80% are ordinary enlisted men.
Based on these calculations, North Korea’s total monthly income reaches about $43.8 million thanks to its troop deployment. The 300 commanders make around $1.5 million, the 1,200 technical specialists earn $4.2 million, the 1,500 non-commissioned officers make around $4.5 million, and the 12,000 ordinary enlisted men earn around $33.6 million.
When extrapolated for the year, North Korea makes about $525.6 million annually through its troop deployment to Russia alone.
Death benefits add to revenue stream
North Korea also receives $6,000 to $10,000 in condolence money from Russia for every North Korean soldier killed in action. In a recent report to South Korea’s National Assembly, the NIS estimated that about 600 North Korean troops have died in combat. Based on this figure, North Korea has received at least $3.6 million and at most $6 million in condolence payments.
“The government calculates the life of one of its soldiers at a few thousand dollars, and even the condolence payments paid to fallen soldiers become part of the state’s finances,” the source said. “The lives of the people are just a means, while war is just an industry to generate foreign currency.
“Instead, the government treats the families of the fallen like state heroes, giving them priority for food and re-allotting them homes,” the source continued. “While informing provincial, city and county officials of this compensation scheme, the authorities ordered that they keep the plan strictly secret until all the soldiers return home.”
Payment structure focuses on strategic goods
Most of the income comes in goods rather than cash, including oil, diesel, wheat flour, industrial parts and military technology. In the initial dispatch, some payments came in dollars, but now Russia is replacing dollar payments with strategic goods that can be exchanged for Russian rubles, Chinese yuan or other commodities. Some of the money has also gone toward repaying loans from the time of Kim Il Sung.
Goods that North Korea has secured from Russia are managed by the Financial 1.8 Funds Directorate under the party’s Munitions Industry Department. They invest these resources intensively in modernizing the military, research and development under the Missile General Bureau, and bolstering the defense distribution network.
North Korea has exported weaponry at the same time, with major exports including 122-152mm shells, missile warheads, small arms and ammunition, flares, portable air defense weapons, jamming equipment and wireless gear, the source said. The exports also include some experimental weapons.
Troop deployment used to bolster leader’s image
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s personal inspection of military factories on June 7 can be seen as the leadership pushing for increased exports while maintaining a wartime production posture. “Factories that post good export numbers receive foreign currency incentives while their workers receive class promotions,” the source said.
North Korea employs a multi-layered laundering structure in its transactions with Russia, including third-country front companies, transhipments on the high seas and false-name contracts. Trading companies attached to the Reconnaissance General Bureau, Missile General Bureau and Ministry of External Economic Relations participate in this with tacit Russian approval, the source said.
North Korea earns more than economic benefits from the deployment — it has also used the situation to bolster Kim Jong Un’s domestic image.
“The authorities are promoting the deployment as the supreme leader leading a just war in an anti-imperialist front in unity with Russia,” the source said. “He is bolstering the prestige of the Paektu bloodline as a leader carrying on the anti-imperialist pedigree of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.”
Read in Korean
Lee Sang-yong
Lee Sang-yong is the head of Daily NK's AND (Archiving North Korea Data) Center and previously spent a number of years working as one of the publication’s foreign correspondents in China. He can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
18. N. Korea discharges uranium waste into waters flowing to S. Korea
But hey, at least they turned off the loudspeakers.
But on a less sarcastic note, is this not a hostile act toward South Korea?
N. Korea discharges uranium waste into waters flowing to S. Korea
https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korea-discharges-uranium-waste-waters-flowing-south-korea/
Unlike past concerns about aging pipeline leaks, North Korea has now deliberately constructed drainage systems to dump uranium waste directly into rivers that flow south to South Korean waters
By Bruce Songhak Chung - June 12, 2025
North Korea operates a critical uranium refining facility in North Hwanghae province’s Pyongsan county that serves as a critical link in its nuclear weapons chain. The plant converts mined uranium ore into yellowcake concentrate—essentially purified uranium ready for the next stage of weapons production. This yellowcake then travels to the Yongbyon Nuclear Complex, among other facilities, where scientists enrich it to the high levels needed for nuclear bombs.
Waste generated at the Pyongsan uranium facility has historically been sent to a reservoir across the river for sedimentation. However, satellite imagery has captured evidence that as the sedimentation pond reached capacity, North Korea began discharging wastewater directly into the river system.
My satellite analysis utilized WorldView-3 imagery available through the World Imagery Wayback service provided by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) in the United States to examine the wastewater discharge situation. Wastewater released from the sedimentation pond flows downstream along waterways, eventually joining the Yesong River and flowing south through Ganghwa Bay before entering the West Sea. This raises serious concerns about contamination of South Korean rivers and coastal waters.
Satellite imagery shows the Pyongsan uranium facility’s sedimentation pond connected to drainage channels, with sediment discharge visible. The wastewater flows 2 kilometers along a small stream before joining the Yesong River, then continues south to discharge into the West Sea. Photo: WorldView-3
High-resolution satellite imagery (60 centimeter resolution) captured in late October last year shows wastewater from the Pyongsan uranium facility’s sedimentation pond being discharged through drainage channels into a small stream. This stream flows two kilometers before joining the Yesong River, which then flows south to meet waters from the Han River, passes through Ganghwa Bay, and eventually reaches the West Sea.
As visible in the upper left of the satellite image, the Pyongsan uranium facility has historically sent waste through pipelines to the reservoir for sedimentation. As solid waste accumulated in the reservoir, black sludge formed and built up from the bottom, rising to the water surface level. The wastewater appeared ready to overflow beyond the sedimentation pond. Satellite imagery has captured North Korea neglecting the sedimentation facility and discharging untreated wastewater directly into the river system.
An underground tunnel was excavated beneath the embankment next to the sedimentation pond, with leachate flowing through drainage channels. This represents unauthorized discharge of uranium concentrate waste into waterways. Photo: WorldView-3
High-resolution satellite imagery shows that North Korea excavated an underground tunnel connecting the external drainage system to the sedimentation pond, creating a discharge pathway for wastewater. The leachate flowing from the sedimentation pond through the drainage channels appears as dark coloration in the imagery. This constitutes unauthorized discharge of uranium concentrate waste beyond the sedimentation facility.
Construction of this drainage system was first identified by Jacob Bogle, a U.S. civilian satellite imagery expert, who published details of the mysterious excavation work on his website (AccessDPRK) on January 5, 2023. Satellite imagery indicates the drainage construction began around March 2022, in early spring. I also confirmed and analyzed the drainage construction situation in detail on June 22, 2024. The late October satellite imagery shows the drainage system connected to the sedimentation pond through underground tunnels, with leachate confirmed flowing along the small stream.
As waste accumulates in the Pyongsan uranium facility’s sedimentation pond, sludge (solid waste) continues to increase. October satellite imagery shows the sedimentation pond reaching saturation and exhibiting algal blooms. Photo: Google Earth and WorldView-3
Across the river from the Pyongsan uranium facility lies a large reservoir with a surface area measured at 34 hectares. Satellite imagery indicates that as North Korea has continued nuclear material production activities, waste has accumulated in the sedimentation pond to saturation levels. Chronological satellite imagery shows that sludge covered only 1.9 hectares in 2006, expanded to 7.5 hectares by 2018, and significantly increased to 16.6 hectares by October 2024. The accumulation of solid waste sludge and surrounding wastewater spread has substantially increased the sedimentation pond’s surface area. The pond has become severely contaminated, turning green with visible algae blooms. The toxic, noxious odors likely permeate the surrounding area.
Several years ago, North Korea-focused internet outlets 38 North and Radio Free Asia (RFA) raised concerns that wastewater from the Pyongsan uranium facility was leaking into the Yesong River, potentially contaminating South Korea’s Han River estuary and West Sea with radioactive waste. As domestic media coverage heightened awareness of the situation’s severity, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification collected samples from the Han River and West Sea for water quality analysis by testing agencies and publicly announced the results. The ministry’s October 21, 2019 announcement concluded there were “no unusual findings in Han River and West Sea samples, and no highly radioactive contaminants exist at the Pyongsan uranium refining facility.”
However, the current situation differs significantly from the past. Previously, the concern involved aging pipelines leaking waste into the Yesong River. Since then, pipeline repairs or replacements appear to have addressed the leakage situation, as no such leaks are visible in satellite imagery.
Now, satellite imagery reveals North Korea’s intentional discharge of sedimentation pond wastewater into waterways. North Korea completed drainage construction in the latter half of 2024, and high-resolution satellite imagery has captured full-scale wastewater discharge from the Pyongsan uranium facility’s sedimentation pond. Despite knowing that the international community monitors North Korea’s key facilities closely through satellite surveillance, North Korea has proceeded with unauthorized waste discharge. North Korea appears to show no consideration for its neighbors. The contaminated Yesong River water now flows south through Ganghwa Bay and Gyeonggi Bay before ultimately reaching the West Sea. Verification efforts appear necessary.
Read in Korean
Bruce Songhak Chung
Dr. Bruce S. Chung previously worked for South Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science and for the Intelligence Agency of Satellite Image Analysis, and is now the head of the Satellite Analysis Center at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy. Bruce received his Ph.D. in Remote Sensing and GIS from the University of Idaho in 1992, an M.S. from Seoul National University in 1986, and a B.A. from Chungbuk National University in 1982. He can be reached at chungsh1024(at)naver.com.
19. Pyongyang’s driving craze prompts licensing reform to protect Kim Jong Un
The challenges of a modern world.
Pyongyang’s driving craze prompts licensing reform to protect Kim Jong Un
Authorities are discussing several reforms: unifying or simplifying license categories, shortening training periods, and switching to electronic registration
https://www.dailynk.com/english/pyongyang-driving-craze-prompts-licensing-reform-protect-kim-jong-un/?tztc=1
By Lee Sang-yong - June 12, 2025
A North Korean traffic police officer in blue uniform directs traffic on a main street in Pyongyang, standing next to a police patrol car with emergency lights. The scene shows typical urban traffic including public buses and private vehicles in North Korea's capital city. Photo taken in 2018 during the inter-Korean summit. (Korea Summit Press Pool)
Car rentals have sparked a driving craze among young people and women in Pyongyang—and now North Korean authorities are scrambling to crack down on the corruption that’s made getting a license as easy as knowing the right person or paying the right bribe.
A source in the country reported recently that corruption was quietly widespread in the licensing process—including bribes and using connections with officials—but authorities have recently begun emphasizing strict oversight and rule-following.
While the official cost of a driver’s license ranges from 8,000 to 25,000 North Korean won depending on the license category, additional expenses keep piling up for meals, transportation, and gas. Children from wealthy, well-connected families sometimes even get licenses without taking any test at all.
But since May, driving schools have been installing cameras at test sites to prevent cheating, and test proctors are now rotated between regions to increase transparency.
“It’s become much harder to issue illegal licenses in Pyongyang because when there’s an accident in the capital, authorities trace back to whoever issued the license and punish them,” the source explained.
North Korean authorities view it as a serious security risk for drivers who obtained licenses through bribes or corruption to be sharing the roads with Kim Jong Un’s motorcade.
“Getting a license through bribes or connections in Pyongyang could potentially ‘threaten the leader’s safety,'” the source said. “They basically see unqualified drivers as a threat to the supreme leader himself.”
Digital surveillance system in development
Authorities are now discussing several reforms: unifying or simplifying license categories, shortening training periods, switching to electronic registration, building an integrated digital network, and installing smart surveillance equipment and cameras.
This suggests they’re moving toward an integrated system that would manage all license holders and vehicle information, along with surveillance to prevent forged licenses and illegal driving. They’re also looking at China’s advanced traffic management system for ideas on building their own North Korean-style system.
These changes point to a shift toward digital surveillance.
“While the integrated digital network officially aims to improve traffic management and administrative efficiency, it’s really a strategic move to tighten public control,” the source noted. “With more young people renting cars and women expressing interest in driving, authorities clearly want to manage this trend to some degree.”
North Korean authorities are also developing specialized licenses for electric cars and motorcycles. Unlike traditional gas vehicle licenses, the new training and testing standards will cover battery safety, charging protocols, and emergency discharge procedures.
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Lee Sang-yong
Lee Sang-yong is the head of Daily NK's AND (Archiving North Korea Data) Center and previously spent a number of years working as one of the publication’s foreign correspondents in China. He can be reached at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
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